Anime: I Want Harem-Chapter 48: The Baseball Team

Three people were facing Aki Tomoya. Unlike him, an otaku, the three were tall, sturdy, and typical athletic boys. However, they didn't seem intent on starting a fight immediately, which allowed Aki's tense heart to relax slightly.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Hanagasa Mamoru. Aki Tomoya... that's your name, right?" The leader spoke cheerfully, smiling as he addressed Tomoya. But the smile felt fake, which left Aki uneasy.

"Does senpai need something from me?" Aki responded, sensing that these people were already aware of his identity.

"Lend us some of your time, no problem, right? After all, you're just a dead otaku."

"Haha, you're right..." Aki chuckled nervously.

With Hanagasa's tacit approval, the two people beside him placed their hands on Aki's shoulders, telling a joke that didn't land. They laughed among themselves as they half-forcibly guided him behind the school building.

Aki knew these people were members of the baseball team. One of them, Hanagasa Mamoru, the leader, was the ace who had led Toyogasaki to Koshien last year. The other, Oga Taiyo, the new ace in his second year, was very popular among the girls. The third, Shiraishi Kiyosawa, stood at over 1.85 meters tall and had a strong build; he was also a starting player.

Unlike Aki, who was a dead otaku, these three were influential figures at the school, and in a positive light.

"Sorry, but I have things I need to do after school." Despite knowing he wouldn't be treated kindly, Aki spoke with a hint of defiance.

This response seemed to pique the interest of the cheerful third-year senpai. "Oh, what things?"

"Work," Aki replied with pride. He wasn't like the usual students; he was self-sufficient, a right he had fought for with the teacher countless times.

The leader paused, thinking for a moment. "Work? Taiyo-kun, are students at our school allowed to work part-time off-campus?"

"It's impossible, right? I remember there's a clear prohibition against working in the school regulations." Taiyo answered quickly. His reply had little to do with the matter at hand but was more a way to keep the conversation going as he had a favor to ask of their captain.

Aki, sensing they might turn the part-time job into an issue, quickly defended himself. "I didn't violate any regulations! I got special permission from the teacher!"

His defense was immediately met with ridicule from Taiyo. "Anyway, you're like those anime characters, always pestering people and causing trouble, right?"

As the most infamous student at Toyogasaki, everyone knew Aki and his exaggerated actions. Taiyo's words clearly hit a nerve, drawing a sharp response from Aki.

"I'm not causing trouble! I'm just trying to evangelize to people who might become comrades!" Aki said matter-of-factly.

The three of them exchanged confused glances. "Evangelizing? What's that strange way of putting it?" Hanagasa asked.

"I don't understand either..." Taiyo muttered.

Though Aki's words were lost on them, it didn't matter. They hadn't come to understand the dead otaku.

"You go to the office every day to harass the teachers, and in the end, you even clashed with the head teacher, making the principal personally come to mediate. And you dare to say that?" Oga Taiyo casually dropped this bombshell.

This wasn't a secret—almost all the students knew what Aki had done, and most felt... repulsion.

"That's because..." Aki started to explain, but was quickly interrupted.

"Forget it. Anyway, we didn't come here for that. You should know why we came looking for you, right?" Hanagasa leaned against the school building in a kabedon pose, his smile more mocking than before. He thought to himself, As expected.

"It's about Utaha-senpai and Eriri, right? But... our affairs have nothing to do with you." Aki responded firmly, as Eriri had warned him to be prepared.

The way Aki addressed the two girls immediately confirmed the three's suspicions.

"He calls both of them by their first name directly." Oga Taiyo pointed out, drawing attention to the key detail.

The rest of the matter was practically irrelevant. But Hanagasa, secretly harboring feelings for Kasumigaoka Utaha, clenched his fists at the mention of her name.

"It seems that rumor wasn't unfounded." Hanagasa narrowed his eyes, still smiling, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. His tone was dripping with mockery.

Shiraishi Kiyosawa, the strongest member, scratched his head and smirked. "To be able to deceive two people into dating you at the same time, you really are an amazing guy, Aki."

His tone was filled with admiration, though Aki wasn't actually involved with both girls. The situation was far more complicated than these outsiders thought. Still, his words made Hanagasa's face darken with jealousy.

"What did you say?" Hanagasa's voice dropped, his gaze cold as he turned to his subordinate.

The simple-minded member, realizing his mistake, quickly attempted to backtrack. "No, I mean... Aki, you're a real bastard!"

As if wanting to make up for his slip-up, he swung his callused hand, developed from years of holding a baseball bat, directly toward Aki Tomoya's face...

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Need More Chapters

Every 300 Power Stones

2 Bonus Chapter

Every 500 Power Stones

4 Bonus Chapter.

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