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"Haa~"
That night.
Soaking in the bathtub, Kai's face was a picture of pure contentment.
Even though cleaning up was a hassle, the feeling of soaking in a hot bath was incredibly relaxing.
However...
Click!
Looking toward the sound of the door opening, he saw Sakiko Togawa walking in, wrapped only in a bath towel. Her face looked incredibly unnatural and stiff.
"?"
"Didn't you say you needed your back scrubbed? Don't read too much into this. I'm just doing this as thanks for all your help recently." As she spoke, her eyes darted around erratically, absolutely refusing to meet Kai's gaze.
'I must be completely out of my mind.'
"..."
"Then I'll leave it in your hands!" Turning his back to Sakiko, Kai knew perfectly well when it was okay to push and when he needed to hold back. Under these circumstances, if he said even one extra teasing word, Sakiko would probably get scared and bolt right out the door.
"..."
His calm, casual reaction actually managed to significantly settle Sakiko's wildly anxious heart.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she finally walked over. "Sorry. I've never actually done anything like this before."
Generally speaking, scrubbing someone's back required a bit of technique, and it was blindingly obvious that Sakiko, a former heiress, had zero experience in this department.
"It's fine. You'll just have to practice more in the future until you get used to it."
"Don't even think about it. This is a one-time thing."
"Heh." In response to that, Kai simply chuckled.
When it comes to certain things, there is only "zero times" and "countless times." Once a bottom line is dragged down, it will only continue to sink lower and lower.
Time slowly ticked by.
"Pervert. What on earth are you thinking about right now?"
Even though she was situated behind him, Sakiko clearly noticed something shifting, causing her to curse at him with a beet-red face.
"You can't blame all of this on me."
The exact same situation from that morning had reared its head once again.
Seeing Kai's completely innocent expression, Sakiko couldn't help but let out a soft scoff.
"...A-Anyway, not right now."
Even though Sakiko silently admitted to herself that she really did have strong feelings for Kai, certain things were still moving way too fast for her right now.
"You're so cute, Sakiko. How could I possibly ever hurt you?"
Kai inevitably felt his patience wearing thin and his blood running hot.
"So, do you trust me, Sakiko?"
Isn't it a bit weird to be asking a question like that at a time like this?
"I... I trust you."
"Good girl. Look up, don't think about anything else, and just listen to me."
————————————————————
[Become a man who makes Sakiko bow her head]
[Quest Completed]
The system notification chimed four consecutive times.
However, at this exact moment, Kai completely ignored it. Even though Sakiko had managed to guard the final base, basically everything else had been thoroughly surrendered.
Watching her frantically stumble out of the bathroom in a completely flustered state, a deeply satisfied smile spread across Kai's face.
By the time Kai finished cleaning up and stepped out, Sakiko was nowhere to be seen inside the apartment. She had likely already fled back next door.
On his phone, there was a message from her.
"I'm heading back to rest for the night."
"But without my Sakiko here, I'm going to have insomnia."
"Pfft. As if I'd believe you."
Safely back in her own apartment next door, Sakiko stared at the texts on her screen, unable to stop a smile from blooming on her face.
Her heart softening, she fired off one last reply.
"I'll make you dinner again tomorrow!"
"Does that mean we can continue scrubbing backs?"
"...Mhm."
Setting her phone down, the brilliant crimson blush painted across Sakiko's face refused to fade for a long, long time.
'He doesn't think I'm some kind of desperate nymphomaniac now, does he?'
Thinking back to what had just transpired in that bathroom, Sakiko began to fret. Would Kai think she was an indecent, easy woman? If not, why on earth had she actually gone through with it?
'Or maybe... deep down in my bones, I really am...'
————————————————————
Meanwhile.
Kai obviously had no idea what kind of internal crisis Sakiko was experiencing. If anything, he actually found it slightly amusing.
"You might have managed to hold the line today, but I don't believe you'll be able to keep holding it forever."
Soon enough, the next day arrived. The weekend was over, meaning it was time to head back to school.
Kai let out a yawn as he opened his door and stepped outside. Right on cue, Sakiko happened to step out of her apartment at the exact same time.
"Good morning."
"G-Good morning."
The absolute second she laid eyes on Kai, the memories of last night instantly rushed back, causing her small face to flush bright red all over again.
"You look incredibly cute today too, Sakiko."
"I told you to stop saying such weird things."
Kai completely ignored her protest. Instead, he leaned in closer as they walked down the stairs together, whispering softly right into her ear.
"But I'm starting to want it again. What should I do?"
"..."
She felt like her heart was about to literally pound out of her chest. She frantically scanned their surroundings, and after confirming no one else was around...
...Sakiko finally whispered back to him.
"I... I have an extra shift tonight. I'll be coming home a little late."
Instantly grasping the underlying implication, Kai replied without skipping a beat.
"I'll wait up for you until you get back."
Seeing how intensely he was looking forward to it made Sakiko feel a bizarre mix of anticipation and overwhelming shyness.
"Pervert!"
After dropping that hushed remark, she quickly sped up her pace, putting some distance between them.
————————————————————
Once they arrived near their schools, Kai and Sakiko finally parted ways.
Walking into his classroom, the first thing he saw was Yumiko Miura leaning in close to Yui Yuigahama, whispering something to her. Yui's face was completely red—Yumiko was obviously teasing her about something incredibly embarrassing.
"Good morning, Kato-san."
Upon entering, Kai first raised a hand and casually greeted Megumi Kato, who was sitting not too far away. Then, he swaggered over and comfortably dropped into his seat right next to Yui.
"You aren't bullying my Yui, are you, Yumiko?"
"Pfft!"
Hearing that, Yumiko immediately scoffed without an ounce of hesitation.
"You're the only person around here who would actually bully Yui. I'm just intensely curious about what exactly happened on your date this weekend. Spill it. Did you use the opportunity to take advantage of her?"
She had been interrogating Yui for half the morning, but Yui just kept her head ducked, blushing furiously without uttering a single word. It was driving Yumiko absolutely crazy with curiosity.
"What else could possibly happen on a date? It was just the usual stuff. If you're really that curious, Yumiko, why don't you just tag along with us next time?"
"As for whether or not I took advantage of Yui..."
Pausing right there, Kai smiled, reached out, and seamlessly wrapped an arm around Yui's waist, pulling her close.
"How could I possibly ever bully Yui? Right?"
"K-KAI-KUN!" The incredibly intimate gesture made Yui duck her burning face, but a genuinely blissful smile graced her lips.
"Ugh!"
Yumiko curled her lip in exaggerated disgust.
She had absolutely never expected to see the day where she would be the one getting force-fed PDA like a stray dog.
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