Chapter 246: Noyoru Yokota Who Lost Interest in the Opposite Sex
Noyoru Yokota wasn’t sure how to describe his current mood. Happy? Excited? Or perhaps a little lost? All of the above, probably. The girl’s gentle, soft words were imprinted on Noyoru Yokota’s heart like a stone, echoing in his mind time and time again, causing ripples in the still, tranquil pond of his thoughts.
However, Noyoru Yokota, just like his past way of interacting with all members of the opposite sex, silently turned his head away, neither responding nor daring to reciprocate the feelings behind the girl’s words beside him. Everything truly felt like a dream to the boy.
Since childhood, due to his appearance, Noyoru Yokota was always the one being bullied among his playmates. It was quite laughable, really; a boy with a fierce and intimidating face possessed a heart more gentle than anyone else’s. In children’s roughhousing games, Noyoru Yokota was always the one playing the villain or the monster. Other children’s parents, because of his appearance, were unwilling to let their children play with him.
By the time he reached junior high school, his appearance led to various tragic experiences. The girl he liked mistook him for an outsider who had sneaked into the school as a hooligan, teachers he met for the first time always gave him a cold shoulder, and he was even challenged by the new delinquents in school, who treated him as the underground leader of the school.
Of course, all these encounters did not defeat the boy’s gentle yet resilient heart. Even after his mother, who raised him alone, passed away due to health reasons, the unexpected events in life did not defeat Noyoru Yokota. The boy, relying on his own effort and diligence, got into the nation’s top hero school. He also managed to gather the tuition fees for the regular department with the money he saved from working various part-time jobs. It wasn’t until later that he met the kind-hearted store manager, Masamori, who, upon learning the boy’s story, was willing to cover the remaining funds needed for the hero department, even stating that the money owed could be repaid through his future part-time work.
In fact, Noyoru Yokota knew why he had experienced such a situation. After all, in the mirror, the boy’s prematurely aged face, even to his own eyes, looked so vicious that he could play a yakuza role in a crime drama without makeup. Perhaps becoming an actor would lead to a very good development? This was the first thought the boy had in his heart after recovering from the impulse during his youth to disfigure himself.
What about others’ opinions? So what? He was Noyoru Yokota, and this body was the most important thing his mother, Yuko Yokota, had left him. How could he be swayed by other people’s ridiculous words? The difficult and accident-filled hardships had not defeated this boy with a heart of gold, but the troubles of adolescence had still arrived as expected. Although the boy, who had become exceptionally mature due to his childhood experiences, didn’t care too much about what others thought of him, the peculiar gazes from the opposite sex made Noyoru Yokota feel a sense of unspoken frustration.
His friends had even joked that if no one liked him, he could try looking for some delinquent girls from the nearby regular schools. But in Noyoru Yokota’s opinion, those guys who couldn’t even do something as simple as studying were truly so dirty and degenerate that not a single spark of brilliance could be seen in them! Extreme indignation was often followed by a calm devoid of desires. The boy was the same. As of now, he had probably truly become Zen. With a goal to strive for, people who cared about him, and one or two friends he could confide in, Noyoru Yokota felt his current life was already satisfying enough. After his parents died, he didn’t seem to have much interest in continuing the family line. If he found a significant other with whom his soul resonated, not getting married might be a very good thing. After all, what girl would look at him without a certain peculiar gaze at first sight?
“What are you thinking about?” A cold finger gently poked the boy’s hand, lightly popping the bubble of pretense Noyoru Yokota had constructed in his heart. Perhaps even he didn’t know that at some point, he had started to have a special feeling for this girl who was always cold. Noyoru Yokota turned his head in confusion. His usually dark face inexplicably showed a hint of shyness. He had cultivated a thick skin over the years that didn’t care what others thought, but why did it seem like it wasn’t working anymore? Controlling his unsteady pace, which had become chaotic due to his inner restlessness, the boy finally stammered, “N-nothing. Shimizu, you’re all better now, aren’t you? Your leg doesn’t hurt anymore?”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm. The effect was very good. Can your ability do such precise work? I thought you specialized in a physical enhancement ability?” The girl’s question made Noyoru Yokota scratch his head embarrassedly. He looked at the girl beside him and replied, “I guess I’m just better at using my abilities, and Shimizu, your injury wasn’t that serious to begin with.”
The girl looked at the boy beside her, who, even after arriving at the school, was still looking around nervously and avoiding eye contact. A hint of amusement flashed in her heart. It seemed her dog behaved better, at least he dared to look her in the eye when talking, right? The smile on her lips carried a hint of pride, but the girl didn’t forget her original purpose. She subtly moved half a step closer to the boy. Feeling the boy’s body suddenly tense up, she acted as if she didn’t notice and continued, “Then, can I ask for your help with my hero ability research later, Noyoru Senpai~”
“O-okay!” The girl’s sudden request made Noyoru Yokota freeze in bewilderment. His body moved like a zombie, and he stammered his agreement to the girl’s request. The boy, whose heart had been churning countless times, finally composed himself with his strong mental fortitude and the resolve not to make a fool of himself in front of the opposite sex. He then followed Kazumi to the library located on the east side of the school. The bustling students were a testament to why Shikoku Gakuin was the number one school. The boy glanced at the girl beside him and then nervously scanned the surrounding crowd for familiar faces. But his gaze unnaturally fell upon two students sitting upright by the entrance, wearing student council badges. Noyoru Yokota then remembered some not-so-good news and was about to pull Kazumi back before they went further toward the entrance.
But in the next moment, a cold, soft little hand was placed directly in his. An unbelievably soft touch melted in his hand. Before he could react, a fluffy little head followed, and a body with a faint fragrance gently leaned on his shoulder. A voice, cold yet alluring, sounded in his ear again, “Let’s go~”
