The side hallway was quiet. Aika still pulled him naturally by the wrist, as if there was nothing odd about it. The sun hit the building's side, making the air smell of dry concrete, mixed with old paint and damp leaves in the corners of the sidewalks.
Yuta kept his body relaxed, but his mind was running at a different pace.
Yuta POV
'She's too close… and holding too tight.'
Her hand gripped his wrist like it was normal. Like they were close.
'Before, this body was ignored. Invisible. She never would've done this. No one came near.'
I glanced at her nape as we walked. Her hair tied up messily, her shoulders exposed by the slightly loose uniform. The way she laughed earlier, in the courtyard, like she was teasing me on purpose…
'And now this.'
The System hadn't said anything since the mission alert. But something nagged at the back of my mind.
'Why did she come talk to me on the first day? Why now, if she never even looked at this body before?'
The answer flashed like a screen in my head.
[Host's automatic protection deactivated. Social isolation level: Nullified. Aika Kiriyuu's approach triggered by specific impulse.]
I furrowed my brow, staring at the ground for a moment.
'Specific impulse…?'
A new notification appeared.
[Impulse Classified: Physical attraction based on nonverbal anatomical reading – Aika Kiriyuu type.]
I froze.
'She only came close because… she saw something?'
My face darkened without me realizing.
'Great. The famous "physiological curiosity." So if it wasn't for that, I'd still be invisible. She wouldn't have noticed me.'
The System didn't respond. It didn't need to.
Before I could dwell further, a faint chill ran down my neck.
I glanced sideways, without turning my head.
The reflection in the glass wall at the school's entrance showed it. A boy. Half-hidden in the shadows. Trying to look casual, but clearly following us.
Ryo Mizuhara.
'You again.'
Aika turned her head quickly, smiling over her shoulder.
"Quiet now? Not enjoying our little hand-in-hand stroll?"
She swung his wrist lightly.
I forced a minimal smile, still watching the reflection.
'You shouldn't be here, Ryo. But good thing you are.'
End Yuta POV
___
Aika was still laughing when she looked back again, ready to toss another tease.
But Yuta pulled her with gentle firmness.
She stumbled slightly forward, her eyes widening in surprise.
Before she could say anything, he steadied her by the waist with one hand, the other resting on her nape.
And kissed her.
Directly.
No hesitation.
Aika froze for two seconds. Then her fingers spread over Yuta's chest—not to push, but as if trying to grasp what was happening.
The world seemed to vanish for a moment.
No sound. No teasing. No thoughts.
Just the kiss.
Long enough to feel real, short enough not to seem like a mistake.
When Yuta pulled back, Aika's eyes were still half-closed. Her breathing slightly uneven.
Silence settled between them.
Aika leaned against the nearest wall, trying to regain her balance.
"Are you crazy?"
Yuta ran a hand through his hair, his face calm.
"You shouldn't tease if you don't want to be kissed."
Aika blinked slowly, still dazed, but she didn't seem offended.
Surprised, yes.
Offended, no.
"Don't you have a thing with Megumi?"
Yuta tilted his head slightly.
"You're the one who said you're not jealous."
Aika took a second before letting out a low laugh.
"You're trouble. Dangerous trouble."
Her eyes were still a bit hazy, but the smile returned to her lips.
This time without irony.
Just amusement.
"Let's go. Before I do something dumber."
Yuta nodded.
As they moved away from the wall and resumed their path, he cast one last glance at the side hallway.
Ryo Mizuhara was gone.
He'd left.
But that changed nothing.
It was just the beginning.
____
The classroom seemed like any other at the end of a typical break.
Ceiling fans spun with a soft hum, blending with the distant sound of a ball bouncing in the sports courtyard. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor.
The teacher lectured, students pretended to take notes, and the class followed its usual course—at least on the surface.
In the third row, leaning against her desk with a distant expression, Aika Kiriyuu twirled her pen between her fingers. Her gaze passed over the blackboard without registering anything. She bit the corner of her mouth occasionally, and anyone paying attention would notice the faint gleam in her eyes, like she was hiding a sweet secret.
By the window, slouched against the wall with an almost lazy posture, Ryo Mizuhara pretended to write. But his pencil hadn't moved in minutes. His eyes, though lowered, stayed fixed on two points: Yuta's nape and Aika's silhouette.
In the second-to-last row, leaning casually on his desk, Yuta Okkotsu seemed oblivious to it all. Almost bored. But behind the calm, his gaze was clinical, calculated, tracking every movement in the room.
Three people in the same space.
Three thoughts that didn't intersect.
Three completely different goals.
And one outcome, drawing closer by the minute.
___
Aika Kiriyuu POV
'He kissed me.'
Aika propped her chin on her hand, staring at the blackboard without seeing a thing.
The teacher droned on about some topic, formulas and graphs projected on the digital board, but her mind was far away.
'At first, I just wanted to mess with him… figure out what changed. The old Yuta was a nobody, but now…'
She ran her tongue discreetly over her lips, as if trying to recall the taste.
'He held me so naturally. No asking, no hesitating. Just… did it.'
Her heart beat slowly, but heavily.
'Does he do this with others? Or was it just me?'
Aika glanced sideways. He was in the row ahead, leaning on his desk, face relaxed.
'He's not even a little sorry. And you know what? Good.'
A small smile crept up.
'Yuta Okkotsu… if you want it again, you don't need to ask.'
The pen twirled between her fingers. Her notebook stayed blank.
'Maybe it's not a bad idea… being his girlfriend. He's got that vibe like he'd protect you to the end. And that body…'
She crossed her legs slowly.
'Definitely the type I want to explore more.'
But not now. Not yet.
First, she wanted to see what else he was capable of.
___
Ryo Mizuhara POV
'I saw.'
His hand gripped the pencil, but it didn't move.
'I saw him kissing her. Saw her face. Saw how she didn't resist. How she accepted it.'
The pencil snapped with a dry crack. The tip broke.
Ryo let go, not looking, and grabbed another.
'She rejected me. Said she didn't want anything. That it was just a game. But with him… with that bastard… she takes a kiss out of nowhere like it's normal?'
He glanced at the back of the room.
Aika seemed to float. That dreamy look, the restrained smile.
'You're mine. Always were. Even if you never said it. Even if it was never clear. You're mine. And no one takes that from me.'
He shifted his gaze to Yuta.
Calm. Quiet. With that damn look like he doesn't care about anything.
'You'll pay for this. Tonight. When it's dark. When we're alone in that forest… I'll show you what kind of man you're not.'
The rage was so intense he had to breathe deeply.
'And Aika will see. She'll see who's in charge. She'll see who she should've chosen.'
___
Yuta Okkotsu POV
'Too calm.'
I checked the clock. Forty minutes until the bell.
Aika's smiling to herself. Ryo looks like he's about to snap another pencil.
'The mission's clear. Stop her from being taken. Neutralize the group. The System didn't ask for discretion.'
I leaned back slightly. The chair creaked.
'Bloodlust… this skill will change my game. Fear, pressure… all I can use without lifting a finger.'
I crossed my arms.
'Ryo's gonna act. He can't hold back. Aika's the prize. I'm the obstacle.'
I glanced sideways.
'But he doesn't know he's already lost before he even tries.'
I smiled.
Cold.
'Tonight, someone disappears in this town. And it won't be Aika.'