"Let go of my hand," Yamaguchi said coldly, his eyes narrowing into a glare as he locked gazes with Kouhei.
"Just promise me you won't hurt anyone, senpai," Kouhei replied, voice calm but laced with a subtle intensity. His hand tightened around Yamaguchi's wrist.
Yamaguchi's breath caught. The pressure on his wrist wasn't just firm—it was crushing. It felt like his bones were being compressed in a mechanical vice, cold and merciless. His knees almost buckled under the growing pain.
"O-Ow…! Ow! Let go of me! I won't do it! I said I wouldn't! I promise!" Yamaguchi yelped in a panicked rush, his voice cracking as he struggled against Kouhei's unrelenting grip.
Kouhei let go in an instant. Yamaguchi, having been pulling with all his strength to free himself, lost balance the moment the grip vanished. His body stumbled backward, and he landed hard on his rear with a humiliating thud that echoed across the empty space.
Clenching his teeth in frustration, Yamaguchi scrambled to his feet and bolted away like a startled animal.
"What the hell is with that guy…!? Seriously!" he hissed, disappearing into the distance.
There was something unshakable about him. That strength, those reflexes—the way he moved, the way he reacted—it all defied normality. No human moved like that. It was terrifying.
For the first time, Yamaguchi had been afraid.
For a moment, silence lingered.
But Kouhei remained motionless, his eyes still locked on the direction Yamaguchi had fled.
"T-Thank you, senpai… for protecting me," Yui said shyly, stepping forward. Her voice was soft, almost fragile, tinged with bashful sincerity.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have done what you did, Himeno-san," Kouhei responded, his voice cool but not without empathy.
He understood. He truly did. The desperation, the fear, the desire to break free from Yamaguchi's grip on her life—it all made sense. But even so, what she did wasn't right. To steal a kiss just to prove a point... To use Kouhei as a tool in that moment—it crossed a line. If she had just told him what was going on, he would have stepped up. He wouldn't have hesitated to protect her from Yamaguchi.
"I'm sorry, senpai… I shouldn't have done that, should I?" she murmured, bowing her head. Her hair fell over her face, but then she looked up—those wide, glistening eyes staring straight at him. "But I didn't know what else to do. I was scared. I don't even know if Yamaguchi-senpai would've backed off if I hadn't done what I did."
Kouhei stayed silent. Her words weren't wrong. Even with this incident, there was no guarantee Yamaguchi wouldn't return. There was no guarantee he wouldn't come back worse. The threat still loomed.
"But I couldn't help myself, can you blame me?" she whispered. "I like you, senpai. And when you like someone, kissing the one they like feels… natural, right? That's why I did it."
"I-Is that a confession?" Kouhei asked hesitantly. But honestly, the way she said it—how could it be anything but?
"Well… I don't know. Maybe it is. Maybe not. Who knows?" Yui teased with a sly smile, her tone playful yet mysterious. "But what I will say is… I like you, senpai~. Whether or not you take that as a confession of love is entirely up to you." She ended her sentence with a soft wink that lingered just long enough to stir something in his chest.
She was saying it without saying it. She liked him, but love? That was still uncertain. And she was right. There's a clear difference between liking someone and loving them.
"Now then, senpai…" she added, her voice light as the breeze. "I hope you'll start paying attention to me from now on."
With those words, she turned and walked away. Her silhouette shimmered under the afternoon light as she waved a single hand in farewell. It was like she had dismissed him, like his role in this scene had ended.
"…I wonder what's up with her…?" Kouhei muttered to himself, his brows furrowed.
There was something about her—something elusive, something off. He couldn't put it into words, but the feeling clawed at his mind.
"I wonder that as well," said a soft voice beside him.
Kouhei flinched. He hadn't noticed anyone approach. He turned his head slowly.
"I-Ichinose-san…?" he stammered, startled but quickly smoothing over his expression. "W-Why are you here?"
"Nothing, really. I was just wondering why Himeno-san brought you here, that's all," Hiyori said, her voice calm but laced with quiet curiosity. "I didn't expect you and her to suddenly kiss like that. It surprised me."
"Y-You saw that…?" Kouhei asked, his voice tightening as the color drained slightly from his face.
He couldn't believe those words had left her lips. The kiss—brief and also unexpected—had been witnessed. And even if he tried to claim it had been one-sided, initiated solely by Yui without his consent, it wouldn't change the truth. A kiss had happened. And Hiyori had seen everything.
"It seems you didn't mind it either," Hiyori continued, her gaze narrowing with subtle accusation. "After all, you're still so composed. I would've expected some kind of reaction if it had truly shocked you."
"I-Is that so…?" Kouhei stammered, a bead of cold sweat forming at his temple. She wasn't wrong. Despite being suddenly kissed, he hadn't reacted much. He remained calm—too calm.
In his past, back when he was still a reclusive loner, something like that would've paralyzed him. He would've broken into a nervous wreck, possibly gasped or yelped, unable to process it. But now… he hadn't even flinched.
There was a reason behind that. A simple truth. He had already kissed several women. His experiences had dulled the panic and chaos such intimacy once triggered. It had trained him, as well as built up a resistance. That was likely why he could stand still, collected—even after something so bold.
"Well… I wouldn't say I'm completely calm," Kouhei admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Even if I'm not showing it on my face… the fact that I was kissed is still there. My heart's beating really fast."
"Is that so…?" Hiyori echoed, her lips curling into a faint, curious smile. "So just a kiss is enough to set your heart racing, huh?"
A kiss—it was natural for a boy without much experience to have that kind of reaction. Or so she assumed. She figured Kouhei to be somewhat naïve when it came to matters .
"Then…" she said, her voice softening into a breathy murmur, "if you were to see something more… let's say, stimulating… would that be enough to make you forget Himeno-san's kiss entirely? Would it make your heart beat even faster?"
Kouhei tilted his head, perplexed. He had no idea where she was going with this.
"Well… yes, I suppose," he replied, his tone unsure but honest.
"Then…" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, cheeks blooming with red, "would this be enough for you…?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hiyori's fingers hesitantly found the hem of her skirt. And then—slowly, deliberately—she lifted it.
Kouhei's eyes widened in disbelief. For a second, his mind blanked.
What he saw wasn't skin, but the dark material of her tights—thick, high-denier, opaque. They revealed nothing directly. And yet… the outline of her crotch pressed faintly against the fabric, shaping the unseen beneath.
It wasn't nudity, not really. But it felt like it.
His breath caught in his throat.
And then—he abruptly turned his head away, heat rushing to his ears.
"W-What are you doing, Ichinose-san? Please… put that down," he said quickly, his voice sharp with urgency.
Startled by his reaction, Hiyori lowered her skirt at once, her heart hammering. The shame struck her hard and sudden. What had she just done? Had she really just lifted her skirt and shown him something like that?
Even if the tights concealed everything, it felt as though she had exposed herself entirely.
What the hell is wrong with me…? she thought. Am I really some kind of slut? A bitch?
She opened her mouth to apologize—only to stop.
He was blushing. Fiercely.
His ears glowed red, and a soft tremble lingered in his shoulders.
For a moment, something bloomed inside her—a strange warmth, soft and giddy. It wasn't shame anymore. It was joy. Embarrassing, yes… but deeply satisfying.
A smile touched her lips as she looked at him and said, in a teasing yet gentle tone, "It's okay to look now."
"Yes. I'm sorry for surprising you like that," she replied softly. "But… fufufu, you're blushing so hard, Okumura-kun."
"O-Of course I would be," Kouhei muttered, trying—and failing—to sound composed.
Hiyori's teasing giggle echoed softly, almost musical, as she watched Kouhei squirm in his own flustered silence. There was a spark in her eyes now—subtle, yet unmistakably playful—as if she had discovered something precious… something thrilling.
She had never done anything like that before.
And yet, she didn't regret it.
Not when Kouhei was looking that adorably rattled.
"You know," she murmured, stepping just a little closer, her voice barely above a whisper, "I didn't mean to do something that shameless. It's just… when I saw you getting kissed by Himeno-san, something inside me felt—tight."
Kouhei glanced at her, confused. "Tight?"
"Yes. Like I couldn't breathe. Like something was squeezing my chest. I thought I was angry at first, but… it wasn't that. I was… jealous, I think."
Kouhei blinked. Jealous?