Chapter 313

"Why am I so tired today?"

Miyuki sighed, sprawled out on the mattress. The Student Council must have kept her busy. I caressed her slender waist and asked, "What did you do at the Student Council?"

"This and that. Looked into issues from over the break, reviewed the student watchlist..."

Miyuki trailed off and shifted her gaze to me. Her eyes grew distant, as if she were reflecting on the past. She seemed to be comparing the old me with who I was now.

"Am I on that watchlist too?"

"No. We only check the freshmen."

"Really?"

"Your name doesn't even come up these days."

That was a little disappointing. I wanted the attention. Was that bespectacled Student Council president doing well? Lately she'd been wearing her hair in twin tails like the side heroine of a rom-com; they would be absolutely perfect to grab while taking her from behind.

Should I tell her in advance that Hiyori was wearing a short skirt? No, better to just play dumb. If I poked my nose in needlessly and Hiyori found out, her affection level would drop.

"Since it's raining today, I was thinking of going to that shop, but if you're tired, I guess we shouldn't."

"What are you talking about... I need to go there to get my energy back."

"Is that right?"

"That's right."

"When do you want to head out?"

"Now is fine... Later is fine, too."

"Sounds like you're planning to sleep over."

"Hmm..."

Tilting her head to one side, Miyuki looked incredibly beautiful as she debated what to do. I wanted to take her right then and there, but since she was tired, I decided to hold back.

After a brief moment of thought, Miyuki spoke.

"Probably?"

"What do you mean, 'probably'? Just stay the night."

"Why? Too lazy to drive?"

"Yeah. It's a pain in the ass."

Miyuki giggled at my feigned indifference. Already well aware that I wasn't genuinely bothered, she said, "I want to go home. Give me a ride."

"Alright."

"Actually, I'm not going."

"I know."

Why was even this trivial banter so much fun? Did Miyuki feel the same way? Judging by her expression, she did.

I lay down right next to her and asked, "So, were there any red flags among the freshmen?"

"Hmm... There are a few. People with bad rumors going around..."

Bad rumors? In that case, Hiyori wouldn't be on the list. Though it was likely only a matter of time.

"Kids who were delinquents at their previous schools?"

"Yeah. The Student Council president told me that one of them is an absolutely massive troublemaker."

"Must've gotten into a lot of fights. I guess they got in through the lottery?"

"Right. But I'm going to try not to be prejudiced."

That was because of me. Seeing how drastically I had turned over a new leaf compared to the past, she was trying not to judge others... It was nice to see.

But this so-called troublemaker wouldn't be so easily fixed. People rarely changed. My body and soul had literally transformed, but that wasn't the case for him. I didn't know what kind of trouble he caused, but if he was anything like the old me, the school would quickly grow sick of him and try to expel him.

"Let's go now."

I tilted my head at her words and asked, "Where? The ramen shop?"

"Yeah. Since I'm so tired today..."

"You want me to carry you to the car, right?"

She beamed at me for finishing her sentence. She stretched her arms high into the air and fluttered her fingers, cutely rushing me to pull her up.

Taking hold of her slender wrists, I carefully pulled her up, then crouched in front of her and pointed at my back.

"Hop on."

Miyuki wriggled like a caterpillar, placing her hands on my shoulders and pressing her upper body against my back. Since her legs were still resting on the mattress, I asked, "How am I supposed to carry you like this?"

"Just carry me however you can."

"At least get a bit closer so I can reach you. Wrap your arms around my neck."

"That's too much work."

Thinking she was acting just like a baby by expecting me to figure it out, I slowly straightened my knees and lifted her body. At that, Miyuki stood up on her own, set her feet on the floor, and hopped onto my back.

Wrapping her legs around my waist like a frog, Miyuki whined about something, but I ignored her as I opened the sliding living room window and carried her outside.

"I need to get going again. You can pay attention in class by yourself today, right?"

Miyuki asked this after getting out of the car the next day. Her voice was so gentle that it felt like I was being dropped off at daycare. Unlike Chinami, who gave off the vibe of an incredibly bouncy and energetic teacher, Miyuki felt like a slightly strict but good-natured one.

"Am I a kid? I can manage."

"Well, you talk like one..."

Chuckling, Miyuki patted the small of my back and hurried off, saying she had to go ahead. Eating ramen in that cozy atmosphere while the rain poured down yesterday must have put her in a good mood.

Thinking that today felt pretty good for some reason, I exchanged greetings with my classmates as I headed into the building alone. That was when I spotted Hiyori walking through the school gates in the distance.

Unlike her first day yesterday, Hiyori seemed to have formed a clique in just one day; she was accompanied not just by Miho, but by several others. No, rather than a clique, it was more accurate to say that the students had naturally gravitated toward her on their own.

There were no guys among them. That was probably because the semester had just started, but I hoped she would continue to keep her distance from other men in the future.

Unlike yesterday, Hiyori's skirt was on the longer side. It looked like she only wore it like that on her commute and planned to change into a shorter one before entering the classroom or around lunchtime.

She should just bring her casual clothes and change after class. Did she actually like the uniform? If so, I had nothing to say.

I should at least say hi. Just as I had that thought and started to approach her, Hiyori spotted me, flashed a bright smile, and waved her hand high in the air.

She was murmuring something, and studying her lips, it looked like she was saying hello. I was thrilled that she managed to spot me so easily among all these students.

Her eyes were openly filled with delight at seeing me. She must have been truly grateful for what happened yesterday.

Following Hiyori's gaze, I noticed her group staring at me. They were whispering among themselves, but it was too far to hear anything.

I didn't like this new group of hers. They were pretty, but they reeked of delinquent energy. They didn't suit the fresh and bubbly Hiyori at all. I would have to punish them with my dick.

"Wait! Don't go!"

I was about to give a brief wave and leave, but I stopped when Hiyori suddenly dashed over and called out to me. She was subtly mixing in casual speech. It felt good as it proved we had gotten closer, but for some reason, I felt like I was starting to understand Renka's feelings.

I wasn't angry or confused by it; it was just an observation. I should be a little nicer to Renka. I was still going to make her use a tail plug, though.

"What is it?"

I jutted my chin at her as she came close. Flashing her bright white teeth in a wide smile, Hiyori pointed toward the School Store.

"You promised to buy me something delicious yesterday. Let's go to the School Store."

"You want me to buy it today?"

"Then should I buy something for you next time?"

"No, today is fine, but I hate being around a lot of people..."

"People? Oh..."

Tilting her head, Hiyori looked back and let out a quiet gasp of realization.

"Of course it should just be the two of us. You don't know my friends, sunbae-nim. Actually, should we take Miho too? You know her."

"Wouldn't your other friends feel left out if you only took Mitsushima?"

"Oh, you think so?"

Hiyori scratched her soft hair. Nodding as if my words made sense, she continued.

"Then I'll go tell Miho, so could you wait here?"

"Suit yourself."

"But... Hmm..."

Trailing off, Hiyori narrowed her eyes and studied me. It seemed she noticed something.

"What now?"

"Nothing. Just that your personality seems a little different from yesterday..."

"Who? Me?"

"Yep."

"What exactly seems different to you?"

"It's like... you seem like you're in a really good mood... and you look super confident."

I had decided to take a more proactive approach and put it into action, and she noticed it right away. As expected, Hiyori had great intuition.

Would she be able to keep that intuition once we were on the verge of sleeping together for the first time? We'd have to wait and see.

"Were you just feeling down yesterday because of the rain?"

I shook my head at her follow-up question and replied, "No. I like rainy days."

"Really?"

Hiyori quietly smacked her lips, a hint of regret washing over her face. Was she disappointed that the fun of teasing me was slipping away?

"Aren't you going to tell Mitsushima?"

"Oh, right. I'll be right back."

Reminded of her task, Hiyori quickly agreed and jogged over to Miho, then started saying something while glancing back at me. Did she really have to stare at me while telling them she was going to the School Store? She was flustering people again. That was a bad habit.

Before long, Hiyori loudly called out to Miho and the others that she'd see them later and came back. Then she pulled a cardigan out of her red bag and held the straps out to me.

"Could you hold my bag for a second? I need to put my jacket on."

Her tone and actions were so perfectly natural that I took the bag without thinking, only to immediately realize my mistake. Hiyori had just completely played me. For her, it was probably just a natural, unconscious habit... but I really needed to be careful. If I let my guard down, I'd end up surrendering control in an instant.

"Thank you."

She thanked me, drawing out the end of her words in her signature bright tone, and took her bag back. Snapping out of my daze, I asked, "Are we good to go now?"

"Yes! What do you want to eat?"

"You're the one buying, so I'll just have whatever you pick."

"Should we have Suichu then?"

Suichu was a sour, caramel-shaped jelly that had been added to the School Store's inventory this semester. I had tried a piece after seeing Miyuki holding some when she finished her Student Council work yesterday, and it actually was quite good.

It was exactly the kind of flavor that would be wildly popular with the girls. It was even lemon-flavored, so I figured Hiyori would absolutely love it. Though maybe not to the extent of Chinami's fanatical obsession with peaches.

"Sure, let's do that."

"I'll buy you two."

I wanted to say thank you, but her expression as she spread her pretty index and middle fingers in a peace sign was so mischievous that I didn't want to. Letting out a quiet laugh, I eventually thanked Hiyori and headed off with her to the School Store.