Chapter 28 – Kato Jun Is Not Slow
"So strange... Can this be contagious too?"
Yui said quietly to herself.
Why did both Kasumigaoka-senpai and Kato have red rashes on their necks?
Could it be a contagious disease?
"I'm not going to catch it, am I?"
Yui was worried, so she gently touched her own smooth neck to check for any strange marks.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai, were you bitten by something too?"
If it really was contagious, it could be a huge problem.
Yui felt uneasy. She lowered her head and asked Utaha, who was sitting beside her, in a soft voice.
"What do you mean?"
Utaha was thinking about how to get more autographs from Jun.
"Oh, you mean this?"
It wasn't until then that she realized other people had seen her autograph on her neck.
"Umm..."
Yui looked at her with a curious expression.
"That's an autograph," he said.
Utaha replied with a little smile and a wink.
"A signature?"
Yui didn't understand how that red mark could be called an autograph.
It was an autograph, of course.
It was also a contract.
A contract that says she belongs to someone else...
To Utaha, it was a brand. It was a sign that she now belonged to someone.
"Kasumigaoka-senpai..."
For some reason, Yui suddenly felt a strong sense of chuunibyou coming from Utaha.
_ _ _
A few hours earlier.
"I want you to... sign me... with your mouth..."
Seeing the girl in front of him blush with embarrassment, Jun stopped suddenly, feeling shocked and confused.
"What?"
"Is that... not okay? Jun-kun, do you not like me?"
Utaha's face fell, and she looked like a kitten who had been left alone in the rain.
"It's not about whether you like it or not... We've only known each other for less than three days..."
Jun tried to calm himself, his mind now full of many thoughts.
But when he saw Utaha about to cry, he didn't put up a defense.
"I don't hate you... Actually, ever since I first saw you, I thought you were the kind of person I'm interested in. But... isn't this kind of thing usually done by couples? I hope you can think it through more carefully..."
Jun spoke until he was very thirsty. When Utaha started lowering her shoulder straps, that thirst spread throughout his body.
He didn't know where to put his hands.
She was too close.
They were so close that if he leaned forward just a little bit, their lips would touch.
Their shoulders were already touching, and it was impossible to stop.
"Really? You mean... Jun-kun fell in love with me at first sight?"
With her face very close to Jun's, Utaha asked in a quiet but hopeful voice.
Even though she acted boldly, she was still clearly embarrassed.
"Too—too close..."
Jun panicked. His face turned red, and he quickly looked away, but he did look at Utaha for a second.
"But I can't say I fell in love with it at first sight..."
As soon as he said those words, Utaha's face fell. A dark cloud seemed to hang above her head.
Jun quickly tried to fix his words.
"But... of course, Kasumigaoka-senpai—I mean, Utaha-senpai is very charming. So even if it's not love at first sight, I..."
"Really!?"
As the saying goes, a woman's mood can change as fast as the weather in June.
Note: This is a Chinese idiom describing how women's emotions or expressions can change rapidly and unpredictably, just like the weather in June—clear one moment, rainy the next, and clear again. It's not always a bad thing, but it usually refers to mood swings or sudden attitude changes. The text is as follows:
She was about to cry just moments ago, but now Utaha's face shone as brightly as spring skies.
"And besides, we've known each other for more than just three days. We've known each other for a long time online. So, I-I... want your autograph!"
Utaha was too shy to say what she felt.
Her mind was completely confused.
"But I..."
"If you don't want to, I'll tell Megumi that Onii-chan has been secretly writing for Publisher XX..."
"No! Don't tell her! I agree. I agree..."
At first, Jun wanted to say no to the girl's request. But...
She was too... tempting. It was too fragrant.
Her scent was stronger than Yukino's soft scent. Utaha's scent was attractive and captivating, awakening his senses.
"Do we really have to do this?"
Jun was surprised by the girl's request.
He didn't know how to refuse a request.
As his thoughts began to change, he wrapped his hands around the girl's shoulders without realizing it.
"Mmm..."
Utaha slowly pulled down her collar, showing a pale collarbone and a snow-white neck that almost glowed.
"Then... I'll start now…"
Jun lowered his head, shaking, trying to calm himself. "This is just an autograph," he thought. "This is just an autograph." He distracted himself from the nervousness and guilt that started to overwhelm him.
"No..."
He could feel the warmth of her skin.
Even though they weren't lovers. But what they were doing was clearly something couples would do.
Utaha instinctively hugged the back of Jun's head.
"Is that... enough?"
Jun almost melted into her warm embrace, but he fought hard to stay sane.
He wanted to let go of his arms.
"Not... not enough yet..."
But the girl just held him even closer, keeping his face pressed against her neck.
Jun-kun really is an honest guy, huh?
_ _ _
Jun was a man of integrity.
When they chatted online, he once confessed to Utaha.
He said that his ideal type was a girl with pale skin, who was pretty and had long legs and a big chest. He also said that he liked anime, so he wanted a girl who was also into anime.
Of course, that's also the kind of "honest" type most guys would admit to liking.
When she read that line, Utaha felt a ticklish sensation in her chest.
He's talking about me. He must be talking about me.
Without realizing it, her toes curled inside her black stockings. Utaha sat in front of her computer and quickly typed a reply.
"Can we meet in person?"
But why was Utaha interested in Jun in the first place?
Her editor kept suggesting another name when they were reviewing her books.
"What the heck. That harem author dares to be compared to me?"
Utaha felt annoyed, and maybe even insulted.
"Don't underestimate him. Nanako-sensei is our company's top star. Each of his books sells more than two million copies. You're clearly not as good as him. If your books don't do well, you might get a pay cut."
Machida Sonoko, her editor, didn't care about hurting the young author's feelings.
"I understand..."
Utaha started reading Jun's first novel. She felt dissatisfied, or maybe jealous.
She kept going until she had read all of them.
A week later, with puffy eyes and dark circles under her eyes, Utaha went to her editor's office.
"Machida-san! Please give me Nanako-sensei's personal contact!"
Even though she was scolded for acting like a "fangirl," Utaha still managed to get Jun's personal account.
"What's wrong, Jun-kun? You haven't been yourself lately."
Yukino was tidying the pile of straw they used as bedding inside the wooden shelter.
She noticed that Jun was much quieter than usual, and she finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"It's nothing..."
Jun quickly looked away, not wanting Yukino to see his face.
Hours had passed, but whenever he remembered that tenderness—and that intoxicating scent…
He remembered Utaha and her pale skin.
Ah...
Curiosity might be dangerous.
If only I hadn't looked that day…
Jun felt his heart beating very fast.
Thump. Thump.
He felt guilty and bitter.
"What really happened?"
Yukino started to feel more and more suspicious. She put down the straw and walked toward Jun.
"It's nothing, really... just... not important..."
Jun tried to explain while stammering, and unconsciously lifted his head.
From his position on the floor, he looked at Yukino's smooth chin. At some point, her lips had a subtle, glossy lipstick on them.
What would it feel like if my lips touched hers?
That wild thought suddenly appeared in his already chaotic mind.
To make matters worse, Jun unintentionally stared at Yukino's lips for too long because his thoughts were a mess.
"What's wrong with you?"
Yukino crouched down and stared at Jun straight in the eyes.
There were faint traces of what she had left on his neck the day before.
"Don't tell me you caught a cold too? Your face is bright red..."
Yukino placed the back of her hand on Jun's forehead to check his temperature.
"No, no! I'm not sick!"
Jun jumped back quickly, almost falling over a wooden stick behind him.
"Phew..."
After getting his balance back, Jun quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I was just thinking... what would Yukino's lips taste like?"
His honesty made Jun look at Yukino's lips again. Yukino's lips were soft and glistening.
Adolescence was a time of significant emotional upheaval and uncertainty, often marked by unconventional curiosities that could seem unreasonable.
It was just like when Jun's brain suddenly stopped working right.
"That's a pervert! Hentai! You damn perv!"
So all this time…
He had been thinking those kinds of things?
I was actually worried about him!
With her cheeks red, Yukino shouted insults and walked away.
_ _ _
The night went well, and Ginko's health slowly got better.
Though her body was still weak, everyone believed it wouldn't be long before she could leave the cave healthy and strong.
It's just like Utaha now.
"Go quickly and come back quickly."
Utaha carefully helped Jun put his clothes in order.
The boar hide chest guard felt surprisingly soft. Yukino made it very quickly.
The boar hide had now become a proper chest protector.
"Mm..."
Jun stood stiffly as Utaha touched him, and he looked at Yukino.
Yukino's gaze was cold, and it was clear to everyone that something was wrong.
"Good luck, Yukinon!"
Yui was also helping Yukino put on a chest guard.
Four pieces of boar hide. Two were used for chest armor, and the other two were sewn into simple backpacks.
"Good luck?"
Yukino was confused by what Yui said.
"Yukinon, listen..."
Yui quietly said something to Yukino.
Jun didn't understand what they were talking about. But one thing was certain...
After Yui finished speaking, Yukino looked at Utaha briefly, then at Jun with a cold stare.
Meanwhile, Megumi, who had been watching everyone, suddenly understood something.
Her eyes landed on Utaha's neck.
Onii-chan...
Megumi thought quietly to herself.
Does he really plan to do what he wrote in his novel? Should I also create a real-life harem?
Without saying a word, Megumi stepped behind her brother.
"Onii-chan, when you're in the forest, remember to pay attention to Yukinoshita-san's feelings..."
She offered some surprisingly reasonable advice.
"If needed, use a bit of force. Yukinoshita-san seems like the type who prefers that, right..."
"Megumi?! What are you saying?!"
Jun was very confused. How could his little sister say something like that?
And… since when did Yukino have a type or a fetish?
That's impossible. Yukino was clearly a Type S, wasn't she?
"Anyway... good luck, Onii-chan."
Megumi hugged her brother from behind.
"No matter what happens, make sure you come back soon."
Her voice was too soft. Jun didn't really understand what she said.
"It's fine. Kasumigaoka-senpai, Yui-chan, and I will take care of Gin-chan while you're gone, Onii-chan."
Megumi stopped her brother from asking any questions.
"Okay. Yukino and I will be back soon!"
Jun didn't think too much about it. With goodbyes from his friends, he walked into the forest with Yukino, which was still covered in a light fog.
_ _ _
"Yukino, slow down. Be careful, there might be snakes behind the bushes…"
Jun reached out to the girl who had been walking in front of him without saying anything.
"We should use a stick to check the bushes first... If we walk too fast, we could lose our way."
He swung a small knife, cutting two branches. After he removed the twigs and leaves, he offered one to Yukino.
"Use this. To clear the path."
"No need. I'll just walk behind you."
Yukino refused to take the stick. She walked more slowly and now walked behind Jun, looking even colder.
"Okay then..."
Jun realized that Yukino's mood was strange.
Is she angry?
In other words, he guessed correctly. Yukino should have feelings like that for him by now, since her affection level for him is 93.
Jun might have been slow, but he knew one thing: numbers never lie.
"Honestly, I'm not dating Kasumigaoka-senpai..."
"Hmph. "Senpai," huh? And you're already calling her that just a few days later?"
Yukino interrupted angrily, passing Jun with her shoulder.
"Keep walking. I'm not upset about something as trivial as... a cold-blooded reptile."
She says she's not angry, but now she's comparing me to a lizard?
Jun felt a headache coming on from Yukino's changing moods. But he had to keep going with them on their long journey.
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