[Rattle, rattle—]
The rain curtain still showed no sign of stopping.
Under the downpour, in the corridor of the residential building directly across from Takumi's home, beneath a waterproof blanket used as camouflage, a long-haired blonde girl was holding a telescope, expressionless as she watched the second floor of the building opposite—looking at Takumi, who was bent over and half kneeling on the floor.
"How is the situation now?"
In the blonde girl's headphones, the distinctly cold voice of Shinomiya Kaguya sounded.
"Shijō-san stayed on the first floor. Takumi went to the second floor. The two are temporarily separated. Shijō-san is now walking toward the laundry room—likely to use the dryer to dry her soaked clothes. Takumi stayed on the second floor; he entered the bedroom, and then he… mm, he is spacing out."
The blonde girl reported the situation in a perfectly serious tone—but as she spoke, her voice suddenly stalled for a moment before she continued her report.
"Hayasaka?"
Noticing the unnatural pause in the blonde girl's voice, Kaguya immediately asked.
"It's nothing, just some insignificant small matters. From the current observation, these two really are completely clean—just a newly started romantic relationship. Although that man Takumi does indeed still have many suspicious points, judging from the present situation, he seems to be quite gentlemanly toward Shijō-san."
The one called Hayasaka was Shinomiya Kaguya's personal maid—an all-purpose girl whose full name was Hayasaka Ai.
With speed, strength, and reflexes nearing the human limit, mastery over all kinds of combat and killing techniques, and equal skill in household work, intelligence investigation, tracking, reconnaissance, and many other abilities—although she had lost some face when she was shaken off yesterday while attempting to tail Takumi as he escaped from Shuchiin, she had to admit that the girl's ability was extremely formidable. She was absolutely not someone to be taken lightly.
And at this very moment, Hayasaka Ai had been sent by Shinomiya Kaguya to secretly monitor the date between Takumi and Shijō Maki. For the cautious and careful Kaguya, she believed that Takumi's attitude and behavior when facing Shijō Maki alone would completely reveal his personality, character boundaries, and other indicators—allowing her to determine whether he was truly trustworthy.
As for why Hayasaka had paused a moment earlier, the reason was very simple.
Because after running to the computer room, Takumi had, after some hesitation and thought, opened an adult image site, clicked on the 18+ tag, and started browsing various images."
Browsing that kind of thing to calm himself down first, to cool off?
Hayasaka did not know how to evaluate this man—but he seemed to only look at training-type content? She felt that if Shijō-san dated this man, life in the future would be quite tough.
As a normal girl herself, Hayasaka's face flushed slightly, but she quickly calmed down and continued observing the situation across the street.
Meanwhile, inside the Shinomiya residence, Kaguya sat in her boudoir, frowning as she stared at a stack of documents in her hand.
It was the autopsy report of Maeda Miwa.
"Her chest was cut open while she was still alive, and her heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys were removed. Because she struggled too violently, the fingernails of her left pinky and middle finger, as well as her right index finger, were flipped and broken. One of her eyeballs was removed… I can't understand it. Could it have been a player?"
Unlike those terrifying cases whose information had been obscured, this case was undergoing serious investigation by the police. It seemed there was no situation where everyone forgot about it and ignored it.
But the absence of anything abnormal was, under certain circumstances, also a kind of abnormality. At least in Kaguya's eyes, the fact that Maeda Miwa—this Shirakawa Apartments player—had been killed was already the highest-level anomaly. She was convinced that there had to be a problem behind this. She simply could not yet determine whether it was some kind of warning or some kind of omen.
If the enemy was a player, then the Shinomiya family's power would be completely meaningless.
Forget it. A problem for which she could not immediately find an answer or solution would not change even if she worried endlessly. Rather than thinking about these issues, it was better to first confirm the situation on Takumi's side.
"Hmph, a gentleman, is he?"
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a cold snort.
She could be ten-thousand-percent certain that Takumi was absolutely not any kind of gentleman.
Although he looked serious on the surface, that man clearly had a very lustful side—and he was the type to be extremely unfaithful to his partner.
When they were trapped in the ruins of Shirakawa Apartments, on the verge of destruction, she remembered with perfect clarity how that man had tried to trick her into a kiss. He believed he was doomed and could safely restart with a rollback, so the desires in his heart began to surface. In other words, he was the kind of terrifying guy who, once pushed into a desperate situation, would take every inch he could get and ignore everything else. For all she knew, he might try something improper toward Maki at any moment.
However, given the blessings and buffs they had received by now, even if he really tried to do something to Maki, Hayasaka would not be able to stop him.
But she had no need to stop it either—if he truly placed his heart on Maki, that could even be considered a good thing.
"Kaguya-sama, Shijō-san has started moving. She came out of the laundry room—still wearing that same shirt—and she's heading toward the second floor."
Hayasaka's voice suddenly came through the headphones.
Is it about to begin?
Kaguya's expression grew serious. She straightened her posture slightly, and the emotions in her heart rippled a little. She could not quite tell how she felt about what might unfold.
...
[Step—]
A white foot in slippers slowly tread up the stairs.
Her clothes were mostly dry—just needing a little more airing—so Maki, still in no rush to change, after thinking back and forth, went up to the second floor, wanting to see what Takumi, who had deliberately avoided her, was trying to do.
"Oh, your clothes are already dry?"
But almost as soon as she stepped onto the second floor, noise came quickly from one of the rooms, followed by Takumi's calm voice.
"You're over here?"
Maki walked toward the source of the voice. She pushed open the door and saw Takumi sitting in his computer chair, one leg crossed over the other, both hands resting flat at the base of his thighs. On the computer in front of him, a wide grassland wallpaper filled the desktop. He turned his head toward her with a completely calm expression, looking perfectly normal.
"You still haven't changed clothes? They should be dry by now, right? Won't you catch a cold like that?"
Maki couldn't see anything unusual from Takumi's face.
He wasn't… doing something indecent, right?
She had heard from friends before: if you approach a boy and his computer screen suddenly shows only the desktop, he might have been doing something he didn't want others to see. At that point, all you need to do is check the trash bin next to the desk to see if there are tissues thrown inside—if there are, then he did something; if not, it's fine.
Although she didn't quite understand exactly what kind of "indecent" thing that referred to, Maki still subconsciously stepped a little closer and glanced at the trash bin beside the computer.
There was nothing inside.
Mm, so that meant it was the "no problem" kind, right?
Thinking that, Maki felt slightly relieved.
"They're mostly dry already, but they still need a little airing. I hung them on the rack in the laundry room—I'll go down to change later."
As she said this, Maki's gaze moved around the room, and then she sat down on the single bed behind Takumi.
At that moment, Takumi's eyes shifted slightly.
The situation was a bit bad.
He had meant to look up some "resources" to deal with the problem, but before he could complete his cultivation along the path of the sage, this girl came upstairs. He had to close the webpage in a panic, and now he didn't even dare sit upright.
"Well… how should I say this, Takumi-kun—in surviving Shirakawa Apartments, I still ought to thank you."
Unaware of what Takumi was thinking, Maki hesitated slightly, then spoke softly.
"Thank me? No—we survived because we fought together. Thanking just one person, or valuing only one person's contribution, would definitely be wrong."
Takumi lightly cleared his throat. As he responded righteously, his eyes subconsciously drifted toward her body.
Ah—once she sat down, the lines of her legs became even more beautiful.
The shirt covered the upper part of her thighs, but the lower part—her fair skin—was exposed, all the way up to the base of her thighs.
Her two feet after taking off her slippers were also quite nice, looking like they could fit right into his palm. And those calves too—they looked like they would feel great to touch.
Cough, cough. No, no—at a time like this he needed to stay calm. He had to use his brain to command his body!
Calm, calm, calm, calm, calm—
At this moment, Takumi was desperately trying to adjust his emotions.
Completely unaware of this, Maki shifted awkwardly—twisting her waist and moving her legs a little—before softly continuing: "I actually think… I still ought to thank you. Thank you for being willing to place your trust in me."
"It's my first time being treated so sincerely by a boy. To be honest… my heart is beating a little faster. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do."
"And also… although it's true that we survived because of everyone's combined effort, among all of us, you were the one who bore the greatest pressure, weren't you? Takumi-kun, just based on that alone, you should feel proud of yourself. I'm thanking you sincerely as well, Takumi-kun."
Saying something like this required great courage for Maki, who was not straightforward to begin with.
But at this moment—when no outsiders were present, when only she and Takumi were face-to-face—the girl felt that her heart had gathered a bit of courage.
And after hearing such sincere gratitude, after hearing the understanding and concern in her words for the pain he had endured through the rollbacks, Takumi fell silent for a moment. The emotions in his heart surged uncontrollably, and the fire within him burned hotter and hotter—already growing faintly difficult to restrain.
It was as if an angel Takumi and a devil Takumi had each popped out on his left and right.
[Do it—kiss her, go kiss her!]
The devil Takumi on the left shouted while holding up a Witcher-style pitchfork.
[Go on—strip her, let her witness your power!]
The angel Takumi on the right drew the Enma Blade and, in that moment, declared its might.
[French kiss her, lick her neck, lick her all over, leave your mark on her—don't you dare stop ahhhhhh—]
The devil Takumi on the left roared with all his strength before collapsing to the ground, pointing one trembling finger forward.
[Make her shy, make her pregnant, make her bear your child! She's the first step of your glorious 2D otaku harem conquest! Complete this step, and my mission… will finally be complete!]
The Angel Takumi on the right downed a massive shot of motivational nonsense, then shouted wildly before collapsing with foam at his mouth.
Wait—why are you two being so dramatic? Is your DNA a bit too chaotic…? No, hold on, this is my internal theater. So the problem is actually in my own DNA, isn't it?
Takumi's mind was a mess at this moment.
He slowly stood up, casually tugged the hem of his shirt downward, adjusted his pants a little, paused where he stood, then reached out to rub his hair, scratched his nose, paused his steps again, and finally walked straight over to Maki and sat down beside her.
[Thump!]
The small single bed shook slightly at that moment.
"Uh… wh-what's wrong?"
Startled by Takumi's sudden movement, Maki instinctively pressed her legs together and, somewhat tense, shifted a little to the side.
"It's nothing. Cough, cough… it's just, how should I put it—I suddenly wanted to be a bit closer to you."
Takumi lowered his head, coughed a couple of times, and then slowly spoke.
"I-I see…"
Sensing that the atmosphere was starting to feel off, Maki quietly scooted away another step, her cheeks gradually beginning to flush.
What's going on? What's going on, what's going on?
Why does it feel like Takumi-kun has become a little strange? No—that feeling, I recognize it. Back then, when he was burned and I was applying medicine for him, when he grabbed my hand and tried to confess to me, the atmosphere at that time was pretty much exactly the same as now.
"Um, I'm going to go check the clothes down—eh?"
Flustered, Maki tried to stand and leave, but Takumi reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to sit back down.
Immediately after, Takumi slid two steps closer toward her, and the distance between the two of them closed in an instant.
"I've already received your thanks. But I need to thank you too, Maki. Without you, I honestly don't know if I could've held on until final victory. To me, you could even be said to have saved me."
Takumi took a deep breath, lifted his head, and looked straight at Maki with earnest eyes as he spoke.
"Ugh, y-you're bringing that up again. I told you, that was… No—wait. Seeing you like this suddenly reminded me, Takumi-kun, back at the very end, you went to save Oba-san but shoved me through the door instead. I still haven't settled that with you!"
Maki, who had already begun to shrink back instinctively, suddenly recalled the moment Takumi pushed her at the last second. She frowned, and in an instant her weakened aura flipped to one of strength.
"Ah… that matter…"
Takumi froze for a moment, his momentum weakening. He loosened his grip without thinking, and then Maki immediately grabbed his wrist instead.
"Why did you push me? Did you think I wouldn't be able to help?"
Maki leaned forward slightly, staring earnestly at Takumi as she questioned him.
"How could that be? I only hoped that at the very least you could escape. That action was pretty much instinctual. No matter what, I didn't want a mistake to happen at the final step. If I really couldn't do it, then at the very least I had to make sure you got out safely. I'm sorry… I really didn't consider your feelings at that moment."
Takumi scratched his head awkwardly and apologized in a low voice.
"What is that supposed to be? Don't ever do something like that again. Since we're teaming up to get through this ordeal, then don't do things like that. If you do… even if I survive, I won't be happy. What I want is for us to walk out together properly, Takumi-kun. Do you understand?"
Maki took a deep breath, and in that moment, her brown-violet eyes shone with a firm light.
Watching that light, Takumi froze for a moment again. Then he suddenly let out a soft laugh—like someone who had finally released a burden deep in his heart—laughing from the bottom of his soul.
"What are you laughing at? I'm talking to you seriously, you know."
Feeling that his attitude was a little strange, Maki pouted in dissatisfaction—then she saw Takumi lower his head and lean in close to her all at once.
"I'm happy because I realized that I really like every part of you, Maki. Your looks, your body, your personality, your temper—everything about you. I can't find a single thing I dislike. I realized that what I like… is all of you—"
A murmur soft as a whisper.
Warm breath brushing against her face.
By the time she registered what was happening, it was already too late to react.
Their lips touched lightly, sharing each other's warmth.
"Mm—"
With a small cry, the girl pulled back and turned her head, the blush on her cheeks blooming uncontrollably.
A kiss.
Once again, with this guy.
"What are you doing… something like that…"
She wanted to get angry, but she couldn't.
She wanted to go along with it, but she couldn't do that either.
What she finally managed to say sounded less like scolding and more like sulking.
"If you're scared, you can close your eyes."
As Takumi leaned in again, that was all he said. Just like that, their foreheads touched again, and their breaths drew close once more.
Maki's body trembled faintly, but in the end she obediently, slowly closed her eyes.
The second time their lips met, it was tighter than the first.
While they were kissing, Takumi's hand slid into her hair.
This time, it wasn't a passive, fleeting kiss. As they kept kissing, Takumi's other hand slid down and landed on her back, trying to read her reaction. Luckily, she was too shocked to react.
As his hand moved along her back, Takumi could feel her whole body trembling.
Soon, her lips began to move with his—small, hesitant motions, opening and closing as she tried to follow his rhythm. For a moment, Takumi felt the urge to push her down, to press her flat against the bed.
Unfortunately, that carried a huge risk of blowing up in his face—something proven true when Maki's foot finally struggled free and shoved hard against his chest.
"That's why I told you to stop already—!!!"
In the next instant, Takumi flew up into the air and crashed into the wall opposite the bed.
Panting heavily, Maki sprang to her feet and hurriedly fled the room at full speed.
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