The Adorable Kamuro

Soon, they arrived at the Dormitory Building.

The three of them entered together and took the elevator.

The elevator car was cramped, and its stainless-steel walls clearly reflected their figures.

Kazehara Tetsu pressed the button for the third floor.

The elevator rose smoothly, and the indicator lights came on one by one.

"Ding."

The elevator stopped on the third floor.

The doors slowly opened, revealing a brightly lit hallway.

"This is my floor." Kazehara Tetsu stepped out of the elevator, carrying the shopping bags.

To Shiina Hiyori's surprise, Kamuro Masumi, who had been silent the whole time, followed Kazehara Tetsu out of the elevator without a word, carrying the lighter shopping bag.

Shiina Hiyori's mouth fell slightly open. She watched the two figures walking side by side toward the far end of the hallway, her big eyes full of confusion.

Were they... on the same floor?

No, Kazehara Tetsu was a boy. His dormitory should be on the third floor.

But Kamuro Masumi was a girl. Shouldn't her dormitory be on a higher floor?

Could they... be dating?

The thought flashed through Shiina Hiyori's mind.

She recalled how, at the supermarket, Kamuro had said she wanted the same flavor of Ice Cream as Kazehara Tetsu. She also remembered how naturally he had draped an arm over Kamuro's shoulder.

All the clues seemed to point to that conclusion.

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

There was none of the sweetness of an ordinary couple. Instead... they seemed a little tense.

Besides, Kazehara Tetsu had never mentioned having a girlfriend.

Maybe... she was just overthinking it?

Perhaps they had some Class A activity to discuss together, so they were going to his room?

Shiina Hiyori shook her head. She wasn't good at guessing about other people's relationships, and she didn't like doing it, either.

To her, it was a mystery more complicated and baffling than any Mystery Novel.

The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off her view.

She looked at her own confused face reflected in the elevator doors and finally gave up trying to figure it out.

"Never mind... Tetsu-kun is a good person. That's enough."

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

Meanwhile, in the hallway.

Kamuro Masumi followed half a step behind Kazehara Tetsu. They walked one after the other, neither saying a word.

The hallway was long and brightly lit.

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

Kazehara Tetsu opened the door with his key card and went inside first.

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

The lock clicked into place.

The room was tidy.

Kazehara Tetsu set the shopping bags on the floor of the Entrance Hall, then turned and leaned against the shoe cabinet, looking at Kamuro Masumi, who remained silent.

"What's wrong?"

He broke the silence. "You've had a sour look on your face since the supermarket, like someone owed you millions of Points."

Kamuro Masumi looked up and stared straight at him with her purple eyes.

"How do you know that woman?" she finally asked, giving voice to the question that had been on her mind the whole way back.

Her voice was flat, without a hint of emotion, as though she were simply checking information as a matter of routine.

"Which woman?" Kazehara Tetsu asked, though he knew perfectly well. A teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I saw quite a few women today. Do you mean the cashier at the supermarket, or some random passerby?"

"You know who I mean." Kamuro Masumi's tone sharpened slightly.

Seeing how serious she was, Kazehara Tetsu finally dropped the joke.

"Shiina Hiyori? I met her at the Library. She's an interesting book friend, nothing more." His answer was casual.

"Just... a book friend?" Kamuro Masumi's brows drew together slightly.

She thought of the admiration in Shiina Hiyori's eyes. That explanation seemed far too flimsy.

"What else would we be? Secret lovers sneaking around behind your back? Or are you actually afraid?"

"Afraid?"

"Afraid someone will take your place? Or... are you just jealous?"

"No!"

She jerked her head up and glared at him. "I'm not! Who would feel that way about you... I just... I'm evaluating her! She's from Class C, and she's approaching you. Who knows if she has some ulterior motive?"

She reached for the most reasonable excuse, the one she had rehearsed in her mind countless times.

She dressed up her personal jealousy as "loyalty" and "caution" on his behalf.

Kazehara Tetsu didn't answer right away. Instead, he simply watched her.

Kamuro Masumi felt her heart beating faster. She forced herself to straighten her back, trying to hide her agitation.

"You're evaluating her?"

Kazehara Tetsu finally spoke. "Masumi, that's not a very convincing excuse. If you were just 'evaluating' her, your expression since the supermarket would've given you away."

He paused, leaning forward slightly to close the distance between them. "Honestly, your eyes clearly say 'jealous.'"

"I'm not!"

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

Her voice echoed through the room, hurried, as if she were desperate to prove something.

"Fine. If you say it's for Class A's interests, I won't press you on it."

He deliberately drew out his words, walked past her, and spoke as casually as he pleased. "Still, Masumi, you're far too suspicious. Hiyori's just an ordinary girl who likes reading. Why would she be plotting anything?"

"Or is it that you care about the way she looks at me? Hmm? That little look of admiration and curiosity?"

Kamuro Masumi's face flushed red at once. She spun around. "I told you, I don't have any stupid ideas like that!"

Kazehara Tetsu slowly approached her.

He stopped less than half a meter away and looked down at her, his voice so low it was almost a whisper in her ear. "Or are you worried that I'll give someone else the 'special attention' I've been giving you?"

Kamuro Masumi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively took half a step back, only to bump into the shoe cabinet in the Entrance Hall with a faint thud.

She widened her eyes and tried to argue, but it felt as if something had caught in her throat. She couldn't get a word out.

"Y-you... don't say things like that!"

She finally managed to force out the words, but her voice was nowhere near as firm as she'd expected.

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

"Mm... wait, don't get rough..."

Kazehara Tetsu chuckled softly as his fingers began to wander lower. "Masumi, your reaction is far more honest than your words."

His gaze slowly moved down, settling on her slightly open shirt collar and the fair skin above her collarbone.

"Masumi, you know what? I like seeing you like this. You say no, but your body is more honest than anyone's."

"Kazehara Tetsu... stop... it's going to come out." She gritted her teeth, trying to resist with the last of her reason, but her voice trembled.

"Masumi, you're so cute when you react like that." He chuckled softly and gave her fingers a light squeeze.

"Mm..."