Chapter 99: Miura, I'm Entrusting My Body to You—Please Make Me More Manly!
In the clearing, after Mrs. Yukinoshita had left:
Despite Hachiman's obvious reluctance, Yukinoshita managed to persuade him to share a few moments of couple-like interaction.
She wasn't about to leave empty-handed—no way. Even if there had been some awkward interruptions, she needed to reassure her dear husband.
[Hachiman Hikigaya's Corruption Level: 9/100]
Not bad, not bad.
The Corruption Level had finally dropped to a single digit!
All that effort earlier wasn't in vain.
Yukinoshita wiped her mouth with one hand, her face glowing with satisfaction.
At that moment, Hachiman emerged from behind the slide. When he saw Yukinoshita wiping her mouth, his face turned bright red, and he muttered nervously:
"L-let's go."
"Mm."
Yukinoshita nodded with a smile and walked up beside him.
Unable to resist, she complimented him:
"Today, you were... really amazing, Hachiman~!"
"!"
Hachiman froze, then cautiously asked:
"Do you... really think so?"
"Yes! Really amazing. Especially your scent—it's so... pleasant!"
"H-huh?"
Flustered, Hachiman's mind flashed back to the events of the afternoon.
"What's wrong?" Yukinoshita asked.
"N-nothing..."
Shaking his head, Hachiman sighed, clearly exasperated.
"Next time, let's not be so bold. This is a public place, after all..."
"Got it~."
Yukinoshita chuckled, her hand unconsciously resting over her rapidly beating heart.
She couldn't deny it—after being ahem "assisted" by Kasumigaoka-senpai, Hachiman had improved dramatically overall.
...Cough, cough!
Calm down, calm down!
It was all for the points! Just for the points! It's not like I enjoy it... definitely not!
Yukinoshita kept reassuring herself internally.
"Oh, right," she said suddenly, her tone playful. "It feels like... you're a lot stronger than before, Hachiman."
Hachiman froze in place.
Yukinoshita smirked at her boyfriend.
"Is it because you've been working out with Miura every evening?"
"Y-you knew?"
Startled, Hachiman hastily tried to explain:
"Miura and I are just jogging—"
"I know, I know. Kawasaki already told me," Yukinoshita said with a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Even though Miura and I don't get along very well, I don't mind you exercising with her. Actually..."
Her smile deepened.
"I fully support it. After all, my dear Hachiman is just a small fry. Without exercise, you'll never hold your head up high in the future! And since Miura's your class's sports representative, training with her might even give you a chance to surpass me someday!"
"You... stop underestimating me!"
Hachiman bristled.
"I'm not just some weakling! Just wait—I'll make you the one begging for mercy!"
"Hehe, you always say that, but aren't you the one who ends up begging every time, little fry?"
"..."
Hachiman felt utterly defeated.
How could someone as seemingly fragile as Yukinoshita have such overwhelming dominance in certain... areas?
What a disgrace to all men.
The two bickered playfully as they made their way to the train station.
During their conversation, Yukinoshita also inquired about his progress with Katou and Eriri.
Hachiman reported truthfully that he had exchanged over ten sentences with Katou that day, and that Eriri had also spoken to him briefly, promising to invite him over to her house during the weekend.
Satisfied with this update, Yukinoshita finally nodded in approval.
"Well then, I'll head home now. See you tomorrow."
"Mm, see you tomorrow~."
After parting ways with Yukinoshita, Hachiman walked away, replaying her words in his mind.
His determination to train his body grew stronger.
In truth, Hachiman had already been motivated to train, primarily to deal with Kasumigaoka.
Through their recent interactions, he had realized just how competitive women could be in that area.
If he could dominate or even overwhelm them in such situations, he might gain a significant upper hand in the dynamics of their relationship.
Take Kasumigaoka-senpai, for example. In the past, he couldn't compete with her at all. But now, he could at least hold his own against her.
With continued effort and improvement, he believed he could one day "defeat" Kasumigaoka completely.
When that day came, he'd finally be able to stop her from leading him around by the nose.
"Ugh... why am I so focused on countering Senpai physically?"
Hachiman rubbed his forehead, trying to rationalize his thoughts.
"This is all for Yukinoshita. Yes, it's to surpass Yukinoshita the Demon Queen! It's not about Senpai at all... not at all!"
Reassuring himself, Hachiman returned home.
---
As usual, he quickly finished dinner and prepared to head out for a run.
"Onii-chan, are you going out for another 'walk' tonight?"
"Yeah. Don't wait up for me if I'm late."
"Okay..."
Watching Hachiman leave in a hurry, Komachi hesitated before murmuring to herself:
"Yukino-neechan's right—siblings shouldn't drift apart. It feels like it's been ages since I last chatted with Onii-chan..."
---
A few minutes later, Hachiman arrived at the nearby park.
As always, he waited in their usual spot for Miura.
After a few moments, Miura appeared, dressed in her workout clothes.
"You're here early today," Miura said, surprised.
Hachiman nodded, his expression unusually serious as he looked at her.
"Miura!"
"?!"
Startled by his grave tone, Miura stiffened.
"W-what is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Hachiman bowed deeply and declared with utmost sincerity:
"Miura! Please train me thoroughly. Use harsher methods if you must—turn me into a real man!"
"??"
Miura's face instantly turned bright red.
"W-what are you talking about, Hachiman?!"
Her heart raced wildly as her mind scrambled to process his words.
"From now on, I'm entrusting my body to you, Miura!"
"Wha—?"
Caught off guard by Hachiman's earnestness, Miura's face grew even redder.
"I-I can't! This is a public park! At least... at least go to a hotel first..."
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