/
Oh, hey, Kai
?”
“What’s going on
?”
“Well, a lot has happened.”
During the school festival at the girls’ school that I enjoyed with Aika and Fiana, the injuries to my honor that I received thanks to my involvement in the problems that arose there remained firmly in place.
The swelling in my mouth and cheek had gone down, but the area where I was hit was blackened, and that’s how my two friends noticed it.
“It’s no big deal, man. It’s just an honourable injury.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I don’t think you’re the kind of guy who’s going to start a fight on your own.”
“Right. But if something happens, just tell me, okay?”
I nodded, “I know. I know.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all about that time, but I was reminded once again that people can be strong if there is someone they want to protect.
(
In the end, I didn’t know why it happened that way.)
In the end, I still don’t know anything about the forced shutdown of the app and the following problem of not being able to start it up.
The app itself can be launched as many times as necessary without even activating hypnosis, so there seems to be no need to feel particularly anxious about it, but I still feel a little uneasy.
Then, while I was talking with Akira and the others about nothing else, Mari entered the classroom.
“Ah, Kai-kun!”
The moment she spotted me, Mari immediately ran up to me.
She came right beside me and put her hand on my cheek and patted it gently, but she probably won’t stop even if I point out that this is a classroom.
(
I mean, I made everyone worried)
What happened was reported through the group chat in which Mari and the others including me, were all participating, and Nayu and Mafuyu, who I don’t normally see, were incredibly worried about me.
Of course, not only the girls, but also my sister, including my father and mother, were worried about me.
“When I heard you got hit, I thought my heart was going to stop, you know?”
“I’m sorry. But I was fine
 I mean, that one word ‘fine’ doesn’t suffice when you were so worried about me.”
“Yeah. See you at lunchtime at our usual place, okay?”
“Okay.”
The words contained meanings that could only be understood between us.
Although the frequency of intimate exchanges with Mari is not high, we have been doing it rather recently in the classroom, so I have become accustomed to the stares that gather.
The two flamboyant guys who had tangled with me in the past also didn’t bother me anymore, although they seemed to regret it.
“I mean, does Aisaka know what happened?”
“From the looks of it, he seems to know, but
”
Aisaka may have been so worried about me that she couldn’t see what was going on around me.
That makes me happy, and I think it also shows that the girls love me that much.
“
Well, it’s okay. Actually -”
“Kai-kun.”
As I was about to explain to Akira and Shogo what had happened, I heard Saika’s voice.
Seeing her bag slung over her shoulder, she must have come here first – Saika approached me and put her hand on my cheek, just as Mari had done.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not at all, so don’t worry.”
“
 um.”
Could this be a flow of Emu also coming? I thought about it, but she didn’t show up because we’re in different grades
 instead, the message was received well.
“Actually -”
I snapped out of it and told her what had happened.
“I see
”
“I can’t say I’m jealous of you being invited to an all-girls school festival
”
It’s true that if it were the two of them as usual, they would say they were envious and regretted it, but I guess their feelings of worry are greater about this.
The two of them are facing me, but Mari and Saika have been standing behind me the whole time, both of them gently placing their hands on my shoulders.
“Hey Kai.”
“Hm?”
“What can I say
 lately I’ve been thinking about it. Without us knowing, you’ve become a really cool guy.”
“
What in the world is this all of a sudden?”
I rolled my eyes at Akira’s sudden words.
“No, you know. I heard that you can risk yourself to protect girls like that.”
“Ah~
”
“If it was Kai until a while ago
 no, Kai always was that kind of guy.”
“Don’t do that, it makes my back itch.”
“Itchy?”
Saika scratches my back, but that’s not what I mean
 Saika has better grades than me, but sometimes she can be a bit of an airheaded. Well, that’s the cutest part too.
“But
 the reason I’m able to change like this, or rather have courage, is because I met Mari and the others”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah – Mari and the others make me stronger.”
And above all – my buddy’s existence mattered a lot to me.
After saying that, I realized after a while that I had said something too embarrassing, but it was already too late, and in contrast to Akira and Shogo who were stunned, Mari and Saika’s reactions were different.
“
ehehe.”
“I like it.”
Mari just smiled, but Saika murmured that she liked him so much that only I could hear her, and hugged him from behind with all her might.
Strictly speaking, the embrace is just a little bit more than a body attachment and linking hands at the position of the chest.
(
it’s a breast pillow
)
It feels too soft to support my head, and this feels far more wonderful than the massage chairs sold at electronics stores.
Saika also seems to understand my thoughts and moves her body slightly to provide a variety of angles of softness.
“
fuiâ™Ș”
Although I’ve worried everyone, it’s the best time of the morning, seriously.
After that, Saika returned to her classroom. Mari and the others took their seats and the teacher came.
(
Hey buddy, seriously, what’s going on?)
To use another favorite manga line in common with Fianna, it’s like {My buddy doesn’t give me any answers}
 but why do I feel so lonely?
Rather than worrying, I felt lonely
 I had that kind of incomprehensible feeling.
Then time passed and it was after school, and three people including Emu, were by my side.
“Senpai, who is your partner?”
“Emu-san
? Your eyes are a bit scary
”
While putting her hand on my cheek like Mari and Saika, Emu mutters with eyes filled with hatred.
I was surprised at Emu’s unusual appearance, but that’s how worried she was and at the same time she was revealing her resentment towards the other party.
“Thanks, Emu. But it’s okay, it’s already over. Come on, smile for me, because I like it that way.”
When I said this while rubbing Emu’s soft cheeks, her cheeks puffed up, but she immediately smiled at me.
We then talked again about that time, with Emu included.
Although the fact that the hypnosis app was not activated is a concern for the future, I am proud to say that I was brave enough to put my body on the line to protect Aika and Fianna.
“Kai-kun protected me when I was there too, you know.”
“That’s what Kai-kun is like, with or without the app. We’re connected by heart, and we know that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Thank you, I thanked her.
Well, these girls were worried about me like this, and they talk about me a lot, but to tell you the truth, when this became known yesterday, after the worry, they were angry with me.
[It’s really admirable. But you have to take care of yourself, too.]
Those words were to be strongly engraved in my mind.
Humans
 or maybe it’s just me, but when I have these girls on my back, I feel like I’m going to protect them no matter what
 I’m sure that I would put my body on the line even if someone had a knife in their hand.
(If I could protect my girlfriends
 that’s a cool idea, but yeah. I’ve already decided I’m going to live in the future with these girls. That’s why I can’t allow myself to be so shabby and make everyone else sad.)
Thinking about that, I had the same great lunch break as usual.
***
And when a few days passed, I saw that scene again.
It was the scene of a man being questioned by a woman about how he had molested her – I wanted to use the hypnosis app to see if it was true, just like before. but even then I couldn’t start the hypnosis app because of an error on my phone’s screen.