Adorable Kamuro

Soon enough, they arrived at the base of the dormitory building.

The three entered together and took the elevator.

Inside the cramped elevator car, the stainless steel walls clearly reflected the three figures.

Kazehara Tetsu pressed the button for the third floor.

The elevator rose smoothly, the indicator lights lighting up one by one.

"Ding."

The elevator stopped at the third floor.

The elevator door slid open slowly, revealing a bright hallway.

"I'm here." Kazehara Tetsu stepped out of the elevator, carrying his shopping bag.

Then, to Shiina Hiyori's surprise, the silent Kamuro Masumi, holding the lighter shopping bag, followed Kazehara Tetsu out of the elevator without a word.

Shiina Hiyori's mouth fell slightly open as she watched the two backs walking side by side into the depths of the hallway, her large eyes filled with confusion.

Were they... on the same floor?

No, Kazehara Tetsu was a boy, so his dorm should be on the third floor.

But Kamuro Masumi was a girl—shouldn't her dorm be on a higher floor?

Could it be... they were a couple?

That thought flashed through Shiina Hiyori's mind.

She recalled how, in the supermarket, Kamuro had said she wanted the same flavor of ice cream as Kazehara Tetsu, and how naturally he had placed his hand on Kamuro's shoulder.

All the clues seemed to point to that conclusion.

But... if they were a couple, why did the atmosphere between them feel so strange?

It completely lacked the sweetness of an ordinary couple... instead, it felt a bit tense.

Besides, Kazehara Tetsu had never mentioned having a girlfriend.

Maybe... she was overthinking it?

Perhaps they had some class activity to discuss later, so they needed to be together?

Shiina Hiyori shook her head. She wasn't good at, nor did she like, guessing at other people's interpersonal relationships.

In her view, that was a puzzle far more complex and difficult to solve than any mystery novel.

The elevator door slowly closed, cutting off her line of sight.

She stared at her own confused face reflected in the elevator door, and ultimately gave up on thinking.

"Forget it... Anyway, Tetsu-kun is a good person. That's enough."

She told herself this, then pressed the button for her own dorm floor.

On the other side, in the hallway.

Kamuro Masumi followed half a step behind Kazehara Tetsu, the two walking one after the other, neither speaking.

The hallway was long, the lights bright.

Only the sound of their footsteps and the faint rustling of the shopping bags broke the silence.

Kazehara Tetsu used his key card to open the door and entered the room first.

Kamuro Masumi followed him in and closed the door behind her.

With a "Kadak," the lock clicked shut.

The room was tidy.

Kazehara Tetsu set his shopping bag on the floor of the entrance hall, turned around, and leaned against the shoe cabinet, looking at the silent Kamuro Masumi.

"What's wrong?"

He spoke, breaking the silence. "You've had that stiff face since the supermarket, like someone owes you a few million points."

Kamuro Masumi looked up, her purple eyes staring straight at him.

"How do you know that woman?" she finally asked the question that had been circling her mind the whole way.

Her voice was flat, with no discernible inflection, as if she were just confirming some routine information.

"Which woman?" Kazehara Tetsu asked knowingly, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I saw quite a few women today. Are you talking about the cashier at the supermarket, or some random bystander on the street?"

"You know who I mean." Kamuro Masumi's tone grew a degree heavier.

Kazehara Tetsu looked at her serious expression and finally dropped the act.

"Shiina Hiyori? I met her in the library. She's an interesting book friend, nothing more." His answer was understated.

"Just... a book friend?" Kamuro Masumi's brow furrowed slightly.

She recalled the look of admiration in Shiina Hiyori's eyes. This explanation seemed far too weak.

"What else? What did you want us to be? Secret lovers sneaking around behind your back? Or are you actually scared?"

"Scared?"

"Scared that your position will be taken by someone else, or... are you just simply jealous?"

"No!"

She looked up sharply, glaring at him fiercely. "I'm not! Who would have feelings like that for you... I'm just... I'm evaluating her! Someone from Class C, getting close to you—who knows if she has ulterior motives?"

She pulled out the excuse she had rehearsed countless times in her own mind, the most reasonable one.

Packaging her personal jealousy as "loyalty" and "vigilance" toward him.

Kazehara Tetsu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he quietly watched her.

Kamuro Masumi felt her heartbeat quicken. She forced herself to straighten her back, trying to hide the panic inside.

"You're evaluating her?"

Kazehara Tetsu finally spoke. "Masumi, that excuse of yours isn't very clever. If it were just 'evaluation,' your expression from the supermarket until now would have already given you away."

He paused, leaning slightly forward, closing the distance between them. "To be honest, your eyes clearly spell out the word 'jealousy.'"

"I'm not!"

Kamuro Masumi's voice suddenly shot up, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She took half a step forward, pointing at Kazehara Tetsu's chest. "Don't flatter yourself, Kazehara Tetsu! I just... I just don't want some woman from Class C getting close to you and harming our class's interests!"

Her voice echoed through the room, carrying a hint of urgency, as if she were desperate to prove something.

"Alright, since you say it's for Class A's interests, I won't press further."

He deliberately drew out his final syllable, walking past her and speaking casually as he went. "But, Masumi, your vigilance is a bit excessive. Hiyori is just an ordinary girl who loves reading. Where would she get the mind to scheme?"

"Or is it that you're actually bothered by the way she looks at me? Hmm? That kind of... admiring and curious little gaze?"

Kamuro Masumi's face instantly flushed red. She spun around sharply. "I told you, I don't have such pointless thoughts!"

Kazehara Tetsu slowly approached her.

He stopped, standing less than half a meter in front of her, looking down at her, his voice low as if whispering in her ear. "Or maybe, you're actually worried that my 'special attention' toward you might be shared with someone else?"

Kamuro Masumi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively stepped back, but her back hit the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall, letting out a soft thud.

Her eyes widened as she tried to retort, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't force out a single word.

"You... don't talk nonsense!"

She finally squeezed out a sentence, but her voice was far less firm than she had intended.

She raised a hand to push him away, but he gently caught her wrist.

"Mm... wait, don't make a move..."

Kazehara Tetsu let out a low laugh, his fingers exploring downward. "Masumi, your reactions are far more honest than your mouth."

His gaze slowly drifted down, stopping at her slightly open shirt collar, at the pale skin of her collarbone.

"Masumi, you know? I like seeing you like this—your mouth saying no, but your body more honest than anyone."

"Kazehara Tetsu... stop... it's coming out," she gritted her teeth, trying to hold onto the last shred of reason, but her voice trembled.

"Masumi, your reaction is adorable." He laughed softly, his fingers giving a gentle squeeze.

"Mm..."