"You live around here?"
The chill radiating from Yukino's body had practically become a physical force as she asked the question in utter shock.
"Yeah, just moved in a few days ago," Izuru replied, spreading his hands with a note of weary resignation.
This, however, only served to put Yukino back on high alert. She shot him a look of deep suspicion and said coldly, "Don't tell me you deliberately investigated where I live just so you could move in here?"
Izuru couldn't help but roll his eyes, replying with a huff of annoyance.
"Look, I'll admit you're a beautiful girl, but do you honestly think just because you have a pretty face, everyone is instantly going to be horny for you? If that were the case, you'd be the protagonist of a doujinshi by now. You wouldn't even have the free time to stand here suspecting me."
At those words, Yukino's expression turned even frostier. "You... you truly have a way of making people speechless. Fine. Where you choose to live is your business, as long as you don't interfere with my life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."
Having said her piece, Yukino seemed to lose all interest in further conversation. She brushed back her silky black hair and began to walk away with practiced elegance.
"Ah, wait a second, Hiranoshita Hirano!"
Seeing her start to walk off, Izuru immediately called out and caught up with her in a few long strides.
"What is it now? And how long do you intend to use that ridiculous name?" Yukino knit her beautiful brows, her tone biting.
"Meeting like this is fate, especially since we're destined to be neighbors! And now, we're even destined to leave our homes at the exact same time for school. In a situation this... fate-heavy, it's only natural that we should walk to school together!"
"And why exactly should I walk with you?" Yukino tilted her head slightly in confusion.
{So cute... tsk, I mean, so sweet!}
Izuru's heart practically "melted" at her subtle movement, but on the surface, he just rubbed his hands together with a slightly sycophantic grin.
"Well... Hirano... I mean, Yukinoshita, the truth is... I've never actually walked to school with a girl before. Especially not with a stunning girl like you who, despite being 'flat,' has an incredibly high visual tier."
Whether intentional or not, Izuru seemed to have a knack for poking at Yukino's insecurities every time they interacted. It was infuriating. What he said was technically a fact, but hearing it repeated would make anyone uncomfortable.
If she were a girl with a shorter fuse, Izuru might have earned himself a sharp slap across the face—provided, of course, he didn't dodge.
However, Izuru's next sentence caused Yukino to set aside her irritation.
"You helped me resolve that issue with Hikawa-kun yesterday, and I'm genuinely grateful for that. It's only right that I return the favor, isn't it? You know I'm the Student Council President; I have a bit of pull at school. Repaying you is a small matter—for instance, regarding the difficulties your Service Club is currently facing."
"Are you threatening me?" Yukino asked, her voice dropping an octave.
"Why on earth would you think I'm threatening you?"
Izuru felt completely at a loss. This girl's guard was monumentally high. But... then again, considering Yukino Yukinoshita's childhood experiences, it made sense for her to be this cautious.
Thinking of that, Izuru's tone softened.
"I just want to walk to school with the girl who's famous across the entire campus, chat along the way, and see if I can help you out in return. Is that reason understandable and acceptable?"
"Is that so?"
After searching Izuru's face for a long moment, Yukino seemed to realize she might have overreacted. She looked away awkwardly and spoke:
"I understand. Fine, let us walk together. But if you dare take a single step out of line, don't blame me for being forceful."
"Yeah, yeah, Hirano. If I dare cross the line with you on the street, I swear my future wife will be flat-chested for the rest of her life."
The second he said it, Izuru felt an instinctive shiver down his spine, as if he were being targeted by a wave of pure killing intent. He glanced around suspiciously, but eventually chalked it up to his imagination. He looked back at Yukino, but for some reason, her gaze seemed even colder than before, leaving him to sigh in confusion.
"Anyway, Hirano, can we go now? If we keep stalling, we'll be late. I might not mind, but for a model student like you, that would be unacceptable, right?"
At that, Yukino let out a cold huff and marched toward the elevator.
Izuru scratched his head, feeling like he'd missed something, but he quickly pushed the doubt aside. Opportunities to walk to school with a beautiful girl didn't come around every day. For a loner otaku like him, if he didn't take this chance, he might never get another one.
Despite being in the top tier of the school's most handsome boys, his loner status, bad reputation, and hardcore otaku nature meant he had never even held a girl's hand. He'd never even received the kind of love letter or confession that usually defined high school life. He was the literal definition of a true otaku.
"Why are you just standing there in a daze? Get in."
Yukino was already in the elevator, watching Izuru stare blankly at a wall as if lost in thought. She knit her brows, her tone impatient.
"Oh, coming!"
Izuru took a few large steps and hurried into the lift.
Yukino maintained a clear safety distance—about the width of one person—from him. Izuru scratched his cheek with a resigned smile but stayed quiet. Her reaction was normal; if she had immediately pressed up against him, he'd have been the one feeling suspicious and uneasy.
Still...
{The first time in my life walking to school with a beauty. Do I finally look like a teen romance protagonist?}
{Actually, the only girl likely to walk to school with me is Shinomiya Kaguya. The problem is, she's the daughter of a super-conglomerate; she's chauffeured in a private car every day. There's no way she could ever walk with me...}