Faced with the "naughty" Second Heiress, what else could Hayashi Maki do?
Of course—give her a proper "lesson" and "discipline" her again.
After a long while, the fair-skinned, beautiful Yukino—cheeks flushed a tempting pink—lay boneless in Hayashi Maki's arms. He pinched her soft cheek and dropped a quick kiss on her lips.
"Why so forward today, Yukino-chan? Did you miss me?"
"Hmph, I did not." Her mouth was stubborn, but her small hands tightened around his neck. She certainly wasn't going to admit she'd acted out of jealousy.
"Really? You didn't miss me?"
"No. Why would I? You're such a flirt… a jerk. Miss you so you can bully me again?"
She shot him a disdainful look, then suddenly ducked down and bit his neck.
"Tsk—hey, that hurts… planning to murder your own husband?"
"Hmph. I should bite you—serves you right for always thinking about other girls."
She glanced at his neck. "And whose bite mark is that?"
Hayashi Maki stared, surprised. "That bite already healed—how did you notice?"
Yukino gave him a withering look. "It's obvious. It doesn't carry Mahiru's or my sister's 'scent.' After you 'bullied' me, my eyes started being able to see the aura people leave."
"Whew… that 'catching cheaters' skill is dangerous." Hayashi Maki sucked in a breath. Thank goodness Yukino wasn't the yandere type—otherwise he'd be in danger of getting knifed.
"So who bit you?"
She fixed him with a steady gaze, waiting. Hayashi Maki scratched his cheek and confessed. "Miura Yumiko. A beautiful classmate of mine."
Yukino instantly understood—Yumiko, the one who kept chasing after Hayama, fooled by his surface warmth. Yumiko's popularity far outstripped her own; people even compared them as to who had more "queenly" presence.
"Ahem… so now that you know it was Yumiko, what do you want to do?" Hayashi Maki asked, curious.
Yukino's smile turned sweet. Her pale fingertip traced his chest, then tapped his neck. "I want to hit her. Can I?"
"Ahem—Yukino-chan, violence is wrong."
"Heartbroken already, are we?"
"Not at all. I'm worried about your fist and palm—what if you get hurt from hitting?"
"Smooth talker. You… mmph—!"
The tables turned—now it was Hayashi Maki's turn to be shameless, and Yukino had no way to "punish" him; anything she did only fed his delight.
When they finally came up for air, Yukino glared at him, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "I was joking. I'm not a violent woman. I'm just… disappointed Yumiko didn't bite you to death. You must've bullied her, so she bit you."
Hayashi Maki's face darkened; his palm slid to her smooth calf. "If I died, you and Haruno would both be widows. I was thinking we'd get married after graduation."
At the word married, Yukino's face went scarlet. What girl hasn't imagined marrying the one she likes? Her mood lifted; the tsundere edge faded. She wrapped her arms gently around his neck and nuzzled his chest.
"Honestly, I don't object to you making a move on Yumiko," she murmured. "I rather dislike Hayama."
"Oh? You and Hayama have a story? Out with it."
"Not really. Back in elementary school we both ran for class rep. I lost, and he set me up, so I got ostracized by everyone, that's all."
Hayashi Maki sighed. "What a pity. If I'd been in your class back then, I'd have stood firmly by you."
Her heart warmed, but her mouth stayed sharp. "Better not. If I'd known a pervert like you back then, you'd have bullied me from grade school all the way to college."
"Am I really that bad in your eyes?"
"What else? Is there anyone worse than you?"
She grumbled, but leaned closer into his arms. Hayashi Maki's lips curled. "Bad is fine—only then could I have won you."
Yukino eyed him plaintively. "Can't you court girls the normal way?"
"No. I'm a demon. Being a scoundrel is my brand." He stroked her hair, gentle as ever. "Enough talk—time's short. Let's reinforce our pact a bit."
…
Close to dawn, "time-management master" Hayashi Maki slipped back under the covers. He wrapped an arm around Mahiru's waist and fell asleep. Fortunately, being a demon with the boost from his familiars, he could handle late nights with ease.
The next morning, Mahiru asked their neighbor Aoyama Nanami to take Mashiro to Mizutaka High, while she and Gabriel tagged along with Hayashi Maki to Hakuō.
To prevent Mashiro from "eating first, paying never," Mahiru gave her some change and a crash course on how to use it. Seeing Mashiro's blank look, who knew if she'd learned anything.
Gabriel being up early surprised Hayashi Maki; she still yawned and dragged her feet. She didn't want to be up—her game had just pushed an update and the servers were down, so there was nowhere to play. School it was.
In class, Hayashi Maki immediately felt a razor-sharp stare. He looked up to see golden-haired, long-legged Yumiko. It was the same look as chūnibyō Shinka had given him after her "incident"—full of righteous anger. Hayashi Maki only smiled, traded greetings with everyone (Hayama included), and took his seat.
Hayama returned the greeting amiably. Even though Haruno's matchmaking the day before had driven him up the wall, he swallowed it to maintain his sunny nice-guy image.
Watching Hayashi Maki smile and act like nothing had happened, Yumiko clenched her small fists. There were dark circles under her eyes—she hadn't slept a wink. Every time she closed her eyes, that jerk's face popped up. If not for heavy foundation, her eye bags would be plain as day.
She wanted to curse him out—but she didn't even have his number. Grinding her teeth, she turned to fellow sufferer Shinka for help. Shinka's expression turned odd, but she handed over the number—she couldn't refuse a friend.
And honestly, Yumiko's situation looked… a lot like her own. She could already picture what would happen: Yumiko would text him, and then Hayashi Maki would corner her and kiss her breathless. Shinka understood him better and better.
Hayashi Maki had just sat when his phone buzzed. He figured Marina or Airi wanted to chat. But no—it was a friend request from Miura Yumiko:
"Scumbag pervert, it's Miura. Approve me, now."
He arched a brow and tapped Accept. Seconds later, a flurry of messages:
Yumiko: "Scum! Pervert!"
"Society's dregs! You think you're a light-novel protagonist, pushing around this many girls? Not afraid of getting hauled off?"
Hayashi Maki: "Whether I get hauled off is up in the air. What I can guarantee is that I'm kissing you later."
"!!!"
Yumiko's face went crimson. She hadn't expected that. She'd messaged him in anger—and this was the reply?
Between classes, Yumiko found herself pressed against the wall beneath the stairs, Hayashi Maki claiming her soft lips again. She struggled a few times, then shut her eyes, teary and helpless. She hadn't wanted to come—but the scumbag had said yesterday's photos "came out great." If she didn't show, he'd send them to Hayama.
What could she do but let herself be "handled"?
"Mm—don't pinch—jerk, that hurts—!"
"Mmph—"
Hayashi Maki sealed her mouth again. "This is your lesson for cussing me out. Besides, I recall Yumiko prefers me… using my hands."
Yumiko's eyes went wide in protest. She did not prefer that—slander! But protests were useless. When she returned to class, her cheeks were rosy and her body was still trembling.
Shinka stole a glance and sighed: as expected. Then she met Hayashi Maki's half-smile; her own cheeks heated. She had a sinking feeling she'd be next.
And she was.
"You give my number to Miura, right? She cursed me out, I'm hurt, so Mori-sama has to comfort me."
That was his "reason" before kissing her.
"Jerk—stop calling me 'Mori-sama'! How long are you going to hold my chūni past over my head?"
Hayashi Maki's lips quirked. "For life. I'll dine out on that black history forever. And don't you want real 'Mori-sama' power? I'm just granting your wish."
What could she do? Blushing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and responded—unlike Yumiko, she'd been saved by him, and now his nearness brought a touch of happiness.