Chapter 35: ‘Tch, Pests!’

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Yuuta stumbled forward but dared not utter a word, his body trembling as he glanced fearfully at Oga and his gang behind him.

Oga looked at Yuuta, who was walking in front, his expression darkened with both anger and shame.

Earlier, as they left the apartment, their bodies ached from the beating they'd received, so they took a moment to rest downstairs. It was during this brief pause that they spotted Yuuta coming out of the building alone.

Masaru hadn't forgotten the final kicks Yuuta had landed on him before the confrontation ended. Holding grudges came naturally to him.

Back then, with Hikari present, Masaru dared not retaliate. But now? Now he couldn't hold back any longer.

Suppressing the pain in his lower body, Masaru kicked Yuuta hard, then pointed at the fallen Yuuta, cursing loudly. "This worthless piece of trash actually dared to kick me. Take him into that little grove up ahead. There are no cameras there. We'll teach him a lesson—and let me vent some of this anger. Today's been nothing but one humiliation after another."

"As for Hikari… we'll call the police."

"We're filing a report. That psycho actually killed one of us."

"This isn't something minor." [T/N: Whoa! A villain with actual reasoning ability, legendary.]

Despite being delinquent punks, Masaru and his gang had abandoned the idea of seeking revenge on Hikari by themselves. Just recalling the encounter earlier made Masaru's legs go weak. But letting this all slide? Not a chance.

So, he resolved to call the authorities and let the law handle Hikari. But first, he was going to take out his frustrations on Yuuta, the pathetic lackey who'd dared to act tough while hiding behind Hikari.

Masaru and his lackeys roughly dragged Yuuta into the small grove, and soon, the secluded area was filled with Yuuta's desperate cries.

"You little wretch. Think you can kick me and get away with it? Kneel!"

"Kneeling isn't enough? Open your mouth! Catch my piss."

"Haha! Masaru, you're really twisted, but I can't blame you. I nearly pissed myself back there with that monster."

"Yuuta, open wide."

"..."

The grove echoed with the sounds of Masaru and his gang taking pleasure in their bullying, venting all their earlier fear and humiliation onto someone weaker.

Just then, a faint voice drifted through the quiet grove, clear enough for all to hear.

"Oh, sounds like fun. Mind if I join in?"

The unexpected voice struck terror into Masaru and his crew. They thought they'd encountered a ghost. Spinning around, their eyes widened in horror.

"Hika… Hikari?"

Masaru shrieked in panic.

"Tsk, tsk… The anger of the weak, always directed at someone weaker." Hikari looked at the battered, tearful Yuuta, shaking his head in disdain.

"Hikari… Why are you here?"

"Have you been following us this whole time?"

Seeing Hikari appear out of nowhere, Masaru felt a bone-chilling fear settle over him. His mind raced, realizing why they had managed to walk out of the apartment alive in the first place. Looking at Hikari's amused, mocking expression, Masaru had a sudden flash of inspiration. He dropped to his knees and begged, "I was wrong! I know I was wrong, Hikari! I'll be your loyal dog for life."

"Please, please! Don't kill me…"

Before he could finish his plea, he suddenly noticed something odd. The person kneeling in front of him looked eerily familiar, yet strange. His shirt, garish and tacky, 'wait a minute... Isn't that my own shirt?

'Where is my head?'

[ Ding! Host has killed the wretched Masaru Oga, rewarding Pure Love Points: +200 ]

With a single punch, Hikari had sent Masaru's head flying. He crushed what remained with a casual stomp.

Earlier, he'd already had enough fun back at the apartment. These scumbags deserved something far crueler, but he was done wasting time on clowns like Masaru. Perhaps he'd save that for another day—there was still that coach, Togo, a burly guy who might endure a bit more of Hikari's "attention."

Lost in thought, Hikari nonchalantly landed another punch on each lackey's head.

Within moments, four watermelons burst almost simultaneously.

[ Ding! Host has killed a despicable delinquent. Pure Love Points: +50! ]

[ Ding! ... ]

Four more notifications chimed.

Hikari pulled his hands back, now standing over five headless corpses lying at his feet.

Wiping his fists clean, he turned his gaze to Yuuta, who was trembling on the ground, visibly shaken and even leaking in fear.

Forcing himself to look at Hikari, Yuuta managed a feeble greeting. "H-Hikari-kun, long time no see…"

Hikari gave a polite smile, responding in kind, "Long time no see, Yuuta."

"So, Yuuta… you won't tell anyone about today's little incident, will you?"

Although Yuuta had shut his eyes tightly during the violence, he knew well enough what had happened. Hikari had killed Masaru and the others.

Hearing the slight chill in Hikari's question, Yuuta initially wanted to swear he'd stay silent. But then he remembered that Hikari, despite his cold demeanor, had never mistreated him before.

They'd even shared some camaraderie, right? Yuuta convinced himself they were friends, which bolstered his confidence.

Taking a deep breath, Yuuta looked up and smiled. "Of course, Hikari-kun. We're friends. I wouldn't betray you like that. But, well, I do have one small request."

Hikari's interest piqued, and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Let's hear it."

Encouraged by Hikari's reaction, Yuuta straightened, holding his head a bit higher as he replied, "I noticed you and Natsuha seem close. I'd like you to help me reconcile with her. She has a lot of misunderstandings about me right now."

"And after that… I want you to stay away from her. Natsuha is my childhood friend, and I think you understand what that means to me."

Hikari chuckled, "Is that all?"

Yuuta nodded, his voice growing bolder. "And if I ever need help, I want you to show up right away. Keep my secret about today, and I'll be your ally."

Hikari shook his head, incredulous. "Yuuta, just now, you seemed scared witless of Masaru and his gang. Yet, you're not afraid to stand up to me—and even have the audacity to make demands. Why?"

Yuuta answered with complete certainty. "Because… I think you're a good person."

Hikari snorted with laughter. "Good person? So I should just stand here and let you hold a gun to my head?"

Yuuta didn't reply, only staring defiantly at Hikari, looking as if he had everything figured out.

Indeed, in Yuuta's mind, heroes in movies always spared the weak, even if they were irritating. He believed that Hikari, his old friend, wouldn't actually harm him, and would likely agree to his terms.

"So, Hikari-kun, are you going to turn me down?"

Hikari smiled. "Why would I? I wouldn't want word getting out that I'm a killer."

As he spoke, Hikari took a few steps closer, reaching down to offer Yuuta a hand, pulling him up to his feet.

Yuuta's face lit up as he prepared to express his gratitude.

Then, he saw Hikari's hand suddenly shoot forward, clamping around his throat.

"Hika—"

Before Yuuta could finish his plea, he heard a sickening snap, and darkness swallowed him.

Letting go of Yuuta's lifeless body, Hikari sighed, "After all, dead men are the best at keeping secrets."

Hikari didn't know what kind of movies had filled Yuuta's head with such noble ideas, but he certainly wasn't some noble hero.

He was just an ordinary guy who fought for his ideals of pure love—that was all.

So don't expect him to live up to some grand moral standard.

And certainly, don't try holding a gun to his head.

After stacking the six bodies together, Hikari snapped his fingers.

"Cremation."

A bright flame appeared at his fingertips, and with a flick, he set the pile ablaze.

'Tch, pests...'

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