"Dare to argue with me? I'll make you regret it."
The moment he said that, Shiro immediately sprang into action and instantly started tickling her, because he knew very well just how ticklish she was.
"Ah, hahaha!"
Mikan couldn't hold back her laughter and immediately began begging for mercy.
After Shiro and Mikan spent some time playing and teasing each other, they finally calmed down. At that moment, they were very close to one another, and because of their playful wrestling, her clothes had become quite disheveled.
Mikan's face was flushed, and she was breathing rapidly. When Shiro looked at her like that, he thought that anyone peeking in from outside would surely conclude that he had done something bad to her.
Shiro watched her, and when she finally calmed down, her eyes were full of reproach, as if saying, "Every day you only know how to bully me."
When he heard such shameless words, Mikan could only roll her eyes. This person was truly too shameless. What kind of happiness was that? Had she ever asked for this kind of happiness?
Shiro wasted no more time talking and immediately pulled her closer. The two of them were pressed tightly against each other.
Mikan could feel his breath and began to get the feeling that the situation was becoming somewhat dangerous.
Although she couldn't explain exactly why, her instincts were telling her that something wasn't right.
"Shiro, you're acting kind of strange tonight."
At that moment, Mikan wanted to run away. Naturally, as soon as she said that, she heard his helpless voice.
"It's perfectly normal for me not to be myself."
"A little while ago I took advantage of the opportunity with Mahiru, and now I'm barely suppressing my desires. Honestly, I regret it a little. I still have some limits after all. I should have waited a few more days before doing something like that, so now that I've calmed down a bit, I'm in quite an awkward state. Just a few minutes ago I had barely managed to settle myself down, and then you walked in."
"Honestly, from my perspective, your behavior is no different than a lamb voluntarily walking into a wolf's den."
As he spoke, Shiro's voice was filled with helplessness as he restrained himself with all his strength.
Mikan:!!!
An expression of complete shock appeared on her small face. She had never expected such an answer. She had walked straight into danger herself and practically offered herself voluntarily.
But she hadn't known that, had she? If she had known, she certainly never would have come on her own.
"Don't worry, I have enough self-control. Otherwise, I would have done what I wanted a long time ago, wouldn't I?"
Shiro looked at her frightened expression and could only sigh helplessly. If he had truly wanted to do something, he would have done it long ago, and no one would have been able to stop him.
After hearing his words, Mikan had to admit that there was truth in them. If he had really intended such a thing, he would have acted long ago, and she wouldn't have been able to do anything.
Shiro then sincerely embraced her and fell asleep.
At first, Mikan was a little nervous, but when she realized that he had genuinely fallen asleep, she gradually relaxed and soon drifted off herself.
Strictly speaking, Shiro wasn't actually asleep. He always maintained that kind of state, so it could only be described as a sort of light sleep.
The following morning, during breakfast, he noticed that the atmosphere was somewhat unusual. Two people clearly hadn't slept well.
"What's with you two, trying to imitate pandas?"
Shiro couldn't help asking Mikan and Mahiru, because the dark circles under their eyes really did make them resemble pandas.
The moment he said that, a senpai in black stockings who regularly came for free breakfast, Yui, and a hot-tempered teacher barely managed to hold back their laughter.
Lala, however, immediately raised the mood even further by saying that she wanted to put on makeup like that too, and as soon as she said it, everyone burst into laughter so hard that they were clutching their stomachs.
Mikan:...
Shiina Mahiru:...
Honestly, both of them felt completely helpless watching everyone laugh, and at the same time they almost simultaneously looked toward the main culprit.
Shiro was utterly confused by their gazes. What did he have to do with it?
Then he instinctively read their thoughts, and after understanding them, he could only sigh helplessly. This really was an undeserved accusation.
Shiina Mahiru couldn't fall asleep precisely because of him. His decisive behavior, combined with the unfamiliar surroundings, had made it extremely difficult for her to adjust.
Mikan's reason was even simpler. Someone hadn't been behaving peacefully in his sleep at all. Of course, she believed he was asleep. She had only wanted to check whether he had grown, but it turned out he had merely been pretending to sleep the whole time.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Hiratsuka Shizuka was preparing to drive away when she casually asked out of curiosity,
"By the way, you can connect a passage to my place now too, can't you?"
Shiro was stunned when he heard that.
"What? You want to make a passage too?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka crossed her arms over her chest and replied in a perfectly natural tone,
"What? Am I not welcome?"
Shiro didn't answer immediately. He merely narrowed his eyes and said with a smile,
"How would I dare welcome you?"
"For a humble man like me, your arrival is a great honor that illuminates my home."
At that moment, Shiro appeared unbelievably modest. If someone didn't know him, they would think he truly was a humble person.
But who was standing in front of him? How could she possibly believe such an act?
"All right, stop pretending. Even you disgust yourself when you act like that, don't you?"
Shiro nodded seriously.
"That's true. When I make a face like this, even I disgust myself."
"By the way, why do you even want to make a passage here? You know yourself how dangerous that could be. One day I might put on a mask and break into your place, and then you'd experience things that only happen in movies."
Shiro openly described such terrifying consequences as if he were merely joking. In reality, the other party genuinely thought he was joking, but everything he said was completely true, more of a warning than an ordinary joke.
Hiratsuka Shizuka decided to ignore his openly brainstorming plans. After all, who in their right mind says out loud what they intend to do? Without thinking further, she concluded that he was just joking.
"When I hear you talk like that, it makes me want to install extra security at home."
Shiro merely rolled his eyes when he heard that.
It would be a miracle if measures like that could actually stop him.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and couldn't resist asking in an inquisitive tone.