When it was over, Kushida Kikyou lay on the bed, those purple eyes fixed on the ceiling. She felt utterly drained, as if she didn't have the strength left to move a single finger.
Her breathing was still ragged, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
Her mind was blank. Looking back now, everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
No, it wasn't a dream. The exhaustion weighing on her body, and that strange, lingering sensation inside her, told Kushida Kikyou that none of this was an illusion.
Kushida Kikyou slowly turned her head to glance at Shikime Natsu lying beside her. That infuriating smile was still plastered across his face.
Yet somehow, looking at Shikime Natsu now, she couldn't quite bring herself to hate him. Still, given what had happened, she felt she really did need to give this guy a warning.
She drew in a deep breath, then spoke in the calmest tone she could manage.
"This thing…"
She paused, sliding those purple eyes away so she no longer had to look at Shikime Natsu.
"Let's just pretend it never happened. We were only taking what each of us needed."
[CG68: Taking What Each of Us Needed (Kushida Kikyou)]
[Nothing more, nothing less.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a Skill Card: Nen ability (you can use telekinesis to manipulate objects).]
As she spoke those words, taking what each of us needed, Kushida Kikyou felt her cheeks grow warm.
The way she'd put it made it sound like she genuinely needed this, when she absolutely did not… Well, the current Kushida Kikyou had already entered Sage Mode, and had begun to regret acting on impulse.
Hearing her words, Shikime Natsu tilted his head, those pale golden eyes settling on her faintly flushed little face, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful smile.
"Oh? So Kikyou needed this that badly?" he said, a teasing note in his voice.
Of course Kushida Kikyou caught the implication in his words, and it was precisely because she caught it that a wave of humiliation and anger surged through her right then. This guy really was…
Those purple eyes brimmed with displeasure. At a moment like this, all Shikime Natsu had to do was explain things properly and it would have wrapped up naturally. There was no need for him to run his mouth.
It wasn't as if she'd ever mistaken Shikime Natsu for a mute, either. During the act itself, he hadn't said a single word, silently pressing his advance while she silently endured it. And yet the moment it was over, this guy suddenly started talking again.
Someone really ought to seal that mouth of his shut, Kushida Kikyou fumed inwardly, cheeks puffed with irritation.
And it was right then that Shikime Natsu smiled again and spoke to her.
"Kikyou, I remember telling you why Airi and the others have such good physical constitutions, didn't I?"
Kushida Kikyou thought back to the answer she'd gotten that day when she'd sought Shikime Natsu out in private. Now, the chance to verify whether what this guy had said was true or false had finally arrived.
Before, there was no way Kushida Kikyou would have done anything to test it. After all, he'd claimed a kiss could do it, and how could she possibly bring herself to do something so absurd?
But things were different now. Everything that could be done had already been done, she'd already been filled to the brim, and after doing all that, Kushida Kikyou could hardly bring herself to care about her first kiss. So when she heard Shikime Natsu's words, she leaned in without a moment's hesitation and pressed her lips to his.
And in that very instant, Kushida Kikyou clearly felt her body begin to change.
The sensation was hard to describe. It was as if a warm current spread rapidly through her entire body, every cell cheering with joy, every inch of muscle wrapped in a gentle, warming strength.
Just moments ago she'd felt her body was utterly spent, the kind of exhaustion that came after being wrung out who knew how many times, so drained she hadn't wanted to move even a finger.
But after that one kiss, Kushida Kikyou felt a good deal of that fatigue recede.
It didn't vanish entirely, but it was definitely far better than before. Her vitality had come flooding back. Shikime Natsu, that guy, hadn't lied after all, a kiss really could raise her constitution.
Of course, Kushida Kikyou understood this was something only Shikime Natsu could do. For anyone else it would be impossible. Shikime Natsu's very existence in this world was as if he were the rules themselves.
Shikime Natsu was well aware of what she was feeling too, and he smiled at her again.
"If Kikyou wants to max it out, you can still kiss me nine more times today~"
The way he said it made it sound like she was the one begging him for something. And yet, think what she might, Kushida Kikyou still leaned in and kept kissing him. For her, an increase in her physical constitution and the like was very important.
Especially since, even if there was a burden, the burden could no longer be as heavy as before. Besides, the current Kushida Kikyou realized there was no chance of turning back now.
With every kiss, Kushida Kikyou could feel her body developing in a good direction. Even though each one was no more than a fleeting brush of lips, she felt the heart she'd only just cooled begin to burn again.
Her whole body was coming a little undone as well. She figured that since she'd already done that kind of thing today, indulging a little more wouldn't hurt, would it?
And so the two of them tangled together once more.
By the time Kushida Kikyou finally surfaced from that intoxicating, sinking state, the sky outside the window had already darkened.
She lay on the bed gasping in great mouthfuls of air, looking like she'd just been fished out of the water, hair a tangled mess, cheeks flushed crimson, feeling like her brain had completely stopped working.
After a good while, Kushida Kikyou finally caught her breath. She sat up on the bed and began gathering her things.
And it was then that Shikime Natsu's gaze fell on her again, and he smiled at her.
"Kikyou, do you want to keep taking what each of us needs?"
Kushida Kikyou didn't answer him. Instead she kept her head down and went on gathering her things.
First she put her uniform back on, then set the maid outfit back where it belonged. When she picked up her black stockings, she couldn't stop a sigh from escaping.
This guy Shikime Natsu really was too much. In the middle of doing that kind of thing, he'd actually gone and played the rip-them-apart game, and there wasn't the slightest bit of fun in a game like that.
"Don't worry, I'll pay you back for them. They suit you so well, after all, Kikyou."
Shikime Natsu had noticed her movements, and he said it with a smile.
Hearing his words, Kushida Kikyou ground her teeth again. She had absolutely no need for Shikime Natsu to pay her back for anything like this.
After all, that thing hadn't been for her satisfaction, it was for the satisfaction of that pervert Shikime Natsu, and she wanted no part of it.
Once everything was neatly packed away, Kushida Kikyou walked straight to the doorway, opened the door, and had meant to leave right then, but her steps still faltered.
"I'm leaving."
"Looking forward to next time."
Hearing his words, Kushida Kikyou's feelings were a tangle, and she simply left.
By the time Kushida Kikyou got back to her own dorm, her mind was a knotted mess. Once inside, she grabbed her clothes and rushed straight into the bathroom, turning on the showerhead, water pouring down over her.
Kushida Kikyou wanted to wash away the traces Shikime Natsu had left on her body, but it was already too late. No matter how much she tried to calm herself, her mind was already filled with nothing but Shikime Natsu.
Especially since Shikime Natsu had been her first. Kushida Kikyou had never imagined things would come to this.
Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was December fourteenth, the day the results of the End-of-Term Special Exam would be announced.
In the Class 1-A classroom, everyone wore fairly calm expressions. After all, they felt quite confident about the questions Class B had set for them.
And it was then that Mashima Tomonari pushed the door open, a smile on that usually stern face of his. Clearly, it was good news.
Everyone could already read the outcome from Mashima Tomonari's expression. He carried the results sheet to the podium, then let his gaze sweep over them all.
"For this End-of-Term Special Exam, all of you performed well and once again earned outstanding results, holding firm to your position as Class A. And no one was expelled because of it. Congratulations."
The moment Mashima Tomonari finished speaking, Yahiko Totsuka had already started cheering.
"Awesome, we won again! At this rate, do you think we'll graduate with a perfect winning record?"
"That should be pretty simple, right? After all, we've got our leader with us."
The students of Class A began chattering away, smiles all around. And with this End-of-Term Special Exam behind them, the break had finally arrived, something everyone was looking forward to.
And then there was Christmas Day, which quite a few of them were eagerly anticipating. After all, who was to say a little Christmas magic might not happen?
Shikime Natsu sat in his seat, that faint smile still on his face, then looked over at Kamuro Masumi seated beside him. The two exchanged a glance and smiled.
"I'm really looking forward to the Christmas coming up," Kamuro Masumi said with a smile at Shikime Natsu.
"Mm." Shikime Natsu gave a small nod.
"I'll give Natsu a Christmas present, so Natsu had better have mine ready too."
Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu with utter candor, smiling. When it came to Shikime Natsu, she no longer bothered with the whole tsundere act.
After all, if you love someone, you should show it openly and generously. The girls who were with Shikime Natsu now had all more or less confessed their love for him.
And of course there was an order to how that love was expressed. Whoever showed it first naturally got to taste the crab first.
"No problem at all. Look forward to it, Masumi," Shikime Natsu said with a smile.
Soon enough it was after school. Shikime Natsu had meant to just pack up and leave, but then he noticed a gaze on him, and the one it belonged to was Nishikawa Ryouko.
She was standing on the other side of the classroom, those pale golden eyes meeting his at just that moment.
Seeing Shikime Natsu look her way, Nishikawa Ryouko froze for a second, then hurriedly looked away, only to turn her gaze back again almost at once.
Then she parted her lips and began mouthing words.
Shikime Natsu made out what Nishikawa Ryouko was saying: don't leave after school, stay behind, she had something she wanted to tell him.
But no sooner had she finished than Nishikawa Ryouko walked out of the classroom along with the crowd, rather than waiting for the room to empty the way Shikime Natsu did.
"You're not leaving, Natsu?"
Kamuro Masumi's gaze fell on Shikime Natsu beside her. Shikime Natsu nodded, and Kamuro Masumi caught on well enough.
Someone had probably arranged to meet Shikime Natsu, and… it was likely someone not yet dating him, Kamuro Masumi mused with a faint stir of feeling.
Still, she packed up her things and left the classroom ahead of him. Once the last few students had gone, the whole Class A classroom finally fell quiet.
Shikime Natsu stood up and glanced around the classroom. It was empty, no one else in sight, at least not inside the room. Shikime Natsu activated X-ray sight and spotted Nishikawa Ryouko standing behind the wall beside the front door. After leaving with the crowd, this girl had sneakily circled back to hide behind the front-door wall.
What was she up to?
Was she planning to prank him?
The thought drew a quiet chuckle from Shikime Natsu.
This little devil really was hopeless yet loved to play.
Every single time she got thoroughly turned back, and yet she still refused to give up, always looking for a chance to win one back.
Right now she was probably thinking she'd hide behind the wall, wait until he lost his patience and walked out of the classroom, then suddenly leap out and give him a fright.
How childish, really. Still, Shikime Natsu didn't mind it, and the corner of his mouth curved into an arc. Since Nishikawa Ryouko wanted to play, then naturally he intended to play along with her.
With that, Shikime Natsu activated the Presence Erasure ability. Once it was on, there was no need to worry about making any sound at all.
Nishikawa Ryouko's spot had been by the front door the whole time. Did this girl really think he'd come out the front?
There was still the back door as an option.
Of course, Shikime Natsu understood why Nishikawa Ryouko had made that choice. First, her seat was close to the front door, and second, if she wanted to leave the teaching area, the front door was closer, the principle of nearest convenience.
Shikime Natsu walked out through the back door, then let his gaze fall on Nishikawa Ryouko, crouched behind that wall, waiting in secret. Right now she was hunched over, facing the exit. No need to guess, her expression was surely dead serious.
Shikime Natsu quickly came up behind Nishikawa Ryouko, then gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Yo, who are you lying in wait for, Nishikawa-san?"
____
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