On Monday, Sakayanagi Arisu was absent.
The reason given was poor health, and no one thought much of it.
Only Kaoru knew she had gone for a medical check-up.
When she returned, they should be able to find out what Sakayanagi Seishiro was thinking.
While pondering this, Kaoru stole glances at Kamuro Masumi sitting beside him.
He could only see her profile, her right hand propping up her chin, lost in thought.
Her gaze seemed to be fixed on the scenery outside the window, or perhaps she was simply daydreaming.
Although Sakayanagi Arisu thought Kamuro Masumi wasn't angry, Kaoru had tried calling her last night, only for her to hang up.
Even if she wasn't angry, her current state was probably complicated.
Kaoru secretly used [Emotion Perception] and found that she didn't seem to be angry.
However, the [Emotion Perception] suggested that he should make her have a child, as that would dispel Kamuro Masumi's concerns.
Sometimes, Kaoru wondered if this skill came from some eroge world where doing lewd things would increase affection points.
"Masumi, want to have lunch together?"
Hearing this, Kamuro Masumi didn't turn her head and replied coldly, "No, thanks. You should spend time with your little sister instead."
"I already told her I'd be with you today at noon."
Kaoru had planned this in advance.
He could have Komiya Kaho's homemade lunch anytime, but Kamuro Masumi's sekihan wasn't something he could eat every day.
Kamuro Masumi finally turned to face him, meeting Kaoru's gaze for the first time since yesterday's incident.
"Is this because of what happened yesterday? Do you feel like you need to take responsibility for me?"
Kamuro Masumi seemed to be scrutinizing Kaoru Mitoma, though her tone remained slightly cold.
"I love you, Masumi."
Kaoru didn't bother hiding his feelings at all.
However, these words caused Kamuro Masumi to momentarily panic.
She instinctively glanced around and, upon confirming no one was paying attention to their conversation, let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm not asking about that! Is this all you have to say to me?"
Kamuro Masumi lowered her voice, glaring fiercely at Kaoru.
"If you're motivated by a sense of responsibility or greed to possess me, you'd better abandon that idea!"
"I love it when you scold me. I love it when you get anxious and worried about me. I love the disgust in your eyes. I love how you always hit me. I love that you're still willing to talk to me even now. I love how you always try to stop me. I love your lectures..."
Before Kaoru could finish, the girl had already covered his mouth, her face flushed red, her eyes filled with shame and anger as if she could kill him with a single look.
Yet, this terrifying gaze wasn't frightening in the slightest.
"I already said I heard you! Do you have to keep repeating it? I never said you couldn't like me."
Kamuro Masumi blushed fiercely and warned Kaorusternly, "Don't say it again next time!"
Kaoru nodded.
Due to her actions, several people had glanced over, though she hadn't noticed in her agitated state.
"What a pervert."
Kamuro Masumi thought about what he had just said, and the more she pondered, the more unreasonable he seemed.
Though she should have been angry, the tips of her ears grew increasingly warm.
It reminded her of how he had whispered in her ear yesterday, throwing her emotions into disarray. Just then, something wet brushed against her palm.
Kamuro Masumi startled, pulling her hand back as if spring-loaded.
But when she saw Kaorulick his lips, she immediately understood, her face burning even hotter.
This guy had actually licked her!
"Are you worried I might become greedier, Masumi?"
Kaoru seized the opportunity to ask.
Kamuro Masumi patted her cheeks, trying to calm herself down. "You'll die because of women sooner or later."
"I think so too, which is why I'm trying to avoid that outcome."
Kaoru said, "To be honest, I feel a bit guilty making you worry about me."
"You're overthinking it. I'm not worried about you—I'm waiting to kick you when you're down."
Kamuro Masumi felt somewhat conflicted, realizing that her thoughts didn't quite match her words.
"Don't worry about me so much. If anything really happens, I'll do whatever it takes."
Kaoruwhispered, "As long as I can stay with you all."
He really sounds like a scumbag, Kamuro Masumi thought to herself.
"So, was that your method yesterday?"
"I felt that if you left, it might be hard to get you back."
"Calling yourself a pervert is one thing, but that excuse is terrible. You're not pursuing Sakayanagi—is it because I'm more convenient?"
"As long as you stay, you can hit me all you want right now."
Kamuro Masumi didn't resort to violence against Kaoru, perhaps feeling it would dirty her hands.
Since she didn't resist, Kaoru took her small hand in his.
At first, she struggled a few times, but eventually allowed him to hold it.
Whenever someone glanced their way, she would struggle violently again, acting as if she wanted to distance herself from Kaoru.
Her reaction was utterly adorable.
Kaoru secretly held her hand under the table, pretending to focus on the lesson while actually caressing her soft little hand.
Later, he outright moved to share her desk, sidling up close to her to breathe in her delicate fragrance.
Kamuro Masumi had been warning him all along, but her warnings were utterly ineffective.
He had already figured out her personality—she would only issue verbal warnings and pull stern expressions without any real resistance.
Her reactions only confirmed Kaoru's assumptions.
Even as she glared fiercely at him, she allowed him to take liberties, tolerating even his hand wandering to her thigh.
Thinking it over carefully, Kamuro Masumi hadn't resisted even yesterday—how could she possibly treat him with genuine coldness now?
If anything, the girl was likely filled with conflicting emotions toward him.
On one hand, she felt happy about the progression of their relationship, yet on the other, she was irritated and jealous because he had too many women around him.
Thus, Kamuro Masumi maintained an exceptionally cold facade toward him, as if she wished she could treat him like trash, while inwardly her attitude was entirely different.
She thought he was too greedy—why couldn't he have just one girlfriend?
After all, she was the first one.
Every time this thought crossed her mind, Kamuro Masumi would feel confused.
When exactly had she developed these unnecessary feelings for him?
She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't suppress the physical impulses.
Faced with his restlessness and the absurdity of their past, she found it impossible to ignore her feelings for him.
Kamuro Masumi couldn't sort out these emotions. If left to handle them alone, their relationship would likely remain stagnant until graduation.
Perhaps sensing this, Kaoru decisively took action—or rather, seized the opportunity to claim Kamuro Masumi.
Had she resisted him, he would have stopped immediately. But yesterday, they had crossed the final boundary in a half-hearted, half-willing manner.
Was it because she was swept up in the heat of the moment?
That might have been part of the reason.
Yet Ichinose Honami's words reminded Kaoru: if it weren't genuine affection, a girl would never willingly endure his advances.
Whether the feelings were real could sometimes be discerned from a single glance or gesture.
As Kaoru held the girl's small hand, he caught sight of her face.
Her hair shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the window, and her slightly pursed lips made him long to kiss them.
In that instant, as if sensing his thoughts, Kamuro Masumi turned her head, her eyes filled with warning.
"Don't you dare kiss me during class!"
---
Found the raw, look at the comment under abigail review on this fic