After waiting a considerable while, there was still no sign of Yui Yuigahama or the others. A flicker of puzzlement crossed Hozuki Nozomi's mind.
"Yukino, any idea what's keeping them? Maybe you should give them a call?"
Yukino Yukinoshita's brow furrowed slightly in thought. She retrieved her phone and first sent a quick text. A reply from Yuigahama-san buzzed back almost immediately. Reading it, a faint shadow of disappointment crossed Yukino's features.
"Yuigahama-san says the client isn't at school today. She took sudden leave and went home. It seems our club activities will have to be postponed."
Her tone carried a distinct note of letdown. She had been quietly looking forward to investigating a supernatural case with Hozuki Nozomi. Partly, it was a desire to understand this enigmatic side of her fiancé better. Partly, it was a secret wish to experience the feeling of being protected by him firsthand.
Just as this sense of anticlimax settled over her, a pair of strong, familiar arms encircled her from behind.
"Ah—!"
A soft gasp escaped her lips. Before she could process the movement, she found herself being effortlessly lifted and settled onto his lap.
Hozuki Nozomi chuckled, the sound warm and intimate by her ear. "Since the client is a no-show… I suppose this time belongs to us now, doesn't it?"
Yukino Yukinoshita's delicate face flushed a deeper shade of pink. At his blatantly mischievous words, she tilted her head back to glare up at him. "Y- Yuigahama-san and the others will still be coming over… Mmm-hmm—!"
Hozuki Nozomi gave her no further opportunity for protest. He simply lowered his head and captured her lips with his own. They could always answer the door when the others arrived.
Witnessing his rogue tactics, Miss Yukinoshita offered a token, half-hearted push against his chest before surrendering completely. Instead, her fair arms rose, winding around his neck as she began to respond to his kiss with soft, yielding acceptance.
After all, she was already his. There was no sin in intimacy.
Some time later, Hozuki Nozomi's keen hearing picked up the faint sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway. Only then did he reluctantly part from Yukino's now rosy, slightly swollen lips. He even took a moment to carefully straighten the collar of her uniform.
"Yaa-hallo! Yukinon~!"
The door burst open, heralded by the energetic greeting of a pink-haired, generously endowed beauty.
"Yaa-ha… ahem, ahem… Good afternoon, Yuigahama-san."
Yukino Yukinoshita had almost been reflexively pulled into the catchy, embarrassing greeting. Catching herself just in time, she managed to salvage her dignity with a more conventional salutation.
Yui Yuigahama couldn't hold back a giggle. "Yukinon is sooo serious! Even though it's the most popular greeting right now, it's okay to use it once in a while, you know?"
Yukino turned her face away slightly, a familiar defense. "My apologies. It seems I am constitutionally incapable of mastering it."
"Yo. Good afternoon, President. Hozuki-kun."
Sanshokuin Sumireko followed Yui into the room. Her best friend and lookalike, Nichiji Sumire, was currently covering for her at the library—a common arrangement for the two girls who often played substitution games, even occasionally challenging Hozuki Nozomi to guess which one stood before him.
Did Hozuki Nozomi need to guess? His method was direct and foolproof: a strategic touch, or sometimes a taste, and he knew immediately. Besides, Sanshokuin Sumireko possessed a slightly more voluptuous figure than Nichiji Sumire; his hands never lied.
"Good afternoon, Yui, Sumireko, Asuna," Hozuki Nozomi replied with an easy smile, his gaze shifting to the quiet girl who had entered last.
"Good afternoon," Asuna Yuuki murmured softly, offering a gentle nod to everyone before taking her customary seat. She, too, had been looking forward to today's club activities.
However, Yui Yuigahama quickly dispelled that hope. "Sorry, Asuna-chan. Misaki Mei took the day off and went home. She said her little sister isn't feeling well. Looks like we won't be able to work on the request today."
Hozuki Nozomi's head snapped up at this. "Yui, did you say the client's surname is Misaki? What's her full name?"
Yui, seeing no reason to withhold the information, answered readily. "Misaki Mei. She's in Class 1-D."
A strange, knowing expression settled over Hozuki Nozomi's face. If his memory served—and it usually did when it came to the archetypes inhabiting his world—this 'Misaki Mei' was likely another protagonist from a certain slice-of-life supernatural anime. Interesting. This suggested the request might be far more complex than a simple schoolgirl's fantasy.
"What's wrong, Hozuki-kun? Are you… really that curious about this Misaki Mei?" Yui Yuigahama asked, a subtle, almost imperceptible pout touching her lips.
"She's our client. Gathering basic intelligence is standard procedure, isn't it?" he deflected smoothly.
Yui considered this and nodded, her usual bubbly energy quickly returning. She launched into animated chatter, soon filling the clubroom with lively conversation that looped in Yukino and Asuna, successfully warming the atmosphere.
Before they knew it, the official club activity period drew to a close. Hozuki Nozomi did not leave with Yukino Yukinoshita and the others for Sakura Dormitory. Instead, he made his way to a nearby city park. An appointment awaited him—one with Asaka Mayama.
After all, he was her officially designated 'Big Pervert Boyfriend.' When his 'girlfriend' summoned him, a gentleman kept his promises.
First Sasanqua, then back to handle Eriri Spencer Sawamura, and then there's Yukino at home… The itinerary unfolded in his mind. He was beginning to feel like a true maestro of temporal logistics.
He settled on a park bench beneath a ginkgo tree. After a short wait, a clear, melodious voice, laced with shyness and a hint of nervous tension, reached his ears.
"S-Sorry I'm late. I… I didn't make you wait too long, did I?"
Hozuki Nozomi looked up.
For a moment, he was utterly captivated.
"…Sasanqua?"
The girl standing before him was a vision of purity. A simple white dress flowed to her knees. Her hair, now its natural, lustrous black, cascaded in a silken waterfall down to her waist. A simple white headband held it back from her face, revealing a smooth, flawless forehead. Her features were delicate and perfectly oval, her lips a natural rose-pink, her skin like fine porcelain. Every trace of the rebellious girl with fiery twin-tails and heavy makeup had been erased.
Seeing him stare, seemingly transfixed, Asaka Mayama's face flushed a brilliant crimson. She instinctively lowered her gaze, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her skirt.
"Um… how… how is it?" she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, as if remembering her persona, she quickly added, her tone shifting to defensive, "L-Let me make this clear! I… I didn't dress like this just for you! A-And my hair isn't dyed! This is just… my old style!"
Hozuki Nozomi was thoroughly amused by her textbook tsundere performance. A warm smile spread across his face, and he gave her an approving thumbs-up.
"You look breathtaking. Exactly the super-pure type I adore."
"W-Who… who wants you to adore them?!" she sputtered, the blush now extending to the very tips of her ears. She was so flustered by the direct praise and confession that she felt like steam might shoot from her head. On autopilot, she fell back into her familiar pattern of saying the opposite of what she meant.
Chuckling, Hozuki Nozomi reached out and took her small hand in his. "Even if you say that, it doesn't change the fact that I'm incredibly fond of pure, lovely girls like this."
The simple contact sent her mind reeling. By the time her thoughts caught up, she found herself gently coaxed onto his lap, her slender waist securely encircled by his arm.
Noticing his warm hand beginning a subtle, exploratory journey along her side, Asaka Mayama shot him a look that was equal parts glare and profound shyness. "S-Stop messing around… you pervert~!"
"Haha, but I am your Big Pervert Boyfriend. Isn't this just part of the standard operating procedure?" he teased lightly. Then, his tone softening into genuine curiosity, he asked, "So, Sasanqua… now that you're here, can you tell me the real reason you wanted to meet?"
Her face still burning, Asaka Mayama stopped resisting his affectionate touches, allowing herself to lean fully against the solid warmth of his chest.
"I… I just thought… we should maintain our boyfriend-girlfriend relationship properly. If we only went on one date, that Ono Yu would definitely get suspicious again!" she explained, her words tumbling out in a rush. Then, as if remembering who she was talking to, she hastily added, "D-Don't get the wrong idea! I'm not someone who gets swayed so easily! And you… you're a notorious player who dates multiple girls at once… Mmmph—!"
Hozuki Nozomi didn't let her finish the familiar tsundere litany. He simply lowered his head and sealed her protests with a firm, decisive kiss.
It wasn't that he wanted to interrupt her. But honestly, who could blame him? She was just so perfectly tsundere, so utterly adorable. And today, dressed in this pristine, innocent style that screamed 'girl next door,' she was completely, irresistibly disarming.