That Half-Finished Drink Was Lethal— What Happened When I Left My Bottle Behind in a 1:4 Male-to-Female World - 27

Chapter 27: That Spray Is Excessive — So Relentless, the Mist Turns Thick and White

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―Hikari Ichinose’s POV―

At that moment, from the direction of the gymnasium entrance, I heard the sound of a car—heavy and quiet, sounding completely out of place. Pale LED headlights sliced through the dusk.

(…Who is that? A pickup…?)

I kept my grip on Yuu-senpai’s clothes, staring curiously at the shadow of the luxury car, which was maintained with an eerie level of care.

There, at the gymnasium exit. A single pitch-black sedan sat enthroned, as if cutting through the twilight. The mirror-finished body reflected the streetlights in a haunting way, and it was so quiet it seemed to suck in the surrounding clamor.

“….? Is that someone’s ride? That’s an amazing car, Yuu-senpai.”

I spoke to Yuu-senpai, who was walking beside me, while pressing a hand against my chest to calm my racing heart. Senpai, who was wiping his face with the towel I had lent him, visibly stiffened his shoulders the moment he saw the car.

“Ah… …Rin-san…”

At that moment, the rear passenger door slid open without a sound.

Smoothly. A woman emerged from the vehicle, looking as if she were draped in the darkness of the night. She wore a tight suit without a single wrinkle. A white blouse that was the epitome of cleanliness. And skin so translucent it felt colder than the silence of the night.

(…Wow. …What a beautiful person…)

For a second, I was captivated. It was a sophisticated, perfectly “managed” beauty. But the moment she took a step toward us, my instincts began to scream a violent alert.

Cold. I had the illusion that with every step she took, the heat of the gymnasium was being rapidly sucked away.

Beep, beep, beep―

【Warning: Sudden drop in ambient temperature… Correction, abnormal fluctuations in heart rate detected.】

My smartwatch was picking up a peculiar tension—one different from mere fear.

“…Rin-san. Why are you here?”

“…Good work today, Yuuki-kun. …I got worried because you were a little late coming home.”

The woman, Rin-sa, -stopped right in front of Yuu-senpai. Her eyes caught me hiding behind him, observing me with a coldness usually reserved for “filthy bacteria that must be eliminated.”

“Rin-san, we had a basketball game today…”

“…A game, I see. …Look at you. You’re covered in sweat.”

Rin-san stared at Yuu-senpai’s neck with eyes like a reptile—entranced, yet appraising him like prey. The moment she noticed I was holding onto Yuu-senpai’s arm, the warmth completely vanished from her eyes.

“…Yuu-kun. …Don’t move.”

She pulled a disinfectant spray from her person and began to spray Yuu-senpai’s arm—exactly where I had been touching—relentlessly, until the mist hung thick and white.

Shuuuuuuuuuu!

“…Ah. …Rin-san, that’s cold…!”

“Endure it. …You’re filthy after sweating so much… It was the same with Ootori, you are far too defenseless. …Your risk management is lacking.”

(…Huh? …What was that just now…?)

I stood there, stunned. That sweat, like diamonds, that Yuu-senpai had shed with everything he had. That proof of the intense effort we shared together. Did this person just… disinfect it as “dirt,” as something impure? Something inside my chest snapped with a distinct click.

“E-Excuse me!”

I took a step in front of Yuu-senpai. Rin-san’s cold gaze pierced right through me. But I didn’t run. The reflexes I built in basketball exist for moments like this—to step forward.

“…Yuu-senpai was playing basketball with all his heart! Practicing and working up a sweat… that isn’t something dirty at all!”

I purposefully touched Senpai’s arm lightly while looking the woman–Rin-san–straight in the eye.

“A-Ah, Ichinose-san. This is Rin Asami-san. She’s someone I’m indebted to… well, I guess you could say she’s the benefactor who took in my cat.”

“Indebted to her…? Heh, is that so!”

Rin-san’s eyebrows moved by a fraction of a millimeter. She slowly lowered her gaze, staring loathingly at my clenched fist and then at my hand gripping Yuu-senpai’s arm.

“…Yuu-kun. …Who is this ‘boisterous young lady’?”

“Oh, um… This is Ichinose-san, a junior from my club.”

At Yuu-senpai’s introduction, I put on my usual energetic smile. This creepy atmosphere…

(I have to be the one to brighten it up!)

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hikari Ichinose! Yuu-senpai always stays late to help me with my practice! I’m really grateful to him!”

I stared straight into Rin-san’s expressionless face and threw out a question with innocent curiosity.

“…By the way, Rin-san… are you a relative of Yuu-senpai? …Maybe an ‘aunt’ from his family? …Oh, I’m sorry! …Are you his older sister?”

Crack.

In the silence, I definitely heard the sound of something shattering. Rin-san’s perfectly maintained smile froze and crumbled in an instant. The light vanished from her eyes, and for a split second, they turned completely white before returning to normal.

(…Wait, …what was… that just now?)

The surrounding air grew heavy, like thick, sludge-like oil. Rin-san’s lips moved soundlessly.

“(…………)”

Rin-san turned back to Yuu-senpai. Her hand gripped Yuu-senpai’s arm with a cold, irresistible force.

“…Let’s go, Yuu-kun. …You’ll catch a cold if you change here. Get in the car quickly. Your change of clothes is inside.”

“Eh, …ah, Rin-san…? I mean, why do you have a change of clothes? How did you know I was―”

Rin-san cut him off and forced him into the car mid-sentence.

“Ah! Wait! Senpai, we have practice tomorrow too―!”

The moment I tried to run over, Rin-san looked back and glared at me. What I saw there were no longer human eyes. It was the absolute rejection of a cold-blooded predator closing in on its prey.

“…Goodbye, Ichinose-san. …I’m afraid Yuu-kun might not be able to come for a while, since he’ll be busy with work.”

Thud.

The heavy door closed. The luxury sedan, maintaining its eerie silence, glided out into the darkness of the night. I was left behind in the now-quiet gymnasium. The only thing left was the sound of the alert on my wrist that wouldn’t stop ringing.

Beep, beep, beep―

【Warning: Heart rate has exceeded 190. This is not love; this is a life-threatening crisis. Calling an ambulance―】

“You’re wrong. …I’m just so incredibly frustrated…!!”

I stared at the taillights disappearing into the darkness, my eyes blurred with tears.

(…Yuu-senpai…)

Senpai, who was always sparkling and laughing under the sun. He was taken away by that woman, who was like a cold “moon.”

(…Just you wait, Senpai. …I will definitely… save you from that weird woman…!!)

I retied my ponytail tightly and stared at the taillights fading into the night through eyes stinging with tears.

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