"Those guys should be long gone by now, right?" Once her head cooled off, Nogami almost wanted to slap Haruaki across the face. Yes, slap him, not herself. After all, the one who turned her life, her mood, and her thoughts into a complete mess wasn’t anyone else but that bastard Harutaki. Haruaki swore, he wasn’t saying that just because he wanted an excuse to stay close to her a little longer. "Delinquents are a strange breed. They can’t stick with studying for even five minutes, yet when it comes to stupid, pointless stuff, they suddenly show the patience and endurance of monks." He could never understand the appeal of being a punk, or worse, a gangster. I mean, really? Getting beaten up, having your fingers cut off, ending up behind bars or in the ICU, was that supposed to be cooler than studying? "Maybe... you should go check outside first..." "Still mad? Compared to going out there and fighting those brain-dead delinquents, I’d honestly feel safer letting you hit me a few more times." "Y-you, get your phone away from me..." After all the chaos just now, Nogami’s anger had mostly fizzled out. But as she calmed down, the realization crept in, this was the first time in sixteen years she’d ever been this physically close to a boy. The longer it went on, the harder it was to stay composed, Especially when something hard was pressing against her stomach. The moment she said it, he realized what she meant. But... "Uh, I think I mentioned this before..." He paused, swallowed hard, and muttered in embarrassment. "I usually keep my phone in the side pocket of my bag." Nogami froze mid-sentence. Her lips parted and closed again, like a goldfish blowing bubbles, yet no sound came out. She had realized it too. "You disgusting, perverted creep!" "This just proves you’re incredibly attractive, Nogami-san. You should see it as a compliment. Reproduction is a natural instinct of life, worshiped since ancient times, the fertility goddess, the stork delivering babies, all that good stuff..." Haruaki shamelessly launched into an impassioned speech, drawing on the world-class nonsense-spinning skills he’d honed in his previous life of social manipulation. Heaven as his witness, ever since he’d started his self-imposed “abstinence training” earlier this month, even the mere morning stiffness was enough to scare his little sister Ayaka away. To put it simply, he felt like he could punch through steel plates right now. "Hah, so in the end, you just want to sleep with me." "Exactly. So please, princess Nogami, I beg of you, release me from my virgin curse!" "...Using my hand wouldn’t be impossible, you know. , " The moment her fingers brushed over him, Hoshikawa nearly forgot how to breathe. "Tsk, so? How’s it feel, Hoshikawa~?" "I’m sorry! Please stop pinching my carotid artery, I’m gonna die!" With her hands still resting around his neck, Nogami couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t that twisted, deranged smile she wore when hurting others. Nor the cruel smirk she showed when watching victims crumble in fear. No, this was something completely different. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽 Even when she was with her friends Sae and Minako, she’d never laughed before. It felt new. Nostalgic. Like something from long ago, Back when she could still find joy in stuffed toys and childhood games, just like any ordinary girl. "Hehehe... want me to really make you feel good? I could touch you again if you like~" Her voice was teasing, magical, like a witch from a cabin deep in the woods, whispering incantations that lured men to sin. "Just like petting a cute little dog... from its round little head, down its sturdy neck, along its soft curls, and finally..." Crap. Big crap. I’m gonna turn into Nogami’s dog at this rate... Haruaki took a deep breath and forced himself to look away from her adorable face, doing his best to stay calm. Honestly, at this point, he wasn’t even sure if he should thank those idiot delinquents. Not only had they proved him right about how stubborn they could be, but they’d also shoved him and Nogami together, giving him this rare chance to actually spend time with her. "Good boy, good boy~" Nogami smiled and ruffled his hair. Unlike before, this wasn’t the domineering touch of a bully. It was almost... playful. Like two friends joking around. Maybe even she didn’t realize, right now, all her arrogance and hostility were gone. For once, she looked and sounded just like a normal girl. Unfortunately, the “soft, fluffy cheesecake version” of Nogami didn’t last long. By the time they squeezed out of the drainpipe together, she had already re-equipped her spiky hedgehog armor, becoming the proud and overbearing Nogami once again. "You... don’t think I’m just letting this slide..." She gave him a shove, her voice sharp as ever. "I’ll never forgive whoever spread those lies about me... First, we’re going back to school to get my bag." Rude tone aside, her head was still clear enough, In case anything happened again... Having Harutaki around at least meant there’d be someone to take the hits first. And once again, Harutaki’s words proved prophetic. Delinquents really were idiots with boundless persistence. He checked his phone, glanced at the three boys loitering at the school gate, and sighed in genuine admiration. "17:44... If they put half of this determination into studying, they might not get into Nichiya, but at least some halfway-decent high school." Two hours had passed, and they were still there, no sign of giving up. The kind of persistence that made him want to sing... or maybe cry at the sheer stupidity of it. "Wait..." He looked at the girl beside him. "Don’t tell me... you ran out here with only a hair tie?" "Tch. You talk too much!" So it was just a hair tie. "Your phone, keys, wallet, all still in the classroom... hmm, want to come to my place then? Homeless Nogami-san~" He grinned, pointing at himself. "The god you’re waiting for is right here." "Shut up. There’s a spare key at my place. You’re sending me home." "Sorry, no can do. If not for you, I’d be home already making dinner for my sisters." He showed her his phone’s clock, just to emphasize how much time she’d cost him. "If you don’t want to come, fine, stay here. Maybe you’ll meet those angry delinquents again. Or a drunk salaryman. Or maybe a homeless creep who’s had too much to drink..." "S-shut up! Who’d believe a perverted dog like you can cook anyway?! You just want to lure me home for something dirty!" "There are two first-year high school girls and one third-year middle schooler at my place. What exactly could I do to you?" He shrugged, turned, and started walking away. Truth was, that was all just a clumsy bluff. No way he’d actually abandon a girl alone on a dark street at night. "Give me money then, I’ll take the train home myself..." "Didn’t bring any cash." But after rummaging through Harutaki’s backpack, Nogami confirmed, there really wasn’t a single coin inside. Even he found that annoying. His years of relying solely on digital payments were finally coming back to bite him. She stood there, fuming, watching him walk off, then stomped her foot and chased after him, gritting her teeth. If he really had three sisters, fine. But if that bastard was lying to her... she’d call the cops before he even touched the doorknob. Though honestly, she didn’t think Harutaki was the kind of guy who’d lose control to lust.