Chapter 2
Matsuda Kendo—and the real me—had always been bad at studying.
So I had absolutely no idea what this professor was talking about.
Looking at Miyuki, I saw her concentrating on class and skillfully writing something in her notebook.
Very much the model student. It was reassuring to see the Miyuki I knew.
As I tried to follow the professor's lecture as best I could, I felt someone's gaze and turned my head.
Tetsuya was staring at me with an astonished look.
Apparently, he found it strange that I was actually paying attention in class.
I snorted, faced forward, and whispered under my breath.
“Never seen someone study before?”
“S-sorry... But you're on the wrong page... You should be on page 32, not page 15...”
He's timid, but he still says what he wants to say.
Then again, that's how this guy always was.
Except for the part where Miyuki confessed at the end.
“Who asked you? Mind your own business?”
“Oh, okay...”
After our exchange, I noticed Miyuki stealing glances over here.
Her eyes were still hostile. It hurt.
I got needlessly irritated, tore a piece out of my textbook, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at the innocent student sitting in front of me.
I made sure Miyuki saw me do it.
Thud.
The trash bounced off the student's head.
Miyuki's eyes went wide.
She clearly looked ready to tell the professor if I didn't stop immediately, so I shrugged and lowered my eyes to my textbook.
Then, without Miyuki noticing, I poked the student in front of me.
“Sorry. It was an accident.”
The student slowly nodded as if he were used to it.
It hadn't appeared in the manga or anime, but I seemed to have bullied him quite a lot.
Ding-dong-! Ding-dong-!
Not long after, the familiar bell rang, and class ended.
I glanced at Miyuki once and was about to head home when
Rattle-!
“Ken! Ken!”
I frowned when someone called my name as the classroom door opened.
My friends were coming over.
As the saying went, birds of a feather flock together, so naturally these guys were delinquents like me.
Skipping class was an everyday occurrence for them, and they even drank and smoked without hesitation, despite both being forbidden in the Academy.
I didn't want to associate with these guys.
Not because they violated the Academy rules, but because they made lewd comments about our lovely Miyuki.
The way they looked at her with those lecherous eyes was another reason. It irritated me even more.
Only I was allowed to look at Miyuki that way.
Still, although they were people I wanted to cut ties with, keeping them at a reasonable distance wasn't so bad.
Why? Because they'd make excellent sacrifices for raising Miyuki's affection points.
But I didn't know their names. Not that I needed to.
I leaned back in my chair and sighed, then spoke when the most obnoxious-looking one among them approached.
“What?”
“We're going to Ikebukuro today, right? I've booked us a drinking party.”
“I'm not going.”
“Huh? Why not? I even made a reservation.”
Aang...? What a distinctly Japanese reaction...
Strangely, it didn't feel jarring at all.
Maybe I... fit in here perfectly?
“I'm tired, so I'm going to rest.”
“Rest? You? Are you sick?”
“Shut up. I'm not going, so go have fun among yourselves.”
“Oh...? Well, can't be helped. Hey! Hanazawa! How was your day?”
The moment our conversation ended, the guy tried to tease Miyuki.
Miyuki, who had been packing her bag, lifted her gaze and was about to say something.
Taking advantage of the opening, I
Wham-!
smacked my friend hard on the back of the head with my palm.
“Aaaagh!”
Then I spoke to my suffering friend in a bored tone.
“This bastard does this every day. Get lost already.”
“What the... Why'd you suddenly hit me?”
“Ah, fuck... Quit making so much noise and get the hell out. My ears hurt.”
“You're making a huge fuss over nothing...”
The grumbling friend soon disappeared with the rest of the riffraff.
I could probably raise Miyuki's affection points with something like this too.
But not now. Miyuki thought I was the same kind of bastard as those guys... No, an even worse one.
‘Still, people change little by little.’
Deciding to hold on to hope, I left the classroom at once.
I deliberately didn't look at Miyuki.
I felt that if I looked at her, I might have trouble tearing my eyes away.
When I got home, I turned the air conditioner up to full blast and lay down on the futon.
I was worried that I might oversleep and miss the timing of the event.
Unlike reality, it was extremely quiet here, so I fell asleep very easily despite lying on an unfamiliar futon.
Come to think of it, I'd fallen asleep very quickly even before coming here.
Normally, even if I closed my eyes, I couldn't fall asleep for hours, and I would wake up several times during the night.
‘I won't wake up back in reality, will I?’
Hoping that wouldn't happen, I pulled the blanket over myself.
**
The subway-molester trope—or, more specifically, the train-molester trope—is just as childish and clichéd as ‘Huh? That asshole from before?’
But if you resolve it, its effectiveness is incredible—you can earn a massive boost to affection in every manga, anime, and dating sim.
‘There must be a reason everyone uses it.’
And DokiAka has that classic cliché too.
When? Right now.
Clatter! Clatter!
A packed commuter train so crowded that it was difficult even to move.
I had arrived early and claimed a spot in the car Miyuki would be riding in, using my height to look around.
Tetsuya was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally. After receiving Miyuki's text begging him to help, he'd come running from three cars down.
And Miyuki... She was leaning against a train pole not far away and reading a book.
Her slightly bowed head and focused expression were so beautiful that she looked like a painting.
Though the molester standing behind her did ruin the atmosphere.
The man behind Miyuki had a vicious face that plainly said ‘I'm a criminal.’ After discreetly checking whether anyone was watching, he began to squirm.
He was trying to touch Miyuki's thigh.
‘Ugh... Fuck...’
I hadn't even touched Miyuki's thighs yet, and now I had to let a molester touch them first.
I was getting furious. Originally, I planned to wait until he put his hand under her uniform skirt, but the moment Miyuki noticed something was wrong, I would jump in.
I watched the two of them with that thought in mind, and before long, Miyuki's body flinched.
“....?”
She opened her eyes wide and looked around, then noticed the molester right behind her.
But after seeing the bastard's unconcerned expression, she wore a puzzled look and turned her eyes back to her book.
She seemed to think her body had simply bumped into someone because of the crowd.
And when the molester saw that Miyuki had noticed him yet remained still, he grew even bolder.
Through the tiny gap between the tightly packed passengers, I could see his hand moving toward Miyuki's buttocks.
His other hand was still rubbing her thigh. It looked like it would slip under her skirt any moment.
Only then did Miyuki's face flush with dismay as she realized something bad was happening to her.
Disgust and fear.
Those two emotions coexisted in Miyuki's eyes.
When I saw her fumbling inside her bag for her phone with a trembling hand, I
“Hey! You fucking bastard!!”
shouted so loudly that my voice echoed through the train car, where the only sound had been the clattering of the train.
Every eye snapped toward me, just as it had when I entered the classroom yesterday.
Miyuki, whose teeth had been chattering, spotted me too.
“M-Matsuda-kun...?”
Miyuki called out to me in a startled voice.
There was desperation mixed into that trembling voice.
The timing was perfect. The molester had flinched and withdrawn his hand.
It was lucky I stopped him before he could go any further.
I shoved my way through the crowd and approached the molester, who was standing there flustered and hesitant.
The instant I got within arm's reach, I jerked my head back and thrust it forward again.
Hard. With all the strength I had.
Crack-!
The sound of something breaking,
“Ghk!”
followed by the molester's short, agonized cry.
It was a perfect headbutt, enough to make the molester's massive body lose its balance and stagger for a moment.
I immediately bent forward and knocked him down.
Then, ignoring the murmuring crowd entirely, I punched him in the face.
Thud-! Wham!
His head snapped from side to side each time the dull impact rang out.
Several small, bloodied chunks lay beside his head.
His teeth had come out.
If we'd fought fair, I probably would've lost, so honestly, I was glad it had turned out this way.
Wham! Wham!
I kept beating the molester senseless when
“Matsuda-kun...!”
Miyuki cautiously called my name.
I deliberately pretended not to hear her and kept hitting the molester as if I were enraged.
Wham-! Wham!
As the molester's face grew more and more coated in blood, several people in the crowd pulled out their phones.
They were about to report me to the police.
Seeing that, Miyuki grabbed one of my arms with both hands while I was raising my fist and pulled it back with all her strength.
“Matsuda-kun!! You're going to kill him!! Stop!”
The feel of Miyuki's ample breasts against my arm was intoxicating.
The train happened to stop at the next station, so I stopped punching him.
Miyuki then spoke in an urgent voice.
“L-let's get out of here first... The doors are open... We have to go...”
“I haven't beaten him enough yet.”
“Matsuda-kun...! Stop and let's get out...! You're scaring everyone... Hurry...!”
“Fine, fine.”
I stood up as if reluctantly, and Miyuki grabbed my wrist and got off the train with me.
Her wrist felt wonderfully warm in my hand.
Just like her heart.
**
“What were you thinking? Why did you beat him like that?”
I sat on a bench and listened to Miyuki, frowning as if dumbfounded.
“He molested you, and that's what you have to say?”
“E-even so, beating someone who'd passed out like that is...”
Her sudden shift to a flustered attitude was adorable.
I snorted and shot back.
“He was groaning like a pig being slaughtered. What do you mean, passed out...? And if I hadn't been there, your panties would've already been pulled off, you know? You were barking at me and arguing so boldly, so why were you quiet when it came to that? Is that your thing?”
“W-what are you talking about...! That's too harsh...! I was so shocked and scared...”
“What an airhead...”
Miyuki bristled and shot back.
“Matsuda-kun, your crass way of speaking is the problem. Why do you keep getting under people's skin? Is it fun? Does it make you feel better about yourself?”
Come to think of it, this is fun.
The way she reacted to every little thing made me want to keep going.
“Shouldn't you be thanking me first? Why do you keep lecturing me?”
“I-it wasn't a lecture... Uh...?”
Miyuki's voice lowered again, but then she flinched when she saw my hand.
Seeing the blood trickling between my fingers, she continued.
“Matsuda-kun, your hand is bleeding...”
“I'm used to it.”
Keeping up the tough act wasn't easy.
“Y-you're used to it...? At least wipe it with this...”
Miyuki closed her eyes as if she'd seen something disgusting and held out a handkerchief from her bag.
It was as white as a snowflake. When I saw it, I shook my head.
“Won't it be hard to get the blood out?”
“That's not the problem right now...”
“Forget it. I can wash it in the bathroom. The train is coming, so hurry to the Academy. You'll lose points if you're late. Is that any way for the class rep to behave?”
“B-but still...”
“If it bothers you that much, pick me up a drink at the school shop later. I'm leaving. Take care.”
I waved my hand carelessly and headed for the bathroom without even looking back at Miyuki.
When I turned on the faucet and put my hand under it, it stung like hell.
I felt like letting out a shriek at the top of my lungs.
I was leaving the bathroom after carefully wiping my hand when
“Matsuda-kun. Did you finish cleaning it?”
When Miyuki called my name from right beside me, I was so startled I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I hadn't expected her to still be here.
“Ah, fuck...! You scared me!”
I swore as I recoiled in fright, drawing the attention of everyone at the station.
Miyuki noticed their looks, brought her long, slender index finger to her lips, and gestured for me to be quiet.
“Could you lower your voice a little...? You're startling people...”
I bent forward and took a few deep breaths before grumbling.
“Haa... Then don't scare me like that...”
Miyuki gazed at me silently.
Then, all of a sudden, the corners of her mouth lifted into a slight smile.
The instant I saw it, my head spun.
It was nowhere near the radiant smile she showed Tetsuya, but it was still beautiful enough to brighten the entire area around her.
She was so beautiful that I wondered how someone like that could even exist.
I barely managed to calm my pounding heart and deliberately acted gruff toward Miyuki.
“W-what...? Why are you grinning?”
“Thank you...”
“What did you say?”
“T-thank you... For saving me...”
I felt glad that I'd saved her.
No, I felt glad that I'd been born.
I awkwardly scratched the side of my head and spoke.
“Forget it. I didn't do it for your thanks.”
“You said earlier that I should thank you.”
“I didn't think you'd actually do it.”
“What do you take me for? I know how to be grateful, you know? Unlike someone else...”
“Is that someone else supposed to be me?”
Miyuki didn't answer and changed the subject.
“And I think you should cut down on the swearing, Matsuda-kun.”
“First you complained about the way I talk, and now you're nagging me... Stop lecturing me and just go.”
“Aren't you coming, Matsuda-kun?”
“To a PC... I mean, I'll go somewhere like a net café and kill some time.”
“Why are you planning to skip class when you're even wearing your uniform?”
“The uniform is exactly why I feel like skipping. Once you get a taste for it, you can't quit.”
“I don't understand...”
Even the way she tilted her head was so beautiful... I wanted to pounce on her right then and there.
“I wasn't asking you to understand.”
“Don't be like that. Come on. You need to put medicine on it and bandage it. If you leave the wound alone, it'll get worse. I'll tell the professor, so go straight to the nurse's office when you arrive. You can rest there for first period.”
She must have genuinely been grateful, judging by how far she was going for me.
I really did earn a massive affection boost.
“What's gotten into you? You're actually encouraging me to skip class...”
“It's treatment and rest. But come in starting from second period.”
“Are you my mom?”
Miyuki looked fed up as she watched me continue being difficult.
She let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Haa... Fine. Skip class or do whatever you want, but go to the nurse's office first.”
“What if I don't want to?”
“Then do whatever you want...!”
She raised her voice slightly, then turned away.
I snickered and moved right beside Miyuki.
“By the way, Hanazawa.”
“What...! Why?”
“Did you know you got blood on yourself too?”
“Me too...? Where?”
“It's right there.”
I extended my index finger and pointed near her chest, making Miyuki's gaze drop.
The instant she saw the blood on the front of her uniform, her face turned bright red.
She hurriedly covered the front of her uniform with her bag and narrowed her eyes at me.
“A-aren't you a pervert...?”
“I was telling you purely out of goodwill, so why are you getting so worked up? Aren't you the pervert?”
“You could've just let it go...”
“If I hadn't told you, you'd have gone to school with blood on your uniform. You're good at studying, but when it comes to this sort of thing... you're kind of an idiot.”
“I-I don't want to hear that from you...”
I was only telling the truth.
I grinned and waited for the next train with Miyuki while bickering with her.
Today's event was a huge success. I was very pleased.
My hand hurt, though.