Amikura Mako's eyes widened. She stared blankly at Shikime Natsu, her mouth slightly agape, seemingly unable to recover from the conversation that had just taken place.
Agreed?
He just... agreed like that?
"?!"
Her heart was instantly thrown into a state of chaotic panic.
Originally, she had only blurted out that bold invitation on a whim because she was too shy and her brain had overheated.
She had even rehearsed several explanation scenarios in her mind, attempting to salvage her precarious image of reserve.
But...
Shikime Natsu hadn't even thought about it; he had agreed simply and decisively!
"What? Is it inconvenient?"
Seeing the girl frozen in place, Shikime Natsu asked back with a faint smile.
"Ah! N-No!"
Amikura Mako shook her head vigorously, her small head rattling like a pellet drum.
Since the words had already been spoken, and the other party had agreed, if she were to go back on her word now and say, "Actually, I was just joking earlier," the situation would definitely become super awkward!
"N-No, it's not inconvenient!"
She took a deep breath, as if making some firm resolve, and forcibly suppressed the nervousness and shyness in her heart.
"Then... then please follow me."
*
Although she had said "no problem" with her mouth, Amikura Mako was in a state of high tension the entire way back to the dormitory.
She walked in front with her head lowered, her two hands gripping the straps of her sports bag tightly, her knuckles turning somewhat white.
The little theater in her heart was frantically screening various disaster movies.
Oh no! Could there be underwear I haven't put away in the room?
Are there messy snack bags on the desk?
Or perhaps... are there some strange shoujo mangas I haven't hidden well?
If Shikime Natsu sees those things he shouldn't see... my image in his heart will definitely collapse completely, right?!
"Uuu..."
The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She couldn't help but secretly glance back at Shikime Natsu following behind her.
Shikime Natsu still maintained that calm and composed appearance, seemingly completely unaware of her abnormality.
This made Amikura Mako feel slightly more at ease, but immediately after, she began to worry about another matter.
The people around them...
She looked around nervously, terrified of running into an acquaintance on the road.
If Ichinose-san or other classmates saw her bringing a boy back to the dorm... that would absolutely become the headline news in the class tomorrow, wouldn't it?!
"Phew..."
It wasn't until the two walked out of the bustling shopping center and returned to the relatively quiet dormitory plaza that Amikura Mako let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered anyone they knew along the way.
Aside from one or two passersby occasionally passing through, the entire plaza was empty.
Her tight nerves finally relaxed a little.
But only temporarily.
When the two stood in front of her dorm door, Amikura Mako's heartbeat accelerated once again.
This was it.
As long as she opened this door, Shikime Natsu would enter her private territory.
"Umm... please come in."
She took out her key with trembling hands, opened the door, and then stepped aside, making a "please" gesture.
"Excuse the intrusion."
Shikime Natsu walked in with a smile.
Amikura Mako's room was not filled with a pink girlish aura like average girls, nor was it piled high with various plush toys.
The overall style was simple and elegant, with beige and light wood as the main tones. It looked clean and tidy, giving one a very comfortable feeling.
On the bed, there was even the small plush doll Shikime Natsu had given her. It was clear that the girl liked the gift he had given very much.
"Shiki-san, please sit wherever you like."
Amikura Mako pointed to the chair in front of the desk, then walked quickly to a storage box in the corner. In one go, she hugged out several large bags of snacks.
Potato chips, cookies, chocolates, gummies... the variety was so rich it could simply open a small convenience store.
"These... are all for you to eat!"
She piled the snacks in front of Shikime Natsu all at once, as if presenting treasures.
"You eat these to relieve boredom first; please wait for me a moment."
Shikime Natsu looked at this "Snack Mountain" before his eyes, then looked at the somewhat embarrassed girl, and couldn't help but laugh despite himself.
"This much, huh?"
He casually picked up a bag of potato chips and looked at it.
"Amikura-san's reserves are truly abundant."
"Hehe... because sometimes... one gets hungry at night..."
Amikura Mako scratched her head with a blushing face.
Actually, a large part of the reason she felt she had gained weight and needed to go to the gym was because of these main culprits.
But of course, she couldn't tell Shikime Natsu about this kind of thing!
"Then you eat first, I'm going to take a shower!"
While Shikime Natsu's attention was attracted by the snacks, she hurriedly grabbed the change of clothes she had prepared long ago and rushed into the bathroom.
Click.
The bathroom door closed, and immediately after, the sound of rushing water could be heard.
The soundproofing outside the dormitory was quite good, but inside the dorm room, it was not. In such a quiet environment, the sound of water was clearly audible.
Shikime Natsu sat on the chair, listening to that sound which invited some reverie, and casually tore open a small bag of cookies to eat.
After all, he had just eaten lunch not long ago. He didn't have much of an appetite for these snacks; he simply didn't want to let down the girl's kindness.
After about some time passed.
The sound of water stopped.
Not long after, the bathroom door opened, and a humid vapor mixed with the pleasant scent of body wash wafted out.
Amikura Mako walked out.
At this moment, she had already changed into a set of pale pink pajamas printed with cute little bear patterns. Although the loose style covered her body's curves, it added a few points of domestic aura.
Her head was wrapped in a hair-drying cap, and a few strands of wet hair stuck to her fair neck, appearing exceptionally alluring.
"Sorry for the wait..."
She said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Umm... you have to wait just a little bit longer. I need to dry my hair first."
"Mn, no rush."
Shikime Natsu put down the cookie in his hand, watching the girl's bustling figure.
Amikura Mako walked to the mirror, plugged in the hair dryer, and began to blow-dry her hair.
Perhaps because there was a gaze constantly watching her from behind, or perhaps because she was too nervous, her movements appeared somewhat clumsy.
Sometimes holding the hair dryer too far away meant the wind power wasn't enough; sometimes holding it too close meant she almost scalded her scalp.
Watching her flustered appearance, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but smile. He stood up and walked over.
"Amikura-san."
He called out softly.
"Huh?"
Amikura Mako turned her head, looking at him somewhat blankly.
"Do you need me to help?"
"? H-Help?"
Amikura Mako froze for a moment, seemingly not reacting.
Help with what?
"Blowing your hair like this must be quite tiring, right?"
Shikime Natsu pointed to the hair dryer in her hand.
"If you don't mind, I can help you blow-dry it."
"Ah..."
Amikura Mako's eyes instantly widened.
Letting a boy help blow-dry hair?
T-This kind of thing...
Usually only very intimate couples would do this, right?!
This was simply too... too embarrassing!
But...
She couldn't bring herself to say words of refusal no matter what.
Or rather, deep in her heart, she actually yearned for this kind of intimate contact very much.
"T-Then... then I'll trouble you..."
She blushed, nodded gently, and handed over the hair dryer in her hand.
"Sit down."
Shikime Natsu pointed to the chair.
Amikura Mako sat down obediently, her hands resting on her knees, but her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.
Whirrrr—
The sound of the hair dryer rang out again.
Shikime Natsu's fingers passed through her soft hair strands, the warm wind gently blowing against her scalp.
His movements were very gentle and very patient. From time to time, he would use his fingers to comb through knotted areas, making Amikura Mako feel a burst of unprecedented peace and comfort.
Is this... the feeling of having one's hair dried by someone?
It really is... so comfortable.
She closed her eyes, enjoying this rare moment of warmth.
Unknown how much time passed, the sound of the hair dryer came to an abrupt halt.
"Done."
Shikime Natsu put down the hair dryer. Looking at the girl with the rosy complexion in the mirror, he nodded with satisfaction.
"So fast..."
Amikura Mako opened her eyes with some lingering desire, feeling slightly regretful.
"Thank you, Shiki-san."
Although somewhat reluctant to part with the feeling, she still stood up and smiled gratefully at Shikime Natsu.
"Then... I'll go change clothes now!"
After saying that, she hugged a pile of clothes and ran into the bathroom again.
She didn't make Shikime Natsu wait too long.
A few minutes later, when the bathroom door opened again, the Amikura Mako who walked out had taken on a completely new look.
She had changed into a beige chiffon top; a delicate butterfly knot was tied at the neckline, and the cuffs featured a somewhat fluffy ruffle design, appearing both ladylike and cute.
Her lower body was clad in a pale blue high-waisted pleated skirt. The skirt hem swayed gently with her movements, revealing a pair of long, straight, beautiful legs, and on her feet, she wore a pair of small white leather shoes.
This outfit had obviously been carefully selected.
The two returned to Keyaki Mall again.
Amikura Mako walked beside Shikime Natsu, a happy smile consistently brimming on her face.
"Does Shiki-san still remember the time we came out to play last time?"
"I like the doll Shiki-san gave me very much."
"Mn, I just saw it in Amikura-san's room."
Shikime Natsu smiled faintly.
Being told this by Shikime Natsu, the girl revealed a touch of happiness; the fact that she valued the gift he gave her had been seen.
The two strolled idly while chatting.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, as they walked, they arrived at that familiar fortune-telling machine again.
Seeing this machine, Amikura Mako's eyes instantly lit up.
"Shiki-san!"
She pointed at the fortune-telling machine and said.
"Let's test that again, shall we?"
"Didn't we test it last time?"
Shikime Natsu looked at her with some amusement.
"Last time was last time!"
Amikura Mako retorted self-righteously.
"At that time, we had only known each other for a week!"
"Now we've already known each other for a month; the keywords will definitely change!"
Looking at the girl's expectant appearance, Shikime Natsu smiled and nodded.
"Alright."
One week, one month—Shikime Natsu felt that even if it were the next second, as long as the test was performed again, it would produce different things.
Insert coin, start.
That familiar interface appeared on the screen again.
The two wrote down their own names on the touch screen respectively.
Just at the step of selecting the "Relationship"—
Amikura Mako's hand was suddenly a step faster, pressing down before Shikime Natsu could.
It was just that...
This time, her finger did not land on the [Friend] option, but instead, as if guided by some strange force, it poked the [Lover] option next to it with incomparable precision.
"Ah!"
She let out a soft cry and hurriedly covered her mouth, looking panic-stricken.
"I accidentally chose the wrong one!"
"My hand slipped..."
Although she was apologizing with her mouth, from those eyes flickering with the light of secret delight, Shikime Natsu clearly read a few large words.
I did it on purpose!
He turned his head, looking at the girl beside him.
Amikura Mako was observing his expression cautiously, seemingly worried he would be angry, or perhaps expecting him to have some special reaction.
However, Shikime Natsu just maintained that gentle smile as always.
This made Amikura Mako slightly disappointed.
She had originally thought Shikime Natsu would have some special reaction.
As a result, he was actually this calm?
"It doesn't matter."
Just then, Shikime Natsu spoke with a light chuckle.
"Last time we chose the friend relationship. Since we selected 'Lover' this time, looking at the result isn't a bad thing either."
Hearing these words, Amikura Mako's eyes instantly lit up, and that little bit of disappointment vanished into thin air in an instant.
W-What does this mean?
Shikime Natsu... doesn't reject testing the lover relationship with her?
Is this hinting at something?!
Countless pink bubbles instantly flooded the girl's mind, and her cheeks also turned red uncontrollably.
"Mn... Mn!"
She nodded vigorously, her voice filled with sweetness.
The cursor on the screen began to flash. After some complex calculations, it randomly generated a result, and a small slip of paper printed with the fortune result was slowly spat out.
Amikura Mako couldn't wait to pick it up and look.
[Compatibility: 92%]
[You are an enviable pair of lovers. Your personalities complement each other, and you are full of tacit understanding. Although there will be small frictions occasionally, as long as you treat each other with sincerity, you can walk together for a long time. Suggestion: Create more opportunities for just the two of you to be alone; it will heat up the feelings, oh!]
Looking at the text above, Amikura Mako felt like her heart was about to jump out.
92%!
And the evaluation was this good!
T-This... this is too accurate, right?!
"What's written on it?"
Shikime Natsu leaned over, seemingly also a bit curious.
"Ah! N-Nothing!"
Amikura Mako hurriedly hid the paper slip behind her back, her face red as a ripe apple.
"Umm... let's test the friend relationship again!"
In order to conceal her shyness, she quickly suggested.
"Okay."
Shikime Natsu nodded, not exposing her little scheme.
The two performed the friend relationship test again.
Although the result was also very smooth, it obviously wasn't as heart-stirring as that "Lover" result just now.
*
In the following time, the two strolled around the shopping center for a while longer, bought some small accessories, drank a cup of milk tea, and spent a pleasant afternoon.
It wasn't until dusk that Shikime Natsu escorted Amikura Mako back to the dormitory.
After returning to her room.
Amikura Mako threw herself onto the bed at the first opportunity, fishing out that fortune slip she regarded as a rare treasure from her pocket.
She looked at every single word on it repeatedly, the corners of her mouth rising uncontrollably.
"Hehe..."
She hugged her pillow, rolling twice on the bed happily, her two slender calves dangling in the air.
This time, finally, it wasn't just her secretly coming alone to test the lover relationship.
Shikime Natsu was right by her side, and the result was tested together with him.
Then...
This fortune-telling should be very, very accurate, right?
____
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