Chapter 6 – So This is What It Means to Be Full of Holes…

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The morning after shutting up those two single moms, I ran into Mahiro on my way to school.

“Oh, Yuuya! Thanks!”

“Huh?”

The sudden gratitude threw me off. What the hell was she thanking me for?

“The day after you gave me advice, I asked Yusuke, ‘Am I just a convenient girl for you to f**k whenever you want?' And you know what? He actually apologized! He said, ‘I was wrong. I'm sorry.'”

“Oh… that.”

Now I got it. Not that she cared about my reaction. She was already talking a mile a minute, rambling on without a second thought.

“So, I forgave him. He genuinely reflected on his actions, so I figured Yusuke's actually a good guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, real stand-up guy.”

“Right? That's why I decided I won't say no when he wants me again.”

“…The hell?”

“He also apologized properly. He really cares about me, so I should respond in the way I can.”

“….”

Yeah, I didn't even have the energy to throw in a half-assed, monotone reply. Love makes you blind, or maybe she was just too deep in the poison to care. From an outsider's perspective, this whole situation made no goddamn sense.

Didn't peg Mahiro for the type to love someone down to the bone, but I guess some people were wired differently. Still, just because he had no backbone didn't mean she had to keep spreading her legs for him.

Well, whatever makes her happy. Not my problem. As long as she doesn't end up with syphilis, she can do whatever the hell she wants.

***

Another school day down, but midterms were creeping up.

Since I started going to the dojo, my study time had taken a hit. Not a massive one, but enough to make me pay attention. Couldn't let my rankings slip—not that it mattered much in a public high school like ours.

If this were some elite prep school, maybe grades would determine social hierarchy. But here? Nope. Instead, it was filled with dumbasses proudly announcing, “S**t, I failed again!” like it was some kind of achievement.

Seriously, why the f**k would you brag about being an idiot? If they were so shameless about being stupid, they might as well shave everything down there and go completely bald. Maybe then they'd learn what embarrassment feels like.

Anyway, time to grab my bag and get the hell out of here—

“Uh, hey… Nakanishi. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

A voice stopped me in my tracks.

I turned to see a girl standing there. Oh. This chick. The one who called me a scrawny twig the other day. Some background character, Mob A, I had zero interest in remembering.

“Oh, I see. Got it. Well then, goodbye.”

“Wait, what the hell!? I said I need to talk to you! Where do you think you're going!?”

“I have zero interest in talking.”

“Just shut up and listen! It's about Mahiro!”

“…The hell?”

What now?

Last I checked, Mahiro and Hashizume were still all lovey-dovey. No signs of trouble in paradise. And this girl seemed pretty close to Mahiro, despite all her bitching.

Fine. I'd hear her out.

***

So here we were in the back garden. Less crowded than the courtyard, making it a better place for this nonsense.

Not that I expected anything juicy. Still, I folded my arms and waited.

“So? What about Mahiro?”

“Well… It's kinda hard to say, but… Mahiro's in some serious problem right now.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“The thing is… Hashizume's aiming for a college sports scholarship.”

“Huh.”

“And to get that, he needs to—”

“Why the hell did you suddenly turn into a game show host?”

“He has to become the team captain.”

Dammit… She just ignored my comment. That hurt a little. But she wasn't wrong. Unless you were a top-tier player, getting a scholarship as a benchwarmer wasn't happening. You needed to be captain to have a shot.

So even a dumbass like Hashizume had some long-term goals, huh?

That said, the only sports scholarship our school had was from Ranko University. And those guys had a massive sex scandal a while back, tanking their reputation. Honestly, with Hashizume's track record, he'd fit right in with their sleazy-a*s sports club.

“And?”

“Well… um…”

Now she was hesitating.

“Spit it out.”

“Okay… so, to secure his position as captain… he’s been—”

“…No way.”

“Yeah. He’s been offering Mahiro to the upperclassmen and other players.”

“You mean in a sexual way?”

“What the hell else would I mean!?”

What. The. Actual. F**k.

These guys were running a damn prostitution ring in high school? What kind of sick F****r Club was this?

“And Mahiro’s just going along with it?”

“She resisted at first… but in the end, she said, ‘If it helps Yusuke’s future, then I don’t mind sacrificing myself a little.'”

“That's some f****d-up devotion.”

I knew her situation was bad, but I didn't think it had escalated into some depraved, next-level insanity.

Damn. Mahiro was really the type to go all-in, huh?