Hayato continued to rub Hinata Sae's swollen and bruised ankle.
Hinata Sae was silent.
She was laughing at the meaning contained within his words.
Although it was just a short sentence, it made her ponder for a long time.
Then,
"—Ha!?" Hinata Sae let out an incredulous shriek.
Hayato frowned slightly at the sound, but he didn't express any dissatisfaction, only smiled:
"I don't mind, but if passersby hear it, they might misunderstand, right? It will scare people."
"Wait, wait—"
Hinata Sae's eyes widened.
Her pupils were a reddish-yellow color.
Due to extreme surprise, her originally round pupils became vertical, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You, do you know what you're saying!?" Hinata Sae demanded loudly.
If it were a pure high school girl, she would definitely be moved by this.
But Hinata Sae had followed Nogami Izumi and Sanada Minako for so many years; even if she hadn't experienced it herself, she had seen it.
Moreover, someone like Menako was even hailed as a "male high school killer."
So she wouldn't be swayed.
Besides, this guy in front of her was currently their main target of suspicion.
She glared at him with a threatening look, as if saying, "Don't play tricks on me; I've long seen through your schemes."
Then, Hayato really stopped playing tricks.
He just gave a wry smile and fell silent, but his hands didn't stop.
Hinata Sae originally thought this guy would be enraged due to some exposed plot, but that wasn't the case at all.
He was just a little... no, very disappointed.
Although the bitter smile at the corner of his mouth was slight, Hinata Sae could sense the hidden, youthful... bitterness in the boy's eyes.
His movements, as he massaged her foot, became even gentler and more delicate, as if he particularly cherished this opportunity.
But the moment didn't last too long.
Hayato tore off a piece of medicated plaster and applied it to Hinata Sae's injured spot.
"Don't run for the next few days."
After a perfect application, he rubbed his fingers over the plaster and softly said, "Be careful when walking too; it's best not to put any force on this foot if possible. Also, be careful when bathing, don't get it wet. It's best if your family can boil some pig trotters soup for you to drink. Although it sounds like superstition, there's some truth to the idea of eating what you need."
Hinata Sae stared down at him, her cat-like pupils filled with an indescribable intensity.
She also felt the injured area change from cold to warm.
Hayato stood up:
"Next, do you want to go back to the classroom? Should I help you back?"
"No need!" Hinata Sae flatly refused.
"Alright."
Hayato began to put away the bottles and jars, but Hinata Sae remained seated.
She watched Hayato's back.
Her burning gaze seemed to want to burn a hole in his back.
Hayato acted as if he hadn't heard.
Hinata Sae, however, did not leave immediately.
Hayato's state made her feel a little suspicious:
"Hey, are you on good terms with Menako?"
"I wouldn't say very good," Hayato replied softly, "We haven't known each other long... but Minako-chan is a good person."
"You call her 'chan' after not knowing her for long?" Hinata Sae asked suspiciously.
"Because Minako-chan..." Hayato seemed to recall something: "Since Hinata-san, you don't like me calling her that, then I'll just call her 'Sanada-san' instead."
"I don't care," Hinata Sae said.
Hayato smiled and continued to explain, "Sanada-san told me she failed her confession and wondered if there was something wrong with her charm. To comfort her, I... pretended to have a crush on her. Did I cause a misunderstanding?"
Hinata Sae frowned.
She understood Hayato's behavior less and less. If he wanted to deliberately retaliate and toy with Menako's feelings, then he shouldn't have said such things in front of her, especially now that he knew she was close with Menako.
In other words...
Was his encounter with Menako really accidental?
In their current conversation, only Menako was "pretending," while this guy was sincere? It just seemed like Menako had misunderstood something?
Hinata Sae blinked her cat-like pupils:
"Then why did you invite Menako to dinner?"
"I accidentally bumped into her..." Hayato smiled shyly, "I just felt it would be better to apologize. Oh, but it won't be anywhere expensive."
He quickly waved his hand, a little nervous, and hesitated before asking, "If Hinata-san wants to come along, you can."
Hinata Sae grinned, revealing her fangs, and smiled mockingly:
"I would never go to a cheap, commoner restaurant!"
Actually, she would go; their usual meeting place was often the student cafeteria.
She just wanted to mock Hayato.
"Is that... so?" Hayato's mustered courage immediately dissipated, and he was visibly disappointed.
Hinata Sae lifted her tanned chin, displaying the posture of a victor.
What's the big deal?
Izumi made this Hayato out to be so amazing and unapproachable, but today he seems to be nothing special.
Completely played in her, Hinata Sae's, palm.
As for Menako... sorry, this "Big Boob Strategy" has failed.
He's not at all what you imagined.
The one with an inflated ego isn't me! It's you, Menako!!
She grinned, her canine tooth sparkling.
This minnow isn't something your big boobs can handle; in the end, you'll still have to come to me!
The two were silent.
Hinata Sae's eyes, however, grew increasingly triumphant.
"You, give me your phone number," Hinata Sae commanded, beckoning Hayato with a finger.
"C-can I?" Hayato was surprised, his mouth immediately curving upwards. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone, almost dropping it from his palm due to his excitement: "My number is—"
Hinata Sae noted down the number Hayato recited in her phone book but gave Hayato no information in return.
She jumped directly from the stool, and due to the overwhelming joy of her great victory, she didn't even feel the pain in her ankle.
"I'll contact you if anything comes up," she said.
"W-when?" Hayato asked tentatively.
"Just mind your own business, minnow. If I say I'll contact you, I will. You don't need to worry about the timing," Hinata Sae said.
"Okay." Hayato nodded heavily, not at all angry; instead, he seemed a little flattered.
Hinata Sae was very satisfied, and she limped out.
As she turned, the flattering look in Hayato's eyes completely vanished, replaced by a chilling calmness.
Then, footsteps and Hinata Sae's disdainful click of the tongue were heard: "Tsk, Yayoi, how long have you been here?"
"Brat, can't you say 'teacher'?"
↑, that was Yayoi's cold scolding voice.
But Yayoi didn't get entangled with Hinata Sae; after a quick retort, she pushed open the door and entered the infirmary, then showed Hayato inside a charming smile.
"Is it the fourth one?" she asked sweetly.
"...Ah, yes," Hayato said.
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