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Episode 18: “Unexpected Encounter”
“It’s not about whether it’ll be exposed or not. It’s just that even though we have boyfriends, it’s unthinkable for us to hang out with other guys. So if you’re trying to pick us up, go somewhere else.”
“Don’t say such cold things. You’re dressed like that, so you’re obviously out having fun, right?”
Hatsumi Kamoenai and Ayumu Otofuke were dressed in outfits that revealed their shoulders and exposed their legs except an unfamiliar girl
 Is this what they call gal fashion?
Even though their school uniforms have short skirts, the level of leg exposure is usual. However, the exposed shoulders make me feel excited. No, wait, I’m also excited about their legs.
Did Kamoenai-san and Otofuke-san meet up with other friends after parting ways with Nanami-san?
No, that doesn’t matter right now. First, I need to assess the situation.
These girls are being approached by pick-up artists.
And they clearly dislike being picked up.
I witnessed it.
Now, should I help them or not

Well, I should help them. There’s no need to think about it.
If I were the protagonist of a story filled with righteousness, I could rush in without hesitation and somehow manage. But
 I’ve never been in a fight before
 and there are three of them. It’s pathetic, but the odds are against me.
So, let’s have a backup plan.
I look around for that backup
 and then I approach Kamoenai-san and Otofuke-san and a mysterious girl, who are being picked up. They were just about to have their hands grabbed.
“Hey, what a coincidence. You three were here? Are those guys your friends?”
I try to be as friendly as possible, with a smile on my face, without forgetting my cheerful demeanor. I won’t call them by their names. Protecting personal information is important.
The three girls suddenly turned towards me with a surprised expression, but the guys
 Upon my sudden appearance and their prompt question, they raised their eyebrows and gave me an annoyed look.
“What? Who the hell are you?”
Wow, they’re easily agitated.
I wish they would treat me with a more refreshing smile, like they did when they were talking to the girls. Well, their smiles earlier were pretty transparent with ulterior motives, though.
The one who confronted me was the long-haired handsome guy with brown hair, who was actively approaching the girls. He had shoulder-length hair and wore his hat tilted.
But compared to Shibetsu-senpai, his level of attractiveness is much lower. He’s like a downgraded version of Senpai.
“I’m with these gi-
”
“If it’s none of your business, then shut up, you gloomy black-clad bug. Don’t you want to get hurt? Just disappear already.”

I at least wanted to finish my sentence. Declared unrelated and deemed a gloomy bug, I received the dishonorable nickname of “bug guy.”
The two guys behind him are also smirking and laughing as they look at me. “Downgraded Senpai vs. Bug Guy”
 It sounds like a B-movie title.
“Are you listening, you bastard?! If it’s none of your business, then disappear already!”
“It’s not unrelated
 um
 I mean
”

From the way things are going, they might say that even if I claim to be their friends, it’s unrelated. What should I say
 As I look, the three of them, Kamoenai-san and Otofuke-san, are sending worried glances my way.
Especially the unfamiliar girl seems to be on the verge of tears, looking at me with such a gaze.
Our eyes meet. Yeah, I’m sorry for worrying you. I smile to reassure her, but


Huh?

There’s something familiar in her eyes
 Could it be
? But
 I can’t be sure.
But
 If I’m wrong, I’m sorry, Nanami-san.
I apologize to my girlfriend in my heart. And then, I point to the unfamiliar girl among the three.
“I am her boyfriend over there. If someone is trying to hit on her, it’s only natural that I, as her boyfriend, would stop them, right?”
I indicate the girl with the familiar eyes and declare that I am her boyfriend.
And upon hearing that, the men burst into laughter. Did I say something that funny?
“Oh, so you’re the boyfriend of the most plain-looking girl. Well, then, take only her home. The gloomy cockroach and the plain glasses suit each other. We’ll take care of the other girls
”
“No, that’s not going to happen. The other two don’t like it either, right? I can’t just leave her friends behind.”
Now, it’s my turn to interrupt the words of the inferior senior.
Apparently, that really gets on his nerves
 He grabbed my collar, assuming a posture that looks like he’s about to punch me any moment.
“Don’t act all tough, you introverted loser! If you don’t want to get killed, you better get out of here now! I’ll take care of your girlfriend too!”
At that moment, my backup arrives right on time. Even though I requested it, the timing is perfect.
“What seems to be happening here, sir? It’s causing trouble for the other customers. Could you come with us?”
It’s a group of sturdy security guards. They surround us, including the men, to prevent them from escaping. There are more of them than I had expected.
“W-We didn’t do anything
”
“Oh, security guards. You came at the right time. These men are caught in the act of assault. Could you call the police?”
“What the hell?! Assault?! We didn’t do anything!”
While the inferior senior, still holding onto my collar, glares at me, he raises his voice in astonishment.
“Don’t you know? Just grabbing someone’s collar counts as assault. There are plenty of witnesses, and you can’t deny it. You’ll be arrested by the police.”
I
 Trying to control my trembling body out of fear, I desperately try to remain calm as I tell him the truth.
It’s knowledge I picked up from the internet, so to speak. Well, even if the police are actually called, it would be troublesome, so it’s just a bluff

He seems frozen upon hearing the word “arrest,” unable to release his grip on my collar.
“You two as well, if you’re with this person, you’ll be equally guilty, won’t you?”
Without paying attention to it, I turned my head and looked at the remaining two people, directing my gaze at them while opening my mouth.
It’s not like being together automatically makes them guilty, but
 the two individuals who received my gaze instantly lost their smiles and their expressions became anxious.
“Oh
 we’re not involved. He was the one who suggested hitting on her
 He’s the only one who grabbed your collar, so if anyone’s going to get caught, it’ll be him.”
“Yeah
 that’s right, we just went along with him, we didn’t do anything. We’re not involved. Hey, let’s go.”
The two individuals, feeling relieved by our words, attempted to leave the circle of security guards.
However, the deteriorated senior, who was abandoned, finally released his grip on my collar and tried to chase after them
 but the security guards stopped him.
“Hey!! Wait, you guys!!”
While cursing the two who abandoned him, the deteriorated senior was held back by the security guards.
I don’t actually want to press charges against him for assault or anything, so I’ll leave it to the security guards from here. As long as I can help the girls escape, I don’t really care about anything else

For now, I thanked the security guards and rushed over to the three of them.
“Are you all okay? Sorry I couldn’t save you in a more cool way.”
“No, no, it was enough. Thank you, Misumai. It was close, I thought I would have to beat up that guy again.”
“Yeah, seriously, I thought Hatsumi was going to beat up that guy again. I’m relieved.”
Otofuke-san made a fist and brought it in front of her own eyes, while kamoenai-san looked at her with a look of disbelief. 
Huh? Could it be that they would have been fine even if I hadn’t helped?
“Wow, Otofuke-san, you look really strong
:
“You know, I’m training with Hatsumi to defend myself from getting hit on. Maybe I’m stronger than most guys.”
“Training with Hatsumi
?”
“Yeah, Hatsumi’s boyfriend is her stepbrother. Do you know Soichiro Onozuka? He’s a martial artist.”
“That’s fine. Stepbrothers can get married, so there’s no problem.”
Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with martial arts, so I’ve never heard that name before. But if she’s being trained by her stepbrother, it seems like I did something unnecessary.
However
 Otofuke-san seems to have quite a strong personality. It’s like something out of a manga that her boyfriend is her stepbrother.
“Hatsumi was even saying that if she beat up anyone who hit on her, her boyfriend would be her bodyguard all the time.”
If that’s the case, then it’s all good
 I guess? Well, as long as I didn’t do anything unnecessary.
“But Misumai is amazing too. Is this also the power of love? Hey, Nanami, stop spacing out and join the conversation.”
Kamoenai-san called out to the quiet girl behind her


As I thought
 it was her.
I looked at her eyes again, and
 I did recognize them. Those beautiful eyes

“Nanami-san
?”
“Um
 Yeah
 Well
 Youshin
 Thank you for helping me. And, thank you for recognizing me even in this appearance
 I was really happy.”
The person standing there was completely different from the school
 It was Nanami-san, dressed in a way that could be called the complete opposite of her usual self


I wasn’t completely sure, though.
“I
 I like gyaru fashion too, but actually, I also like dressing like this
 When I hang out with them, I tend to look like this
 Um
 Did I disappoint you?”
“
No, not at all. You look cute, and it suits you. Look at me, I’m dressed in all black like some gloomy cockroach. Is this what they call ‘sick fashion’?”
Otofuke-san and Kamoenai-san burst into laughter at my words. Yeah, that was a clever expression. I felt more a sense of understanding than disappointment.
“I’m glad
 But how did you recognize me?”
“That’s the power of love, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right, Youshin?”
With that said
 Guilt welled up inside me. I didn’t save her because I was confident she was Nanami-san
 I might disappoint her if I were to reveal that

“
Well, sorry. I had a feeling your eyes looked familiar, but I wasn’t completely sure. But
 I thought it was probably you, Nanami-San, Did I disappoint you?”
Nanami-san slowly shook her head and showed me a smile. She was wearing glasses, and her appearance was different from usual, but that smile was the same as always.
“No, I’m not disappointed. I’m happy that Youshin is such a kind person.”
“That’s good.”
For a little while after that, Nanami-san and I gazed into each other’s eyes, forgetting who was around. It made me feel happy just by doing that.
What interrupted us was the words of our two other friends.
“Wow, you guys are so intense. Why don’t you just go on a date together? Oh, right, isn’t tomorrow a date too?”
“That’s right, that’s right. Go for it!”
Their words brought us back to reality.
Nanami-san got angry at the teasing from the two and I just gave them a vague smile.
If the two of them were okay with it, then it would be fine
 But when I looked down at my own appearance
 I was completely black, and it felt embarrassing to stand next to Nanami-san in her current state.
So for today, it’s better to be satisfied with unexpectedly meeting like this. Any more than that, and I would start feeling uneasy.
“I see, you’re pretty hot, aren’t you, you two? It’s probably better to save the fun for tomorrow, huh?”
“Well, then, I’ll borrow your girlfriend for today, Misumai.”
The two seemed to understand and took Nanami-san, who still seemed a little reluctant. I said goodbye to Nanami-san again, and she silently nodded and followed the two.
And then, Nanami-san’s question hit me as I turned my heel.
“Hey, Youshin
 Which version of me do you want to see tomorrow?”
I turned around and looked at Nanami-san. It was a very difficult question, but I thought about it and answered her with a smile.
“If it’s the outfit that makes Nanami-san feel natural, then either is fine.”
It might be an answer that would trouble her when it comes to choosing a lunch request, but she seemed satisfied with my response as she smiled.
Interlude : What Happened Next with Nanami
“Oh
 Misumai sure knows how to handle things. Coming to help with courage, you wouldn’t expect that from quiet him.”
“Yeah, yeah, it seems like he understood about half of Nanami’s situation. Right, Nanami?”
Their voices hardly reached me. I was too focused on the sight of Youshin who had came to help
 I felt a warm feeling inside. The fear I had towards the man just moments ago had completely disappeared without a trace.
And, it wasn’t that
 Even in that appearance, I was fine with it, but Youshin’s heart, which had dressed up in a fashion that he probably wasn’t used to just for me, made me happier than anything else.
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow
 I wish it would come soon
 Hehehe

“No, Nanami
 She’s tripping, isn’t she?”
“Hahaha, this is the first time I’ve seen Nanami like this.”
TL notes : Misumai the man.