After a little more cuddling—
"Alright, back to class. The bell's about to ring, my Mori-sama."
Letting go of Nibutani Shinka, Hayashi Maki said it with a grin.
"Mm." Shinka answered, and—surprisingly—looked a bit reluctant to part.
Hayashi Maki couldn't help but chuckle. He ruffled her hair and headed back first.
As he passed Miura Yumiko's seat, he clearly saw her body tremble; she shot him a fierce glare, cheeks burning with shame and anger.
To Hayashi Maki, though, that look had zero killing power—if anything, it was cute. That was the absolute confidence that came with great power: the fierce look of an angry girl didn't scare him off; it only made things more entertaining. As the one "bullying" girls, he was undeniably the one enjoying it more.
After one last dagger glare, Yumiko yanked her eyes back to her desk. Face flushed, she didn't dare meet his gaze—afraid he'd find another excuse to drag her out for a kiss.
She realized she had no way to deal with him. On one hand, Hayashi Maki was the man who'd saved Shinka and Megumi Kato—he was strong enough to handle a serial killer.
On the other, he was her good friend Shiina Mahiru's boyfriend. Even if she called the police, he showed no remorse or fear. What could a high-school girl do but tacitly accept it? Still, she felt so unwilling. Why was that awful guy treating her like this when she'd done nothing to him?
Thinking about his reason—he couldn't stand that she admired Hayato Hayama—she found herself murmuring the name: Hayama…
And realized that just saying it didn't make her heart flutter the way it used to. She snuck a glance at Hayama behind her and felt… calm.
What was wrong with her?
"Something up, Yumiko? You don't look so great," Hayama asked, quick to notice, flashing his usual brilliant smile. As the "AC unit for everyone," Hayama was a pro at reading the room.
"Mm… it's nothing. I just wanted to ask—do you still have soccer practice this afternoon?"
"Of course," he beamed. "We've got a match against another school coming up. Our captain wants us to step up training."
He figured Yumiko wanted to seize the chance to invite him out one-on-one, but he could only refuse—so "soccer practice" was the perfect excuse.
Hayama still liked Yukinoshita Haruno—the woman he'd admired since childhood. He'd shaped himself into the person he was by chasing her shadow: learning her effortless social grace, trying to think like Haruno.
Her matchmaking the other day had stung, but he knew that if he actually got a girlfriend—or got too close to some girl—things with Haruno would be over.
Don't be fooled by her friendly big-sister vibe; when it came to boyfriends she was surprisingly pure, even picky. She wouldn't date a "not-clean" man. So no matter how Yumiko invited him, he could only decline—he'd only go if it was a "group thing."
But this time Yumiko just said, evenly, "Oh. Then do your best, Hayato-kun."
It was the tone you'd use with a normal friend—neither heavy nor light. The seriousness was gone from her voice; the heat had left her eyes; they looked dull.
The sharp contrast left Hayama opening and closing his mouth, unsure how to ask what was wrong. He settled for scratching his head and smiling brightly.
"Haha, I will. Thanks for the pep talk."
Yumiko dipped her head and flopped onto her desk, looking bored.
What to say… she was disappointed. She'd trusted her friends implicitly and never doubted Hayama. Not just him—Yuigahama Yui, Ebina Hina—she believed in her close friends wholeheartedly. Aside from showing a bit of personality now and then and naturally taking the lead, she was easy to get along with.
But now, because a certain jerk had barged into her life so forcefully—and because she'd seen Hayama make girls cry—cracks had formed in her image of the perfect warm prince.
Thinking back on Hayashi Maki's words, she found herself, for the first time, thinking and doubting. And then she realized:
Hayashi Maki was right.
Hayato-kun had been stringing her along. He'd never really kept her in his heart, never intended to date her. He treated her like he treated any other "friend." It was just her own misunderstanding.
Maybe that misunderstanding was exactly what he wanted—so she'd willingly act as his shield. With someone as striking as her by his side, ordinary fangirls wouldn't dare approach.
At that thought, Yumiko's lips quirked into a cold smile. Ridiculous. She wasn't lacking at all. Even that jerk Hayashi Maki had wanted her without hesitation, kissing her like that—so why should she, Miura Yumiko, be just a prop beside Hayama? Was her existence, in Hayama's eyes, something to be fobbed off with a few easy words?
The more she thought, the more her eyes stung. She was angry. And hurt. Mostly at herself—why had she been so naïve? Why had she trusted Hayama without ever thinking?
Maybe in his eyes she was just a clown—some fool who could be handled with a few soothing lines.
She'd run into Hayama's senpai from the soccer club at school today. Because she often watched practice with Ebina and Yui and brought Hayama water, the senpai recognized her.
She asked if there was training today. Smiling, he said there wasn't—not today or tomorrow. Since they had a match coming up, the captain had told them to rest two days to be at their best.
…Heh.
Honest senpai versus Hayama's lies. He'd told her there was practice. What—did he think she was so desperate she'd pounce on any chance to invite him out one-on-one?
Was she, Miura Yumiko, that cheap?
The more she dwelled on it, the angrier she became. She could accept Hayama's rejection—feelings can't be forced. But lying— that was what hurt the most.