บท 199: Oga Masaru's Plan
Since he shared real-time location data with a delinquent named Hayase, Sasaki didn't linger at the school's north gate and proceeded directly.
The location wasn't far from the school; within five minutes, he reached the spot.
Hayase was at a café.
When Sasaki entered, he immediately saw him sitting by the window, waving his arms.
Sitting opposite him, he casually ordered a coffee from the approaching waiter.
Sasaki noticed this guy, apart from the sleeves rolled up to reveal an incomplete tattoo on his arm, looked no different from any ordinary high school boy on the street.
He pointed to a restaurant across the street and said to Sasaki:
"Boss, sister-in-law just got here not long ago, she's right over there by the window..."
Following the direction Hayashitani pointed, Sasaki saw the girl with purple hair tied back in a ponytail, sitting by the window of the restaurant.
At that moment, she was looking puzzled at the boy sitting opposite her.
Due to their position, he couldn't see the boy's face.
But to Sasaki, his appearance was irrelevant; what mattered was his identity.
To confirm his identity, Sasaki first needed to find Oga Masaru.
According to his guess, Shinomiya Natsuha's 'boyfriend' must have rushed over after seeing the photos taken by that yellow hair.
Going by his intentions towards the girl
Oga Masaru had two things to do.
One was to disrupt the relationship between Natsuha Shinomiya and her 'boyfriend.'
The other was to swoop in and 'pick up the pieces' after causing the disruption.
Either action required precise knowledge of the girl and her companion's location and the atmosphere between them.
Thus, Sasaki was confident that Masaru Oga wouldn't be far from the pair.
Using his exceptional vision, Sasaki rested his chin on his hand and scanned the restaurant across the street.
The restaurant was not very large, and due to the time, it wasn't very crowded.
Sasaki quickly focused on a man wearing a cap, sitting inside the restaurant.
Geometrically speaking, he was positioned to the upper right of where the girl was sitting.
Obstructed by decorations and wearing a hat, looking down at a menu, and not in school uniform, he would have been hard to recognize if not for Sasaki's vivid memory of his long, donkey face and yellow hair.
Having identified his target.
Sasaki was sure the boy sitting opposite Shinomiya was her 'boyfriend.'
Though he didn't know exactly what this yellow hair would do.
The simplest and most direct way to break up a long-distance couple is to allege cheating.
Just having a photo of himself with her wasn't enough.
He must also have photos suggesting the boy's cheating on her, as ultimately, he wanted Shinomiya for himself.
All he needed was to convince her that her boyfriend was unfaithful and had cheated on her.
Once she gave up hope… considering someone like Oga Masaru, he wouldn't waste time developing feelings gradually.
The simplest method then would be to act quickly.
And the best time to act... aren't they in a restaurant right now?
Sasaki didn't pay attention to the conversation between the girl and her childhood friend.
Sitting with his legs crossed in a relaxed posture in the booth, under the warm overhead lighting, his handsome, jade-like face was serene, and his eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, quietly watched the restaurant across the street, like a seasoned hunter poised with a shotgun aimed at his prey.
Hayase, who had only ever felt this kind of intensity from his own grandfather, sat head down, silently staring at the latte art in his coffee cup.
Sasaki didn't have to wait long.
After Oga Masaru flipped through the menu for a couple of minutes, a person dressed in the restaurant's uniform, apparently a waiter, approached him.
Since Sasaki didn't know how to read lips, he naturally couldn't understand what they were saying.
However, from the yellow hair's action of handing the waiter a capsule-sized white paper packet, it was clear.
They were likely planning to add something to the girl's meal that would make her heart race.
Anticipating this, Sasaki wasn't too surprised.
But he felt he needed to learn lip-reading.
This feeling of being able to see but not hear was quite uncomfortable.
After receiving the coffee brought by the waiter and thanking him, Sasaki shifted his focus to Natsuha Shinomiya and tried his best to guess their conversation by reading their lips.
"Yuu-chan, are you sure there's nothing else?"
Holding a cup filled with hot water, the girl frowned, still somewhat uneasy as she asked.
"Really, Natsu-nee, it's nothing. I just wanted to see you, after all it's been such a long time since we last met…"
Sitting across from her, Yamano Yuta, although not adept at reading a girl's mind, knew better than to start questioning about such matters right upon meeting.
So, besides catching up with Shinomiya Natsuha, he didn't talk about anything else.
But his lack of focus, merely chatting about trivial matters, made the girl even more suspicious.
If there was nothing urgent, why would he suddenly come over on a Monday?
After all, even by car, it took quite a while to get here.
Seeing that he didn't want to reveal his true thoughts, Shinomiya Natsuha didn't press further, though she silently took note and responded:
"You know, we haven't seen each other for a long time. At least call me by my name when we're alone..."
"Natsuha..."
"Mm~"
Seeing him call her name so promptly this time, the girl nodded happily, then asked:
"Yuuta, are you just staying for today?"
"No... Something happened at school, and we were given a three-day break, so I thought I'd come see you, Natsuha."
Knowing that if he said he took leave just to see her, it would be strange, Yamano Yuta casually lied.
But he didn't realize that one lie would need countless lies to cover up.
"Huh? Is it something serious? I haven't heard any news from your school lately."
"No, no, it's just a minor issue."
"A minor issue... that requires a three-day break? Is it for the whole school or..."
"No, no, just a few classes, including ours and a few next to us..."
"..."
In Shinomiya Natsuha's casual questioning, more and more flaws appeared in his responses.
But the girl was not oblivious.
She might not be extremely smart, but she was far from stupid.
In Yamano Yuta's increasingly hesitant responses, she could tell he was lying.
However, since they were in a restaurant, she didn't want to embarrass her boyfriend.
After noticing his lies, Shinomiya Natsuha stopped pressing the issue.
Instead, she shifted the conversation to his studies and family matters.
Without the probing questions that forced Yuuta to keep lying, the atmosphere between them gradually became more harmonious.
As the waiter gently brought their dishes, the pace of their conversation slowed.
Taking this opportunity, the boy shifted the topic from himself to Shinomiya.
Swallowing a piece of sashimi, he focused on the dishes and asked casually:
"Natsuha, are you still in the Aikido club?"
"Yes, I've been practicing since I was a child." Without thinking too much about his question, Shinomiya Natsuha answered honestly.
"Haven't you thought about joining other clubs? You've been practicing Aikido for so long, trying other clubs might be better."
Not knowing the reason why she practiced Aikido, Yamano Yuta said something that made her feel resentful.
However, just like before, she didn't explain that her reason for joining the Aikido club was for self-protection and to protect her family.
Shinomiya Natsuha glanced at the clueless Yuta with a hint of resentment and said:
"Although I don't intend to pass on the family dojo, I at least can't let our family tradition be broken."
"I see."
Not understanding why she glanced at him like that, Yuuta scratched his head and continued asking:
"Does your school have class reshuffles every year? Have you made any friends?"
Worried she might figure out his true purpose, he added:
"Sister Natsuha, your serious personality worries me a bit..."
"Serious..."
Knowing what he meant by serious, Shinomiya Natsuha frowned and said discontentedly:
"Isn't it because Yuuta was being pervy, looking at those lewd things... Besides, I was the disciplinary committee member then. Confiscating such things is normal; it has nothing to do with my seriousness."
Although her expression showed discontent, her tone wasn't very severe.
After all, that was a long time ago.
And after entering high school and maturing, she understood that it was normal for boys to have such thoughts and fantasies.
However, speaking of new friends...
Before the image of the person who constantly tugged at her heartstrings could become clear, Shinomiya Natsuha shook her head, driving him out of her mind.
'How can I think of someone else in front of Yuuta...'
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