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"Are you serious??"
Especially after hearing Sonoko Machida describe the experience as "floating on cloud nine," Shizuka Hiratsuka's face instantly flushed a brilliant shade of crimson, her imagination clearly running wild.
"Is it really that exaggerated? Don't lie to me. I've watched plenty of adult movies, and nothing in reality is ever like that!"
"You just said it yourself—those are movies. How could you possibly compare those actors to him?"
Machida spoke with absolute disdain.
There were simply some things in life you couldn't comprehend until you experienced them firsthand. In Machida's eyes, comparing those movie protagonists to Kai was nothing short of an insult to his undeniable prowess.
"Alright, alright! Once you finally find yourself a boyfriend, you'll naturally understand. Sigh..." Saying that, Machida suddenly let out a heavy sigh. "However, as amazing as it is... you have no idea. He is way too intense."
"Isn't being intense a good thing?"
Shizuka couldn't help but feel that her friend was just subtly bragging now.
"Of course it's a good thing! But I honestly can't handle it anymore. Plus, I can clearly tell that he never actually seems fully satisfied every time we finish."
Speaking of this, a genuinely distressed look crossed Machida's face. It wasn't that she didn't want to accommodate him—it was purely a matter of physical stamina. Her body simply couldn't keep up with the onslaught.
"..."
Shizuka didn't say another word, silently sipping the sake in her cup.
Only after she had downed the entire glass did she finally speak in a quiet, hauntingly serious tone.
"Machida."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Shizuka call her name with such deadpan sincerity made Machida freeze for a split second. She turned her head.
Only to find Shizuka staring at her with an intensely burning gaze.
That scorching look actually made Machida feel a faint prickle of fear.
"Are we best friends?" Shizuka asked, not giving Machida time to process the sudden shift.
"I... I suppose we are!" Machida nodded, a bit uncertainly.
"OF COURSE WE ARE." Shizuka suddenly stood up and slammed a heavy hand down onto her shoulder. "Next time, count me in."
"???"
'What the hell do you mean, count you in??'
"Hold on, Shizuka. With your wealth and status, it really wouldn't be a big deal for you to just go to a host club."
Other people might not know the details, but Machida was fully aware of Shizuka Hiratsuka's actual background. Have you ever seen an ordinary high school teacher who drives a literal, top-of-the-line supercar to work every day?
Shizuka absolutely wasn't lacking in money.
"I would never go to a place like that. Just thinking about those hosts makes me feel dirty."
Speaking of male host clubs, a look of sheer disgust washed over Shizuka's face.
Honestly, if it had been before tonight, she could have kept her desires perfectly suppressed. But now, learning that the only other single friend she had in her social circle had successfully "graduated," leaving her as the sole untouched virgin... it drove her completely crazy.
"You wouldn't want me to actually hit thirty without ever being touched by a man, would you?"
"But..."
Machida genuinely didn't know how to respond to that logic.
"No 'buts.' Or what, have you genuinely fallen in love with him?"
"He already has a girlfriend."
More than one, actually...
Thinking about that specific detail made Machida's tone turn highly resentful.
"Good lord, so he's a scumbag on top of everything else? Well, then I definitely need to step in and help you 'teach him a lesson'."
"..."
'I can literally hear the gears turning in your head from here. Your ulterior motives couldn't be more obvious, and you still have the nerve to call it teaching him a lesson.'
"Fine. Next time there's an opportunity, I'll bring you along. Happy now?"
"Hehe! As expected of my absolute best friend." Shizuka instantly beamed with joy. "But seriously, what does he look like? Is he handsome?"
"You'll see for yourself when the time comes. All I'll say is, don't end up chickening out at the absolute last second."
Machida knew her friend entirely too well.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was the textbook definition of "all bark and no bite." She talked a bigger game than anyone else, but when it came down to actually doing the deed, she would absolutely panic.
"Tch! Who do you think I am? I'm Shizuka Hiratsuka. I'm not afraid of anything."
Regardless of the rising panic already brewing in her chest, on the surface, Shizuka maintained a facade of fearless confidence.
"..."
Machida just shrugged, too tired to argue.
She was already starting to heavily regret agreeing to come out for drinks tonight.
————————————————————
Meanwhile, Kai was obviously entirely oblivious to the fact that his upcoming schedule was already being arranged for him behind his back.
"Speaking of which, midterms are coming up in a few days, right? How is everyone's prep going?"
For the past few days, Kai had continued living his incredibly comfortable, carefree life.
That afternoon, in the classroom...
The topic of conversation among the friend group had suddenly shifted to the upcoming exams. If there was one universal truth about high school, it was that exams were the absolute most terrifying part of the experience.
"Whatever happened to the 'stress-free education' policy? Why do we still have to suffer through exams? Shouldn't the whole point of school just be coming here to have fun?"
Kakeru Tobe couldn't help but dramatically complain from the sidelines.
Yui Yuigahama let out a soft sigh, leaning comfortably against Kai's shoulder. As time passed, she had grown entirely accustomed to public displays of affection—leaning on him in front of their classmates no longer made her blush furiously like it used to.
"Alright, that's enough out of you. Zip it."
Standing nearby, Yumiko Miura rolled her eyes at Tobe in sheer exasperation.
Exams were mandated by the school board. Instead of wasting time whining about it, he'd be much better off actually cracking open a textbook.
"However, I assume you'll be taking first place in the class again, Hayama."
Yumiko specifically said "first place in the class," not the entire grade. Even though she deeply disliked that particular icy girl, Yumiko knew perfectly well that the absolute top spot in the entire grade belonged exclusively to Yukino Yukinoshita.
But within their specific classroom, the undisputed number one had always been Hayato Hayama.
As she spoke, Yumiko instinctively turned her head to look at Hayama.
It was a very strange feeling. Because she had been spending so much time hanging out with Kai and Yui lately, Yumiko suddenly realized that she felt a bizarre sense of distance when looking at Hayato. She clearly used to have a massive crush on him...
But now, that heart-fluttering sensation was completely gone.
"Not necessarily. The semester only just started. Some of the other students probably went to cram schools over the break, so I'm sure they'll post some really great scores."
Hayato didn't act the least bit arrogant—instead, he offered a humble, disarming smile.
He was never the type to boast or show off anyway.
"Exams, huh?" Rubbing his chin with one hand, Kai fell into deep thought.
Come to think of it, this would actually be his very first set of exams since transmigrating into this world. He had almost completely forgotten that he was fundamentally still a high school student.
"What's with that look?" Seeing Kai suddenly speak up, Yumiko instinctively fired a snarky comment his way. "Don't tell me you're actually about to claim you can take first place."
Kai's previous academic track record wasn't terrible, but he hovered firmly right in the middle of the class rankings. He occasionally broke into the top ten on a good day, but he had absolutely never touched first place.
"Who knows? Maybe it really will be me this time."
Shrugging casually, Kai suddenly flashed Yumiko a highly confident smile.
If this were before, he wouldn't have been nearly this arrogant. But considering the fact that his recent system quest rewards had literally forcibly injected the master-level knowledge of every single high school subject directly into his brain, he was fully locked and loaded.
"Hah! If you actually manage to take first place... I'll do absolutely whatever you want."
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