Chapter 139 – Cuckold

Extra chapter

***

Kei Karuizawa reacted swiftly, albeit after a brief moment, and immediately crouched down, burying her face in her knees!

How embarrassing! Why hadn't she thought of sending the information online? Yukio must be mocking her in his mind, calling her a fool, right?

She had memorized the entire class's participation list, avoided taking photos with her phone to not arouse Hirata's suspicion, hastily copied it down to not forget, and then handed it over to Yukio!

Really… Why didn't she just write it in her phone and send it over as a document? Karuizawa was greatly vexed at that moment.

She didn't realize that subconsciously handwriting the participation list was her way of longing to meet Yukio and hand it to him personally.

"Go ahead and laugh if you want!" Karuizawa, perhaps out of resignation or defiance, mumbled something. Could it be self-deprecation or a sense of giving up?

Unexpectedly, Yukio didn't laugh but instead surprised her with a comment: "Pure white, huh? I thought you preferred blue, considering you usually wear blue shirts."

Karuizawa sprung up quickly, pressing down her skirt as she stood, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment and anger, she couldn't help but exclaim, "You, you saw? How could you look…"

"If you shorten your skirt and then squat down so carelessly, it's actually harder not to see." Yukio was just stating the facts.

Cultural differences aside, the pleated school skirts in Japan, which students from his region envied, usually extended to the knees or below.

Yet, girls often shorten their skirts a bit, making themselves appear more playful and appealing.

"But that still doesn't mean you should…" Just as Karuizawa tried to argue further, a girl's voice called out from behind: "Shinohara, look, it's Karuizawa-san. I told you I saw her going into the woods!"

Karuizawa's pupils dilated in shock.

Recognizing the voice as her close friend Sato, with Shinohara being another friend, they were coming this way? Was her betrayal of the class and secret contact with Yukio about to be exposed?

Her heart began to race violently, panic setting in alongside the palpitations, but then Yukio's hand softly grasped hers.

Karuizawa, filled with confusion and anxiety, looked to Yukio. Seeing his concerned gaze, her mind cleared.

Feeling the warmth from Yukio's hand was like a spring breeze blowing open cherry blossoms, calming the turbulent lake in her heart.

Her inner turmoil subsided instantly, her thoughts became clear again, and her will strengthened, dispelling the fear!

Karuizawa quickly rallied her thoughts, urging herself to focus. "Think, think, Kei Karuizawa!" she chanted silently, summoning all her resolve. Reflecting on the hardships she had endured and the rebirth she found through Yukio's support, she recognized how much her life had improved and questioned how she could falter at this moment.

Her eyes gleaming with determination, Karuizawa firmly clasped Yukio's hand, her steadfast grip surprising even him. She turned and loudly responded, "Sato? Is it Sato? I'm here!"

Seconds later, two girls from Class D arrived. Because Yukio was concealed behind a tree and it was dark, they did not notice him, seeing only Karuizawa standing openly.

Attracting all attention, Karuizawa boldly faced them, preemptively challenging, "Why did you come looking for me?"

Sato, embodying the gyaru stereotype with her lively attitude, laughed, "Hehe, just now, Shinohara and I were by the vending machine and saw a boy, probably Hirata-kun, right? He walked into the woods and then you followed."

"We thought we'd follow and see what this class's lovebirds were up to – how romantic, a nighttime date in the woods."

Shinohara gently chided Sato, "I told you not to come, but you insisted on dragging me along to be a third wheel."

Shinohara, astutely anticipating Karuizawa's annoyance at being interrupted, quickly shifted blame away from herself.

"What does it matter? –" Sato and Karuizawa, good friends within Class D, were unconcerned with the intrusion, continuing to scan their surroundings, "Right, where's Hirata-kun? Why isn't he here?"

Yukio had entered the woods earlier, careful to stay unseen by using the shadows, hence the misunderstanding.

Concealed behind the tree, he silently vowed to choose safer methods for future meetings.

Unaware of Yukio's thoughts, Karuizawa decisively addressed their curiosity: "Hirata-kun isn't here. You must be mistaken."

"The boy you saw was likely here for someone else. I was only passing by."

She pondered deeply.

At this moment, she could have easily lied, for example, claiming Hirata was too shy to show himself. Countless excuses could have been quickly concocted.

Yet, to sustain one lie would require another, and as lies multiply, inevitably, they unravel.

And once Sato asks Hirata later, things would become even more complicated!

Despite Hirata's amiable nature, if Karuizawa were to ask him for help, he might kindly oblige to cover for her. However, Karuizawa couldn't be sure of this and certainly couldn't rely entirely on the hope of assistance from a good-natured person.

So, quite straightforwardly, she didn't resort to any excuses.

"For someone else~?" Sato dragged out her words, waving her hand dismissively without a care, "What are you talking about, Karuizawa-san, why is your face still so red? Don't hide it from us, he must be around... Why are you pulling me away?"

"Alright, alright, we've seen enough, let's go!" Shinohara insisted, pulling Sato away without giving her a chance to speak more, dragging her directly out of the scene.

After moving a certain distance away, Shinohara solemnly warned Sato, "Be careful not to anger Karuizawa-san. Haven't you thought about it? With Hirata-kun's character, if he were there, he wouldn't just hide because he's shy. He would definitely come out and greet us!"

"Eh?! What?!" Sato finally understood why Shinohara was in such a hurry to leave, "You mean, that guy wasn't Hirata-kun? It was someone else? And Karuizawa-san also said it wasn't Hirata but another person."

"So, does that mean Hirata has been... cuckold? Karuizawa-san, she... in the woods, with another man at night?!" Sato's voice rose a bit, not in judgement of her good friend but filled with the thrill of gossip.

"Shh!" Shinohara hastened their departure, "Why ask so much and so loudly? Let's go!"

Watching them leave, Karuizawa breathed a sigh of relief and apologetically looked at Yukio, "Next time, I'll try to avoid this kind of situation."

Meanwhile, Karuizawa felt awkward about Sato's loud comment, "Cuckold, cuckold," in the quiet woods. Even from a distance, they could clearly hear it.

Yukio chuckled and shook his head, "Actually, you didn't need to say anything. The woods are big enough; I could have just quietly taken you away."

Karuizawa blinked in confusion, then stared intently at Yukio, looking bewildered, "Then why didn't you say something earlier?"

"I was about to, but you didn't give me a chance," Yukio's voice was filled with amusement, "Just as I thought to quietly leave with you, you grasped my hand and turned stubbornly to answer them. Was there time? But actually, how things turned out isn't too bad."

This was a sincere compliment. Karuizawa, this girl, not to mention anything else, at least in terms of willpower, wasn't as weak as she appeared. She was quite tenacious.

"Not bad? Not bad my foot!" Once the pressure was gone, Karuizawa regretted her actions, holding her head in dismay, "They now think I'm an indecent girl!"

Yukio couldn't help but burst into laughter, finding Karuizawa's bewildered state too amusing.

"Why are you laughing?!" Karuizawa blushed and scolded, feeling a strange sensation in her heart. Why was Yukio laughing so joyfully? Did he, did he actually hope...

Subconsciously, Karuizawa placed her hand over her heart, feeling its flutter. He couldn't possibly hope for Hirata to be "cuckold," could he? Should she… play along?

***

Enjoyed the chapters? Read 20 chapters ahead on Patreon

PATREON.COM/METARLN

400 power stones = 1 extra chapter