Returnee from Another World - Chapter 79: Unrepentant Punks

Chapter 79: Unrepentant Punks

◇

“Hey, Shuu, aren’t these pajamas cute?”

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I was with Kato Ayano at a large shopping mall two stations from my place. In the loungewear section, Ayano held up a pair of matching men’s and women’s pajamas with a cute bear print, asking me that question. I’d told her to pick out whatever she needed for daily life, but was she seriously expecting me to wear these?

“Huh? What are you planning to do with those? You know I don’t wear pajamas, right?” I said.

“They’d be for sleepovers, just in case. Come on, it’s fine, isn’t it?” she said.

“Even so, those are a bit…” I trailed off.

“What? I think they’re cute, and they’d look good on you,” she said.

“Where do you get that idea? Ugh, fine, do whatever,” I said.

Why was I even here? Honestly, it was to keep Ayano in a good mood. Not to cover up my thing with Kyouka Amasawa—I’d already told Ayano I brought Kyouka to my place and said if she had a problem with it, she could end things with me. I know she won’t complain, and I’m definitely taking advantage of that.

The real issue is Kyouka. I’ve already admitted to her that I had a thing with Ayano in the past, and she might suspect it’s still going on. If Kyouka were fully under my control, that wouldn’t matter, but right now, I need to be cautious. Another woman’s presence could cause problems. Plus, Kyouka’s likely to be shocked when she learns about Katsuji Amasawa’s cheating, so I need to set up a safe space for her to escape to. Bringing her to my apartment, littered with Ayano’s stuff, would be a disaster.

That said, I’m not exactly desperate to hide it. With Ayano, Sayaka Hojo, Higuchi Yukari, and Shoko Oishi, I’ve got four other women. I can’t keep them hidden forever, and I’m resigned to them being found out eventually.

“Sorry, I’d like these. Do you have the LT size for this one in stock?” Ayano asked the clerk.

“For the men’s, right? One moment, please,” the clerk said.

“Okay,” Ayano replied.

“Yes, we have it. Is this correct?” the clerk asked, holding up the item.

“Yeah, that’s it. Should we try it on, just in case?” Ayano asked me.

“Nah, the size should be fine,” I said.

I didn’t need to check the fit—I had no intention of wearing them. If it made Ayano happy, it was a small price to pay, so I went along with it. The clerk, picking up on my reluctant boyfriend act, gave us an amused look. Compared to the bedding section clerk earlier, who assumed we were college students starting to live together and gave us new-life advice, this was tame. I mean, buying a double bed probably gave that impression.

I’d also bought a dresser, a small wardrobe, and a TV for Ayano—stuff to clear her belongings from my apartment. I told her the empty room next door would be our shared space, while my room would stay private. She probably sensed why I was doing this but didn’t complain, happily shopping away. She should be fine. My apartment’s a mess with her stuff—hair everywhere—so this setup should barely cover my tracks if Kyouka visits.

“I’m hitting the restroom. Think about what else you need, and handle the bags,” I told Ayano.

“Got it,” she said.

After paying at the loungewear section, I left Ayano to deal with the bags and headed to the restroom. We’d arranged delivery for the big items, but the smaller stuff was piling up. Ayano kept worrying about the cost, but it’s nothing to me now. Explaining the money’s source was trickier—I had to claim I’d saved up years of New Year’s cash from relatives.

It should be fine. Ayano doesn’t question me, probably to avoid upsetting me. She even accepted my rule to stay at her place after school unless I call her, though I compromised by letting her stay over on weekdays if I’m in a good mood.

“Tch, again?” I muttered.

After finishing in the restroom and returning to Ayano, I couldn’t help but click my tongue. Two sleazy-looking guys were hitting on her. It’s always like this—when I’m out with Ayano, she gets picked up by creeps or scouted for shady stuff at an annoying rate. It’s almost like she’s exuding some man-attracting pheromone. If she were as prickly as in my memories, guys might back off, but her striking looks, now paired with a flirtatious female aura, make it inevitable. It’s a natural outcome, but a damn nuisance for me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Ayano. Let’s go,” I said.

The guys were probably around our age, dressed in casual clothes like us, so I couldn’t be sure. One had blond hair, the other a nose piercing—typical delinquents. I didn’t have time to deal with these types. In a quiet spot, I’d shut them up with force, but causing a scene in a mall would be trouble. So, I pretended not to notice and called out to Ayano. She, completely uninterested in them, stood up from her chair the moment she saw me.

“So, what else do you want to buy?” I asked.

“Uh, I was thinking a two-person sofa, but a cushion’s fine if it’s too expensive,” she said.

Normally, guys would back off seeing she’s with someone. They might grumble, but that’s it. Some, though, don’t care. These two were that type, smirking as they stepped in front of us, blocking our way.

“Hey, hold up. This chick’s talking to us,” the blond said.

“Didn’t look like a conversation to me. She’s my girl, so find someone else,” I said.

They knew that already and were just messing with us. They must think I’m an easy target. Sure, my neat appearance and average build—despite my efforts to bulk up after returning to this scrawny body—don’t scream threat. They probably thought they could intimidate me.

“What? You getting cocky?” the blond said.

“Heh, ‘my girl,’ huh? Acting tough in front of her’s gonna get you hurt,” the nose-pierced guy said.

“Come on, I’m not being cocky. I don’t want trouble with you guys,” I said.

Glancing around, I saw passersby starting to stare, drawn by the commotion. It wasn’t a full scene yet, but the blond’s raised voice was attracting attention. I knew my mild attitude invited this, but acting tough would just provoke them more. Either way, it’s up to them. I could only hope they’d back off quietly.

“What’s that attitude, huh? Come here!” the blond spat, trying to drag me somewhere else, probably thinking a fight here was too risky.

Ayano’s face showed a flicker of worry, but she trusted me, staying silent and leaving it to me.

“Hey, girlfriend, you cool with this? Your boyfriend’s about to get beat up,” the nose-pierced guy said, reaching for Ayano.

“Ugh!” he groaned as my fist slammed into his face.

“You bastard!” the blond yelled, grabbing my collar as the nose-pierced guy clutched his face in pain.

No choice now. If someone’s trying to touch my girl, I don’t care about the crowd. I needed to deal with them quick and get out before security showed up. As I raised my fist to hit the blond, he shouted for backup.

“Yuichi-kun, Nobuo-kun! This guy’s acting tough—can we grab him? Wait, Yuichi-kun?” the blond called, looking back casually while still holding me.

The names rang a bell. Following his gaze, I spotted a familiar face and lowered my fist just in time. It was Higuchi Nobuo, Yukari’s brother, pretending to browse women’s underwear in the lingerie section, looking suspiciously out of place. With all this noise, there’s no way he didn’t notice us.

“Hey, Nobuo, what’s going on?” I called.

Was he messing with us after spotting us? But Nobuo and I aren’t close enough for pranks, and he’d rather avoid me. The blond looked confused by my words, and Nobuo, ignoring me, kept staring down at the underwear, heading toward the register.

“Nobuo, don’t ignore me. These guys are your crew, right?” I said again.

Nobuo flinched, slowly turning around, his face twitching as he finally approached, acting like he just noticed us.

“K-Kaburaki-kun? What are you doing here?” he asked.

“That’s my line. Did you put these guys up to this? This isn’t payback for last time, is it?” I said.

“Huh? What’re you talking about? Who’re these guys? Friends of yours?” Nobuo said.

Something about his nervous vibe—or maybe his weak attitude—made the blond let go of my collar. From their reactions, it didn’t seem like Nobuo planned this.

“These idiots tried to mess with my girl,” I said.

“What? They went after Ayano-san? What a bunch of morons,” Nobuo said.

Ayano narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed by Nobuo’s obvious lie. It was plain he’d noticed us from the start.

“I told you before, Nobuo. Anyone who touches my girl won’t get off easy,” I said.

“Y-Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t do something that stupid,” he said.

“Then who are these guys?” I asked.

“I-I don’t know them. Never seen ‘em. Probably from another school, right? You guys don’t know me, do you? Say we’re buddies, and I’ll kill you,” Nobuo said, his voice sharp.

“Uh, y-yeah,” the blond stammered.

The nose-pierced guy, finally looking up, seemed to grasp that Nobuo and I knew each other and that things were spiraling.

“Don’t play dumb. This guy just called your name—and Yuichi’s. He’s in on this too, isn’t he?” I said.

“Oh, right! These guys are Yuichi’s friends. We just ran into them earlier. Yuichi dragged me here to hit on girls, but…” Nobuo trailed off.

“So where’s Yuichi?” I asked.

“I don’t know. Hold on, Kaburaki-kun,” Nobuo said, pulling out his phone to call Yuichi.

His excuses started shaky, but not everything was a lie. Nobuo knows Ayano—he wouldn’t target her, especially knowing I was nearby.

“What? You’re on the train home? We were just together! Don’t screw with me, ditching like that! These are your school buddies—why am I cleaning up your mess? Wait, Yuichi—damn, he hung up!” Nobuo cursed into the phone, then turned to me, resigned. “Kaburaki-kun, uh, Yuichi remembered something and went home.”

“What?” I said.

“He says you can do whatever with these guys. The blond’s Aida, and the one you hit is Muto. They messed with Ayano-san on their own. Yuichi and I had nothing to do with it,” Nobuo said.

“You expect me to believe that?” I asked.

“It’s true! Yuichi even said he’d give you their addresses if you want,” Nobuo said.

“What? Nobuo-kun…” Aida stammered.

“Shut up! You idiots caused this!” Nobuo snapped.

I was stunned by how quickly he threw them under the bus, but it seemed like Nobuo and Yuichi didn’t orchestrate this. Nobuo was panicking, and it looked like Aida and Muto acted on their own before Nobuo or Yuichi could stop them.

“Ugh, fine. Take these idiots and get lost,” I said.

“Thanks, Kaburaki-kun. Sorry for the trouble,” Nobuo said.

I waved them off like stray dogs. Nobuo overreacted, but I wasn’t that mad. As long as this wasn’t payback, it didn’t matter.

“Let’s get back to shopping,” I said.

“Shuu, you were so cool,” Ayano said.

“Huh?” I said.

“You protected me. And saying I’m your girl made me so happy,” she said.

“Don’t get carried away. I didn’t make you my girlfriend,” I said.

“I know. Just staying by your side is enough,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist with a melting expression.

Her aura exploded with [Love] and [Lust]’s pink, like a firework.

◆

“Nobuo-kun, is that guy really that bad?” Aida asked.

“Ugh, you idiots,” Nobuo said.

“But it was just one guy! With three of us, we could’ve handled him,” Muto said.

“Know your place. Some people you just don’t mess with,” Nobuo said.

“Yeah, some crazies pull knives when they snap,” Aida said.

“That’s not it! Fine, I’ll spill. You’ve noticed Yuichi’s been off since he skipped school, right?” Nobuo said.

“You mean when he started saying girls over fights?” Muto asked.

“Yeah. That’s because Kaburaki-kun beat the crap out of him. Yuichi, the rabid dog, got neutered into a chihuahua,” Nobuo said.

“No way, that Yuichi?” Aida said.

“He bailed first today, didn’t he? I knew something was up when he vanished. And back then, it was four against one—Shintaro was with us,” Nobuo said.

“Seriously? Shintaro, who’s never lost a one-on-one?” Muto asked.

“Until Kaburaki-kun. And he’s got Hayashi-do Gumi backing him. You two almost ended up in a gay porn video,” Nobuo said.

“What?” Aida said.

“Kaburaki-kun swings both ways. He makes guys he beats suck his chinko or stretches their asses for fun. You know what happens after, right?” Nobuo said.

“That’s… Nobuo-kun, you know him, right? Can you tell him we’re really sorry?” Muto pleaded.

“Hell no! We’re strangers. Ask Yuichi—he’ll say no too,” Nobuo said.

“Please, Nobuo-kun…” they begged.

Ignoring their desperate looks, Higuchi Nobuo fled the mall toward the station.