Chapter 49: Probably Has Nothing to Do with That

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There was no smoke without fire, and if a club was truly innocent, dicks wouldn’t be getting hard. Wondering what was up with the rumors of it being a hookup club, I immediately called Temari out during the lunch break.

“…Eh? That’s the first time I’m hearing of this.”

Carefree as ever, Temari twirled the straw in her iced tea like it was someone else’s problem at the campus cafe I had called her out to.

“Well, obviously they’d try to keep those rumors from leaking out. If it actually leaked out, it’d become a full-blown social issue, not just a matter of unwanted pregnancies.”

“And why exactly do you, someone who isn’t even in the club, know about this potential social issue, Yuya?”

“Because I have a valuable protein—I mean, information source in the same department.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Is that person’s information even reliable?”

“There are no slip-ups or slime there. After all, that informant caught onto the fact that Nishida was messing around with that whole Naegi-san situation even faster than I did.”

“Hmm…”

Even though I was talking quite seriously, that doubtful vibe never vanished from Temari. Was the club really that comfortable of a place for her?

“…Is the club fun?”

“Yeah, totally. How should I put it? We don’t really have a clear goal or anything, but it’s just so fun gathering together and making a ruckus with everyone.”

“…”

I feel kinda alienated.

“Plus, everyone is really nice.”

“You mean the guys, mainly.”

“Well, true.”

“So their ulterior motives are on full display, huh.”

“No, no, no, I wouldn’t go that far. But you know, getting pampered and treated like a princess feels pretty nice.”

“…You better not start frequenting host clubs.”

Sigh, at the end of the day, women really do have this desire to be treated like something precious. No wonder host clubs are so massively popular…

While I was pondering that, a single woman stopped right in front of the table we were sitting at.

“Oh, if it isn’t Temari-chan?”

“Ah, Yoshizaki-senpai, hello!”

“…Could this perhaps be your boyfriend, Temari-chan?”

“No way! We’re just high school classmates! Oh, this is my club senior, Yoshizaki Mie-san. A third-year in the Literature Department.”

Temari introduced the senior by name as she cast a somewhat evaluating gaze over me.

She had the appearance of a Cleopatra, exuding a level of sex appeal that made it hard to believe she was only one grade above.

She would definitely be popular. However, getting openly stared down was unpleasant.

“Hello, I’m Temari’s ‘senior’, Nakanishi Yuya. I’m just a creepy otaku, so it’s impossible for me to be her boyfriend. Therefore, I’d appreciate it if you refrained from looking at me like you’re licking me all over.”

“A-Ah, sorry about that. You just seemed somewhat unfortunate, much like myself, so I got a bit curious… But isn’t calling yourself a creepy otaku a bit too self-deprecating? You don’t look like one at all.”

The latter half of this senior’s line was just sheer flattery acting as consideration.

What does she mean by seeming unfortunate like her? With beauty on her level, life should be on easy mode. The only thing that should be thin are rubber products.

“Ah, despite how she looks, Yoshizaki-senpai has been through a lot of hardships.”

“Hehe… It just means I failed my entrance exams twice.”

“Is that so? Still, I think it’s wonderful that you stuck to your guns and pushed through with your will to come to this university.”

“Oh, thank you very much. But it’s really nothing that grand. I was actually born in Tokyo, but I was forced to flee the capital all because my older sister f****d up back home.”

“Hah… Is that so.”

Wearing a smile that masked her true intentions, Yoshizaki-senpai lightly brushed off my compliments.

She was probably just joking, but hearing someone refer to enrolling in this university as “fleeing the capital” really pissed me off. This had once been the Imperial University, after all.

More importantly, what exactly had her older sister screwed up? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, but it clearly sounded like she was fishing for a reaction, so I deliberately ignored it.

Well, if she was about three years older than me, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to exude this much sex appeal… right?

I hated to admit my prejudice, but she looked like she’d be incredible in bed, radiating the kind of erotic aura that made it seem entirely plausible her body count would require five people’s fingers and toes to tally up.

Doing erotic things really must have made female hormones surge like a geyser… though what did I know?

“…Oops, I actually have to make a trip out to T Women’s University today. See you later, Temari-chan, and friend-san.”

“Ah, yes.”

“…See ya.”

Hahaha… so in the end, that senior had treated me as nothing more than a background mob character.

There hadn’t even been any point in introducing myself.

…Ah, I should have just asked her back then.

“There’s a rumor that the club you and Temari are in is a hookup club; is that true?”

She obviously wouldn’t have admitted it on the spot, but even if she had denied it, I probably could have judged whether she was telling the truth from her attitude and the subtle tells she gave off.

“…By the way, Temari, are you still going to that drinking party?”

“Ah— well, I appreciate you catching wind of those rumors and warning me about them. But the party is being hosted specifically for me and Mahiro, after all… It’s kinda hard to turn down. Besides, I haven’t sensed any sketchy, ulterior-motive-filled vibes so far.”

“…”

“It’ll be fine, you don’t need to worry so much! Even if what you’re saying turns out to be true, do you honestly think I’d just blindly fall into a trap like that? If it were a beauty like Mahiro, sure, but me?”

“Blindly or spread-eagle, you need to realize you’re just raising your own red flags right now. Just keep your guard up and show some moderation. Also, if they bring out any blue alcohol, absolutely do not drink it.”

“Huh? But there’s plenty of blue alcohol. Like Blue Hawaii.”

“If it’s just a normal Blue Hawaii, there’d be no problem. But you know, blue is a danger color. You should at least remember that liquids that are super dangerous to consume are typically dyed blue.”

“Yeah, yeah. Should I start calling you Yuya-mama instead of Yuya-senpai from now on?”

“You little…!!”

Dammit. Temari had absolutely no sense of danger, on par with a hopeless virgin.

Well, I was sure part of her admired the idea of attending a drinking party now that she was officially an adult.

But as far as I was concerned, Sasou’s intel was far more trustworthy than Temari’s judgment.

Hopefully, these were nothing more than baseless fears.

I had no choice.

Should I try checking in with Mahiro too?