However, Kamijou Mutsuki's embrace was unexpectedly reassuring—once you hugged him, it made you reluctant to let go.
Soyo now somewhat understood why Wakaba Mutsumi clung to Kamijou Mutsuki so much.
"No, no, no—the scariest thing in this haunted house right now is you, isn't it?"
Looking at the girl in his arms, Kamijou Mutsuki felt a bit amused.
He hadn't expected that the "axe-wielding killer" really was Soyo.
Coming to play in a haunted house, only to scare the staff inside into tears.
Those two Tsukinomori girls just now were probably thinking: turns out they were the ones being haunted!
Seriously—wrecking the comedy club's performance earlier was one thing, now you're wrecking the haunted house too?
"Huh?"
Soyo hadn't quite processed his words yet and lifted her head slightly in confusion.
To be fair, the "bloodstains" on her face did look quite scary at first glance.
But given her natural looks, if you looked closely, it oddly had a certain charm.
"No—"
Under Kamijou Mutsuki's gaze, Soyo finally remembered what she looked like right now and instinctively raised her hand to cover her face.
"Don't look!"
Whether it was for the sake of her "strategy plan," or some indescribable feeling in her heart, Soyo didn't want the boy in front of her to see her in such an unsightly state.
Wait, even "Teacher Soyo" cares about this?
Kamijou Mutsuki was actually a bit surprised by her reaction.
He thought for a moment, then slightly lowered his head.
What is he trying to do?!
Seeing his movement, Soyo's mind instantly went blank, and her body stiffened.
In that instant, countless ambiguous developments and scenarios intertwined in her mind, leaving her completely unable to think or react.
As the boy's face drew closer and closer to hers, Soyo almost instinctively wanted to close her eyes.
However, things did not develop the way she had imagined.
Kamijou Mutsuki stuck out his tongue, then lightly licked the spot on her face stained with "strawberry juice."
"This taste… is lies—no, wait, strawberry juice."
"..."
Even without the "strawberry juice" on her face, the girl's cheeks were already red enough.
Even though it wasn't what she had imagined, for this pure, divorced JK, it was already more than stimulating enough.
And because of the intense emotional surge, she no longer paid attention to her current state.
"Mutsuki-kun, you… what are you doing?!"
The girl was already a bit incoherent.
However, she didn't realize that there was no trace of disgust in her tone—only a faint sense of embarrassment and indignation.
"So, how did you end up like this, Soyo?"
Don't answer a question with another question!
Still, faced with Kamijou Mutsuki's inquiry, Soyo honestly exchanged information with him.
Then, Kamijou Mutsuki learned how the "axe-wielding killer" had come to be, and Soyo also understood the impact she had caused.
"I'll compensate for it…"
The girl said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Mutsuki-kun,"
After that topic ended, Soyo turned her attention to something else.
"Didn't Mutsumi come with you?"
"…No."
"That's great… I mean, it's great that Mutsumi is okay."
Under Kamijou Mutsuki's somewhat subtle gaze, Soyo barely suppressed the smile on her face and awkwardly gave a mismatched explanation.
Mutsumi wasn't here—which meant that right now, it was just her and Kamijou Mutsuki alone?
Although there had been a small accident along the way, things had ultimately returned to her plan.
As expected, her world-shaking intelligence couldn't be wrong!
Next, all she needed to do was win over Kamijou Mutsuki.
And the only problem now was—how exactly was she supposed to do that?
That's right, Soyo's plan ended here.
She simply believed that, with her charm, winning over Kamijou Mutsuki would be effortless—but as for the specifics, she had never really thought about them at all.
After all, as a pure band girl, this kind of thing was completely within her blind spot of knowledge.
"Um, Mutsuki-kun…"
Unable to think of a plan, Soyo ultimately chose to go straight at it.
"Mutsumi, and that Sayaka… are they both your lovers?"
"…More or less."
Although he was a bit puzzled by Soyo's question, Kamijou Mutsuki still answered like that.
"Then… Mutsuki-kun, would you mind having one more?"
Even though she kept telling herself it was for Sakiko, the girl's face was still burning red, and her voice sounded almost like a whisper.
"Soyo, you mean…"
Kamijou Mutsuki seemed completely unprepared for her words, his eyes widening slightly.
"That's right…"
Soyo nodded lightly, so embarrassed she felt like she might faint.
It's all for Saki-chan!
The girl hypnotized herself like that in her heart.
"Mutsuki-kun, what do you think of me?"
"So Mrs. Nagasaki has finally figured it out?"
"..."
Their words fell almost at the same time, and the haunted house instantly fell into silence.
"What do you mean?"
The previously shy Soyo now had a completely dark expression.
Seriously, this guy still won't drop that habit?
"Don't worry, Soyo."
Looking at the girl in his arms, Kamijou Mutsuki spoke gently.
"From now on, we'll each go by our own terms—I'll call you Soyo-chan, and you call me—"
"Don't you dare get any ideas about my mom!"
Soyo directly cut him off.
"You can only choose me!"
Soyo completely gave up on any fancy tactics and went straight for a hard approach.
"Just answer me—are you choosing me or not?"
"If Soyo-chan is serious, then of course I'll choose you!"
"…I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Soyo felt a bit guilty, as if her little thoughts had been seen through—but at the same time, her heart was in complete turmoil.
What does this guy even mean?
"As for Saki-chan's matter, coming to me won't help."
Kamijou Mutsuki saw right through "Teacher Soyo's" thoughts at a glance.
"..."
With her little scheme laid bare, aside from feeling guilty, Soyo also felt an inexplicable sense of loss and grievance.
"Honestly, nothing gets past you,"
At this point, Soyo simply stopped pretending.
"So, what do you think?"
"Think about what?"
"As long as you help me win Sakiko back and rebuild Crychic, I'll be your girlfriend!"
"Really?"
Kamijou Mutsuki seemed to be moved by her words.
"But what about Mutsumi and Sayaka…"
"You already have two lovers, you shouldn't mind having one more, right?"
Hearing that even at a time like this, Kamijou Mutsuki was still concerned about Mutsumi and Sayaka's feelings, Soyo didn't know why, but she felt a bit uncomfortable inside.
"If you really mind, you don't have to tell them."
"Anyway, I just want Sakiko back."
That's right—she just wanted Sakiko back. Getting close to Kamijou Mutsuki was only for Sakiko's sake.
Wouldn't this kind of relationship be even better?
She didn't like Kamijou Mutsuki at all!
But then… why did she feel unwilling?
What was this aching sensation in her chest?
"Sounds pretty good,"
Kamijou Mutsuki seemed convinced by Soyo's offer.
However, just as the girl's emotions turned complicated—
"But, I refuse!"
Kamijou Mutsuki crossed his arms and said it with a smile.
...........