He was ruinedhis future as a man was over.
With a cry of anguish, he tore the report to shreds, piece by piece.
"Ugh... ugh... ugh..."
Tomoya covered his face, sobbing uncontrollably. His future now seemed bleak and hopeless.
As he lay there, the memories of that evening slowly came back to him with painful clarity.
It had all happened because he'd let his anger get the best of him.
"If only I hadn't had those petty thoughts of revenge..."
He regretted everything. If he'd known his future was at stake, he would never have acted that way.
Clenching the bed sheets, he bit down hard on his lip and cursed the heavens.
"I only wanted a small revenge. Why do I deserve such severe punishment?"
"And... it's not even my fault!"
"If he hadn't humiliated me on purpose, I would never have retaliated!"
"It's all his fault... It's all his fault!"
His voice trailed off into a quiet mutter, repeating the same words over and over. A nurse who entered the room was startled by his eerie behavior.
...
Later, during break time.
Rei Ao headed to the Service Club as promised. Just as he reached the staircase corner, he heard a loud scream.
"Waaahhh!!"
In the empty hallway, the sound echoed loudly. He looked up to see a small girl falling down the stairs, books spilling from her bag as she slipped.
Before she could tumble down completely, Rei Ao caught her by the collar, holding her up with ease.
"Gotcha."
The girl, a blonde with twin tails, still had her eyes tightly shut in fear.
He recognized her instantlyEriri Spencer Sawamura.
"You're fine now. Open your eyes," Rei Ao said calmly.
"Fine?"
She twitched her ears and hesitantly opened one eye, only to find herself staring into a pair of strikingly beautiful blue eyes. For a moment, she was entranced.
Rei Ao smiled slightly. "Sawamura-san, if you keep daydreaming, your things might get noticed."
He nodded towards the floor where her dropped items were scattered.
Eriri followed his gaze and instantly froze.
Among the fallen books were several sketchpads with covers that looked... less than appropriate.
"Yikes!!!"
Eriri's brain finally caught up. Those were her secret drawings, sketches she had been frantically working on in school! She quickly scrambled to her feet and stuffed everything back into her bag as fast as possible. She even nervously glanced down the hallway to make sure no one else had seen them.
Once certain the coast was clear, she let out a long sigh of relief, patting her flat chest.
"Thank goodness no one else saw."
"But I'm not 'no one,' am I?" Rei Ao reminded her casually.
"Eh?!"
Eriri's head snapped back in realization. There was still one person who had seen everything! Slowly turning her head, she asked in a trembling voice, "Y-you didn't see, right?"
Rei Ao gave her a mischievous smile, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I'm afraid I did. Not just your drawings, but also your... underwear, when you fell."
"!!!"
It felt like thunder had struck her. Eriri's entire world seemed to collapse in that moment.
"I'm done for... I'm going to be..."
Her mind raced, imagining all the ways she could be blackmailed and taken advantage of. She collapsed like a limp duck, sitting helplessly on the ground as tears began to well up in her eyes.
~~~
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Let's have a happy December!
Chapter 75: Yumiko Jealousy, Eriri Apology, Yui's happiness
Seeing Eriri's reaction, Rei Ao couldn't help but feel exasperated.
"You're overreacting. I never said I'd expose your hobbies."
He sighed, amused by her excessive worry, and assured her he'd keep her secret.
But Eriri, shaking her head with her twin tails swaying, still didn't believe him.
"You'll blackmail me, right? And then you'll make me do this and that wah!"
Rei Ao chuckled.
"Sawamura-san, it seems you've read one too many of your 'doujinshi'. I saved you just now, and this is how you repay me?"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Anyway, I've told you I won't say anything. Believe me or not, that's up to you. See you around."
With that, he turned and headed downstairs without looking back.
Eriri stood there, stunned, watching him leave. Only then did she fully realize that she had almost fallen from the top of the stairs and that he had caught her mid-fall.
"He saved me..."
She glanced back at the tall staircase. Though she didn't understand how he had managed to catch her from such a height, the fact remained that he had saved her.
Reflecting on her overreaction, she realized her behavior had been rude, all because she'd been too sensitive about her drawings being seen.
"I need to apologize and thank him properly!"
She wanted to call out to him but noticed he had already disappeared from sight.
""
Slowly standing up, she regretted her reaction and also realized that she didn't even know which class he was in.
"I'll have to find out which class he's in."
In Class 3-4.
"Yui, do you want to play tennis?"
Yumiko invited Yui, feeling the need to vent.
Yumiko had a lot on her mind, and all of it revolved around Rei Ao. She still couldn't believe she had watched the guy she liked do everything with someone else. And somehow, without realizing it, she had been caught up in the heat of the moment herself.
Her emotions were all over the place.
'He said he wanted me to fall for him, but he's done nothing since then!'
He hadn't sought her out, and even during the weekend, when they could've spent time together, there had been no date.
How was she supposed to be satisfied with that?
Yumiko was proud and stubbornshe wasn't about to make the first move. Instead, she wanted to release her pent-up frustration by playing tennis.
However, to her surprise, Yui turned her down today.
"Sorry, Yumiko, I've already made plans with Rei Ao."
"What?!"
Yumiko's eyes widened in shock.
Since when was Yui involved with Rei Ao?
Before she could ask for more details, Yui hurriedly ran off, clearly eager for her meeting.
""
For a moment, Yumiko's mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
Had Rei Ao already made a move on Yui?
"Aargh!!!"
Her grip on the tennis racket tightened until it creaked under the pressure.
He didn't come to her but went to Yui instead!
She couldn't understand it.
It was unforgivable!
Knock, knock!
"Come in."
Yukino's cold voice came through.
Rei Ao entered the Service Club, and Yui immediately grabbed him by the hand, pulling him toward the table where she had placed a plate of cookies she had just taken from the cupboard.
"Rei Ao-kun, try these! I worked really hard on them this time!"
"Alright, let's see."
The two interacted so naturally, completely ignoring Yukino's presence.
""
Yukino glanced up at them briefly, then returned her attention to her book, uninterested. She didn't bother trying Yui's cookies, as Yui had been too worried about the taste to offer her any. Based on previous experiences, Yukino assumed the cookies would be difficult to swallow, almost as if Yui was cursed when it came to baking.
To her surprise, after Rei Ao swallowed a bite, his expression changed slightly.
"Yui, you've improved a lot."
"Really?!"
Yui's eyes widened in excitement.
"The taste is actually okay, definitely edible this time."
Rei Ao's evaluation was blunt but honest.
Hearing this, Yukino looked up with mild surprise. For Yui, that was a high compliment.
"That's great!" Yui jumped up in joy, clearly proud that her efforts had paid off. She then turned toward Yukino.
"Yukino, do you want to try some?"
Yukino, not one to lie, was about to politely decline, worried her response might hurt Yui's feelings.
"You should give it a try. You'll be surprised, considering how much you've helped her."
Before Yukino could refuse, Rei Ao picked up a cookie and popped it into her slightly open mouth.
She blinked, feeling his cold fingers brush against her lips.
Instinctively, she chewed.
"!!!"
Her eyes widened in shockit wasn't terrible at all!
"How is it, Yukino?"
Yui looked at her nervously.
""
Yukino swallowed the cookie and nodded slightly.
"He's right. It's not bad."
"Phew! That's such a relief!"
Yui let out a long sigh, filled with happiness now that both Rei Ao and Yukino had approved of her cookies.
"I'll keep practicing! I'll make sure one day you and Yukinon find my cookies delicious!"
Yui said with renewed determination.
""
Hearing Yui's casual use of her nickname, Yukino felt a slight headache coming on. In her mind, they'd only known each other for a few days and weren't close enough for such terms of endearment. She also noticed the friendly way Yui and Rei Ao addressed each other, which struck her as odd.
After some thought, Yukino finally spoke up.
"Yui, could you step out for a moment?"
"Huh?"
Yui was taken aback, almost like she'd been struck by lightning.
Luckily, Yukino quickly explained.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with Rei Ao in private."
"Oh, you just want to talk in private?"
Yui sighed in relief, placing her hand over her chest.
"You scared me there! I thought you were kicking me out because I was being a bother."
In truth, Yukino wanted to say that Yui 'was' a bit of a bother.
"Alright then, I'll leave you two to talk. Just let me know when you're done."
Yui smiled and left the room, but once outside, her smile faded as she stood in front of the door, lost in thought.
"What did you want to talk about, Yukinoshita-san?" Rei Ao asked, curious.
""
Closing her book, Yukino fixed him with an appraising look.
"Sakurajima Mai is your girlfriend, correct?"
"That's right."
Rei Ao confirmed without hesitation.
Yukino's eyes narrowed.
"Then, could you explain the rumors about you pursuing Hiratsuka-sensei? Are they true?"
"Mm?"
Rei Ao was surprised. How did she know that?
Realizing his confusion, Yukino clarified.
"My sister is friends with Hiratsuka-sensei. I overheard them talking about you the other day."
"Ah, I see."
Rei Ao understood now. For a moment, he had wondered if Yukino had some sort of script for all this.
With the mystery solved, he shrugged.
"Yes, that's true as well."
Yukino frowned.
"If you already have a girlfriend, why pursue Hiratsuka-sensei? Don't you think that's unfair to both of them?"
Despite her frustrations, Yukino was polite and refrained from outright calling him a jerk. Rei Ao could tell she was trying to understand his reasoning, but he remained calm.
"Sorry, but I don't think it's unfair at all. I've been honest with everyone involved. They all know about my feelings, and despite that, Mai has chosen to stay with me. Hiratsuka-sensei hasn't given me an answer yet."
He continued, "Since everyone is aware of the situation, I don't think it's something Yukinoshita-san should be concerned about. Don't you agree?"
""
Yukino was stunned.
How could someone be so open about such things and still have people care for him? It didn't make sense to her. And money couldn't be the reason, as Sakurajima Mai was a popular idol not lacking in wealth.
It just didn't align with her sense of morality.
Though, as Rei Ao said, if everyone involved understood the situation and chose their paths willingly, it wasn't her place to judge.
"I understand," Yukino said. "But Yui is a member of this club. As the president of the Service Club, it's my duty to look out for her."
Her statement was clearshe was worried he had his sights on Yui too.
Rei Ao understood immediately and smirked.
"Don't worry. If that time ever comes, I'll be upfront with her as well."
"?"
Yukino was taken aback. That wasn't the answer she had expected.
But then Rei Ao added, "I understand what you're thinking, but let me tell you thisI'm not like the people you know. Don't try to apply your standards to me. It just doesn't fit."
Ding!
Just then, Rei Ao's phone buzzed. He checked and saw a message from Shizuka.
Shizuka Hiratsuka: "Hey, just a heads-upKirisu-sensei might ask for your help soon. Be prepared."
"Heh."
Rei Ao chuckled.
Clearly, Shizuka was trying to avoid him. If she really wanted to talk, she could've called him to her office instead of sending a text.
"Well, if there's nothing else, Yukinoshita-san, I'll take my leave."
""
Yukino stayed silent. There wasn't much else to say at this point.
Seeing this, Rei Ao opened the door to leave, only to find Yui leaning against it, clearly in a listening position.
"Uh"
Yui froze for a moment, then pouted and mumbled, "Rei Ao-kun, I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear! I was just tired of standing, so I leaned against the door."
It was a bit of a stretch, but she didn't seem to have actually heard anything.
"Mhm, I believe you weren't eavesdropping."
"Yui, let's exchange contact information. That way, you can message me directly if you need anything next time."
"Sure, sure, sure!"
Excited, Yui quickly pulled out her phone, and they exchanged numbers. Her face beamed with happiness after getting his contact information.
Afterward, Rei Ao glanced back at Yukino and gave her a faint smile before leaving.
"!!!"
Yukino, however, felt that smile was a smug, deliberate provocation from a 'playboy'. Clenching her fists, she glanced at the naive Yui and made a firm decision.
