Chapter 257: I Won’t Be Fooled by You Again
Chapter 257: I Won’t Be Fooled by You Again
The aftermath of the blast left Himekoji blinded momentarily.
No, not just momentarily; he was still blind right now!
Even though it was broad daylight, Himekoji hung on an outcropping of rock outside the cliff, eyes open, seeing nothing but darkness.
“Whoa, did that bomb just blind me?”
Panic shot through Himekoji, and he frantically called out to his System.
Ding!
Vision restoring…
Estimated time required—
Three days.
“Whew—”
Hearing this answer finally let him relax; he breathed a sigh of relief.
Just three days? That was fine.
Forget that, he needed to focus on his immediate problem—
Exhausted, his arms were almost numb.
Meaning, he was about to lose his grip on the rock wall! He’d fall into the sea and become fish food!
He hadn’t expected just how much energy “Sixfold Clothing Explosion” demanded. After only two minutes, Himekoji had been forced to cancel the state, his body couldn’t handle it.
Now, suffering from the side effects, he had barely any strength left anywhere.
Oh, and thank goodness that time he played soccer, he’d only used “Normal Clothing Explosion”— otherwise…
Well, he probably couldn’t have looked cool for two minutes…
…
Yukinoshita stood bewildered at the cliff’s edge.
All she saw ahead was a straight tire mark. No sign of anyone, dead or alive.
“Liar.”
“Such a liar.”
“I’ll never believe you again…”
She spoke, her voice snatched away by the wind, scattering and fading.
She stood there numbly, motionless, like a stone statue gazing out from the cliff for over a thousand years waiting for its husband.
The usually decisive girl didn’t know what to do anymore at this moment.
No, actually…
There was nothing left to do.
The outcome was set the moment she jumped from the car.
…
“Hey! Anyone! Get me up!”
“Hey! Hey, hey, hey! I’m slipping! Help! Help!”
Himekoji screamed until his throat felt raw.
But the wind by the cliff was too fierce; his words were torn apart as soon as they left his mouth.
“Stupid System, help out already!”
Ding!
Speaker activated!
That’s more like it!
Himekoji took a deep breath, centered himself, and yelled again!
“HEEEELP—!”
The speaker’s volume boost made an instant difference.
Not just the cliff edge, even the rescuers dozens of meters away on the rescue vehicle heard him perfectly clearly.
…
“What?!”
“My God!”
The high school hostage?
He was alive!
The rescuers were overjoyed.
“He’s alive! Get him up now!”
The previous gloom vanished as everyone sprang into action. Some rushed toward the cliff to see, others ran to fetch ropes and rescue gear.
He was alive—the hostage, the high schooler, the Hero!
This was wonderful!
…
Hearing that familiar voice, Yukinoshita’s body jerked.
Stumbling forward in disbelief, she leaned over, peering down the cliff face.
She saw Himekoji dangling from an outcropping rock below the cliff, lifting his head to shout for help… completely naked.
He was okay!
The feelings that surged in that instant were indescribable.
Relief, an overwhelming sense of luck, like surviving against all odds.
All her strength seemed to drain away in that second. Yukinoshita’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto the ground. Tears she couldn’t control welled up and spilled over—tears of pure joy.
Of course, it only lasted a brief moment. The next instant, she was wiping her eyes fiercely with her sleeve.
Scrambling back up, the girl leaned over the cliff edge. She stretched out her arm, trying to reach Himekoji.
“Grab me! Grab my hand!”
Yukinoshita yelled down to Himekoji.
Yukinoshita?
Himekoji recognized the voice.
He strained to lift his head and look up. He squeezed his eyes wide open, but could see nothing.
Where was he supposed to reach if he stretched out his hand?
Himekoji didn’t know.
Luckily, the rescuers arrived just in time, solving the problem for him.
A rope was dropped right beside Himekoji’s hand. All he had to do was open his palm and grab it, even in the pitch darkness.
“Hold on tight!”
“My hands are losing feeling…”
“Keep holding on! Just a little bit longer!”
“Mmm!”
Himekoji, even his hands going numb, used his teeth in the end, biting down hard on the rescue rope.
With one final heave from everyone, the rescue team finally managed to pull Himeki successfully onto solid ground.
Good End!
“Hooray!”
The excited rescue team members cheered loudly.
“Whew—”
Saved.
Himekoji lay spread-eagled on his back on the ground, completely naked.
Only now did the full feeling of terror wash over him.
That was so close. If things had gone just a little wrong, he might really have died.
Damn it, why did he have to play the Hero…
He wasn’t Hero material at all.
…
Yukinoshita took a blanket from one of the rescuers and draped it over Himekoji.
Normally, seeing Himekoji completely naked, she definitely would have scolded him as a Pervert. But in these current circumstances, that clearly wasn’t the point.
Had his clothes been completely blown off when the bomb exploded?
They must have been blown clean away…
Not a single scrap of fabric left. Completely bare.
“Himekoji, you told me to call you, yet you turned your own phone off? Explain that, please?”
Yukinoshita couldn’t let go of how Himekoji had deceived her.
Since Himekoji was alright, now was the perfect time to settle that score.
Daring to trick her?
Hmph!
“Ah… haha, the battery died. Just an accident, really!”
Himekoji forced out a couple of dry laughs.
“Hmm? Where are you looking when you talk? Why can’t you look at me?”
“Why should I look at you… You’re not exactly pretty.”
“Himekoji… your eyes…”
Yukinoshita gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in disbelief, as if she’d suddenly realized something.
A strange scene flashed into her mind—
She had reached down to pull Himekoji up from the cliff. But he had only tilted his head blankly, looking at the empty space beside him, completely ignoring her outstretched hand…
She had told him to grab her. He hadn’t.
“My eyes? What about them? Handsome and sparkling?”
Himekoji tried his best to smile naturally.
[Over at your nine o’clock!]
[You turned too far!]
[Left a little!]
[Wrong, too far left! Back to the right a bit!]
Guided by the System’s prompts, Himekoji desperately tried to mimic how he would have met Yukinoshita’s gaze before going blind, trying to look directly at her eyes. But he failed.
“You… you can’t see me?”
Yukinoshita’s voice trembled.
“What are you talking about? I’m looking right at you, aren’t I?”
It was only blindness for three days. Himekoji didn’t want Yukinoshita worrying unnecessarily.
Otherwise, with her earnest and troublesome personality, she’d probably blame herself entirely for him ending up like this.
“Look into my eyes when you talk to me.”
Yukinoshita frowned, staring intently at Himekoji, emphasizing each word.
“Come on! What’s so special about your eyes?”
Himekoji deliberately turned his face away to the side.
“You really are…”
Yukinoshita’s voice suddenly grew much closer.
Was it because he was blind now? Sound seemed so much more distinct.
Suddenly, arms wrapped around him.
It was Yukinoshita.
He knew because her small buns were digging in painfully against his bare chest.
No one else was that small except her.
“Yukinoshita, can I touch your chest?”
Himekoji asked like that.
Hoping she’d just call him a Pervert and shove him away.
“Be quiet, Himekoji. I just want to hold you, that’s all…”
But Yukinoshita didn’t.
The girl spoke close to his ear, her words sounding strangely familiar.
Wasn’t that exactly what he’d said, just swapping the names, back when he was trying to fool the criminals on the bus?
When he’d said those words, he hadn’t hugged her. But when Yukinoshita said them now, she hugged him.
The next moment, a cool dampness touched Himekoji’s neck.
Was it raining?
No.
Then, that meant…
Himekoji felt a twinge of gratitude for his current blindness. Because this way, he wouldn’t have to face Yukinoshita’s tears.
That Yukinoshita — so strong, so perfect, seemingly without weakness — how could she cry?
Especially over someone like him?
Yukinoshita crying over him was such a waste.
“You’re crying, Yukinoshita.”
“Perverts can play the Hero sometimes, too.”
“Yukinoshita, really, I’m fine. It’s just a shock wave from the explosion. My eyes will be fine in a few days.”
“I won’t be fooled by your lies again.”
“…Huh?”
“Liar.”
…
…