NTR Kousuke

Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Osada-san's Mediation

I think about what I should do with this girl who failed to escape...

She gives off suspicious vibes, but...or maybe not? Like, is she just shallow or something?

I get the sense she's not actually a bad person...

Well, this is just based on our brief interaction, so I can't be sure.

"Why did you come to see me? What's your reason? Do you know anything about the letter?"

The girl just shakes her head with teary eyes.

...Now I'm starting to feel guilty...

Does she really not know?

I ponder for a moment.

...Would someone really approach me at such a conspicuous time in the first place?

Even when I mentioned the letter, her reaction was more out of curiosity than 'Oh, I know that power word!'

Would rumors started by first-years really spread this time of year? If it's just among first-years, maybe...

Maybe I got a little too heated...

Still, I can't rule out the possibility that she's a minion or underling...

I'll ask, just in case. Calmly, without anger.

"...You really don't know anything about the letter, do you?"

Hinako "...No. What are you talking about?"

Huu. All I can do is sigh... She approached me!

I feel embarrassed that I got all worked up thinking, Maybe there's a hint?!

"...Then why? Why did you come to see me?"

Was it Hinako Ootori? She looks apologetic,

Hinako "...I heard Kousuke-kun-senpai had a rough time with girls twice in a row last year. Has anything suspicious happened?"

*That was blunt.*

"...Nothing but suspicious stuff. Seriously, what's with all this?"

Hinako "Oh, Japanese NTR...!"

My wounds are poked by a junior girl I just met, who mutters, "Really?"

I'd finally started to forget about all that lately... What a tactless girl...

An awkward silence fills the empty classroom.

Maybe she finally realized—Ootori-san makes a face like "yikes" and starts to say something, but then knock, knock! The sound of knocking echoes in the empty room, followed by the clatter of the door opening.

The one who comes in is Osada-san...

The distant sounds of lunchtime chatter can be heard.

Osada-san looks at us with an exasperated expression,

Osada "...Ootori? Sorry, Saito-kun, she's one of our juniors. She's totally the type who can't read the room. Apparently she's a returnee kid or something..."

Hinako "...Oh... Yakuza girl."

"She calls Osada-san 'Yakuza girl'...?"

Huh? When Osada-san glares at her, Ootori-san goes perfectly still.

Osada "...She's always like this. No delicacy, no common sense, not a bad kid, just a weird one who's super rude, but... my friend dotes on her. Come on! Apologize!"

Hinako "...I'm sorry... That was rude..."

Ootori-san gets teary-eyed as Osada-san corners her...

She checks with me about what Ootori-san asked and starts critiquing her.

For a senior, the way she's grilling her—about what she asked, how she talked, all of it—is relentless.

Now that Ootori-san's been scolded, I don't need to pile on.

I add just a little,

"...Don't do anything that stands out, okay? If you need something, call me after school or after club."

Hinako "...Yes, sorry about that. If you'd like, please call me Hinako. You too, Yakuza girl-senpai?"

Osada "Are you mocking us? Didn't she say something about strategists?"

She did! At that, Ootori-san goes,

Hinako "...Yes! Who's your favorite strategist?"

"...Jia Xu or Chen Gong?"

Hinako "So plain!"

That's rude. I ended up having a whole discussion with Ootori-san...!

Hinako "Hehehe! Well, as for me? My last name's Ootori, first name's Hinako, so I'm basically the reincarnation of Fengchu—Pang Tong himself!"

☆ ☆ ☆

Hinako "I'll come play again!"

"...Don't come just to play."

In the end, it was a miss.

Hinako Ootori had nothing to do with the letter...

I met a weird junior girl.

Seriously, what the heck...

☆ ☆ ☆

Letter side Osada Ai

Hinako "You didn't have to get so mad at me!"

The Ootori I met the other day suddenly dropped by our classroom during lunch and started talking all cryptically, so Saito-kun freaked out and took her outside. The class went wild!

I know her, but this self-proclaimed active strategist is so reckless and unconventional.

I chased after them and found Saito-kun confronting her.

Ootori dug into Saito-kun's old wounds, stirred up the whole scene, and then happily started talking about strategists from Romance of the Three Kingdoms as she left.

As we're heading back to the classroom building together, I start scolding her as we approach the stairs,

"...You know?"

I'm about to tell her off, exasperated,

Hinako "...Kousuke-kun-senpai isn't a bad person, and I just don't get it. Why all in a row? ...He mentioned the letter. What are these three letters? Do you know?"

Ootori's eyes are serious and sharp as she stops and stares at me on the stairs.

Her expression is gentle, but she's listening intently.

I consider dodging the question, but...

"Saito-kun isn't a bad person. Actually, I think he's a good guy. Ryo-kun feels the same way. ...But."

I pause there.

Ootori listens quietly. The bustle is distant.

I check around me, just in case,

"...Three letters? I know about two. Because I sent one."

Ootori looks so happy,

Hinako "...This just got interesting. See? My conspiracy theory was right, wasn't it?!"

Sigh. I let out a breath and suggested to Ootori that we talk after school.

I've got a lot going on too... Sometime around Golden Week, probably...!

Hinako "Then please call me Hinako!"

I really don't want to...

She looks at me with sparkling eyes and a cute, radiant face.

"Hinako? You have Yukaricchi and Mishima call you that too, right?"

Ootori beams,

Hinako "If we're solving the mystery together, we're one team, right?"

Ootori can't read the room, but her intuition is sharp.

I thought she was a mysterious girl who might figure something out with a different approach from me.