Chapter 7: Because I Like You

The one saving grace was that Kotobuki Hikari hadn't blabbed to the whole class about me being the guy in the video.

I don't know if she was being considerate of me, but apparently by yesterday evening they'd all agreed to keep it quiet for now.

Maybe Shuka had said something to help. Though if she was capable of that much forethought, she shouldn't have revealed my identity in the first place.

But that just made it harder to explain why Kotobuki Hikari had glomped onto me first thing this morning while declaring, "You're our hero!"

In the end...

The bell rang right after that incident, and our homeroom teacher arrived before any classmates could interrogate me.

That said, I've been feeling their glances all morning. Some were just curious, but others felt like sharp blades stabbing into me. God, terrifying.

My only option was to bolt for the bathroom the moment homeroom ended, then return at the last second for class before repeating the bathroom dash.

"All right, that concludes homeroom," announced Ms. Naruse, our teacher.

The suit-clad woman had walnut-colored fluffy long hair. Despite her soft appearance, she could be strict when needed—though her underlying kindness made her popular with students.

The moment she dismissed us, I shot up from my chair and made for the door.

But—

Two male students blocked my path. Their athletic builds marked them as sports club members.

If so, I stood no chance.

When I glanced toward the rear classroom door to change escape routes, they instantly reacted.

Worse yet, a third guy joined their defensive formation, thoroughly cutting off all exits. Trapped.

"Hey there, Kirishima."

"Let's have a little chat."

"Give us some face time, yeah?"

Their tone wasn't exactly friendly as the jocks—all bulkier than me—closed in.

With no escape, I had no choice but to comply.

"What did you want to talk about?"

I played dumb, but their expressions only twisted further. Ah, great—looked like they were about to explode.

The tension felt like dealing with a bomb squad.

"Don’t play stupid. We’re talkin’ about you and Hikari-san. The hell’s this ‘hero’ crap, huh?!"

The guy glaring at me had a scowl etched between his brows. His short, light-brown hair gave him a handsome look—completely ruined by his attitude.

Now, what to do?

I didn’t want to tell the truth.This was something I’d rather nobody knew about. I’d already accepted that the Kotobuki sisters knew, but I wanted to avoid it spreading further.

How to dodge this…

"Oh, that? Uh… Well, I just picked up her wallet yesterday. She was just exaggerating, that’s all."

Stammering, I somehow scraped together a plausible excuse.The furrow in the guy’s brow gradually softened, his expression shifting to Oh, is that it?

Good, looks like I might pull this off.

Just as I started to relax—

"That’s not true."

Kotobuki Hikari barged in.The guys’ attention snapped to her.

"He saved my mo—mmph!"

Before she could blurt something disastrous, I clapped a hand over her mouth. She seemed fully ready to spill the unfiltered truth without a second thought. If she did, the fallout would be catastrophic.

"Mmmph!"

She shot me a look like What do you think you’re doing?!But I couldn’t let go now.

"The hell, you lowlife?! Who said you could touch Hikari-san’s mouth?! I’ll kill you, bastard!"

"N-No, I mean—"

Then.

Lick.

Something soft brushed against my palm.

"Wha—?!"

I yanked my hand away in shock.Kotobuki Hikari smirked, looking way too pleased with herself. This girl… She just licked my damn hand!

"Let me explain! Kirishima-kun here—"

"Kotobuki-san! Need to talk to you—now!"

Cutting her off, I grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the classroom.

"Oi, you loner freak! You think you can just take Hikari-san alone somewhere?! The hell’s wrong with you?!"

I decided to ignore the yelling behind me for now.

Omaku High School’s Rooftop is Off-Limits

Like most schools, Omaku High keeps its rooftop locked—probably for all sorts of reasons.

But the landing in front of the rooftop door? Practically deserted. Nobody comes here unless they’re a couple looking for some alone time or a loner wolfing down lunch in peace.

Oh, and of course—it’s also the perfect spot for secret conversations you don’t want overheard.

"Bringing me to such a secluded place… Could it be you’re about to confess your love?"

……Twins.

I turned to face her, still trailing behind me with what looked like hopeful anticipation.

With barely any time left before first period, no one else was around—just as expected.

"Sorry to kill the mood, but I can’t fulfill those expectations."

"Then what did you want to talk about?"

Hikari frowned.

She had to know, right? Or was she just that oblivious?

But standing face-to-face like this, it was impossible to ignore—she really was Yuzuki’s twin.

Where Yuzuki was beautiful, Hikari was cute. Different flavors, but equally well-crafted.

Her semi-long brown hair curled at the ends, soft waves bouncing with every movement. Her slightly childish features only amplified that charm.

Compared to Yuzuki, her frame was slimmer—petite, with a modest chest. Not flat, but next to her sister? Practically nonexistent. Then again, most girls would seem lacking stacked against those monsters. Just how big were they?

"It’s about what happened the other day."

"Oh! About that—thank you so much! Thanks to you, Mom’s safe. I could never repay you enough."

The moment I brought it up, Hikari bowed deeply, her movements so vigorous they screamed athlete.

"Nah, don’t worry about it. Yuzuki already thanked me. That’s enough."

"Kirishima-kun…"

She slowly lifted her head.

Her wide eyes locked onto mine, twin gemstones gleaming under the light.

"...Since when were you and Yuzuki on a first-name basis?"

"It’s just easier than using last names when there are two of you."

"Does that mean you’ll call me Hikari, too?"

"Nah. ‘Kotobuki’ and ‘Yuzuki’ are distinct enough. This was just a one-time thing."

Then—snap—her hand shot up, her expression suddenly dead serious.

"That’s unfair! Sibling inequality!"

"How does that even make sense?"

"Anyway, you have to call me by my first name too!"

"No, like I said—"

I cut myself off mid-sentence.

Frankly, we didn’t have time for this.

In these few minutes, I needed to get Hikari on the same page—to make sure she kept quiet about me being that guy from the incident.

Right now, what she wanted me to call her was the least of my concerns.

"...Fine. I’ll do it. Can we move on now?"

"Of course!"

She beamed, her smile eerily identical to her sister’s.

"Still… why’re you so hung up on how I call you...?"

I muttered it under my breath—not really asking her, just voicing a stray thought.

I didn’t expect an answer.

But then—

"Well… wouldn’t you be happy if someone you liked called you by your name?"

"I mean, sure, in general, maybe? Wait—what do you mean by that?"

When I cautiously pressed, Hikari’s cheeks flushed slightly. She fidgeted, peeking up at me through her lashes.

And then—

"I just… wanted you to say my name. That’s all."