Chapter 32: Horikita Manabu: Daniel, you womanizing bastard! (Patreon)

Daniel got up and pulled back the curtain around the infirmary bed, only to find that Kushida Kikyo had already woken up at some point, her face flushed as she seemed lost in thought.

The sound of the curtain sliding open snapped her back to herself, and she looked up at Daniel with a pitiful expression.

"Master~ I don't want to be a useless wife. Can we not do that again next time?"

Daniel gave her an amused look. Seeing that she was only a little jealous and nothing else was wrong, he said, "Next time I'll definitely bring you along."

"Since you're awake, rest a bit more. I've got things to take care of, so I'll head back to the dorm first. Airi's coming by today, so you don't need to — might as well take the day off."

"You two can fight side by side some other day."

Under the blanket, Kushida Kikyo's hands were practically shredding the sheets, but on the surface she kept up her obedient act and agreed.

"No problem, Master~ Kushida Kikyo's always so obedient~"

Watching Kushida Kikyo seethe without daring to voice it, Daniel found it hard to keep a straight face. He reached out and gave her racing heart a soothing squeeze.

Seeing her eyes roll back again, he finally let go and said, "I'm off. Be good, Kushida Kikyo."

The moment Daniel walked out of the infirmary, Kushida Kikyo's expression flipped, and she slammed a fist into the mattress!

"That damn man! I've been so obedient to him — why does he still treat me like a pet!"

"And he even gets all lovey-dovey with other women right in front of me."

"All I wanted at first was to get you expelled — you stingy, perverted jerk! Ugh, I'm so mad!"

Kushida Kikyo raged uselessly, but once she'd vented, she still couldn't bring herself to leave Daniel — she had no idea what kind of spell he had over her.

The moment she saw him, happiness welled up in her against her will — more than she'd feel even with hundreds of friends.

Daniel hadn't gone far, and at that distance he could still hear Kushida Kikyo's grumbling.

"Seems like Kushida Kikyo's still a bit unruly."

Daniel didn't think much of it — he figured he just hadn't been sleeping with her enough lately.

Once he got around to properly teaching her a lesson someday, she wouldn't have the energy left to be jealous.

Instead of heading back to the dorm, Daniel went to the mall and picked out a few cosplay outfits sized to match Sakura Airi's figure.

He also bought a camera while he was at it.

They'd agreed on taking photos, so photos there would be.

Daniel even spent a few minutes online learning photography basics; at his learning speed, his skill level now rivaled that of a professional photographer.

Laden with bags large and small, Daniel finally headed for the dorm.

"This is a lot to carry, kind of a hassle. If the mall restocks again, I should really pick up some kind of storage space."

Only now did he realize he was missing the standard-issue protagonist storage space.

If he ever traveled to other worlds without one, he'd have trouble hauling off anything good he found.

"So you're Daniel?"

"Hm?"

Daniel stopped and turned to see Horikita Manabu stepping out of the shadows beneath a nearby streetlamp, a question mark practically popping over his head.

"Big Bro-in-Law, you looking for me?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Daniel clearly saw the corner of Horikita Manabu's mouth twitch.

"Don't call me that. What's really going on between you and Suzune? She's not the type to date while she's still in school."

"And the thing with Miyabi Nagumo — that was your doing too, wasn't it?"

Horikita Manabu forced himself to calm down a little before pressing Daniel further.

"Hmm, how should I put this." Daniel felt a headache coming on too — having his brother-in-law glare daggers at him wasn't exactly ideal either.

He hadn't checked his phone yet, so he had no idea Horikita Suzune had already texted him.

So Daniel decided to just lay it out plainly. "You're right that Suzune's personality doesn't exactly allow for dating, so I had to resort to a few little tricks."

"The thing with Miyabi Nagumo — yeah, I planned it. It was part of a deal I made with her."

"Honestly, Big Bro-in-Law, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had such an easy time winning Suzune over."

This was a lie.

Winning over Horikita Suzune had taken Daniel all of one sentence — but Horikita Manabu didn't know that.

Seeing the regret and frustration creeping across the man's face, Daniel had to fight down a grin — this was exactly the expression he'd wanted to see.

"Ssh — hah. I get it now. This one's on me. I should've raised my sister properly instead of letting her study my personality and mimic it."

Horikita Manabu took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeves, and walked toward Daniel, his face blank.

"But that doesn't mean anyone gets to use that to push Suzune around!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Horikita Manabu exploded into motion, driving a one-handed hook straight at Daniel's stomach.

"How rude. What Suzune and I have is pure love."

Daniel planted his feet and stepped back, opening the distance so Horikita Manabu's fist met only air.

Some "might makes right" classroom this was — even the student council president threw punches the second words didn't go his way. How was this any different from Suzuran?

Daniel groused to himself.

Horikita Manabu was a little surprised his attack had been dodged, but he didn't let up.

Fists, knees, elbows — Horikita Manabu cycled through one fighting technique after another in an unbroken assault, but Daniel simply swayed and weaved, slipping past every single one.

Even with his hands full of shopping bags, his dodges looked effortlessly elegant.

Seeing his entire barrage go to waste, Horikita Manabu kept attacking without pause, and kept talking too.

"From what I've heard, Suzune isn't the only one you're involved with."

"That's true enough. They're all my wings." Daniel tilted his head back slightly, dodging a punch, and answered with a grin.

"You scumbag, toying with women like that!"

Horikita Manabu was furious!

After Daniel dodged his spinning kick yet again, the instant Horikita Manabu landed he dropped his hands to the ground and spun his legs — karate flowing straight into capoeira — and lashed out with a whipping kick aimed at his face.

"Fine, I'll give you this much for trying so hard."

Daniel let go of the bags in his hands and raised one arm to block in front of his face.

Smack!

Direct hit!

But Horikita Manabu's face went pale in an instant — because what he'd just kicked hadn't felt like a human arm at all, but a slab of iron.

Daniel hadn't so much as swayed.

"That's about enough. I've got plans tonight, so I won't keep playing around with you. Sleep tight, Big Bro-in-Law."

The moment Daniel finished speaking, Horikita Manabu's expression shifted — the world in front of him blurred instantly, then a sharp pain lanced through his back, and his body's own defense mechanisms kicked in and knocked him out cold.

Watching Horikita Manabu, whom he'd grabbed by the leg and slammed into the ground, drift off into a baby-deep sleep, Daniel wore a satisfied look.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself — just the right amount of force. Knocked senseless, no brain damage."

"Still, might as well patch him up, so Big Bro-in-Law can actually get out of bed tomorrow."

Daniel walked over and used the Reversal Technique — if he actually broke the guy, things would get complicated with Suzune too. A lesson taught was enough.

Once he'd confirmed the man was fine, Daniel picked his things back up and headed for the dorm.

There weren't many students around here, so leaving Horikita Manabu lying there wouldn't cause any trouble.

It wasn't as if Albert was going to awaken some outrageous new trait, spot a pretty boy lying on the roadside, and just have to have a go at him.

What were the odds of that, honestly.

No melodrama unfolded. Before long, Horikita Manabu came to, looking thoroughly dazed, and started mulling over just how he should deal with this unwanted brother-in-law of his.

He couldn't beat the guy in a fight, and using his authority as student council president to get him expelled probably wouldn't work either — if he actually tried it, he might well end up starring in the next video himself.

Sigh. Suzune, you've really put your poor brother through the wringer.