Chapter 431: Sorry, We’re Dating

Wet?!

No way!

Himekoji instinctively looked down, his gaze drifting towards Yukinoshita’s lower body.

However, hidden beneath her proper black uniform skirt, no traces were visible.

Just as Himekoji couldn’t resist letting his imagination run wild—

“Why are you this wet?”

Yukinoshita tugged at the corner of his shirt, frowning as she spoke.

“Me? Huh? I’m the wet one?”

Only then did it click for Himekoji.

Of course, what Yukinoshita said couldn’t possibly mean that kind of thing…

Still, having thought that far, Himekoji couldn’t help but push it further… Yukinoshita…

Well…

Did she… get that kind of wet?

After all, her face looked super frigid.

It was lucky Yukinoshita had no idea what filthy thoughts were swirling in Himekoji’s wretched mind just then. Otherwise, she would surely have flown into a furious rage and threatened to tear him to pieces.

“Hm? I asked you a question?”

Himekoji’s long silence and disregard had, however, slightly irritated the club president, whose temper wasn’t particularly great.

“The rain got me wet.”

Himekoji felt this explanation was stating the obvious himself.

If it wasn’t the rain soaking him, could it be that little Hikari had peed on him?

“How were you holding that umbrella…”

Didn’t he have an umbrella?

Someone his age couldn’t even hold an umbrella properly?

Yukinoshita had been ready to mercilessly mock him, but mid-sentence, she suddenly thought of something and froze. She turned her head sharply to look at her own shoulder.

Not a single drop of rain.

The complete opposite of Himekoji.

Instantly, the scathing words she’d prepared vanished, unable to be spoken.

Himekoji, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. He appeared completely nonchalant, simply taking the blame.

“Yes, yes, my bad. Can’t even hold an umbrella properly. Fine, I’m clumsy, okay?”

This actually made Yukinoshita feel even more awkward.

But asking her to take back what she’d just said was impossible. So, she could only jerk her head aside, forcibly ending the conversation.

“…”

An awkward silence hung between them for two seconds. After this pause, Yukinoshita abruptly realized something horrifying:

She was still clinging to Himekoji’s chest!

Ever since the bus suddenly started moving and she lost her balance… right up until now…

Intense shame washed over her, scalding her ears!

She knew without even looking that they must be bright red. Flustered, she quickly smoothed back the hair near her temples, trying to hide it a little.

But, of course, escaping was far more important than hiding it right then.

She needed to get out of Himekoji’s embrace immediately!

But just as Yukinoshita made her move, the bus hit another sudden bump.

Having barely gained any distance, she stumbled again and obediently tumbled right back into Himekoji’s arms.

“Are you okay?”

Yukinoshita was different from other girls. Her chest was as flat as an ironing board. When she collided with Himekoji, those largely symbolic secondary sexual characteristics offered no cushioning at all. Therefore, Himekoji felt it was quite necessary to ask with concern.

“Fine.”

Yukinoshita answered without even looking up, too embarrassed.

She gave him a light push with her hand, trying to create space.

Just then—

“Pervert!!”

A sudden, sharp scream pierced the air near them.

Himekoji thought someone was calling him and instinctively looked towards the source.

Then, he saw a bald man with shifty, rat-like eyes sneaking one hand back and forth under the skirt of the girl who’d screamed.

So it wasn’t him?

That thought flashed through his mind and was gone instantly.

The next thing happened unexpectedly—

The scumbag wasn’t satisfied with just feeling up one girl!

His other hand couldn’t stay idle either. It moved right towards Yukinoshita, who stood right in front of Himekoji.

Aiming right for her backside!

Yukinoshita, with her back turned, remained completely unaware.

Luckily, Himekoji was aware. Extremely aware!

Without even thinking, he instinctively moved his hand to hover protectively just in front of Yukinoshita’s butt, perfectly blocking that Sexual Harassment Hand.

……

“Pervert?”

“What happened?”

“What’s going on?”

“What pervert?”

The girl’s terrified scream rang out loud and clear throughout the entire bus.

Chaos erupted instantly.

“What’s the matter?”

Even the bus driver frowned slightly and looked back to ask.

“A… a pervert! H-he touched my behind! Chikan!”

Part of her wondered if it might be better to just endure quietly. But since she’d involuntarily screamed out in shock moments ago, backing down now was unthinkable.

“Who?”

“Where?”

“Huh? There’s actually a chikan on the bus? How disgusting!”

Some people were furious, some wanted to help catch the suspect, and others frowned and backed away, keeping a safe distance.

“This! He’s right here!”

Himekoji yelled at the top of his lungs.

He was clearly the second type from above.

He wouldn’t hold back just because he’d done the same thing himself.

As the saying goes—

Same occupation meets same occupation, pick up your things and fight!

Reporting it is the way to go!

How dare this guy get so bold he’d make a move on Yukinoshita.

He must be sick of living!

Himekoji himself hadn’t even touched Yukinoshita’s butt more than a few times!

“Found him! Found him!”

“The pervert’s over here!”

“The suspect turned himself in!”

Himekoji’s shout immediately drew the eyes of everyone on the bus.

“An actual student?”

“What’s the world coming to? What are schools even teaching kids these days?”

“Well, at least he seems remorseful. He confessed on his own.”

“Remorseful my foot! Look, his hand’s still on the girl’s butt!”

With the suspect found, the bus erupted in excited chatter.

But as Himekoji listened, he began to feel something wasn’t quite right.

The suspect turned himself in?

An actual student?

Hold on, who are they talking about?

The suspect was the bald old man! Are you guys blind?

Wasn’t the old man right there…

Huh?

Where’d the old man go?

He was just standing right here in front of him a second ago!

Seeing the old man gone, Himekoji frantically looked around him. But where was that balding colleague of his?

His heart sank with a thud.

Himekoji knew this was bad.

“Eh? Isn’t that… Himekoji? And the victim seems to be… Yukinoshita?”

“Oh~~ So it’s Himekoji! Well that explains it!”

“He dares to harass even Yukinoshita? Impressive…”

Since it was just after school hours, many Toyosaki students were also on the bus.

The students whispered and murmured among themselves.

“You little punk! So young but already learning the wrong stuff!”

A furious, well-meaning auntie holding a vegetable basket strode forward. She grabbed Himekoji’s hand and fiercely pulled it away from Yukinoshita’s behind.

It was no wonder others misunderstood. The way Himekoji and Yukinoshita looked right now was indeed far too… delicate.

Himekoji’s hand was blatantly on Yukinoshita’s butt, in full view of everyone.

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita, flustered, was pushing against Himekoji’s chest to escape the embrace. Her actions looked exactly like resistance and struggle against harassment…

……

“Are you alright, young lady?”

Her expression was fiercely stern when directed at Himekoji, but the auntie immediately softened her gaze when turning to Yukinoshita, clearly worried she might be frightened.

“Huh? I… I’m okay…”

Yukinoshita mumbled in a daze, still not entirely grasping the situation.

A chikan?

Himekoji?

Touching her butt?

Himekoji touched whose butt?

Hers?

Yukinoshita looked at Himekoji, eyes full of confusion.

She found him just standing there meekly taking the auntie’s scolding. He didn’t admit to anything, but he didn’t deny it either.

What was this?

Acceptance by default?

……

Indeed, Himekoji offered no rebuttal.

Because he realized explaining this clearly would be incredibly difficult.

First, he couldn’t find the bald old man anymore. Even if he found him, that guy would definitely deny everything.

Checking the bus cameras was useless too. The bus was too crowded; the footage would only show ambiguous images. The bald old man had probably counted on exactly this to be so brazen.

So, without any solid evidence, Himekoji’s testimony alone would feel like the pathetic last struggle of a suspect trying to save himself.

Especially considering his existing reputation.

Any defense from a pervert would just be seen as untrustworthy excuses.

Given these circumstances, if he wanted to clear himself of being branded the chikan, the only way was to get the “victim” Yukinoshita to speak up and vouch for him.

But… how?

Say they actually knew each other?

They did know each other, sure. But what kind of relationship would allow one person to publicly put their hand on the other person’s rear on a crowded bus, with the other person remaining silent like this?

A romantic couple?

One deeply in love?

Probably even more than that?

At the very least, it must be a shamelessly-in-love couple with zero regard for public decency!

Otherwise, how could they be so thirsty that they’d cuddle without caring about others on a bus?

All in all, the hardest point to explain and the most impossible to clear up in the whole incident, was the placement of Himekoji’s hand.

Even though he knew it was hovering without actually touching Yukinoshita’s rear—purely meant to block that bald uncle’s “Sexual Harassment Hand”—in everyone else’s eyes, it was undeniably plain harassment.

Since explaining was useless, he simply kept quiet.

This was exactly Himekoji’s habitual way of dealing with things—never bothering to gain others’ trust or understanding.

Besides, his reputation was far beyond saving anyway. He might as well consider this payment for all his previous perverted acts.

What good would explaining do anyway?

Forget whether they’d believe it; he might even end up dragging Yukinoshita down.

For example—

“Did you know? That Yukinoshita? She always acts like some untouchable goddess… Turns out she’s no different from any other girl. She was publicly making out with that Pervert on the bus like it was nothing…”

“Breaking news! Himekoji and Yukinoshita doing it on the bus!”

…

If rumors like that started spreading, it would trigger the absolute worst scenario.

After weighing things over, Himekoji decided the cleanest resolution was for Yukinoshita to maintain the image of the “victim” in this incident.

He didn’t care about his own reputation—it had long been thoroughly ruined.

He cared about Yukinoshita’s.

He wanted her to remain flawless forever.

Because he, who was endlessly wrong, admired flawless perfection the most.

It didn’t matter if he stayed wrong; it was meaningless anyway. But he wished Yukinoshita would always stay right.

It was entirely selfish, but he wished it all the same.

However, the difference between reality and hope was that reality never went your way.

Yukinoshita, the epitome of perfection, then did something Himekoji considered absolutely wrong.

…

“Get off at the next stop with me! We’re going straight to the nearest police station! I’ll call your parents and Sensei to make them seriously consider just how they raised their son and student…”

This Chikan incident was nearly the only entertaining spice in the auntie’s tedious daily routine, so she was extra energized, practically spitting in her enthusiasm.

The surrounding passengers also loudly cheered in agreement.

Originally, the incident should have wrapped up here perfectly, drawing a neat close.

But the “victim lady’s” sudden declaration instantly flipped the whole situation upside down—

“Excuse me,” Yukinoshita said calmly, her expression as steady as if stating an undeniable fact.

It starkly contrasted everyone else’s stunned disbelief.

While speaking quietly, Yukinoshita reached out and firmly, relentlessly, pulled Himekoji’s wrist free from the auntie’s tight grip.

Then, like claiming territory, she grasped it tightly in her own hand.

Almost as if to prove to everyone—

They were indeed a couple.

“I’m seeing him home later, so he likely can’t go to the station with you. My apologies.”

Her words weren’t overbearing, yet they carried force—polite but resolute.

So… so cool…

Himekoji wondered if this was an illusion, but for the first time ever, he felt—

Completely bowled over by Yukinoshita’s coolness.

…

…~