Startled by his sudden arm around her waist, Yumiko let out a little yelp.
"W-what are you doing?"
She glanced left and right; seeing no one around, she exhaled, then glared at him, cheeks flushed.
"Comforting you. What else would I be doing?"
"It's fine even if I don't cook much, right? You've got a mom and big sis who dote on you."
"Unlike me—my parents aren't around…"
Yumiko blinked. An orphan?
Her softer side flickered—until she noticed his wandering hand. She instantly batted it away.
"Talk with your mouth—what's your hand doing?"
"Uh… I'm comforting you."
"Hmph, who asked for your comfort? You're obviously just taking advantage!"
Hayashi Maki's lips quirked; he made no move to release her waist.
"Right—and since you knew what I'd do, why invite me? Didn't that mean you were ready for it?"
Face red, Yumiko bit her lip and said nothing.
"Do you really have to bully me?"
"Not necessarily." He finally let go. "I just wanted to see your embarrassed face. It's too cute—honestly, you're beautiful."
That made her blush even deeper. No matter what, praise still feels good—and at least he praised her. Hayama only brushed her off and used her as a shield against other girls.
"Okay—eat first. You need strength to be bad."
In the middle of her tangled feelings, he ruffled her hair and dropped that line. Yumiko was speechless. So he'd planned to misbehave all along? Shameless perv.
She grumbled inwardly, but obediently picked up her lunch. Hayashi Maki ate quietly too. He didn't know why Yumiko had invited him—but for a demon like him, exploiting an opening was standard procedure. With a chance on the table, he'd act.
In the odd atmosphere, about ten minutes passed. Yumiko set down her lunchbox and snuck a look at his face.
"I'm done," she murmured.
Hayashi Maki nodded with a smile, then seemed to pluck a bottle of water from nowhere and handed it to her.
"Here—have a drink and rinse your mouth. Best experience that way."
Yumiko stared. "Where did you pull that from? And what do you mean 'rinse your mouth'? Is that all you think about?"
Laughing, Hayashi Maki mimed the same grab and produced another bottle, cracked it open, and drank.
"Like this. I don't mind if you don't rinse."
Flustered and angry, she gave him a little punch. "Dream on. I'm going back!"
She had just stood when he caught her arm and drew her into his lap.
"I'm not letting you go."
Her heart kicked; seeing his face draw close, she threw up a hand to block his lips.
"W-wait, I… I'll rinse first!"
The corner of his mouth tugged up. So she was consenting to what came next.
She twisted the cap, swished water in her mouth, spat into the flowerbed, then, cheeks aglow, took a deep breath, glanced at him, and slowly closed her eyes. Hayashi Maki slipped an arm around her waist and leaned in. Yumiko trembled faintly, heart racing—nervous, but adorably so. A pretty girl's nerves are always fetching.
Just as she thought he'd kiss her, his lips only brushed her smooth forehead, a gentle tap.
"Mm…"
She opened her eyes, puzzled. Hayashi Maki patted her head and spoke softly:
"So what happened, exactly? Will you tell me, Yumiko?"
"I may be a scoundrel, but I don't want you spiraling. I'm happy you asked me here—and yeah, I really want to misbehave—but I also truly care about the girls around me."
Hearing the gentleness in his voice and feeling his hand in her hair, Yumiko's eyes misted. She bit her lip and lowered her head, not sure where to start. He guided her cheek to his chest and continued stroking her golden hair.
"Don't want to say? Then don't. I'll just hold you and comfort you."
She glanced up. "Aren't you going to kiss me?"
Her face went crimson the moment she said it—too bold, too embarrassing, like admitting she wanted his kiss. Hayashi Maki grinned.
"I can't pile on when you look that upset. If you want me to, I will. If you don't, I'll just hold you."
Yumiko pouted. "You weren't this gentle yesterday. Now you're putting on an act? Hmph. I don't buy it."
His face darkened playfully. "Get treated nice and you forget it, huh? Maybe I should do what I did yesterday and smack you."
"Don't!"
She blurted the refusal, tense. She absolutely didn't want another spanking.
"Then fess up. What happened? You ran over here to be 'bullied'—even though I'm happy about it, I'd rather you value yourself."
Yumiko studied him a long second, then let her cheek rest against his chest. "It's nothing. I just found out Hayato-kun lied to me. This morning I ran into his soccer senpai—asked if they had practice today. But Hayato said there was practice both today and tomorrow."
"That's it?" Hayashi Maki looked at her oddly.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'? You think I'm making a fuss over nothing?"
Her glare was wounded; the doubt in his tone hurt even more. Hayashi Maki gave a helpless little laugh and bent to kiss the girl on the verge of tears.
"Mmph…"
Still huffy, she swatted him a few times before closing her eyes. He kissed her gently and smoothed her hair in comfort. For all his wickedness, he was gentle with girls he'd claimed as his own. And his own, he would pamper.