Chapter 87: Liking

Once again.

Himekoji sighed softly within his heart.

……

Managing emotions sensibly.

Keeping appropriate distance between each other.

Such simple matters—he had nearly forgotten.

Not falling for anyone, and not being fallen for.

[Devoting his entire lifetime to the cause of perversion.]

He could do it. Of course he could. It should be effortless.

……

Huh, wait a minute!

Why did the System suddenly ram its own weird line in there?!

Himekoji belatedly realized something was off.

Damn it, the perfect atmosphere just got ruined!

Hey, give back my own moving moment of self-realization!

……

“Oh… oh, I see…”

A smile, seemingly just out of habit, remained on Yuigahama’s face.

The girl bit her lip lightly, unnoticeably, as if determined to hold onto this smile until the very end.

Her lips strained to curl upward, forcing the smile wider.

But if anyone had paid attention, they might have noticed—yes, they would have surely noticed—

In the instant her gaze shifted, a misty sadness, like evening haze over cherry blossoms, shimmered in the depths of her eyes.

“Alright, next time then,” came the girl’s softly spoken reply.

She answered Himekoji with a full, radiant smile.

……

Thump-thud—

At that moment, his heart seized violently, a piercing ache as though bitten from the inside.

Instinctively, his fist clenched tight.

……

Was I… stubbornly clinging to something utterly meaningless?

Not for the first time, Himekoji questioned himself.

Right? Right? I am right… aren’t I?

……

Yes, he was right! He had to be right!

Because this was the last, the only, shred of correctness left to Himekoji, the fundamentally flawed.

……

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You have earned the title ‘Flag-Demolishing Pioneer’!]

[This was entirely this system’s fault.]

You finally admit it!!

[Therefore, as special compensation, choose one option—]

[Choose now!]

[A: Make one of the ‘Five Shadows’ ‘like’ you.]

[B: Make one of the ‘Five Lights’ ‘like’ you.]

Wait! Why the hell are you emphasizing the word “like” so much?! Stop it!

……

It was just an exam, right? Surely, somewhere in the System’s inventory, there had to be something that could get Takanashi Rikka to pass?

Everything before this point was meaningless noise. Himekoji latched onto this thought, reigniting his hope.

Just as he was about to head to the exchange area and dig for something useful as an emergency fix, a phone call interrupted him.

A glance at the screen—Machida Sonoko, his editor.

That made sense. After all, the contacts in his phone book could be counted on one hand.

“Why hasn’t Kasumigaoka-senpai’s outline arrived yet?”

The moment the call connected, Machida’s demanding voice crashed over him like a wave.

“Outline?”

Himekoji had almost forgotten—he was responsible for Kasumigaoka Utaha’s new manuscript.

“Go get it! Today!”

“Huh? Me? Now?”

“Obviously!”

“This is too sudden! Where am I even supposed to go? Senpai’s already gone home from school.”

“Then go to her house!”

“Eh?! H-her house…?”

Himekoji’s little brother flinched involuntarily at the thought.

Th-that wasn’t appropriate…

Especially since he’d just barely managed to protect his own innocence in Wagou City!

And now… he had to deliver himself straight to her doorstep?

……

Unbeknownst to Himekoji, things were about to get much worse. A disastrous piece of news—

The one-time reward item “[Perverse Choice System Experience Ticket]” he’d obtained in Wagou City a few days ago, dormant until now, was finally stirring. It felt ready. It felt hungry.