Translator: RaidenTL
Matsuda Ken, and the real me, were never good at studying.
So I had no idea what that professor was talking about.
I looked over at Miyuki and saw her focused on the lecture, skillfully writing something in her notebook.
Just like a model student. It was reassuring to see she was the same Miyuki I knew.
As I tried my best to follow the professor's lecture, I felt a stare and turned my head.
Tetsuya was looking at me with an expression of pure surprise.
It seemed he found it strange that I was actually paying attention.
I snorted, keeping my eyes forward as I whispered.
"What, you've never seen someone study before?"
"S-Sorry... but you're on the wrong page... It's page 32, not 15..."
Timid, but he says what he needs to.
Then again, that's just how he's always been.
Except for that one time Miyuki confessed at the end.
"Who asked you? Just worry about yourself."
"Ah, okay..."
After our conversation, I noticed Miyuki glancing over.
Still that hostile gaze. It stung.
Getting annoyed for no reason, I tore a page from my textbook, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at the innocent student in front of me.
Making sure Miyuki could see.
Thwack.
The piece of trash bounced off the student's head.
Miyuki's eyes widened.
It was obvious she was about to tell the professor if I didn't stop, so I just shrugged and lowered my gaze to my textbook.
Then, making sure Miyuki couldn't see, I poked the student in front of me.
"Sorry. My bad."
He slowly nodded his head as if he were used to it.
He never appeared in the manga or anime, but it seems I bullied him a lot.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Before long, the familiar bell rang, signaling the end of class.
I glanced at Miyuki once and was about to head home when—
Slide—!
"Ken! Ken!"
The classroom door slid open and someone called my name. I scowled.
It was my friends.
As they say, birds of a feather flock together, and these guys were delinquents, just like me.
Skipping class was routine for them, and they had no qualms about drinking or smoking, both of which were forbidden on academy grounds.
I didn't want to hang out with them.
Not because they broke the academy rules, but because they were the type to make lewd jokes about my lovely Miyuki.
The pervy way they looked at her was the icing on the cake. That's what really pissed me off.
Only I am allowed to look at Miyuki like that.
Anyway, even though I wanted to cut ties with them, keeping them at a reasonable distance wasn't a bad idea.
Why? Because they would make excellent sacrifices for raising Miyuki's affection level.
But I don't know their names. Not that I need to.
Leaning back in my chair with a sigh, I spoke as the most obnoxious-looking one of the group approached.
"What."
"We're going to Ikebukuro today, right? I already booked a place for drinks."
"Not going."
"Huh? Why not? I even made a reservation."
"Huh?"... What a very Japanese reaction...
But it doesn't feel weird at all.
Maybe... I'm a perfect fit for this place?
"I'm tired. I'm gonna rest."
"Rest? You? Are you sick or something?"
"Shut up. I'm not going, so you guys go have fun on your own."
"Really...? Well, can't be helped then. Hey! Hanazawa! How was your day?"
The moment our conversation ended, the guy started messing with Miyuki.
Miyuki, who was packing her bag, raised her eyelashes, about to say something.
Seizing that opening, I—
SMACK—!
—slapped the back of my friend's head with all my might.
"Aaargh!"
Then, I spoke to my friend, who was writhing in pain, in an indifferent tone.
"This bastard never learns. Get lost already."
"What the... Why'd you suddenly hit me?"
"Ah, for fuck's sake... I told you to get lost and stop being so loud. My ears hurt."
"Making a fuss over nothing..."
Muttering, my friend took the rest of the losers and left.
I can probably raise Miyuki's affection level with stuff like this.
But not right now. To Miyuki, I'm just like them... no, I'm even worse.
'Still, I can change, bit by bit.'
Deciding to be hopeful, I left the classroom.
I didn't look at Miyuki.
I knew if I did, it would be hard to look away.
Back home, I cranked the air conditioner to max and lay down on my futon.
I was worried I might oversleep and miss the timing for the event.
Unlike in reality, it was incredibly quiet here, so even though I was sleeping on an unfamiliar futon, sleep came easily.
Come to think of it, I fell asleep really fast before coming here, too.
Usually, I'd lie with my eyes closed for hours without being able to sleep, and I'd wake up several times during the night.
'When I wake up, I won't be back in reality, will I?'
Hoping that wouldn't be the case, I pulled the covers over me.
A groper on the subway, or train, is a cliché just as childish and corny as "Huh? Isn't that the asshole from before?"
But if you resolve it, the effect is so outstanding that you can gain a massive amount of affection points in any manga, anime, or dating sim.
'There's a reason everyone uses it.'
And in DokiAka, that classic cliché is about to happen.
When? Right now.
Clatter! Clatter!
A packed train, so crowded it was hard to even move.
Having already secured a spot in the same car as Miyuki, I used my height to scan our surroundings.
Tetsuya was nowhere to be seen.
Of course. He's supposed to come running from three cars away after getting a text from Miyuki begging for help.
And Miyuki... she was leaning against a nearby pole, reading a book.
Her head slightly bowed in concentration, she was so beautiful she looked like a painting.
Though the groper behind her was ruining the mood.
The guy behind Miyuki... a thug with a face that screamed 'I'm a criminal' to anyone who looked, glanced around before starting to fidget.
He was about to touch Miyuki's thigh.
'Ugh... fuck...'
To think I have to let some groper be the first to touch Miyuki's thigh, a thigh I haven't even touched yet.
I'm getting pissed. My original plan was to wait until his hand was inside her uniform skirt, but I'll have to jump in the moment Miyuki senses something is wrong.
As I watched them with that thought in mind, Miyuki's body flinched.
"...?"
Her eyes wide, she looked around before spotting the groper right behind her.
But after seeing the man's nonchalant expression, she gave a puzzled look and turned her attention back to her book.
She seemed to think their bodies had just bumped into each other because of the crowd.
And the groper, seeing that Miyuki did nothing even after looking at him, grew bolder.
Through a tiny gap in the dense crowd, I could see the groper's hand starting to move up toward Miyuki's butt.
He was still touching her thigh with his other hand. In a moment, it looked like it would slip under her skirt.
Only then did Miyuki's face flush with alarm as she realized something bad was happening to her.
Disgust, and fear.
Both emotions coexisted in Miyuki's eyes.
The moment I saw her fumbling for her phone in her bag with a trembling hand, I—
"Hey! You son of a bitch!!"
I roared, my voice echoing through the rattling train car.
Just like when I'd entered the classroom yesterday, all eyes were suddenly on me.
Miyuki, whose teeth were chattering, spotted me too.
"M-Matsuda-kun...?"
Miyuki called my name, her tone surprised.
But mixed into that trembling voice was desperation.
The timing was perfect. The groper had flinched and pulled his hand back.
It was a relief I stopped him before he went any further.
I shoved my way through the crowd toward the groper, who was hesitating in a panic.
As soon as I was within reach, I threw my head back and then slammed it forward.
With as much force as I could muster.
CRACK—!
The sound of something breaking,
"Gah!"
And the groper's short scream.
It was a perfect headbutt. So powerful that the groper's huge body lost its balance for a moment and staggered.
I immediately bent down and tackled him to the ground.
Completely ignoring the murmuring crowd, I started pounding my fists into the bastard's face.
THWACK—! THUD!
With each dull thud, the groper's head snapped from side to side.
Near his head lay a few small, bloody lumps.
His teeth had been knocked out.
If we'd had a proper fight, I probably would have lost. Honestly, I was glad it turned out this way.
THWACK! THUD!
As I continued to beat the groper,
"Matsuda-kun...!"
Miyuki called out to me cautiously.
I pretended not to hear, feigning excitement as I kept hitting him.
THWACK—! THWACK!
As the groper's face became painted with more and more blood, a few people in the murmuring crowd took out their phones.
They were about to call the police.
Seeing this, Miyuki seized the moment I raised my fist, grabbing my arm with both hands and pulling with all her strength.
"Matsuda-kun!! You're going to kill him!! Stop!"
The feeling of Miyuki's ample chest pressing against my arm was heavenly.
Just then, the train stopped at the next station, so I stopped my fists.
Miyuki spoke in an urgent voice.
"L-Let's just get out of here... The doors are open... We have to go..."
"But I'm not done beating him yet."
"Matsuda-kun...! Please, stop and let's go...! You're scaring people... Hurry...!"
"Fine, fine."
Pretending to be reluctant, I got up, and Miyuki grabbed my wrist and pulled me off the train.
The warmth from her hand on my wrist felt so good.
Just like her heart.
"What on earth were you thinking? Why would you beat someone up like that?"
Sitting on a bench listening to Miyuki, I furrowed my brow in disbelief.
"Seriously? You were just getting groped, and that's what you have to say?"
"W-Well, even so, recklessly beating someone who's unconscious is..."
Her sudden hesitation was cute.
I scoffed and retorted.
"He was squealing like a stuck pig, what do you mean unconscious? And if it wasn't for me, your panties would've been pulled off by now. You have no problem confidently yelling at me, so why were you so quiet with a guy like that? Is that your thing or something?"
"W-What are you talking about...! That's going too far...! I was just so flustered and scared..."
"You're such an airhead..."
Provoked by my words, Miyuki shot back.
"Your problem, Matsuda-kun, is your crude way of speaking. Why do you always have to get under people's skin? Is it fun for you? Does it boost your self-esteem?"
Now that she mentions it, it is pretty fun.
Her reacting to every little thing just makes me want to do it more.
"Shouldn't you be thanking me first? Why are you always lecturing me?"
"I-It's not a lecture... Huh...?"
Her voice trailed off as she noticed my hand and flinched.
Seeing the blood trickling between my fingers, she continued.
"Matsuda-kun, your hand is bleeding..."
"I'm used to it."
It's not easy acting tough.
"U-Used to it...? Here, wipe it with this for now..."
Miyuki squeezed her eyes shut as if she'd seen something gross and held out a handkerchief from her bag.
A handkerchief as white as a snowflake. Seeing it, I shook my head.
"It'll be hard to get the bloodstains out."
"That's not the problem right now..."
"It's fine. I'll just wash it in the bathroom. The next train is coming, so you should hurry to the academy. You'll get points deducted if you're late. A class president can't have that, can she?"
"B-But..."
"If you feel that bad about it, buy me a drink from the school store later or something. I'm going. See ya."
With a casual wave, I headed for the bathroom without looking back at Miyuki.
When I turned on the faucet and put my hand under the water, it stung like hell.
I felt like screaming my head off.
As I was carefully washing my hand and leaving the bathroom,
"Matsuda-kun. All clean?"
Miyuki called my name from right nearby, and I was so startled I nearly fainted.
I never expected her to still be here.
"Ah, fuck...! You scared me!"
The people at the station stared at me as I jumped and swore.
Noticing their gazes, Miyuki brought her long, slender index finger to her lips in a gesture for me to be quiet.
"Could you lower your voice a little...? You're startling people..."
I bent over, taking a deep breath, then grumbled.
"Haa... Then don't sneak up on me..."
Miyuki just stared at me.
Then, suddenly, the corners of her lips lifted into a small smile.
The moment I saw it, my vision swam.
It was nothing compared to the radiant smile she showed Tetsuya, but it was so beautiful it seemed to light up everything around us.
So beautiful it made me wonder how such a person could even exist.
Barely managing to calm my pounding heart, I deliberately acted blunt toward Miyuki.
"W-What...? What are you grinning about?"
"Thank you..."
"What was that?"
"I-I said thank you... for saving me..."
I'm glad I saved her.
No, I'm glad I was born.
Feeling awkward, I scratched the side of my head and said.
"Whatever. It's not like I did it for a thank you."
"Didn't you just tell me to thank you?"
"I didn't think you'd actually do it."
"What do you take me for? I know how to be grateful, you know? Unlike some people..."
"Is that 'some people' me, by any chance?"
Miyuki didn't answer, changing the subject instead.
"And you should really try to swear less, Matsuda-kun."
"A minute ago you were complaining about my crude language... Stop nagging and just go."
"Aren't you going, Matsuda-kun?"
"I'm gonna go to a... not a PC room, but a net cafe or something to kill time."
"Why are you skipping when you're already in your uniform?"
"It's because I'm in my uniform that I want to skip. Once you get a taste of it, you can't stop."
"I don't get it..."
Even the way she tilted her head was so damn cute... I want to pounce on her right now.
"I wasn't trying to make you understand."
"Don't do that, let's go. You need to put medicine on that and wrap it in a bandage, or the wound will get infected. I'll talk to the professor, so when you get there, go straight to the nurse's office. You can rest there for the first period."
Hearing her go this far, she must have been genuinely grateful.
A massive affection boost... I really got it.
"What's this? Encouraging me to skip..."
"It's for treatment and rest. But you have to come to class starting from second period."
"Are you my mom?"
Miyuki looked at me, her face showing she was fed up with my constant bickering.
She let out a deep sigh and said.
"Haa... Fine, I don't care if you skip or whatever, but at least go to the nurse's office."
"What if I don't want to?"
"Then do whatever you want...!"
She said, raising her voice slightly, then turned away.
Chuckling, I walked up right next to Miyuki.
"By the way, Hanazawa."
"What...! What is it!"
"Did you know you have blood on you, too?"
"Me too...? Where?"
"It's right there."
I pointed my index finger toward her chest, and Miyuki's gaze dropped.
The moment she saw the bloodstain near her chest, her face turned bright red.
She hastily covered her front with her bag and narrowed her eyes at me.
"A-Aren't you a pervert...?"
"I was just telling you out of kindness. Why are you being so sensitive? Aren't you the pervert?"
"You could have just ignored it..."
"If I hadn't told you, you would've gone to school with blood on your chest. You're good at studying, but when it comes to things like this, you're a bit... of an idiot."
"I-I don't want to hear that from you..."
I was just stating a fact.
Grinning, I bickered with Miyuki as we waited for the next train.
Today's event was a huge success. I was very satisfied.
Even though my hand hurts.