Chapter 296: Stolen Heartbeat
Chapter 296: Stolen Heartbeat
“Stop making excuses! If we can’t find a second suspect, then the culprit can only be you!”
Aoyama Nanami pointed directly at Himekoji, her tone certain and leaving no room for doubt.
“What do you mean we can’t find one? At least try looking first, hey!”
Saying that without even searching was so irresponsible!
Just because he’s a Pervert, did he deserve to be falsely accused?
Himekoji rolled his eyes, annoyed.
“We don’t need to search at all! Something this weird—there’s no one else who’d do it besides you!”
Nanami actually found herself an impressive-sounding excuse.
Himekoji couldn’t tolerate this and instantly argued back, “There is! Like yesterday!”
“Yesterday nothing! Hikari was framed by you yesterday!”
Nanami was right; Hikari certainly had been framed by him yesterday… but today?
That wasn’t so certain anymore.
No, not “wasn’t so certain”—it was definite!
In that split second, Himekoji finally understood!
The truth behind this “pervert’s sealed-room Underwear theft” where a second suspect seemed impossible—
“The truth is singular! This is one of a series of thefts!”
Himekoji regained his calm and began his analysis, perfectly steady.
Waves of clever light radiated from his entire body.
—[Brother Complex perspective]
“Onii-chan, so cool! You look so smart holding all the answers!”
“You were just seriously talking nonsense!” Nanami instantly ruined the moment. “Seriously, anyone knows it’s a series of thefts, okay? No need for you to specially announce it! Stealing Akiko’s, Mashiro’s, and my Underwear one after another—what else could it be?”
“Nope, nope. When I said a series of thefts, I meant yesterday’s case and today’s case are linked.”
The more Himekoji thought about it, the more it made sense.
Certain inside, he couldn’t help curling his lips into a smug look while wagging his index finger playfully at Nanami.
“Yesterday… and today?” Nanami paused, “Could it be… you mean…?”
“Exactly right.”
Himekoji nodded approvingly, tossing Nanami, still dazed, a look that said “Finally catching on, I’m relieved.”
“The culprit… is Hikari?”
Nanami’s voice still held a hint of doubt and disbelief.
She absolutely couldn’s accept Himekoji’s claim alone—he was a Pervert with a long criminal record!
“I think once we find Hikari, everything will come to light.”
Himekoji didn’t answer with a simple “yes” or “no”.
Because seeing it for yourself was far more convincing than any answer.
He wanted to see, too, whether his deduction was correct.
If the culprit really was Hikari, it proved one thing—
Himekoji had badly underestimated it all along!
“I’ll go look for Hikari!”
With a clear goal, Nanami immediately sprang into action.
“Split up and look.”
Himekoji suggested.
“Okay! Then let’s make it a contest! Whoever finds it first wins a prize—the privilege of Onii-chan’s First Night once!”
Akiko, overconfident she’d win, decided on her own.
“Hey! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Himekoji quickly cut off his Imouto.
“Found it. There.”
Then, the very next moment, Mashiro raised her small hand, reporting the result.
“Huh?? How? So fast!”
Akiko was instantly crushed, holding her head in disbelief.
“Where?”
Himekoji couldn’t see.
“There!”
Mashiro’s hand stretched out the window, pointing downstairs.
“Lemme see, lemme see.” Nanami hurried two big steps forward, shoving Himekoji aside with her hip. “Huh… it really is…”
The girl’s tone grew stranger and stranger, until by the end, she was practically covered in sweat-drops on her forehead.
She took a deep breath—
“Himekoji, just what have you been teaching Hikari?!!!”
Clearly shocked by what she saw, Nanami yelled furiously at the Pervert behind her.
“That… that would depend on what Hikari learned from me, right?”
Temporarily overwhelmed by her fury, Himekoji seemed a little guilty.
[Ding!]
[Internal image generating…]
Luckily, the System chose that moment to cooperatively generate the scene downstairs in his mind—
Here’s the thing: downstairs, a pack of cats—big cats, small cats, house cats, stray cats—had gathered illegally.
Wait, were they really cats? Why were over half of them wearing Underwear?!
Could it be an Underwear cult cat division?
But this was way too darn wasteful!
Besides those Underwear cats that stunned Himekoji, there was a smaller group without Underwear. They stood respectfully in a long line, each holding either a tin can or a salted fish in its mouth.
Standing at the head of the entire line was Hikari—clearly the leader. The other cats wore at most two Underwear pieces, but it was different. Its whole body was densely covered in Underwear, leaving only gaps for its eyes, nose, and mouth visible.
What were these dumb cats doing?
Himekoji stared at the System-generated image for a long time before he finally understood—
These beasts were actually trading cans and salted fish for Underwear with Hikari!
Hikari acted like a grand landlord, distributing the loot right there on the spot.
And worse, if it fancied a female cat, getting the cans and fish wasn’t enough. Every time, it had to grope a little, only handing out the Underwear once it felt satisfied.
The decay of capitalism was vividly on display in this rascal!
After grabbing the underwear and putting it on, the little cat would waddle over to the neighborhood fountain, soak the garment thoroughly, then swagger back to parade behind Hikari with chest puffed out, acting tough by borrowing power.
What the heck…
Have you all freaking turned into spirits?
Pervert spirits at that!
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Himekoji suddenly understood —
No wonder he turned into a pervert! It was all that damn cat’s fault!
…
“Hikari!”
Nanami gritted her teeth furiously, bolted out, and charged downstairs.
“Aoyama, wait! I know you’re desperate to get your underwear back, but you don’t plan to fight them alone, do you? It’s impossible!”
Thanks to the “power” bestowed by the underwear, Hikari had officially recruited the stray cats into a disciplined army, boosting its strength dramatically.
Himekoji wanted to stop Nanami, to discuss things properly before acting.
Sadly, there was no holding back someone as crazed as she was.
Just as Himekoji began worrying whether Nanami might get hurt, she actually breezed back like the wind, appearing unharmed before everyone.
With her came Hikari—stripped of its underwear and looking half-dead—along with a huge sack of soggy, dripping underwear.
“No way! How did you manage it all on your own…”
“Catch the leader first to catch its followers!”
Nanami cut Himekoji off, keeping it short and simple.
Then, her gaze landed on Hikari in her grip, letting out a heavy, anguished sigh,
“To think… Hikari turned into such a cat! It’s all my fault for neglecting discipline!”
“Aoyama, you don’t need to blame yourself too much. This isn’t entirely your fault.”
Unable to hold back, Himekoji tried offering comfort.
“Nonsense! Of course it’s mainly your fault that Hikari ended up this way! If the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will slant!”
“Hey! I was only saying that to be nice!”
“Sorry.”
“Huh?”
Nanami apologizing just like that?
“I wronged you yesterday and today.”
Oh, so that’s why she apologized.
“It’s no big deal.”
Himekoji waved dismissively, humbly hinting at his broad-mindedness—being the bigger person who didn’t stoop to arguing with women.
“By the way.”
Remembering something, he suddenly spoke up,
“Right now, buying underwear is what’s important, isn’t it? So please handle it, Aoyama. While you’re at it, get a pair for Akiko and Mashiro too.”
“Why me?”
“Because those two aren’t wearing any underwear right now.”
“Like I am either!”
“But didn’t you just run down earlier?”
Himekoji found it odd.
“That was before! Since I’ve felt what it’s like going commando downstairs, I certainly won’t do it again!”
That made sense.
Himekoji rubbed his chin in thought before coming up with an idea.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Yuigahama directly.
He’d saved her number during the School Trip.
“Oh? Akito? We’re almost there!”
The moment that voice spoke on the other end, six ears beside Himekoji perked straight up.
“It’s Yuigahama!”
“Almost here?”
“Could it be a date?”
The trio chimed in like an assembly line, instantly decoding the sentence’s meaning.
“So soon? You didn’t need to come this early!”
“But Yukino and I are already on our way!”
“Yukino?”
“Yukinoshita!”
“3P?!”
The comprehension trio struck again.
Himekoji quickly covered the receiver and distanced himself.
If Yukinoshita overheard “3P,” he’d be doomed!
“Ah, um… actually, I have a favor to ask. When you arrive, could you bring a few pairs of underwear for my Imouto?”
He didn’t mention Mashiro and Nanami—them staying at his place would cause complications if found out…
“What size does Akiko wear?”
Yuigahama agreed right away.
Hanging up, Himekoji privately breathed a sigh of relief.
He hadn’t even realized sweat had already formed on his forehead?
This was his first time phoning anyone besides his editor and Imouto!
To ask someone to buy underwear…
He shook his head without meaning to.
“Onii-chan, you invited Yuigahama and Yukinoshita to our house?!”
“Yeah, what’s wrong?” As soon as the words left his mouth, it hit him—something was off, “What did you just call them??”
Akiko ignored his question, putting on a pitiful act instead, “Is Onii-chan not satisfied with just Akiko, then?”
“No, I’m not! Besides Yukinoshita and Yuigahama, I invited Eriri and Utaha Senpai too.”
“Promiscuous Party?!”
“Promiscuous your head!”
Himekoji rolled up his sleeves to discipline his Imouto’s mindset, when Mashiro gently tugged at his sleeve from behind.
“Promiscuous is bad.”
“I would never be a swinger!”
So, please don’t take Akiko’s words seriously.
“Akito’s First Night rights are mine, I just won them.”
And that line especially shouldn’t be taken seriously!
…
Himekoji, Akiko, Mashiro, Nanami, Eriri, Yuigahama, Yukinoshita – the seven of them sat in a circle on the floor.
In the center of the circle was the Kuchikamizake brewed by Himekoji, portioned into small, delicate bottles.
“Hey, Pervert-kun? You made such a big fuss gathering so many of us here, just to show us this?”
Being one of six girls surrounding just one guy made Yukinoshita feel like she was one of the many stars crowding the moon, hardly special at all. Her already cool expression instantly turned even frostier.
“No,” Himekoji shook his head with a serious face. “To drink.”
“Then… what are we waiting for?” Yuigahama piped up at just the right moment with her question.
“Kasumigaoka. She hasn’t come yet.”
“Huh?! She’s coming too?! You never said that before! I thought I was the only one you invited!”
The eagerness with which Eriri had come contrasted sharply with the dazed disappointment she felt now. She truly understood the highs and lows of life.
“Well… good things are meant to be shared, right? That’s why I thought I’d invite everyone.” Himekoji coughed lightly, trying to put on a righteous face.
“So then, where is that annoying black-haired girl with the long straight hair?” Eriri clearly wasn’t patient enough to wait much longer.
“Ahem.” Yukinoshita coughed softly beside her, twice, without changing expression.
“But she promised to be here at two this afternoon.” Himekoji frowned, spreading his hands helplessly to show he had no idea what was going on.
“I’ll call her!”
Gritting her teeth, Eriri pulled out her phone. The “date for two” she’d imagined simply didn’t exist, and a heap of resentment had built up inside her.
The call connected. She put it on speakerphone.
“Kasumigaoka! What the heck are you doing?! Why aren’t you here yet?! If you set a time, at least have the decency to be on time!”
“Who…? Sawamura? You’re so noisy… keeping people awake at 3 AM…”
The moment he heard that lazy, sleepy voice, Himekoji knew exactly what had happened. He slapped his forehead in disbelief. Here it was—
The common affliction of the procrastinating light novel author!
Her day and night completely flipped…
“It’s three o’clock in the afternoon!”
“Oh?”
Whoosh—
There was a sound like curtains being yanked open, followed by a long, awkward silence on the other end of the line.
Beep beep beep.
Then she hung up.
“Alright! Let’s just drink without her!”
After hanging up, Eriri took the initiative to suggest it. This was her prime opportunity to effectively reduce the competition!
Without waiting for Himekoji’s decision, she lunged forward to grab one of the small bottles in the center. Thankfully, Himekoji was quick. He snatched the Kuchikamizake bottles into his arms just in time, preventing Eriri from causing a disaster.
“No, no! Absolutely not!”
If Eriri and the others drank first and something happened early… what about the remaining Kasumigaoka? They had to drink together!
“We’ve already waited so long, a little while longer really won’t matter.”
As expected, Nanami understood the situation. Himekoji mentally gave her a big thumbs-up for her graciousness.
“But… this drink looks kind of… familiar?”
“Familiar? No, no, you must be mistaken!”
Nanami had drunk Kuchikamizake before. That time, she ended up with a Clothing Explosion afterward, leaving quite an impression. Luckily, Himekoji had put the Kuchikamizake in different containers this round, so Nanami didn’t recognize it immediately.
“Why are you so flustered, Pervert-kun? Is there… something wrong with this drink?” Yukinoshita’s eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion.
“Huh? Wh-what? How could there be? It’s a new drink my friend made. They didn’t know if it would appeal to the market, so they asked me to get everyone’s opinion on the taste first.”
“Really?”
“Of course, that’s all it is!”
“Oh.” Yukinoshita fell silent, saying nothing more.
Time crawled by as they waited. Finally, bored stiff, they split into groups to play games.
Then, after waiting a full hour more, Kasumigaoka, the last to arrive, finally made her grand, late entrance.
Seriously, just how long had it taken you to do your makeup, Kasumi Utako-Sensei?!
Himekoji stared silently at her clearly elaborately made-up, gorgeous appearance, speechless.
If you’re late, at least look like someone who apologizes for being late! Hey!
Huh? Wait…
Something wasn’t quite right?
Himekoji froze for a second. Then it hit him—
Had he just… seen Kasumigaoka?
No, he could still see her right now! He could see Kasumigaoka… and everyone else besides her.
Which meant…
Once again, he could see this world.
[Ding!]
[Vision restored!]
[Acquired the unreliable, totally-luck-based skill: Heart-Thief Stare.]
[Skill description: Your eyes were full of beauty, stealing away their heartbeats.]
…
…
(Still super clingy.)