Jade Feet

The long school bell echoed through the hallways, but for many in Class D, it seemed to lack a certain urgency.

The teacher lectured on complex formulas on the podium, chalk scratching against the blackboard, but an indescribable, almost laissez-faire atmosphere permeated the room.

After all, Class Points were like a rusted-shut zero, unmoving for nearly three months.

For some students, it was like an invisible "truce flag"—"It's zero anyway, so class doesn't matter." This thought festered in the shadows.

However, the classroom wasn't filled with only idle figures.

More students still sat up straight, their gazes fixed on the blackboard or textbooks, pen tips flying across notebooks.

What drove them was no longer the ambition to compete for points, but a more realistic, more pressing survival rule: to pass the upcoming final exams smoothly and avoid the red line of expulsion.

Even though the tempting monthly point distribution had become a mirage, the generous conditions provided by the school itself—brand new comfortable dormitories, high-quality teaching, waived tuition fees—were already a rare paradise for many students from ordinary families.

In other words, as long as they ensured they wouldn't be expelled and could remain in this "paradise," with Class Points already at zero, they could, to some extent, live a more carefree life.

For example, Hoshino Kanade, in the corner by the window, was one who thoroughly embodied this "carefree" attitude.

Sunlight streamed through the clean glass windows, casting light spots on his open physics textbook.

Beneath the textbook, however, lay a thick history book borrowed from the library.

He propped his chin on one hand, his fingertips occasionally turning pages, his posture languid, clearly his mind long departed from the classroom's Ohm's Law.

And his deskmate, Ayanokoji Kina, was the most active accomplice and... instigator of this "leisure."

Most of the time, it was more like Kina's personal "show."

Sensing Hoshino Kanade's relaxation, she would flash a sly smile, her slender fingers secretly reaching behind him. Through his slightly thin school uniform shirt, she would begin to play mischief on that warm, flat "canvas."

Her fingertips would gently trace, outlining crooked heart shapes, or meticulously write down words like "Love Kanade the most," "Kanade is number one in the world,"—straightforward and full of maidenly affection.

The cheesy yet honest love confessions transmitted through touch gave Hoshino Kanade goosebumps on his back, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch upwards slightly. His heart felt warm—he might complain, but he truly enjoyed it.

Kina would occasionally change her battlefield.

She would silently take off her indoor shoes, and her jade feet, clad in pure white socks, would stealthily approach from under the desk.

The delicate ankle had beautiful lines, the arch forming a perfect curve, further enhancing its allure when wrapped in soft socks.

The tip of the sock would first tentatively brush against the outside of Hoshino Kanade's calf, which he could clearly sense even through his pants.

A touch and retreat, like a feather's caress. Once Hoshino Kanade glanced over or his leg muscles reacted slightly, the "tool of mischief" would instantly retract like a startled rabbit.

Kina would then pretend to listen intently to the lecture, her eyes focused, her mind elsewhere, leaving only a faint, smug smile playing on her lips.

After repeating this a few times, Hoshino Kanade remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was silently calculating her rhythm.

Finally, when that restless jade foot once again brushed against him with the familiar sensation, Hoshino Kanade acted with nerve reflexes far exceeding those of an ordinary high school student! He firmly grasped her slender ankle!

Kina froze, letting out a low gasp, and tried to pull away. But the strength disparity, combined with the limited space between the desk and chair, made it difficult to exert force. After a few futile struggles, her ankle remained tightly held in Hoshino Kanade's warm palm.

The hunting moment had begun.

At first, Hoshino Kanade merely kneaded the sock-covered sole in his palm with a punitive, yet still gentle, touch. He felt the resilient yet bony texture, and through the thin cotton sock, he could clearly sense the subtle movements of her toes curling and unfolding.

Seeing Kina trying to remain calm, biting her lower lip to avoid making a sound, a playful glint appeared in Hoshino Kanade's eyes.

He subtly increased his grip, changing the pressure points—the soft flesh of the sole? The arch depression? The toe base? He silently felt the subtle changes in her foot muscles beneath his palm and the momentary tension, keenly capturing the maiden's "fatal weakness."

When his fingertip pressed down on a spot on the inner arch of her foot, Kina's body visibly trembled. The fingers gripping the edge of the desk turned white with force, and her cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, like a sunset.

Good, he found it.

Hoshino Kanade unhesitatingly began his targeted "assault," his fingertips pressing down with undeniable force in circles on that sensitive skin.

"Mmm..." A suppressed, broken whimper almost escaped her throat, but Kina bit it back fiercely.

The intense physical stimulation mixed with the extreme shame of being discovered in class made her entire body tremble.

She couldn't hold back any longer. While wriggling her body to try and escape the deadly fingers, she urgently patted Hoshino Kanade's back with her free hand, once, twice... the force increasing, a silent plea for mercy.

Hoshino Kanade had achieved his goal and didn't want to push her to make a sound.

So, he knew when to stop and released his hand.

Like a startled clam, Kina immediately retracted her foot and hid it.

Hoshino Kanade subconsciously brought the hand that had held her ankle back, his nostrils flaring slightly, as if trying to catch a lingering scent—Hmm? It was clean and fresh, with a faint, unique fragrance from her.

Uh... Hoshino Kanade stiffened, a sudden wave of self-doubt washing over him: Smelling his fingers? This behavior... seems a bit perverted? He cleared his throat awkwardly and quietly placed his hand back on the desk.

But clearly, Kina's adaptability (or her "death-seeking" ability) far exceeded imagination.

Within a few minutes, her shock subsided, and that familiar, ticklish sensation quietly climbed up the outside of Hoshino Kanade's calf again!

"Tsk, you never learn..." Hoshino Kanade muttered inwardly. This time, he didn't act immediately. Instead, he pretended to be oblivious, his gaze fixed straight ahead at the blackboard, letting the jade foot in the white sock rub against his leg as if it were a docile kitten. As expected, seeing his lack of reaction, Kina's courage grew, and her movements became bolder.

Now!

The moment Kina let her guard down again, her toes almost reaching his knee, Hoshino Kanade struck again like a leopard, precisely!

This time, his target was even clearer—he held her ankle with one hand, while the other hand swiftly, like a gust of wind, grabbed the edge of her sock at the toes. Before she could react, he actually pulled off the smooth, slightly warm sock and casually stuffed it into his school uniform pocket!