Waving to her friends, a faint smile flickered across Kushida Kikyo's lips.
The mission was complete.
Someone ought to thank her.
With a light heart, Kushida glanced at Kaoru before leaving the cafeteria, also catching sight of Sakayanagi and Kamuro beside him.
She frowned slightly.
To be honest, she didn't have much fondness for Sakayanagi, that sickly yet beautiful girl.
Her intuition told her this was a formidable opponent, one best not to get involved with.
But what irked Kushida was how everyone else kept their rings discreet, while Sakayanagi seemed to flaunt her engagement like she'd stolen a march on them.
Though annoyed to see them chatting happily, Kushida didn't interrupt, deciding instead to hurry back for a bath.
Returning to the girls' dormitory, she soon found Horikita Suzune reading alone in her room.
As Kushida gathered her clothes, she asked Horikita, "Want to go to the bath together tonight?"
"Isn't it a bit early for that now?"
Horikita closed her book. "I heard you visited Class C's group this afternoon. Your connections are wider than I imagined."
Kushida replied coolly, "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. Aren't I actually following your lead right now?"
Without her, Horikita would struggle to direct the girls—just deciding who would visit other classes' groups would give Horikita a headache.
"So, you don't care about what happened back then anymore?"
Horikita found it hard to say aloud that their conflict had been resolved only after sharing the same man's bed.
"Of course I care. If I didn't, I wouldn't dislike someone like you."
Kushida gathered her clothes. "Right now, it's only for his sake that I can ignore you. But I still dislike you."
Horikita was at a loss for words. Was she really that hateful?
"If you're not coming, I'm leaving."
With her clothes in hand, Kushida quickly left the dorm.
Horikita silently returned to her book—until Kushida's head popped back through the doorway.
"Even if you've paid this month's dues, you'll have to keep it up next month too."
Horikita flushed crimson and gritted her teeth.
"Shut up!"
Kushida chuckled and hummed as she headed to the baths, thinking she ought to help Kaoru soften up this stubborn girl a bit more.
But there was one thing that really bothered her.
For someone who seemed so cold and stubborn, how did Horikita know exactly how to tease Kaoru better than she did? Was it just natural talent?
Kushida was feeling a bit frustrated.
She had wanted Horikita Suzune to fall from grace in front of Kaoru, but if she fell too hard, wouldn't that be awkward for her?
After greeting a few girls along the way, Kushida Kikyo entered the bathhouse alone.
By the time she came out, the sky was gradually darkening.
The men's and women's bathhouses were separated by a hallway, with a teacher stationed at the women's side to prevent boys from approaching.
Though she had bathed, she had only changed into fresh undergarments.
The tracksuits were replaced every three days, and dirty clothes had to be taken back—there was no laundry service here.
When Kushida returned to the dormitory, Karuizawa and the others had already come back.
"Oh, Kikyo-chan, you've already taken a bath?"
"Ahaha, yeah, because I'm planning to visit another dorm later."
"Kikyo-chan is so popular~ I think I saw you greeting that glasses girl at noon."
"Don't call her that. She's our classmate too—her name is Sakura."
"O-okay."
Watching Kushida prepare to leave, Karuizawa narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Something about this girl didn't seem like she was just going to hang out with other girls.
She wanted to follow her, but Chiaki Matsushita and the others kept talking to her, so Karuizawa had no choice but to give up.
Meanwhile, the moment Kushida stepped out of the dormitory, she could barely suppress the smirk creeping onto her lips.
Along the corridor of the school building, the girl carefully avoided passersby and soon arrived at the place where they had met the night before.
Seeing the familiar figure, Kushida's face broke into a smile.
Her previously hurried steps slowed down; she couldn't afford to sweat at this moment—she should still smell delightful.
"Well, did I keep you waiting long?"
Kushida walked up to Kaoru and only then did she notice the height difference between them.
She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach his nose, feeling a bit dissatisfied.
Why were boys always so tall?
Clearly, the boys in their class were all shorter than him. Was he planning to compete in the national tournament?
"Did you take a shower?"
Kaoru noticed her appearance.
Although she was still in her sportswear, the graceful curves of her body were hidden beneath her jacket, but the pronounced swell of her chest was hard to ignore.
Water droplets clung to her ears, her hair glimmered with a slightly moist sheen, and beneath her simple brows lay a face as smooth as silk.
Her fair, tender skin exuded a faint fragrance, and just looking at her made him want to pull her into his arms and breathe in her scent.
Especially with that cheerful smile, Kaoru's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, reminiscent of a high school boy teasing a beautiful classmate.
"In your eyes, do you think I don't shower every day?"
Kushida huffed, but she felt a bit pleased.
Did this count as a date for the two of them?
In the youthful atmosphere of the forested school, a young couple took advantage of the nightfall to sneak away from teachers and classmates, meeting in a hidden corner.
Kushida had never imagined she would have such an experience.
Just seeing him standing there made her heart flutter with joy, even though they hadn't done anything yet.
"I didn't think that way; if I had known, I would have taken a shower too."
Kaoru sniffed his own scent. "Not too bad, not too strong."
Today was a free activity day, no classes, so he wouldn't sweat staying inside the school building.
However, Kushida frowned and punched him lightly.
"Can you not do such disgusting things in front of a girl?"
"So you know you're a girl?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Kaoru didn't explain but shifted the topic to Airi Sakura and Miki Yamamura.
"I met with them today. I ran into Airi at lunchtime, so I went over to eat with her, and she turned and ran away when she saw me."
"…"
Kaoru fell silent; it was very much in Airi Sakura's style.
"But she quickly came back, mumbling that she had to work hard to show him."
Kushida smirked, "Well, she did try, but she only stayed for five minutes before running off again, and this time she didn't come back."
Alright, I guess she did make an effort.
"As for Miki, I went to her dorm with a few friends this afternoon, and we played cards there."
Kushida thought for a moment. "Although I brought her along, the others aren't really familiar with her, so they might not give me any face."
"Actually, there was no need to worry about that; you could handle most people, and that would be enough."
Kaoru wasn't expecting Kushida to solve everything in one go; he just wanted her, the social butterfly, to be the new boss for Airi Sakura and Miki Yamamura.
"Alright, where's my reward?"
Kushida looked at him as if it were a matter of course.
Normal girls would expect his hand to hold hers, a kiss, or a hug, progressing to the next stage of their ambiguous relationship.
But Kushida was different.
She had already slept with this man; how could such small sweet gestures possibly hold any sway over her?
Kaoru fell into thought.
Why was the status between them so ambiguous when facing Kushida?
Or rather, where did it all start to turn upside down?
Then, Kushida heard a phrase from his lips.
"Do you want to masturbate here, Kikyo?."
Huh?
Though she didn't voice it, Kushida believed he could see the expression on her face.
What did he want her to do here?
"What are you talking about?"
"Like a little puppy, masturbate right in front of me Kikyo."
"N-no… are you serious?"
"Are you afraid someone will see?"
Kushida stared at him blankly. Shouldn't she be the one afraid?
"What I mean is…"
"Doing something a little thrilling; isn't that what you like?"
"Ah haha, yes, that's true, but…"
"If you perform well, you know what kind of reward comes next."
"Ugh…"
Perhaps recalling her experiences from summer vacation, Kushida's face turned red as she averted her gaze.
Her throat moved slightly; it was evident she understood.
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