CHAPTER 363: HINA’S OBSERVATION

Hina and Yuuna, together with Nagisa and Misuzu, quietly made their way into the council office. The air inside was still, almost heavy, while Kouhei, in another part of the school, had just finished rejecting Tsuchiya Shion.

The very fact that these four were now gathered here together already spoke volumes. Anyone could guess the reason for this meeting just by seeing who was present. Every single one of them had ties to Kouhei, whether it was deep affection, unshakable bond, or simply the undeniable truth—they were all his official lovers.

On the surface, it didn’t seem like Kouhei’s harem was going to grow any bigger any time soon. Everything looked stable. But the meeting Hina had suddenly called would soon prove otherwise.

Because she was planning to reveal something that could shake that assumption completely—something only she had caught onto. Another girl had already started falling for Kouhei.

Of course, Hina didn’t say that right away. That wasn’t her style. She thrived on the thrill, on building tension, on letting the atmosphere tighten around her words. Just dropping the truth out of nowhere? Too boring.

Yuuna tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes narrowing. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about, Hina? You even dragged us here to the council office just for this," she asked, her tone carrying both curiosity and a hint of impatience.

Hina leaned back slightly, her lips curling into a strange smile. It was unsettling because none of them had ever seen her smile like this before—so open, so deliberate. Usually, her face was calm, stoic, unreadable, as though no emotion in the world could crack through. Seeing her wear a grin now sent a ripple of unease through the room.

"Haven’t you all noticed how Yumi’s been acting strange lately? Especially around Kouhei?" Hina asked, her eyes glinting knowingly.

Nagisa and Misuzu glanced at each other almost instantly. The unspoken understanding in their looks made it clear—they had noticed it too. The way Yumi’s eyes lingered on Kouhei just a little too long at times, the awkwardness in her behavior when he was nearby, the hints of something more buried in her expression. They had seen it, but unlike Hina, they hadn’t dared to voice it out loud. Because they already knew exactly what it meant.

They’d been there before. They knew those feelings all too well.

Yuuna, however, blinked in confusion. Her expression was blank, almost innocent.

"Well, I don’t really understand what you’re talking about. I haven’t been paying attention lately," Yuuna admitted honestly, scratching her cheek as if it was nothing. She could be frustratingly dense at times. "So... what about it?"

It was almost baffling that she hadn’t figured it out. But then again, it wasn’t entirely shocking either. Yuuna had been raised to bury her emotions, to never fully recognize or express them. Naturally, she wasn’t as sensitive to these kinds of changes as Nagisa, Misuzu, or especially Hina—who literally had the ability to sense emotions.

"I think Yumi’s starting to see Kouhei differently," Hina said firmly. Her voice carried weight, like she was stating something inevitable. "In other words, she’s falling for him."

"You think so?" Yuuna’s eyes widened, her calm demeanor slipping. For a second, doubt flickered in her gaze. It was possible Hina was wrong, but when she looked at Nagisa and Misuzu’s faces, the idea that Hina was mistaken became harder and harder to believe. "That’s... strange. I never sensed anything like that from her. But if that’s the case... then this means Kouhei might be getting another harem member."

"I don’t see anything wrong with that," Nagisa said softly, her voice steady, but her eyes thoughtful. "I think Kou-kun really likes Yumi too. Whether that’s just in a friendly way or if it’s something deeper, though, I still can’t tell."

And that was true. Kouhei didn’t treat Yumi with any kind of special affection. He was just himself—casual, normal, unbothered—when he spoke with her. But feelings had a way of sneaking up, of blooming over time. Love wasn’t always a sudden spark. Sometimes it was a slow flame. It might just be a matter of time before something real grew between them. For now though, it was clear Kouhei didn’t see her as more than a friend.

"I don’t have an issue either. I’ve been close friends with Yumi, and she’s honestly such a sweet girl," Misuzu added, her tone carrying warmth.

"Well... I guess I don’t really mind either," Yuuna admitted at last, shrugging lightly.

"So then, at the end of the day, isn’t it Kouhei who gets the final say?" Nagisa said, her words cutting straight to the point.

"You’re right," Hina replied smoothly, her smile widening once more. "But if we just leave it like this, I don’t think they’ll ever move forward. They need a push."

"Push?" Yuuna repeated, frowning slightly.

"I mean something that forces them to notice each other, to become aware of their feelings. Without that, nothing’s going to change between them," Hina explained, her voice calm but certain.

"...I get it," Misuzu nodded slowly, as though the thought was settling in.

"But how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Nagisa asked.

In a normal situation, it would’ve been simple. You just gave two people—both too shy or too scared to confess—some alone time together. A bit of space, a chance to talk, maybe stumble into something. That was usually all it took.

And that was essentially what Hina was suggesting.

But this wasn’t a normal situation. None of them were normal people. They were demons, with complicated circumstances and dangerous realities. The execution of this "push" needed more thought.

"You don’t have to worry about that," Hina finally said, her voice filled with confidence. She flashed her teeth in a grin that almost sparkled, like she had already figured everything out. "From now on, I’ll play the role of cupid. I’ll make sure things move along just fine."

Yuuna, Nagisa, and Misuzu looked at her in silence. And for some reason, seeing Hina smile like that, they couldn’t shake the feeling.

If anyone could make it happen... it was definitely her.

***

While that whole discussion was happening somewhere else, Kouhei was being bombarded again—this time by a wave of girls who had no intention of letting him breathe.

Since Hina and the others were tied up in the council office, Kouhei had been left all alone. And because of that, there was no one around to keep the crowd under control, no one to shield him from the chaos.

He could only give a strained, awkward smile. Girls he had never even exchanged a word with before, girls who had always felt so out of reach that he figured he’d never even manage a single conversation with them, were now suddenly gathering around him like moths to a flame. Their voices overlapped, their eyes sparkled, and they acted as if they’d known him forever. Meanwhile, the boys scattered across the cafeteria were glaring at him from every angle imaginable, their faces twisted into expressions sharp enough to cut through steel. Their eyes alone carried enough hostility to crush someone if looks could kill.

It was honestly exhausting. Every word, every smile he gave, drained him more than he cared to admit. And yet, buried under that fatigue, Kouhei couldn’t stop thinking about how surreal it all felt.

He hadn’t even realized how much he had changed until now. For someone like him, who used to live at the edge of the crowd, barely noticed, barely acknowledged, with no connections worth mentioning... this was something completely beyond what he could have imagined. His quiet, dull presence that once blended into the background had transformed into something powerful enough to command attention. The shift was so drastic that even some of the teachers, who normally ignored the cafeteria chatter, were giving him surprised looks, as if they too were trying to figure out when this boy had turned into someone unrecognizable.

"Hey, Okumura-kun, can we take a picture together?" one girl asked, her tone full of boldness Kouhei wasn’t used to hearing directed at him.

"Uh... sure," Kouhei managed to say, sounding more like someone who was forcing himself through unknown territory than someone confident in the situation.

Before he could even brace himself, the girl casually slipped her arm around his, pulling herself close. She raised her smartphone, leaned in just a little more than necessary, and snapped a picture. Kouhei froze on the spot, so caught off guard that he barely had time to react. His guard had been completely down, and the sudden intimacy hit him like a jolt of lightning.

"Me too!" another voice rang out.

"Me too!" another followed immediately.

In an instant, it was chaos. A line began forming in front of him, girls eagerly waiting their turn like he was some celebrity meet-and-greet event. Kouhei could only keep up his wry smile, the kind of awkward smile you give when you don’t know what else to do, as he stared at the growing line. His tray of food sat untouched in front of him, steam slowly fading away, and he couldn’t help but think he might never get the chance to finish eating at this rate.

Then, just when it looked like things would spiral completely out of control, someone broke through the crowd and stepped right in front.

"I’m sorry, but Okumura-san isn’t here for your amusement," Yumi’s voice cut through the chatter like a sharp blade. "Forming a line to take pictures with him like this... do you all really think this is appropriate?"

Her glare swept across them like a storm.

"And besides," she added, her tone firm but laced with authority, "this is the cafeteria. Everyone is watching you make a scene. Could you please mind your manners, and follow the rules where it actually matters?"

Her words struck deep. Even the most stubborn of the girls, who had looked ready to fight for their turn, immediately froze and backed off. It was like watching the sea part—the line dissolved almost instantly under the weight of her glare.

Kouhei’s lips curved into a genuine smile this time.

"Thank you, Aizawa-san," he said warmly, his voice carrying his gratitude.

"Y-You’re welcome..." Yumi stammered, her face flushed bright red as she quickly spun on her heel, unable to face him any longer.

I can’t look at him... I can’t... If I look at him even for a second longer, I’ll seriously explode...

Her heart pounded violently inside her chest, each beat echoing louder than the last, threatening to burst out at any moment.