Chapter 93: The “Evil God’s” Trap

…

“Hey!”

Damn it! Himekoji was so startled he almost dropped his phone. He frantically covered the receiver and roared at that crazy woman in a hushed voice,

“What are you doing?! Cut it out already, will you?!”

Seeing she had achieved the desired effect, Kasumigaoka Utaha finally stopped, though still seeming slightly reluctant. Her elbow lazily propped up on the desk, she looked at Himekoji Akito with a mocking and amused expression.

It made Himekoji furious!

Damn it, Kasumigaoka!

This woman was poisonous!

…

“H-Himekoji! You… what exactly are you doing with that woman?!”

The receiver carried the sound of a thousand-decibel voice plus a bunch of other terrifying background noises. It seemed… well, maybe there really was an earthquake happening near Eriri?

“N-nothing! I didn’t do anything with that woman! No, wait, what ‘that woman’?! It’s just me here! I-I-I mean… I actually lied to you earlier. I wasn’t writing… I was watching a video…”

Fortunately, Himekoji was quick-witted. He seized on an idea and immediately blurted out an excuse that seemed just barely plausible.

To make this lie more believable, Himekoji pulled out all the stops.

【”Voice Mimicry” equipped!】

“Sexy lady dealers, live stream, let’s party! Give you an exciting experience like never before…”

Himekoji was going all out on this!

However, only he knew the frustration and sheer humiliation bubbling inside him—

Damn it! He never dreamed that the first time he used the “Voice Mimicry” skill, it would be to imitate the voice from one of those… shameful videos…

What the Fu♂ck?!

…

“You… you’re gambling online?!”

Yet, totally unexpectedly, after stewing for so long, the question Eriri managed to blurt out on the other end of the line was one of such stunning naivety.

“Gambling your head off!”

Damn it! He’d finally overcome his pride and shame to pull off that imitation, and now he learns that Eriri didn’t even get it?! What was the point of all that effort?!

Suddenly, Himekoji felt like crying.

“Are… are you at Kasumigaoka’s place? Huff… huff…”

For some reason, Eriri’s voice sounded breathless and fragmented over the receiver.

But Himekoji, completely focused on rushing to smooth things over and get out of this, totally missed that detail.

“N-n-no… Didn’t I say? I’m at my own place…”

“Your house is completely empty!”

The girl on the other end of the line cut him off decisively.

Huh? How does she know no one’s home? And she sounds so sure…

His heart skipped an uneasy beat as Himekoji suddenly remembered something. Oh no! He’d forgotten something crucial!

Eriri’s house was right next door to where he lived. If she pedaled her bike like crazy, it would only take two or three minutes…

No way! Since when did Eriri become such an efficient go-getter?

When it came to drawing her doujinshi, she usually dawdled right up to the deadline!

…

“Himekoji… you’re the worst! I hate you! I really, really, really hate you the most!”

“You… you just wait!”

Himekoji wasn’t sure how to describe the voice he heard – gritted teeth, hard stubbornness, or the sound of tears struggling to be held back.

…

Eriri hung up the phone.

Ddddd…

The busy tone filled the receiver. Himekoji froze for a second.

An image of Eriri instantly filled his mind: eyes rimmed with red, teeth gritting down on her lower lip. For some reason, it was crystal clear.

A year ago, she’d stood before him looking exactly like that, chin stubbornly held high.

She said she hated perverts. She hated Himekoji Akito.

She also said she wouldn’t be friends with him anymore. He shouldn’t come near her. He couldn’t speak to her again.

…

Some people you keep hidden in your heart. Some names you just blurt out.

Some people grow up with you… then end up going their own separate ways.

…

Himekoji was silent for a long moment before he seemed to find his voice again.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Himekoji looked silently at Kasumigaoka. His throat felt blocked, but his voice, when it finally came out, was steady.

“Me?”

Kasumigaoka shook her head,

“How could it be me?”

【Exclusive Skill Equipped! “Evil God”!】

【Skill Effect: Mental Shatter! Effectiveness doubled when used against Himekoji!】

…

The smile slowly faded from the girl’s face. Kasumigaoka Utaha pierced Himekoji with a sharp, icy stare instead.

“How could it be me? Shouldn’t it rather be—”

“Are you satisfied now, Himekoji? Are you satisfied? Our lonely Hero, burdened with a twisted fate and secrets he can never speak, misunderstood by others, and himself refusing comprehension, believing he’s best off alone… this arrogant warrior? Hey, I’m asking you, Himekoji Akito… are you satisfied?”

Of course, this long speech wasn’t praise. Kasumigaoka Utaha delivered it with the most biting sarcasm possible.

“Isn’t this exactly what you’ve always wanted to do? What you’ve always tried to do? The principle you stubbornly cling to? Since you don’t want to be entangled with anyone, shouldn’t you just sever those ties? Cleanly? Completely? Like this?”

“It’s you who hurt Sawamura. It’s you who pushed Sawamura away. It’s you who chose to go your separate ways. Always… every single time… it’s you.”

It’s you!

Himekoji felt like something inside his chest had just been hollowed out, leaving nothing but raw, aching pain.

…

Not getting close to anyone, not hurting anyone… that was downright impossible. Deep down, Himekoji had always known.

Settling for the status quo. Deceiving himself. That’s all he had ever really been doing.

But right now, that flimsy facade of self-righteousness was ripped apart before his eyes, utterly shredded.

Himekoji staggered backward, then slumped onto the floor with a thud.

“What… what was I supposed to do?”

For the first time, Himekoji laid bare his helplessness and weakness before another person.

For no apparent reason, like armor finally breached.

【Critical hit!】

Without answering, the girl simply crouched beside Himekoji and gently pulled him into an embrace.

“You did well.”

“Well?”

Himekoji was confused. Wasn’t she the one who had just condemned everything he did?

“Yes, you did well,” Kasumigaoka repeated softly, her chin resting gently on top of Himekoji’s head.

…

People… they can hold on for so long.

They can clench their teeth tight, battling their emotions.

But in the end, sometimes all it takes is one soft “You did well” to shatter every defense and unleash a flood of tears.

Of course, Himekoji wouldn’t cry here.

Sinking into a girl’s embrace, allowing himself this brief moment of softness… this level of weakness was already his limit. It felt unlike himself.

His usual self wasn’t this frail.

【Skill Effect Continues—】

“Just keep doing it,” Kasumigaoka gave an answer Himekoji never saw coming.

“Why be a Pervert? What is all that Option garbage in your head… if those are your secrets, then fine—”

“You guard your secrets. As for you…” she paused.

“Let me guard you.”

Kasumigaoka’s voice. Kasumigaoka’s embrace. Kasumigaoka’s smile. They were like sugar without sweetness. Like a knife that didn’t wound.

Like sulfuric acid dissolving defenses, painless, itch-less, leaving no trace.

…

“Is this,” Himekoji mumbled, his face buried entirely in the soft warmth of the girl’s embrace,

“…also the Evil God’s trap?”

…

Hush. Subtle. A bit awkward. Definitely strange.

But also oddly… warm.

This fragile atmosphere was obliterated by a sudden barrage of blows hammering against the door.

“Kasumigaoka! Open the door! I know you’re in there!”

“Open up! Do it now!”

“If you have the guts to steal a man, why don’t you have the guts to open this door?!”