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Could only say it wasn't an illusion. Ever since Bokue shrunk himself to his childhood appearance, he seemed to have suddenly become universally beloved.
Oh, he could also say he'd been pretty beloved before shrinking too.
Just these two types of affection differed slightly.
Before shrinking, it was called craving—like Natsuki, as if she could never eat enough, wanting him residing in her belly twenty-four hours a day.
But now it was more the "can't put down" feeling—like any girl wanted to hold him in her arms for cuddling and nuzzling.
Of course, if developments could reach some FBI door-kicking scenarios, even better.
Though Saeko Busujima wasn't quite that extreme.
After all, it was still only after three in the afternoon—still daytime. Plus, evening would arrive soon. With the Keikain family's healthy sleep schedule of early to bed and early to rise, who knew when Miss Yura might come calling for dinner.
If she opened the door just as Miss Yura saw her doing that with the shrunken Bokue, the Kyoto police sirens would probably echo through the Keikain estate immediately.
In conclusion, hugging and cuddling was about the limit.
Inside the bedroom, Bokue—fresh from Hagoromo-Gitsune's embrace at Yasaka Shrine—now appeared in the swordswoman's arms. He leaned back against Saeko's soft chest, tilting his head slightly. His gaze perfectly met the swordswoman's eyes falling from above.
"I'm heading back to Itogami Island shortly. Want to come with me, Busujima-senpai?"
Unlike Gojo and the others, Bokue knew Saeko had come to Kyoto specifically to wait for a boat to Itogami Island. Her student registration still remained at Kuoh Academy. With Kuoh Academy merging with Saikai Academy on Itogami Island, Kuoh Academy's address had also moved from Tokyo to Itogami Island.
"Come together meaning..."
Saeko didn't immediately agree, instead pondering briefly before raising another question.
"If I go to Itogami Island with Bokue now, will you return to Kyoto afterward?"
The question's meaning was crystal clear—she didn't want to stay alone. She wanted to be with Bokue.
If Bokue was only sending her to Itogami Island before immediately returning to Kyoto, she'd rather continue staying in Kyoto—no need to rush.
"Probably won't be back tonight, but I need to return tomorrow morning."
Bokue thought for a moment and continued.
"After coming back tomorrow morning, barring accidents, I'll be staying on Itogami Island. School's starting soon, after all."
Right, there's still school...
Saeko suddenly felt enlightened.
The strength he displayed always made her inadvertently forget his true age.
Like someone who'd campaigned half their life, gained world-dominating power, looked back at their eighteen-year-old past, only to discover they were seventeen and still a minor.
"Oh right, do you have a place to stay on Itogami Island, Busujima-senpai?"
Bokue suddenly realized this crucial issue.
"A place to stay..."
Saeko hesitated.
"In Tokyo, I had the house my parents left me. But on Itogami Island, since Kuoh Academy merged with Saikai Academy, my student registration should have transferred to Saikai Academy too. I should be able to stay in the student dorms then."
She'd even checked online in advance—Saikai Academy treated students quite well. All individual rooms, avoiding the hassle of dealing with roommates.
"Dorms, huh..."
Bokue thought briefly.
Didn't seem bad. Tomorrow morning he'd help Yasaka-neesan's side move, then in the afternoon he needed to connect the spatial link between the old school building currently at the top of the Keystone Gate and Saikai Academy.
He could set the old school building's location within Saikai Academy near the dormitory building. That way, going anywhere would be convenient.
"Works. Let's leave now then."
After mentally calculating the upcoming schedule, Bokue made the final decision.
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Though reaching Itogami Island only took the blink of an eye, since Saeko counted as a "new student enrollment" for Saikai Academy, after arriving on Itogami Island, Bokue accompanied her through all the procedures.
Not particularly troublesome—they hadn't reached the new semester start requiring textbook distribution yet. Just picking up dorm keys and processing student cards.
Even so, by the time all procedures finished and they arrived at the dorm, another hour had passed.
The angle of sunlight through the window completely tilted westward. Already past four-thirty in the afternoon.
As mentioned earlier, Saikai Academy treated students exceptionally well. Everyone had single-occupancy rooms with independent bathrooms, even kitchens, plus desks, chairs, cabinets, etc. Basically equivalent to small studio apartments.
Inside the bedroom, Bokue sat on the bed swinging his legs, watching Saeko by the closet nearby take her clothes piece by piece from the suitcase to hang on the closet's hangers.
Compared to normal high school girls, Saeko's wardrobe seemed exceptionally sparse. Aside from slightly more sweaters for winter, the rest was basically two outfits per season—just enough for changes.
Living under harsh conditions comparable even to a certain Sword Shaman girl.
Yet within this pile of seemingly normal clothes, an extremely tempting deep purple suddenly caught Bokue's eyes without warning. He couldn't help lightly hopping off the bed to stand behind the swordswoman, making a slightly surprised sound.
"Oh~ So Senpai wears this style?"
"Mmph..."
Saeko had just bent down to pick up those clothes from the suitcase when the young man's voice came from behind, making her cheeks flush.
It was lingerie—divided into three sections: from bra to panties to garter stockings, all deep purple lace texture, perfectly matching the girl's hair color. It gave an impression of noble maturity and mystery, enticing deeper exploration.
"Um... th-these clothes, I secretly bought them myself before. Originally thought they'd match my hair color perfectly, but after putting them on, I realized they were just too... so in the end I only secretly wore them once at home..."
By the end, the swordswoman's cheeks flushed so red they nearly dripped blood.
"Oh~ I see. No wonder I don't recall ever seeing Senpai wear them."
Bokue nodded. As he spoke, he'd already returned to normal size, supporting the swordswoman's lower abdomen from behind with one hand while the other spread five fingers to press against her skirt hem. His power penetrated the thin fabric to reach the skin beneath.
"Perfect timing—we still have a bit. How about Senpai tries them on? I hear these clothes increase attack speed. Plus, we just arrived at the dorm—don't you want to test the bed's sturdiness, Senpai?"
"Ngh...!"
Hearing this, the swordswoman's body trembled slightly. Though she didn't play games, she understood what "adding attack speed" and "testing sturdiness" meant in this context.
Besides... this was Bokue's invitation. How could she refuse?
With that thought, Saeko bit her lower lip lightly, nodding softly.
"I-I can... if Bokue wants."
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