Chapter 409

“Try this.”

Hiyori picked up a fully cooked piece of beef tongue with her chopsticks and transferred it to my plate.

She had been picking at her food for a while now, only giving the beef tongue to me. I wondered what she was up to.

Was Hiyori going for the good-wife routine today?

“Didn't you say you wanted to eat beef tongue?”

“I did.”

“But why aren't you eating?”

“I am eating.”

“You're just picking at it. Stop pretending to be demure and eat this.”

“Ah.”

I dipped a piece of beef tongue in lemon sauce and held it out to her. Hiyori immediately opened her mouth.

She looked exactly like a baby bird opening its beak for its mother.

I let out a hollow chuckle at how fast she reacted—almost as if this had been her goal all along—and obediently placed the meat into her mouth.

“Is it good?”

Hiyori nodded, humming happily to herself.

Wondering if I needed to get my ears checked, I finished the beef tongue and the rest of the meat, then tried to pay. But I couldn't break Hiyori's stubborn insistence on treating me, so I eventually gave up and walked outside.

Hiyori followed me out a moment later with one cheek puffed out.

A hard candy clicked against her teeth.

I narrowed my eyes and asked.

“Are you eating candy?”

“Yeah. Peppermint.”

“What about mine?”

“Here.”

Hiyori pushed a long peppermint halfway past her lips.

She casually offered me the candy she was eating, acting cheeky even though her face would instantly flush if I actually took it from her mouth.

Then I noticed her other hand was curled into a fist.

Certain there was more candy inside, I reached out. With a carefree expression, she pulled the peppermint back into her mouth and placed her small fist on my palm.

“Hee...”

Breaking into a silly smile, she slowly unfurled her fingers.

It was just an ordinary, insignificant prank, so why did it give off such a strong rom-com vibe?

It felt as if the world around us had brightened, stirred by a gentle breeze.

Why? Was it because her bright smile looked so incredibly innocent?

Whatever it was, it didn't matter.

It was enough that Hiyori looked so pretty smiling brightly right in front of me.

With that in mind, I tore open the candy wrapper she had handed me.

“Is this free, by the way?”

“Why are you asking after tearing it open? Were you going to put it back if it wasn't?”

“So it is free.”

“That's right.”

“We're good then.”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

She was throwing my usual catchphrase right back at me.

Chuckling at her playful side, I savored the peppermint spreading in my mouth.

“What do you want to do now?”

“Should we go to karaoke?”

“Not really feeling it. Want to catch a movie?”

“Didn't you give me the right to decide?”

“I didn't.”

“Then why did you ask me what I wanted to do?”

“It just came out of habit.”

“Did you hit your head in the restaurant restroom earlier?”

“Do I seem crazy?”

“Yes.”

“I don't think someone who stole my items and hit me over the head with a Toy Hammer gets to say that.”

Did that remind her of what happened in the game?

The corners of Hiyori's lips curled into a smirk.

“I wasn't the one who said it, you were, sunbae-nim~?”

“Don't talk back. Let's go.”

“What are we going to watch?”

“Whatever fits our schedule.”

“All right.”

An impromptu date wasn't bad.

Though, to be fair, doing anything with Hiyori was enjoyable.

The massive movie theater loomed ahead of us.

We both turned toward it and started walking in perfect sync without a word.

Hiyori and I shared some common ground.

Not in our personalities, but in our inclinations.

That held true even now. Unlike Miyuki, who liked to watch trailers, Hiyori didn't even ask what movie I had booked while she was in the restroom.

“Aren't you going to ask what tickets I got?”

“It's more exciting to go in blind. Don't tell me.”

Her answer was exactly what I had expected.

But wait, wasn't this the exact same question Hiyori had asked me last time?

Or was it Miyuki? Or Renka?

It definitely wasn't Chinami... It gave me a sense of déjà vu, but it didn't really matter.

“But what if I want to tell you? Come here.”

When I crooked my index finger at her, she feigned dramatic surprise and pretended to run away.

She really was a tomboy, this girl named Hiyori.

With that in mind, we bought Popcorn and cola at the School Store, then entered the Screening Room just as the movie was about to start.

And then...

“What is this?”

From her seat beside me, Hiyori gave me a baffled look when an animated character—rather than a real human—boldly appeared on the screen right after the distributor's logo.

“The Exorcist Swordswoman Chizuru: The Movie. The subtitle is Pursuit of the Legendary Phantom.”

“What the heck is that?”

“A cartoon.”

“You like this sort of thing?”

“You like romance comics too.”

“That's true, but I'm not so obsessed that I go watch animated movies in theaters like you, sunbae-nim.”

“It was the only thing that fit our schedule.”

“No wonder the crowd is just little kids and their parents... Is this even going to be fun for us?”

“I don't know.”

“You said it's a movie version, right? Do you know the story of the original comic?”

“No idea. I've never read it.”

“So we're doomed?”

“You never know. It might just be your type of thing.”

“You think so?”

“Could be. Just hand over the Popcorn.”

“All right.”

Deciding to take it in stride, Hiyori's expression brightened as she brought her hand to the buttons of her cardigan.

Seeing what she was doing, it was obvious she planned to rest the Popcorn in her cleavage again.

I chuckled in disbelief and delivered a surprise flick to Hiyori's forehead just as she unfastened the top button.

With a sharp smack, Hiyori clutched her forehead.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, playfully pretending to faint. It was a funny sight.

I tapped her forehead lightly with my palm.

“Wake up.”

“Okaaay.”

Hmm. It felt like we were genuinely flirting for the first time in a while.

I wanted to maintain this mood for now, so I'd save the humiliation of our pantyless Hiyori for after the movie.

“How was it? Did you enjoy it?”

I tossed the empty Popcorn box into the trash can as I asked. Hiyori replied unenthusiastically.

“Not really.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But thinking about it now, I guess it was kind of fun, too.”

“What's with the flip-flop review?”

“That's just how I felt.”

She seemed to mean it was fun because she watched it with me.

Neither of us knew the protagonist at all, so we hadn't been able to immerse ourselves in the movie. We just ended up making weird small talk...

But it seemed Hiyori had enjoyed that.

When we stepped out of the theater, it was still bright and sunny.

It was almost evening, but summer was still summer.

We bought ice cream from a shop on the way to the public parking lot, getting into the car in a harmonious mood.

“I just need to take you home, right?”

“No. We have to go to your place, sunbae-nim.”

“Why?”

“I have to get my clothes back, remember?”

She meant the black plastic bag containing her panties and shorts.

So she hadn't forgotten. For some reason, I felt a little disappointed.

“If you drop me off at your place, I'll find my own way back.”

“Forget it. I'll drive you all the way home.”

“Won't that be a hassle?”

“Not really.”

“Really? Then I'll take you up on that.”

Hiyori's tone grew slightly bashful.

It seemed my attentiveness had put her in a good mood.

When I let out a light laugh at her honest emotion, she started lightly thumping my thigh with her fist.

She seemed to be throwing a mild tantrum because I had read her like a book.

She openly displayed her mischievous side often enough, but doing this made her seem like an especially immature child.

Deciding it was about time to start, I scratched my cheek and pretended to scold her.

“Stop it.”

Right on cue, Hiyori reacted exactly as I intended.

“Why? Is it turning you on?”

That was exactly what I wanted her to say, and I knew she would.

I knew that if I acted like I was backing off, Hiyori—riding a high today—would definitely throw out a sexual joke.

“No.”

“Looks like it is, though. Do you like it?”

She giggled, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Keeping my mouth shut, I gazed at Hiyori's innocent face.

Tap.

I lightly, almost teasingly, slapped her thigh and wrapped my hand around it.

“Are you taking revenge?”

Hiyori asked, still oblivious to my intentions.

Tap.

When I wordlessly tapped her thigh again, Hiyori pressed her lips tightly shut, her eyes darting back and forth.

She finally seemed to realize it: the atmosphere inside the car was rapidly turning erotic.

“Fasten your seatbelt.”

Flinching at my low voice, Hiyori nodded...

Just as her slender hand reached for the seatbelt, I slid my hand down to the hem of her pants, which had ridden up to her mid-knee.

“Eek...?”

Startled, Hiyori plastered her head flat against the backrest.

That gave her a double chin. An ordinary person would have looked ridiculous, but she was still pretty even like that.

Clutching the seatbelt tightly, Hiyori froze completely. Her bare leg felt incredibly soft.

Like touching a child's skin.

When I slowly began stroking that soft flesh, Hiyori spoke up urgently.

“W-Wait a minute... I'll stop...! I'm sorry...!!”

“You were way too ill-mannered, weren't you?”

“It was just a joke...!?”

“I know. That's why I'm joking around, too.”

“No... I mean...”

Hiyori trailed off and sucked in a sharp breath.

Her confident, provocative attitude from earlier vanished without a trace.

But she didn't show any sign of pulling away.

I couldn't tell if she was simply too tense to collect her senses, or if she was silently telling me it was okay because it was me.

I would find out soon enough.

Slide...

“Hngk...!?”

The moment my fingertips slipped under the hem of her pants, she hunched her shoulders tightly.

Letting out a bizarre squeak, she sharply exhaled the breath she had just swallowed. The air tickled my neck, as I had unknowingly leaned in close to her.

I needed to be bolder, yet keep it gentle.

As I slid my hand all the way to her inner thigh with that careful touch, she finally reacted.

“Ah...!”

One of Hiyori's knees popped up.

At the same time, her legs trembled and began to slowly cross over each other.

A ticklish sensation seemed to wash over her.

“...”

I could see her eyelids fluttering, entirely at a loss for what to do.

Her wide eyes turned heavy and half-lidded, as if preparing for the foreplay that was to follow.

It wasn't that she had resolved herself for this. It was purely instinct.

Right now, Hiyori was completely oblivious to her rapidly shifting emotional state.

Her body recognized my touch and was preparing itself on its own.

Leaning forward until our lips were close enough to touch, I called out to Hiyori, who had yet to adapt to the steamy atmosphere.

“Hey.”

A flash of clarity returned to her dazed, bright golden eyes.

“...W-What...!”

She tried to sound sharp, but it fell flat. To me, she just looked like a frog making its final, desperate struggle in front of a snake.

Was Hiyori's body even more sensitive and helpless than Renka's?

I needed to check right now.

A tiny gap opened between Hiyori's tightly pressed lips.

Those plump lips, and the front teeth faintly visible in the shadows behind them, looked incredibly tantalizing. Greedy as I was, I had to claim them.

My mind made up, I took advantage of her heavy gulp to thrust my face forward and slide my tongue inside.

I pushed it deep past her lips, which were stained with lip tint.

“Hnng!?”

Gently cradling the back of her neck as her eyes flew wide and she let out a nasal squeak and a moan, I began exploring her mouth in earnest.