Next Target, 400PS!
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During the lunch break, the Service Club buzzed with its usual lively energy.
After eating in silence for a while, Kai finally broke and looked across the table at Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Is there something on my face?" he asked.
For the past ten minutes, he kept noticing Yukino glancing up from her lunch to look at him. Whatever she was thinking about, it left a gentle smile on her lips. It was so different from her usual cold expression that Kai actually felt a little uneasy.
"Or... can you just not hold back your massive crush on me anymore?" Kai teased, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Ahem!"
The sudden comment caught Yukino completely off guard. She choked on her tea, coughing violently.
"Woohoo!" Marin Kitagawa cheered, clapping her hands together as she stared at Yukino with sparkling eyes.
"..."
Megumi Kato, sitting next to her, sighed and shook her head. Marin trying to set up other girls with her own boyfriend was something else entirely.
"D-Don't get the wrong idea!" Yukino stammered.
Yukino hated being the center of attention. She quickly looked away. Normally, she would have snapped back with a harsh comment, but since it was Kai, she held herself back.
"I just wanted to remind you not to forget about dinner in a few days."
"I won't forget," Kai said, waving a hand dismissively. He wasn't about to pass up a free meal.
"Wait! Dinner?" Marin immediately abandoned her lunch and leaned close to Yukino. "Is it a date?!"
"I-It's just because he helped my family out with a major issue! We're inviting him to a family dinner as a thank you!"
The thought of a romantic date popped into Yukino's head, and she quickly looked away. She was just too shy about things like this.
"A family dinner, huh?" Marin said slowly, glancing back and forth between Yukino and Kai. She didn't say anything else, but her knowing smile made Yukino uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, I have it marked down," Kai said, deciding to spare Yukino from any further teasing.
He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Alright, Shizuka said she needed me for something, so I'm heading out."
He used her first name without thinking. The other girls in the club just thought they were close friends. No one would ever guess there was anything more between a student and their homeroom teacher.
As soon as Kai left, Marin moved her chair right next to Yukino. She looked ready to pounce with questions.
"So..."
"So what?" Yukino blinked. She had just managed to catch her breath, only to be bombarded by Marin's interrogation.
"You and Kai-kun! Aren't you going to use this chance to get closer to him? Don't even try to tell me you don't have feelings for him!" Marin stared at her with a smug expression.
"..."
Yukino opened her mouth to argue, but under Marin's piercing gaze, the denial died in her throat. "I knew it!"
Yukino's silence said it all.
Marin's excitement shot up. "Don't worry, I can teach you exactly what to do!"
"Teach me?" Yukino looked at the blonde girl in disbelief. 'You don't even have a boyfriend, do you? How are you supposed to teach me?'
Yukino was completely in the dark regarding Marin and Kai's actual relationship. She genuinely thought they were just good friends who occasionally hung out to play video games.
"Don't give me that look! I'll have you know I've played a ton of romance visual novels. I have a massive amount of experience in this field."
The truth was, Marin had no real dating experience before Kai. Their relationship just clicked, and things happened naturally. She wasn't about to admit that, though. Instead, she started giving Yukino advice straight from her favorite romance games.
"..."
Yukino stayed quiet, but her eyes grew wide with concentration. She was trying to remember everything Marin said.
Meanwhile, Megumi took advantage of Yukino's distraction. She shot Marin a deadpan 'What exactly are you trying to pull?' look.
'Don't you want to see what she's like when she joins our game?'
Catching Megumi's stare, Marin just wiggled her eyebrows and flashed a secretive wink.
Megumi understood Marin's look right away. She should have expected this from someone as unpredictable as Marin. Megumi sighed softly. She had no intention of stopping her, and honestly, she didn't want to.
On the far side of the room, playing her usual role as a background character, Hitori Gotou watched the two girls discuss romance.
She quietly lowered her head, feeling a mix of envy and insecurity.
If only she could talk about topics like that with such confidence. But look at her. If people found out Hitori had a special connection with Kai, they would tear him apart.
'Look at that. I can't believe a guy like Kai is dating a gloomy loner like her.'
'I know, right? What trash taste.'
'Maybe Kai is just a loser deep down, which is why he settled for someone like that.'
"..."
A storm of negative thoughts ran through her mind. Even though Kai always showed he didn't care what others thought, Hitori still couldn't accept it. It felt like too much to handle.
'I have to... I have to become someone amazing!'
She thought about the band she had just joined. Their first live show was coming up soon. If she could stand on stage, play with confidence, and show everyone who she really was, maybe she would finally feel worthy.
Maybe then, no one would insult Kai for being with her.
Thinking about that, the worry in Hitori's eyes faded and was replaced by determination.
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"Why the hell are you here?!"
Inside the faculty office, Shizuka Hiratsuka finally caught her breath. She glared at Sonoko Machida sitting right next to her and spat out the complaint.
She thought she was finally going to get some private, uninterrupted alone time with Kai. She never expected Sonoko to invite herself over and crash the party.
Annoyed, Shizuka shot a resentful glare at Kai.
"Don't look at me." Kai was calmly buttoning his shirt. He caught her glare and gave a helpless shrug. "You're the one who bragged to her. I didn't say a word!"
"..."
The retort lodged perfectly in Shizuka's throat. She couldn't say a thing.
It was true. Sonoko only found out because Shizuka couldn't help but brag. She sent a text showing off about getting time alone with Kai. Sonoko couldn't resist and drove over right away. Thanks to Shizuka's connections, it was easy for the editor to get onto the Sobu High campus.
"We're best friends! Trying to keep him all to yourself is just incredibly selfish!" Sonoko rolled her eyes at Shizuka, completely unapologetic.
"..."
'So this is my fault now?' Shizuka shot her best friend a withering glare.
Sonoko ignored her and acted like she was in charge. "Besides, you should thank me. If you were alone with him, you wouldn't have any energy left to work this afternoon!"
"..."
Flawless victory!
Shizuka couldn't come up with a single comeback. She had good stamina, but compared to Kai, she just couldn't keep up.
"And what about you? Aren't you supposed to be drowning in work after your big promotion?" Shizuka fired back, changing the subject.
It was true. Sonoko had just been promoted. The light novel Kai wrote had become really popular.
Following the release of the third volume, sales for KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World! had smashed through previous records, reaching an all-time high. Fushikawa Fantastic Bunko was already fast-tracking a manga adaptation. If the manga sales kept pace with the novels, an anime adaptation was practically guaranteed in the near future.
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~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
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