The warm breath by his ear suddenly felt like a dragon's fiery breath. Miyazawa Yu finally understood what it meant for a gentle embrace to be a hero's grave.
When Nanaka Kotegawa's tone became dangerous, his primal instincts told him he had to escape, or he would die a horrible death.
But his body seemed to have a mind of its own. No matter how much his brain urged it, it remained stubbornly stuck in that warm embrace, unwilling to move an inch.
"Ahahaha~ Is that so? I had no idea!"
After trying to regain control of his body multiple times to no avail, Miyazawa Yu could only resort to stalling, hoping to get through this with a charming smile.
He figured Nanaka-san had only heard rumors. With his level of goodwill, dispelling a small "misunderstanding" should be a piece of cake!
Once he successfully got away, he would make sure to find the culprit and rip his mask to shreds!
"Oh~ Is that so? Yu didn't know—"
"That's right, that's right! Who in the world is spreading such rumors? How can a pervert like Iori and Chisa-chan be a couple? It's simply absurd!"
"That makes sense. But Azusa said you were at the Miss. CIU contests, Yu~"
"!!!"
Azusa Hamaoka! You bastard of a woman!
With a pale arm wrapped around his neck, Miyazawa Yu's blood ran cold in an instant.
First of all, he knew he couldn't compete with Azusa Hamaoka in terms of goodwill. She and Nanaka were old friends and both women, so she naturally had a full bar of goodwill.
Even if his attribute was "sudden appearance," which gave him a much better chance than an old character, he couldn't compete with her high level. Her attacks were simply too hard to defend against!
No! I have to save myself!
"Ah, something seems to be going on with Yu..."
"Waving one arm up and down? Is that the signal for 'in trouble'?"
Kohei Imamura tilted his head as he watched Yu wave at him with a face covered in cold sweat. "Should we go check it out?"
"...To be honest, I'm a little jealous!"
Iori Kitahara held his fists in front of his chest and stared at the parts of Yu's body touching Nanaka's. His eyes were bloodshot with jealousy.
As they say, jealousy makes you blind. Although he didn't know why Yu wasn't enjoying it, since he wasn't, Iori didn't mind making him feel a little more miserable.
Don't mention it. It's the least he can do!
You animal! I'm trying to save you! What kind of attitude is that?!
Miyazawa Yu's calm expression instantly turned to one of rage as he watched Iori give him a smug smile and drag Kohei away.
If it weren't for the fact that this guy had angered Chisa and agreed to Azusa-senpai's mixer condition, there was no way he would be interrogated by Nanaka-san!
To abandon your savior—did this guy Iori have a black heart, liver, and lungs?!
"Hehe~ Yu, what's wrong?"
Azusa Hamaoka went up to him, smiling. She, of course, knew exactly what was happening.
If Yu couldn't find any help and came to her for mercy, she wouldn't mind helping him. Of course, the price would be a little steep~
Look what you've done!
His eyes were about to pop out of his head. Miyazawa Yu couldn't contain his anger as he watched Azusa Hamaoka constantly raise her eyebrows with a look of playful encouragement.
But asking for help from this bad woman was out of the question. He had to deal with Nanaka-san himself!
"...That's right! Nanaka-san, Iori really likes Chisa..."
"Is that so! Then Yu..."
"But it's the love a brother has for his sister! Nothing more!"
"Huh?"
The black-out progress bar was cut off halfway. Nanaka Kotegawa let out a sound of confusion.
"That's right! Even though they're calling each other 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend,' it's just a public display of brotherly love, nothing more!"
It worked! Feeling the temperature on his back slowly rise, Miyazawa Yu's heartbeat gradually stabilized.
His judgment was correct. Although Nanaka-san was a siscon, she also wanted Chisa to have a happy life. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suppressed her own feelings!
In that case, as long as he could twist the romantic love that would take Chisa away into the familial love that would make her happy, the problem would naturally solve itself!
As for whether he could fool her, that would depend on his words.
"Even if you say that, Yu, why would brotherly love be displayed as a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship? That's too strange!"
As expected, Nanaka Kotegawa was not a naive girl who would easily believe others.
She quickly cleared her head and placed it on Miyazawa Yu's shoulder with a smile. The intellectual aura about her was filled with a hidden danger.
"That's, of course, because... Chisa is too pretty!"
His eyes darted around. Having decided to endure this to the end, Miyazawa Yu didn't hold back and wrapped his arms around Nanaka's slender waist.
"Look, Nanaka-san, after Chisa won the contests, her number of admirers increased by two thousand percent. How dangerous is that?! Am I right?"
"Hmm~ It really is~"
"At a time like this, it would be difficult for Iori to protect Chisa as her cousin. But if they publicly announce that they're a couple, wouldn't all the heat be drawn to him?"
"...You mean, Iori is sacrificing himself?"
She finally understood. Nanaka Kotegawa clapped her hands, feeling very satisfied with her conclusion.
Seeing this, Miyazawa Yu finally let out a sigh of relief. His efforts to guide her hadn't been in vain.
In that case, there should be no...
"But what if Iori really falls in love with Chisa?"
It proved that he shouldn't lower his guard so easily. Just as Miyazawa Yu was winking at Azusa Hamaoka to gloat, Nanaka Kotegawa's next attack came.
It was accompanied by a chilling coldness like a sixteen-degree air conditioner in the middle of summer, freezing his triumphant expression on his face.
"N-n-no way..."
"Oh? Why not? Didn't Yu also say that Chisa is very pretty?"
"Yes, Chisa is very pretty, but Iori..."
He was about to run out of things to say. Miyazawa Yu saw Kohei making a throat-slitting gesture, and inspiration instantly struck!
"That's right! The person Iori truly likes is Kohei! So there's no way he would make a move on Chisa!"
The logic was clear, the reason was perfect, and it fit Nanaka Kotegawa's stereotype. The chill instantly dissipated, and her gentle smile returned.
"So that's how it is! I knew it~ This is great. It looks like Iori and Chisa-chan's relationship has improved~"
"Oh? Then what if they really are dating?"
Azusa Hamaoka, who had her carefully laid plan unraveled so quickly, let out a wicked laugh and went around Miyazawa Yu to hug him from the front.
However, facing the soft embrace from both sides, Miyazawa Yu had no intention of enjoying himself. Instead, the veins on his temples bulged—
What is Azusa-senpai trying to do?! Is she trying to nail me to the pillar of shame as a traitor?!
"Hmm... hahaha, I don't really understand that~"
"Exactly! Nanaka-san, every word I said is true! What are you asking, Azusa-senpai!"
"No, that's not what I meant."
With her eyes devoid of light, Nanaka Kotegawa, who seemed to be broken, tilted her head slightly. "I just don't know what I should do. Iori and Yu can't be forgiven, can they?"
Is she really planning to kill me?!
He cried out in his heart, but why should he take responsibility for Iori's mistakes?
Miyazawa Yu steeled himself and wrapped his arms around Nanaka Kotegawa, looking her in the eyes with a sincere expression. "Nanaka-san, I'm always on your side. So, just leave the punishment for Iori!"
"Since you say that, don't make any mistakes~ If you notice anything strange in the future, you have to let me know in time~"
"Yes, my queen! No problem, my queen!"
"..."
Pushed to the side, Azusa Hamaoka's face was a mask of confusion as she watched the interaction between Yu and Nanaka become more and more natural.
It was the same last time. Every time she went on the offensive, she either failed or managed to fail in an even more spectacular way. Were guys who came out of nowhere all this broken in terms of stats?!
"But... it's also not good for Iori and Chisa to have a bad relationship..."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
"Hmm, ah! Let's arrange tomorrow's training like this!"