Chapter 33: Blackmailed with a photo
"Who are you?"
At the corner of the club building, next to the dense woods.
Chifuyu Tsukimi, wearing the ordinary school uniform but appearing extremely nervous, held her schoolbag and looked at the bronzed, muscular young man with blonde hair and handsome features in front of her, and asked with confusion.
With his hands in his pockets and an earring on his left ear, giving off a somewhat delinquent vibe, the man named Kirishima gave a girl a long once-over and then introduced himself with a smile.
"I am Kirishima, who is in the same football club as Takagi. You...are Tsukimi-san, right?"
Although he asked rhetorically, the words he spoke were affirmative.
It's just before the girl could nod in approval, the boy said again: "You are dating Takagi, right?"
Hearing this, Tsukimi Chifuyu's little hand holding her schoolbag
instantly tightened, and then put her hand on her chest, her eyes wandering, pretending to be calm and denying.
"That, no, we are just ordinary classmates."
Faced with this obvious denial, the blonde ah...yellow hair did not turn a blind eye like Sasaki.
Instead, he acted as if he'd heard something amusing, lightly shrugging his shoulders and chuckling.
"Hahaha..."
Facing Chifuyu Tsukimi's confused but panicked eyes, Kirishima pretended to say 'sorry', then took out his phone and opened the photo album.
"This is Takagi and Tsukimi-san, right?"
Looking at the picture of the two holding hands reflected in the girl's panicked eyes, Kirishima put away his phone, winked at her, and complimented himself.
"My photography skills are pretty great, right? I saw you by chance last week. But really, holding hands near the school and all, you two were too careless, right."
"in addition..."
Smiling at Chifuyu Tsukimi's increasingly panicked expression, he leaned against the wall and looked at her beautiful face.
"Tsukimi-kun is really good at telling lies."
Then he pretended to be confused and muttered to himself.
"You always show up here after school, not skipping a day, at this exact time.
I used to think it was quite strange before, but now I know why."
After saying that, he turned to stare at the girl again, and a meaningful smile couldn't help but appear on Kirishima's handsome face.
"You know about Takagi's grades and his parents' attitude."
"Takagi's grades aren't good. Whether he can pass the exams or not often depends on the number of multiple-choice questions. With such grades, let alone getting suspended, even expulsion from school isn't out of the question."
"And as his girlfriend, you also know that his parents have strictly prohibited him from dating because of his grades."
Before Kirishima could continue, Chifuyu Tsukimi, who was shaking and sweating all over, interrupted him.
"Well, the photo, please delete the photo, and... don't tell his parents about it."
"What?" Kirishima didn't care that his words were interrupted.
He looked at the girl, who was shaking all over, and chuckled, pretending not to hear clearly.
"Please, please delete the photo."
Her long bangs hid her panicked eyes, and Tsukimi Chifuyu's voice was weak and full of pleading.
The fingertips of her schoolbag she was holding were pierced into the straps of it, and because she had used too much force, her knuckles turned white, just like her pale face.
She might not have experienced many things and was slow to catch on, but she was not stupid.
She knew the consequences of having such a crucial weakness exploited.
So, she could only pray in her heart that he was only after some money and would not make any excessive demands.
But for a yellow hair pervert was there anything more attractive than a woman?
Nope..impossible, for Kirishima there was nothing more attractive than Tsukimi-san herself.
Therefore, his purpose was crystal clear.
"You can tell your parents tonight that you want to stay at a classmate's house for one night, right? Then, asking for a sick leave from the teacher for tomorrow would work too, right?"
"No, I can't!"
After hearing his request, Tsukimi Chifuyu, who knew the worst outcome had already occurred, took a few steps back with a pale face, shaking her head vigorously with a sad face.
"Oh?" As if he didn't expect this soft-tempered girl to refuse, the boy squinted his eyes and took out his mobile phone. "You wouldn't want Takagi's parents to see this photo and then get broken up with, right?"
Feeling that this sentence was too forceful and would only be counterproductive, Kirishima's expression softened a bit and his tone became softer.
"It's just hanging out for a day, and night.
Afterwards, it'll be our little secret; Takagi won't know.
Plus, I promise, after one day, I'll delete the photo and then let this matter rot in my stomach forever, how about it?"
After hearing his assurance, Chifuyu Tsukimi, who was holding on to something in her heart, did not waver but shook her head firmly. head. "No, it can't be, that kind of thing... it is not allowed..."
Hearing the girl's resolute refusal, a trace of surprise flashed in the boy's eyes.
He didn't expect this little idiot to be so determined.
What's so good about that Takagi?
The confusion and jealousy in his heart made him want to know the reason.
"Huh~"
With a light exhale, Kirishima laughed and lifted his phone, displaying the photo of Takagi and Tsukimi walking hand in hand. "Let's make a deal. You tell me the reason for your refusal, and I will delete the photo."
Glancing at the photo above, the girl's nervous and panicked state eased a little.
After a moment's hesitation, she blinked uncertainly and asked in a soft voice, "Do you mean what you say?"
"I keep my word." With his finger on the delete button, Kirishima's expression was earnest.
Sighing as if making up her mind, Chifuyu Tsukimi rubbed her fingers together, her pale face suddenly flushed with a captivating blush as she explained her reason with a nervous and shy tone.
"It's, it's the first time... I want to... save it for Takagi, whom I like..."
"Uh..." Frowning, Kirishima was stunned for a moment when he heard the quiet and vague answer, and then a trace of surprise and ridicule flashed across his face.
"Is that guy Takagi an idiot?"
Before the girl could retort in anger, Kirishima looked at her with pity. Tsukimi-san is really pitiable, huh? Takagi doesn't even want to touch you."
Hearing these words that were related to the relationship between the two of them, Chifuyu Tsukimi held her little hand and retorted in a sweet voice with her little face flushed from anger.
"That's not true! Takagi san only sees me as very important."
"Sees you as very important?" Kirishima repeated, and then asked, "Is that really the case?"
"I think doing intimate things with a girl you like, or saying you want to be with her every night and day, always caring for her, is what it means to see her as very important."
After finishing speaking, he looked at Tsukimi who was a little dazed and seemed to be thinking about something, and a smile appeared at the corner of Kirishima's mouth. "Don't you think so, Tsukimi-san?"
"Or do you think, leaving your girlfriend aside, busying yourself with your own things, not sending a single message to your girlfriend all day long, and just verbally claiming to like her, is a sign that he cares about his girlfriend?"
Being in the same club as Takagi Kenta, Kirishima, who knew him quite well directly struck the most vulnerable spot in the girl's heart.
After saying these words, he looked at the lost girl and felt that the power of these words was greater than he imagined.
But that's good, rolling his eyes and curving his mouth, he planned to try to take her down directly.
Looking at Tsukimi's gray eyes, he carefully took a few steps forward and continued: "So, you see there is absolutely no need for you to like such a person.
After all, he doesn't like you and doesn't care about you.
Leave him, you can find someone who treats you better."
"No, that's not it, it's not like that. Takagi-san likes me, he is just too busy, that's all..."
Dropping her schoolbag, Tsukimi Chifuyu, not wanting to hear anymore, covered her ears with a sorrowful expression, loudly stating the words she herself barely believed.
'Tsk. '
Seeing her irritated look, Kirishima smacked his lips knowing that he was eager for quick success, and then returned to his original, slow-boiling approach.
"It's possible."
As soon as the words came out, Chifuyu Tsukimi, who had been covering her ears, suddenly raised her head.
Looking at her reaction, Kirishima continued say slowly: "Maybe he does like you, but he's choosing something more important over being with you, which is undeniable. So, what you need to do is enhance your charm to keep Takagi's attention."