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“Hoshikawa, are you sure you want to go through with this?”

Nogami looked at the bottled water she’d just opened, then at the boy handing it to her, utterly baffled.

It was her first time being asked to bully someone.

Was this idiot seriously an M?

“Ah, you guessed right.”

Harutaki caught the faint mix of doubt and disdain in her eyes and immediately guessed what she was thinking.

“If you can, drink about a third of it first. That way it’ll be lighter when you throw it, and besides, knowing the water has traces of a beautiful girl’s saliva, mmm, if it splashes near my mouth, would that count as an indirect ki, hey, hey, don’t throw it yet!”

He sidestepped just in time as she lifted the bottle threateningly, cutting himself off mid-joke before changing the subject.

“You understand why we’re doing this, right, Nogami-san?”

“To make that post exposing your scumbag side look more real and grab attention in public, isn’t it?”

“Not just that. A girl hurt by a cheater gets sympathy, and the one who publicly humiliates the scumbag gets to restore a bit of her reputation. You’d be killing two birds with one stone.”

What an idiot...

Nogami stared at Harutaki’s smug face, at a loss for words.

Thank him? Don’t be ridiculous. He was part of the reason she had fallen this low.

But still.

He was willing to throw away his image, to calmly propose a plan where she would humiliate him in front of everyone...

From what she’d seen over the past three weeks, Harutaki was a proud, self-respecting, and intelligent person. And when an intelligent man willingly sets aside pride and dignity, it’s never without an ulterior motive,

Just like that time in the unused classroom, when he’d picked up chopsticks blindfolded.

She’d thought she was the one toying with him. But looking back now, she’d clearly been the one fooled, played.

She thought she was training him like a dog, but wasn’t he the one taking advantage of her?

Now that she thought about it, the guy hadn’t lost out on a single thing. He’d touched her foot, pressed his face against her thigh... and later, she discovered he’d even eaten her entire lunch.

Even among girls, almost no one had been that close to her.

She’d lost both dignity and her meal; just thinking about it made her fume.

And this time, he volunteered to get drenched in front of the busiest spot between the gate and the school building... What was he scheming now?

What was there about her, Nogami Izumi, that he wanted so badly?

After a brief pause, she arrived at the only answer that made sense,

He was after her, her pretty face, her stunning body, the self-proclaimed number one beauty of Nichiya High, her!

Wh-what the hell!?

You’ve got some nerve, mutt! Trying to bite your owner now?!

“Idiot, moron, dumbass, go die.”

“Huh? Wait, why am I suddenly dying?”

Harutaki blinked, completely lost, as Nogami fumed like a firecracker with an absurdly short fuse.

He’d just been explaining the plan, hadn’t he? How had he managed to offend her again?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t possibly guess the whirlwind of thoughts that had gone through her mind in just a few seconds.

…

The evening sun sank slowly, melting away like butter scraped too thin, leaving only a faint afterglow of what had once been a bright, lively day.

“...”

Nogami stared at her own shadow stretching toward Harutaki’s shoes. The bottle in her hand creaked as her grip tightened, and for a moment she completely forgot how this was supposed to start.

Feeling the curious glances of passing students, hesitation began to creep in.

Was she really about to do something like this here?

Without realizing it, she’d begun to see things from the other side, actually hesitating at the thought of bullying someone.

“What’s wrong? Having second thoughts? Just think about something that makes you angry. Oh, and careful not to spill it too low, ”

Something that makes her angry...

Him pinning her down. Speaking to her in that harsh tone. Dodging her questions.

“Bastard! Die, you cheating scum!”

Splash.

A burst of cold water exploded across his face, followed by the empty bottle bouncing off his chest.

…That didn’t sound like acting.

Harutaki thought, between the raw anger in her voice and the force behind the throw, Nogami looked genuinely furious, as if she were really punishing a cheater.

Still, that worked out fine. The students watching would buy it.

He noticed she hadn’t left yet, though, and while pretending to wipe his face, whispered,

“Don’t just stand there, go.”

“But you… ”

Nogami suddenly caught herself, this was only a performance. She pursed her lips, turned on her heel, and stormed off.

God, she was terrifying.

Left behind, Harutaki stood motionless, head bowed, the picture of a man just publicly humiliated. Yet beneath that façade, his thoughts were running wild.

If she’d ignored the plan, he’d have been disappointed for wasting the effort.

But if she’d actually stayed, pulled out a tissue or a handkerchief to wipe his face,

He would’ve been finished. Completely lost to this syrup-soaked, cream-filled temptation of a girl.

Humans really are pathetic.

Feeling the cool droplets slide down his cheeks, Harutaki sighed inwardly.

A kind girl being kind is nothing special. It’s expected.

But when a usually prideful, bossy, cold girl shows even the tiniest bit of gentleness, it’s like discovering a hidden treasure chest.

That warmth becomes something precious. Something that feels like it belongs only to you.

Damn it...

Does Nogami even realize how dangerous that kind of sweetness was to a guy?

About a minute later, just as Harutaki was thinking he should wipe off and leave, something pink-and-white entered his view, a checkered handkerchief, embroidered with a red Chouko in the corner.

Beneath it, the owner’s toes were turned slightly inward, just a little bashful.

“Here. Use this.”

“Thank you very much.”

He took it politely with both hands, drying his dripping bangs and face.

When he finished, the pale, delicate hand still hadn’t pulled back.

So he teased her. “You know, normally at this point, the girl gives the guy the handkerchief as a keepsake.”

“Mm… no way. I made that one myself, you know. I’m not just giving it away.”

Even without seeing her face, Harutaki could easily imagine the puffed-cheek pout she must’ve had when she said it, and he couldn’t help but smile.

"I can take it home, give it a proper wash, and return it to you later. Though… right now, it’s probably soaked with the scent of a high school boy after a long day, you know?"

He glanced down at the handkerchief he’d just used. Other than being a little damp, it looked perfectly fine. He let out a long sigh of relief.

Good thing he’d been sticking to a healthy routine this past month, early to bed, early to rise, daily workouts, and a bit of skin care. If it were the old him, this handkerchief would’ve come back oily and grimy.

"There’s no need to trouble you, Hoshikawa-kun. I’ll wash it myself," she replied primly.

Isn’t this great!

Chouko wanted to squeal out loud, but couldn’t possibly say something like that in public.

Just thinking about how Harutaki was actually Harutaro, the same person, made her quietly resent him all over again. Always teasing her, stirring her up, and then just… leaving her hanging like some heartless playboy.

Wait. Actually… right now, Hoshikawa really is a playboy, isn’t he?

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