"Is that so…", Hikari slightly nodded.
The matter about Natsuha's mother, Hikari had indeed heard Natsuha mention before.
Natsuha had depended on her mother since childhood, and after starting high school, she rented a place in the city to live alone.
So her mother worrying about her, occasionally coming up to see her, was normal.
Previously Natsuha had already told him that recently her mother said she wanted to come to find her. He didn't expect it would be today.
Glancing at Natsuha's apology message also sent on Line, and with no prompts from Pure Love Radar or Pure Love Paper Crane, Hikari put his phone back into his pocket.
Then, following today's full-of-enthusiasm, seemingly inexplicably excited Akane, as well as the somewhat nervous-looking Tachibana Yui, who kept two fists' distance at the side, he walked in the direction of home together.
"Hikari-kun, do you know? Yui-chan quit the baseball club today~", Akane, walking along, took the initiative to start chatting, pulling the two into casual talk.
"Oh, really?", Hikari casually responded.
"Yes," On the side, Tachibana Yui nodded repeatedly as she spoke.
"Did something happen?", Hikari casually asked.
"Not really… it's just that there's no need to stay there anymore," Tachibana Yui smiled as she spoke.
"I see…"
Under today's quite enthusiastic lead of Akane, the originally somewhat nervous Tachibana Yui quickly started chatting with the two, the three talking back and forth.
Although his relationship with Tachibana Yui wasn't particularly close, far from the deep familiarity of Akane and Natsuha, they had had several interactions before, even feeding each other water mouth-to-mouth.
So after Tachibana Yui put down her nervousness, the three talked quite harmoniously. After all, Hikari was relatively talkative.
However, what made Hikari find a bit strange was that Akane was simply too enthusiastic today, even in front of her good friend Tachibana Yui, occasionally saying some rather inelegant lewd words fluently.
"Actually, speaking of Hikari-kun, not only is he eloquent with great verbal skills, he's also super good in other aspects," Passing a quiet alley, after both girls were amused by a joke Hikari casually told, Akane suddenly said to the still-laughing Tachibana Yui beside her.
"W-Which aspects?", Tachibana Yui, though blushing, didn't fall into embarrassed silence. Instead, her tone seemed to carry a different implication as she picked up Akane's words.
"Little Akane…", Seeing the currently excited Akane and the nervously expectant gaze Tachibana Yui cast at her good friend, Hikari couldn't help suspecting whether there was something between these two close friends that he didn't know.
And seeing her good friend staring at her with a flushed face, Akane also revealed a mature smile, "Which aspects? Listen as I tell you carefully. First, Hikari-kun's big…"
Under the gaze of Tachibana Yui's beautiful eyes full of expectation, Akane was just about to say something less than elegant when, before she could finish, a loud commotion suddenly came from ahead.
"Wait a second," Hikari suddenly stretched out his hand, stopping Akane and Tachibana Yui, who were about to step forward.
"Eh?"
"What's wrong, Hikari-kun?"
Suddenly stopped by Hikari, Akane and Tachibana Yui were stunned.
"Look ahead," Hikari gestured for them to look for themselves.
Akane and Tachibana Yui immediately raised their heads to look forward, and then were both a little dumbfounded.
After leaving the school, the three had been heading toward Hikari's rented Asou Apartment, and the road passed through some alleys.
At this moment, in front of this quiet alley they had to pass through, there stood several dozen people.
The alley was already small, and now these dozens of people blocked the exit so tightly that not even water could pass.
What was even more unsettling was that these dozens of people were all well-muscled youths, each holding a thick baseball bat.
Seeing this group blocking the way with strange smiles and unfriendly eyes moving to surround the three, Akane and Tachibana Yui instinctively tensed up.
Hikari's expression, however, remained calm, without much surprise.
As the group of bat-wielding youths gradually approached, upon clearly seeing the leader standing at the very front, Tachibana Yui's expression suddenly changed.
"Takanashi Kou?"
"Heh heh, it's me, Little Tachibana, and Akane-san, good afternoon," At the front of the group, also holding a baseball bat, with a big shaved head and dark skin, Takanashi Kou licked his lips and grinned as he spoke.
"You… why are you blocking the road with these people?", Feeling vaguely uneasy, Tachibana Yui loudly demanded of Takanashi Kou.
Takanashi Kou showed a smile utterly unfamiliar to Tachibana Yui, "Why? Heh, Yui-chan, my dear childhood friend, can't you guess?"
"Or is it that you, this bit*h, have no self-awareness?"
"Because of some pretty boy you betrayed me, you sl*t. Of course today I brought my club members to teach you a harsh lesson."
"And Hikari, you pretty boy, those punches you landed on my face last time, I'm going to return them one by one!"
"The insult you dealt to the baseball club, we'll repay it a hundredfold!"
After viciously cursing Tachibana Yui several times, Takanashi Kou turned to Hikari and threatened him fiercely.
Behind him, the dozens of baseball club members also raised their bats high and loudly echoed, "Pay it back! Pay it back!"
"A hundredfold revenge! A hundredfold revenge!"
Seeing the ferocious, venom-faced Takanashi Kou and the dozens of shouting bat-wielding members behind him, Tachibana Yui stared in disbelief and shouted at her once-familiar former childhood friend, "Takanashi Kou, are you crazy?"
Looking at the shock on Tachibana Yui's pure, charmingly pretty face, Takanashi Kou gave a grim smile, "Yes, I'm crazy. Driven crazy by you, you sl*t!"
"Our so many years as childhood friends, when we were little, we already said we'd go to Koshien together, get married and be together. And the result? You betrayed me! You went with such a useless pretty boy."
"Even though you previously said with your own mouth that you wanted to cut ties with me, I still had a shred of hope. I still thought you'd come to your senses, that you'd turn back."
"But, but you actually quit the baseball club too! You betrayed me, betrayed the entire baseball club."
"So, Tachibana Yui, you bit*h, today I'm definitely going to press you down hard and remake you into my Takanashi Kou's shape!"
With veins bulging on his forehead, each shout from Takanashi Kou was louder than the last.
And seeing the ferocious, almost deranged Takanashi Kou, Tachibana Yui realized this once-childhood friend was completely beyond reason.
She ignored his words and instead asked the still-familiar baseball club members behind him, "Okita, Yamashita, Takanashi Kou is crazy, are you crazy too? Why follow him to do such a thing? This is a crime! Stop now!"
Hearing this, the baseball club members sneered.
"Heh heh heh…"
"A crime?"
"Yui-chan, your face and figure have always been very criminal."
"Hahaha!"
The baseball club members spoke one after another, full of filthy meaning.
Many of them, their evil gazes already uncontrollably sweeping over Tachibana Yui's ample chest and shapely legs, looked like hungry wolves eyeing a lamb, the meaning was obvious.
Facing so many pairs of evil eyes, Tachibana Yui stumbled back two or three steps in fright; if not for Akane reaching out to support her back in time, she would have fallen to the ground.
Seeing Tachibana Yui's panic, Takanashi Kou also grinned in satisfaction, "Tachibana Yui, do you still think you're that lofty goddess manager of the baseball club? Don't you know all that former status and honor was given to you by me?"
"Now, in our eyes, you're a traitor! A complete, utter traitor to the baseball club!"
"My brothers and I have already decided, after we take you down and give you a harsh lesson, we'll enjoy you together, Yui-chan."
"Of course, also your dearest best friend, whose figure is even sl*ttier and br*asts even bigger than yours, Akane. The two beautiful bodies that once belonged to the baseball club, we'll enjoy together."
"You two bit*hes, we have so many people, we'll definitely satisfy you both!"
"At that time, you w*men won't dare call the police, nor bear to tell the teachers."
Hearing Takanashi Kou's blatant obscenities and seeing the green-eyed baseball club members behind him, Tachibana Yui's face changed drastically.
"Crazy! Are you all crazy?"
She truly hadn't expected that these once day-and-night companions from the baseball club would each be so insane, practically lust-crazed ghosts gone mad.
Takanashi Kou laughed loudly, "Crazy? We're just punishing a traitor."
"Hahaha!"
Seeing the utterly unreasonable Takanashi Kou and this wildly laughing group, these muscular, bat-wielding boys pressing closer and closer, Tachibana Yui completely gave up trying to reason with them. She directly grabbed Hikari and Akane's hands on either side and urgently said, "Let's go back and take another road home."
But Tachibana Yui found that neither Hikari nor the equally slender-looking Akane could be moved, as if their feet were welded to the ground.
Before the stunned Tachibana Yui could react, the baseball club members noticed her movement.
"Not good! Takanashi-kun, they're trying to run!"
Takanashi Kou shouted, "Then hurry up! Stop them all for me!"
At these words, two baseball club members immediately swung their bats and rushed toward the three.
Tachibana Yui was now full of anxiety. After all, Takanashi Kou had brought so many, each with a bat. Even if Hikari could fight, two fists couldn't beat four hands.
So she wanted to pull Hikari and Akane to run quickly.
But having seen similar scenes before, Hikari was completely unruffled, and Akane likewise.
Just as Hikari, having finished watching this farce of the former childhood friend, was about to move, the half-step he took forward was suddenly withdrawn. He looked at the half-step-ahead Akane and asked, "Little Akane, you want to do it?"
"Mm, I didn't say it, but you already knew. Indeed, inside and out, I've been completely read by you~", Akane first gave Hikari a coquettish glance.
Then, her pretty face showing anger, she said, "Takanashi Kou really is disgusting. I knew before, but I didn't expect he could be this disgusting."
"And this group of scum from the baseball club is also utterly disgusting. Wspecially the things they just said to Yui-chan and their eyes, truly revolting!"
"I said before I wanted to help Little Tachibana take revenge. Plus, this time I can test the combat skills Hikari-kun taught me before, so I want to personally take them down, these beasts worse than pigs and dogs."
Seeing the indignant Akane, Hikari nodded slightly, "Alright, be careful. I'll be here watching you."
"Okay, thank you, Hikari-kun~", Akane smiled sweetly with narrowed eyes at Hikari, looking every bit the lady.
But the next second, she quickly pulled a telescopic baton from her schoolbag, flicked it open skillfully, and strode toward the bat-wielding boys rushing over.
Tachibana Yui, who had been about to pull Hikari and Akane away but found she couldn't, froze for a moment. She hadn't heard their earlier exchange clearly, and only now, seeing Akane's actions, did she suddenly realize.
Witnessing this scene, she was shocked and pale; she naturally couldn't stop Akane, who charged forward like an arrow, so she could only anxiously shout to Hikari, "Hikari-kun, what are you and Akane doing? There are so many of them, let's run!"
"Why aren't you running, and letting Akane charge forward alone to throw herself into the trap?"
Seeing the trembling Tachibana Yui, Hikari patted her shaking jade back and calmly reassured, "Don't worry, Nanase-chan is far stronger than you think."
Hearing Hikari's words, Tachibana Yui was stunned, falling into speechless silence.
Because before, Hikari had saved her several times at critical moments; she trusted he wasn't the timid type.
She had also seen some of Hikari's skills and knew he wasn't weak.
But facing Takanashi Kou with so many bat-wielding members, she didn't think the outnumbered Hikari could win. Let alone letting a delicate beauty like Akane face them alone.
This was simply… too absurd.
Tachibana Yui couldn't muster any resentment toward Hikari.
She was just thinking. Fcing Takanashi Kou's group surrounding them, they might not be able to escape, and Akane, throwing herself into the net, would surely be caught.
Judging from their crazed appearance and the obscene words they had just spoken as if they meant them, if the three of them really ended up in that situation, what should she do?
Would calling the police now be in time?
If not, if they were surrounded and Takanashi Kou and the baseball club members really did those beastly things they just described, what should she do?
The reason Takanashi Kou brought people to take revenge was all because of her, Akane and Hikari were innocent casualties. Should she take responsibility?
'If sacrificing myself can save Nanase-chan and Hikari-kun, then I'll…'
"I…", With eyes full of countless struggle and hesitation, Tachibana Yui still finally firmed her tone, ready to speak.
But before she could speak, Hikari interrupted, "So you'll sacrifice yourself?"
"Eh?", Tachibana Yui froze, staring blankly at Hikari.
"You're wondering why I know what you're thinking, right?"
Tachibana Yui dazedly nodded.
"Mm."
"Your thoughts just now were completely written on your face," Hikari said calmly, "Honestly, I don't like your kind of personality. Always wanting to sacrifice yourself for others, unilaterally giving yourself away, thinking that swallowing your grievances can bring a happy ending."
Hikari knew very well that Tachibana Yui, as a certain type of '2D World' beautiful girl, inherently had the attribute of being easily coerced into submission when threatened.
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