With the crisp and loud sound of a slap exploding in the air, Matsuoka Reiji's body was also sent flying, even spinning a full three hundred and sixty degrees midair.
Plop!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
First, the blond-haired Matsuoka Reiji's body, which had spun once midair, fell to the ground under gravity. Then, the few teeth knocked out of his mouth while in the air followed and hit the ground one after another.
Looking at the Matsuoka Reiji now lying there like a dead dog, Hikari showed no mercy. Instead, he skillfully stepped right on his crotch.
Crack!
A sound like an eggshell breaking rang out. The dazed Reiji instantly regained consciousness, then a heart-piercing pain suddenly surged up from below his waist. His eyes instantly filled with tears, his face twisted with anguish.
"Now who's the trash?", Hikari still spoke with a smiling face.
But at this moment, the situation between the two had already flipped. Reiji's earlier arrogance had completely vanished, and he could only lie there like a dead dog.
Enduring the soul-crushing pain of being crippled for life, Reiji slightly raised his head. With tear-filled eyes, he looked up at Hikari looming above him. In those teary eyes was only pleading and begging for mercy.
As if to say he was wrong, he was trash, begging Hikari to spare him.
But because of the pain that pierced to his very bones, he couldn't even speak, only able to beg desperately with his eyes.
Although he wasn't the least bit soft-hearted toward this pathetic Reiji, Hikari also noticed that outside the alley, human figures were gradually appearing. And more and more people were gathering to watch.
After all, the alley was shallow, and Reiji had been making a racket just now. The commotion wasn't small, so the crowd of onlookers would only grow larger.
Too much attention would be troublesome.
Hikari immediately kicked Reiji a few more times, then shoved the pig tongue that had just shared a passionate kiss with him into his mouth, not caring whether he might suffocate to death. After that, he dragged along the dazed Amakawa Kanade and left.
As she was being pulled along, Kanade couldn't help glancing back at the Reiji now lying there like a dead dog.
Her pure and delicate face looked blank, as if she still hadn't processed what had just happened.
After all, just moments ago Reiji had been aggressively confronting Hikari, even about to hit him, which had made her terribly worried.
And then in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to lying on the ground like a dead dog, a faint stench even leaking from his soaked crotch.
The sudden reversal was simply too much for Kanade, who, aside from her large chest, was no different from any ordinary high school girl, to accept.
But Hikari didn't care about her dazed expression. He quickly dragged her out of the not-yet-crowded group of onlookers and walked toward a deserted direction.
[Ding! Host has successfully foiled blond-haired Matsuoka Reiji's evil act, rescued high school girl Amakawa Kanade, and successfully promoted the spirit of pure love.]
[Reward obtained: Pure Love Points +200!]
Hearing the pleasant sound of rewards in his mind, Hikari couldn't help but smile faintly.
"Hikari-kun, you… you're not hurt, are you?", Kanade's clear, pleasant voice of concern reached him, mixed in with the system's notification chime, so that Hikari almost didn't hear it.
Turning his head, he saw that Kanade, who had just been blank, seemed to have come back to her senses, now looking at him with a bit of worry and concern.
"I'm fine," Hikari casually replied.
"That's good. Hikari-kun, tha… thank you for blocking Reiji for me just now," Kanade patted her ample chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing her so grateful, Hikari just waved his hand, "It's nothing. Just happened to pass by. Since that guy wanted to do something shady to the vice-president, of course I couldn't just sit and watch."
Though he said it was just a coincidence, in truth, Hikari had already arrived in advance thanks to the Pure Love Radar before Reiji even got there.
His whole reason for joining the Movie Screening Club was to use the silly and gullible vice-president Kanade as a cuckold-attractor to earn points.
To avoid scaring Reiji and messing up the plan, he hadn't shown himself at first. But remembering his original purpose, he had actually been standing nearby just now.
Kanade didn't know that while she was being lured into the alley and threatened, someone was happily gnawing on chicken feet just a few steps away.
At this moment, her mind was still replaying that scene of Hikari slapping Reiji to the ground with ease.
She stole a glance at Hikari, taking in his handsome face and the tall yet lean build beneath his shirt. Her eyes couldn't help but flash with surprise.
She was truly shocked by this clubmate she rarely ever saw despite being in the same club.
If Reiji was the type you could tell at first glance was a frivolous and ill-intentioned guy, then when Hikari had first joined the club, Kanade had only thought he was a very good-looking boy.
What she never expected was that someone who looked so refined and handsome would actually be this strong.
Watching him now calmly take out his phone, as if not even thinking about how he had just effortlessly flattened Reiji and saved her, Kanade thought for a moment, then expressed her thanks again and tried to start a conversation.
"Hikari-kun, it's really lucky you were here just now, otherwise it would've been terrible."
"That guy actually tried to… to force a kiss on me. Thank goodness you shoved that pig tongue at him. The way Reiji was blissfully making out with it was… was just hilarious," Maybe because she was naturally optimistic, Kanade couldn't help but laugh as she recalled Hikari wearing the ghost mask and shoving the pig tongue out, and Reiji passionately kissing it with total intoxication.
Hikari also smiled faintly, "Just a spur of the moment. He brought it on himself."
"Mm, serves him right!", Kanade nodded, then asked, "Hikari-kun, Nishida messaged me earlier saying he won't come to the movies today. That disgusting Reiji is gone too, so it's just the two of us. But since we already bought the tickets, why don't we go watch the movie together?"
Hikari patted his pockets and spread his hands helplessly, "The movie? I'd like to, but I think I forgot my ticket. You go watch, Vice-President."
He'd only come here to stop Reiji's cuckold stunt. Watching a movie wasn't really on his mind.
"Eh…", Kanade blinked, then rummaged in the small bag at her waist, suddenly pulling out two tickets. Waving them, she smiled, "Actually, Nishida's ticket was with me. Since he didn't come, we still have two left. Let's watch together."
"Alright," Seeing the tickets in her hand, Hikari hesitated briefly before agreeing.
After all, his excuse just now was not having a ticket. Since she said she had two, refusing again would just make things awkward.
And since he was already here, going back now meant he'd miss lunch with Miss Mira anyway. Might as well watch a movie.
Calmly taking a ticket from her, the two scanned them at the gate one after the other and entered the theater.
A few minutes later, at the entrance of the screening room, Hikari saw Kanade walk over carrying two drinks and hugging two giant tubs of popcorn.
"Hikari-kun, this one's for you," She handed him one of the tubs.
Hikari looked a little surprised, "This much to eat?"
It was clearly an extra-large portion.
Seeing his startled look, Kanade blushed slightly, "Uh, I just really like snacking while watching movies. Normally I don't eat this much…"
Hikari glanced from the popcorn tub and giant cola cup to her full chest, faintly understanding why she was so well-developed compared to ordinary high school girls.
Looking at her unnatural, embarrassed face, he smiled, "It's fine. The movie's starting soon, let's go in."
Saying that, he entered the screening room first.
Kanade let out a quiet sigh of relief and hurried to follow him.
Since the tickets were bought together, the seats were next to each other. Naturally, Hikari and Kanade sat side by side.
The theater was fairly full, but not packed, and no one sat near them.
Hikari sat calmly, placing the popcorn on the empty seat beside him. Kanade did the same.
After glancing around and finding only herself and Hikari in the vicinity, Kanade felt slightly uneasy.
This was the first time she had gone to the movies alone with a boy.
Originally, it was supposed to be a club activity. Even without that disgusting Reiji, there would've been Nishida, making three people total.
Three people meant a proper club outing.
But now it was just her and Hikari, one boy and one girl, which made her feel as if… as if this was a date.
Especially when she noticed a few couples in the rows ahead quietly cuddling, she couldn't help but feel even more awkward.
But seeing Hikari's calm expression, as if nothing was unusual, she quickly sat upright too, not daring to say much more lest it get more awkward.
Maybe it was his calmness rubbing off on her, or maybe she really did like movies. As the film began, Kanade soon focused seriously on the screen.
Aside from constantly reaching for popcorn, she watched intently, absorbed in the sickly sweet romance of the protagonists.
Hikari, however, wasn't interested in the love-themed film. He found the story rather boring.
While watching, he absentmindedly pulled out his phone, chatting with Akane, who had just sent him a picture of herself hugging her friend Yui, asking him to hurry home and play.
Sometimes he chatted with her, sometimes with the three gyarus, Reina, Yukina, and Rui, who wanted him to join their party, sometimes replying to Louisa about the next time he'd help her relieve stress, sometimes telling Miss Mira he had bought her earrings, sometimes arranging with the campus queen Reina about the next exorcism.
Anyway, between half-watching the movie and half-chatting, over two hours flew by and the film ended.
The love story had a hero-saving-the-damsel scene.
Maybe because she had just been targeted by Reiji earlier today, Kanade's heart had suddenly raced during that scene, reminding her that Hikari had also saved her today.
So as they left the theater, she excitedly chatted with him about the movie.
"Hikari-kun, Jack was so brave just now! If not, Rose would've been done for…"
"Mm, mm, yeah…", Faced with her excitement, Hikari's replies were a bit perfunctory.
Kanade soon felt disappointed, realizing he hadn't really watched the movie seriously. His answers were off the mark.
And in truth, Hikari was indeed distracted. Necause he was busy rolling the lottery.
The Pure Love Points he had just earned from dealing with Reiji, he immediately dumped into the lottery pool, pulling a few ten-rolls at random.
[Ding! Congratulations to host, reward obtained: Master-Level Football Proficiency!]
[Ding! Congratulations…]
Another pity-pull. And what he got was a skill of little use.
Hikari couldn't help but complain inwardly.
'Seriously, my luck's been shit lately. Almost everything I draw is useless. Can't I get something helpful to deal with Hanako already, so I don't have to keep torturing Miss Mary?'
'Or just give me the Five Thunders Spell set, so I can zap Mary till she's dizzy and force herself to confess already…'
He grumbled inwardly, but also knew this kind of luck was only something you dream about.
Since his luck was so bad, he didn't bother listening to Kanade ramble about the melodramatic movie anymore. Instead, he casually interrupted, "Kanade, do you play football?"
"Eh…? Fo… football?", Suddenly interrupted, Kanade was stunned, then shook her head.
She felt she couldn't keep up with his train of thought. Weren't they just talking about the romance movie? Why did it suddenly jump to football?
Her head felt like it was going to split.
Her mind started wandering.
She snuck a glance at Hikari's well-shaped but not bulky arms, her imagination running wild.
'Hikari-kun doesn't seem very interested in movies. Then why did he join the movie club? Could it be… like Reiji… because of me? No, no, no! Hikari-kun's not that kind of person. Besides, I'm being way too self-absorbed…'
'Hikari-kun's so strong, slapping Reiji down in one hit. He must do sports, right? Could it be he likes football?'
'But I don't think our school has a football program or club…'
'I'll ask around later. If he's in another club, maybe I'll see him more often…'
Hikari had no idea she was drifting off like this. His attention was still on the lottery wheel.
But when he realized today's luck was just too bad, he decided to stop rolling.
Just then, Kanade asked, "Um, Hikari-kun, have you ever watched Flipped?"
Pulled out of his thoughts, Hikari instinctively replied, "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss. But every once in a while, you find someone who's..."
"Someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare."
Hearing his reply, Kanade couldn't help but smile.
Because what he had just quoted was exactly a line from "Flipped."
———
Excited by his answer, Kanade asked again, "Hikari-kun, have you watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'?"
Hikari casually said, "For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want."
"Then… 'The Truman Show'?"
"In Case I Don't See Ya, Good Afternoon, Good Evening And Goodnight."
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