Chapter 432: That’s Why Yukinoshita Couldn’t Stop Herself from Stepping Forward…

“Huh? They’re actually a couple?”

“That’s totally unbelievable…”

“Why did she yell ‘chikan’ then if they’re a couple?”

“Don’t get it, do you? It’s just a bit of fun between them~~”

“No, wait, the girl who yelled about a pervert was a different one.”

“N-No, sorry, that was me yelling earlier… But it’s all fine now! Really sorry for disturbing everyone!”

The real victim finally came forward to clear things up.

She didn’t know or care if Himekoji was the pervert. As long as the harassment had stopped, that was enough.

It was best to avoid getting involved. That was a mindset most ordinary people had, to some extent.

“Huh? Really? But still, acting all lovey-dovey like that in public? It’s terribly indecent for a couple!”

The show they’d expected to reach its peak ended abruptly. The passengers who’d been eager spectators suddenly felt disappointed. Feeling let down but unable to do anything, they could only vent by lecturing the pair like they were worldly-wise.

The Toyosaki students, however, were utterly stunned…

“Am… Am I dreaming? Hit me! Did I really just hear Yukinoshita say… say… she’s dating Himekoji?!”

“I think I’m dreaming too!”

“No! It can’t be true! He even touched her butt?! How far have they gone exactly?!”

“Hmph! Putting on that cool goddess act at school… Turns out she’s no different than that pervert Himekoji! She’s just trash!”

“Yeah! No telling what she’s really like in private!”

Often, the reason you worshipped the goddess was precisely because she belonged to no one.

So, the day you saw your goddess fall into someone else’s arms, all that admiration could easily twist into burning resentment.

Especially when that “someone else” was a notorious pervert.

What does that creep have that I don’t!

Are you blind or something?!

Cold shoulder for me, but all welcoming for him?

Trash!

Disgusting!

This feeling probably wasn’t unique to just these few students.

…

The surrounding whispers occasionally reached their ears.

Himekoji was long used to tuning out insults aimed at himself.

But when it came to comments about Yukinoshita, particularly catching certain degrading words, he suddenly felt a flash of anger.

Gotta teach those loudmouths a lesson!

That thought filled his mind completely.

After all, Yukinoshita had stepped in to help him out of a jam and gotten tangled in this mess because of it.

He had to take responsibility!

Let’s mess them up!

Just as Himekoji was about to act on this impulse, Yukinoshita held him back.

“It’s useless.”

Yukinoshita shook her head calmly at Himekoji.

It was useless, and Himekoji knew it. He’d dealt with similar situations far more often than she had.

In such moments, no amount of flustered refuting, explanations, or even angry outbursts really helped.

Even if they quieted down to your face out of fear or embarrassment for a moment, the second you turned your back, the gossip would only get worse.

But-

“Just let them keep talking like that?”

Strangely, Himekoji hadn’t felt this furious even when everyone mistakenly thought he was the chikan. Somehow, the moment the attacks shifted to Yukinoshita, his temper flared uncontrollably.

“Why not?”

Yukinoshita herself remained perfectly calm, as if the ugly words being thrown around were aimed at a total stranger who just happened to share her name.

“But…”

Himekoji, fuming, tried to argue, but Yukinoshita cut him off entirely.

The girl’s long, slender fingertip came to rest gently on his lips – the contact was like an electric shock.

Instantly, all of Himekoji’s words were swallowed clean away.

His mind went blank for a second. His body froze for a second.

Then, quickly regaining his senses, he heard Yukinoshita speak meaningfully–

“Isn’t that how you’ve always done it?”

“Huh?”

Himekoji froze momentarily.

“Like just now. Not refuting, not explaining. Facing every accusation and harsh word with silence. Like a shell deep in the ocean, saying nothing. So…”

Here, Yukinoshita suddenly looked up at Himekoji, but didn’t finish her sentence.

“So… what?”

Himekoji couldn’t help but ask.

So pitiful… So lonely… So helpless…

That’s why I couldn’t hold back from stepping forward to help you…

But she couldn’t say that to him.

Because what Himekoji wanted from others was definitely not pity.

He was twisted. And also, very, very proud.

Indeed, Yukinoshita and Himekoji were complete opposites. But within that stark contrast lay fragments of similarity.

Perhaps that’s why Yukinoshita felt she could understand him just a little?

Even that minuscule bit of understanding made her want to believe that behind the wrong, perverted persona, there had to be another, truer Himekoji Akito.

…

“Why didn’t you try to explain yourself earlier?”

Instead of answering him, Yukinoshita posed her own question.

“Explain what?”

What was there to explain?

Himekoji smiled bitterly.

“Tell them you weren’t doing it.”

“No. I was.”

Even with the chance to choose differently now, even though he’d been trying incredibly hard to hold back lately, everything he had done, he had done. The fact that he was a pervert remained unchanged.

He wasn’t the pervert who harassed that female passenger this time.

But he was a pervert.

Kill a person, and you’re a murderer.

That label sticks for life, even if you never do it again.

It was the same for being a pervert.

And unlike a murderer in that regard, Himekoji couldn’t even promise he’d never do it again.

Though the System dangled a beautiful future carrot, ultimately, he was still doing perverted things these days.

Just, perhaps, a little less perverted. That’s all.

So he was a Pervert. And a Chikan too.

The sole difference between him and that bald guy was just that Himekoji hadn’t caused an incident while doing it. That guy almost got caught.

Winning because of technique and experience?

Guess that makes me the smarter scumbag, he thought bitterly as the mood sank further. Himekoji found a darkly humorous twist in the misery and mocked himself silently.

……

…