Chapter 399

Bang!

Hiyori smacked her arm on her way out the back door.

Startled, I hurried to grab her.

"Hey, are you alr—"

But Hiyori had already bolted out of the classroom.

She'd been so bold when she initiated the kiss... only to get flustered and run off right in the middle of it.

Right before she fled, she'd even stuck her tongue out to pretend the kiss hadn't affected her at all, acting like nothing had happened.

Did she even remember my arms wrapping around her waist?

Knowing her, she probably only remembered kissing me and completely blanked on the rest.

That was how flustered she'd been.

Chuckling, I pushed Hiyori's chair under her desk and grabbed a rag from the windowsill.

Then I started wiping down the scribbled-on mirror.

If the mirror stayed like this until tomorrow, Hiyori—who was on cleaning duty—would probably get an earful from the teacher.

She could always come in early to clean it, but there was no way she'd actually do that, so I was helping her out.

As I dampened the rag and scrubbed away the stubborn lipstick, I found myself smirking at the memory of what had just happened.

Her lips had been pressed tight together—it was a kiss that could only really be called a peck.

But my heart was still racing. If even I felt like this, what was Hiyori feeling?

Judging by how fast she'd bolted, she clearly didn't have the courage to look me in the eye.

After scrubbing the mirror clean, I went to the restroom, washed the rag, hung it up to dry in the classroom, and shot Hiyori a text.

[Make sure to change your skirt.]

A read receipt popped up, but she didn't reply.

She was probably too embarrassed to even manage an 'okay'.

Pulling a stunt like that in the classroom must have taken incredible courage on her part.

Was she at her club activities right now? She was probably still completely out of it.

Actually, she might have just skipped her club activities entirely.

This electric feeling refused to fade.

I wondered what was going through Hiyori's head.

I didn't think I'd ever wanted to peek inside her head as badly as I did today.

Replaying that sudden event in my mind, I arrived at the Club Room, only to spot Chinami in the distance. She was wearing her Training Uniform, hiking up the hill.

Was she heading to the storage shed? Watching her waddle from behind, stepping carefully as if she were crossing protruding stones in a stream, was incredibly adorable.

I quickly closed the distance, keeping my footsteps completely silent. She sensed my presence and turned around, and I gave her a bright smile.

"Hello, Master."

"Junior!! You're here!"

Mmhmm. Seeing her welcome me with such a radiant face always warmed my heart.

"Yeah. It's only been three or four days, but it feels like it's been ages."

"It really does. Did you have a fun trip?"

"I did. What about you, Master?"

"Mine was quite fulfilling as well."

"Glad to hear it. Are you heading to the storage shed?"

"I am. I need a lot of cleaning supplies. I'm planning to scrub down all the equipment today."

"Won't that eat up your practice time? The tournament is right around the corner."

"Even so, it has to be done."

Our Chinami had such a strong sense of responsibility...

If she weren't the manager, the Yeboni Academy Kendo Club's performance would have dropped a few tiers by now.

"Then let's go together."

"Yes!"

Once inside the shed, Chinami squatted down and began digging through the bottom supply box.

Why did her pale neck look so incredibly enticing today?

A lust I hadn't felt when kissing Hiyori suddenly welled up inside me.

Unable to resist the temptation, I stepped right up behind her.

I pulled her into a hug from behind and buried my face in the nape of her neck.

"Hyaahn!?"

The back of her neck was Chinami's biggest erogenous zone.

Stimulated right at the source, her signature moan slipped past her lips.

Her entire body tensed. I pressed firmly against her lower abdomen and breathed in deeply, feeling her soft hair brush against my cheek.

"Mnnngh...! J-Junior...!"

Chinami tightly gripped my arms where they were wrapped securely around her waist.

I could feel a deep, intense warmth radiating from her touch, completely different from Hiyori's.

"What is it?"

"W-Well... this isn't exactly the time for this...!"

"I'm just giving you a hug."

"Is that so...?"

"Yep."

"Then why are you pressing against my stomach...?"

"Because I want to."

"Ah... okay. Just keep it brief, please..."

"You sound pretty reluctant."

"Of course I'm not...! It's just that I have a lot of work to do today..."

"Got it."

It had been a while since I'd felt Chinami's soft, plump skin... It was just as deeply satisfying as I remembered.

Once the tournament was over, I was definitely going to bring her to my place and cuddle her to sleep.

Making a mental note of that, I spent a brief moment healing my soul before heading back to the Club Room with a blushing Chinami.

I changed into my Training Uniform and exchanged greetings with the other club members I hadn't seen in a few days. Eventually, Renka walked over to me.

Sporting her usual deadpan expression, she shot me a disapproving glare and jerked her chin toward the laundry room.

"Follow me."

Whenever she wanted to talk about something embarrassing that she couldn't say out in the open, Renka always dragged me in there.

It was painfully obvious she was going to bring up exactly that sort of thing today, so I happily followed her inside.

Once we were in the laundry room, I closed the door.

"What is it?"

I leaned back against the closed door. Renka darted her eyes around, looking anxious about what I might do, and spoke.

"You started picking on Chinami the second you got here, didn't you?"

I knew she was going to bring Chinami up.

"Picking on her? That's a bit harsh. We were just messing around because we both enjoy it."

"Cut the crap."

"Did Master actually tell you I was picking on her?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then stop trying to make me out to be the bad guy."

"You are a bad guy."

"Fair enough. But don't we have some unfinished business to settle?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Renka's momentum faltered, as if she'd suddenly remembered how she'd acted up during the school trip.

It was a reaction that made it perfectly clear she knew exactly what her crime was.

To be fair, 'crime' was probably too strong a word, but she had mouthed off to her owner, so it was only natural she be punished.

Smiling wickedly at Renka, who was now cautiously studying my expression, I asked a question.

"Did you enjoy your trip?"

"It would have been a lot more fun if you hadn't called me, so that was a bit of a letdown."

"My calls? You mean the video call?"

"T-That's not what I'm talking about...!? Move! Let me out...!"

Renka's face flushed just as red as Chinami's had, and she started huffing and flailing her arms at me.

She had called me in here with such confidence, only to completely shrink back the moment I made a dirty comment... It was her standard routine, but it never stopped being fun to watch.

"You dragged me all the way in here and now you're leaving? Stay and have some candy."

"....."

It was hilarious watching Renka press her lips tightly together—she was pissed off, but she still wanted the candy.

The school trip had been a blast, but I had definitely missed this kind of daily life at the Academy.

I planned to enjoy every single moment of it until vacation started.

@@

"....."

Lying in bed wrapped in her sky-blue blanket, Hiyori was quietly scrolling through her phone when an article caught her eye.

It was an article about some celebrity filming a romantic kiss scene for a drama.

Her body suddenly jolted as she read it, like someone startling awake from a shallow sleep.

"Eek!!"

A bizarre squeak burst from her lips, and her face instantly flushed hot.

She had just been reminded of what she'd done to Matsuda sunbae-nim earlier today.

Honestly, she had definitely fantasized about doing it.

'Only' fantasized about it, that was.

But seeing how unusually gentle Matsuda sunbae-nim's face had looked today, her heart had practically ached, and before she knew it, she had put her fantasy into action.

Striding right up to him and boldly crashing her lips against his...

When she'd fantasized about it, she had been sure her heart would flutter. Instead, sheer embarrassment completely paralyzed her mind.

This was all Matsuda sunbae-nim's fault.

This only happened in the first place because he had a face and personality that completely catered to her exact tastes.

Therefore, she wasn't actually responsible.

While Hiyori was busy securing this selfish mental victory— "Uwaaaaa...!!!"

Overwhelmed by the embarrassment and mortification bubbling up inside her, she pulled the blanket over her head, screaming as she flailed her arms and legs wildly.

It wasn't long before her bedroom door opened, and her little brother poked his head inside.

"Sis."

Hiyori forcefully threw off the blanket and raised her voice.

"Hey! Don't you know how to knock!?"

"I'll do it next time. Mom told you to keep it down."

"No!"

"Is that what you want me to tell her?"

"Do you want to die?"

"Mom! Sis is swearing at me!"

When was he ever going to change that tired old routine? Mom and Dad didn't even believe him anymore; he was just wasting his breath.

Clicking her tongue at her immature little brother's bratty attitude, Hiyori made a mental note to smack him upside the head the next time she left her room. Then, she picked up her phone again.

"Huh?"

Her eyes widened when she saw that she had received a text from Matsuda sunbae-nim.

Her heart instantly started pounding in the best possible way.

Riding that wave of excitement, she quickly checked her phone.

[Is your arm okay?]

Her arm? Why was he randomly asking about her arm?

Come to think of it, her right arm had been aching slightly ever since she was at her club activities, all the way until she'd gotten home...

She just hadn't been sure what caused it.

Checking her arm now, she couldn't spot any bruises.

She must have bumped into something while she was frantically running away.

Wait... had Matsuda sunbae-nim seen that happen?

She had pulled away from the kiss and even stuck her tongue out at him to pretend she was perfectly fine... If he'd seen her bump into something, he might have realized just how utterly panicked she actually was.

A fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her.

But it was fine. Right now, she was in the total privacy of her own room where no one could see her.

Deciding to just play it cool, Hiyori quickly tapped away with her slender fingers.

[Yep. It doesn't hurt at all.]

[Really? It sounded pretty loud, so that's a relief.]

It sounded loud? Was it really that bad?

Or was Matsuda sunbae-nim just exaggerating to tease her?

His intentions were confusing. Regardless, she absolutely refused to take the bait.

[Whatever.]

[Why are you suddenly picking a fight?]

[Because I want to.]

[Right. I'll give you your bag tomorrow.]

[Got it.]

[Did you go to your club activities?]

[Of course I did. Why? Did you think I'd skip or something?]

[No. I was just asking if they went well.]

[Alright then.]

[You made sure to change your skirt before you went, right?]

She had changed the very second she got there.

But giving him an honest yes made her feel like she was losing, so a lie slipped out before she realized it.

[No.]

[Good job.]

Good job?

For a guy who was so terribly sensitive about her skirts, that was a surprisingly open-minded response.

He was only saying that because he already knew she had changed.

Then why make such a huge fuss about asking in the first place? She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to flick that mischievous Matsuda sunbae-nim right on the forehead.

[I'm going to bed now.]

[Why are you going to sleep so early?]

Instead of answering his question, Hiyori just stared blankly at her open chat window.

[Sleep well.]

When his follow-up text popped up, she jumped in surprise and frantically mashed her phone's home button.

"This is driving me crazy...!"

The read receipt had definitely already popped up...

Now he was totally going to think she had just been anxiously waiting for his reply.

She decided to wait a few moments before replying, so she could pretend she had just left the chat open while doing something else.

After counting to ten in her head, Hiyori decided that was enough time. Pouting her lips, she quickly tapped her screen.

[Sleep well, sunbae-nim.]

Then she tossed her phone next to her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut, despite not feeling sleepy in the slightest.

"Eeeep...!"

She tried to sleep, but the moment her vision went dark, the memory of her boldly throwing herself at Matsuda replayed vividly in her mind, forcing another weird squeal past her lips.

At this rate, she was probably going to end up cursing out loud to herself.