The Delinquent Student is the Savior of the World

Haruto was silent and ignored the topic: "Yotsuba, will you trust me?"

Yotsuba raised her hand to her mouth and coughed lightly, then spoke seriously: "Even though Kuromori-san is a peeper, you don't seem like a bad person."

"???"

Haruto's face darkened: "Yotsuba, you've misunderstood!"

"Haha—"

Yotsuba suddenly let out a sweet laugh, holding her stomach as she giggled: "Kuromori-san's expression is so amusing."

Haruto's face darkened, and without hesitation, he reached out and pinched Yotsuba's cheek, tugging at it.

"J-just stop—"

Yotsuba yelped pitifully, her eyes wide with a look of distress.

Haruto withdrew his hand and coldly snorted: "Are you still daring?"

Yotsuba rubbed her cheek and slightly puffed them out: "Kuromori-san bullies me."

Honestly, Haruto felt a little regretful.

Though they had only just met, his action had been too intimate.

Impulsive.

However, when he saw Yotsuba's expression, Haruto was somewhat surprised. Her brows were full of smiles, and she didn't seem angry at all.

"Aren't you mad?"

"Eh?"

Yotsuba was taken aback for a moment, then puffed out her chest and said, "Of course I'm mad, Kuromori-san bullies people."

Mad, and... that's it?

Haruto looked at her, unsure of what to say. Should he describe her as broad-minded or just foolish?

After a moment, Yotsuba asked curiously, "Kuromori-san, do you want a photo of Itsuki?"

"I want to clarify upfront that such photos are unacceptable."

"NO."

Haruto replied seriously: "Also, Yotsuba, I need you to come with me somewhere."

A light blush slowly spread across her cheeks, and Yotsuba unconsciously took a few steps back, her eyes wary.

She had thought he wanted a photo of Itsuki, but now he suddenly wanted her to go somewhere with him.

She wasn't going to let her guard down!

Yotsuba hesitated and said, "But I can't just go with you…"

'What if he drags me to that place? Facing him, I wouldn't be able to resist at all.'

In fact, if Haruto wanted to control someone, it would be easy. Hypnosis, memory manipulation... There were countless ways, and he could even make people take the initiative!

But that would be going too far.

He would lose his qualifications as a human being.

So, he never abused his power.

Haruto said in a low voice: "But Yotsuba, you already agreed."

"Mhm…"

Yotsuba covered her face in embarrassment: "I'm sorry, I'll hold my breath and die when I get back."

"It's too late."

Haruto sighed inwardly, glancing at the crack in the sky, and suddenly grabbed Yotsuba's wrist, the smile on his face fading: "I'll properly apologize later..."

"Eh? Wait..."

'So strong... I can't escape at all...'

Yotsuba panicked.

She looked into his eyes, and when their gazes met, her struggling suddenly ceased.

'Such sad eyes... Why do you look like that...'

Haruto pushed the thought aside, showing a bright and dazzling smile: "I'm here, everything will be fine."

Yotsuba unconsciously placed her hand over her chest, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Let's go!"

'Such warm hands. Are these a man's hands?'

When Yotsuba came to her senses, she realized she had followed Haruto to the park.

By now, the park was empty, with hardly anyone in sight.

Yotsuba took a deep breath, calming herself.

'NO. Kuromori-san is clearly not that kind of person, otherwise, he wouldn't have shown that expression…'

'Are we really going into the woods?'

Seeing Yotsuba getting nervous, Haruto explained: "To avoid being seen by others and causing unnecessary trouble, we need to find a hidden place..."

Yotsuba stopped and nervously said: "Sorry... Kuromori-san, I can't go with you."

"Here is fine too."

"What? You're actually an exhibitionist..."

"Here we go."

In the next moment, the surroundings began to blur.

Soon after, a cold wind blew, bringing a dull and dirty air.

Haruto looked around and asked: "Yotsuba, what did you just say?"

"Sorry, I didn't say anything!"

Yotsuba felt embarrassed, but the next moment, she became fascinated by their surroundings.

She looked around with wide eyes.

Under the blood moon, they were in a ruined city.

There were ruins, crumbled skyscrapers, rusted overpass fences, and broken-down cars parked on the streets.

The ground was cracked, and ash blew in the wind like countless mosquitoes, swarming through the air.

"What is this place?"

Yotsuba couldn't help but move closer to Haruto.

For a moment, she couldn't react, feeling like she was dreaming and hadn't woken up yet.

It was so cold!

Yotsuba shivered and instinctively crossed her arms, staring blankly at the shocking ruins of the city.

"Here, use this."

A coat appeared out of thin air in Haruto's hand, and then he placed it over Yotsuba.

Yotsuba instinctively grasped the coat, feeling its warmth against her body. She looked at Haruto with bright eyes, her face growing a bit pale, and she couldn't help but inch closer to him.

"Kuromori-san... Am I dreaming?"

"Sorry, this is no dream." Haruto lifted his head and looked at the sky, where something was gathering.

It had appeared.

He unconsciously clenched his fists. Just now, he had sensed the Oddity, and it had been triggered by Yotsuba.

His palm felt a bit warm, and Haruto snapped back to reality, lowering his head to look at Yotsuba beside him.

Yotsuba tightly gripped his hand and softly said: "Kuromori-san, can you stop giving me that look?"

"That look?"

Haruto was slightly taken aback: "What?"

Yotsuba lowered her head and whispered: "That sad and uncomfortable look..."

There was a kind of sadness that didn't require crying or shouting, but it was clearly felt just by looking into his eyes.

After their mother passed away, Itsuki, Nino, Miku, and Ichika had that same look in their eyes.

So Yotsuba knew it well.

"Sad eyes... Me?"

Haruto's breath caught, and he turned away, holding Yotsuba's hand: "You're mistaken."

After saying that, he walked off.

As Yotsuba hurried to catch up, she suddenly felt drowsy. She blinked her eyes, and her vision slowly blurred.

"Kuromori-san..."

Yotsuba collapsed onto the ground, and at some point, a thin blanket appeared beneath her.

"Humans are creatures that struggle to face themselves."

"You never know how strong you are until you are in a desperate situation."

Haruto stopped, and his demeanor had undergone a surprising change.