After a while, Hayashi Maki released Yumiko's lips.
Seeing the girl in his arms with flushed cheeks and misty eyes, he couldn't help a pleased smile. He patted her head gently and said in a soft voice:
"Yumiko, you're hurting because you realized someone you cared about was stringing you along—because you finally saw he's been brushing you off, right?"
"After all, you and Hayama are friends, but he's kept using that bright, gentle smile to fob you off…"
"Mhm… that's it." Hearing him understand her pain made Yumiko feel a little better.
"If he didn't want to hang out with me, he could've just said so. Why lie to me—and keep putting on that misleading gentle act every time?"
Hayashi Maki couldn't help a small laugh at her indignant complaints.
"So, Yumiko finally realized she was Hayama's 'tool'—a shield to keep other girls from getting close?"
"…Mm." She gave a muffled nod, then shot him an annoyed glare. "Don't call me a 'tool.' That sounds awful."
"But it is like that. Having a standout girl in class who looks at him with adoring eyes—and all he has to do is toss out a few soothing lines so other girls stop crowding him."
"If I were Hayama, I'd probably be quite pleased with myself, too."
"Of course, I'm not saying he's not capable. As the class's 'AC for everyone,' it's natural he's a leader among people—his future is probably management, moving among the elites."
"But the person beside him then won't be you."
"If it's love, it's impossible not to care. Hayama may be popular, but he's no celebrity—does he really have to 'keep his distance' from you?"
Hearing that, Yumiko bit her lip. He was right. Keeping his distance, charming her with that warm act, stringing her along… Hayama didn't like her. There was no place for her at his side—not as a prop, not as anything. Continuing to idolize someone like that would only end with her getting hurt.
"Do you know who Hayato—no, who Hayama—likes?" she asked before she could stop herself. Even if she'd lost, she wanted to know where she'd lost.
"I do. You know Yukinoshita from our school, right?"
"Huh? Hayama likes Yukinoshita Yukino?!"
"Of course not. He and Yukino-chan have known each other since childhood because of their families. He likes Yukino's sister, Haruno."
"Wait—'Yukino-chan'? Why are you calling her that so… familiarly?"
Yumiko instantly sensed something off.
Hayashi Maki shrugged. "Hard to guess? Yukino-chan is also my girlfriend."
Yumiko was speechless. Should she feel… honored? With such stunning girlfriends already, he'd still made a move on her.
"What, cat got your tongue?" Hayashi Maki pinched her cheek, puzzled.
Yumiko pushed his hand away, still a little sulky. "I don't want to talk. You're too much—it just makes me mad."
"Alright, then no more talking—let's just focus."
He dipped down and kissed her again. Yumiko blushed, peeked at him, and—almost without realizing it—looped her arms around his neck. If even proud, cool Yukino was his girlfriend, maybe it wasn't so hard to accept. A girl's competitive streak stirred; Yumiko softened. Hayashi Maki's image etched itself a little deeper in her mind.
As for Hayama… who cared? She wasn't going to be a prop anymore. Truth be told, when she turned down his "let's go with everyone" invitation earlier, there'd been a flicker of satisfaction. So you know how rejection feels now, huh? Pretending the captain "just messaged" to cancel practice and then inviting "everyone" out? Please. He could marry "everyone," for all she cared.
She only cared about the friends right beside her—Mahiru, Hina, Yui, Shinka. It was some of Hayama's past kindnesses that made her admire him in the first place; her heart was small, and it held only those who were kind to her. But now—his true face, and the way he brushed her off—had shattered that admiration. Being used as a shield trampled a girl's heart.
When their lips finally parted, Yumiko leaned against Hayashi Maki's chest, breathing hard, looking at him with a hint of reluctance. He was handsome—and that roguish smile made her blush and her heart race.
She suddenly understood why Mahiru liked this scoundrel so much. However badly he'd behaved at first, he really did know how to care for a girl. Maybe that's why, after learning Hayama had lied, she'd instinctively sought him for comfort. After all… they'd already kissed like this.
Seeing her shy look, Hayashi Maki stroked her hair.
"So what will you do from now on? Keep being Hayama's 'shield'?"
Yumiko leaned in and gave his neck a small, almost playful nip. "Can you not say it like that? 'Shield,' 'tool'… And do I look like some cheap girl to you?"
"Of course not. You're gentle and very pretty. I treasure that."
He leaned in; his lips brushed her pale neck, trailed lightly along her collarbone—nothing hurried, nothing crude. Blushing, Yumiko let him unfasten a button, fingers shyly combing his hair. Nervous, yes—but she didn't seem opposed.
"Then treat me well," she murmured. "As for Hayato… I don't think I can see him the way I used to."
"Pervert-kun, I'm not stupid," she added, half-pouting. "Maybe I did care too much about what friends thought, to the point I believed whatever they said. But no one wants to get hurt."
And Hayama wasn't the only option. As bad as this man could be, Yukinoshita and Mahiru both accepted him; his tenderness now was something she could feel… unlike Hayama, who couldn't give her what she wanted yet kept her dangling, using her as a prop.
Lost in thought, Yumiko gave a soft, breathy gasp and pressed a hand to his head. Hayashi Maki gently eased her to lie back along the bench. With mana senses keeping watch, he wasn't worried about being seen.
Looking at the blush painting her cheeks, he swallowed. Yumiko really was beautiful. He drew a steadying breath and lowered his head—kissing her again with warm, careful affection as she trembled lightly, her impression of the man deepening by the second.
~~~
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