I Managed to Bring Down the Entire Family of That Impossible-To-Conquer S-Class Beauty, Completely Filling in Her Outer Moat
โโAfter class.
Koki and I visited a fishing tackle shop, then ate fries at a fast-food place in the mall.
โHehehe, I bought a fishing cap too~~!โ
โWhy’d you make me buy one tooโฆ Koki could’ve just gotten one.โ
โSince we’re at it, let’s get matching ones! Pair caps~โ
โFine, whatever.โ
We bought rods, hooks, sinkers, and more, stuffing our backpacks to bursting.
We’d bought the bait before heading out and put it in a cooler, so no worries about it spoiling.
โHey, Nozomu, why’s there a heart in your YINE name?โ
โOnee san threatened me, so I had no choice. It’s gotta stay till next week.โ
โWahahaha! Still as wickedly cruel as ever!!โ
After some idle chatter, we checked our phones, then chatted some more.
It was the ultimate waste of time, but spending time like this wasn’t so bad.
โโHey.โ
Just then, some rude guy came along to spoil our meaningful time.
โโฆFumihiko? What a coincidence. You need something from us?โ
โGot something to talk about. Come on.โ
โWhoa whoa, can I finish my fries first~~?โ
โKoki, you can stay. Only you, the loner over there, come with me.โ
At school, he wore an obvious mask, speaking softly with phrases like โIt’s like this, you know?โ or โIt’s like that, right?โ
But now, that mask was gone, stripped away. His gaze was sharp and contemptuous, as if looking down on trash.
โโฆIf that’s how it is, as you wish.โ
โGet moving.โ
Fumihiko turned his back and started walking.
โHey, Nozomu~, are you sure you’ll be okay?โ
โYeah, if things get rough, I’ll call you right away. Plus, I’ve been practicing self-defense.โ
โGot it. I’ll guard the fries in my stomach, so go ahead without worry!โ
โIf you eat them all, I won’t show you my homework anymore.โ
โNo wayโฆ!!โ
Koki was genuinely worried at times like this, but it would probably turn out to be an overreaction.
I obediently walked behind Fumihiko, moving to a deserted spot.
โHey, you know why I called you, right?โ
“Hmm, a confession of love or something?ใSorry, but I’m straight, so no thanks.”
โOf course not! I just don’t like how cocky you are! And you’re trying to steal my China!!โ
โโฆHuh?โ
Well now, what a pathetic and pitiful human being.
Overreacting to others’ words and actions, then declaring Amagiri-san as his propertyโฆ poor thing.
Well, to keep things peaceful, I’ll play along here.
โNo, no, not at all! I’m just a worthless, socially awkward loser. I’ve never even considered it for a second.โ
โHmph! If you’re that self-aware, then act like a loser and do nothing, trash.โ
(So this is the true nature of the handsome guy, Fumihiko Hiyakawa. I wish the newspaper club could hear this conversation right now.)
โBy the way, if you tell anyone about this, I can easily make you disappear.โ
โYeah, yeah. I won’t tell anyone.โ
Fumihiko threatens me in a low voice. He probably thinks I’m just a frog, while he’s some terrifying snake himself.
I let his threats go in one ear and out the other, trying to wrap this up quickly.
But Fumihiko cut in, blocking my path.
โHold on, loser. I’ll make an exception and use you.โ
โHuh? What do you mean?โ
“I mean I’ll use you to make China mine. Consider yourself lucky, okay? You get to be involved with my China.
Looking forward to working with you, bait dog.”
He declared this, placing a hand on my shoulder.
This was the fork in the road where I could refuse and create clear opposition. If this were a story I wrote, that’s what I’d do.
โฆBut, however, Iโ
โSounds kinda fun, I’m in. Hehe, Fumihiko, looking forward to working with you!โ
โEhโฆ I was the one who brought it up, but you’re jumping in way too enthusiasticallyโฆ it’s creepyโฆโ
โTh-that’s cruelโฆโ
I do like the standard path, of course. But sometimes, going against the grain is nice too.
You might see a different view that way.
Since this settled things peacefully, if I get sick of it, I can just gather evidence and snitch to the teacher.
Our mysterious cooperative relationship began, and we started walking back towards Kouki.
Suddenly, Fumihiko, who was walking ahead, stopped dead in his tracks.
โHuh? What’s up?โ
โWhoa, whoaโฆ Isn’t that Hina-san over there?!โ
โHinaโฆ? Wait, H-Hina-san?!โ
Up ahead on this road stood Hina-san, the president of the fashion modeling agency we’d just met yesterday.
We’d left in such a hurry yesterday that running into her now felt awkward. I quickly pulled on the fishing cap I’d bought earlier.
โHey, introvert, hang tight here.โ
โHuh? Oh, got it. Go stand out like crazy!โ
โHa! I don’t need you to tell me to stand out!โ
Fumihiko seemed to have business with Hina-san, so our interests aligned here.
I’d slip past while he was drawing attention.
โHmm, this is troublesome~. The reader model for the last page cancelling at the last minute~โฆโ
โUm, are you having trouble?โ
โHuh? And who might you be~?โ
โMy name is Fumihiko! If you’re having trouble finding a reader model, how about I step in as a replacement!โ
Oh, that’s the kind of thing you can only say if you’re confident in your looks.
This is getting interesting, so I’ll stick around and watch for a bit.
โWell, I supposeโฆ butโโ
โIt’s fine! I’m confident!โ
โAhaha, okay then. How about we try a test shot?โ
โYes!!โ
Overwhelmed by Fumihiko’s pressure, a nearby photographer started taking his pictures.
Hina seemed like she was getting annoyed with having to deal with it.
I saw something interesting, so I’ll leave now. Just as I thought that, Hina-san was suddenly beside me.
โAre you acquainted with that kid~?โ
โHuh!? Eh, ah, well, yeah, I guessโฆโ
โYou see them sometimes, don’t you~? Kids who ask to be photographed because they’re so confident~โ
Apparently, she still hasn’t realized who did her nails yesterday.
โโฆHonestly, do you think that one has any chance of getting in a magazine?โ
โPretty much zero percent~โ
โCruelโฆโ
โI couldn’t bring myself to break his heart, so I told him to just take a few shots~โ
This must be what they call social skills. Very instructive.
Hina-san took a big gulp of her canned coffee, crossed her arms, and let out a breath.
โWell, I suppose it’s about time to wrap up. Back to work~. โฆOh dear, there’s a tag still on your hat.โ
โHuh? Really? Did I forget to take it off?โ
โโฆโฆโฆโฆHuh?โ
I took off the hat to check the tag.
โฆYes, I took it off. Meaning, my face was now exposed.
Fumihiko, who had finished filming, was heading this way, but Hina-san didn’t seem to notice as she shouted.
โOh, crap!โ
โNozomu-chan!? It’s you, Nozomu-chan! I never thought I’d see you again~โชโ
โH-Hina-san!?โ
She grabbed my hand tightly, pulling her face close as if to say she wouldn’t let go.
โThank you so much for yesterday! My daughter absolutely loved those nails~โช She even insisted on wearing them to school this morning!โ
โOh, I see. Um, could you let go soonโฆโ
โOh, right! I took a picture of you working yesterday. Could I use just one of them?!โ
โHuh? Huh? Huh? What? What? What?!โ
Oh, crap. Fumihiko came back looking like someone who just lost all their money trading
I couldn’t do anything and just flustered around.
โAh, yes, that. Anything is fine, so then that one!!โ
โAh, Nozomu-chan~! I wanted to hear more of your storyโฆโ
I managed to escape the situation again and somehow got out of the crisis.
As I caught my breath, Fumihiko’s furious shout echoed from behind.
โHey, you shitty introvert! Why the hell are you friends with Hina-san?!โ
โHuh? No, it’s justโฆ just a coincidence. Hahahaโฆโ
He grabbed my collar, his face twisted with frustration.
That face, devoid of any composure, was almost artistic in its intensity.
โDamn itโฆ Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn you! I’ll never be friends with you!!โ
โHuh, okay then.โ
โNo cooperation! I’ll never let you get your hands on it!โ
โNot sure what you mean, but good luck!โ
I’d sensed a strange friendship between Fumihiko and me, but it seemed to collapse in an instant.
I don’t know what the hell just happened, but at least we had a fun chat. Good!
Fumihiko stormed off in a rage, and I headed back to Koki.
And I decided to hold off on showing my homework to Koki, who’d eaten all the fries.
Maiasa