After a brief moment of stunned silence, Kushida struggled to suppress the corners of her lips from curling up uncontrollably.
This guy actually remembered it that clearly?
That was completely unexpected—even she hadn't recalled it so precisely.
"Wow, has it really been that long?" Kushida feigned a troubled expression. "I thought it was just recently. Time really flies—before you know it, strangers become close."
Bragging.
She was blatantly bragging.
Karuizawa Kei shifted uncomfortably, pressing her hands against her knees.
She needed to strike back hard.
"So it was that early? How did you two meet back then?" Karuizawa asked in a light, airy tone.
She shouldn't reveal her aggression—the other girl was the official girlfriend, after all.
She had to be polite.
"We just ran into each other on the road and naturally got acquainted," Kushida replied with a smile.
"I think Mitoma-kun was the one who hit on me, right?"
No, it was you who approached me first.
Kaoru silently denied Kushida's words in his mind.
"Because Kushida-san was quite cute, I thought I'd try striking up a conversation. Plus, I didn't have any friends back then, so I wanted to make one."
Hearing this, Kushida's smile deepened.
Then, subtly, she released her grip on Kaoru's hand and instead lightly traced a few characters onto his palm.
Like a feather, it tickled faintly.
Kaoru calmly deciphered what she had written.
'There's a reward for you later.'
Kaoru lifted his gaze to her delicate face and caught a fleeting glimpse of alluring charm in her eyes—so mesmerizing that it left no room to ponder what exactly this "reward" entailed."
"No wonder you two have been getting along so well lately. Some in the class even suspect you might be dating." Karuizawa Kei tried to force a casual smile, but found her expression too stiff to manage it.
This won't do.
She's the official girlfriend—I have to be polite.
I'm still just the backup, not successful yet.
"N-no, it's nothing like that! I just hang out with Mitoma-kun occasionally. I don't have any plans to date right now." Kushida Kikyo feigned shyness but felt an intense satisfaction—finally washing away the irritation Sakayanagi Arisu had caused her days ago.
"Kushida-san, do you not have anyone you like yet?" Karuizawa pressed relentlessly.
She was determined to get an answer today.
"It's too early to talk about that. We're only first-years—maybe second year would be better." Kushida blinked innocently, though she secretly wanted to throw the question back at Kaoru.
"I don't think it's too early. If there's someone you care about, you should act fast—otherwise, someone else might snatch them up." As soon as she said it, Karuizawa realized she sounded too eager, but the words were already out.
"Hmm, I suppose so. But I think there's another possibility." Kushida lowered her voice.
"Maybe he already has me wrapped around his finger. Like, 'Well, since it's come to this, might as well go all the way.' It feels like he dragged me into this against my will."
Under the table, she lightly nudged Kaoru's leg—though the meaning behind the gesture was unclear.
Karuizawa fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "But what if someone tries to take him from you? You know how some guys always have girls swarming around them."
"Are you talking about Hirata-kun?" Kushida's tone carried a hint of implication.
"I don't really mind. Who wins in the end is still up in the air—but of course, I'd support you, Karuizawa-san. After all, you and Hirata-kun are a couple."
"Right. You just have to move fast." Karuizawa forced a smile.
No, this tone is terrible.
I can't embarrass Mitoma-kun in front of him.
But—but this feeling was awful.
This girl, this girl, this girl—she just got to him a little faster, that's all.
Just a little faster in getting to know Mitoma-kun.
"You're right about that. You and Hirata-kun got together in the first week of school." Kushida clicked her tongue.
"So quick—the class barely had time to react."
Karuizawa was barely holding it together.
The more Kushida brought up Hirata Yosuke, the worse she felt.
Because Kushida was clearly flaunting that she had known Kaoru's longer.
"We should probably head back." Kaoru finally found a chance to interject. "We've practiced enough for today. If we stay any later, it'll get dark."
While the two girls were talking, Katsuragi and Sudou had already begun disbanding their respective groups.
ANHS ended classes at 3:30 PM.
After over two hours of practice, the fading twilight signaled the time when the school buildings would soon close.
Even club activities were winding down, with students packing up to leave.
"Alright, see you tomorrow, Mitoma-kun." Kushida stood up effortlessly, having already slipped on her shoes.
Humming a tune, she practically pranced away—like a victorious cat, triumphant as a tiger.
Karuizawa bent down, hooked her fingers into her shoes, and slipped her petite feet inside with a graceful motion that was rather pleasing to the eye.
Kaoru thought the matter was about to conclude, but the next moment, the girl's voice suddenly cut through the silence.
"Is Kushida-san your girlfriend?"
Karuizawa Kei had never been good at overthinking things—the more she dwelled, the more irritated she became.
So she simply asked outright.
Besides, she felt she had the right to ask.
"While my relationship with her isn't exactly ordinary, she's not my girlfriend," Kaoru replied without hesitation, giving a straightforward answer.
Karuizawa scratched her head.
What did "not exactly ordinary" mean?
"So, what is your relationship with her?"
"At first, it was similar to yours."
"Huh?"
Initially, Karuizawa didn't understand his words, but then she suddenly recalled the scene on the cruise ship and immediately grasped his meaning.
"Th-that's unbelievable!"
Instinctively, she flushed with embarrassment before anger took over.
"You already had me, didn't you? Is it because her figure is just a tiny bit better than mine?"
No matter how he answered now, it would be the wrong path.
After a moment of thought, Kaoru spoke up.
"Aren't you going to ask who my girlfriend is?"
Karuizawa Kei froze, momentarily forgetting her anger.
Tentatively, she asked, "You're willing to tell me now?"
"Actually, whether it's Kushida-san, you, or my girlfriend, the initial circumstances were all similar." Kaoru paused briefly before continuing.
"I'm a lecherous person, and at the same time, a despicable one."
If the initial circumstances were similar, that meant Kaoru hadn't just coerced her alone—he had likely threatened others as well?
Karuizawa's heart pounded violently.
She had assumed Kaoru and his girlfriend had a good relationship, but now it seemed the girl might actually despise him.
No wonder they hadn't made their relationship public—was this the reason?
-----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator