Chapter 26
Man, its been so long since I last came to this place.
I know, right? And its totally packed in here, too.
There are tons of hot girls around. Wonder which of em I should bang with tnight.
As hed originally planned, Ryuichi was visiting the club where men and women partied together for the first time in a while. Even though he had been away for quite some time, the atmosphere was just as noisy and boisterous as he remembered.
He couldnt see other students like himself and his friends, but he was sure there were probably a few lurking around.
Yoohoo, Ryuichi~.
Chisa?
He came across another regular visitor of the club, Chisa. She naturally grabbed his hand and invited him to sit down. Makoto and Kaname walked into the crowd to look for girls of their own.
What a surprise to see you here. I didnt expect you to come here afterthat.
What a surprise to see you here. I didnt expect you to come here after
that
.
Had some time on my hands, yknow? Well, Im not gonna hang around for too long; gonna be heading home before it gets too late.
Yep, yep, good idea. Youll be putting Shizuna-chan at ease that way.
He was about to tell her that he didnt have that kind of relationship with Shizuna, but he ended up not saying anything because he knew Chisa would pick on him a lot for it.
Right in the corner of his vision, he spotted a flamboyant-looking couple deep-kissing each other and exchanging words as they gazed at each other.
Say, you sure you wanna do this when you have a boyfriend?
Its fine. Ive forgotten all about him since coming here.
Haha, if thats what you say. I guess that means Ill be your temporary boyfriend for now.
Sounds good to me~.
Ryuichi didnt know about the man, but apparently the woman had come here even though she had a boyfriend. Of course, there were some people who came to this party just to fill their stomachs, but the majority of visitors were men and women here to do things like this.
The atmosphere heres the same as always, huh.
A bit too late for that now, dont you think? Here, some soda.
Thanks.
Of course, it went without saying that he wouldnt drink alcohol. As he was quenching his thirst with the glass of soda, he caught sight of a curious scene at a seat a short distance away from them.
Look at that.
Whats the matter?
She turned her eyes to where he was looking as well. There, two people were sitting on a sofa, a man and a woman; however, something seemed to be wrong with the woman. Unlike the man who was proactively making moves on her, the woman seemed to be feeling uncomfortable about being here.
Do you think she was forced to come here by a friend?
Ah~, yeah, that definitely sounds possible. She looks like a meek, docile girl, so Id say she probably couldnt turn them down.
Her hair was long enough to cover her eyes, but when she abruptly looked up in fear, he could see that she was good-looking, with a face that was well-defined. Plus, she had a conspicuously well-shaped figure attractive enough to make a man set their sights on her.
The way she was trembling timidly reminded him of a small animal, butseeing her thrown into a place like this made her look all but pitiful.
Im gonna bring her here. You help calm her down.
Roger that~.
If this were the old Ryuichi, he wouldve never thought to help her like this. Just like when he saved Shizuna, Ryuichi got up and moved to help her. As he approached them, the man looked up at Ryuichi and trembled in fear.
It wasnt so bad once one got used to it, but it seemed that anyone would be scared of Ryuichis glaring face.
Looks like the girl doesnt want your company, eh?
T-The fuck you say?!
Do you seriously not see that? If you dont, youre not qualified to hit on women. You need to learn a little more before you come here.
Tch You fucking brat.
Okey-dokey~!
Just as the man stood up, he couldve sworn he heard Kanames voice as a drink rained down on the mans head. Using this opportunity, Ryuichi took the womans hand and stood her up. He thanked Kaname with his eyes and then went straight back to Chisa, pulling the woman along with him by her hand.
Nice one.
U-Umm
The woman seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with the sudden turn of events. He decided to leave the rest to Chisa and slurped down the rest of his soda. Meanwhile, he learnt that the woman was a first-year college student named Shirasagi Satsuki.
Just as hed suspected, shed been forced to come here by her flamboyant friend.
I know it might be hard for you to speak up, but you have to firmly say no whenever you dont want or like something. Otherwise, that man would have forced you into having sex with him, yknow?
Iknow. I was so scared I couldnt say anything Im sorry. You really saved me back there.
Satsuki bowed her head.
A docile-looking woman like you makes an easy target for men. Youre quite the looker, and your bodys got curves, so if youre not careful, youll get devoured one of these days, got it?
Ermokay.
Unlike when she was talking to Chisa, her body trembled at Ryuichis words. He wondered to himself if she was that scared of the thought, but Chisa, standing next to him, was clutching her stomach and laughing.
Shes scared of yourface,duh. Shed never guess youre in high school with looks like that.
Shes scared of your
face
,duh. Shed never guess youre in high school with looks like that.
Huh?! Hes a high school student?!
Yup. Hes a bad, naughty boy!
Oh, shut up!
Even he was aware that he was a bad and unruly kid. However, it seemed that once Satsuki heard that he was a high school student, she became a little less scared of him, and her nervousness dissipated.
He didnt know what she was thinking as she stared at him, but it made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Ermdont you get bullied at school with those looks of yours?
Youaresorude, arent you?
Youare
so
rude, arent you?
I-Im sorry
Think of it this way instead:whowould be brave enough to bully him with looks like those?
Think of it this way instead:
who
would be brave enough to bully him with looks like those?
Even Chisa was casually dissing him. Just as he was about to ask for a refill for his now empty glass of soda, Chisa excused herself to go to the restroom. This left him alone with Satsuki, but he didnt have anything to talk about with her.
Wow.
Satsuki gazed at the aforementioned couple still deep-kissing each other so intensely that they looked as if they were about to start doing the deed any moment beside her, and she put her hand on her cheek and gazed at them shyly.
Her reaction showed that she was surprisingly more interested in those things than he had expected, but well, it seemed that was how it was for everyone.
Wheres your friend?
Oherr, they went to the back of the club.
I see.
Looks like her friend was already getting on with it. He wanted to tell her to consider socializing with others, but it would probably be difficult for her to connect with the people here.
Her timidness and frailty of heart meant that she might get pushed around by others and even become a target of sorts.
Well, if you dont want to go through something like that ever again, you have to have the courage to sayno
Well, if you dont want to go through something like that ever again, you have to have the courage to say
no
when you dont want to do something. There wont always be somebody to save you like I did today. The moment you step through those doors, youre basically telling everybody that youre here to do
those
things. Im telling you, no matter what the details or particulars are, it doesnt change the fact that youre an outlier here.
She drooped her head low. He wondered if hed maybe been too harsh on her, but he decided that it was necessary for her own good. He then pressed a can of ice-cold juice against her cheek.
Kyah?!
Heh, go ahead and drink it.
He handed the can over to her surprised self. Amazed, she took the can of juice and stared back at him with a slight flush on her cheeks.
Youre kindarent you, Ryuichi-kun.
Hell no. Hanging out at places like these makes me a bad boy.
Fufu, right.
Clink.She popped open the cans lid.
Clink.
She popped open the cans lid.
Ah, this tastes wonderful. It tastes better than any drink Ive ever had.
No shot. But yeah, that orange juice definitely does pack a punch.
By now, both of them had become reasonably comfortable with each other. Chisas return meant that the three of them could now kill some time together, and thanks to Ryuichi and Chisa, Satsuki was getting used to the clubs atmosphere.
I think Im getting used to this place a little more nowand its all thanks to the two of you.
Dont mention it. But if you dont want to go through something like that anymore, then dont come back ever again.
Thats
She glanced at Ryuichi.
If I come back, will I be able to see you, Ryuichi-kun?
Me?
Oh my~.
Putting aside for the moment Chisas irritating smile, seemingly out of pure amusement at the situation, Ryuichi explained to her that he had only come today because he was in the mood for it.
He used to come by often before, but now, although he didnt find it too much trouble, he was no longer that keen on coming to this club.
Why dont you bring Shizuna along with you too next time?
Are you being serious?
Chisa chuckled and told him it was a joke.
Well, I come by your house pretty often, so it might be nice to get together for drinks at your place sometime.
Dont just decide that on your own
In the end, Ryuichi left the club shortly thereafter. Satsuki was in safe hands since Chisa was walking her home. He didnt feel the need to call out to Makoto and Kaname to say goodbye, as they seemed to be with their partners with whom they had spent the day.
?
Soon after he left the club, his smartphone vibrated. When he looked to see who it was, he found that it was a message from his paternal grandparent, i.e., his grandfather. The message said that he had transferred all the money for his living expenses next month.
As usual, they didnt even want to hear his voice, which made him laugh.
Aight, time to head home.
Hed had a good time today, having reminisced on old times for a bit before the long holiday weekend began.
On his way home, he received a call from Shizuna, who amiably asked him how his club visit had gone, and when he asked if she was really that curious, she immediately said yes without hiding anything.
Of course I want to knowor do you not want to answer?
Nah, thats not what I meant. Anyways, Im actually on my way home right now.
It wasnt like she was waiting for him at his home, yet they were conversing as if they were lovers. The call ended shortly after, but suddenly Ryuichi stopped in his tracks.
Satsuki, huh Is it just me, or does her name sound familiar?
He felt like hed heard it somewhere before, but he couldnt remember where or when exactly, so he decided not to worry about it too much.
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