Chapter 174 The Kiss.

Yesterday, Wang Ma Xiaoji successfully woke up.

When their cheeks were suddenly pinched, Tsukino and Chiya breathed a sigh of relief.

Given Tsukino and Chiya's normal reaction speed, dodging Ohma Kokichi's sudden attack would be a piece of cake. For him, who had to deal with all sorts of unexpected situations for various reasons, it was already an instinctive reaction, regardless of whether he was consciously on guard.

But he did not dodge.

Why? Was it because, as he had done before, he decisively suppressed his instinct to retaliate or evade upon realizing it was Ouma Kokichi? Or was he truly so affected by his emotions that he temporarily lost the will to avoid danger? Or perhaps, it was simply because it was Ouma Kokichi that...

No, it's not important.

None of that matters anymore.

After the other side of their cheeks was pinched with a certain amount of force, Tsukino and Chiya, who had subconsciously called out familiar names, finally came to their senses.

He really...

"Also, I finally saw a different expression on Kozuki Kazuha's face. So..."

Tsukino and Chiya remained in their original positions without moving, ignoring Ouma Kokichi's attempts to "roughly" rub their cheeks. They simply watched the smug expression on the face of the purple-haired boy still lying on the bed.

"I won!"

The boy lying on the bed in the infirmary looked no different from before; he was still just as pale.

Tsukino and Chiya once suspected that the seemingly energetic and lively Ultimate Leader of Ohma Kokichi might actually be in poor health because of his pale face. However, as they spent more time together, Tsukino gradually realized that it was not a big problem for Ohma Kokichi.

Many people who meet Ouma Kokichi for the first time may notice that he is whiter than the average person, and even has a somewhat sickly complexion, but they will quickly overlook the subconscious question about his physical condition because of his personality.

But when he lay motionless on the hospital bed... even though his skin color was no different from usual, it was still unsettling to look at him.

But... it's alright.

Fortunately, things didn't really get to the worst point.

"Yes, that's right. You won."

Tsukino and Chiya's voices were muffled by the two hands messing with his face, but he didn't mind at all. Instead, he smiled, his eyes even showing a hint of amusement.

"Um... this is going to be a headache for me."

*******

After resolving the anomaly of the doll, the next series of issues to deal with were still a bit of a headache.

However, Tsukino and Chiya wisely chose to leave the doll matter to others.

As Tsukino and Chiya had expected, Serizawa Chie and Fusashi Yomei were both near the old school building. Entering Hope's Peak discreetly wouldn't be too difficult for them. They were Tsukino and Chiya's backup plan… If they couldn't do it themselves, they would have to rely on the true god-slayer, Serizawa Chie.

However, that was a last resort. Aurora's true strength after absorbing the red-haired doll was unfathomable. The best way to defeat her was indeed to strike when she was off guard, rather than having Chie arrive to raise Aurora's vigilance... Fortunately, things ultimately went as planned.

The three of them left without cleaning up any traces left in the old school building. After walking some distance, Tsukino and Chiya received messages on their phones. He took them out and checked; in short, Fusashi Hiroaki and Serizawa Chie had arrived inside the old school building, and they could leave the rest to them.

This is part of their job. Although the existence of strange phenomena is unrelated to calamities, it doesn't mean the church isn't interested in them. Moreover... even if it weren't the church's business, even if it were just out of Fusashi Yomei's personal desire, he would probably be quite happy to make this trip.

However, it wasn't until Tsukino and Chiya saw the message that he belatedly realized that his mind, which was usually occupied by only one thing, had almost met the guy, Higashigo Miya, who had been wanting to meet him.

Higashigo Miya gave him a questioning look: "Is there something you need?"

Tsukino and Chiya silently put their phones away: "Um, it's nothing."

Hmm... this is fine, this is fine too.

The follow-up work was handled by a specialist, and Tsukino and Chiya finally had some free time.

Although this kind of leisure... is only relative.

After school the next day, Tsukino and Chiya went back to their dorm to pack some things, putting them into their usual backpacks. Since Hinata had said what he did not say not long ago, they probably wouldn't need to stay at school for the next few days, so they might as well take this opportunity to pack up and leave.

Tsukino and Chiya didn't take too much with them; everything they wanted to take fit perfectly into their backpacks. Before leaving Hope's Peak, he walked through the school's central square with his backpack and saw two familiar figures there.

"Hinata-kun!" A girl with short pink hair sat on a bench near the fountain in the central square, a handheld game console on her lap. When she saw someone walking towards her, she waved happily to him. "Are you still busy lately? It's been a few days since we played games together."

"Yes, it has been quite a while since we last met. But..."

The person gradually walking towards the girl was Hinata Hajime. His voice grew fainter and fainter as Tsukino and Chiya walked further away, becoming almost inaudible. But even without hearing Hinata's next words, Tsukino and Chiya noticed his gentle, smiling demeanor as he spoke.

Hinata seems to be in a good mood.

Tsukino and Chiya remembered the girl. Although they had never spoken to each other, they knew she was the Ultimate Gamer and had heard stories about her in the future described by Hinata Hajime... She was also one of the people who were somehow connected to that hopeless future.

But at least for now... in this world, they will all try their best to prevent the world from continuing to turn out the way it did.

*******

After leaving Hope's Peak, Tsukino and Chiya went to their former residence.

It's been a while since I've been back here. But Tsukino and Chiya have someone come to clean regularly, so there's no need to worry about hygiene.

Tsukino and Chiya inherited their mother's physical abilities. Although he was injured yesterday, he was fine after careful treatment. A day later, only Hyuga Hajime noticed something was wrong; almost no one else noticed that he was actually injured.

Wang Ma Xiaoji was not injured, but after successfully waking up in the infirmary last night, his condition was not particularly stable... Although it has been confirmed that he will not actually die, he still needs to rest for a while, and...

In short, last night, Tsukino and Chiya took Ohma Kokichi back. There was a room there that belonged to Ohma Kokichi, the place where Tsukino and Chiya had put the purple-haired boy when they first found him.

Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, everything seemed to have returned to how it was before. The purple-haired boy, who needed rest, lay in bed, while Tsukino and Chiya took care of him... However, this time, neither of them had the mark that signified fear and death.

The memories of yesterday came to an abrupt end. Tsukino and Chiya stopped and opened the door.

The purple-haired boy sat on the sofa in the living room, flipping through a comic book. When he heard the door open, he casually waved his hand, looking nothing like someone who was recuperating. Instead, he seemed more like someone who was pretending to be sick but actually slacking off at home.

"It seems you've recovered faster than I expected," Tsukino and Chiya concluded.

Wang Ma Xiaoji lowered his hand and turned another page of the comic book: "Of course. I'm the leader of the Ultimate High School Class, you know? Getting injured is a common occurrence for me, and my recovery ability is top-notch."

"That's good." Tsukino and Chiya nodded. He walked to the sofa, but didn't sit down. Instead, he stood in front of Ohma Kokichi and looked at him, asking, "So, Ohma... what's your answer?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji slammed the book shut: "Oh my, so decisive? This kind of topic change is as abrupt as if we were strangers at school one second and were suddenly asked to collect each other's panties in a loving relationship the next!"

He finally raised his head and looked into the eyes of the black-haired boy.

Wangma Xiaoji knew what Tsukino and Chiya were referring to. This was something they had agreed to discuss after the strange events ended. Tsukino and Chiya could have brought it up last night, but they chose to let Wangma Xiaoji rest a little longer.

What should he do? Should he stall? Wangma Xiaoji was quite good at playing the fool and delaying, and he knew that if he wanted to do that, Tsukino and Chiya wouldn't say anything.

Love... He hadn't really thought much about such things before realizing what Tsukino and Chiya were thinking. He was the kind of person who wasn't very good at developing real romantic feelings for others.

For Ouma Kokichi, romance... in most cases, might just be an interesting game. Even his preferred type, and the person he might eventually date, is someone who's completely obedient to him, or the kind of amusing guy who'd transplant his brain into an animal.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Kozuki!

However, Kazuya Ozuki is indeed an interesting person, isn't he? And as for emotions, he's not truly someone who doesn't understand them. He once had a family, but forming bonds with those DICE idioms involved involved various experiences. And romantic love is a different kind of emotion altogether. The original Ouma Shokichi didn't really believe in such feelings, so if he were suddenly exposed to them…

...

Wang Ma Xiaoji looked into those black eyes.

but……

But what? There's no but.

Suddenly, Ouma Shokichi didn't want to think about it anymore. Anyway, wasn't he just the capricious Ultimate Leader? So what was wrong with continuing to act according to his own ideas as usual?

Ouma Shoki was unwilling to admit that he was the kind of guy who subconsciously hesitated when it came to feelings... He was the Ultimate Leader who could always surprise people and dared to do anything.

What's more, the person in front of me—the one seeking answers from me, the one who has always openly revealed a certain idea...—is Kazuki Kozuki!

Please, if Kazuya Kozuki has gone to this extent, then of course he should too...

So, Ouma Kokichi simply leaned back lazily on the sofa and said, "Eh~ the answer? Well, I don't like people who keep asking questions. Sometimes, you only know the answer through practice, right? Constantly asking others for answers without making any effort to obtain them yourself is annoying~"

These are completely different things.

Tsukino and Chiya silently complained to themselves, but said nothing outwardly. He looked down at Ohma Kokichi, who was lounging lazily on the sofa, and then suddenly bent down.

He kissed Wang Ma Xiaoji on the lips.

Tsukino and Chiya weren't fast, and with Ohma Kokichi's reaction speed, dodging them would have been more than enough. But he didn't dodge, and Tsukino and Chiya kissed, both feeling the soft touch of each other's lips before pulling away in the next second.

Tsukino and Chiya straightened up again. Ohma Kokichi didn't say anything. The two just stared at each other without speaking or blushing. The atmosphere was quiet but not awkward, as if nothing had happened.

But they all knew what that was.

Then, a few seconds later, Oma Kokichi, who rarely had a serious expression, broke the silence.

Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Xiaoyueye He".

Tsukino and Qianye: "Huh?"

Wangma Xiaoji: "You're so innocent~!"

Tsukino and Qianye: "..."