As the sun set in the west, Hakuto retraced his steps along the usual path.
A lot had happened at school in the past few days since his return.
For instance: why had countless blond punks knelt before Class F at lunchtime?
Why did the new silver-haired beauty seem to have such a close relationship with Hakuto?
What sort of magic did Hakuto possess?
Sigh... these things could be turned into a novel—and a seriously melodramatic one at that.
As for Nao, Hakuto still hadn't said anything. But he figured it was about time. He'd already done most of the mental preparation.
Ultimately, the reason it was so hard for Hakuto came down to how uniquely the two of them had interacted before.
After all, he had once told Nao straight to her face, "Only a god could fall for you."
What was that supposed to be now?
A boomerang hitting him square between the eyes? How annoying...
"What's with you these past few days? You've been walking around with that gloomy look all the time..." Nao, walking behind Hakuto, gave him a hard pat on the back.
Hakuto glanced at Nao, who was biting on a chocolate stick, and thought, Isn't this gloomy look all because of you...
"I was just wondering what Yuu is doing right now..." Hakuto shook his head.
"Him?" Nao raised an eyebrow. "He's probably in the States by now. That was his first destination, after all."
"Seriously... geographically speaking, shouldn't he have started with Korea?"
"Shunsuke said he had no political connections in Korea, so he started with the States instead."
Even though the original work didn't mention it, Shunsuke had definitely been using his influence all along to smooth the way for Otosaka Yuu.
While Shunsuke couldn't block the underground syndicates or gangs from various countries, he could at least manage to deal with the official forces.
With the wealth he had, and the years he had spent navigating the underworld, Shunsuke was practically untouchable in Japan!
But just then, Nao paused beside Hakuto and suddenly spoke up.
"Hakuto..."
"What is it?"
"If Otosaka Yuu's brain goes into overload, you'll go after him, won't you...?"
"You figured it out, huh..."
Although Hakuto hadn't said anything to Nao, she could still guess.
Otosaka Yuu losing control was pretty much inevitable. Even if he didn't completely lose it, the strain on his brain could still make him do something irreversible.
From what she knew about Hakuto, if he had agreed to go along with such a dangerous plan, it meant he had something to rely on.
Other than the supercomputer, Nao couldn't think of anything else that could go up against Yuu, who had absorbed so many abilities.
"So you're really going?"
"Yuu became the hero who saved the world—I can't fall behind. And I promised to bring him back."
The contributions made by Shunsuke and Otosaka Yuu as brothers were undeniable! The world owed those two more than a few kneels in gratitude!
Hakuto hated trouble, but some troubles had to be faced. This wasn't about whether or not it was necessary—it was about responsibility.
"Don't worry, come on, it's me we're talking about. With the supercomputer on my side, I won't mess up," Hakuto said confidently.
"If that were true, then Shunsuke wouldn't have gone blind," Nao replied.
She wasn't blaming Hakuto—she just wanted to remind him to be cautious about everything.
"My dear president... that was an accident..." Hakuto admitted that before what happened with Shunsuke, he had been a little arrogant.
But now, he has completely let go of that mindset.
So he added a correction to his previous statement: A cautious Hakuto won't mess up...
"What about the side effects of the supercomputer?"
If Hakuto wanted to keep up with Otosaka Yuu in the future, he'd have to use his abilities frequently.
After all, Yuu was bound to gain some space-jumping type of power sooner or later.
Relying on just his physical body, Hakuto would never catch up to him. Which meant the side effects would become a serious issue.
"Relax. I'm gradually getting used to them. Plus, the researchers are working on a drug to suppress the side effects."
"Hakuto... the other day, you told me how happy you were to finally stand in front of me as your full self.
I hope that years from now, you'll still be able to say that to me—standing right in front of me."
"I promise..."
Hakuto smiled—but he was lying.
What he had actually asked the researchers to develop wasn't a drug to suppress the side effects. It was a drug to conceal his abilities.
This concealment didn't mean invisibility in the literal sense. It meant making it impossible for Otosaka Yuu to detect him through his power to find ability users.
"It's doable, but time is tight, and we can't guarantee the quality..."
That's what the researchers had told Hakuto. But it was better if he kept that to himself.
As for why he needed such a drug—Otosaka Yuu had to absorb all abilities. Hakuto had to keep following him closely.
If Yuu lost control during that time, if his powers went berserk, or even if he simply decided not to eat beef anymore—Hakuto would step in and stop him.
Hakuto didn't want to witness that kind of ending. So all he could do was pray for Yuu's safety.
"Relax, all of that's at least a year away. There's no rush yet."
Yuu's initial loss of control would probably only happen after he had plundered abilities from several countries. Only then would Hakuto set off on his journey.
Nao nodded and didn't pursue the topic further. After all, Hakuto was right—that was a problem for much later.
"Oh, right... ZHIEND's having another concert in Japan soon..." Nao said as she pulled out her phone.
"Then we'll take your brother and go see it again." That had been something the two of them agreed on.
"Huh~? You'd better not fall asleep again like last time..."
"Mhm~ I'll force myself to stay awake. But I can't guarantee anything."
"Well, then I can't guarantee I won't dump you on the floor this time."
"Mercy, please~"
Looking at Nao, Hakuto felt he no longer needed to be restrained by the things he'd said in the past.
If he couldn't even face his own feelings, then he really would be pathetic.
"President, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Do you... have those kinds of feelings for me?"
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