Chapter 114: Lychee-Flavored Lips!
"Regardless, start by explaining what those three are like."
Yukino looked at Hayama Hayato.
Hayato drew a deep breath and solemnly began describing his friends. He probably still could not believe that any of them would do something like this.
"Tobe is in the soccer club with me. His dyed blond hair makes him look like a delinquent at first glance, but he's the best at livening things up."
"He volunteered to help a lot during the cultural and sports festivals. He's a good person."
"In other words, he's a noisy, overconfident show-off with no other use."
Yukino delivered her assessment.
Luke and Yui flinched.
Hayato was rendered speechless.
Displeasure also appeared on Yumiko's face. She did not appreciate hearing her friend described that way.
"You—"
"That's just how she is…"
Luke hurriedly caught Yumiko's hand beneath the table, stopping her before she activated her Reckless Charge skill.
"...!"
Yumiko's back stiffened, and the rest of her words died in her throat. Her face reddened as she turned toward him.
'Right. The English word for remaining silent is "mute."'
Luke casually reviewed the vocabulary he had memorized.
After confirming that no one had noticed their movements, Yumiko breathed a sigh of relief and turned away as though nothing had happened.
Seeing her adorably nervous expression, Luke gently tightened his hand.
'And Yumiko's current expression would be "cute."'
Yumiko kept watching the others while her hidden fingers quietly curled around the back of his hand, interlocking with his.
"What's wrong? Continue."
Yukino addressed the silent Hayato.
Hayato inhaled deeply again.
"Yamato is in the rugby club. He has a calm personality and is good at listening to people. His relaxed and dependable manner makes others feel secure."
"He doesn't speak much, and he's cautious. He's a good person."
"A slow-witted and indecisive man. Continue."
"…"
Hayato was once again left speechless.
He finally abandoned any hope of defending his friends and weakly described the last one.
"Ooka belongs to the baseball club. He's friendly and enjoys supporting other people."
"He also respects seniority and is extremely polite. He's a good person."
"A two-faced opportunist who survives by flattering others."
Yukino delivered her final assessment.
"…"
Yui and Hayato fell silent together, uncertain what they could possibly say.
'Hayato, the good person who hands out good-person cards. Yukino, the ruthless woman who never forgets a grudge.'
Luke silently evaluated the two of them as well.
Still, Yukino's obsession with truth allowed her to strip away the emotional bias of friendship and judge the suspects from a colder perspective.
Her assessments were not necessarily wrong.
However, with a tongue that sharp, it was perfectly understandable that she had no friends.
"So it wouldn't be strange for any of them to be the culprit."
Yukino examined her notes, then turned toward Luke and Yui.
"What do you two think of them?"
"Eh? E-even if you ask me, I…"
"I don't know them."
Yui and Luke answered separately.
"Sigh!"
Yukino rubbed her forehead in pain.
"Fine. The groups won't be finalized until the day after tomorrow, so I'd like those of you in their class to investigate them."
"Sure. Let me remember this…"
Since it was a club activity, Luke accepted without much thought. He released Yumiko's hand, unwrapped another candy, and leaned over to examine Yukino's notes.
The people he needed to observe were—
Tobe, the overconfident blond show-off.
Yamato, the slow and indecisive one.
Ooka, the two-faced opportunist.
However, Yui looked troubled despite receiving the same request.
Yukino seemed to notice her inner conflict.
"…I'm sorry. If doing this makes you uncomfortable, then forget my request."
She then looked at Luke.
"You as well…"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Luke asked curiously around the candy in his mouth.
"N-no, it's fine! Leave it to me too!"
Yui hurriedly waved her hands and bit her lip.
"It's Yukinon's request. How could I refuse to help?"
"Is that so?"
Hearing her answer, Yukino turned her face aside.
"Oh."
Luke now roughly understood.
Yui always tried to remain on good terms with everyone. Investigating her classmates behind their backs would naturally make her uncomfortable.
"I don't mind doing it. Yuigahama, just chat with them as usual and observe them. I'll activate my intelligence organization for everything else."
"Intelligence organization?"
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"Mm."
Luke nodded heavily.
It was time to activate the [Human Observer] hidden within their classroom!
"Then I'll leave it to all of you."
Hayato finally revealed his radiant smile again.
"Okay. That concludes today's club activities…"
Still blushing because of Yui's direct words, Yukino turned back and addressed everyone.
"Ah~ Yumiko, do you want to go home together?"
Yui immediately asked Miura Yumiko, hoping they could spend some time together on the way.
"She needs to discuss something with me, so we'll borrow the clubroom for a little longer."
Luke stopped her.
"Eh? Wha—"
"Since when?"
Yui asked the question Yumiko had been about to voice.
Yumiko swallowed her words and nodded toward Luke instead.
'After all of you leave.'
Luke glanced at Yui.
Naturally, he could not answer that honestly.
"Grown-up matters. Children shouldn't pry."
Luke answered Yui, then turned to Yukino.
"I'll lock the door when we leave."
"All right," Yukino replied.
"Ugh! I'm not a child!"
That was the voice of the disgruntled Yui as she was pushed away.
"You're not allowed to bully Yumiko!"
The others had no habit of prying into private matters. They dragged away Yui, who was furious at being called a child and attempting to headbutt Luke.
Only Luke and Yumiko remained in the clubroom.
"…What are you trying to do?"
In the empty room, Yumiko stared uncomfortably out the window at the now-deserted athletic field.
"Walk home together. Haven't you been asking me to leave school with you for several days? Why are you suddenly asking that?"
Luke placed his bag over his shoulder.
"Isn't this a little too obvious…?"
Even though no one else remained, Yumiko still spoke quietly.
"I'm helping you deal with the chain letters, so I deserve a reward."
Luke opened the hand holding the candy wrapper.
"Let me make this clear. Those candies don't count."
Using that hand, he pulled her smaller hand toward him and kneaded her soft palm as freely as he had earlier.
The sharp corners of the wrapper were trapped between their reddening palms, rubbing them until they felt numb, itchy, and strangely pleasant.
"Eh? A reward?! But you haven't solved anything yet!"
Yumiko waved her free hand in panic.
"Are you questioning my abilities?"
Luke slowly moved closer to the girl who knew about his profession.
"If necessary, I can ask an outside expert to perform a divination."
Although the fortune-teller he knew was not especially reliable.
"…"
Yumiko looked at him speechlessly, lightly kicked his shin, and glanced suspiciously at him.
"Then what reward do you want?"
Luke considered it briefly and reached a decision.
"I haven't decided yet. How about I claim it after I think of something?"
Yumiko hurriedly added conditions.
"A reward is fine, but it can't be anything excessive! You're not allowed to bully me!"
"Of course. I never lie!"
Luke straightened his chest and answered seriously.
"Tch. Fine…"
Yumiko snorted and pulled her hand free. She placed her own bag over her shoulder and looked at the remaining glow of sunset.
"We should go home."
"Want me to walk you back?"
Luke picked up the candy wrapper that had fallen to the floor.
They had not loudly announced their relationship. They simply enjoyed sharing a secret known only to the two of them.
Luke also did not want to attract too much attention at school.
"No thanks. I'm not a child like Yui…"
Yumiko spoke, then inexplicably began laughing.
Remembering the puffed-up Yui being dragged away, Luke also chuckled.
Yumiko looked at him, played with her hair, then pursed her lips.
"Do you have another candy? My mouth tastes a little bitter."
"Why are you asking for candies you already gave me?"
Luke held the half-dissolved lychee candy between his teeth and showed it to her.
"This is the only one left. Want it?"
"N-no! I don't want it! Th-this is far too soon!"
Yumiko hurriedly waved her hands. Her head shook like a rattling drum as she rejected him.
She dressed like a gyaru and acted impulsively without caring much about other people's opinions.
Yet at moments like this, she became as innocent as an ordinary girl—perhaps even shyer than most.
Seeing such an adorably embarrassed expression gave Luke a new idea.
Originally, he had only wanted to walk home with her and tease her a little while no one was around.
"All right. Since you don't want the candy, I've decided what reward I want."
Luke looked at Miura Yumiko.
"My reward will be a kiss."
"Eh?!"
Yumiko jumped in shock and straightened her back.
Her eyes darted around before she stepped toward the door in panic.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Thud!
Luke placed an arm against the wall, blocking her only escape route.
"Ah!"
Yumiko cried out like a small bird exposed before its natural predator, staring at him with trembling eyes.
Now it was time for school bullying.
Daytime was when she bullied him at school. Naturally, it was his turn to reverse their positions.
Luke enjoyed teasing Yumiko and seeing her crimson face and bashful eyes.
Still, he quietly asked, "Do you truly think it's too soon? Even for a kiss?"
Yumiko nodded rapidly, her face glowing with innocent embarrassment.
"Mm!"
"I can let you go, but let me warn you…"
Luke explained, "Next time, the kiss might not taste like lychee."
"I've heard that the sweeter a first kiss tastes, the more it makes your heart race."
"By the way, Yumiko, you haven't had your first kiss yet, right?"
"What nonsense are you saying? O-of course I haven't…"
Yumiko unhappily kicked his shin again, then hurriedly lowered her gaze toward the floor.
"It's j-just that my mouth tastes bitter right now, so it might be unpleasant for you."
"N-next time, I'll buy more candy first!"
Having fallen into the trap, the prey attempted to escape the hunter's grasp.
Luke considered her argument and lowered his hand.
"Mm… That does make sense."
"Right? At the very least, I should eat one whole candy first."
Yumiko breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she heard—
"Don't worry. I have another one in my pocket."
Luke produced the final real lychee candy, aside from the one in his mouth, and once again trapped her against the wall.
"…"
Yumiko stared speechlessly into his heated gaze.
Her blush returned as she spoke in a deliberately fierce tone.
"Didn't you say you had no more candy? You're full of lies! You liar!"
"I truly didn't have one earlier."
"Perhaps heaven refused to let me fail, answered my prayer, and had a spirit place this candy in my hand."
"After all, it can't answer only a maiden's prayers. That would be unfair."
Luke, who never lied, unwrapped the last candy and caught both of Yumiko's hands.
"You said eating candy would remove the bitterness and make kissing acceptable."
"Although I wouldn't have minded even without it."
Yumiko leaned against the wall and looked toward the floor.
Her lashes and body began trembling as much as her voice.
Luke placed the candy between Yumiko's lips.
Then the two candies—one large and one small—clicked softly against their teeth.
Miura Yumiko closed the eyes she had been holding wide open.
Her palms pressed against Luke's hands, both of which still held candy wrappers, feeling their pointed edges teasing her skin.
Luke had been right.
The sweeter a first kiss tasted, the more it made one's heart race.
Therefore, this pounding sensation was definitely, absolutely, unquestionably caused by the lychee candy.
Yumiko told herself that while feeling her heart threatening to leap from her throat and the strength leaving her feet.
As for Luke's experience…
Soft, delicate, smooth, sweet, and fragrant.
And…
Yumiko's mouth did not taste bitter at all.
Lychee-flavored lips were truly sweet.
That impression was absolutely truthful.
After all, Luke never lied!
He swore upon [A Maiden's Prayer]!
...
'Lychee flavor is too sweet. I'm never buying it again.'
At home, Miura Yumiko ate the dinner her mother had prepared. She lightly held her chopsticks between her lips, still sensing a lingering sweetness spreading through her mouth.
Every time she pressed her lips together, she felt that lychee sweetness seep from her heart throughout her entire body.
Her first kiss was gone, but…
'My mouth feels so sweet.'
"Uh…"
Yumiko's parents stared at their daughter, who was holding her chopsticks between smiling lips and swaying from side to side like a pendulum.
They exchanged glances and unconsciously leaned closer together.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know."
"She looks like something incredibly good happened."
"Did she fall in love?"
"There weren't any signs."
"How were there no signs? Do you remember what I told you about the exorcism?"
"Ah! Right, right. You kept whispering about it in my ear while we were trying to sleep last week… Ow!"
The two glanced again at their daughter, who was still swaying happily.
"How should we talk to her?"
"Talk about what?"
"…Ask what happened."
"She's going through puberty. Be careful, or she might explode."
"You have a point. Let's observe for now."
"Agreed."
Miura Yumiko shook her head, pushing the lingering lychee flavor from her thoughts, then raised her face and looked curiously at her parents.
"What's wrong with you two? Why are you making those faces?"
"Nothing!"
They answered in perfect unison.
"It's because the miso peanuts your mother prepared are amazing!"
Mr. Miura hurriedly searched for a topic.
"…Those were ready-made ones from the supermarket, Dad."
Yumiko looked speechless.
Mrs. Miura felt the same way, astonished by the subject her husband had chosen.
"…Does buying them from a supermarket mean they aren't the result of your mother's work?!"
"You should show proper gratitude for all the work she does every day!"
Mr. Miura put on a stern expression and hurriedly defended himself.
"Yes, yes."
Yumiko helplessly set down her bowl and chopsticks.
"I'm finished. I'm going to take a bath."
Her parents exchanged another glance.
Yumiko lowered her bare body into the bubble-filled bathtub and rested against the tiled edge.
She retrieved the candy wrappers from the pocket of the clothes beside her and examined them in her hand.
"Eh?!"
Noticing something strange, she hurriedly counted them.
"One, two… six?"
Miura Yumiko frowned in confusion.
She remembered giving Luke only five candies.
'Could gods truly exist?'
But if exorcists and evil spirits existed in this world, then perhaps believing in gods was not so unreasonable.
'Does this mean a god answered both of our prayers?'
Yumiko closed her fingers around the wrappers, let her arm hang comfortably outside the bathtub, and peacefully closed her eyes.
…
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