While sleeping, Igarashi Masata suddenly felt his body sink for no apparent reason.
…An illusion?
There was no way a cat had snuck in during the middle of the night. This was U.A.'s dormitory, protected by multiple layers of security. With patrol robots and constant surveillance, even a fly would have trouble getting through.
Completely confident in the school's defenses, Masata didn't think anything was wrong.
He sniffed lightly, didn't even bother opening his eyes, and continued sleeping in a hazy daze.
To be honest, he was having a very wonderful dream tonight.
Then—
His eyes slowly opened.
"Masata, you're awake!"
Himiko Toga was sitting right beside him, already awake. When she saw his confused expression, she revealed her two cute little tiger teeth and immediately tried to pounce on him.
"Stop!"
Masata stretched out a hand and pressed it against her forehead, holding her back.
His head started to ache.
"Why are you in my room in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
"Because I waited in my room for a long time and no one came, so I came here!"
Toga answered confidently, as if her logic was completely flawless.
Masata was left speechless.
Was this… somehow his fault?
"…It looks like we need to set some rules."
He sighed and sat up cross-legged on the bed.
Himiko Toga was completely self-centered and barely cared about social boundaries. Trying to restrain someone like her felt impossible.
And yet…
Letting things continue like this felt even stranger.
"Well… you have a crush on me right now, right?"
Saying something like this to a girl was still embarrassing. Masata hesitated slightly.
"Yeah! I like you, Masata!"
She nodded rapidly like a kitten.
As she moved, her clothes slipped down a little. Masata quickly reached out and pulled them back into place.
"In that case, you should consider my feelings too, right?"
"Mm! Yes!"
Seeing her respond so earnestly, Masata felt slightly relieved.
At least… communication was possible.
"Then don't just run into my room at night anymore. That's not difficult, right? And stop jumping on me all the time! Be a little more reserved, okay?"
Before he could finish speaking—
Toga suddenly jumped up again and pushed him down onto the bed.
Their positions instantly reversed.
Masata's face almost exploded from embarrassment.
He wasn't exactly disgusted by the situation…
But this was absolutely not the time for something like this.
Ever since coming to U.A., Masata felt like his willpower was being tested every single day. The little angel and devil in his head were constantly fighting.
And judging by the situation—
The devil was starting to gain the upper hand.
With a burst of strength, Masata stood up and jumped off the bed.
"Can you promise what I just said? If you don't, I'll stay far away from you in the future."
Toga put her finger in her mouth and bit it lightly, as if carefully weighing the pros and cons.
After thinking for a long time, she finally said:
"Okay! But… can you give me a little of your blood?"
"…Why do you want my blood? No."
"Because your blood smells like you!"
Masata froze.
So that was it?
Thankfully, her reason was much simpler than he had imagined.
Since it was only a small amount of blood and not a big deal, he quickly agreed.
After drawing a small tube of blood for her, Toga held it tightly in her hands, wearing a blissful, almost silly expression.
Then she happily returned to her own room.
Finally, peace.
Masata let out a long sigh and relaxed.
Then—
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something dark blooming across the bedsheets.
"…Wait."
His heart suddenly tightened.
No way.
"…Don't tell me…"
He stared at the faint red stains on the sheet, his expression stiffening.