Chapter 93: Greetings

“Hayato-kun, you actually waited at the platform…”

Nijika looked at Ishikawa Hayato, whose hand was on her shoulder.

She had long grown accustomed to this kind of physical contact with him.

She also felt it was better this way.

Ishikawa Hayato was much quieter when he was by her side than when he was bothering others.

“This is the first time girls are coming to my house, you know.

If you hadn't refused, I would have picked each of you up personally.”

Ishikawa Hayato walked on the girls' side, slightly ahead of the others, his face beaming with energy, as if the summer heat couldn't diminish his stamina.

They walked into the station, and the cool breeze instantly swept away the stifling heat.

Kita didn't believe Ishikawa Hayato's spiel at all.

“That must be a lie, right? Isn't Ishikawa-kun supposed to be the type who's played with so many girls that he's lost track?”

If her classmates heard her impolite tone, they would probably be very surprised.

But Ishikawa Hayato was already used to Kita's tone.

He retorted, “So, does that mean Kita also had several boyfriends?”

Kita's expression stiffened.

She secretly glanced at Ryo, and seeing her expression unchanged, she felt a little relieved.

She retorted to Ishikawa Hayato, as if explaining,

“I've never had any, and that has nothing to do with this!”

Ishikawa Hayato didn't want to argue.

He said to Hitori, “Hitori will believe me, right?”

Hitori, who had been listening to their conversation with a faint smile among the group, immediately responded,

“Ah, yes.”

“Gotou-san…”

Kita looked at Hitori, who had completely become Ishikawa Hayato's echo chamber, and was full of helplessness.

At this moment, Nijika laughed and smoothed things over, saying, “Well, well, we can still trust Hayato-kun to a certain extent.”

With that, they split into two lines and passed through the turnstiles.

But Nijika wasn't entirely at ease, especially since Seika had been playing various news reports about 'women being harmed because they trusted men too much' non-stop for the past few days.

After passing through the turnstiles, she looked back uneasily at Ishikawa Hayato, who was the last to walk through.

“Hayato-kun, you won't do anything strange, will you?”

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa Hayato said with great confidence,

“While I don't want to be a pervert that everyone loves, I even less want to be a pervert that those around me dislike. Don't worry, my current level of perversion is only at 10%.”

“10%…”

Nijika sighed, and Kita had an expression that said, 'I can't do anything about him.'

Stepping out of the station, the cool sensation instantly vanished, and a stifling wave of heat directly hit the five of them from afar.

Nijika had complained about the heat so many times today, and now she has given up on even complaining.

Ryo squinted her eyes while under the sun, glanced at Ishikawa Hayato standing beside Nijika, then turned her gaze to the street-side desserts, pointing and saying,

“Hayato, buy me some shaved ice.”

Ryo hadn't really wanted to come, but Ishikawa Hayato had tried to lure her with snacks, and unexpectedly, she took the bait. Even though it meant paying for an extra meal, it was more fun with everyone together.

“Alright, so I'll use up one of the times I owe you here?”

Ishikawa Hayato said, taking out his wallet, ready to buy it.

“Didn't you say snacks were included?” Ryo paused.

“This is a dessert, isn't it?” Ishikawa Hayato retorted.

As the two were speaking, Kita excitedly interjected, pulling out her wallet, exceptionally agitated.

“Ryo-senpai! Please let me buy it for you!”

Ryo ignored her, looked up at the sun, and let out a soft sigh.

“It’s so hot. Let’s hurry and go.”

Kita froze, then looked at Ryo, then back at Ishikawa Hayato, her expression incredulous.

Nijika, who had already guessed this outcome, sighed.

“Indeed, it's already 29°C today. How much further is your house, Hayato-kun?”

“About 5 or 6 minutes.”

Ishikawa Hayato walked over to Kita and, who had lowered her head sulking, patted her shoulder in comfort.

But she gave him a resentful look.

Then Kita's gaze swept across the group, and she noticed Hitori walking at the very back.

Wondering if she was just feeling too hot, Kita asked hesitantly.

“Gotou-san, isn't it hot wearing a tracksuit at this time of year?”

Hitori looked up at her and replied stiffly,

“Ah… my hands feel nervous if they're exposed.”

Hitori was drenched in sweat, whether from the heat or from the nervousness of thinking about exposing her skin.

Seeing Hitori like this, Ishikawa Hayato turned pensive.

He walked towards Hitori.

Nijika immediately noticed his actions but didn't pay too much attention, walking alongside Ryo.

The group instantly split into an older group and a younger group.

Hitori looked at Ishikawa Hayato approaching and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she glanced at Ishikawa Hayato twice.

Kita had no intention of getting involved in whatever was happening between the two of them.

Just as she was about to walk towards Nijika, she heard Ishikawa Hayato say,

“Hitori, can I smell you?”

“Eh?”

The three behind Ishikawa Hayato immediately turned around.

Except for Ryo, whose expression was calm, the other two looked shocked and bewildered.

Nijika looked at Hitori, whose face temperature was rising linearly, her expression crumbling, and at the same time, she was frantically waving her hands.

She quickly walked over, grabbed Ishikawa Hayato by the collar, and stopped him from moving further.

She angrily called out,

“Hayato-kun, wasn't it 10%?!”

“Gotou-san, don't worry!” Kita also retreated at this moment and stood beside Hitori, forming the first line of defense between the two.

Ishikawa Hayato laughed apologetically.

“I just suddenly wanted to tease her a bit…”

“Even that's not allowed! Honestly, Hayato-kun does terrible things even without thinking.”

“That's right, he really can't be trusted.”

Listening to the two of them scolding Ishikawa Hayato, Ryo let out a sigh.

“Don't play in the sun, it's hot.”

...

Five minutes after leaving the station, the girls all slightly slowed their pace because of the heat.

Only Ishikawa Hayato still seemed unaffected by the heat, humming a song as he led the way, two steps ahead of the four of them.

The four of them watched him.

His cheerful steps showed no sign of faltering in the high temperature, and while he hummed, there wasn't a single trace of sweat on his neck or back.

He really is a pervert.

The four of them thought in unison.

Just as they were thinking that, Ishikawa Hayato suddenly stopped, turned his head, and bowed exaggeratedly.

“Welcome to my home.”

Their gazes curiously turned towards the direction Ishikawa Hayato was pointing.

Ishikawa Hayato's house was similar to Hitori's, both being detached houses, but his was slightly larger, with much fewer Japanese-style elements, leaning more towards a modern style.

Ishikawa Hayato skillfully opened his front door, inviting the four girls inside.

“Pardon the intrusion~” ...

After entering, the four of them still showed no coordination. Their greetings came one after another, completely out of sync.

Ryo had her own rhythm, Kita was a bit quicker than the others, Nijika was steady, and Hitori spoke after a slight delay, but they were all used to it—as long as they could coordinate during their performances, that was all that mattered.

Ishikawa Hayato brought out slippers for them, then, with his eyes almost squinting from his smile, led the way.

Seeing him like this, the four knew he was up to something mischievous again and were each on guard.

However, when he reached the edge of the living room, he opened the living room door and cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

Then, without bothering with the situation inside, he walked triumphantly towards the second floor.

As the four passed the living room, they couldn't help but look inside.

Inside, two people who appeared to be Ishikawa Hayato's parents looked at them full of confusion.

And there was a younger girl, possibly Ishikawa Hayato's sister, looking at them with burning eyes, then quickly swiped through her phone after just a glance.

Nijika and Kita, who found Ishikawa Hayato's family also very strange, chuckled awkwardly and greeted them.

Ishikawa Hayato urged them, “My room is on the second floor.”

They then continued following him again.

After they left, Ishikawa Jinpei looked at his wife in disbelief, his voice trembling as he said,

“He actually brought them back.”

Yesterday, after Ishikawa Hayato returned, he said that tomorrow would be the time to witness a miracle, and that everyone should stay home and not go out, and not be surprised or move around if they saw anything.

His words scared Ishikawa Jinpei so much that he bought several insurance policies that night.

And it turned out he had brought his girlfriends home!

Even Ishikawa Shizuka's face showed a rare trace of panic, and she said to her husband, at a loss,

“And there are four of them… He's not really going to start a harem, is he?”

Her initial thought was that it would be enough if Ishikawa Hayato could find just one girlfriend during his three years of high school, but she never expected him to actually fulfill his promise and bring back four!

Now the pressure was on her.

"Impossible, impossible, why can't I find it!"

Ishikawa Shizuka wailed, her speed of scrolling through her phone further increased again.

Looking at his wife and daughter, Ishikawa Jinpei realized they hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation.

To dare bring a girlfriend home after only two months, what Ishikawa Hayato would do in another year or so, he didn't even dare to imagine.

This child must go!

Ishikawa Jinpei's eyes grew grim, and he steeled his heart.

It's time to kick him out!