Chapter 3 - Ego

Yuuto walked down the street, Misaki clinging to his arm. Her grip was firm, her body pressing lightly against him—especially where her chest brushed his sleeve.

"You… look good today! And those glasses are fake, right?" she asked, her voice carrying a teasing lilt.

"They are," Yuuto nodded, offering nothing more.

"Hehe, you're so weird, Hakkun." She giggled. "But it suits you! I like it!"

Her words sounded innocent enough.

But Yuuto didn't buy it.

He knew—everything she said, every little move she made—was a setup.

'This is where most protagonists fumble these kinds of interactions.'

"Hakkun… you're so distant all of a sudden," she murmured.

Yuuto barely reacted. We literally didn't talk for one day. Guess ghosting her really bruised her pride.

"Not responding to my texts? It's like you don't care about me at all anymore… So tell me what happened! Let's work it out together..." Her voice softened, her gaze shifting away with a subtle frown.

Yuuto studied her carefully. He knew exactly what this was.

'An inexperienced protagonist would fall into one of four traps in response to this blatant attempt at emotional fishing.'

1. The Flustered Denial: At the slightest hint of physical attention, they panic and backpedal.

"Uh… I-I'D NEVER HATE YOU! W-what are you saying…? It's just… You dating him… I-I'm just worried for you, okay…?"

2. The Desperate Confession: Caught in the moment, they break down and spill their feelings.

"I… Actually. Misaki… There's something I never told you. I… Love you."

3. The Forced Indifference: Wrathful, he distances himself away from her.

"Nothing's wrong. There's nothing to talk about."

At first glance, this may seem like the best response—detached and unemotional. However, forced indifference is still a reaction, proving she affects him. This paints him as the problem in her eyes, giving her justification to distance herself and cut him off. By acting cold and unapproachable, he allows her to frame herself as the victim trying to fix things while he's the one shutting her out. In the end, it reinforces her control over the situation rather than undermining it.

4. The Aggressive Rejection: They lash out in bitterness/or ignore her altogether, burning the bridge entirely.

"Let go of me. The moment you hung out with that piece of shit, you became my enemy!"

"I'm not talking to you anymore. You have that bastard, don't you!?"

'Every single one of those responses was a mistake. Each one fed her ego, validated her, and reinforced her control over the dynamic. They let her dictate the emotional narrative.'

Yuuto's gaze remained unreadable as he recalled how Haruno had made every one of those mistakes.

'The last two, especially, sealed his fate with that whore.'

'They handed her the perfect excuse to shift all blame onto him—his "immaturity," his "jealousy." It left her feeling righteous in cutting him off, rewriting the story in her favor. Even when he tried to reconnect later, it was already over. She had him neatly filed away as the pathetic, obsessed ex, ghosting him whenever it suited her, keeping him at arm's length.'

Yuuto glanced at Misaki.

She sighed, pressing herself further against him, tightening her grip—tightening the hold of her chest against his bicep.

"…Hakkun? Please, say something… I don't want us to fall apart…"

Yuuto almost laughed.

'Now, if I just wanted to cut this attention whore off, I'd pick number three or four. I don't care about being with her, or how she sees me.'

'But she falls into the category of people I fucking hate. Exploitation, after all, is only just when I do it.'

'Cutting her off isn't enough.'

I want to humiliate her.

The thought burned in him—a deep, simmering desire to make her feel helpless.

'I feel angrier than usual. I wonder why.' He concluded before brushing the thought off.

"Oh, there's something, Misaki," Yuuto said with a sigh.

"What is it!? You know you can tell me anything!" she urged, her head snapping toward him.

"When you told me you were dating Hojin..." he began, watching as she instinctively leaned in.

'I knew it. He's jealous, isn't he…?' she thought, anticipating his inevitable confession.

"I decided to get a girlfriend too!" he said with a smile.

"Oh, Hakkun… I told you, it's not your fault—" Her words trailed off, her eyes widening as the realization hit.

'Wait, what?'

That wasn't the reaction she expected.

'No. I definitely misheard that. It's Haruno, after all. He's… nice. He's not a skirt chaser.'

"You… want me as your girlfriend…?"

"No," he replied flatly, his expression unreadable. "You already have a boyfriend. It would be unfair to ask that of you."

'WHAT?! UNFAIR!?' Her lips nearly parted at his words.

"I want a different girl as my girlfriend," he continued as they walked, now approaching the school grounds.

'He's just trying to make me… feel bad.'

"So," Yuuto said, glancing at her, "can you let go of my arm? I don't want other girls to misunderstand or anything. You understand, right?"

'WHAT!?' Her lips parted in shock as she froze in place, forcing him to stop as well.

"Uhm… What—what are you saying… haha? Misunderstand? Everyone knows we're besties!" she said urgently.

"Well, maybe," he conceded. "But I do want to try my luck. And if you're around, they'll surely be jealous, since you're so pretty. So, please, let go?"

"Wha... I... Uhm... Ah... Let go..? Really, Hakkun? You want me to let go of you...That badly...?" She said, her voice now timid as she frowned, acting hurt.

'Damn, she's that desperate for control over him? Hm. Wonder why. Her attention whoring in the manwha wasn't really expanded upon other than her just being that way. Oh well. I don't really care about her reasons.'

"You're serious about Hojin, right? If he were here, would you still be holding onto me like this?" Yuuto said, his voice composed.

"O-Of course I'd hold you!" She said with a smile, "He trusts me, after all~.."

"Oh... I see." He looked down, Misaki smirking calmly to herself. "You two've already decided on boundaries, then... And holding me like this is the okay zone?"

"Of course~.." Misaki said almost joyfully, regaining her composure. "We've already set those boundaries... Me holding you like I always used to... If he took something like that away, I'd never have dated him in the first place!"

Yuuto glanced at how her chest pressed against his arm.

'Desperate, are we? I guess I'll have to be bolder than that to shake her foundation.'

"I see," he murmured, his expression becoming unreadable as they reached a secluded corner behind the lockers.

Then—without warning—he pinned her against the wall. His palm landed just above her head, trapping her in place.

Her breath hitched.

'Waah... Haah... What... Haah...' Misaki's eyes widened, her pulse spiking, her breathing shallow as she locked onto his sharp gaze.

His lips hovered just inches from hers.

"If I kissed you now..." Yuuto murmured, his voice low, deliberate.

She froze.

"Would that still be within those boundaries?"

A shudder ran through her.

"Ha... Hakkun... Haru...no..." she stammered, barely able to form words. Her cheeks flushed, her heart fluttering, a mix of excitement and panic crashing over her.

Yuuto leaned in further, his breath teasing her skin.

"If I ran my fingers through your hair... pulled you closer..." His other hand hovered just over her head, his warmth brushing against her scalp. She could feel it—almost leaning into his touch despite herself.

"I... Uhm... Not... Ahh..." she stuttered, her body betraying her as Yuuto inched even closer.

Her eyelids fluttered shut. Her lips pressed together, readying herself for his lips.

'Just... haah... what... what..ever...' Her mind went blank as she anticipated his kiss.

Then—he whispered against her ear.

"Hojin's awfully lenient with you,"

Her eyes snapped open.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Though, I'd still bet on him being pretty pissed about this... But if you say it's alright..." His smirk deepened.

A jolt of realization crashed over her.

Misaki shoved him away, her body trembling, eyes wide as if she'd seen a ghost; her pulse pounding in her ears.

Yuuto stood tall, his chin up, watching her with a confident gleam.

"Huh? Was I too close, Misaki?" His voice dripped with feigned innocence. "Why'd you push me away? I thought you didn't mind us being close…"

"I... HAAAH...!!!" She tried to shout, to accuse, but an argument wasn't being formed in her mind.

'W-What... This... He—!!'

Her thoughts spiraled as she stumbled back, eyes wide with disbelief. Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and bolted down the hallway.

Yuuto smirked, hands casually tucked into his pockets.

'Child's play...'

He took a deep, satisfied breath before narrowing his eyes.

Lifting his arm, he squeezed his bicep.

'Sturdy as steel. Unless I really applied pressure, I wouldn't even be able to dent this muscle.'

His gaze drifted to Misaki, who had been pressed against him the whole time.

'Something tells me she knew Haruno was full of shit with his LHS act.'

'In which case, it makes sense why she kept trying to keep him close, keep him docile. If she ever suspected he was "Ice Assassin," she had plenty of chances to feel him out whenever he saved her and… compare.'

'Oh well. I've got more important things to worry about.'

His eyes flicked up the hallway, landing on the sign ahead.

RANK EVALUATION TODAY.

'Securing my future comes first. And by extension, some hard cash.' He thought with a smirk as he walked.