Chapter 94: Then, I Will Love Him Properly

……

“Er… Eriri?”

Himekoji suddenly lifted his head from Kasumigaoka’s embrace.

【Skill has expired.】

Still, it failed.

……

“Wh… what should I do… huh?”

He almost asked Kasumigaoka on instinct, but halfway through, Himekoji abruptly felt something strange.

Since when had he started wanting to rely on others?

He should do things alone. Handle everything alone. Without involving anyone. Wasn’t that his rule to live by?

He shook his head hard, trying to throw off that strange feeling.

Himekoji subtly pulled away from Kasumigaoka and stood up.

“What, in a hurry to go out and explain things to your childhood sweetheart?”

Kasumigaoka looked up at Himekoji, a faint, quiet smile on her face.

So—

In the end, only the “Evil God” herself fell into the trap meant for the Evil God.

Kasumigaoka smiled. Her smile looked like it might fall off, with nowhere to settle.

……

Hearing Kasumigaoka’s words, Himekoji’s footsteps paused suddenly.

A thought suddenly struck him—

Maybe… maybe letting Eriri keep misunderstanding would lead to a better outcome?

Kasumigaoka was right. Ending it all quickly, cleanly, and painlessly was the best way.

Himekoji hesitated.

“Afraid you won’t be able to explain properly?”

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed abruptly, shaking her head.

“Forget it. I’ll go out and apologize to her.”

Facing a Pervert whose defenses were solid like a castle and watertight, even the Evil God lost the will to keep attacking.

Since every possible trick had been used, it was better to stop here.

Otherwise, holding on until the end… the way she lost would look pathetic.

“W-wait!”

Himekoji suddenly grabbed Kasumigaoka’s hand.

“Eriri… Eriri… she’ll probably leave in a little while, right?”

Yes. This was the most correct answer. Not gentle at all. Downright cruel.

To Eriri. And to himself.

Himekoji made up his mind.

……

“You—”

Kasumigaoka turned her head and gave Himekoji a deep look. Then, suddenly seeming unable to bear it, she shifted her gaze away.

“You’re really… even more stubborn than I imagined.”

She paused. Her next words came out very softly.

“So… it turns out this annoying way you are happens to everyone.”

Himekoji opened his mouth, but found no words to say.

……

Outside the door, banging sounds echoed loudly.

Eriri’s voice didn’t stop for a second—

“Open up! Open the door!”

“Don’t hide inside silent! I know you’re home!”

“If you dare steal a man, you dare open this door!”

Her hands hurt from pounding? She used her feet. Kicked. Used both hands and feet. Added slamming the doorbell.

Eriri used every trick she knew.

……

“You’re really just going to leave her like that?”

Though she was the one who caused the trouble, Kasumigaoka was already feeling some regret.

“Yeah.”

Himekoji sounded listless.

He stayed silent for a moment, then turned and asked the girl.

“When did you start knowing? About… me.”

“Hmm, started guessing about three months ago. Knew for sure today.”

Kasumigaoka tapped her own head.

True. Unless you’d experienced it yourself, no one would believe such a weird thing existed in this world.

“If you knew ages ago, why did you still keep messing with me?”

Himekoji’s eyes widened.

Doing it on purpose?

“It was fun.”

Kasumigaoka smiled.

While they talked, the noises from outside the door came through now and then. Himekoji kept looking restless.

Every urge to tear his hair out, to jump up in frustration — and every time he gritted his teeth and sat back down.

“Hey… get the building manager to chase her away…”

Himekoji hunched over, head hanging low.

“W-would… would that be okay?”

Kasumigaoka hesitated.

“Do it. We can’t let her keep banging out front. She came on her bike. Later will be risky on the road.”

It was already past 10 p.m.

“Didn’t you say before that she’d go back after making a fuss for a while at the door?”

“I didn’t know she’d be that stubborn!”

Himekoji suddenly got really frustrated.

“No, you knew.”

Kasumigaoka spoke with certainty.

Right away, she skipped the topic. The girl pulled out her phone and called the property manager.

…

About ten minutes later, the noise at the door stopped.

Himekoji’s nervous worry eased up a little too.

“Do you plan to go on like this forever?”

Kasumigaoka glanced at him and suddenly asked, vaguely hinting at something.

“What do you mean?”

Himekoji frowned and spoke.

“Me… I sometimes wish I could have love too, true love, even just once.”

Kasumigaoka didn’t answer him straight. Instead, she said some confusing words.

“True love?”

It was strange that Evil God-sama would hope for something like that. Really surprising.

“What is true love?”

Himekoji asked her.

“For example, if I tell you I want to eat strawberry cake, you drop everything right away and run to get it. Then you puff and pant as you hand it to me. After that, I say ‘I don’t want it anymore.’ So without a word, you throw the cake out the window. That’s what I call true love.”

“I don’t think that has anything to do with true love at all.”

Himekoji shook his head. He suddenly recalled how demanding Kasumigaoka was back in Wagou City when she made him buy bread.

“Yes, it does! I want the person to say ‘Sorry, it’s my fault. I’m such a silly donkey. I’ll go get something else. What do you want? Chocolate mousse or cheesecake?'”

Himekoji paused for a moment. “And then?”

“Then I’ll love him properly.”

…

Himekoji stayed quiet.

The kind of love Kasumigaoka wanted seemed pretty simple.

But why was she saying all this to him?

“If, someday, that weird thing in your head goes away, would you buy cake for me like that?”

“If… Life doesn’t have any ‘ifs.’ So this kind of guess is pointless.”

“Yes, it does mean something! What if it came true?”

The choice you’d make in that guess is the biggest meaning!

“Buy the whole cake shop.”

After all, it was just an if.

Himekoji looked up at the ceiling and thought.

“What if it was Sawamura?”

“Huh?”

“What if it was Sawamura?”

Kasumigaoka pressed him again.

“How can there be so many ifs!”

Himekoji stood up fast and angrily.

“I’m going! Remember to send the outline you’ve written to Sonoko-nee.”

“Hmm.”

Kasumigaoka got up to walk him out.

Just as they got to the door, Kasumigaoka’s Perverse Choice System triggered for the last time—

【Choose!】

【A: Hug Himekoji, keep him.】

【B: Kiss Himekoji, keep him.】

【Penalty for failure: The outline you wrote vanishes, and after the trial period, the Perverse Choice System might come back a little.】

…

“Take care.”

Kasumigaoka smiled and waved to Himekoji.

…

The moment Himekoji turned away, the girl’s smile froze up.

【Choose!】

Kasumigaoka’s head hurt badly.

【System failure!】