Nakamura Hikari had just finished dressing, but the sweat pouring from his body soaked through his clothes again.
Sighing, he decided to take a quick shower. After drying off and getting ready, he said goodbye to Tsubakihara Mira and left the house.
———
Mira, fresh out of the shower herself, held Hikari's dirty clothes in her hands. Breathing in the masculine scent, she watched his broad back as he walked away.
"It's been so long, little Hikari has grown so much… he's already a mature man," Mira murmured, her tongue unconsciously grazing her lips.
———
As soon as Nakamura Hikari stepped outside, a soft voice called out to him.
"Hikari-kun..."
Looking up, Hikari spotted a stunning purple-haired girl in a school uniform waving to him under the sun. She was around seventeen or eighteen, her figure slender yet curvy, with a pair of... well, let's just say her uniform could barely contain the assets she possessed.
Her chest bounced jovially as she waved, a sight that could leave most guys speechless.
Meeting a beautiful girl like this right outside your door would be a dream come true for most people. But for Hikari, it didn't seem to lift his spirits at all.
He glanced at her waist-length purple hair, ruby-red eyes, and a body that didn't quite match her age. He couldn't help but sigh.
"Natsuha..."
———
Standing before him was Shinomiya Natsuha, a top-tier beauty with the face of a youthful girl and a body that could rival models. Watching the movement of her assets as she waved, Nakamura Hikari's expression remained unreadable.
Maybe it was because of his memories from his past life.
"I don't go by Lei Hong anymore. My surname is Lei... wait, never mind, Hikari-kun is fine," he said, trailing off as though he had something else to say but decided against it.
"Eh?" Natsuka tilted her head, a confused look crossing her delicate face. With her high level of beauty, even this expression was incredibly cute, but it still didn't seem to stir anything in Hikari.
'Maybe it's because I remember too much from her past life... it's like looking at a cow...'
Pushing that impolite thought aside, Hikari forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. Sorry to keep you waiting, Shinomiya-san. It's getting late, we should head to school."
"Yes, Hikari-kun!"
Natsuha slung her bag over her shoulder, her uniform outlining her curves perfectly as she smiled politely at Hikari.
Without saying more, Hikari turned and began walking ahead. For reasons only he knew, he had been walking to school with Shinomiya Natsuha recently, but truth be told, he wasn't all that interested in her.
"Hikari-kun~! Slow down a bit, I can't keep up with you~!" she called, her voice sweet and almost teasing. But all she got in return was Hikari's steadily retreating back.
As she watched him walk away without even a glance, Natsuha could only shift her bag to her other shoulder, letting her smile fade as she struggled to keep pace with him.
Natsuha found herself studying Hikari's broad back. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but the more she stared, the more she noticed how solid and strong he seemed. It frustrated her.
It had been a week since they started walking together, and she still couldn't figure him out. He didn't seem interested in her at all, and even when he did look at her, there was something... strange in his eyes.
She wasn't being conceited. Natsuha knew she was attractive. Men had been staring at her since she was young, and after her body's rapid development during puberty, the attention only increased. In middle school, boys confessed to her on a weekly basis.
She had always maintained her distance, being the strict disciplinary committee member, and even though she had a childhood sweetheart, she hadn't gotten close to anyone else. If it weren't for her serious nature, she could have dated enough guys to fill an entire soccer team by now.
Even though she had never been physically intimate with anyone, not even her childhood sweetheart, her charm was undeniable. She had even flirted with Hikari a few times to test his reactions, something she had never done with anyone else.
But for some reason, none of her tricks worked on Hikari. In fact, the way he looked at her was more unsettling than the lewd gazes she often received. His stare felt as if he was looking at... livestock in a pen.
'No... I am just imagining it. Humph...'
Shizunomiya Natsuka shook her head.
But it wasn't just her imagination. Hikari's gaze truly did make her uncomfortable, and it frustrated her to no end that she couldn't break through his indifference. Her usual techniques—smiles, light teasing—had no effect.
She didn't know that Hikari wasn't walking with her out of any personal interest. He was doing this because of someone else.
That someone was Yamano Yuuta, a friend of Hikari's from the countryside and also Natsuha's childhood sweetheart. Yuta had been held back a year and was still in middle school, so he had asked Hikari to watch over Natsuha while they were separated.
Yuuta was worried that Natsuha, being as beautiful as she was, would attract unwanted attention in high school. There were already rumors that Masaru Oga, the infamous "Shark" from middle school, was attending the same high school as Natsuha. That only made things worse.
Hikari agreed to Yuuta's request—not because of any deep bond with Yuuta, but for another reason altogether.
That reason was Masaru Oga, the so-called "Shark."
Hikari remembered him all too well. As someone with both the Pure Love Battle God System and a firm belief in pure love, the one thing Hikari couldn't stand were those blond playboys, or "bulls."
And the system rewarded him handsomely for putting such characters in their place. It was the perfect way for Hikari to strengthen himself and protect the people he cared about in this chaotic world.
As he walked, Hikari glanced around cautiously, then shot a brief look at Natsuha.
Her? She was just bait.
Natsuha, still trying to engage Hikari in conversation, suddenly faltered. She had caught a glimpse of something different in his eyes when he looked at her just now—a kind of heat.
But it wasn't the kind of fire she wanted. It was the look of a hunter, frustrated that his prey hadn't fallen into his trap.
Her spine tingled, and her legs felt a little weak. How could that be? She had trained in Aikido.
Natsuka couldn't make sense of it.
If this had been back in middle school, when she was the righteous and dutiful disciplinary officer, she might not have been affected. But after moving to a new city and living on her own, she had indulged in more than a few... extracurricular activities. Movies, manga, novels—she had seen it all.
Though her body remained pure, her mind... had shifted in ways she hadn't even realized.
"Wha-what's wrong?" she asked, trying to sound calm, masking her earlier hesitation.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering—did Oga really harass you before?" Hikari replied nonchalantly.
"Of course he did. Why would I joke about something like that?" Natsuha answered, her tone a bit more serious.
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