Perhaps Jhin had run into Otaku-Riri, another tsundere with blonde twintails, while on his date with Komine Sachi. So, this time, it was Michiru Matsushima's turn to receive his date invitation.
"D-don't misunderstand! It's not like this young lady wants to date you. It's just... NyanMelu wants to see you," Michiru Matsushima said, maintaining her usual tsundere persona.
"Got it. Then let's bring NyanMelu along for our date tomorrow."
"I already told you," Michiru Matsushima emphasized, drawing out her words. "This isn't a date, it's just..."
"Then I'll just take NyanMelu out tomorrow."
Jhin's simple provocation made Michiru Matsushima take the bait immediately. "Why shouldn't you bring me? Are you planning to tell people that NyanMelu is your girlfriend?"
The girls at Mihama Academy already knew about the incident at the mall where Jhin had declared Komine Sachi was his girlfriend. Now, every one of them had started calling themselves his girlfriend.
"So, is there anywhere you want to go tomorrow?"
"Umm..." Michiru Matsushima immediately deflated, her eyebrows knitting together in distress.
Jhin made the decision for her, as she couldn't think of a place: "Alright, I'll come pick you and NyanMelu up from school tomorrow."
...
"Meow~" The little black cat now sported a coat of soft, shiny fur. It wore a collar with a small brass bell that made a crisp "ding-a-ling" sound.
NyanMelu circled Jhin's feet, rubbing against him as if to specifically welcome him.
"NyanMelu, how have you been lately?"
Jhin bent down and scooped NyanMelu into his arms. Ever since he brought it back to the dorm, the cat had been very clingy to him, seeming to know that it was thanks to him that it was adopted by Michiru Matsushima.
The Cat's Gratitude.
Those words suddenly popped into Jhin's mind. He glanced at NyanMelu in his arms, who was staring curiously with wide eyes at this tall, two-legged beast of a person, and he shook the strange thought from his head.
He wiggled his finger gently in front of NyanMelu. Its head immediately followed his movement, swaying left and right. It reached out a small paw with pink pads, cautiously prodding at the object before it.
"S-sorry! Am I late?" Michiru Matsushima ran up to the school gate, panting heavily. She leaned one hand on the orange-tiled wall, the other clutching her heaving chest, as if she had just run a 10,000-meter marathon.
Of course, Jhin wouldn't say anything to spoil the mood at a time like this. "No, I just started playing with NyanMelu when you arrived."
Michiru Matsushima had surprisingly changed into a pure white sundress today. She had even taken off the pink shark fanny pack she usually loved to wear. However, the aqua-colored fabric hair tie was still on her left wrist, as always.
[Why are you still wearing that hair tie? It doesn't match this outfit at all.]
Her other personality complained in her mind. Ever since Michiru Matsushima had reconciled with herself, the two of them could converse like this.
"Michiru, that dress really suits you today."
[See? Even Jhin said it suits me.]
[He might just be saying that to be polite.]
Jhin saw Michiru Matsushima's face suddenly puff up like a pufferfish and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
[Alright, I won't argue with you. Just enjoy the date.]
[Weren't you the one who started it?]
"Then let's take NyanMelu for a walk in the park. The temperature isn't too high today, anyway."
"Okay."
"Meow~" NyanMelu leaped nimbly from Jhin's arms onto Michiru Matsushima's shoulder. Fortunately, even after being adopted, NyanMelu had maintained its petite figure and hadn't eaten itself into a piglet like a typical orange tabby.
Jhin proactively offered his hand. This time, Michiru Matsushima wasn't stubbornly tsundere. Her other personality had drilled this into her countless times before the date.
[No matter how much someone likes a tsundere, they still want to see her 'dere' (endearing) side, not just the 'tsun' (standoffish) side forever.]
It was as if the sun knew Michiru Matsushima had a date today and intentionally held back its heat. The clouds also joined in silent support of the date, finding ways to cast cool patches of shade on the ground.
Jhin led Michiru Matsushima to a park bench under the shade of a tree and sat down. NyanMelu started playing around them, entertaining itself.
There weren't many people in the park at this moment. A gentle breeze added a hint of coolness. The leaves rustled with a lullaby-like "shh-shh" sound. A summer cicada, hiding in some unknown tree, chirped loudly to announce its presence, perhaps hoping to attract a mate to spend the night with.
Michiru Matsushima pulled her small hand out of Jhin's.
He had held it firmly the entire walk, making her both excited and nervous. Her palm had gotten sweaty, and she wanted to wipe it dry, but when she reached for her waist, she remembered she hadn't brought her fanny pack.
[That's why I said you should bring the fanny pack!]
[True, I didn't think of that.]
Jhin noticed her small movement, took a tissue from his pocket, and took her hand to wipe it for her.
The soft paper, carrying the warmth of Jhin's fingertips, brushed across Michiru Matsushima's sensitive palm. It tickled a little, and she couldn't help but curl her fingers slightly.
Jhin carefully wiped it clean for her and tossed the tissue into a nearby trash can.
Michiru Matsushima tapped her lips with a fingertip. "Jhin, do you guys always carry tissues in your pockets?"
Jhin didn't know the answer either. He just felt that carrying a couple of tissues could prevent all sorts of unexpected situations.
"Maybe it's because guys don't carry bags like you girls do when we go out."
"I see."
[What on earth are you talking about? You completely ruined the atmosphere!]
[I-I can't help it! When he does things like that, I get too shy to speak! If you can do better, you do it!]
[Fine, I will! Just watch.]
Michiru Matsushima momentarily forgot that when her other personality said she'd "do it," she really meant it.
She blinked, her pupils turning emerald green.
Michiru Matsushima proactively rested her head on Jhin's shoulder. Her golden pigtails draped across his chest like tassels.
The perfume she had specially put on for today also drifted to Jhin's nose with the movement.
"I didn't realize you prepared so thoroughly, even using perfume."
Hearing this, Michiru Matsushima lifted her head.
Her slender, jade-like finger poked Jhin's cheek. At first, it was just one finger, but then her whole palm pressed against his face, rubbing it playfully.
"I went through all this trouble to dress up... isn't it all just to date you?"
Jhin caught her mischievous little hand. "So, what kind of reward do you want?"
Michiru Matsushima's soft, jade-like arms wrapped around Jhin's neck. The scent of the girl's perfume washed over him.
Now, Jhin could clearly see Michiru Matsushima's emerald-green pupils, and he couldn't help but find it amusing.
No wonder Michiru suddenly became so bold and direct, he thought. The substitute player has logged on.
Michiru Matsushima winked her right eye. "Are you disappointed?"
"No. As far as I'm concerned, you are both Michiru."
"A 'Full-Marks' answer." Michiru Matsushima's lips curved into a beautiful smile.
Even though this wasn't her first time kissing Jhin, looking at him like this, as his girlfriend, made her heart pound nervously.
Her limbs seemed to disobey her, as if they couldn't receive the signals from her brain, failing to act as she intended.
[Hey, why are you just hugging his neck? Kiss him already!]
[Easier said than done! You do it!]
"Ah..."
Michiru Matsushima's substitute player went offline instantly. Facing Jhin, who was right in front of her, her lips trembled slightly, and she subconsciously licked her dry lips.
Jhin was instantly ignited by her small action. He forcefully charged her "gates," prying them open with his tongue and then raiding and conquering the territory within.
Michiru Matsushima was kissed so hard her twintails stood up straight, as if electrocuted. This was the first time she had kissed Jhin while fully conscious, and the first time she had felt a boy's passionate initiative.
The cicadas in the trees were still just as noisy, unlike the two under the shade who had already found their mutual affection.
NyanMelu tilted its head at their feet, watching with curiosity as they "gnawed" on each other, and really wanted to imitate them.
Unfortunately, there were no other cats in sight, so it gave up, sat down, and began licking its own glossy fur, which it groomed meticulously every day.
Both of Michiru Matsushima's personalities had gotten a taste of it and began to compete. Jhin watched the girl's pupils switch between emerald green and blue, almost making him dizzy.
[I've already kissed Jhin for 5 minutes!]
[I kissed him for six minutes!]
[I can keep going!]
[Who's afraid of who!]
Michiru Matsushima lifted her springy thighs, clad in black over-the-knee socks, and straddled Jhin's lap. Her eyes flashed with a mix of shyness and stubbornness. Despite her dry mouth, she held Jhin's head and kissed him firmly.
Don't turn this into a competition!
Jhin, sporting swollen red lips, led Michiru Matsushima—who didn't dare look up at him, staring intently at her toes, her head steaming like a locomotive and threatening to crash into a lamppost at any moment—and NyanMelu out of the park.
Three hours! Three whole hours! If there hadn't been a vending machine nearby, I probably would have died of thirst in that park.
...
Not far away, a cheerful girl with red hair stared blankly at the receding figures of the hand-in-hand couple.
That person looks like Jhin, doesn't he? Why is he holding hands with a blonde girl in the park?
"Kita? Kita? What's wrong?"
Her friend's concerned words brought Kita Ikuyo back to her senses. She quickly offered a sweet smile. "It's nothing, I just thought I saw someone I knew."
"Kita is so cheerful and has so many friends, it's normal to run into them."
"Yeah. Should we go get parfaits later? I want to try that new shop that just opened."
"Ehh~ But I was planning to go on a diet."
What I saw just now... that was Jhin, right?
Because her friend was already pulling her away, Kita Ikuyo couldn't very well chase after them to see if it was really Jhin. She could only temporarily push the doubt to the back of her mind.
___
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