The girl wanted to escape, but Haruto reached out and grabbed her, pulling the obviously reluctant girl toward the alley.
Seeing this scene, Hiratsuka was a little confused and then felt uneasy.
She had just made a phone call—what was Haruto doing?
Hiratsuka bit her lip hard, and her eyes suddenly became a little scary. A passerby walked by, and when he saw Hiratsuka, his eyes lit up initially, then lost interest in an instant.
"Damn it!"
Hiratsuka took a deep breath. She couldn't get angry. Could she be misunderstanding?
Haruto couldn't be that kind of person.
But what if?
After all, the girl dragging a suitcase might be one of those girls mentioned online, right?
In fact, she could be a runaway girl for various reasons.
These girls, who basically had no means to support themselves and were still young, couldn't provide for their own survival.
Then, these girls would randomly register accounts on some websites or apps, post their location, and hope that someone would help them unconditionally—provide them with food and a place to stay.
Those who helped them were considered their gods.
Just help them without expecting anything in return, and they wouldn't have to pay any price.
There might even be messages saying, "No transactions involved," to end some people's evil fantasies.
However, reality might not always be so kind, and it's hard for human hearts to resist all kinds of temptation.
The result speaks for itself. After all, the saying that there's no such thing as a free lunch isn't just talk.
"Pervert!"
Hiratsuka clenched her fists and took a step closer.
As she approached, Hiratsuka heard the shy and panicked voice of a girl coming from the alley: "Onii-chan, you can't do that here. People will see."
"Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Haruto's calm voice sounded, followed by the sound of a suitcase falling to the ground and the girl's cry.
Hiratsuka took a deep breath and stepped in.
"Kuromori, what are you doing here?"
Whatever the situation, she had to stop it.
Otherwise, Mafuyu would be devastated.
However, what she saw in front of her made Hiratsuka breathe a sigh of relief.
The girl tilted her head slightly and said in an annoyed tone, "Onii-chan, who is this auntie?"
A-auntie?
Hiratsuka felt her heart suddenly get pierced by an arrow, and her face twitched slightly.
Haruto sensed danger. Hiratsuka had a few sensitive topics you should never touch. The first was her age, and the second was marriage.
Haruto coughed: "Hiratsuka-sensei, this is Kagura Ayako, Nanako's classmate and close friend." He explained.
Since Ayako was one of Nanako's good friends, and she always politely called him "Onii-chan," he couldn't just ignore her.
If left alone, even if the girl was strong and unfazed by external influences, it would still be dangerous. If she wasn't careful, she could end up on a path of no return.
By that time, regret would be too late.
And they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Ayako gave him a slightly different feeling. Although she still called him "Onii-chan," she had become a bit rebellious, and her whole demeanor seemed a little off!
Luckily, Nanako remained pure and simple.
Thinking about this, Haruto suddenly felt very fortunate to have a little sister like Nanako!
Ayako complained: "Honestly, why does Onii-chan have to be so big-hearted?"
"Hm?"
Seeing his look, Ayako turned her head and said, "Anyway, it's my business. If Onii-chan knows, forget about it. Other people wouldn't understand; it would be shameful."
Haruto looked at her. "Are you being stubborn?"
"Hmm~" Ayako quickly covered her backside, looking at him shyly before turning around and mumbling, "Onii-chan is a bad guy, I'm telling Nana-chan."
Haruto's face remained expressionless: "You just said."
"Don't say that!"
Ayako rushed forward, trying to cover Haruto's mouth, but unfortunately, those who could be friends with Nanako were naturally about the same height.
Beside them, Hiratsuka watched Haruto with a subtle look.
"I'm heading out." Noticing Ayako's resistance, Hiratsuka gave Haruto a "take care of yourself" glance and walked out of the alley.
After Hiratsuka left, Haruto looked at the girl who had her head down, fiddling with her hair, and said, "Get up and go home."
Ayako stood up, grabbed her suitcase, tilted her head to look at him, and changed the subject: "Onii-chan, if you were going to date, Ayako would be better than that auntie, right?"
"Ayako doesn't know how to seize the opportunity I'm giving you. Ayako hasn't been in a relationship before. Onii-chan really isn't considering it?"
"Rejected."
"Woo~" Ayako looked shocked and said sadly, "Onii-chan, I don't want to go back. My mom doesn't care about me at all. If Onii-chan lets me stay, I'll do anything~"
If it were an ordinary person, facing a beautiful girl like her, they might have been moved. Unfortunately, Haruto wasn't swayed at all.
Because he knew this girl was just acting impulsively—and he wasn't a creep!
Haruto asked in return: "How do you know your mom doesn't care about you?"
"Because today is Ayako's birthday, and she clearly promised she would be back to celebrate with me."
Was it because of that?
Haruto remembered that Ayako came from a single-parent family, and he had met Ayako's mother before—she seemed to love her very much.
Haruto said, "Anyway, just go home first. Don't let impulsiveness lead to irreversible consequences."
Ayako pouted, her eyes wide.
After a while, she turned away and hummed: "Onii-chan only cares about me for Nanako's sake."
"Thanks~" Ayako unconsciously tapped the ground with her toes: "What I said just now wasn't all impulsive, because Onii-chan is so handsome and good at fighting. If I showed him off, it would be so impressive. So, if it's Onii-chan, Ayako wouldn't mind at all."
"So, Onii-chan really won't think about it?"