"I received an NTR video accompanied by the message, 'Boyfriend, are you watching? lol.' In response, I sent back a clip of me and someone flirting, along with the message, 'Loser, are you watching? lol.'" - Episode 5

A smug-looking guy walked up to Hoshina with a grin on his face.
Then his eyes turned to me—scanning me from head to toe with a mocking smirk.
Judging by his uniform, he was from Ryujin Academy, the notorious school in the area known for its delinquents and troublemakers. No doubt, this guy was one of them.
“Who the hell are you?” he asked.
“We just happened to run into each other,” I replied casually. “I’m one of Kawashima’s classmates.”
Trying to keep things simple, I decided to act like we were mere acquaintances. If he knew Hoshina, odds were high he was a friend of Netori. That spelled trouble I didn’t need.
“A classmate, huh? You really shouldn’t be talking to Netori’s girl.”
“Oh? So, you do know him.”
“Huh?”
“Anyway, sorry to bother you. We’ll get going.”
“I’m headed the same way,” Hoshina said, walking beside me.
Before we could take another step, the guy reached out and grabbed my arm.
“Hold on. We’re not done talking.”
“Haa…”
“So, what are you gonna do? I could just tell Netori about this.”
“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” I said flatly.
He made a small circle with his thumb and forefinger—a universal sign for money. Of course. Blackmail.
I had no intention of paying up, but I needed to think fast.
“Hey, don’t ignore me!”
“Oh, my bad,” I replied without much effort. “But if you keep harassing us, I might have to tell Netori you were hitting on his girl.”
“Wait, what…?”
The guy—Imamura, apparently—flinched at Hoshina’s icy words. Clearly, Netori’s name held power, and this guy didn’t want to test his luck.
“You good now?” Hoshina asked.
“I-I got it. Go on.”
Imamura stepped back, scowling, as we left. The way he glared at me told me this wasn’t over.
“Sorry you got dragged into that,” Hoshina said as we walked toward the station. “But I think it’s settled now.”
“I hope so.”
Still, I had my doubts.
“Maybe we should part ways for today,” I suggested.
“Why?”
“I just think it might be better.”
“You think that guy will come after you?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. You’re probably safe, but I don’t think he’s done with me yet.”
“…That’s not good.”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. If you try to intervene, he’ll just run to Netori. And then I’m definitely screwed.”
Hoshina fell silent. She looked uneasy.
“I’ll handle it,” I assured her. “You just head home and don’t worry about it.”
“How are you going to deal with it?”
“Honestly? I’m thinking I’ll leave it up to fate.”
She scowled at that.
“I do have someone in mind who might help, though.”
“You have friends?”
“That’s what surprises me the most,” I laughed. “He’s not exactly a friend, but someone I can count on.”
“…I see.”
“Tomorrow’s a holiday. Let’s go somewhere far from Netori’s turf. Somewhere we can relax.”
“Let me know right away if anything happens.”
“Will do.”
After walking her to the station, I turned down a different road.
I didn’t think anything would happen today, but—
“There he is!”
“…Tch.”
Imamura was back—with four goons in tow.
Guess I was wrong. Trouble found me anyway.
They started chasing me, yelling threats.
“Stop right there! I’ll kill you!”
I didn’t respond. Just kept walking faster.
“Wait up! I said stop!”
Out of breath already? They must not get much exercise.
Watching them struggle to keep up was almost laughable.
Eventually, I slowed down just enough for them to think they were catching up—then stopped in front of a small police box.
They froze when they realized where I’d led them.
“Officer,” I called out, “these guys are threatening me.”
The three police officers inside looked up.
“What’s going on here?” one of them asked.
“They chased me here yelling threats. Said they’d kill me.”
“No, wait! That was just a joke!” Imamura stammered.
“So, you did say that?” the officer pressed.
“I mean, I did, but…”
“I was scared. I thought I was going to be killed. I ran almost a kilometer.”
The officers looked serious. Imamura and his crew were visibly panicking.
We were all asked to step inside to answer some questions.
When the officer’s attention drifted, I leaned toward Imamura.
“Just so you know… if you mess with me again, I’ll go to the cops every time.”
“That’s… cowardly.”
“Oh? And what do you call ganging up on one guy with five people? Listen—Kawashima and I have nothing to do with your drama. Leave us out of it. Got it?”
Imamura stayed silent; his jaw tight.
“If you push this further, I have ways of exposing every dirty thing you’ve done. You could get expelled.”
“W-what? How…?”
“Don’t test me. And don’t breathe a word of this to Netori. Or you’ll regret it.”
“…Fine. I won’t say anything. I promise.”
Bluff or not, it worked. These guys weren’t as tough as they acted.
Putting on a victim’s face, I turned to the officers and began to answer their questions, playing the part of a frightened student to perfection.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
The next day.
We agreed to meet in the afternoon, somewhere far from our usual hangouts.
It was sunny and clear. A perfect day.
I waited near the station.
“Yujiro!”
Hoshina spotted me and jogged over.
She wore off-the-shoulder clothes, short shorts, and heels—very stylish, almost like a model. The black gloves added a surprisingly elegant touch.
“She’s cute.”
“No… she’s stunning.”
Other guys at the station stopped to stare as she passed by.
“So? What happened yesterday? Did they come after you?”
“Hmm? Oh, it all got resolved peacefully.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
She let out a breath she’d been holding. Guess she was genuinely worried.
“Did that friend of yours help?”
“Yeah. A true hero. Someone you can count on when it really matters.”
“Wow. I didn’t think people like that actually existed.”
“Well, I got lucky this time.”
“Where are we headed today?” she asked, grinning. “Doesn’t seem like it’s for gaming.”
She turned and started walking, beckoning me to follow.
“There’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit.”
I smiled and followed her.
Wherever she wanted to go, I was happy to tag along.
And for some reason, just being with her like this made me a little excited.
I couldn’t wait to see where this day would take us.