"Yes. I want to know if there's a way to make her voluntarily cancel the engagement, without hurting her in the process."
Hayato looked at Hozuki Nozomi seriously, his eyes filled with a desperate sort of hope. "You're so… experienced. You must have a method, right?"
Hearing this, Hozuki Nozomi could only sigh. "Hayama, I think you have a deep misunderstanding about me. I am indeed experienced in approaching girls. But I have no experience in dumping them. If anything, my experience lies in taking responsibility. As long as I show interest in a girl and she reciprocates those feelings, then I accept the responsibility that comes with it."
Hayato's eyes widened. "You mean… take her home and marry her?"
"Yes."
"Can you even handle that?!" Hayato was genuinely shocked.
Nozomi nodded calmly. "Of course. If I didn't have that capability, I wouldn't make such promises lightly."
Hayato fell silent for a long moment before uttering a single, heartfelt word. "Monster."
Then, a truly desperate idea struck him. "How about… you go charm the girl I'm engaged to? Then I'd be free!"
"You're dreaming!" Nozomi glared at him in annoyance. "While I don't necessarily mind putting a slightly green hat on you, Hayama, I don't just pursue any girl." His standards were specific. He was drawn to girls with a certain… pedigree, the kind who felt like they'd stepped out of another world, not just any random person.
"Moreover," he continued, "that young lady was attracted to your looks, Hayama. And I don't think I'm any worse-looking than you. You could ask your father about my current… reputation among the major families. If I were to get involved with someone new now, it would cause significant discord in my own household."
Hearing this, Hayato couldn't help but pout. "You just don't want to help. Otherwise, why would you be afraid of a little discord? …But actually, I was just kidding. When that young lady transfers here, I think I'll just try to explain the situation to her seriously."
"Then, good luck," Hozuki Nozomi said, giving his shoulder a final pat before turning to head back to the classroom.
Hayato's mind, however, was still racing. Hozuki Nozomi is so exceptional… what if that young lady takes a liking to him after she transfers? Wouldn't I be free then? But then he reconsidered. No, that seems unlikely. What young lady would dare to fight Yukinoshita Haruno for a man?
Hayato let out another helpless sigh. In the end, it seemed he would have to bear this burden alone. The thought made his heart ache even more. He didn't want to be engaged to that girl at all.
Maybe… I could just be a scumbag? Date other girls openly, make her back off on her own? He pondered. Hmm… that probably wouldn't work either. It would damage my father's reputation as a lawyer…
Hozuki Nozomi, for his part, wasn't particularly concerned with Hayato's predicament. In a way, Hayato getting engaged was a good thing. Having a young lady to keep him occupied meant he'd be less likely to harbor lingering feelings for Haruno. While Nozomi didn't see Hayato as a real threat, having a handsome guy constantly eyeing his fiancée was never a pleasant feeling.
Back in the classroom, he was met with the sight of Ebina Hina having another massive nosebleed. The other girls were fluttering around her, trying to staunch the flow. Nozomi was immediately exasperated.
Tobe Kakeru, meanwhile, was providing a dramatic soundtrack of panic, yelling as if Ebina were on the verge of bleeding to death. But it was all noise—he offered no practical help. All show and no substance, that was Tobe Kakeru. He even grew his hair long for the aesthetic, but it did nothing to mask his lack of a man's sense of responsibility.
During the next break, Hozuki Nozomi sent Ebina Hina a message, asking her to meet him outside. When she arrived, tiptoeing with curiosity, he immediately swept her up, pinned her gently against the wall, and captured her cherry-red lips in a fierce kiss.
"Ebina Hina," he murmured against her mouth, "do you know what you did wrong?"
Ebina blinked up at him, dazed and confused. "What did I do wrong?"
"You keep getting lost in those BL fantasies of yours and working yourself into a frenzy. I think that's a very bad habit."
"Hmm… but I can't really control that, can I?" she protested weakly. "It's not my fault I didn't meet you before I joined the BL fan club…"
Hearing this, a mischievous smile spread across Nozomi's face. "In that case, let me properly educate you on the correct way to get excited."
Ebina Hina rolled her eyes at him. "You just want an excuse to be a scumbag to me."
"And if I do?" he asked, his smile widening as he took in her flushed cheeks. If Tobe Kakeru could see her leaning shyly against me like this, he'd probably break down crying.
Mortified but not resisting, Ebina wrapped her arms around his waist. "If you want to be a scumbag, you shouldn't ask a girl like me for permission…"
"Mmm-hmm…"
Well, the girl had said as much. What more did Hozuki Nozomi have to hesitate about? He leaned in to capture her lips once more.
It was at this precise moment that Katou Megumi, who had just used the restroom and was now hopelessly lost while looking for her group, stumbled upon the scene from beside a cluster of flower bushes: "..."
Should Megumi make a sound? To prove her existence?
Dazed, Ebina Hina opened her eyes and, over Nozomi's shoulder, coincidentally met Katou Megumi's wide, placid gaze from across the greenery.
"Ah!"
Ebina's cheeks instantly flushed a brilliant scarlet, steam practically whistling from her ears. She had been caught kissing a classmate! Her shame meter exploded. With a soft sigh, her head tilted, and she fainted clean away.
Hozuki Nozomi was speechless. He had just been getting into the mood.
His gaze, now tinged with danger and annoyance, shifted to land on the expressionless, slightly startled Katou Megumi. The girl calmly raised a hand in a small wave. "Um. I was just passing by. Please… continue."
Hozuki Nozomi rolled his eyes. "Come here, Katou. Ebina Hina has fainted. How exactly are we supposed to continue?"
Katou Megumi instinctively took two steps backward. "Can I… not come over? Also… you remember me?" She was a little scared. She had already witnessed Hozuki Nozomi's intimacy with Kasumigaoka Utaha once before. Now, she had stumbled upon him kissing another cute girl. What kind of terrible karma was this? Was he going to set his sights on her next?
A smile played on Nozomi's lips as he gently picked up the unconscious Ebina Hina and settled her on a nearby bench. "Of course I remember you, Katou Megumi. Didn't you know? In elementary and middle school, I always sat in the desk right behind yours."
As he spoke, he had already closed the distance between them. Katou Megumi continued her retreat. At the same time, she calmly refuted him. "I thought about it carefully. The person behind me in elementary and middle school wasn't you at all. Why would you make up such a lie?" She was genuinely perplexed. How did he know her? Moreover, he remembered her name. He didn't ignore her or subconsciously forget her existence. It was very strange.
"Because," Nozomi stated his purpose without a shred of hesitation, "by making up such a lie, it's easier for me to get close to Megumi."
He took another step forward, effectively cornering her against the wall Ebina had just vacated. "Katou, you interrupted a very good moment between Ebina Hina and me. Shouldn't you compensate me?"
Katou Megumi blinked, a faint blush finally coloring her otherwise serene cheeks. "Although… this isn't really my fault… how do you want me to be responsible?"
"It's simple," Hozuki Nozomi said, his voice lowering. "You can take Ebina Hina's place."
Before she could process the meaning, he had leaned in, capturing Katou Megumi's warm, soft lips in an unceremonious kiss.
I really am becoming more and more of a scumbag, he thought, even as he deepened the kiss.