Translator: Haruto.

Yuito: Sorry! I’ll be a bit busy today, so…

“Hm, so Yuito’s got plans already, huh…”

The day after my talk with Hibari, I went out downtown by myself.

I just received a text from Yuito saying he can’t come either, so I’ll really have to go buy my swim shorts alone.

“Since I’m going to be alone anyway, maybe I should buy them online… Nah, what if they don’t fit? I want to try them on before buying.”

I decide to visit a mall with a wide range of stores, so I go to a bus stop and wait for the one that’s supposed to take me there. It seems it’ll be arriving in about eight minutes. That’s perfect.

I then let my eyes wander to the other side of the road… where I see a group of people standing in front of a café and right in the middle of the walkway…

“Isn’t that… Mahiro…?

Among them, I spot a girl with black hair styled into a wolfcut, blue eyes, long, slender legs, and a beautiful face. Perfect for the hot season, she’s wearing a light set of clothes: an oversized jacket coupled with shorts, which greatly accentuate her long legs. Despite being such a trendy outfit, it gives her a more mature kind of beauty, but to be honest, Mahiro always has that kind of beauty no matter what she’s wearing.

More importantly, though, she’s being surrounded by a group of guys who I can only assume are hitting on her…

This sure brings back memories.

I told you I’m waiting for someone. If you keep this up, I’ll have to kick you in the jewels, okay?

That’s what Hibari told some dude right before kicking him where it hurts the most.

This time, however, there are three guys. They might be a little too much to handle for even someone like Mahiro who’s so used to turning people down.

“Perhaps she doesn’t need my help, but hey, you never know…”

Besides, I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what’s happening.

I get out of the line at the bus stop, cross the road, and step onto the other sidewalk.  

I’ll wait here, ensure she’s okay, and jump in if things get dicey. Thankfully, now that I’m so close to them, I can hear what they’re saying loud and clear.

“Like I already told you, I’m not going to hang out with you,” Mahiro tells the group of boys.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so mean.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re waiting for someone anyway.”

It’s not okay to judge someone completely by their appearance, I know that, but these dudes really look like your average college playboys, what with their dyed hair, their ear piercings, and their tacky outfits. The stuff they’re saying also sounds like something taken out of the page of a manga or a light novel.

With that being said, I can’t exactly blame them for wanting to talk to her since Mahiro is such an attractive girl. You wouldn’t want her as an enemy, though.

I keep watching over them, until—

“Huh? The hell are you looking at?!”

“What’d you say to me?”

The three dudes begin glaring at me as soon as they notice my presence, and so I glare back at them pretty much without thinking.

…Hmm, it seems I’m about to get punched. 3 vs.1, huh… Well, I’ll just take one down and the other two will probably run away.

I crack my knuckles and step towards them to get the party started.

“…Dude…”

“…Yeah, I know…”

“…Gulp…”

They’re whispering to each other for some reason. A strategy meeting, maybe? Oh, who cares. Just punch me already, you little playboys. You’re about to experience Hibari’s secret skill—

“Excuse me, good sir… is she with you?”

“Yeah, she is.”

What’s with the sudden politeness?

Aaah, do they think she’s my girlfriend? I guess I should tell them she’s just my class—

“P-Please forgive our rudeness!!!” The trio yells in unison.

“…What?”

Shaking uncontrollably, the three dudes run off somewhere without another word.

Umm… Weren’t we going to fight…?

Mahiro walks over to me while I’m still dumbfounded.

“Thank you, Kasashima-kun. They finally left me alone because of you.”

“No, I… didn’t do anything, really…”

I seriously just stood there.

“That’s not true. You scared them off with the way you started cracking your knuckles and that intimidating look in your eyes.”

“Ah, right. I’d forgotten I have a menacing face.”

For some reason, it slipped my mind that my face could be used as a formidable weapon. Hibari and Yuito are probably the only ones immune to it.

“Man, it must be hard to be you, Mahiro-san. I couldn’t deal with all the admirers you have. I bet you get hit on every day, don’t you?”

“It does happen often.”

That’s the school’s “Prince” for ya. She has her pick of suitors wherever she goes.  

“I was waiting for Yuito to text me back after I invited him to hang out today when those guys showed up… I just got Yuito’s reply, though. It seems he’s busy and can’t come,” Mahiro says.  

“What a coincidence. I also invited him out today and he said the exact same thing to me.”

“We’re in the same lonely boat, then.”

“Well, you can just invite your sister out, Mahiro-san.”

“Rina doesn’t actually like to go out that much. She’s probably lazing around the house as we speak.”

“Huh.”

When I visited their home, I saw Rina wearing what seemed to be her favorite oversized hoodie. I can certainly picture her lazing around the place in that thing.

“Hehe, you and my sister have been getting pretty close these days, haven’t you, Kasashima-kun?”

“You think? I’m honestly not sure.”

I mean, it’s kind of hard to get a read on Rina. She also doesn’t mince her words with me, but if you compare it to being sat on and abused until I run out of strength, well, I do prefer the relationship we have right now.

“Kasashima-kun, what are your plans for today?”

“Hm? I was planning to go to the mall and buy some swim shorts…”

Why is she asking me that?

“I see. Could I go with you? I was also thinking of visiting the mall.”

“A-Alright…”

“You really don’t mind?”  

“Not at all…”

“Thank you.”

I bet she just means we’ll be riding the same bus to the mall. After that, we’ll go our separate ways.

“Let’s go then!”

“S-Sure…”

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