Chapter 143: Pervert Observation Diary
Chapter 143: Pervert Observation Diary
Honestly, the System’s punishment needed to get serious already!
With things this way, didn’t all the initiative lie entirely with Kasumigaoka?
What kind of punishment was this supposed to be?
Punishing him sounded more like it…
Himekoji complained silently to himself.
“Akito, want some food? If we eat now, it’ll be perfect timing for the movie.”
Coming out of the pet shop, Yuigahama, emboldened by Yukinoshita’s “intimidation backup,” bravely stepped forward to ask.
“Sure.”
Beside them, Kasumigaoka answered first.
Wait, why were you answering for me? Sure? It wasn’t sure at all! This was awful!
However, before Himekoji could voice the retort he’d prepared, the next person to jump in immediately took over—
“It’s not your turn to speak!”
Sure enough, Eriri had spotted it too—Kasumigaoka was daring to challenge her for the “leading lady identity.”
So, the girl promptly jumped in, her presence vividly emphasized by her furiously whipping Twin Tails.
“‘Not my turn to speak?’ What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that before the important person speaks, she first sends her loyal dog out to bark a couple of times? Hmm, alright then, go on, Sawamura~”
Though her expression and tone seemed exceptionally lazy, the words Kasumigaoka spoke were the complete opposite of her languid manner—sharp and fierce.
“No! Way!”
Having received Kasumigaoka Utaha’s permission and order, Eriri outright refused Yuigahama on behalf of Himekoji.
But the next second—
“Wait! Kasumigaoka, what did you mean? Did you just call me a dog?”
Finally reacting after being used as a pawn…
Eriri bared her teeth, glaring fiercely at Kasumigaoka Utaha, extremely angry and super fierce!
“Nope, I didn’t call you anything.”
Hearing the denial, Eriri felt slightly better.
“Hmph, as if you’d dare.”
Her Twin Tails swung as she lifted her chin, oozing her signature “tsundere.”
“I merely called you a loyal dog. Is that an insult? Seems pretty objective to me.”
A slender fingertip touched her lips as Kasumigaoka tilted her head thoughtfully—
Why hadn’t that frantically jumping loser dog recognized her own place yet.
“Gah! You, you, you! You’re utterly impossible to like! The rumor about light novelists all being stubborn, narrow-minded weirdos with twisted personalities was definitely not baseless! So, just hurry up and go home! I don’t need you to watch the movie with me anymore! Give your new light novel your all! Goodbye, Kasumigaoka Utaha… no, farewell!”
“Oh? Is that the sound of someone eager to get rid of a big nuisance? Sorry to disappoint, Sawamura, but with Himekoji-kun’s help, my new novel is almost finished. Don’t trouble yourself. However, in about a month, a certain illustrator might be bawling and begging on her knees for an extended deadline again. So, maybe save some goodwill now. Oh, and something else—if light novelists are all so bad, why’d you have to fall for one?”
Kasumigaoka Utaha said this while meaningfully glancing at the troubled Himekoji beside her.
“L-l-like?! I like some light novelist? Wh-who?! Who did I like? Who made me like them?! Explain! You explain yourself clearly, Kasumigaoka!”
Kasumigaoka had Eriri leaping and hopping with fury, brimming with energy.
Wasn’t it mentioned earlier—
The question of when Kasumigaoka and Eriri started getting along remained unanswered.
Well, no need to investigate now. These two incompatible people clearly couldn’t ever manage harmony.
……
“Let’s go eat, Yuigahama…”
Himekoji thought about it—between sticking with these two who did nothing but bicker all day, he might as well choose Yuigahama and Yukinoshita.
Even if Yukinoshita mocked him occasionally, at least he wouldn’t jump up like a certain Eriri, furiously trading verbal blows life-and-death.
Hmm, this fully demonstrated his superb self-restraint!
Of course, the sharp-tongued Kasumigaoka and Yukinoshita should reflect deeply too.
Reflect on what?
Well, for example, when they meet a man like him—tolerant, yielding, and supremely well-restrained—they should marry him sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, with that personality, they’ll surely become the next… no, the next two Hiratsuka-senseis.
Ah, and even if they wanted to marry him, whether Himekoji would agree was another story.
Most likely, he’d just wave his hand grandly and tell them to scram.
Hah! Serve them right! Ha ha ha ha……
……
“You should cut it out with that daydreaming. Your rotten, perverted nature is practically about to dribble out of your mouth.”
Yukinoshita, who had been silently watching Yuigahama’s side, spoke coolly, abruptly interrupting Himekoji’s imaginative rambling and self-satisfaction.
“Huh? Did I… accidentally say what I was thinking out loud?”
Strange, why did Yukinoshita look at him with such knowing disdain?
“Nope. Just that you’re practically drooling a puddle.”
Yuigahama, taking the baton from Yukinoshita, giggled behind her hand, making fun of him.
Damn! Dr-drooling?
How humiliating?! So unbecoming of his handsome image!
Himekoji frantically lifted a hand to wipe his mouth, swiping all around it—up, down, left, right, BABA—finding absolutely nothing damp there.
Wait! He’d been tricked by this idiot Yuigahama!
Himekoji wasn’t quite as “foolish” as Eriri, so he figured it out in half a second.
“Yuigahama, you’ve changed…”
Himekoji lamented with deep sorrow.
“It’s only because Akito is always so annoyingly irritating.”
Chatting casually about this and that, the three of them headed towards the restaurant they’d chosen.
The sparring pair, Kasumigaoka and Eriri, left behind, remained engrossed in their bickering, lost to the world and thoroughly enjoying it.
They didn’t even notice Himekoji sneaking away… no, to be precise, they didn’t notice Himekoji openly heading off to eat with two other girls.
“Yukinoshita, I won’t be needing you as a substitute now, so you can head back.”
Having struck out with Yuigahama, Himekoji shifted his focus directly onto Yukinoshita.
“What are you saying? It’s better if Yukino-chan comes with us, isn’t it?”
Surprisingly, Yuigahama was the first one to object.
What the heck? Was this a forced buy-one-get-one deal?
Himekoji was speechless. Honestly, this bundled “one” was really ruining the user experience!
He genuinely couldn’t stand Yukinoshita’s icy stare from the sidelines, or the mood-killing taunts and annoying sarcasm she threw out now and then.
Although he had said earlier that he was well-mannered and didn’t mind, he was actually just bragging. Sorry!
Truth be told, he had long been fed up with Yukinoshita!
He wanted nothing more than to tie her up, drag her to the basement, strip her bare skin, use a whip and tie her up to vent his hatred.
Yes, exactly! Now he just needed the System to give him a task like that!
Ahem, though if it really did, Himekoji would definitely chicken out…
Occasionally, a few slightly perverted thoughts flashed through his mind. All men are like this, right? Especially when watching adult films or reading spicy stories, wishing they could be the male lead.
But clearly understanding the difference and boundary between thoughts and actions is what makes a real man.
“I’m a pervert, but I’m a good person.”
Himekoji had always wanted a chance to say this line, but somehow, he could no longer bring himself to declare it openly.
I’m a pervert, but I’m a good pervert.
Perhaps from now on, this phrase would become the goal Himekoji strives for…
“Going back? No. Hiratsuka-sensei assigned me to write the ‘Pervert Observation Diary’. And today is a perfect day to record new entries.”
Yukinoshita pulled out a palm-sized notebook from her pocket and waved it at Himekoji.
“Huh? How come I didn’t know about this?”
Himekoji was genuinely startled.
Plus, why did this project sound like it would soon lead to him being captured and sliced open for research?
Wait, was that really just a thought?
“Do I have to tell you about everything? Quit overreacting and order your food quickly.”
Frowning slightly, Yukinoshita gave an indifferent yet urging prompt.
The three of them squeezed together at the small counter, with a long line of customers waiting behind them.
When they returned to their seats after ordering, Himekoji suddenly spotted two people already sitting there comfortably.
Sure enough, it was Kasumigaoka and Eriri, who were supposedly half a block behind just moments ago…
Their bickering continued uninterrupted, but surprisingly, Eriri—usually the one who ended up losing—was currently winning.
Kasumigaoka sat by the aisle, propping her cheek on one hand. She tried feebly to counter, all while seeming to desperately hold something back.
Hmm?
What exactly was that thing the girl had been struggling to suppress? It felt important right from the start.
Himekoji couldn’t help but glance at her a few times, then suddenly noticed something. The vague answer bubbling in his mind almost escaped his tongue…
“You… you…”
“Come with me right now!”
Kasumigaoka abruptly stood up, cutting him off.
Without hesitation, she dragged him straight toward the restroom.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going?”
Eriri absolutely refused to let Himekoji be alone with “that thieving cat” Kasumigaoka!
So she hastily scrambled to her feet and chased after them.
“Eh? Where did they go?”
But just around the very next corner, she lost them.
…
Inside the locked stall, they were suddenly shielded within a perfectly private space.
Kasumigaoka Utaha pinned Himekoji firmly against the wall.
“How… how could you…” Her words were ragged breaths next to his ear. “Were you also hoping the option would fail? Not only didn’t you shield me, you just threw me aside! Do… do you know how close Eriri was to finding out?”
Her voice and panting brushed against his ear, intimate and tingling.
……