Itadori Yuji had just stuffed a piece of grilled mushroom into his mouth when he suddenly froze and looked up.
The private room fell silent.
The only sounds left were the faint sizzle of meat on the grill and the distant murmur of the city drifting in through the window.
Kama raised her glass and took another sip of fruit wine.
The pale pink liquid dampened her lips, glimmering with a soft, dewy sheen under the light.
She set the glass down slowly, the corners of her lips curving upward.
The smile was faint.
Yet for some reason, Kugisaki Nobara felt a small chill run down her spine.
"Heh…"
Kama let out a soft laugh.
The sound was light, like a feather brushing against someone's ear.
"Love…"
She lifted her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of the glass with a sensual grace that inexplicably made one's throat feel dry.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?"
She tilted her head slightly, her rose-colored eyes narrowing into crescents.
"It's my favorite, too♪"
The final syllable lifted with a cloyingly sweet lilt.
Kugisaki Nobara froze.
She stared at Kama, their faces close enough that those rose-colored eyes reflected her own slightly dazed expression.
Then she saw Kama reaching toward her.
The hand was pale, the fingers slender, the nails neatly trimmed.
It gently brushed against her cheek.
The touch was faintly cool—like jade, or perhaps something even colder.
Kugisaki Nobara's body stiffened.
Kama leaned closer.
Everything seemed to slow down, like a scene in a movie.
A strand of silver hair slipped down, brushing against Nobara's ear and leaving behind a faint ticklish sensation.
A soft fragrance—some flower she couldn't quite identify—drifted around her, slipping into her nose and clouding her thoughts.
Then Kama spoke.
Her voice brushed against Nobara's ear like a lover's whisper—soft, lingering.
"I really can't do anything with you…"
Her warm breath grazed the edge of Nobara's ear, sending a fine shiver through her.
"Do you want to…"
Kama's lips were almost touching her ear now, each word slipping out in a breathy murmur with an almost hypnotic rhythm.
"…give it a try?"
Kugisaki Nobara's brain exploded.
"Eeeek?!!"
Like a cat that had its tail stepped on, she shot upright from her cushion and scrambled backward until her back slammed into the wall.
Her face flushed instantly.
The redness spread from her forehead all the way down to her neck, while the tips of her ears turned a deep crimson.
"You— you— you…!!!"
She pointed at Kama, words failing her as her pupils trembled.
Kama withdrew her hand and rested her elbow on the table, propping her chin on her palm.
She tilted her head slightly, watching Nobara with an even deeper smile.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Her tone was soft, carrying undisguised amusement.
"Heh… you really are cute, Kugisaki-chan~"
Any trace of Nobara's earlier tipsiness vanished instantly.
She finally realized—
Kama had done it on purpose.
That ambiguous attitude, those suggestive words—it had all been deliberate teasing, just to dodge the question about her "experience with love."
"Hmph!"
Blushing furiously, Nobara turned her head away and crossed her arms, trying to strike a pose that said I wasn't scared at all.
Unfortunately, the bright red tips of her ears betrayed her.
"I'll let you off the hook this time!"
Kama blinked, amusement flickering in her rose-colored eyes.
"Wow~" she drawled. "How impressive."
Kugisaki Nobara's head snapped back.
"Are you mocking me?! Dammit! Take this, Kama!"
She lunged forward, trying to pinch Kama's cheeks.
Kama laughed softly and dodged.
The two quickly dissolved into a chaotic tangle of playful scuffling inside the cramped private room.
Across the table, Itadori Yuji and Fushiguro Megumi watched in complete shock.
Hearing the occasional dangerously suggestive comment slip out of Kama's mouth during the tussle only made things worse.
Yuji opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
But having absolutely no idea what to say, he silently shoved a piece of grilled sweet potato into his mouth instead and chewed with a solemn expression.
Megumi picked up his glass of water and took a sip.
Then another.
The tips of both boys' ears had turned faintly red as the same thought crossed their minds:
Is this how girls usually interact with each other?
…
After the chaos subsided and most of the yakiniku had been wiped out, the four of them paid the bill and left.
The afterglow of dusk stretched across the street.
A cool night breeze drifted past, carrying away the faint smell of alcohol clinging to them.
The flush on Kugisaki Nobara's face hadn't completely faded, and her steps were still a little unsteady. After all, most of that bottle of fruit wine had ended up in her stomach.
She walked in front with her hands clasped behind her back, her steps light.
Yuji and Megumi followed behind her.
Kama trailed at the very back, hands tucked in her coat pockets, her gaze lazily sweeping across the street like a cat patrolling its territory.
After walking for a while, Nobara suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Hey, listen—"
The others stopped as well, looking at her.
Nobara grinned.
It was a bright, almost silly smile—the kind she would normally consider a black history moment.
"Next time, let's throw a party with the second-years!"
"Christmas? New Year's? Whatever! Anyway, everyone together!"
Yuji responded instantly, throwing both hands into the air.
"Ohh—! Hell yeah!"
The corner of Megumi's mouth lifted slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "No problem."
The three of them turned toward Kama expectantly.
Kama tilted her head a little, her gaze drifting toward the distant, shimmering river.
"Ah."
"Whatever."
Nobara thrust her arm into the air.
"Then it's settled!"
"Everyone together! Nobody's allowed to skip!"