SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO WILLIAM KERNS, WITHOUT WHOM I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS MISSING CHAPTER SO SOON.
ALSO, MY SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO HIM SUBSCRIBING TO THE HIGHEST TIER ON MY PATR3ON!!!
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Chapter 325: A Scumbag Who Eats What's in His Bowl and Still Looks at What's in the Pot
Observing the flustered Aoyama Nanami, Hozuki Nozomi couldn't help but find her reaction endearing.
"Nanami, aren't you curious about anything? Don't you have questions you want to ask me?"
Aoyama Nanami shrunk her shoulders slightly, stole a fleeting, shy glance at him, then quickly looked away, focusing intently on the Torajiro plushie in her arms. "I don't want to ask. Knowing too much can be dangerous."
"Uh… alright then. I'll tell you whenever you're ready to ask," he conceded without pressure. "For now, you should rest well. I want to see a healthy, energetic little Nanami tomorrow." He paused at the doorway, adding with a gentle smile, "And for the record, in my eyes, Nanami is plenty cute too."
With that, he turned and left, closing the door softly behind him.
Aoyama Nanami stared blankly at the closed door for a long moment before a delayed squeak escaped her lips. He… he said I was cute?! Did he hear me talking to myself earlier?
A wave of scorching embarrassment washed over her. With a muffled groan, she yanked the covers over her head, burying her burning face in the pillows. The girl's heart fluttered chaotically beneath her ribs.
Exiting Nanami's room, Hozuki Nozomi almost collided with Yusa Emi, who had been waiting in the hallway. The red-haired girl straightened her posture and offered him a deep, formal bow, her eyes filled with sincere determination.
"Hozuki Nozomi-san, thank you for saving both me and Nanami today."
"It was nothing, really. No need for such formality," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "You're both residents of Sakura Dormitory. Ensuring your safety is part of my responsibility. Besides, if you hadn't trusted my instructions, you wouldn't have escaped. In a way, you saved yourselves."
Yusa Emi, however, remained firm. "Regardless, a debt is a debt. I, Amelia Justina, will repay this kindness. If there is ever anything you require in the future, please do not hesitate to ask!"
She then immediately appended, with a hint of defensive pink touching her cheeks, "Of course, that excludes anything involving my… chastity! So don't get any strange ideas!"
Hozuki Nozomi raised an eyebrow, a look of mock hurt crossing his features. "What kind of image do I have in your mind?"
Yusa Emi rolled her eyes, the gesture surprisingly human and familiar. "Hozuki Nozomi-san is capable and reliable in many ways. The only flaw is being an incorrigible playboy. So please, keep your… ambitions in check where I'm concerned. I have a Demon King to defeat. I absolutely will not be joining your… your collection!" She had, on several late-night trips to the kitchen, heard unmistakable, blush-inducing sounds emanating from behind certain closed doors.
Listening to her staunch declaration, Hozuki Nozomi merely gave a calm, noncommittal wave. "Don't worry. I have no such intentions regarding you for now." He emphasized the last two words ever so slightly. "If that's all, you should get some rest too. You've had a long day."
He then turned and walked toward his own room, leaving her standing in the hallway.
Yusa Emi let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Good, he promised. My virtue is safe… for now. Wait a minute!" Her brain finally processed his specific phrasing. "He said 'for now'?!"
Her heart gave an involuntary, anxious thump. 'For now' implied a future possibility. A fresh wave of nervous tension coiled in her stomach.
…
Back in the sanctuary of his own room, a faint, knowing smile played on Hozuki Nozomi's lips. Amelia Justina, the silver-haired Valkyrie, was undoubtedly a stunning beauty. And she was a Hero. Such a unique combination was hardly something he could simply overlook.
Therefore, he wouldn't act on those thoughts for now.
The same applied to Nanami. Honestly, today had presented a perfect opportunity. Fresh from saving her, if he had asked for a hug or even a kiss as a token of gratitude, a good-natured girl like her, steeped in the concept of repaying kindness, might very well have agreed through gritted teeth.
However, his schedule was packed. Tomorrow, he was committed to helping out—and working a part-time shift—with Miura Yumiko and the others at Tamura Manami's family shop. In the evening, he had the pivotal engagement banquet, his formal debut before the gathered elite families. Being newly engaged, it was only right to devote proper attention to Yukino and Haruno. If he was neglectful, the Yukinoshita sisters would certainly be displeased. Mastering the art of time management was a continuous challenge.
Taking off his jacket, he was about to head for a shower when he felt an unfamiliar object in his pocket amidst the usual clutter of tissues and loose change. He pulled it out.
It was a simple, finely braided red cord—an enmusubi, a love-tie charm, the kind commonly sold at shrines for luck in relationships. A small paper tag indicated it was from 'Miyamizu Shrine'.
The question was, how had it gotten into his pocket?
[Ding! Obtained a Key Item. Congratulations, Player, for triggering the special quest: The Inheritance of Miyamizu Shrine.]
[The quest will progress gradually. Player, please conduct your own research.]
"Miyamizu Shrine? Why does that sound familiar?" Nozomi mused, turning the cord over in his fingers. It felt ordinary, yet it carried a faint, elusive resonance.
He decided to table the mystery for later. After his shower, he carefully placed the red cord in a drawer, planning to investigate it properly after the engagement festivities. His instincts told him the follow-up quest would likely only activate if he wore it.
Freshly showered and back in his room, a sense of restlessness settled over him. Picking up his phone, he decided to tease a certain blonde tsundere.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura hadn't sent him a single message since he'd kissed her and sent her home last time. She was probably stewing in a delicious mixture of confusion, irritation, and flustered memory.
Hozuki Nozomi: Eriri, are you asleep?
Ten minutes passed before a reply dinged.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: I'm asleep!
Hozuki Nozomi: Asleep? Who goes to bed this early? And who's texting me then? It can't be your mom, Sawamura-san, can it?
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Stop talking nonsense! I'm going to sleep anyway, so don't bother me! Don't you have an engagement tomorrow? Hmph, go bother Yukinoshita-san!
Hozuki Nozomi: I feel like bothering you first.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Pervert. I don't want to talk to you.
Hozuki Nozomi: If you say that, my lips and hands are starting to get a little restless, you know.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Y-You pervert! What… what are you planning to do now?!
Hozuki Nozomi: Eriri, do you believe I can come to your house right now and carry out a late-night 'raid'?
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Don't mess around! Don't you dare come!
Hozuki Nozomi: Then say something nice to me, and I'll consider listening to you.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: ...
Hozuki Nozomi: No response? Alright then. Wait for me. Remember to leave your window unlocked.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: No! You horrible guy, I'm begging you, don't come!
Hozuki Nozomi: Am I that讨厌d by you? I've been thinking about you, but Eriri doesn't even want me to visit.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: I'm drawing the manga you've been looking forward to! You should be happy about that, you big pervert!
Hozuki Nozomi: Oh? I'm a bit surprised. You're actually drawing it according to my… specific requests?
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Hmph! I'm planning to give the finished manga to Yukinoshita-san as an engagement gift! How do you like that? Scared now?
Hozuki Nozomi: That's quite ruthless. But shouldn't you be the one who's scared? What if Yukino thinks the artist is… improper and decides to expose your secret identity? What will you do then?
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: …Please pretend I never said that.
Hozuki Nozomi: Eriri is so cute. Come, give me a kiss.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: Ugh! You're so corny! So greasy!
Hozuki Nozomi: Who was the one who was half-willing last time? I didn't see you hating it then.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: AHHHHH! Pervert! Don't say another word!
Hozuki Nozomi: I'm reserving a kiss from you for tomorrow. Give it to me, and I'll stop.
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: You scumbag! You're eating what's in your bowl and still eyeing what's in the pot! Do you believe I'll stab you?!
This infuriating man! He was about to be formally engaged to the Yukinoshita sisters, and here he was, still flirting with her without a shred of shame. Why was he so utterly, hopelessly bad?