"Are you worried about me?"
That single sentence nearly caused Maple to explode. To Yukina, however, Maple just looked like she was lashing out in embarrassment. "W-w-what do you mean, worried about you?! I'm worried about myself being implicated..."
She felt she was going too far, so she mumbled hesitantly, "Besides, besides, you helped me after all. I'm not that... ungrateful. Of course I would..."
Alex gave her a deadpan look. "Girl, tsundere is out of fashion in this version."
"Who's a tsundere—?!"
Maple stomped her foot, ready to argue further with Alex, when the stoic Rin suddenly interjected, "Dump his body in Tokyo Bay."
"..."
"..."
The air instantly went silent as everyone turned, staring at her strangely.
Maple was stunned, gazing blankly at her sister.
Rin tilted her head. "What is it?"
"Well, well. She usually doesn't talk, but when she does, she's brutal, huh?" Alex wiped his forehead. He could tell from her words that Rin was very angry, despite her stoic demeanor.
"No need to dump him in Tokyo Bay. This guy already stopped breathing."
Maple: "..."
I called Rin brutal, but you're the truly ruthless one!
Wait, he's dead?
"What do we do now?! Even though this guy was disgusting and hateful, there's no need to ruin yourself over him! If you get caught," Maple panicked. "No, we're definitely going to get caught here, right?"
"Maple, are you sure you're not worried about me?"
"You! Alex, how can you still talk like that right now?! This is terrible, terrible! What should we do? We have to find a place to bury him while class is on, but there are cameras outside..."
"Don't worry, Maple," Yukina was surprised that she herself could remain so calm. Although she was a little flustered at first, seeing Alex's nonchalant attitude quickly settled her down. Her trust in Alex was far stronger than Maple's and Rin's.
"Alex definitely has a plan," Yukina said.
"I'm telling you, why are you panicking when I'm not? Yukina knows me well. Of course, you find the right people to handle a matter like this," he said, pulling out his phone.
"Setting aside my superpower, I know a few 'big shots' outside the school who will help us clean up the mess."
What do you mean, 'help us clean up the mess'... I'm the victim, not an accomplice.
But Maple only grumbled that in her heart, not uttering the anti-climactic words. In fact, she secretly wished she could be an accomplice; not kicking Hajime Tanaka a few times before he died felt strangely unsatisfying...
After a short while, a girl arrived fashionably late, pushing the door open.
It was Nina Tsubaki.
Seriously? The 'big shot' Alex talked about is Mira Tsubaki? Although the Tsubaki family is definitely a business giant and a capitalist... she's still a woman. Is he getting pampered while acting dominant?
"What you're doing is getting more and more outrageous," Nina Tsubaki, the straight-A student sister, pushed up her glasses, glanced at the very dead Hajime Tanaka on the floor, and recognized him as the new transfer student. Her eyes held a complex expression.
"Why are you here? I messaged Mira, didn't I?"
"Mom will be here soon. She called us, so I came to check. Yuna wanted to come too, she's worried about you, but I stopped her," Nina Tsubaki noticed Maple and Rin, the twins, and her eyes widened slightly behind her glasses.
"More twins... No wonder you acted so ruthlessly."
"?"
Alex's face darkened. "Don't make it sound like I did this out of jealousy over women."
"Weren't you? This transfer student was the Sex Instructor sent by the government," Nina Tsubaki finished the statement somewhat shyly, then pushed her glasses up again. "Even if you get Mom involved... this is going to be a lot of trouble."
"???"
"Even if you didn't want his 'instruction,' there was no need to kill him. It's definitely jealousy over women."
"..."
Yukina tugged on his sleeve. "Alex... she's been hypnotized."
"I know," Alex covered his face and kicked the corpse beside him. "How come the hypnosis effect hasn't worn off even after this guy died?"
To be honest, Alex found the sight of Nina Tsubaki being affected by the hypnosis amusing. He reached out and branded the silver mark onto the glasses-wearing girl's abdomen, watching her eyes slowly widen, and her face transition from red to white, and then to green.
It was even more amusing.
"I, you..."
Nina Tsubaki froze for about half a minute. Meeting the bizarre gazes of the group, her face flushed, and she suddenly yelled, "That doesn't count! Forget everything I just said!"
"Huh? Alex, you don't need to, you don't need to kiss her to restore her?" Maple ignored the girl's embarrassed shriek. She had just seen him simply reach out and grab the girl's wrist, and she returned to normal.
But he forcibly kissed me...
The blue-haired Maple glared at him with an annoyed, shamed expression.
"I already told you, that kiss was payment. What, I can't charge a helper's fee?" he said, shrugging his hands.
"Then why didn't you charge her a fee?" Maple pointed at Nina Tsubaki.
"My payment has already been collected by him," Nina Tsubaki couldn't help but interject. She looked from Alex to the twins, her expression helpless. "Just a kiss? I thought you'd do something more excessive. At least, the payment you usually demand from us isn't just a kiss."
"You guys are different. You had me save a severely injured person in a vegetative state. My transactions are always fair."
"Maybe, who knows what you're thinking," Nina Tsubaki didn't believe him. She knew Alex had a dark sense of humor. "Besides... these are two rather beautiful twins. I don't believe you have no interest at all."
What is this girl talking about? Maple frowned, her heart jumping. She instinctively turned to Alex and saw him looking at her, a half-smile on his face.
"These two twin girls are indeed very beautiful," Alex blinked, then suddenly sighed. "Unfortunately, tsundere is no longer in demand."
"???"
"And they're flat-chested."
"???"
"So I really have no interest."
"..."
Maple's hair felt like it was standing on end, her blood rushing to her head. She charged forward and began pulling on Alex's clothes, completely abandoning her image. "A—L—E—X—!!!"
"You hateful jerk!! Are you discriminating against us?! What's wrong with having a small chest? Should small chests be discriminated against?! Besides, Rin and I aren't small; it's Yukina who's too big, okay?!"
Yukina Serizawa covered her face with both hands, embarrassed.
Rin touched her own chest with both hands, then secretly peeked at Yukina's ample breasts, a look of defeat crossing her stoic face.
"And I'm not a tsundere—"
"Ah, yeah, yeah, you're right."
"Don't patronize me! You better explain yourself properly—!!!"
Click.
Nina Tsubaki quietly slipped out of the room. Leaning her back against the door, head tilted up, she listened to the noisy commotion inside. Her shoulders drooped, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a hint of envy.
Then, remembering something, she went into the restroom, locked the door, and took off her clothes. Seeing the silver mark left on her body, her expression was complex. She stroked the mark with her fingertip, murmuring to herself.
"Alex..."