"B-b-bug... bug..."
Feeling something land on top of her head, Kaguya immediately panicked.
"Don't move." Natsuki quickly called out. "It's just a little ladybug."
They'd already persisted this long. With victory in sight, moving now would definitely waste all their previous efforts, and they'd have to start over again.
Natsuki absolutely did not want to do this again.
The feeling of sore eyes was really unpleasant.
"A ladybug is still a bug."
Kaguya bit down on her teeth, her body tensing.
"It's just a harmless little ladybug. What bad intentions could it possibly have?" Natsuki tried to reason with her. "It won't bite, and it's not poisonous. Shinomiya-san, please don't mind it."
"How could I possibly not mind?!" Hearing this, Kaguya wanted to hit him. She couldn't help clenching her fists. "Having a bug crawling around in my hair feels absolutely terrible."
Kaguya really didn't dare move right now.
The task was almost complete, and her eyes were approaching their limit. If she moved carelessly, she'd probably blink involuntarily.
However... the feeling of a bug crawling through her hair was absolutely terrible. Every second was torture.
"You can still move your hands, right?"
Kaguya suddenly asked.
"Yes." Natsuki nodded.
"...Help me get rid of the bug."
Kaguya bit down hard on her lower lip. If she could have endured it, she would never have asked anyone for help.
"No problem."
Natsuki agreed. While maintaining eye contact, he leaned his body slightly forward and extended his right hand, gently placing it on top of Kaguya's head. The sensation of her smooth, silky hair traveled from his fingertips to his mind. The texture was excellent.
The little ladybug sensed danger approaching and began to scurry about faster.
Not daring to make any large movements, Natsuki used his peripheral vision to track the ladybug's movements. Finally, just before reaching his limit, he caught the bug.
"Phew..."
Kaguya quietly let out a breath of relief.
Natsuki also felt relieved. With his right hand still resting on the ice sculpture girl's head, he unconsciously gave her a pat.
"..."
The air suddenly went quiet.
Kaguya's eyes widened slightly. First a flash of confusion appeared in her irises, followed by disbelief.
I asked you to help catch a bug, and you took the opportunity to pat my head?
How dare you!
But... his palm is so warm.
Is this what a boy's hand feels like?
When I pat my own head, I never feel this kind of warmth...
Thump thump thump.
Her heart began beating faster in her chest. Kaguya could clearly hear her own rapid heartbeat.
Strange.
Why is my heart beating faster?
I can't understand it.
I can't figure it out.
The only thing she could confirm was that she didn't seem to dislike this feeling.
Clatter.
The door was suddenly pushed open.
Natsuki thought it was Chika, but the next moment, an unfamiliar cry of surprise rang through the classroom.
"Eh eh eh?"
"Amamiya-kun, and Shinomiya-san?!"
"Y-you two are actually..."
It wasn't that idiot Chika.
The tense Kaguya was suddenly startled and whipped her head around.
Coming through the front door was a female classmate. Seeing Natsuki and Kaguya sitting across from each other—and in that doting pose with his hand on her head—the girl pressed her back against the door, covering her mouth in disbelief.
"Stare—"
Kaguya's gaze was sharp, like a falcon soaring through the sky, locking onto a rabbit on the ground.
"S-sorry!" The short-haired girl began trembling in fright. Tears welling up, she crouched down with her head in her hands. "I didn't know Amamiya-kun and Shinomiya-san were on a date. I'm terribly sorry for barging in suddenly. Please don't kill me!"
It's not like we have any unspeakable secrets. How could we possibly kill you?!
"Relax, we won't go that far."
Natsuki closed his eyes and began massaging his sore, aching eyes.
Ten minutes without blinking sounded simple, but it was actually quite difficult.
"Kashiwagi-san, is there something you need?"
Kaguya crossed her arms, her tone icy.
The task had been interrupted at the very last moment. All their efforts had gone down the drain. She was not happy.
"I'm sorry." The short-haired girl trembled, her voice timid. "I forgot my keys in the classroom. I came back to get them... Sorry for the intrusion. I'll leave right away."
"Stop."
Kaguya's cool voice rang through the classroom.
The girl who'd been about to flee trembled. She turned back pitifully, so frightened that mist filled her eyes.
"The classroom is a public space." Kaguya gently pressed her brow and closed her eyes. "Get your keys before you leave."
"Thank you, Shinomiya-san."
The short-haired girl's eyes lit up. She jogged to her seat, retrieved her keys, and clutched them to her chest. Her tone was resolute: "Please rest assured. I will absolutely keep the matter of Shinomiya-san and Amamiya-kun dating a secret. I promise not to tell anyone."
"Wait, when did I start dating Shinomiya-san?" Natsuki couldn't help opening his eyes. "Don't make things up."
It was just a task. It had nothing to do with dating.
Kaguya crossed her arms. "We are not dating."
The short-haired girl blinked, a gossipy "you can't fool me" expression on her face. "But Amamiya-kun was clearly patting Shinomiya-san's head just now."
So what if I patted her head?
If patting someone's head means you're dating, then if you patted someone's foot, would you have to marry them?!
"You saw wrong." Natsuki said firmly.
"Huh?" The short-haired girl was taken aback. She reflexively argued, "I saw it clearly just now. You were..."
Kaguya's tone was eerie: "You did indeed see wrong."
"S-sorry!"
The short-haired girl turned and fled in panic.
Both of them are so scary.
The classroom fell quiet again.
"This is the culprit." Natsuki showed the ladybug in his hand, then tossed it out the window. "The task wasn't completed, was it?"
"No."
"We have to do it again." Natsuki sighed. "The classroom is a bit risky. School just let out not long ago. More classmates might come back."
Kaguya's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She hadn't joined any clubs, so she had no activity room to use. Right now, she had nowhere to go.
As expected, she really did need to run for student council.
Once they had an office, she could close the door and never worry about being disturbed again.
"Let's rest for a bit first." Kaguya's voice was cool and composed. The blush on her face gradually faded. "We'll talk again in half an hour."
Natsuki nodded. He took a book from his bag and began reading attentively.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
The school gradually quieted down. It had been a while since any footsteps were heard in the hallway.
"Try again?" Natsuki asked.
"Yes."
Kaguya raised her eyes to look at him.
The first time their gazes met, there had inevitably been some nervousness. The second time was much better. Now on the third attempt, Natsuki was completely relaxed.
Gazing at the ice sculpture girl's beautiful ruby-like eyes, Natsuki felt at ease and simply admired them.
Their eyes met.
Once again, a blush quietly rose on the girl's snow-white skin.
This time, there were finally no accidents. The task was successfully completed.
"My eyes hurt so much." Natsuki let out a long breath of relief and stood to leave. "Shinomiya-san, see you tomorrow. I'm going home."
"...See you tomorrow."
As Natsuki left, a blonde girl with a side ponytail suddenly slipped in through the door. Her movements were silent and mysterious. She had a lollipop in her mouth.
"Milady, it's time to go."
Kaguya rubbed her brow and opened her eyes. Her tone was cool and detached: "Where's the information I asked you to investigate?"
"Mm, here it is."
The blonde side-ponytail girl took a file from her bag.
Kaguya's gaze drifted down to the file. Right in the center was a photo of Natsuki Amamiya.
Age.
Birthday.
Home address.
Parents' identities.
Schools attended...
"He also has a childhood friend?"
Kaguya's gaze sharpened slightly, her delicate brows rising.
"It's Miko Yotsuya from my class." The blonde girl with the lollipop explained. "She's Amamiya-kun's neighbor. They attended middle school together. They seem quite close. They might start officially dating any day now."
"..."
Seeing Kaguya frown without speaking, the blonde girl took two books from her bag. While still sucking on her lollipop, she said:
"While investigating, I happened to pick up a book at the bookstore. Milady might want to take a look."
"What book?"
Kaguya looked over curiously. Her eyes widened slightly. Written on the cover was...
"The Loyal Dog Boyfriend Training Manual"