Back at school and still before the final bell, Shiraishi Shin had no intention of returning to class and disrupting the teacher's rhythm. Bored, he stood on the rooftop and sent Okada Yuriko a message.
Inside the staff office, Okada Yuriko was sipping water and scrolling through her phone when the message suddenly arrived.
[Yuriko, come to the rooftop. Want to talk and bring your water bottle.]
"Shin? What does he want to chat about?"
Okada Yuriko wondered for a moment, then stood up—she'd find out once she saw him. Glancing at her cup, she took it and left the office.
On the rooftop, Okada Yuriko arrived to see him sitting on the bench of destiny. He patted the empty seat beside him with a grin, motioning for her to sit.
Okada Yuriko walked over with her graceful figure and asked after sitting, "Shin, why aren't you in class? What are you doing up here?"
"A Monster appeared, so I slipped out," Shiraishi Shin explained. "The teacher shouldn't hold the absence against me."
"A Monster—of course she won't blame you," Okada Yuriko said knowingly. "With your grades, skipping a class is nothing. What kind of Monster this time—another Amazon?"
As a Denpa Ningen, Okada Yuriko didn't mind at all that Shiraishi Shin, a Kamen Rider, skipped class to eliminate Monsters. Every time a Monster appeared there were victims, and a Kamen Rider's duty was to wipe them out and save those people.
Besides, Shiraishi Shin scored perfect marks in every subject—a flawless hexagonal warrior who gave teachers zero headaches.
"Not Amazon this time; it was a Dopant."
"A Dopant?" Okada Yuriko asked curiously. "Tell me more."
Shiraishi Shin shrugged. "Sure. Where's the water bottle? I'm parched."
Okada Yuriko glanced at it. She'd half expected this—Shiraishi Shin really didn't mind. "I've already drunk from it," she reminded.
Shiraishi Shin paused two seconds, then made to stand. "I don't mind. If you mind, I'll grab a bottle from the vending machine."
He started to walk off. Okada Yuriko quickly caught his wrist, head lowered, a little embarrassed. "I… I don't mind either."
The corner of Shiraishi Shin's mouth lifted—progress, won one point at a time.
Good looks alone only worked on star-struck girls; with normal women you needed push-and-pull, feigned retreat, all the classic tactics.
He sat back down, took the bottle, unscrewed the cap and drank. He really was thirsty; the lukewarm water vanished in one go.
Okada Yuriko watched him wrap his lips around the spout—basically an indirect kiss.
Last time she'd given him her first kiss in a crisis, too busy to think. Now, without that urgency, her thoughts ran wild and a blush crept across her cheeks.
"Sensei, are you hot? Your face is a bit red."
Shiraishi Shin deliberately teased, curious to see her reaction.
Hearing him, Okada Yuriko fanned herself with a hand to hide her racing heart. "Ah? Mm, yes, it is getting warm. Summer's almost here. Right, you haven't told me about the Dopant yet. You've had your drink—spill it."
"First, the background: Dopants circulate in the city…"
With plenty of time, Shiraishi Shin calmly explained Dopants and gaia memory, then described the Money Dopant he'd just fought—how it had taken sixty people's life-coins hostage and how he'd brilliantly rescued them all.
Okada Yuriko's emotions soared and dipped, but in the end Shiraishi Shin had saved the day. Looking at him without a trace of personal bias, she said earnestly, "Sixty lives, Shin. I'm proud of you."
"It's what we Kamen Riders do," he answered.
Ding-dong… ding-dong…
The end-of-class bell rang across campus.
When it finished, Okada Yuriko stood. "Class is over. Let's go; next period is mine."
Shiraishi Shin caught her hand—not her wrist—and said calmly, "Wait, Yuriko. Class just ended. Sit with me a bit longer?"
"Ah? Okay."
She glanced at their joined hands and sat back down. Even after she settled, he didn't let go. Her body tensed, yet she didn't pull away.
Neither spoke. For several minutes Okada Yuriko focused on their clasped hands, breathing faster, stealing glances.
Shiraishi Shin waited until just before the next bell, then released her and stood. "All right, let's go."
"Sure."
Once freed, the warmth left her skin. She felt relieved—yet oddly reluctant. No time to dwell; she still had to prep for class.
Back in the classroom chatter filled the air. Students who'd noticed Shiraishi Shin skip most of the period wondered where he'd been, though no one asked.
Passing Shiina Mahiru's seat, he saw her chatting with friends. Their eyes met, a lingering thread of electricity between them.
The surrounding girls traded knowing smiles; after the homemade bento and the head-pat, claiming these two were "just classmates" would insult their eighteen years of life experience.
"Class rep?"
Kirisaki Chitoge's native red ribbon fluttered as she watched him return.
She felt he was always up to something secret—showing her around, her first day in the Breeding Group, and now this.
What's our class rep so busy with? So mysterious, she mused.
"What is it, Kirisaki-san? Staring like that—am I even more handsome today?"
Startled out of her thoughts, Chitoge coughed to cover her embarrassment. "A-ahem, yes, you're even hotter than yesterday, heh-heh."