Who am I? Where am I? What was I just about to do?
Blindsided by Hayashi Maki's sudden "attack," Nibutani Shinka let out a muffled "mmf, mmf" of confusion.
Her pale hands fluttered uselessly in the air with nowhere to go.
Then she finally snapped back, shoved him away, clapped a hand over her lips, and scrubbed hard.
"Y-you… what did you just do, you creep?!"
Shinka could hardly believe it—just now, flustered and completely off guard, she'd lost her first kiss.
Hayashi Maki only licked his lips and leaned in again.
Shinka's eyes flew wide—again?
She struggled hard, until Hayashi Maki briefly let her mouth go and murmured,
"If you want to struggle louder, go ahead—maybe you'll draw the other students over."
Shinka fell silent at once. She cared about her reputation; Hayashi Maki clearly didn't.
Which gave him the opening to continue.
If he could keep going—why not?
With that, he leaned in again without another word.
Shinka went numb, her pretty face burning scarlet.
Again and again?!
Good grief—how could someone be this relentless about kissing a girl?
Staring at Hayashi Maki's handsome face, her slender body went weak all at once.
When a good-looking guy forces a kiss, people call it "domineering CEO"—it can hit a girl hard, even spark feelings.
If he were ugly, she'd only feel grossed out and call the police afterward.
But Hayashi Maki, with a face as handsome as any reader's ideal, a wicked smile, and a hot, predatory gaze, shattered Shinka's maidenly defenses in an instant.
She stopped resisting.
Her small hands clutched his lapels, and she closed her eyes.
Seeing that, Hayashi Maki didn't hold back. He slid an arm around her slender waist and pulled her fully into his arms.
Her sweet scent and soft warmth were intoxicating, setting his blood racing.
Nibutani Shinka tasted very sweet.
After a while, Hayashi Maki reluctantly let her lips go.
Watching her panting, cheeks deeply flushed, he let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.
"You okay, Mori-sama?"
"Mm—don't call me that! I've already graduated from my chūnibyō phase, okay?"
She shot him a fierce glare. It was one thing to kiss her; bringing up her black history to needle her was just mean.
Hayashi Maki chuckled and dropped the teasing. He lifted a hand to wipe her lips and said evenly, "Class is about to start. Let's head back."
But Shinka grabbed him.
"Hold it right there, you perv!"
"After doing that to me, you're not going to say anything?"
Fair point. Hayashi Maki straightened up and said solemnly, "I'm sorry, Nibutani-san. You looked so cute I couldn't help myself. Please forgive me."
"Huh? That's your apology? 'You were cute so I acted'? Shiina-san's even cuter than me—funny how I don't see you acting on her."
"Correction: I already did."
"Huh? Y-you—you… scumbag!" Shinka sputtered, then could only spit out, "scumbag!"
"Ugh, that apology had zero sincerity! That was my first kiss—my first!"
Her eyes moistened; she truly was hurt and upset.
Hayashi Maki stroked her hair and said gently, "Hey, don't cry. It was my first kiss too."
"Who are you fooling? You just admitted you 'acted' on Shiina-san—how could you still have a first kiss? Yeah, right."
Her chest heaved with anger, looking even fuller than before.
How could he say something so ridiculous?
With technique like that, he dared call it a first kiss?
Unfazed, Hayashi Maki said earnestly, "It was our first kiss together, wasn't it? Doesn't that make it my first with you?"
"That's not what I meant—don't twist it!"
"My first kiss and your first kiss are not the same thing!"
Shinka stamped her foot, fists clenched, itching to slug him—then thought better of it and settled for a murderous glare.
Facing a teary, seething Shinka, Hayashi Maki leaned down and stole another quick kiss.
"Ah—again? What is wrong with you? What do you take me for?"
She backed up two steps, clutching her lips, almost in tears.
All she wanted was an apology, a little comfort—was that so hard?
Apparently not—because Hayashi Maki hugged her again and gently stroked her hair.
"Come on, don't be mad. Being angry won't bring your first kiss back. And class really is about to start. Also, Nibutani-san—you don't want the whole school knowing about your Mori Summer phase, do you?"
Whatever comfort she'd felt vanished; she stared at him, eyes wide.
A threat—an outright threat!
"Wh-what do you want?" she ground out, glaring like she could kill him a thousand times over.
Just as she braced herself to accept some outrageous demand, Hayashi Maki let her go.
"Simple. Just stay in my club, and I'll keep your secret."
"That's it?"
She could hardly believe it. After kissing her like that, he wasn't going to push for anything worse or sleazier?
"If that sounds easy, I'll add one more condition—one kiss a day. How about it?"
"Nope! Pretend I didn't hear that. Class time—let's go!"
Shinka blurted it out and bolted, afraid he'd catch up and keep kissing her.
She'd never even dated—how was she supposed to face a guy like Hayashi Maki?
Mind in a jumble, she felt she needed to cool down.
Watching her flee, Hayashi Maki just shrugged, unconcerned. He'd enjoyed himself, after all.
Thanks for the treat, Mori Summer-sama.
Back in the classroom, Shinka flopped onto her desk, looking dejected.
Her heart was in knots; she had no idea how to face Hayashi Maki.
And it sounded like he'd already made a move on Shiina Mahiru, too?
Scumbag!
He already had Shiina-san and still had designs on her?
Thinking about the leverage he held on her, Shinka let out a quiet wail. Her future felt pitch-black.
She couldn't help sketching a magic circle on paper, writing Hayashi Maki's name inside, and chanting under her breath:
"Let him forget! Make him forget everything by tomorrow!"
But "Mori-sama's" curse-kill was doomed to fail; she was an ordinary person with no magical power. "Mori Summer" was just a persona she'd made up during her chūnibyō days.
Compared to Shinka's turmoil, Hayashi Maki felt light as air, a smile tugging at his lips. He'd managed to kiss Nibutani Shinka today. Even if he'd forced it, she hadn't exactly resisted afterward.
So the odds of continuing—and doing it again—looked high.
With some things, the line between once and countless times is razor-thin.