Nino had no idea what was going through Hakuto's mind. All she knew was—this guy in front of her seemed like he'd gone mad.
Crying and laughing at the same time...
Class had just ended, and Hakuto was still immersed in the metaphorical "free lunch" when, out of nowhere, a massive shadow loomed over him—and it was growing.
(๑•ี_เ•ี๑)? What the hell?
"Hero! You've finally returned!"
Before Hakuto could react, Rikka had already leapt through the air and clung to him.
What the hell? Are girls these days all trained high jumpers or something? They keep jumping onto him like it's no big deal—and always land so perfectly!
Has it never crossed their minds what might happen if he didn't catch them or if they missed the landing?
The aftermath wouldn't be just a couple of bruises—it'd be more like a full-body patchwork.
"Rikka…"
"Hero, while you were gone, the Sacred Culinary Faction has grown ever more powerful! The Wicked Eye alone can barely hold them off!"
"Wasn't the Wicked Eye supposed to be the strongest?" Hakuto replied blandly.
"Eh?" Rikka blinked in confusion. "But the Hero made a pact with the Wicked Eye..."
Before she could finish, Nino, who sat next to Hakuto, couldn't hold it in anymore.
Excuse me? I'm right here!
Is it really appropriate to hug my man right in front of me?
Even though I can't technically say he's mine… No, wait! He will be mine sooner or later.
Nino didn't mind that her sisters liked Hakuto—but that didn't mean she didn't care at all.
"Shiratori, let's go find Miku and the others."
Nino felt it necessary to maintain her image, so she gently took Hakuto by the arm, intending to pull him away.
"Hmm??"
"Eh?"
Just as Hakuto was about to say something, he saw it—Rikka and Nino had locked eyes.
Nino: (◣д◢)
Rikka: ⊙▽⊙
"How strange. You've monopolized the Hero for an entire class period and still won't let go..."
"What do you mean by monopolize? We're just desk partners."
"Hikigaya-kun complained to me as club president for quite a while after you drove him away!"
"Did I? I don't recall driving Hikigaya-kun away. I remember him leaving willingly…"
Both Nino and Rikka turned to look at Hachiman, as if trying to read the truth on his face.
Hachiman wore his trademark dead-fish eyes and said nothing—just shook his head.
But the next second, he picked up a distress signal from Hakuto.
Sandwiched in the middle, Hakuto was furrowing his brows hard—looking like he was constipated.
Save me~ Save me!
Not close...
Hachiman didn't like dealing with these "normies." For the record: for the past few years, Hachiman and Hakuto had nothing to do with each other.
He wouldn't even admit to being Hakuto's close friend—after all, the guy had disappeared for months without so much as a word.
If Hachiman hadn't been the one to reach out, people might've just assumed Hakuto had died.
Seeing no response from Hachiman, Hakuto had no choice but to look toward Houtarou—who was currently napping.
Wait, what?! Napping?!
Seriously? You've gotta be possessed by the god of sleep. Even with my enhanced processing, I can't sleep like that.
"Damn, is that the same simp from before? What happened to him?"
"Still a simp—but can't deny the guy's got real skills."
"No joke. If I had that face and those grades, I'd be even more of a player than Hakuto himself."
Hakuto shook his head. Yep—at times like this, he could only rely on himself.
But just as he was about to speak, Rikka suddenly dropped a bomb.
"Whatever. Do what you want. After school, the Wicked Eye can use the secret passage to reach the Hero's domain anyway!"
Though her words were cryptic, both Hakuto and Nino caught the underlying message.
Translated: After school, Rikka was going to rappel in again via rope.
But to Nino, it sounded more like: "You can't always be with him, can you?"
Another NTR setup! And the lead victim? Nino!
Damn it, that's not how you fleece someone!
"What secret passage? I'm not like you—I come in through the front door, fair and square."
"If the Hero doesn't open the door for you, you're done."
"I…" Nino wanted to say she had the key, but when she checked her pocket, she realized she'd left it at home.
And she was also afraid Hakuto might take it back if she brought it up, so she wisely chose to drop that line of attack.
"Ladies, I'm still here, you know? Aren't you two being a little disrespectful?"
"Eh?" *2
"Whatever you want to say, say it after school. You two might not feel awkward—but I do!"
Upon hearing Hakuto's words, both Nino and Rikka reluctantly turned their heads away.
"Bleh bleh bleh~"
"Bleh what? I'm Hakuto's desk partner."
"The Wicked Eye has formed a contract with the Hero!"
"I'm Hakuto's desk partner."
"The Wicked Eye and the Hero are bound by fate!"
"I'm Hakuto's desk partner…"
"The Wicked Eye…"
"Desk partner~"
In the end, the bell saved them all—class was about to begin.
Thin veil… Chunibyo has no defense against tsundere...
This was one of the reasons Hakuto didn't want his "clients" meeting each other—it was pointless, messy, and completely useless.
Back when he was in the Hoshino Umi, he could've recruited another esper for the school in the time it took to deal with this drama.
Hakuto shook his head. For some reason, he actually missed those leisurely days spent lying around the student council room.
Still, nostalgia is just nostalgia. Ask him to go back? Not a chance.
Just like high school life—it's something you can fondly remember, but you'd never want to go through it again.
"Hiss~ why do I feel like something bad's about to happen…" Hakuto suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
His premonitions were always accurate—and came true quickly!
Usually, when he had this kind of bad feeling, something bad was about to happen!
But Hakuto couldn't think of anything bad left to happen—after all, the worst had already passed.
And this premonition didn't even feel like danger. It felt more like... something shocking was coming.
Tch~! Not to brag, but Hakuto had seen it all by now.
What could possibly still shock him?
Holy crap! He really hadn't seen a scene like this before…
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