Kouhei slowly turned around, his voice uncertain, barely more than a whisper.
Standing there a few steps behind him was Hiyori.
But there was something about that smile… something almost unnatural. It was too wide and too still. It didn't quite reach her eyes. It felt like a mask.
A tight chill crept up Kouhei's spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand upright.
"Did… did something happen?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes trying to read hers.
"Why do you think so?" she replied sweetly, cocking her head just slightly to the side.
It was such a subtle gesture, but the angle felt off. It was, to say the least, artificial. Like a doll trying to mimic human behavior. Something deep inside him screamed that something wasn't right.
His body responded before his mind could make sense of it, his skin prickling with goosebumps as unease clawed its way into his chest.
"Uh, no. I just… felt like something's changed," he mumbled, trying to play it off casually.
"Ah…! I'm so glad you noticed," she said brightly, lifting her hands up toward her hair. "I actually changed my hairstyle a little."
She twirled it slightly, showing it off.
It wasn't a dramatic transformation, just a small trim, maybe an inch or two, but now she wore a single braid tied neatly with a red ribbon that shimmered faintly under the light.
Something so simple, so mundane… and yet Kouhei noticed it right away.
"Do I look good with it?" she asked, her tone airy but her gaze locked tightly on him.
"Ah… yeah. You look really good," he answered, voice low and awkward, almost as if he was embarrassed to admit it out loud.
"I see…" she whispered, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "Somehow, that makes me happy."
Kouhei's eyes widened slightly as the scent of her shampoo hit him. It was citrusy, tangy and refreshing. It lingered faintly in the air between them, and for a split second, it grounded him.
"Okumura-kun," she said, her voice soft, yet laced with something he couldn't define.
And when Kouhei looked into her eyes again, what he saw wasn't warmth.
It felt like staring into a void.
"I heard something today," she said, voice like silk over steel. "That you were kissed... not once, not twice, but three times. By three different girls."
Her tone was still gentle. But it made his blood run cold.
"I got curious," she added, her voice lowering as her smile widened unnaturally. "So I decided to come and ask you directly. Is that true?"
"Eh… um…" Kouhei stammered.
He instinctively took a step back, but Hiyori moved forward with the exact same pace, like a shadow clinging to his every move.
The gap between them never widened.
"And also," she continued, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "I heard you left the apartment complex with the President. Why? Are you two living together?"
Kouhei felt his breath catch in his throat.
"I don't think it's right… for a boy and girl to be living together like that, Okumura-kun," she whispered. "Don't you think it'll start rumors? Nasty rumors?"
"Uh… yeah, about that…"
He couldn't even finish his sentence. His brain blanked out.
He took another step back, but his foot hit solid stone. He had backed into a column. He was cornered now.
There was no more space for him to move back.
And Hiyori... Well, she didn't stop. She took another step forward, and now they were only inches apart.
"Tell me, Okumura-kun," she said. "Was it true? Everything I heard?"
She tilted her head again, this time slower. The shadows in her eyes danced wildly.
"I also heard from Saionji-san… that you might've done something inappropriate. Something lovers shouldn't even be doing if they're not really together."
"I really hope that's not true…" she continued. "Because if it is, I… I really don't know what I'll do."
There was something off in her gaze now. It was dark and twisted.
Kouhei felt like his chest was tightening. Her words, her expression, her presence, it all felt like he was being squeezed in a vice grip, like being interrogated.
Then, just when it felt unbearable—
Her tone sharp and protective.
She stepped into the scene like a storm ready to burst.
"Ichinose Hiyori...?" Hina asked, her expression souring. "What are you doing with Kouhei?"
"Nothing," Hiyori said instantly, straightening her posture as if nothing had happened. Her voice was calm, but her eyes stayed locked on Kouhei's.
"I just had a question and wanted to ask him about it."
"A question?" Hina narrowed her eyes. "About what?"
"Nothing," Hiyori repeated, her lips curling into a smile that felt completely wrong. "Just something I was wondering about. Am I not allowed to ask questions now? Is that such a crime?"
"You can ask all you want," Hina said, stepping forward again. "But stay away from Kouhei. I claimed him earlier. That means you back off."
"I know you love Kouhei," Hina continued, "but you can't just take what isn't yours."
Kouhei's thoughts stuttered.
"W-Wait…? Ichinose-san loves me?"
"Don't you see how she looks at you?" Hina said, glaring at Hiyori. "She's obsessed with you."
"Eh…? Is that true, Ichinose-san?"
"It's a bit embarrassing that someone else said it before I could," Hiyori said, blushing deeply now. "But yes… I'm in love with you, Okumura-kun."
She placed her hands gently over her chest, holding them there like she was trying to keep her heart from bursting.
"I think I love you more than Saionji-san, Kiyohara-senpai, Yuki-senpai, and even the President. I wouldn't have raised my skirt for you if I didn't."
"You slut," Hina snarled, her voice dripping with venom.
"Slut is something that I would not associate with myself!" Hiyori declared.
"No. You pulling up your skirt just to flash your panties at Kouhei, that's nothing else but the act of a slut," Hina snapped back coldly, her tone laced with disgust. "If that's not slutty, then what the hell is it?"
"I… I don't know," Hiyori mumbled, faltering slightly. "But I don't think that alone makes me a slut…"
A heavy silence dropped between them like a curtain of tension.
They glared at each other—intensely and ferociously—as if their gazes could tear skin and shred pride. Their noses were barely inches apart, and they were so close that it wouldn't have taken much for their lips to brush with just one careless breath forward.
Their chests, soft yet firm, pressed against one another, subtly shifting with each rapid breath.
Both girls were stunning in their own right who have flawless skin, captivating eyes, silky hair cascading past their shoulders. Their proportions mirrored each other so closely that it was like staring at a perfect reflection.
If they weren't on the brink of verbally tearing each other apart, the sight of them standing so close, bodies tense and curves aligned, would've been seductive enough to steal the breath of anyone watching.
"Kouhei," Hina finally said, her tone stiff but composed, eyes never leaving Hiyori. "Let's go. Yuuna and the others are already heading home."
"Wait—Saionji-san!" Hiyori snapped, reaching out as her frustration bubbled over. "Where do you think you're taking Okumura-kun?! I'm pretty sure he's not headed in your direction, right?!"
"And how the hell would you know that?" Hina narrowed her eyes.
"I know he's renting a place somewhere in town," Hiyori replied with clenched fists. "And that's in the complete opposite direction of where you live."
Hina gasped dramatically, putting a hand to her chest. "Wow. So not only are you a slut—you're a stalker too," she sneered. "Kouhei, let's leave before this creep does something even weirder."
"I–I'm not a stalker!" Hiyori stammered, face reddening.
"You literally are!" Hina shouted.
"I'm not! I just… Okay, maybe now that I think about it, it sounds a little stalkerish…" Her eyes darted down. "Wait—did I just… commit a crime?!"
Kouhei, standing between the two, felt like his brain was about to overheat. His mental gears ground to a halt, as if warning him that any further input would cause a total system failure.
But before he could open his mouth to break the tension or even let out a breath—
A strange sensation prickled across his spine. It was a sharp, unnatural tingle, like static electricity crawling under his skin.
His instincts screamed.
Without thinking, Kouhei lunged forward, shoving Hina hard out of the way as he threw himself to the ground, rolling across the pavement.
A deafening explosion ripped through the air.
A shockwave of heat and force surged outward, the impact shaking the ground beneath them. Debris flew in every direction as smoke billowed out, filling the street with a thick, suffocating haze.
The spot they had just stood on was now a smoldering crater.
Dust hung heavily in the air, the acrid scent of burning concrete and scorched earth choking their lungs.
Both Hina and Kouhei slowly looked up.
Hovering high above them was a figure.
"Oh? You actually dodged that?" the voice echoed, smooth and mocking. "I'm impressed."
The figure flapped its wings—large, bat-like appendages with tattered edges and a faint demonic shimmer.
A fireball flickered in his hand like a miniature sun.
"I've come to take one of your faction's heads," he announced with sinister glee, "to present to Souichiro-sama."