Chapter 318: Nine Times! It's My Win!
Slap!
Hachiman brought his palm down hard on the lump in the duvet.
A muffled cry of surprise came from underneath, but surprisingly, even then, Kamuro Masumi refused to show her face, choosing to be stubborn to the bitter end.
"I say, Masumi, how long do you plan on playing dead?"
Hachiman couldn't help but reach out to tug at the blanket, only to find her gripping it with all her might.
Her voice came out sounding panicked and embarrassed: "W-wait! Don't... you can't!"
Hachiman didn't let go: "What do you mean 'don't' and 'can't'? This is my room, my bed, and my blanket!"
"No... really, it's no good... Onegai!"
Kamuro Masumi pleaded humbly for mercy.
To break through her psychological trauma, Hachiman decided to take a forceful approach.
"Come out!"
With a sudden, powerful yank, Hachiman forcibly tore the blanket away.
However, what met his eyes was a delicate, bashful girl with skin as white as snow, wearing nothing but her bra and panties.
Bathed in a "holy light," the details were indescribable.
"!!!"
Hachiman's pupils shook with shock; he stood frozen in place for a moment.
"Kyaaa!"
Masumi grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him with all her strength: "Y-you're still looking!"
"Turn around, quickly!"
She scrambled to grab the duvet to cover her body.
"Uh, sorry..."
Hachiman instinctively apologized and turned around. Then, reacting, he immediately complained: "Wait! Why did you come to my room and take your clothes off anyway?"
"..."
"Masumi, do you want to do 'lewd things' with me?"
Hachiman felt a surge of heat, his throat going dry with excitement. The dazzling sight of her body right before his eyes—he doubted any man on earth wouldn't be moved.
"What are you saying?
T-that's not it at all...!"
Masumi, her face flushing crimson, explained herself: "The reason I came to your room was because I didn't want people from the class coming to my room to find me.
As for my current state, it's mostly because my head was a mess, and I wanted to take a shower to clear my mind.
Originally, I just wanted to borrow your bed for a nap. I was going to leave when classes were over.
Who knew a guy like you would skip class and come back to the dorm? You're such a reckless person!"
Masumi hid part of her true feelings—that when she felt extremely insecure, lying in Hachiman's bed and smelling his lingering scent in the covers made her feel... safe.
There was no way she could say something that embarrassing out loud!!!
"You, an honor student from Class A, skipped class too. You have some nerve lecturing me," Hachiman said, looking speechless.
"A honor student...?
My grades are at the bottom of Class A, and I'm just a bad girl who steals things."
Masumi spoke with a self-deprecating, dim look in her eyes.
"Yeah, and you're good at stealing men, too," Hachiman teased.
"What did you say?!"
Masumi was so angry she almost jumped up to strangle him. But with that movement, the blanket slipped again, revealing an infinite spring scenery.
Startled, she quickly shrunk back into the covers.
"How about you come out and put your clothes on first?"
Hachiman waved his hand and closed his eyes symbolically.
"Hmph! Why should I listen to you?"
Masumi looked genuinely upset.
"Fine, don't listen. Just stay naked then."
"Pervert!"
"Hey, are you going to be reasonable or not?"
"Mind your own business!"
Masumi's face turned cold, putting up a wall to keep him away. Hachiman could tell she didn't want him getting involved in her trouble.
Fine. Hachiman truly hated trouble. But for some trouble, he would proactively move closer. Who told him to have such a twisted personality?
"Masumi, don't worry.
I'll take care of it for you."
Hachiman gave a solemn guarantee.
"Who asked you to help me?
What are you to me anyway?
Always helping me on your own whim..."
Masumi lowered her eyes.
"Masumi!"
Hachiman grabbed her shoulders firmly with both hands, his expression incredibly serious. "You are the first real friend I made since coming to this school."
Back then, Masumi had entered her number into his phone herself, becoming the first person in his contact list. For Hachiman, aside from his sister, she was the first girl's contact information he had ever received.
Therefore, she held a very important place in his heart.
"..."
Masumi looked up, her eyes moist as she gazed at him.
"Trust me!
No matter what happens, I will protect you!" Hachiman promised solemnly.
"Mmh~ I believe you, Hachiman."
Masumi suddenly broke into a smile through her tears. Masumi, usually so cold, rarely smiled. Seeing her smile now pierced Hachiman's heart!
"Isn't this nice? Smile more.
Don't keep a straight face all day...
Though that cold gaze is one of Masumi's 'moe' points."
Hachiman smiled slightly.
"You're one to talk...
With that gloomy face, you look like a final boss!"
Masumi rolled her eyes at him. The two shared a smile; the atmosphere was perfect.
But as they were talking, Masumi suddenly threw off the duvet and jumped down from the bed.
"Ah?! Wait... at least give me a heads-up!"
Hachiman instinctively covered his eyes with his hand.
"Che~ if you're going to pretend, please close the gaps between your fingers first, okay?"
Bathed in "holy light," Masumi walked past Hachiman without any hesitation.
Cough, cough!
"As they say, form is emptiness, emptiness is form...
As long as my heart is upright, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Hachiman said, righteously justifying himself.
"Sophistry. This is how you coax all those other girls, isn't it?"
Masumi walked to the entryway and reached out to lock the door.
"???"
Hachiman asked, confused: "Masumi, why are you locking the door?"
"Nothing, just a precaution."
Masumi spoke nonchalantly as she unplugged the doorbell chime inside the room.
"By the way, turn off your phone too."
"You... what are you planning to do?"
Hachiman's face paled, and he suddenly had a bad premonition.
"Exactly what you're thinking in your head."
Tossing her turned-off phone onto the sofa, Masumi walked toward him step by step.
"No... I wasn't thinking about anything!"
Hachiman looked righteous.
"Stubborn. But your 'T-Rex' is also very hard."
Masumi's gaze shifted downward, and the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Masumi! I suggest you calm down!
This kind of thing is still too early for us!"
Hachiman retreated, trying to dissuade her.
"Don't worry, I'm very calm.
My current actions aren't a result of an impulsive whim."
Masumi drew closer, staring intensely into his eyes. Her red lips parted as she spoke each word solemnly: "Hachiman Hikigaya, I like you!"
No hesitation, no beating around the bush—a simple, concise "straight-ball" confession!
"..." Hachiman's mouth hung open; his brain had gone into a complete lockdown.
"You don't have to give me an answer so quickly.
Hachiman, I know you're amazing, and there are many girls more cute than me around you."
Masumi cupped his face with both hands, her eyes filled with deep affection.
"Everyone is right, I'm just a petty thief with a bad personality!
Stealing is my hobby.
Now, I'm going to steal what's in here."
Masumi used one finger to trace a circle over Hachiman's heart.
"... I haven't yet confirmed my 'Genuine Thing'..."
Hachiman gritted his teeth, attempting one final resistance.
"I don't understand what you mean by 'Genuine Thing'~"
Masumi learned to play dumb and took further close-contact action.
"Stop!"
Hachiman originally wanted to stop her righteously.
Unexpectedly, Masumi used judo—a palm strike to the gut followed by a leg trip. A successful sneak attack sent Hachiman falling to the floor.
"Aah! So annoying!! Just shut up and accept it!!!"
The profound martial arts practice between the two lasted the entire afternoon.
During that time, it seemed someone had come to visit. However, since the doorbell had been turned off, their martial combat was not interrupted by any external interference.
The battle lasted for several hours.
In truth, aside from the first hour where Masumi took the lead with an aggressive "face-riding" output, she became increasingly exhausted. But she refused to admit defeat, pushing herself to fight to the bitter end!
Even after the front gate was lost, Masumi continued to struggle with every limb. When her limbs were exhausted, she still remained stubborn in speech. Hachiman had no choice but to continue cooperating with her.
"..."
"It... it's my win..."
Masumi didn't even have the strength to speak clearly.
"Who are you even competing with?"
Hachiman couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Even with his stamina, several rounds of high-intensity martial arts practice had inevitably drained his internal energy.
With unsteady steps, Hachiman took two cans of Max Coffee from the fridge.
"Masumi, do you want some?"
Burp—
Masumi let out a long, rude, and satisfied burp, then gave him a sharp glare.
"..."
Hachiman explained awkwardly: "But compared to the bloody battle after the front gate fell, I think shifting the 'output point' was the correct tactical plan."
Masumi truly didn't have the energy to complain.
Hachiman downed two cans of Max Coffee in one go, finally recovering a bit of energy, but he was still very hungry.
"Masumi, let's go out to eat... though it looks like you can't even stand up."
Hachiman covered his face in self-shame. He cleaned himself up briefly, changed into clean clothes, and headed out.
At 8:30 PM, the school cafeteria was already closed. However, there were still restaurants open around Keyaki Mall.
Hachiman walked into a yakiniku restaurant and spent 10,000 points on a super-deluxe set. After finishing it alone, he packed another portion to take back to Masumi.
"Right, I almost forgot about the clean-up."
Hachiman turned and went to a pharmacy. Under the pharmacist's surprised gaze, he purchased emergency hormonal adjustment medicine. Every medicine has its side effects;
Hachiman silently warned himself to exercise as much control as possible in the future regarding timing and "launch windows."
There was one more piece of business. After a moment of thought, Hachiman decided to seek help from Chabashira-sensei.
"Hikigaya, calling me out at this hour... is there something wrong?"
Chabashira Sae was wearing loungewear, a rare sight without her professional suit. Her long, smooth legs were bare without stockings, making her look less like a stern teacher and more like a gentle "big sister" next door.
However, for the current Hachiman, he didn't have even a shred of interest.
"It's like this, Chabashira-sensei.
Could you help me take this out?"
Hachiman pointed at the beer on the shelf.
"You're going to drink? No! That's prohibited by law!"
Chabashira-sensei was startled for a moment, then immediately refused.
"No, I don't want to drink. I'm just asking you to bring it to me."
Hachiman restated his position.
"Hmph~ no matter how you look at it, that sounds like an excuse from a rebellious teenager."
Chabashira-sensei gave him a deep look. Hachiman didn't flinch, meeting her eyes squarely.
"Are you planning to use this beer... for something?"
Chabashira-sensei's eyes flickered. Thinking of the recently buzzing rumors regarding Kamuro Masumi's theft incident, she quickly understood what he wanted to do.
In the past, out of her obsession with reaching Class A, she might have seen this as a good opportunity to attack Class A. However, she no longer had such thoughts. Now, she only wanted to be an ordinary teacher, guiding her students toward healthy physical and mental growth.
"Fine, do what you want to do."
Chabashira-sensei didn't pry into the details, choosing to trust Hachiman.
A moment later, Chabashira-sensei emerged from the convenience store with a bag of beer.
Hachiman didn't take it immediately: "Go to the lakeside; there's a blind spot for the security cameras there."
"You're as cautious as ever."
Chabashira-sensei understood immediately. This was to prevent the cameras from capturing a shot of "Chabashira-sensei buying beer for a student."
"Anyway, don't make too big a mess... Handle the proportions yourself."
After placing the beer on the ground, Chabashira-sensei turned and left. Hachiman didn't leave immediately, waiting in place for a while.
Only then did he pick up the beer. He deliberately took a walk around the campus, exposing himself to the security cameras. Having completed everything, Hachiman returned to his dorm room with satisfaction.
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