Akane Nanao was the manager of the baseball team.
She had only joined recently, but thanks to her looks and figure, she was extremely popular among the new students—on par with Kanna Hiiragi, and even more so within the club.
Unfortunately, joining the baseball club turned out to be nothing like the wonderful experience she had imagined. The reason was the baseball coach, Tougou.
He had a bad reputation at school. As a freshman, Akane hadn't known this at first, but she gradually realized that he often looked at her with undisguised lust.
She understood clearly: this man was not a good person.
"Shoya, I know you love baseball, but you're not even a regular yet…"
"I'm just a freshman," Katase Shoya replied casually. "Of course I can't replace my seniors. That's exactly why I have to work harder. Coach Tougou said that if I perform well, he'll promote me."
Akane frowned. "Shoya, you should be careful around that Coach Tougou. I have a bad feeling about him."
"Huh? Why?" Katase Shoya looked surprised. "Coach Tougou is a great person—responsible, hardworking, and capable. He's helped us a lot."
"I heard from the seniors," Kanna Hiiragi added, gripping Akane's arm, "that Tougou has a bad reputation. Akane, did he do anything to you?"
Akane shook her head quickly. "No… he just gives me a really bad feeling. The way he looks at me sometimes makes me sick."
Katase Shoya laughed. "You're probably overthinking it. You're so pretty—of course people admire you. Everyone in the club talks about you."
"…"
The fact that such a beautiful girl had feelings for him made Katase Shoya somewhat proud, and he was often teased about it in the club, though he felt that no one meant him any harm.
Akane Nanao's lips moved, looking at his confident expression, she didn't know what to say for a moment. Kazuma didn't participate in their conversation, but sat aside and teased the little black cat in his arms. He couldn't help but look up when he heard Katase Shoya's words.
He gave him a strange look, his lips twitching as he tried hard to suppress a laugh.
Soon, a tall, muscular man in a tank top approached, smiling meaningfully at Akane Nanao.
"Where did you go? I've been looking for you everywhere, Nana. You're the baseball team manager—how can you be slacking off here all by yourself?"
There it was again—that disgusting gaze. Akane Nanao took a deep breath and turned to look at Katase Shoya. Shoya seemed completely unaware that anything was wrong, utterly oblivious to the sinister intent in the coach's eyes as he stared at Akane Nanao.
"Sorry, Coach Tougou. We were just chatting for a bit."
He apologized sincerely.
Akane Nanao frowned. "I'm the manager of the baseball team. You, as a coach, have no right to order me around."
In terms of authority, he didn't actually have any power over the club manager. He was merely a coach, not an advisor or someone in charge.
The man didn't respond. Instead, his gaze shifted to Katase Shoya.
"Katase-kun, although you're not qualified to be a regular yet, it doesn't mean you have no chance. You just need to work harder. At the very least, you have to satisfy me—after all, I'm the one responsible for the baseball team's selection arrangements."
The burly, gorilla-like man walked over to Katase Shoya and patted him on the shoulder, but his eyes remained fixed on Akane Nanao.
He grinned. "As long as you satisfy me… you know what I mean, right?"
Katase Shoya failed to catch the hidden meaning and nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry, Coach! I'll definitely make you satisfied!"
"..."
Akane Nanao immediately sensed something was wrong, her expression darkening. What did this man mean? Was he threatening her? Yet Katase-kun trusted him completely and couldn't perceive the malice beneath his words at all.
Meanwhile, Kazuma quietly stroked the cat, observing everything like a bystander who barely existed. Situations like this didn't surprise him. There were all kinds of people in this world, and he had long since prepared himself mentally. Compared to lunatics with outrageous abilities—hypnosis, time-stopping, or other supernatural powers—the man in front of him posed no real threat.
No matter how muscular he was, Kazuma didn't take him seriously. Of course, his current approach was to keep a low profile. Ever since reincarnating into this world, he had made it a rule to avoid drawing attention to himself.
This world was dangerous. Being too conspicuous was never a good thing—who knew what kind of monster might be hiding in some obscure corner? If you were hypnotized by some random passerby, it would already be over.
But that doesn't mean he's without feelings and will ignore a girl who could fall into disaster; at least he'll do what he can.
As he was thinking this, a strange sound effect suddenly rang in his ears. Kazuma's pupils shrank sharply. Just moments ago, Akane had shown no abnormalities—yet now, a golden exclamation mark had suddenly appeared above her head. ???
The wish list has appeared?
Kazuma stared at the wish list that only he could see, then glanced back at Akane Nanao. "But it's covered in question marks… There's no specific content displayed. Why is that?"
While he was pondering this, the conversation nearby continued.
"Nanao, is this your friend?" The man's eyes lit up when he suddenly noticed Kanna Hiiragi. This stunningly beautiful girl, no less attractive than Akane Nanao, immediately stirred his desire. With equally striking looks and an outstanding figure, she was clearly top-tier prey in his eyes.
Kanna Hiiragi instantly understood how Akane felt. That man's gaze was truly disgusting.
"Would you like to bring your friends to visit the baseball club?"
"No need, Coach Tougou." Akane Nanao's face turned pale as she coldly refused, realizing that the man had now set his sights on her friend as well. "Kanna has no interest in baseball."
"Hah, but aren't you friends?" he sneered. "Does she plan to leave her best friend alone at school? Or are you actually just classmates, not real friends?"
The tall man's imposing presence and predatory stare made Kanna Hiiragi feel pressured. She swallowed hard, overwhelmed by his aura, and found herself unable to speak for a moment.
Stiffness and numbness spread through their hands and feet.
Just as the atmosphere froze, an impatient voice broke the silence.
"I said, how long are you going to keep rambling on? I'm starving."
Kazuma's face darkened. "Damn it, you never stop talking. Can't you think about my stomach for once?"
Nearly suffocating, Kanna Hiiragi finally managed to catch her breath. She hurried to Kazuma's side and grabbed his arm, as if only then could she feel safe. In her panic, she failed to notice that her soft, ample chest was pressed firmly against his arm.
"Yes, yes, it's getting late. Kazuma, let's go together."
"Nanao, Katase-kun is still waiting for you," Higashi said pointedly.
Akane Nanao paused, biting her lower lip.
Kazuma glanced at her from the corner of his eye, inwardly cursing how troublesome this had become.
"Katase Shoya, what do you say? Are you planning to make her wait forever?"
Katase Shoya was still confused and slow to react. Only when his name was called did he snap back to his senses. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… Akane, you should go home first. It's not good to stay out until it gets dark. You can leave things here to us."
"I understand, Shoya. You should head home early too."
Seeing there was no way to stop it, Tougou let out a cold snort and shot Kazuma a sharp glare. Kazuma met his gaze calmly. When their eyes locked, he showed no fear—on the contrary, a strange smile appeared on his face.
Tch! This guy…
The man's expression darkened, his displeasure growing. He had originally thought this student was just an ordinary nobody, but now…