As for what Fujiwara Chika understood, Kaguya Shinomiya was too embarrassed to ask.
So the two girls tacitly pushed away Nozomi's arms—Kaguya from beneath his right, Chika from his left—and tiptoed backward off the couch. The wool blanket slid between their fingers as they moved, still warm from where their bodies had pressed against his.
Chika's cheeks burned as she tugged her rumpled uniform straight, the fabric having ridden up above her knees. Kaguya smoothed her own skirt with trembling hands, her pulse still thudding from the proximity—the scent of cedar and something faintly masculine clinging to her blazer.
Fortunately, this guy didn't continue to talk in his sleep, nor did he continue to hold them.
Otherwise, things would be awkward when he woke up.
A little later.
Hozuki Nozomi opened his eyes and stretched, the tendons in his forearms flexing as he rolled his shoulders. Afternoon light slanted golden through the tall windows, catching dust motes drifting above his disheveled hair.
"That was a great nap."
He smiled and pushed the blanket aside, looking at Kaguya-san. Her posture was rigid, seated across the room with her ankles crossed—too deliberate, too composed.
"Kaguya-san, did Yukino come by earlier?"
"No." Kaguya Shinomiya gave him an annoyed look, her crimson eyes narrowing.
She didn't know if this guy was pretending or doing it on purpose just now.
"Chika brought you the blanket, remember to thank her."
Fujiwara Chika, who was holding a cup of black tea—the porcelain rattling faintly against the saucer in her grip—blushed and stood up. She held the hem of her skirt as she bowed to Hozuki Nozomi, the motion sending her silver-pink hair cascading forward. The black ribbon atop her head bobbed with the movement.
"Hozuki Nozomi, hello, I am Fujiwara Chika, Kaguya-chan's best friend, and also the Student Council secretary, nice to meet you, please guide me!"
Hozuki Nozomi's gaze traced upward from the bow in her hair, down to where her chest strained against the white fabric of her uniform—the buttons pulling just slightly, the swell of her breasts pressing the material taut enough to show the faint outline of lace beneath. He nodded with a smile.
"En, please guide me."
"Since you're Kaguya-san's best friend, if you ever have any problems in the future, you can always come to me, I'd be happy to help."
He naturally expressed his goodwill.
Kaguya Shinomiya's mouth twitched, and she said coldly:
"Don't act like we're so familiar, you scumbag, don't have designs on Chika."
"Hmph, Chika's grandfather was the former Prime Minister, so be aware of yourself."
Hozuki Nozomi smiled and calmly replied to her.
"Don't think so badly of me, I just think Fujiwara-San is cute and want to be friends."
Fujiwara Chika's cheeks instantly turned bright red, the flush spreading down her neck and disappearing beneath her collar.
He called me cute!
Kaguya Shinomiya waved her hand dismissively. "You can go back, the Student Council office isn't a place for you to sleep, if you want to sleep, go to your Service Club!"
"Alright, then goodbye, Fujiwara."
Nozomi greeted them and leisurely left the office, his footsteps echoing down the polished corridor.
…
Kaguya Shinomiya looked at her best friend, whose cheeks were red and who looked dazed, and couldn't help but wave her fair, delicate hand in front of her.
"Come back to life, silly Chika~"
"Eh, Kaguya-chan, how can you say that about me? I'm not an idiot!"
"Hmph, what was with that dazed look just now? Don't forget he's a married man, and a philandering scumbag. Chika, you mustn't fall for him."
"Oh, what are you saying, Kaguya-chan? I just want to be friends with Nozomi." Fujiwara Chika pressed her palms to her warm cheeks. "It's not a loss to be friends with someone who controls mysterious powers like him. Look, he just praised me for being cute and said I could ask him for help if I needed anything."
"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing."
Kaguya Shinomiya looked like she was saying, 'You handle it, I don't care.'
Fujiwara Chika immediately pouted, her lower lip pushing out.
"Kaguya-chan, how can you even say that to me? Why did you also come over and sleep with him just now?"
Kaguya Shinomiya's cheeks flushed crimson, her composure cracking.
"I… I just didn't want to wake him up. He was talking in his sleep, and thought Yukino Yukinoshita had come over."
Fujiwara Chika immediately looked at her best friend playfully, blue eyes glinting.
"As long as you know what you're doing."
Kaguya Shinomiya: "..."
She actually threw my own words back at me. Chika, is your wisdom only for targeting me?
Utterly speechless.
…
Back to Hozuki Nozomi.
He was just about to return to the Service Club when a clear, pleasant, cold snort appeared in his ear—sharp as cracking ice.
He looked closely.
Kirisu Mafuyu stood in the corridor with her arms crossed beneath her chest, the posture pressing her breasts together beneath her cream-colored blouse. Her professional blazer hung open, and her black hip-hugging skirt clung to the curve of her thighs, ending just above her knees. Dark stockings sheathed her calves.
Her pink hair was pinned up in its usual style, a few loose strands framing her sharp features, and her beauty mark sat just beneath her left eye—which was currently fixed on him with an unfriendly gaze. The hallway smelled of floor wax and faint perfume, something floral.
Clearly, she was still angry about him secretly kissing her cheek last time and then running away.
Hozuki Nozomi acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and waving at her.
"Yo, good afternoon, Mafuyu-Sensei."
"Good your head, I'm not good at all!"
Kirisu Mafuyu took a step forward, her heels clicking against the tile, and scanned him with a scrutinizing look. "Come to my office with me, I have something to talk to you about."
"Alright."
Hozuki Nozomi naturally wouldn't refuse the beautiful teacher's invitation.
He had thought they would be in a cold war for a while, but he didn't expect Kirisu Mafuyu to look for him so soon. To be honest, he was a little surprised.
…
Teacher's Office.
The door clicked shut behind them. Afternoon light filtered through half-drawn blinds, casting striped shadows across stacks of unmarked papers and a half-empty coffee mug on her desk. The room smelled of old books and her perfume—jasmine, maybe, with something warmer underneath.
Hozuki Nozomi was stared at by Kirisu Mafuyu with a scrutinizing gaze, but he didn't show the slightest timidity. He just met her beautiful large eyes—violet, framed by dark lashes—and said:
"Time waits for no one, Mafuyu-Sensei. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't just stare at me without speaking."
"Hmph."
Kirisu Mafuyu snorted unhappily, her arms still crossed, fingers digging into her blazer sleeves.
"Tell me honestly, last time… why did you do that to me last time?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her cheeks became hot, the flush creeping up from her collar, and she felt a little embarrassed. She could still feel it—the phantom warmth of his lips against her cheek, the way her heart had hammered before he'd bolted.
"Which incident are you referring to?"
"Don't play dumb, you… you ambushed me!"
"Oh, that." He tilted his head, studying her. "Because I liked you, I thought Mafuyu-Sensei was cute, so I couldn't help but do that."
He answered her question very honestly.
Kirisu Mafuyu's heart skipped a beat, her pulse jumping in her throat.
"Even if I'm cute, you can't do that! I'm your teacher!"
"This is wrong, and you have a girlfriend, don't you? What would she think if she knew?"
Hozuki Nozomi sighed, his expression shifting to something almost contrite.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong. I won't do that again. Even if Mafuyu-Sensei is cute, I will try to restrain myself."
"En, that's right."
She nodded in satisfaction, but suddenly felt strange. Her brow furrowed.
This guy, he accepted her teaching so easily and knew he was wrong? Why did he decide so casually? And after I said something, he just gave up on me?
Kirisu Mafuyu felt inexplicably a little upset. Her fingers loosened on her sleeves.
"Is there anything else? I don't want to see Mafuyu-Sensei anymore, I'll have an inexplicable urge."
"Shut up, you!" Her voice pitched higher, cheeks blazing. "So young, and all you know is to flirt and say strange things!"
Kirisu Mafuyu retorted angrily and shyly, then seemed to feel that she was too harsh, so her tone softened again. She uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides.
"Nozomi, I know it's normal for boys in puberty to have a crush on cute girls, but you have a girlfriend, so it's better to focus on her."
Hozuki Nozomi's eyes lit up. "So, Mafuyu-Sensei doesn't object to high school romances?"
"Of course I object! You are a student, your focus should be on your studies!"
"Alright, ignore what I just said."
Nozomi lowered his head, a dejected expression on his face.
Kirisu Mafuyu, on the other hand, had mixed feelings. A strange tightness settled in her chest.
Why did she feel a little sad when she heard him so decisively give up on pursuing her?
She quickly shook her head to shake off the strange emotions, her violet hair swaying.
"Um… anyway, you have to continue. I am your teacher. You can admire me, but you must also respect me and not think strange things."
"I've always respected Mafuyu-Sensei very much."
En, treating her as his future wife, his family, to respect.
Is that sincere enough?