[🎉 Shoutout to Guto for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
'I'm just friends with Hikari-kun, that's all. Besides, I have an agreement with Yuuta; I can't just let my mind wander like this.'
'Yuuta is my childhood friend. Sure, he doesn't look as good as Hikari-kun, but he's still Yuuta.'
'Yuuta is my childhood friend. Yeah, he's not as strong as Hikari-kun, either.'
'Yuuta is my childhood friend. Even though… well, I already had my first kiss with Hikari-kun.'
'…Ugh!'
'Why is it that no matter how much I try to think about Yuuta, Hikari-kun's face keeps popping into my head?'
No matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise, Natsuha Shinomiya felt a strange twinge of jealousy seeing so many pretty girls surrounding Hikari.
—
Hikari had just finished packing his books when Akane suddenly appeared and spoke up. Seeing her hesitation, he quickly guessed her thoughts.
She probably did genuinely want to thank him, but part of it was also her worry about running into Coach Togo on the way out of school.
Earlier that day, she'd mentioned wanting to avoid the baseball club for the next few days. After what happened in the storage room, she likely had a bit of a phobia about running into the coach, so asking Hikari to walk her out was probably her way of avoiding him.
In front of him was a gorgeous girl with, well… impressive assets, inviting him out. That's hard for anyone to refuse.
Activating his Pure Love Aura Vision, Hikari checked Akane's aura and saw it was safe, so he shook his head and handed her a small note. "I know you're worried about running into Coach Togo on the way out. Don't stress about it—he won't recover that fast."
"And here's my contact info. If he bothers you again, just call me, and I'll be there right away."
"As for treating me to bubble tea, don't worry about it."
Akane looked a bit disappointed, but when Hikari handed her his contact info and assured her she could reach him anytime, she couldn't help but smile. "Alright, I'll get going then."
"Thank you, Hikari-kun. I won't forget your kindness."
"If you have time, I'd still like to treat you to a meal sometime. Is that okay?"
"Sure." Hikari waved it off casually.
Truthfully, his interest in Akane's situation was mostly about earning Pure Love Points—Coach Togo was his real target. Whether or not she thanked him was secondary.
However, just as Akane left, Reina, Yukina, and Ruri suddenly surrounded him, their eyes shining.
"Wow, Hikari-kun actually turned down such a beautiful girl. You didn't walk her home?"
"It's because you want to go home with us, isn't it? So thoughtful of you!"
"Let's go, Hikari-kun! All four of us, party at your place!"
Each of them chimed in with excitement, looking thrilled. Hikari, however, looked at the three of them, utterly bewildered.
"Huh? What are you talking about? What's this about rejecting her for you guys? Going home together?" He looked at them in confusion.
The three girls laughed and, in the middle of it, took the opportunity to tease him, each playfully draping herself over him.
"We heard it all! You turned down that girl with boing boing assets just to be with us, didn't you?"
"Right, you promised to bring us to your place for a party!"
Rolling his eyes, Hikari firmly peeled the girls off one by one, pulling Reina's arm from around his shoulders, removing Yukina's hand from his waist, and gently lifting Ruri off his lap, settling her on the desk instead.
"What are you girls even thinking?" he said, his tone righteous. "Didn't I tell you today? If you want to come to my apartment, you need to find out where it is yourselves."
"And what's all this nonsense about rejecting someone to be with you guys? Get your heads out of the clouds."
The three girls were left speechless.
'Oh wow, so he wasn't rejecting her for us? Not even remotely?'
Embarrassed beyond belief, the girls' cheeks turned crimson as they each realized they'd completely misread the situation.
Not that Hikari would have been entirely against a party with three gorgeous girls with great figures, but today he had some other things to take care of.
First, he had to get home.
At that moment, he noticed Natsuha standing by the back door, and he waved her over. "Hey, Natsuha!"
She looked a bit surprised but quickly perked up and hurried over.
"Yes, Hikari-kun?"
"Come on, let's go home."
Natsuha beamed, grabbing his stack of books and slipping them into her own bag. "Sure! You have a lot to carry; let me help."
Hikari blinked, mildly surprised, but nodded. "Alright, thanks."
"No problem." With her bag noticeably heavier now, Natsuha's face lit up with genuine joy.
As she followed Hikari out, Natsuha glanced back over her shoulder, noticing the bitter looks from the three other girls. She couldn't help but smirk—'I win this round bitches'
She'd never imagined that simply walking home with Hikari could feel this satisfying.
Perhaps it was human nature—at first, she'd found walking with him a bit of a hassle, but after he'd helped her and she'd seen his heroic side, she began to look forward to it. And now, seeing how the other girls wanted the same, being chosen over them felt like a sweet victory.
It was like winning a competition, a primal rivalry among the females of the species.
—
Watching Natsuha so close to Hikari, practically shoulder-to-shoulder, and glancing back at them, Reina, Yukina, and Ruri were grinding their teeth in frustration.
Reina slammed her hand down on the desk. "That's it! I can't stand it! That Shinomiya girl hogs Hikari-kun and keeps looking back at us like she's won something."
"Yeah! Sure, she's pretty and all, but we're not any worse, are we?" Yukina joined in.
"Exactly! Plus, we have the numbers—three to one." Ruri added, folding her arms confidently.
"Damn right! For him to choose one over us three, that's just ungrateful." Rena scoffed.
"Honestly, being turned down just makes me want to… teach him a lesson even more," Yukina said, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
Ruri nodded, eyes glinting. "Agreed. Hikari-kun needs some… discipline. I checked, and he's way stronger than those guys we've seen in movies. It's ridiculous!"
Reina's eyes sparkled. "Oh? So, Ruri-chan's already done some 'scouting'? Tell us, how's the 'merchandise'?"
Ruri smirked. "Perfect. Not a single flaw."
Yukina raised a concern. "Wait, I'm in, but Hikari-kun seems pretty strong, and we only have theoretical experience here…"
Reina laughed. "Are you kidding? There are three of us, one of him. We'll be fine."
Ruri planted her hands on her hips. "Exactly! Three against one—we have the advantage."
"Alright then, but he's with someone else right now. How do we catch him?" Yukina asked, a hint of impatience creeping into her voice.
"Oh, he'll drop her off and head home after. We'll wait at his place and make our move there," Reina decided.
Ruri smiled wickedly. "Today's as good a day as any. Let's head to his apartment now and get a head start."
"Did you guys figure out his address yet?" Reina asked.
Ruri grinned. "I got it all. Which building, floor, unit, even how many shoes are by the door and his laundry on the balcony."
The three of them burst into laughter, nodding in unison.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"Party time!"
[T/N: Help me guys! Guess some characters for me—
1. Blue Haired, Loli, Literature Club Member, Likes to Sleep
2. Film research club, Naive Girl, literal translation turned out to be Amakawa Hanako(it might be similar or not) ]
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