"Do you like my legs?" Kasumigaoka asked coldly.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was icy enough to sweep through the bus like a frigid winter gust.
The entire bus went silent, save for the hum of the engine.
Everyone turned their heads.
Only now did Shizuka Hiratsuka notice someone else sitting in the back corner.
"Huh? What?!"
The dazed Yoru snapped out of it at the sound of Kasumigaoka's voice, locking eyes with her.
His chubby frame trembled. His throat visibly gulped down a mouthful of saliva.
He looked extremely nervous—like a thief caught red-handed.
Seeing this only confirmed Kasumigaoka's suspicions. Yoru had been ogling and fantasizing about her.
She had already been in a foul mood thanks to Eriri, and now she was furious.
"You've been staring nonstop with that gross look on your face. What the hell's wrong with you?!"
Kasumigaoka stormed over to Yoru with long strides, her face twisted in anger.
She raised her foot and aimed a fierce stomp between Yoru's legs.
Yoru, still too confused to react, instinctively flinched and squeezed his eyes shut.
Thud!
Kasumigaoka's black loafers hit the floor with force. She hadn't actually stomped on him.
She just wanted to scare him.
"Even stomping on you would dirty my shoes."
Kasumigaoka glared at Yoru, her chest rising and falling in fury.
It was the first time she'd encountered such a disgusting and brazen fat freak.
He dared to ogle her and fantasize about her in plain sight?
She'd had plenty of boys secretly stare at her from a distance.
She knew they would later talk about her body or compare her looks with other girls.
She loathed that kind of behavior.
But this was the first time someone had done it right in front of her, practically drooling.
And now, the disgusting freak lying at her feet might have even followed her onto the bus.
If he dared to stalk her, who knows what he'd do next?
She didn't even want to imagine it.
You could never be too careful.
Only by acting firmly could she protect herself and teach him a lesson.
Yoru, not feeling any pain, opened his eyes slowly, relieved.
But soon his heart sank again.
He realized—no, he was definitely being misunderstood!
He lay on the bus floor, wanting to explain, but his teeth chattered so hard he couldn't get a single full sentence out.
"You don't have anything to say for yourself?" Kasumigaoka asked, equal parts furious and slightly amused by his reaction.
She gritted her teeth, her expression growing even fiercer.
The boys on the bus looked at Yoru with mixed expressions—shock, disgust, anger… and maybe even a bit of envy.
Maybe they were envious of getting yelled at?
The girls were united in their disgust and looked at Kasumigaoka with admiration for her boldness.
Kasumigaoka had always had a strong presence at school.
Back when she first transferred into Shuchiin, she'd often noticed her shoes being tampered with or out of place.
Eventually, she secretly staked out the area for days.
One afternoon, she caught a third-year senior sniffing her shoes during PE class, right in front of many students—causing a school-wide uproar.
The boy's family had some connections, so he offered an apology and compensation, but still got expelled.
Kasumigaoka wasn't satisfied. She insisted on reporting it to the police.
Only after the boy's parents came to apologize in person and the school board intervened did she finally relent.
Rumor had it that boy had to transfer to some remote delinquent school in the countryside.
"I... I'm sorry..." Yoru bit the tip of his tongue to calm himself down and finally squeezed out a sentence.
Then he quickly glanced at the treasure chest that had gotten him into this mess.
It was still there above Kasumigaoka's head. Clearly, he was the only one who could see it. But would it disappear?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the treasure chest vanished.
His mind went blank again. He nearly blacked out on the spot.
Shizuka Hiratsuka had been watching all along but chose not to intervene.
She felt it was better to let Kasumigaoka handle the situation herself.
"I don't accept your apology," Kasumigaoka said coldly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Yoru lowered his head even further, digging his nails deep into his palm, saying nothing.
He had no way to explain. His only option was silence.
He'd been misunderstood… again… and again…
"Hmph."
Kasumigaoka let out a cold snort, her expression finally softening.
She had achieved her goal.
To completely socially annihilate Yoru, to teach him a hard lesson, and to protect herself in the process.
Because Yoru had stalked her and fantasized about her, she couldn't help but wonder—what if he tried something worse?
To say she wasn't afraid would be a lie.
Only by scaring him off would he remember this and restrain himself. It could also deter other disgusting boys with ill intent.
Deep down, Kasumigaoka had no sense of security.
Yoru opened his mouth but shut it again tightly.
It wasn't like that.
It wasn't what she thought.
Seeing her argue with Eriri, getting on the same bus—those were just coincidences.
Drooling and fantasizing like some idiot?
No—he had just been shocked by the golden treasure chest floating above her head and spaced out.
Anyone would have done the same.
He wanted to explain, but the fact was, he had indeed been staring at Kasumigaoka.
And he couldn't talk about the treasure chest. No one would believe him. Bringing it up would only make things worse.
What else could he do?
He already feared women and hadn't had a normal conversation in years.
Facing someone like Kasumigaoka—a girl so out of reach she induced fear and inferiority with just a glance—his brain almost shut down.
And just like that, the misunderstanding was set.
Unless one day Kasumigaoka could speak to him honestly, it would never be resolved.
"Alright, everyone quiet down. We're almost there," Hiratsuka Shizuka shouted, putting an end to the chatter in the bus.
Yoru stayed silent. He knew his school life was officially over.
He'd become nothing but a joke for others to laugh at.
But then again, his school life was already at rock bottom.
If only he were handsome—maybe a few lies could've saved him?
...
Two tour buses drove one behind the other along a coastal road.
Clear blue skies, deep blue sea, soaring seagulls.
After turning onto a side road, the buses entered a wide lane with no other vehicles in sight.
At the end was a top-tier private beach.
"The treasure chest disappeared again. Was it really just my imagination?"
Before long, Yoru pushed his gloom aside.
As strange as it sounded, maybe he'd built up resistance from all the social deaths and misunderstandings he'd been through.
While he was thinking that, he noticed something shocking—the treasure chest had reappeared above Kasumigaoka's head.
He suddenly realized he might be able to control whether the chest appeared or not by will alone. Maybe it was bound only to him.
And maybe, once the progress bar filled up, he could open it?
What would be inside?
"Alright everyone, we've arrived. Time to get off," Hiratsuka's voice interrupted Yoru's thoughts.