Time rewound to Friday afternoon.
The café was filled with students after school.
"Shall we go somewhere quieter?"
Kaoru listened to the noisy chatter around them, mostly from girls, as if the entire café were a vibrant scene of youthful energy.
"Like my room?"
Sakayanagi Arisu bit her lip lightly, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Last time was a reward for you. I don't just casually spend time alone with boys."
She still vividly remembered the strange things he had done to her in his room last time.
Though she wasn't particularly interested, the intense masculine presence and the sticky sensation were her first experiences.
Occasionally, she would recall the scene at night, as if remnants of it still lingered within her, stirring her sensitive heart.
Sakayanagi Arisu thought she should feel disgusted and angry, but afterward, she harbored no such emotions. Instead, she wore the ring he had given her on her finger.
Perhaps her subconscious had taken it as a humiliation, using it to push herself to strive harder and repay Kaoru double for the shame he had brought her.
"That's not what I meant either. Don't you think spending today like this is too mundane?"
Kaoru said, "Though I know you're usually proud and aloof, I think this might be a chance to build better relationships with everyone."
Sakayanagi Arisu blinked, then replied, "My father is coming tonight."
Kaoru fell silent for a moment. After all, it was his daughter's birthday.
As someone of high status, Sakayanagi Seishiro, even if forced out of Koudo Ikusei, could easily return to see his daughter.
"Disappointed?"
Sakayanagi Arisu flashed her usual mischievous grin. "Were you hoping to be alone with me tonight, thinking you might get to do something?"
As she spoke, she gently tapped Kaoru's calf under the table with what seemed to be her cane.
"What a pity. I could have teased Kaoru-kun a bit, but it seems Father found out about our relationship and specifically warned me to keep my distance from you."
Seeing Kaoru's expression, Sakayanagi Arisu felt quite pleased.
The gloom that had been weighing on her lifted, and she broke into a radiant smile.
"Actually, I've spoken with your father a little." Kaoru wasn't the least bit embarrassed. "Regarding your physical condition, I'm fairly confident I have a grasp on it."
Sakayanagi Arisu was momentarily stunned.
Her first reaction was disbelief, but upon second thought, considering how many secrets he carried, perhaps he truly had a solution.
After a moment of silence, the young girl spoke: "Why are you so concerned about me?"
In truth, even now, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't feel there was anything particularly special between them.
She owed Kaoru nothing, and he owed her nothing in return.
Kaoru might be drawn to her physically, but she was equally intrigued by his secrets.
They were perfectly matched in their motives.
Thus, Sakayanagi Arisu was puzzled: was he trying to win her over?
Did he want to toy with her heart and mind, to see her submit at his feet like Ichinose Honami and the others?
Sakayanagi didn't believe he could succeed.
She had already seen through his intentions, so it was impossible.
"I'll help if I can, but if I can't, I won't," Kaoru said. "If you must overthink it, just consider it a return gift for the one you gave me before."
Sakayanagi thought for a long time.
Had she ever given Kaoru anything?
A Christmas gift? A Valentine's gift?
Then, she saw Kaoru take a white beret out of his bag.
"I really didn't know what you'd like, so I picked out a hat for you," Kaoru said, placing it in front of her.
"Spring is here—maybe a change of style would be nice."
After sitting down, Sakayanagi removed the gray beret from her head and set it aside on the table, creating a contrast with the one he had given her.
His beret had a small bear on the side, making it cuter and more cartoonish.
Sakayanagi wanted to tell him she really wasn't a elementary school girl, and if he kept this up, she would get angry.
Just then, the server brought over the dessert—a small cake with a single lit candle placed in front of her.
"Happy birthday."
Kaoru hadn't actually planned to gather a crowd to celebrate her birthday.
The cake was just a café dessert, and the candle was one he had asked the server to buy.
"Your arrangements are quite surprising," Sakayanagi said, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"But thank you."
"I accept it. You can blow out the candle now—no need to make a wish."
Kaoru had already noticed the occasional glances from others.
It was as if he had become a celebrity; whenever he was with a girl, people would stare.
"Why?" Sakayanagi asked, hearing for the first time someone suggest not making a wish.
"Is there something Arisu can't achieve that she needs to wish for?" Kaoru looked at her strangely.
Sakayanagi's lips twitched. She felt he was mocking her, but it didn't seem like it, so she swallowed her irritation.
Usually, she was the one teasing others, but ever since meeting Kaoru, she had repeatedly been left speechless by him.
Sakayanagi's eyes sparkled as she blew out the candle, then smiled softly at Kaoru.
"Honestly, you're quite good at charming girls. Even I'm a little moved, Kaoru-kun."
Kaoru watched her toss the candle into the trash, unsure what she was moved by when she was being so merciless.
"Thank you for the gift and the cake."
Sakayanagi picked up a piece of cake with her fork. "As a reward, I'd like to feed you the first bite myself. Is that okay?"
"Can you feed me with your mouth?" Kaoru probed.
"Hehe, that depends on your performance, Kaoru-kun," Sakayanagi said with a smile. "You know, right now, I have this feeling of wanting to keep you by my side forever—somewhere no one can disturb us, just you and me."
Kaoru felt a slight chill, as if recalling the days in the basement.
"Alright, open your mouth quickly."
Sakayanagi Arisu brought the cake close to his lips.
Kaoru instinctively opened his mouth, but she accidentally tilted it, smearing the cake all over his face.
"Eh, Kaoru-kun, why aren't you eating the cake with your mouth?"
Seeing Sakayanagi Arisu's shocked expression, Kaoru fell silent.
This girl was practically a grade-schooler!
If she held a grudge, she would retaliate—especially vindictive.
...
"Wait, he just gave you a hat, and you smeared cake on his face?"
After hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's explanation, Kamuro Masumi couldn't stay calm.
"It was an accident, a mishap."
Sakayanagi Arisu denied any intentional behavior. "Besides, isn't smearing cake on someone's face a birthday tradition?"
"Of course, I know that!"
Kamuro Masumi was furious. "But at the very least, you should have taken a photo! It's rare to see him embarrassed like that—I really wanted to see it!"
Well, no wonder they got along so well. Sakayanagi Arisu immediately shed her guilt.
"Didn't you skip class with him last time? He didn't give you any cake? You didn't smear it on his face?"
"I... had a little accident that time."
Kamuro Masumi stammered, too embarrassed to admit that not only had she failed to smear cake on Kaoru's face, but she had ended up with white cream all over herself instead.
However, Kamuro Masumi felt a hint of pride.
Because Kaoru had originally intended to smear it on her face, but she refused, so it ended up on her body.
In a way, that still counted as Kaoru losing face.
Thinking about Sakayanagi Arisu again, Kamuro Masumi became more reserved and gave her an encouraging look.
This girl clearly treasured the gift she received, even swapping out her original hat immediately to show it off, yet she stubbornly refused to admit her true feelings.
Even if Kaoru had only given her a small cake, Kamuro Masumi suspected that even if he turned her into a cream puff, this girl would still act tough.
Sakayanagi Arisu had no idea what Kamuro Masumi was thinking about her.
If she had known, Kamuro Masumi probably wouldn't have lived to see the next morning.
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu was thinking about the exams.
Over the past few days, she hadn't brought up the topic with Kaoru, and he had tacitly avoided it as well.
She knew Kaoru wouldn't interfere, probably because he believed she couldn't win all seven matches.
As long as she lost even one, Kaoru would have already won the bet.
The exam was unfair to her, but Sakayanagi Arisu didn't complain.
Instead, it ignited a competitive fire within her.
It just Ichinose Honami—she'd win.