Apologizing online could co across as insincere.
Therefore, Shouya proposed eting Akane in person to offer a heartfelt apology.
The chosen location for the apology was the baseball club's equipnt storage room.
That's why Akane, after classes ended, was now walking alone toward the baseball club.
Standing before the storage room, she looked into the slightly dim interior, where sunlight barely penetrated, and hesitated.
"Why do I have this vague bad feeling? Maybe I should send a ssage to Hikari-kun? No… I shouldn't bother him unnecessarily."
"Katase-kun used to be a really good person; otherwise, I wouldn't have been inspired by him to join the baseball club."
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid because I've been so scared of Coach Togo lately."
"If Katase-kun plans to apologize and promises not to associate with Coach Togo anymore, I should give him one last chance."
Putting her phone back in her pocket, Akane stepped into the storage room.
As soon as she entered, she saw Shouya sitting on a chair, waiting for her.
Upon seeing her, Shouya imdiately stood up with a bright smile and walked over, holding two lunchboxes in his hands.
He quickly approached her and cheerfully said, "Akane, you're here!"
"I've already bought lunch to apologize properly."
"Here, you must be hungry, right? Let's eat first, and then I'll make a serious apology."
"And I can promise and swear to do everything exactly as you say."
Seeing how suddenly enthusiastic Shouya was, after their fallout earlier in the day, Akane felt slightly uneasy. She replied, "I'm not really that hungry. Katase-kun, didn't you call here to apologize and make a promise? Why don't we skip the al for now?"
Shouya's expression stiffened briefly, but he quickly resud his eager smile. "Akane, we haven't eaten together in ages, have we?"
"I've been waiting for so long that I'm starving."
"Let's eat first, and then I'll imdiately apologize and swear my promises to you."
He enthusiastically and insistently pushed one of the lunchboxes into her hands.
Helplessly, Akane accepted it and thought it wouldn't hurt to eat first since he insisted so much.
While opening the lunchbox, she casually asked, "Katase-kun, are you sure you'll stop associating with Coach Togo?"
Shouya's smile faltered for a mont but quickly returned as he nodded. "Yes, I believe in you, Akane. I'll listen to you and won't interact with Coach Togo anymore."
Then he urged her, "Hurry up and eat before it gets cold."
Akane didn't think much of it, took out the chopsticks, and sat down to eat.
But after a few bites, she suddenly frowned and spat the food out.
Putting down her chopsticks, she asked with a grimace, "Why does the food taste so bitter today?"
Turning to Shouya, she asked, "Katase-kun, where did you buy this from? Did it go bad? The taste is weird, and it's bitter."
Hearing her, Shouya forced a smile and said, "Akane, have you caught a cold recently? Maybe your taste buds are off. It tastes fine to . Try another bite or maybe drink so soup."
As he spoke, Shouya picked up her lunchbox and tried to forcibly feed her a spoonful.
Seeing his strange behavior, Akane finally realized sothing was wrong.
She smacked the spoon away, knocking the lunchbox to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere.
Frowning, she asked angrily, "Katase-kun, you're acting so differently today. Are you hiding sothing from ?"
"And why are you so insistent on eating? The food doesn't taste good, and I'm full. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Akane started feeling the unsettling atmosphere in the room.
Initially, she hadn't noticed anything amiss, but she recalled Hikari warning her multiple tis about being cautious not only around Coach Togo but also with Shouya, especially in places like the baseball club's vicinity.
At this mont, everything felt off—the storage room's atmosphere and Shouya's behavior.
She stood up, intending to leave.
But just as she turned, a figure blocked her path.
It was none other than Shouya.
To her shock, he laughed loudly and angrily shouted, "Akane, do you know how much that al you wasted just now cost?"
"The happiness powder in it was worth an entire month of my allowance. And you just threw it away like that?"
"Happiness powder? You drugged the food you gave ?"
Akane froze in disbelief, anger welling up inside her like a storm.
"Why would you do that, Shouya?" she demanded, her voice filled with rage and disappointnt.
Shouya coldly chuckled. "Why? Akane, isn't it obvious?"
"I drugged you to make you mine—to steal you away from Hikari."
"Coach Togo said to today that your heart has already been deceived by Hikari. I thought that if I could take control of your body, you'd fall for again and leave that guy, Hikari."
Upon hearing this, Akane felt a buzzing in her head.
Shouya really did drug her, all to seduce her—and it was even Coach Togo's suggestion.
What's worse, Shouya actually believed it, took it to heart, and acted on it with her.
At that mont, Akane felt a profound sadness and a complete loss of hope for Shouya.
She looked at Shouya, whose face was now twisted and contorted from his intense emotions.
Looking at this boy who was once familiar yet now a stranger, Akane roared, "The person who made a promise with was you, not anyone else."
"Why won't you believe my words, but you believe that coach Togo instead?"
"You even followed his advice and tried to drug . Do you think this is the right thing to do?"
"How could you do this to , Shouya? I hate you!"
Upon hearing Akane's words, Shouya wasn't angry. Instead, he laughed and said, "Akane, the coach was absolutely right. You really do hate now."
"But it doesn't matter. The coach also said that as long as I take your body, you won't hate anymore."
"This is the wisdom of a mature adult. The coach said this is how the adult world works."
'Oh my God!!!'
Hearing Shouya's words, Akane's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Looking at the once-familiar, yet now incredibly unfamiliar Shouya, Akane's emotions were a whirlwind—shock, disbelief, anger, fury, disappointnt…
Akane suddenly realized just how detestable Shouya had beco—so much so that he made her feel nauseated and disgusted.
Suppressing her urge to retch, Akane coldly said to Shouya, "Shouya, for the sake of us knowing each other, I'll warn you one last ti."
"Coach Togo is not a good person; he's been deceiving you."
"Just a few days ago, right here in this warehouse, he tried to use our relationship to blackmail and assault . It was Hikari-kun who saved . That's why I walked back to class with him that day."
Shouya completely ignored Akane's words. Shaking his head with a smile, he said, "At this point, Akane, you're still lying to ."
"Forget it. No more words. Let's do sothing that a real man should do."
With that, Shouya began slowly removing his pants, revealing striped underwear underneath.
Akane, who was about to leave, froze in shock as she saw what Shouya was doing in front of her. Her expression drastically changed. "Shouya, what are you trying to do?"
Hearing her question, Shouya smiled and replied, "What I want, of course, is for us to beco one, inseparable."
"We love each other so much. We even promised to always be together. You wouldn't want to reject , right?"
Akane was horrified and shouted, "When did I ever make such a promise with you? Stop making things up."
"And Shouya, are you trying to force yourself on ? That's a cri. How could you turn into soone like this?"
Facing Akane's scolding, Shouya shook his head and smiled. "Everything I'm doing is because I love you, Akane."
In Shouya's mind, what he was doing wasn't considered assault at all.
In his eyes, he and Akane had always been mutually attracted and in love.
Her current rejection of him wasn't real; it was just her being temporarily misled. As long as he took her body, she would return to normal.
However, just as Shouya removed his pants and was about to take off his underwear—
A voice suddenly ca from nearby.
"Katase-kun, Manager Nanami wasn't lying to you."
Hearing this, Shouya instinctively turned around.
However, before he could see clearly, a heavy baseball bat swung toward him, accompanied by the whooshing sound of wind, striking his head fiercely.
Bang!
Shouya was hit hard on the head by the baseball bat and fell to the ground.
"Togo... Coach Togo?"
Seeing the burly figure suddenly appear, Akane cried out in surprise.
And Shouya, lying on the ground, was equally stunned.
Clutching his throbbing head, Shouya stared in disbelief at the person who had just bashed him—a man he deeply respected: Coach Togo. He was utterly dumbfounded.
Shouya tried to get up from the ground.
But he found himself unable to move.
Enduring the sharp pain, he asked in confusion, "Coach... Coach Togo, what's going on? Why... why did you hit ?"
Holding his head, now pounding with pain, Shouya couldn't make sense of the situation.
Coach Togo casually kicked Shouya, listening to his cries of pain, and laughed.
"Didn't I just say? Manager Nanami was telling you the truth."
"Several days ago, I did try to blackmail and assault her here in this warehouse."
"Unfortunately, that brat Hikari stopped ."
"Luckily, you used your apology as an excuse to lure Manager Nanami, who's been avoiding these past few days, back here today."
"Now, I can finally get what I want, and it's all thanks to your help, Shouya."
"Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Shouya, already in agony from the baseball bat blow, felt his headache worsen.
It turned out Akane had been truthful all along.
She hadn't lied or deceived him even once.
It turned out Coach Togo hadn't valued his talent at all. It wasn't out of admiration for his potential that he kept him on the baseball team. It was because of Akane.
It was because Coach Togo had been lusting after Akane and was only pretending to help him cover this up.
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