Hikari waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. I just happened to see sothing unfair and decided to help. You don't need to dwell on it."
He wasn't trying to take credit or act superior. After all, his primary motivation had been the lure of Pure Love Points.
Defeating Hayato and his gang of delinquents had saved Yoshida Saki, and he'd been rewarded for it. A win-win situation, nothing more.
However, in Yoshida Saki's ears, his words sounded like the modest selflessness of a hero who doesn't seek recognition. Her heart couldn't help but beat faster.
She had so much she wanted to say to Hikari, but as she looked at his handso face, her mouth trembled, and no words ca out.
It was like a lovestruck teenager facing their dream crush.
In the end, Yoshida Saki managed to stamr out, "Uh… um… Hikari-kun, do… do you like dogs?" [T/N: Iykyk 🤧]
Hearing Yoshida Saki's sudden question, Hikari was montarily dumbfounded.
'What does liking dogs have to do with anything?'
Could it be that she was so grateful for being saved that she wanted to be his… dog?
Given her timid, affection-starved, socially anxious personality, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
Hikari's mind briefly wandered to an odd scene of the black-haired, straight-laced beauty wearing a collar as he took her out for a midnight walk.
He glanced at her with a strange expression, then shook his head. "I like cats more than dogs."
"ow?" Yoshida Saki, as if on instinct, made a strange sound with her mouth.
Hikari gave her an odd look on the spot.
Their eyes t, and Yoshida Saki's face instantly turned crimson.
"I-I didn't do that on purpose!!!"
"I just wanted to say… to say, is that how the cats you like sound? Yes! That's exactly what I ant."
Knowing Yoshida Saki's peculiar and introverted personality, Hikari didn't think much of it. He waved his hand. "Alright, I believe you. Don't worry about it."
Despite Hikari's polite response, which eased much of the tension, Yoshida Saki was still at a loss for words.
Hikari, for his part, didn't seem inclined to continue the conversation either.
For a mont, the two sat in awkward silence.
Yoshida Saki wanted to turn around and keep talking to Hikari, but she didn't know what to say.
While Yoshida Saki was racking her brain for a new topic, Hikari, to her surprise, spoke up first.
He poked her shoulder with his pen and said, "By the way, there's sothing I need to tell you."
Yoshida Saki turned to face him.
Hikari said slowly, "The dangerous situation you were in today—while it was orchestrated by scum like Hayato, part of the reason is that you're too trusting of others. When soone treats you slightly well, you completely let your guard down."
"I'm not saying this to bla you. You didn't do anything wrong."
"But you need to learn to protect yourself."
"So, if anyone approaches you in the future—especially delinquents with dyed yellow hair—and tries to strike up a conversation…"
"No matter the setting, like in a bookstore while buying books, if soone like that talks to you, just ignore them."
"Be more cautious with strangers, okay?"
Hearing Hikari's advice, Yoshida Saki listened attentively.
When he finished, her eyes shone with gratitude.
She knew about her personality flaws, but knowing was one thing; changing was another.
So, hearing Hikari's words, Yoshida Saki nodded earnestly. "Yes! I understand!"
"I'll rember. Thank you, Hikari-kun!"
Hikari, determined to keep her from suffering a tragic fate like in his past-life mories, didn't say much more after his advice.
But after so thought, he pulled out his phone and said to Yoshida Saki, "Let's exchange contact information. If sothing like today happens again, you can call anyti."
Given Yoshida Saki's tendency to attract trouble, Hikari wanted to stay connected. He wasn't about to let opportunities to collect Pure Love Points or defeat delinquents slip by.
Having a direct line to her was a necessary precaution.
Hearing this, Yoshida Saki, who had already wanted to exchange numbers but hadn't dared to ask, quickly took out her phone.
"Okay! My number is xnxx…"
In no ti, they exchanged numbers.
Holding her phone, Yoshida Saki turned around with a joyful expression and a heart full of happiness.
'Oh my god! Hikari-kun actually asked for my contact information!'
'Does this an… he likes too?' [T/N: Let's not get ahead of ourselves]
'If Hikari-kun confesses to , should I say yes imdiately, or pretend to hesitate for a couple of seconds?'
'No, I should just say yes right away! But what if Hikari-kun is shy and doesn't dare confess?'
'Should I give him a hint, be a little bolder, and give him a chance?'
'What kind of male protagonist is Hikari? What kind of CG poses does he like…?'
Thanks to her extensive experience with 18 romance gas, Yoshida Saki's mind was already spinning with countless fantasies after exchanging numbers.
She was practically imagining the nas of their future children.
anwhile, Hikari had no idea. He had only casually asked for her number, but Yoshida Saki was already planning their future.
At that mont, Hikari was busy checking ssages on his phone.
Opening Line, he saw several unread ssages.
First were ssages from Natsuha and Yukino, who were still at ho. Apparently, they'd gotten into a minor argunt.
Natsuha complained that Yukino had soaked two of her bedsheets completely last night, even getting the mattress wet, leaving her with nowhere to sleep.
Yukino argued that Natsuha was equally to bla. If Yukino was the "sprinkler princess," then Natsuha wasn't far off either. They should each wash one sheet, not leave it all to her.
Hikari sighed as he read their bickering. It wasn't hard to see that the sheets were just an excuse; the two girls were picking fights out of jealousy.
He wasn't surprised. Even last night, they'd been at odds, full of mutual annoyance and rivalry.
Though they had grudgingly cooperated during his intense tutoring session, the underlying tension hadn't been resolved.
"Looks like I'll have to discipline them when I get back," he thought.
After replying to a few other ssages, including one from a classmate seeking advice, Hikari stood up, ready to head to his club activities.
Unbeknownst to him, Yoshida Saki watched his departing figure with renewed determination.
Though rejected for lunch today, she resolved to try again.
She was determined to change herself, use her position as his deskmate, and grow closer to Hikari.
anwhile.
At the baseball club's activity area, the baseball club manager, Nanao Akane, who was sitting at a table jotting down so notes, suddenly noticed her phone vibrate lightly. Soone had sent her a ssage.
She quickly picked up her phone.
It was a ssage from Hikari that said, "Got it. Let know if anything happens."
Her fingertips gently brushed over the text Hikari had sent. Even though it was just cold words on a screen, it sohow ward Nanao Akane's heart, giving her a sense of security.
'As expected, whenever it cos to ssages about Coach Togō, Hikari always replies almost instantly.'
'Sure enough, Hikari must be worried about too.'
'Despite being practically strangers, he always shows so much concern for my safety.'
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