Hearing the commotion, Nozomi lazily turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the park.
There, emerging like a stormcloud, was a boy with a short, spiky buzz cut and a build like a sumo wrestler who'd bulked up at the gym. His muscles bulged under his school uniform, and his entire presence screamed brute force. His face was rugged, almost carved from stone, but not in a charming way. His overly thick lips ruined any chance of balance in his features.
That was Ono Yu. Just from his stance, one could tell he was on edge. Tension radiated off him like steam off hot asphalt. No wonder Mayama Asaka and her group of fashion-forward girlfriends weren't into him. He gave off serious delinquent vibes.
Of course, part of it was because Mayama and her crew were full-blown face-con girls. They fell head over heels for guys with clean, anime-protagonist-level looks. By some twist of fate, Nozomi, with his effortless charm and laidback aura, had just happened to catch their attention.
He hadn't planned to get involved. Just one innocent interaction and suddenly he was roped into pretending to be someone's boyfriend.
Ono Yu blinked in confusion, as if the sight before him had short-circuited his brain. His expression contorted, torn between pain and disbelief.
"Asaka-san... this can't be real, right? This guy—he's gotta be your cousin or something, right?!"
Clinging to his last thread of hope, Ono Yu threw out that flimsy excuse, unwilling to believe what his eyes were telling him.
Meanwhile, Mayama Asaka was already dying inside.
It was her first time ever sitting in a boy's lap. Not only that—she was clinging to him with both arms wrapped around his neck like some heroine from a shoujo drama. Her heart was pounding so loud she swore everyone could hear it.
She didn't want to deal with Ono Yu anymore. His persistence was scary, and his background... well, let's just say it wasn't all sunshine and cherry blossoms.
Biting her lip, she leaned in—her face as red as the petals of the camellia—and pecked Nozomi's cheek.
"I'm sorry, Ono-san. This is my boyfriend. And yes, he's a hopeless pervert who flirts with multiple girls! But I love him just like that! So please... give up on me already."
Nozomi raised an eyebrow but didn't skip a beat. A cocky smirk tugged at his lips as he slid his hands playfully across Asaka's slim waist.
She trembled.
This guy! He was totally taking advantage of the situation!
But she couldn't fight back. If she pushed him away now, all their effort would collapse in front of Ono Yu.
Besides, Ono Yu wasn't just some stubborn suitor—he had ties to the Yakuza. Not the kind of guy a high school girl wanted to reject without a backup plan.
Ono Yu's face darkened. He looked like a volcano about to erupt.
"No... NO! I can't accept this! Asaka Mayama, I'm serious about you! I don't believe you'd really fall for some flirt like him!"
He pointed an accusatory finger at Nozomi, practically shaking with fury.
"If he really cared about you, why didn't he show up at school sooner? Huh?! This is all fake! You two just made this up to get rid of me!"
Asaka's hands tightened their grip around Nozomi's neck. Her legs were trembling beneath her short skirt.
Before she could even form a response, a warm sensation brushed her cheek. She gasped.
Nozomi had kissed her.
With a wicked grin still on his face, he turned toward Ono Yu.
"Listen up, Yu-kun. I didn't come to see Sasanqua before because I was busy dating other girls. I was waiting for her to come crawling back to me."
"And now, thanks to you, she's all mine again. So really, I should be thanking you."
Ono Yu looked like he'd just been hit by a truck.
"W-What did you say?! You're saying MY pursuit of her helped YOU?! What kind of logic is that, you smug bastard?!"
Nozomi simply gave him a thumbs up and winked.
"Exactly. So from the bottom of my heart—thank you."
He leaned in and planted yet another kiss on Sasanqua's flushed cheek. Her brain practically short-circuited from the heat rushing to her head.
Ono Yu's heart shattered right then and there. The girl he had liked for so long was cuddling up to another guy, letting him kiss her like it was nothing. It was too much.
Nozomi did admire Ono Yu's boldness in confessing so publicly. But that didn't mean he'd hand Asaka over. She was in his arms now.
And once in his arms, no one could take her back.
"You... pretty boy scum! Just 'cause you've got a decent face, you think you can play with girls' hearts like this?! I won't allow it!"
Ono Yu stomped forward, rage blazing in his eyes.
"If you dumped the other girl and stayed loyal to Asaka, maybe I could tolerate you. But two-timing?! Absolutely not! What's your name?! I challenge you to a duel!"
Nozomi raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously? A duel? This isn't a shounen battle anime, you know."
Ono Yu clenched his fists, eyes burning with frustration, and declared in a voice that shook with intensity: "If you won't duel me, then I'll take it as you giving up your right to be Mayama's boyfriend! I'll beat you down every time I see you, and I won't stop chasing after Asaka!"
His voice echoed like a challenge from a shounen battlefield.
"Because I'll prove to her—and to the world—that I truly like her! And that I can protect her with everything I've got!"
Hearing this, Nozomi raised an eyebrow and looked down at the girl snugly curled up in his arms.
Nozomi let out an exaggerated sigh, then looked down at the flustered girl still glued to his lap.
"Asaka, thoughts?"
"Eh?"
"This guy... he clearly likes you. He's persistent, too. Have you given it some thought? Maybe he's your type?" Nozomi asked with a teasing grin, his tone light and mischievous, but not without a flicker of genuine concern.
After all, he had stepped into the role of her boyfriend only as a favor. He wasn't supposed to take it too far.
But Mayama's reaction was immediate.
"Baka! I came to you after thinking long and hard about it! And after what you did to me just now, you better not try to worm your way out of this!"
Her face flushed scarlet as she tightened her arms around his neck, clinging like her life depended on it.
Nozomi felt the shift—her embarrassment had been replaced by something more real, something warm.
The sight of the two whispering to each other so intimately made Ono Yu's fists tremble. Rage twisted his face, and his knuckles cracked ominously.
Kusami Runa, standing nearby, watched the drama unfold with wide-eyed interest. She was slowly piecing things together.
It was strange. Too strange.
Why did Mayama's story mirror that of Cherry's? And why did both girls end up wanting Nozomi—of all people—to play the role of their perverted boyfriend?
"Oi, pretty boy!" Ono Yu snapped, his aura flaring like he was powering up in a tournament arc. "Have you made up your mind?! My fists are thirsty!"
"You bastard! Let go of Mayama-San right now! Aaaah!"
He had completely lost his cool.
The girl he admired was in another man's arms, snuggling up like she belonged there. The more he thought about it, the more his fury bubbled over.
Nozomi sighed and lifted a hand lazily, as though brushing away a mosquito.
"Fine, fine. Enough barking. If it's a duel you want, then I accept."
He stood up slowly, gently letting Sasanqua down like a prince from a school romance anime.
"But let's make one thing clear. If you lose—" Nozomi's gaze sharpened, his voice dropping to a serious timbre. "—you'll stay away from Asaka. For good. No more stalking, no more 'fateful encounters.' Got it?"
Ono Yu didn't hesitate.
"Deal!" he roared.
He was a powerhouse in the karate club, his physique built from years of rigorous training. Even among delinquents, he was considered a monster. To him, this duel was destiny—his chance to show Sasanqua that muscles trumped pretty faces.
And to him, only he had the strength to protect her.
Little did he know… Nozomi wasn't just a pretty boy. He was something else entirely.