Her vision was engulfed in darkness, and the "enemy's" attack left her struggling to breathe. To avoid accidentally hurting Shizuka Marikawa, Kurumi reached out and groped through the darkness for the airhead's shoulders.
"Mm!~" Shizuka Marikawa let out a coquettish moan, making the corner of Kurumi's eye twitch. Her hands had accidentally pressed against a spot below the airhead's shoulders!
Not bothering with that for now, the sensation in her palms would have made anyone else's mind wander. She gave a slight push forward.
"Haa~" Kurumi finally saw the light again, the oxygen in the air rapidly replenishing her nearly deprived brain.
Seeing the stark contrast between her little hands and the airhead's outrageously ample assets, she could not help muttering, "Those are probably even bigger than Miku Izayoi's."
Shizuka Marikawa did not care about Kurumi's small hands. Instead, she seemed more interested in what Kurumi had just said. Her face flushed red as she hugged Kurumi from behind the sofa. "Hey~ Mi-chan, what did you just say? Could you tell Teacher?~"
"Have you been drinking?" Kurumi narrowed her crimson eyes. She needed to take back control; she was still not quite used to people speaking to her like that.
"Just... just a little bit~" As she spoke, Shizuka Marikawa let out a drunken burp. A faintly bitter, malty scent filled Kurumi's nostrils, and she waved a hand in front of her face in distaste. She hated that smell.
"I'll help you to the bedroom so you can rest." Kurumi was somewhat speechless. Then she remembered that the girls here seemed to have all had some alcohol. Hopefully nothing goes wrong. It could trip people up anywhere...
Before Kurumi could finish, Shizuka Marikawa closed her eyes right in front of her. Her body tipped slightly forward, then she suddenly woke up again, only for her eyes to slowly narrow once more... "Mi... Mi-chan~"
Thud—
With nothing supporting her body, she crashed straight onto the sofa. Kurumi calmly sidestepped, picked up a cup from the coffee table, and took a sip of water. She looked utterly leisurely.
Walking behind the sofa, Kurumi saw Shizuka Marikawa's exposed thigh due to her position. Could it be that none of the clothes left behind fit her?
Lowering her head to glance at her own fairly curvaceous body, she quietly muttered, "What a sad story. Though having a body like hers must be terribly inconvenient too..."
Even though Shizuka Marikawa weighed far more than most tall girls, Kurumi still picked her up with ease. Carrying her on her back? Wouldn't that have looked rather ridiculous?
Looking at Shizuka Marikawa, whose body was unusually mature while her mind was like that of a child, Kurumi could not help rolling her eyes. She truly could not understand the recruitment standards of Japan's so-called "special police force."
The one Kurumi held in her arms was probably the type who would happily help count the money after being sold off by someone else. It seemed that her friend had protected her quite thoroughly.
Kurumi and Shizuka Marikawa's bodies formed a striking contrast. Beside her, Kurumi appeared petite, especially since she was carrying her in a princess hold. The sight was even more astonishing from the side.
There was not a trace of raised muscle definition on her arms, white as jade. Instead, they appeared all the more soft and graceful.
Like naturally carved jade, merely looking at her brought peace to one's heart. If one did not know her, no one would have guessed that this fairy-like girl, seemingly untouched by worldly matters, was even more formidable than a demon that lured souls into corruption.
She was like a red spider lily, "guiding" lost souls onward when people were confused. Yet she was also like a poppy flower so deeply adored even by the gods; after taking but one breath of its fragrance, one would willingly let her command them.
Kurumi tossed Shizuka Marikawa directly onto the bed, draped a blanket she had casually grabbed over her, and ignored Takagi Saya, who was sleeping soundly nearby. Then she headed downstairs...
At this time, Hirono Toda was still keeping watch outside on the balcony, while Komuro Takashi had returned indoors and run into his childhood friend.
Miyamoto Rei was wearing nothing but pajamas. The impact that had on Komuro Takashi, who was in the midst of puberty, was easy enough to imagine!
"Takashi? Where are you going? Don't tell me you're planning to sneak into Teacher Shizuka's room at night?"
Watching Miyamoto Rei narrow her eyes, Komuro Takashi immediately pictured that sort of scene because of his childhood friend's words. Under Rei's gaze, his face instantly turned bright red. "H-how could I? I'm just a little thirsty."
"Hmm?~ Really? I'm not sure I believe you." Miyamoto Rei leaned forward slightly, puffing out her cheeks as she looked at Komuro Takashi.
He could be said to be both suffering and enjoying himself. He suffered because he did not know how to answer and feared making Rei angry. But he was happy because the fragrance coming from Rei was truly alluring!
"Hm?~ Why are there three Takashis?"
"Huh?" Komuro Takashi raised his head and examined Miyamoto Rei closely. Only then did he notice that the flush on her face was not normal. He had thought it was from her bath, but when he caught a familiar smell from her breath, he finally realized that she had been drinking.
The alcohol hit Miyamoto Rei, and in her excitement, she suddenly fell to the floor. Komuro Takashi hurried to help her up, only to hear her complaints.
"I'm tired, so I had a little alcohol at Teacher Shizuka's suggestion... It hasn't even been a day, and everything's already gone completely wrong. I can't get in touch with Dad, and Hisashi is dead too..."
She covered her face with both hands as tears ran down between her palms and splashed onto the floor. Hearing the girl he had always liked talk about her ex-boyfriend again, even though he and that guy had been friends, left a bitter feeling in his heart. His expression darkened, and he said nothing more...
"Takashi! Takashi, listen to me!" Miyamoto Rei started acting drunk again before she had even calmed down for long. Komuro Takashi felt helpless. How had he ended up with a childhood friend like this? Yet the saddest part was that he truly liked her so much...
"That's why Hisashi was so gentle... That's why... when I was sad, Hisashi would listen to me properly..." Komuro Takashi sat beside her in silence. Was it really okay to talk about another man in front of a man?
"...Even the reason I had to repeat a year. But Takashi, you only knew how to get angry. You never considered my feelings at all... Sometimes, you're just unbelievably boring!"
Komuro Takashi did not want to discuss the topic any further. In an even tone, he said, "If I could be funny, I'd become an entertainer... Don't expect me to go along with everything you do. I have my own circumstances too."
Miyamoto Rei was still somewhat muddle-headed beside him and quietly complained, "That's exactly why I got along so well with Hisashi."
"Shut up!" Komuro Takashi stood and roared, "Every chance you get, you compare me to Hisashi. Is that fun? I'm not him! Why don't you compare me with Tokisaki Senpai?! And besides, Hisashi is already dead! After he turned into a dead body, I killed him myself!..."
His voice gradually lowered. "We're still alive, and we have to keep living! We have to face reality!..."
As Komuro Takashi spoke, Miyamoto Rei grabbed the corner of his clothes. The two fell silent and slowly leaned against each other...
Kurumi, who had gone downstairs to look for food, happened to run into Busujima Saeko, who was preparing something to eat. Dressed in a plain white nightgown, with her purple hair tied into a high ponytail, she had a unique charm.
"Mm~ Quite wonderful."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Although she was not sure what Kurumi was referring to, Busujima Saeko still gave her a soothing smile like a Yamato Nadeshiko. Her lovely eyes curved into two crescents.
Bang!—
A gunshot rang out beyond the apartment, shattering the tranquility of the night...
Before you continue