BXBX NOVEL Chapter 60: More Than Just A Friend
Those three had been little more than nuisances.
The true delinquent were Daiki and his lackey, but of course no one would dare to say it on that gangster\'s face.
When recess rolled around, Haruto was surrounded by admirers.
Girls giggled around him, stealing glances, while a few guys hung back, trying to look casual but clearly hoping for some of that newfound popularity to rub off on them.
But today\'s usual scene was broken by the sharp sound of the classroom door sliding open.
Two guys stepped inside, radiating a cold confidence that stilled the room. They were Daiki\'s lackeys, and the entire class knew it.
Chapter Discover:
"Daiki wants you at the usual place after school," one of them said bluntly before turning and leaving just as abruptly.
"The usual place" — the abandoned school building Daiki and his gang claimed as their own.
Haruto felt his lips tug into a smirk. The summons could mean anything, but he felt it was a door opening.
\'This must be because I am his \'friend\' or maybe because of my fight the other day?\'
his mind was full thinking about the possibility.
\'But then again, Daiki is a freak, it\'s hard to read what\'s on his mind.\'
he sighed.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Sayaka watching him, her expression pinched with worry.
"Hayase, you\'re not actually going, right? Daiki… he\'s dangerous," she whispered, casting a quick glance toward the door.
"Right?" Tanaka added. "I heard his brother\'s in the yakuza…"
Haruto just shrugged, flashing a calm smile that didn\'t reassure them in the slightest. "I\'ll be fine."
Then, just as the tension was beginning to ease, another presence stirred the room. Mari entered, her bright smile and easy wave turning heads immediately.
A ripple of envious murmurs swept through the guys, but Haruto\'s attention flickered to the table behind him, where Kota sat.
Mari\'s warm gaze was directed solely at Haruto, leaving Kota\'s expression twisted with jealousy, a bitterness clear in his narrowed eyes.
"Haruto," she greeted him, casting a disappointed look at his empty bento. "Oh no, I was hoping we could eat together."
Feeling the stares closing in, Haruto stood, swiftly packing his things. "Let\'s go somewhere else," he murmured, already heading toward the door.
Meanwhile everyone in class whispered about the first name basis, even already gossiping that they were dating.
The two of them then went to the more secluded place, the rooftop.
Haruto has his reason why he did this, he loves when everyone was gossiping about them, it means that Kota was burning with anger and resentment.
On the other hand, this gossip would get into Daiki and he didn\'t want to get Mari in trouble.
In the past, his sister was becoming his target because she was beautiful, now he didn\'t want Mari to have the same fate since Daiki had an eye on him.
\'I should ask Mari not to get close to me when in school.\'
he thought.
He wanted to see Kota\'s eyes burning with envyness, but Mari safety was still number one.
\'I still have many ways to get Kota jealous of me and Mari. Especially now his mother is in my hand.\'
Haruto and Mari sat side by side on the rooftop, the quiet filling the air between them. She watched him with soft admiration, though his silence was making her curious.
After a moment, she seemed to get an idea, lifting a small sausage with her chopsticks and holding it up to his lips.
"Aaa—" she coaxed with a playful grin.
Caught off guard, Haruto blinked before finally opening his mouth, letting her feed him. "It\'s good," he admitted, glancing at her with a faint smile.
She pouted, tilting her head. "What could you possibly be thinking about when you\'re with someone as beautiful as me?"
He smirked, letting his gaze linger on her face, finding her cuter than he\'d realized.
"Are you always like this?" he asked, a question he\'d been holding back for a while.
Ever since his transformation, she\'d been different around him, and he couldn\'t help but wonder,
Would she be this kind if I hadn\'t changed?
Mari\'s eyes widened in surprise. Setting down her bento, she rubbed her neck, seeming a bit guilty.
"W-Well… is it wrong if I like your appearance now? It\'s not like I ever had the chance to talk to you before…"
Haruto chuckled softly. He understood; after all, he might not have noticed her either if she hadn\'t stood out in some way.
Mari continued, "Besides, you were always close to Kota… and I don\'t like him. He\'s such a pushover. Now that I know you two aren\'t as close as I thought, I feel… safe talking to you."
"Do you hate Kota that much?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Yes!" she said, her face scrunching up in distaste. "He\'s creepy. He\'s always… watching me, and every time I had a boyfriend, they\'d end up breaking things off, as if Kota had found out something to hold over them."
Haruto\'s interest sharpened, especially since he\'d seen the extent of Kota\'s dark side in the past.
"What do you mean by \'found out something\'?"
Mari\'s expression turned uneasy.
"Well, Kota\'s kind of a tech whiz. I once found a hidden camera after he visited my house… I think he might have something on my exes too. It scares me."
Her voice dropped, and she shivered slightly.
Haruto clenched his fist, his mind reeling. So, his old friend had hidden depths he\'d been too blind to see.
\'It means my revenge is justified, but at the same time, how can I never see this when I am friends with him?\'
he thought.
He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I can check your place on the weekend, if that would help. Just to make sure there\'s nothing left."
He knew even when Mari already got rid of all the hidden camera, it didn\'t mean she felt safe.
But if someone would check on her and make sure she was fine, her anxious would subside.
Mari\'s face lit up in relief, her hands clasped together. "Really? I wouldn\'t want to be a bother…"
Haruto laughed, brushing it off. "A bother? I owe you two dates, remember?"
Mari pouted, folding her arms. "That doesn\'t count! Coming to a friend\'s house isn\'t exactly a date."
Haruto gave her a mock frown. "Friend? I thought we were… more than that."
Her cheeks flushed as her eyes widened. "A boyfriend, then," she mumbled shyly, wrapping her arms around his and pressing her face into his shoulder in embarrassment.
\'She\'s adorable,\'
he thought, feeling a pleasant warmth fill his chest.
Then, as if on cue, a familiar notification chimed in his mind:
[Ding!]
[New Quest Available!]
[Quest: More Than Just A Friend]
[You\'re heading to the target\'s (Mari Hayazawa\'s) house to ensure she\'s safe from a stalker.]
[Objective: Have \'fun\' with the target, but be careful she is still a virgin!]
[Rewards: 800 EXP, 30,000 Sex Coins, Item: 3 Flawless Face potion]
[Time Limit: -]
\'Huh? No skill?\'
Haruto thought. Usually the first quest would grant him a skill.
But then he noticed the reward items and smirked, touching the bandage on his chin
. \'Guess this is good too.\'