Looking at the phone screen he held up, Shinomiya Natsuha recognized the photo from last week when she had inadvertently grabbed Sasaki's hand while hitting him.
From the photo alone, it looked like they were flirting, but in reality, she was scolding Sasaki for his inappropriate remarks.
It wasn't what Yuuta imagined.
But the explanation of "it's just a misunderstanding" clearly wouldn't satisfy Yamano Yuta.
He trusted what he saw more than her words.
The photo showing them walking closely together, smiling and seemingly flirting, her not mentioning Sasaki despite knowing him, and her rejecting his attempts to get close in the cinema...
Didn't all this prove something?
After explaining for a long time, with a dry mouth and feeling exhausted, Shinomiya Natsuha, seeing that Yuu-chain still firmly believed she was unfaithful, felt a surge of helplessness and sadness in her heart and her eyes were filled with tears.
"Yuu-chan... We've grown up together, right? It's been ten years, hasn't it? Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"
Her teary, wine-red eyes, like a crystal goblet filled with shimmering red wine but full of cracks, glistened under the dim alley light.
Although beautiful, the sense of impending heartbreak was deeply sorrowful.
The dim light seemed to sob softly with her sad, aggrieved words, and the few insects flying around her seemed to comfort her, buzzing gently.
Even the insects knew to comfort the precious light they cherished.
Yamano Yuta, however, didn't know how to comfort his heartbroken girlfriend.
In his mind, whether Natsuha had done something with Sasaki was a question.
But from the photo and her rejection of his closeness in the cinema, it already showed that his place in her heart had significantly diminished.
To secure his position, the boy took a few steps forward and said to her:
"Of course, I believe you, Natsu-nee... But I'm just afraid of losing you. I can't come back often... so I'm always worried..."
"Yuu-chan~ You won't lose me, I..."
Not waiting for her to finish, Yamano Yuta stepped closer, held her hand, and gently asked:
"Natsu-nee... Can you stay with me tonight?"
Despite feeling heartbroken by his suspicion of her infidelity, hearing that he was afraid of losing her warmed Shinomiya Natsuha's heart slightly.
Coupled with the inexplicable heat and weakness in her body, when she heard Yuta's request, she didn't feel much resistance.
Yamano Yuuta was her boyfriend.
In his fear of losing her, giving him reassurance wasn't wrong.
She also wanted to use this way to bind their hearts together.
After all, she had felt guilty about her feelings for Sasaki and needed to extinguish those feelings completely.
She absolutely couldn't become the kind of person she despised the most.
As she was about to respond and agree...
---
...
Beep beep beep beep—
The originally pleasant notification sound of incoming emails, when it kept ringing continuously, turned sharp, piercing the newly developed intimate atmosphere between them.
Though checking the phone at such a moment could ruin the mood, letting the email sound continue was worse.
So, Shinomiya Natsuha gave Yyuta an apologetic look and took out her phone to see who was sending her emails.
The screen lit up automatically with the incoming emails.
Several video emails from unfamiliar numbers without any notes occupied the middle of the screen.
Sliding the screen open, she tapped on the emails.
The displayed video, accompanied by some lascivious sounds, unfolded before Shinomiya's eyes.
The content of the video wasn't complicated.
On a large pink bed occupying the entire screen, three intertwined bodies were engaged in the most primitive act.
Although she wanted to turn off the video immediately, she recognized that the person sandwiched in the middle was her boyfriend standing in front of her.
"Mm~ uhh~?"
"I'm numb, can't take it~"
"A man can't say he can't~ Move, move~?"
"Mm~? Not bad, you're really working hard~?"
"So, how does it compare to your girlfriend?"
"You've never done something like this with your girlfriend, have you?"
...
Hearing the familiar voice in the video, Yamano Yuuta's mind went blank.
He couldn't understand how the scene of his 'training' ended up on Natsuha's phone.
Especially right when she was about to agree to his request.
This...
Before he could grasp the truth, Shinomiya Natsuha, trembling with anger, clenched her phone and, with tears blurring her vision, swung at him.
Due to her father's abandonment of their family, the girl despised unfaithfulness in relationships.
Although she had a crush on Sasaki, a good looking boy, who made her feel safe and protected,
She still distanced herself from him, fearing she might fall for him even more and betray her boyfriend.
She held herself to this standard.
Naturally, she expected the same from her partner.
Yamano Yuuta, who had grown up with her, knew this very well.
Yet, he still did such a thing.
And after betraying her, he doubted her loyalty and came to question her... What did he take her for?
Fueled by her resentment, Natsuha's swing was powerful, and Yamano Yuta, ready being out of shape, had a physical condition far below average and was immediately knocked to the ground.
Clutching his swollen, painful cheek, he wanted to explain, but the coquettish voices still playing in his ears left him speechless.
However, despite his inability to defend himself, Yamano Yuta tried to indicate there was more to the story with the typical line uttered when caught cheating.
"No, it's not what you think, let me explain..."
"Alright, go ahead."
Holding the phone with the indecent video still playing towards him, Shinomiya Natsuha with her
expressionless face shed the tears she hadn't when he wrongly accused her:
"Explain this."
"This is..."
Sitting on the ground, Yamano Yuta, holding his swollen cheek, glanced at the explicit video on the screen and turned his head away.
This video ending up on Natsuha's phone was worse than being caught in bed.
With the factual evidence right in front of him, even showing his actions, no explanation could absolve him.
He could only...
He could only... Spotting that one person was missing from the explicit scene, the boy's lit up, and he hurriedly said:
"Natsu-nee, I was set up by..."
Before he could finish, a slightly frivolous voice echoed from the alley entrance, interrupting him.
"You two sure are having fun, hitting each other and playing videos... Mind if a few more join in?"
The sudden voice interrupted Yamano Yuta.
And Shinomiya Natsuha, who was completely filled with anger and grief, glanced at the few thugs blocking the alley entrance and instinctively shielded the boy.
"What do you want? Get lost!"
The leader, a tall, slim thug with dyed yellow hair, spinning a butterfly knife in his hand, wore a flashy shirt and didn't look like a student.
Looking at the two, he laughed with his five companions behind him:
"Did you hear that? She told us to get lost~"
"Alright, alright, let's get lost in bed, let's go~"
"First time seeing such a pretty and proactive chick, really not bad~"
---
...
Chapter 120: Taking Advantage of the Situation, the Gains Far Outweigh Respect and Righteousness
Hearing the foul language spewing from their mouths, Shinomiya Natsuha, who stood protectively in front of Yamano Yuta, looked intimidating with her furrowed brows and the coldness in her crimson eyes.
But her flushed, tear-streaked face greatly diminished her fierceness.
Coupled with her voluptuous figure wrapped in a school uniform, she didn't seem like a martial artist.
Her stance looked far from intimidating, more like a prelude to getting beaten up.
Ignoring Yamano Yuta, who sat on the ground clutching his face with a defeated look, the thugs continued to spew lewd comments as they approached Natsuha.
"Ugh~"
Blinking to clear her blurry vision, Shinomiya Natsuha, feeling hot and weak, finally realized something was wrong with her condition.
Earlier in the cinema, she thought her discomfort was due to the spicy food and the bright cinema lights causing a headache and dizziness.
Then, being wronged and discovering Yuta's betrayal made her ignore her physical discomfort.
Now, clenching her fist, she realized her symptoms weren't something that could be explained by an upset stomach.
Considering that Yuta suspected her infidelity and chose the restaurant, but showed no signs of discomfort himself, and his recent request...
Did he drug her because he was afraid she wouldn't agree to his request?
Afraid she'd give her virginity to someone else instead of him?
So, her thoughts and feelings didn't matter to him at all...
After all, he never trusted her...
He denied their ten-year bond based on two photos.
The continuous sadness and heartache burning in her chest, like a scorching fire, consumed the beautiful memories she and Yuta had created since childhood.
The ashes of those memories floated upwards, condensing into a dark cloud in her eyes.
The dark cloud didn't dissipate, and tears formed, dripping from her flushed face.
Seeing her devastated state, Masaru Oga, who was hiding in the shadows, knew it was time to make his move.
"Hey! What are you doing over there?"
Walking out slowly from another alley, the yellow hair, with his hands in his pockets, displayed a calm and disdainful demeanor.
According to their plan, Masaru Oga was supposed to have a confrontation to show his strength and reliability.
So, the thugs blocking the alley formed a wall and taunted him with phrases like 'who the hell are you' and 'what are you, a loser?'
Provoked, Masaru Oga, not one to back down, started pushing and shoving with them.
But before they could finish their performance, a crimson figure suddenly dashed into the alley, pulled the tearful Natsuha out and ran away silently.
Their speed was so surprising that no one could react in time.
By the time they realized what had happened, they saw two small, blurry figures running away in the distance.
Having their prey snatched away, Masaru Oga, who had put in a lot of effort, couldn't let it go.
Forgetting his act, he urgently commanded the thugs around him:
"Go after them now!"
---