Chapter 346

That kind of setup was a classic rom-com cliché.

Usually, just as a heroine was about to be dragged off by some clueless guy attempting a street pickup, the protagonist would step in, lend a helping hand, and resolve the situation. In return, the heroine would express her gratitude, and her affection level toward him would shoot up.

However, the situation Hiyori found herself in was a little different.

Because the guy blocking her path wasn't a normal civilian, but a host.

I didn't have hard proof, but from his outfit to his hairstyle... he was definitely a bastard working in the industry.

"Just have coffee with me this once. Seriously, just one time."

"I don't want to."

"Come on, I'm begging you here."

"Ugh... I said no."

Hiyori scowled heavily at the clingy guy.

Showing her disgust that openly should have hurt his pride, but the host still clung to her pathetically.

Thinking something like, 'He's being annoying, so I'll just get a free meal out of him and end it...' could lead to serious trouble.

Since they were smooth talkers armed with handsome faces, a bad first impression could easily flip after a few conversations.

Getting tangled up with a host usually sent your life straight down the drain.

They typically kicked things off with a sales tactic called hon'ei, using all sorts of methods to carefully groom women into falling for them, and it almost never ended well.

They saddled these women with debt, forcing them to work in brothels or turn to street prostitution to pay it off. Once dragged into that underworld, it was impossible to escape.

As someone who also used various methods to seduce heroines, did I have the right to curse them? Still, I was a thousand times better than those bastards whose sole purpose was exploiting women for cash.

I refused the comparison.

Anyway, the guy seemed to be targeting Hiyori for exactly that kind of hon'ei.

Or maybe he genuinely wanted to make her his own, given she was far more beautiful than the average girl.

Of course, I didn't think for a second that Hiyori would actually fall for a guy like that, but just seeing her mixed up with a host put me in a foul mood.

Furrowing my brows, I walked over to where the two of them were still arguing.

"You have company? Then I'll buy something for your company, too. Do you like cheesecake?"

"Oh, come on...! I said no, so get lost— Huh?"

She had been visibly disgusted, but her eyes went wide when she saw me approaching.

As if trying to confirm I was really there, she blinked her long eyelashes a couple of times before her face lit up.

"Matsuken!"

It was ridiculous how she had shortened Matsumatsuken into that nickname.

And now she wasn't even bothering with the sunbae-nim title anymore.

She was probably just glad to see me, and she was likely acting this familiar to show the host how close we were, so I decided to let it slide.

"What are you doing here?"

I asked, looking back and forth between her and the host.

Hiyori pressed right up against my side and answered.

"I was getting targeted for a street pickup by a host. I think he wants to sell me to a brothel."

It seemed Hiyori fundamentally understood the nature of hosts, too.

But wasn't she being a little too blunt with the guy standing right in front of us?

Having someone she could rely on by her side must have given her courage.

"S-Sell you...? I really had no intention of doing that."

Flustered by Hiyori's explicit accusation, the host stammered.

Stepping between him and Hiyori, I looked slightly down at the bastard.

"Just leave."

"Yeah, get lost."

Hiyori chiming in while poking her head out from behind me almost made me laugh, but I somehow managed to hold it in.

The guy was reasonably tall, but he was still shorter than me, and the difference in our builds was substantial.

Did he feel intimidated by that?

The host made a sour face like he had chewed on shit, threw up a hand in a dismissive gesture, and turned away from us.

It would have been one thing if it was a normal guy, but for a host to approach Hiyori...

I memorized the bastard's face. Once everything was over, I would ruin his life to the point where he'd beg for death.

"Haa... He was so clingy, it was exhausting."

Hiyori muttered as she watched the host quickly walk away.

I looked around the street before staring straight at her.

"There aren't even many entertainment districts around here. You must have just gotten unlucky."

"I know, right? I guess I'm just unlucky today. No, wait... am I lucky?"

Hiyori said that and stared up at me.

She seemed to think her luck was actually good, since I had shown up exactly when she was in a tough spot.

Taking in her grateful gaze and then scanning her outfit, I sucked in a sharp breath. "Tsk..."

"When did you change clothes?"

"I kept some casual clothes in my locker."

"Why is your skirt so short? Dress a little more modestly. Those guys think you're an easy target and approach you because you dress so lightly."

"Ah, why are you nagging me...! Right after I just went through a major ordeal, too...!"

"I'm nagging because you need to hear it. Even when you come to the cafe as a customer, you're always wearing skirts. Do you not have any pants at home?"

"I do."

"Then wear them."

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think about it, just wear them. And aren't you going to thank me?"

"I was going to, but sunbae-nim kept scolding me, so I lost the desire to."

"Then don't."

"I'm joking. Thank you for saving me."

Hiyori's words carried genuine sincerity.

Avoiding her burdensome, sparkling gaze, I spoke up.

"Earlier you were openly speaking casually, but now you're back to being strictly polite?"

"That was to give the impression that we were close so we could chase that guy away faster. You didn't even know that?"

"I knew."

"You didn't look like you knew. Sunbae-nim is so dense."

I was just pretending, you see.

You found this side of me far more refreshing than if I acted frivolous like that runaway host.

Simply put, I was targeting your preferences perfectly. If not, oh well.

"What were you planning to do out here? Meet friends again?"

"Yep."

Our Hiyori... sure had a wide network.

She wouldn't be bored. Was that why she hadn't messaged or called me?

"Why isn't Mitsushima here? You two are always stuck together."

"We live in different houses, and we agreed to meet at the gathering spot, that's why. What is sunbae-nim doing here?"

"I'm looking to buy some board games or a game console."

"Oh, really? I know where a board game shop is. Should I take you there?"

"Aren't you meeting your friends?"

"I will, but I still have plenty of time."

"Then let's go together."

"Alright. Just trust me and follow along. I won't kidnap you, so don't be nervous."

I kinda wished she would just kidnap me.

A situation where I got devoured sounded incredibly arousing.

Swallowing those words, I matched my pace with Hiyori, who was giggling mischievously, and headed for the store.

"Miniville! This one is super fun."

She pointed at a two-to-four-player management game that was similar to Monopoly.

The recommended player count was four, but it was playable with two, and it seemed like I could use this to invite Renka and Chinami over to close the gap with Miyuki.

Weren't there any games for up to five or six players?

Later on, I would need to include Hiyori and possibly even Miho, so I wanted to find something a larger group could enjoy.

"This one is about finding the werewolf, right? This is fun too, and Hanabi and Halli Galli are light enough to play..."

Hiyori chattered excitedly as she scanned the rows of board game boxes.

She was normally quite talkative, but she was even worse than usual today. It seemed her affection level had gone up quite a bit after seeing me step up dependably earlier, chase away the host, and genuinely look out for her in my own conservative way.

After I bought a few games Hiyori recommended, we left the store with her looking absolutely delighted.

"Are you heading back now?"

"No. I need to buy a portable game console, too."

"A portable console? Do you like games?"

"I don't particularly like them, but I heard something called Animal Crossing is fun, so I'm going to give it a try."

"Animal Crossing? You haven't played it yet?"

"Have you?"

"Yeah. I play it with my friends sometimes, even if it's not that often."

"Even now?"

"Yep."

Then I definitely had to buy it.

I heard you could steal things online, so every time Hiyori acted up, I would go rob the materials from her house.

Entering the store with Hiyori, I bought two consoles and two copies of the game.

And Hiyori didn't question why I was buying two of them.

She seemed to have noticed that I was planning to play with Miyuki.

It would be nice to know what she was thinking, but Hiyori's expression was so innocent that I couldn't read her at all.

Carrying large shopping bags in both hands, I left the store and asked her a question.

"Are you going now?"

"No. Not yet. I'm going to help sunbae-nim make an account before I go. You don't know how, right?"

"There's a manual."

"How long will it take if you read that? Just turn it on quickly and hand it over."

"Can't we do it in the car?"

"Then let's do that."

Chatting amiably, Hiyori and I got into the car parked in the public Parking Lot and tore off the packaging of the game console.

Hiyori created the account quite skillfully.

After making me confirm my date of birth and the authentication code, she set my account's nickname to whatever she wanted.

"All done."

Taking the console she handed me, I crumpled my face when I saw the text on the screen: [Welcome, Dummy Ken.]

"Thanks, but... what's up with this nickname?"

"I made it something that suits sunbae-nim perfectly."

"Isn't this permanent?"

"You can change it whenever you want, you know? Don't you see the 'change' button here?"

"Ah, I do."

"Were you always this laid-back? You're an idiot, an idiot."

Hmm... hearing Hiyori call me an idiot felt like a fresh experience.

"I'm probably smarter than you."

"I think you're definitely a bigger idiot than me."

"Do well on your midterms before you say that."

"Ah, why are you bringing that up again...! Do you want to be scolded?"

Scold me. Please fuck me.

"Are you confident you can scold me?"

"Nope. I'm all done now, so I'll get going. See you tomorrow."

Saying only what she wanted to say, she got out of the car.

I hurriedly rolled down the passenger window and raised my voice.

"Hey! Where are you going? Is it far?"

"It's not far, but... are you going to give me a ride?"

"Yeah."

"What... you should have said so before I got out."

"Just go by yourself."

"Ah, I don't want to...! I'll get in."

Throwing a playful little tantrum in a cute voice, Hiyori trotted back over and opened the car door.

Today's event was pretty standard, but thanks to Hiyori's personality, it seemed to fly by frantically.

It would be nice if we could be together just a little longer... Should I just brazen it out and hang out with her?

Just as I was having those thoughts, she called out, "Head out to the main road, go straight, and then turn left at the intersection!"

Listening to Hiyori's energetic directions, I let out a fake sigh and released the parking brake.

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