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When he recalled using his aura vision on Akane, Hikari found she seemed to be safe for the foreseeable future, and the paper crane surveillance he set up hadn't sent any warning signals either. With that assurance, he couldn't be bothered to wonder what Akane was doing at that moment.
Meanwhile, Akane herself had no idea that Hikari had sent out paper cranes to keep a pure love surveillance on her, or as Hikari liked to call it.
Right now, she was indeed at the schoolyard.
In a secluded corner of the field.
Noticing the boy standing there in his baseball uniform, bat in hand, she asked curiously, "Shouya-kun, class is about to start. Why did you suddenly message me to come down here?"
Katase Shoya didn't answer immediately. Instead, he anxiously scolded, "Nanao-san, how could you just call me by my first name? Didn't we agree to use last names even in private to avoid slipping up during club activities?"
"If Coach Togo finds out we're... close, I'll get kicked out of the baseball club, and my dream will be over."
"For the sake of my dream, Nanao-san, you really need to be more cautious."
Seeing Shoya's face full of worry as he warned her so seriously, Akane felt a twinge of exasperation.
He was worried about something as trivial as using first names, while just today, Coach Togo had cornered her and even threatened her. If Hikari hadn't stepped in, who knows what might have happened.
Here was Shoya, her so-called boyfriend with whom she'd promised to be together after graduation, still getting hung up over minor details like names.
A subtle weariness crept into Akane's heart as she looked at him.
Suppressing her frustration, Akane replied with a perfunctory smile, "Alright, Katase-san, I'll be careful. But why did you urgently call me down here?"
"If there's nothing important, I'm heading back to class."
Akane's tone was a bit sharp—perhaps because of the lingering shock from her encounter with Coach Togo or simply because the bell was about to ring. However, Shoya seemed to misinterpret her urgency, his face twisting with frustration.
"Nanao," he asked, voice tense, "didn't we agree? Once I perform well in the baseball tournament, we'll go public and officially be together. So... why are you acting like this?"
Akane raised an eyebrow, a bit annoyed. Just moments ago, he was adamant about using last names, yet now he was calling her Akane directly. However, knowing that he wouldn't bring this up for no reason, she kept her cool and replied with a forced smile.
"Yes, we did agree on that. What's going on?"
Shouya abruptly shot back, "Akane-chan, are you seeing someone else?"
Akane blinked, stunned by the sudden accusation.
After a brief moment of silence, Akane regained her composure, her face clouding. "No! I haven't dated anyone else, Shouya-kun. What are you talking about?"
Seeing her reaction, Shoya's suspicion only deepened. "Just a few minutes ago during the break, I saw you walking back to class with a guy. Am I wrong?"
Akane's expression flickered again, but realizing what had caused his misunderstanding, she sighed in relief.
Patiently, she explained, "The reason I was walking with Hikari was... well, there's an important reason behind it. There's nothing going on between us."
Shouya's face darkened. "An important reason? And what would that be, exactly? Akane, explain yourself."
Growing tired of his incessant interrogation, Akane felt her irritation rise. After all, they weren't even officially dating, and yet he was grilling her like this.
Her tone turned cold as she replied, "Katase Shoya, we aren't officially together. And you were the one who insisted that I keep our relationship hidden to avoid interfering with your precious dream."
"You even demanded that we avoid using first names. So, tell me, even if I were dating Hikari, what difference would it make?"
"Besides, there's nothing special going on between me and Hikari; we were just walking together. What right do you have to question me so harshly?"
The sharpness in her words caught Shouya off guard. His grip on the baseball bat tightened as he fought to keep his temper in check.
However, seeing Akane's lovely face and curvy figure, he quickly pushed down his anger, afraid she'd truly end things with him.
Finding it hard to imagine finding another girlfriend as beautiful as her, he swallowed his pride and forced a gentler tone. "I'm sorry, Nanao-san, that was my fault. I realize now it was just a misunderstanding. But still, I thought you wouldn't be close with other guys."
"Didn't we promise to be together after graduation?"
"I swear, Nanao-san, once I win the baseball tournament, we'll make our relationship public. I'll make you the envy of all the other girls, the center of everyone's attention."
"For now, I just need you to bear with this. I swear I'll make you the happiest girlfriend in the world. So, could you forgive me this once?"
"And could you tell me the reason you were with that Hikari guy?"
Akane's anger softened a bit, but she still hesitated. "That... well, I can't explain the reason. But I swear, I'm not seeing anyone else."
After hesitating a moment, she kept the incident with Coach Togo to herself, knowing how Shouya's personality would only make things worse if he knew.
Shouya noticed her reluctance and felt an urge to push further, but he feared truly angering her and causing a rift between them, especially since they weren't officially together yet.
Reluctantly, he sighed. "Fine, I won't press you anymore. I trust you, go on back to class."
Hearing this, Akane finally smiled faintly.
"Thank you for trusting me, Shouya-kun. Really, I'm not hiding any relationship from you."
With that, she hurried back to class, thinking Shouya had finally let the matter go.
However, watching her retreating figure, Shouya clenched his fists, a dark expression on his face.
The thought of Hikari's good looks left a gnawing insecurity in his heart. Though he'd claimed to trust Akane, his words had been merely a way to avoid pushing her too far.
Deep down, Shouya still harbored doubts about her and Hikari. Despite his own insistence that they keep things quiet, he expected Akane to adhere to strict loyalty, almost like they were in a formal relationship.
In truth, Shouya was insecure and lacked confidence; otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted she hide their relationship just for his dream of baseball glory.
'No way… I know there's something fishy going on between Akane and that Hikari guy. I need to get to the bottom of this.'
'Handling it alone isn't enough; I should probably get Coach Togo's help with this.' [T/N: 💀]
'Coach Togo's an adult and has a lot of experience in these matters. He'll know exactly how to deal with this.'
Watching Akane disappear down the hall, Shouya's eyes narrowed with tumultuous doubts..
———
The school day passed with the sound of bells marking each class period, one after another.
After the final bell, Hikari was packing up his books to head home.
As he finished packing, a graceful figure was already waiting by the back door of the classroom.
With her long, violet hair, fair skin, and striking red eyes, Natsuha was hard to miss. The tight fit of her JK uniform did little to hide her impressive figure, drawing admiring glances from the male students passing by.
Ever since she'd been harassed by Oga and asked Hikari to escort her to and from school, she had grown quite accustomed to it.
In fact, she'd come to his classroom door every day after school to wait for him.
Today, though, after Hikari's intervention in dealing with Masaru, her feelings had deepened considerably.
Plus, after that spontaneous first kiss with him, Natsuha couldn't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions for Hikari.
Looking forward to walking home with him more than ever, Natsuha pondered how she might steer the conversation to strengthen their connection. But her thoughts were interrupted when she spotted three trendy, fashionably dressed girls approaching Hikari.
Seeing the three girls with equally impressive figures, Natsuha's face stiffened. Her instincts kicked in; 'do these girls want the same—to walk home with Hikari?'
"Hey, Hikari-kun, school's out." called Reina, the blonde leader of the Shiny Gals trio, as she waved to him.
"Yeah, it's over," Hikari responded politely while organizing his things.
Just as Reina was about to ask him to walk home together, Natsuha hesitated, debating whether she should interrupt.
Then, unexpectedly, another girl entered the classroom through the back door, jostling Natsuha as she passed. Before Natsuha could complain, she realized it was none other than Akane Nanao herself, with her short, red-tinted hair brushing her shoulders and a figure that rivaled her own.
As Hikari was gathering his books, Akane approached him, a bit hesitant. "Um… Hikari-kun, about what happened in the storage room today… I really appreciate your help. I was wondering if… you'd let me treat you to some bubble tea as a thank you? Could we maybe walk out together?"
Watching this exchange, Natsuha Shinomiya froze, absolutely speechless.
'What the heck is going on here? Since when is Hikari-kun this popular?'
'One beautiful girl after another, each with figures just as impressive as me. Damn it, do I even stand a chance here? How am I supposed to get close to him?'
'No, no! This isn't right!'
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