Chapter 380

Lunchtime.

After forcing down today's uniquely terrible school lunch, I grabbed some snacks from the School Store and headed for my classroom. Up ahead, I spotted Hiyori going somewhere, her shimmering blonde hair swaying behind her.

It was nice seeing her every weekday.

With that thought in mind, I kept a reasonable distance as she stepped into the building and called out to her.

"Hey."

"..."

"Asahina."

"..."

Hiyori calmly kept walking. I couldn't tell if she actually hadn't heard me or was deliberately ignoring me.

She wasn't heading down the hallway toward the first-year classrooms, but rather the one leading to the Nurse's Office.

Was she trying to skip class? I hurried after her and spoke.

"Halt."

At that, Hiyori stopped in her tracks, snapping her feet together with a sharp clack like a soldier in basic training.

She then executed a stiff, creaky one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn to face me.

"Yeah?"

"I've been calling you. Did you not hear me?"

"Nope."

"Right. Where are you going, anyway?"

"The Nurse's Office."

"For what?"

"To sleep."

"Why?"

"It hurts."

"Where?"

"The spot sunbae-nim kneaded earlier."

"Kneaded?"

"Here."

Hiyori undid a button near her solar plexus and pulled the sides of her shirt apart, revealing the area I had touched earlier.

She exposed enough of herself to show the bottom edge of her white bra. Astonished by her utter lack of caution, I instinctively grabbed her shirt and buttoned it back up.

"What are you doing...!"

"It huuurts."

I was dumbfounded by how brazenly she spoke. My hands were brushing against her chest, yet instead of acting shy like before, she was completely shameless.

Thanking my lucky stars that no one else was around, I let out a sigh of relief and flicked Hiyori on the forehead.

Smack!

"Ouch!"

Hiyori let out a loud squeak, covering her forehead with both hands as she stumbled backward.

I placed my hand on her small head, pressing down firmly with all five fingers to shake it back and forth, side to side, before I spoke.

"Don't just strip wherever you please...!"

"What does it matter...! Going to the pool in a swimsuit shows way more skin than this...!"

"I'm talking about everyday life. And that's not a swimsuit."

"I just have to make sure no one else sees...! Sunbae-nim, you said it was fine to do it with you last time...!"

"That didn't mean randomly exposing yourself."

"Then what did it mean?"

"Oh, shut up, and just change your skirt. You're lucky the Student Council hasn't spotted you yet."

"You always get so conservative when you don't know what to say. I'm going to walk around with my skirt completely off, too."

"You will seriously get in trouble if you do."

"I even gave you in-game items; this is so mean... Annoying."

"Were those items a bribe?"

"Of course they were."

"Really? Well, I don't like the bribe."

"Ah, I understand."

Why was she making a face like she had just achieved enlightenment?

She was probably planning to dump a massive pile of items on me next time.

"No matter how much you give me, I'm not going to overlook your exhibitionism."

"It's not exhibitionism! I was just showing you the spot...! The... af... what was it again?"

"The afflicted area?"

"Yes. That."

"It looked perfectly fine."

"You saw wrong. Look again."

Saying that, Hiyori reached to unbutton her shirt again.

Anticipating her move, I quickly grabbed her wrist and spoke.

"So you're heading to the Nurse's Office right now?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you just be honest and say you want to skip class?"

"I want to skip class."

It was funny how quickly she admitted it the moment I told her to.

I let out a dry chuckle and carefully placed Hiyori's hands back down by her hips.

"Do you think the school nurse will actually let you stay?"

"That'll be fine. I'm going to say my stomach hurts."

"I suppose I'll have to tell her the truth, then."

"You're betraying me?"

"You shouldn't view proper guidance meant to correct a wayward student as betrayal."

"Are you part of the Student Council, sunbae-nim?"

"I'm only saying this because I care about you."

The corners of Hiyori's mouth ticked up slightly before settling back down.

She clearly liked hearing that I cared about her.

"Can't you just pretend you didn't see me?"

"No."

"Please."

"At least make a desperate face when you say that."

"Then let's rest together."

"Until the afternoon classes start?"

"No. Including the afternoon classes."

"You know I can't do that, right?"

"Sigh... I guess it can't be helped. I'll go wait in the storage room, so swing by the School Store and buy me something to drink."

"Why are you acting like you're the one giving orders?"

"You were begging so much, so I'm making a special exception and agreeing to only rest until the afternoon classes."

"You're getting cheeky again."

I grabbed the back of her neck and gently massaged it while she looked up at me with coy eyes.

Then, softening my voice a bit, I asked her a question.

"Are you going to a cafe with your friends again today?"

Was she caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood?

Hiyori looked flustered for a moment, then nodded as she leaned into my touch.

"Yeah."

"Don't stay out too long. Make sure you don't go home late."

"Will you knead me again if I go home late?"

She must have liked the physical contact, judging by how her eyes were sparkling.

Right now, she still acted shy when I touched her, but I wondered if she would start throwing herself at me like her usual self once she got used to it.

For instance, pressing her underboob against the hand massaging her stomach...

Or subtly lifting her leg to rest it over my thigh like she did when we were lying down together at the multi-room cafe...

She definitely seemed like the type to make those kinds of bold moves.

Anyway, to call what I did earlier 'kneading'...

It was a very Hiyori-esque naming sense. Honestly, it was quite endearing.

"Do you want me to? I'll do it if you want."

"Ew... your expression just now was totally perverted."

"It's the exact same as usual."

"Then I guess you're a pervert on a regular basis."

I couldn't refute that because it was true.

I shrugged and replied.

"I suppose I am."

"I like how readily you admit it. By the way, sunbae-nim, you have to grant me one wish later."

"Why should I?"

"I think you know the answer to that better than anyone, sunbae-nim."

What would happen if this reached Miyuki's ears?

Hiyori was currently making a roundabout threat with exactly that implication.

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"Yes."

She was acting all high and mighty, but I knew better than anyone that she had no real intention of following through.

At least, not right now.

Still, it was only right for me to grant her wish.

It wasn't to let her gloat and feel triumphant, however.

Whatever wish Hiyori asked for was bound to involve physical affection. My plan was to watch her turn into a timid mess during the act while imparting a little bit of education and love.

I will give you something far beyond anything you can imagine.

Having made up my mind, I nodded.

"Alright."

Hiyori's eyes widened, completely caught off guard by my easy acceptance.

"Really?"

"It's not exactly a difficult request."

Did she sense something suspicious in my confident attitude?

Hiyori crossed her arms and stared intently up at me.

Barely suppressing the urge to glance at her chest, which was half-obscuring her folded arms, I spoke.

"What? Isn't it just a simple wish-granting thing?"

"It is. So it's a promise, then?"

"Yeah."

"Great. I'll be heading to the Nurse's Office now."

"Is that your wish?"

"Oh, what are you talking about...! This is just me doing what I want."

Honestly, I didn't care whether Hiyori actually attended her classes or not.

Because I was going to take responsibility for her future anyway.

But I hated the idea of her racking up demerit points and jeopardizing her life at the Academy.

A minor penalty here and there was fine, but if they kept piling up, it could lead to suspension. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to see her here.

"Then you can't."

"Why!"

As Hiyori argued with me, throwing both arms down to her sides like a hero in a special effects show, I twirled her ahoge with my index finger and firmly pointed at the hallway behind me.

"Go to class. If you want to sleep, sleep in your classroom."

"Okay."

Was Hiyori's ahoge some kind of antenna that controlled her emotions?

It was absurd how quickly she turned into a meek, well-behaved girl the moment I touched it. But at the same time, I found it incredibly lovable.

"Let's go."

"Are you walking me there?"

"No. I'm keeping an eye on you."

"You aren't going to kidnap me?"

"There are too many people around."

"Then let's meet somewhere quiet later."

Exchanging silly yet vaguely suggestive banter, I half-forced the occasionally stalling Hiyori to keep walking as we made our way to the first-year classrooms.

[Matsuda-kun, if it isn't too much trouble, could you stop by the Faculty Office on your way and bring some Board Markers in different colors? We're running a bit low right now.]

It was a text from Miyuki that arrived on the way.

I texted back an okay. Then, I bumped my forehead against the side of Hiyori's head as she openly snooped on my Cell Phone screen.

"Eek."

Hiyori let out a weird groan at the light thump of the impact, and I chuckled in spite of myself.

"Why are you spying on someone else's Cell Phone?"

"Are we really 'someone else' to each other? I even gave my body to you."

She was saying things that could cause a massive misunderstanding.

I quickly looked around to make sure no one had overheard her before scolding her.

"Mind your phrasing, will you?"

"I don't want to. It's not like I told a lie."

Why the sudden crooked attitude?

Was she feeling a little jealous after seeing Miyuki's text?

It seemed likely.

"I chose my words poorly."

"I'll let it slide."

"But do you talk like that in front of other people, too?"

"No."

"Then that's fine. But if it becomes a habit, it might slip out by accident in front of others, so let's rein it in a bit."

"Whatever."

Hiyori went right back to acting brazen, even lifting her chin haughtily.

I stared quietly at her. Then, I decided it was time to pull out the trump card I'd been holding back to advance our relationship.

"You can do that, right, Hiyori?"

Her eyes instantly snapped wide open.

Her mouth even fell open a little. It seemed calling her by her first name in a gentle voice for the first time had genuinely caught her off guard.

I offered her a soft smile and asked again.

"You can do it, right?"

"..."

"Are you not going to?"

"N-no... I mean... I can do it..."

Snapping out of her daze, she nodded frantically. It had clearly worked like a charm.

That gap between acting like an arrogant tyrant and suddenly turning into a pure, bashful maiden was incredibly cute—and pretty damn arousing.

Using my saved-up special move here was definitely the right choice.

Thinking that, I patted Hiyori on the back as a sign of praise. Then I safely escorted her all the way to her classroom while she fidgeted with her hands, seemingly overwhelmed by embarrassment.