"Morning, Jingu-kun."
"Morning, Jingu-kun!"
"Good morning, Jingu-kun!"
The next morning, Bai Ye accepted his classmates' greetings as he waited downstairs in the dormitory.
He had no choice but to answer each of them.
Luckily, it was still early, and not many people had gotten up yet.
He waited a little longer.
"Morning, Little Ye. Are you waiting for me?"
Hasebe ran up to him, looking touched and delighted.
"Uh... no."
The girl's expression fell the next second.
"Oh..."
"Next time—"
Bai Ye had just started to comfort her when the figure he'd been waiting for appeared beside them. Horikita spoke without a hint of courtesy.
"Could you move aside, Hasebe? He's waiting for me. Don't flatter yourself."
Horikita's arrogant tone made Hasebe frown slightly. Looking at the girl who'd lost to her a few days ago, she replied just as bluntly:
"How dare you show your face again? Didn't Little Ye turn you down?"
"That was a few days ago. Now, though..."
Right in front of Hasebe, Horikita took his hand and lifted it slightly to show it off. "We're officially dating now."
Horikita Suzune was in a very good mood. An extremely good mood.
Looking at Hasebe's stunned face, she'd never felt so triumphant.
The last time she'd been this happy was when she'd gotten a perfect score and her brother praised her.
So life wasn't just about studying. There were so many other interesting things.
Like beating the arrogant woman standing right in front of her.
She wasn't about to pass up the chance to kick someone when they were down.
"Now you know, right? He was just fooling around with you. All it took was a little nod from me, and he willingly fell at my feet."
"Little Ye, is that true?" Hasebe asked anxiously.
"Uh..." Caught by Horikita's warning gaze, he hesitated. "We're dating, but I didn't fall at your feet."
"I see."
Despite his answer, Hasebe still drooped her shoulders in disappointment. The way she looked at him reminded him of a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Unable to bear it, he stroked her cheek and sighed softly.
Horikita frowned. "Let's go. What are you doing? Do you think I'm invisible?"
"Um... let me talk to her for a bit. Could you leave us alone?"
"Why should I?"
"You wouldn't want me to lose my only friend, would you? Don't you feel bad doing this?"
"All right, then." Horikita thought it over and nodded.
As far as she was concerned, Hasebe was no longer a threat. She might as well let them have one last goodbye.
She could show that much kindness.
Once Horikita had left, Hasebe grabbed his arm and asked urgently:
"Little Ye, does she have something on you?"
"No."
"Then why are you dating her...? Was it because I haven't talked to you these past two days? But I already explained why! I'll make it up to you. You... you won't leave me, will you...?"
A faint mist clouded her eyes, and they were growing red.
Her beautiful lips were pressed together, trembling slightly with nerves.
Bai Ye paused, then patted her on the head and said gently:
"What are you thinking? How could I leave you? You're..."
He suppressed his embarrassment and pretended to be calm. "My dear big sister."
"Huh...?"
In an instant, the girl's beautiful eyes lit up. She threw herself into Bai Ye's arms, overjoyed.
"You finally admitted it... Sob..."
"..."
Feeling her breathtakingly soft body against him, he stiffened slightly, then reluctantly pushed her away.
"Don't do that. Someone might come by."
Only he knew the real reason.
"Oh... okay."
Hasebe rubbed her eyes and took his hand.
"I get it. You must have been blinded by her beauty, right? You don't really like her, do you?"
"Yeah... I don't."
"Good. As long as you don't like her, that's all that matters. Once you've had your fun, dump her, okay?"
"Mm."
He really couldn't bring himself to be cruel to Hasebe. He did like this girl, who always thought of him.
Fortunately, he'd managed to smooth things over.
After reassuring Hasebe a few more times, he finally walked away alone.
Horikita glanced at him and took the lead.
As they walked, she asked calmly, "Do you like her?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you do, just say so. I don't mind."
"What if I say I do?"
"I don't care, but you can't get handsy with her."
"Fine. I promise I won't make the first move."
"You can't let her make a move on you, either."
"You're such a pain. You say you don't like me, so why do you care so much? I'm a guy. I have needs. Am I supposed to go to you?"
Horikita's cheeks turned faintly red. "You can come to me. Now that I'm your girlfriend, I'll take responsibility."
"You'll keep your word?"
He looked Horikita up and down, making the girl feel a little uneasy.
"That depends on my mood. I can't satisfy you whenever you want."
"What about now? Are you in a good mood?"
"Not particularly."
"Then I'll tell you a story. Listen. Once upon a time, there was a little Horikita..."
"Give her a different name."
"No." He continued, "One day, she met a big bad wolf..."
After he finished, Horikita rolled her eyes at him.
"Isn't that just Little Red Riding Hood? What's the point of making me the main character?"
"Of course there's a point. Don't I seem like the big bad wolf?"
He stepped in front of Horikita and gently tipped up her chin with a finger, meeting her cool gaze.
His eyes wandered over her pretty face with a predatory intensity, lingered on her soft lips, then finally settled on her eyes.
Horikita shifted her gaze slightly, seeming flustered.
"You don't."
"Why not?"
"If you really were the big bad wolf, you would've kissed me already—Mmph..."
The rest of her words were swallowed by his kiss. The girl stiffened, then placed her hands on his shoulders, trembling slightly.
He tried pushing her away a few times, but when she didn't respond, he let himself indulge in her soft lips.
A tear slid down her pale cheek, adding a hint of heartbreak to her already captivating face.
Bai Ye let her go and looked at the tear, frowning.
"Why are you crying? You're making it look like I'm bullying you."
"It's nothing. None of your business."
Horikita casually wiped her face, as if she really didn't care.
But Bai Ye knew she had to be keeping something to herself.
What a pain...
If he'd known chasing girls was this much trouble, he would've jumped into the river rather than let that stupid system find him.
But there was no point complaining now.
He sighed and put on what he considered the gentlest expression of his life.
"What's wrong, baby? Why aren't you happy~?"
"Hm?"
Horikita stared at him in surprise, her gaze briefly unfocused.
After a long moment, she said incredulously:
"Are you crazy?"
"Hey, hey. I was just being a little sweet to you. What do you mean, 'crazy'?"
"This is more like you. You're acting normal again."
"..."
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he kept his voice gentle.
"I'm sorry. You were just too beautiful, baby, so I couldn't help kissing you. Please forgive me, I'm begging you~"
"Doesn't talking like that make you feel gross?" Horikita asked expressionlessly.
"It does. I'm making myself a little sick."
He crouched down and pretended to gag.
"Heh..."
Horikita watched his exaggerated performance and laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?" Bai Ye looked up at her.
Horikita covered her lips and gave a little cough.
"Nothing. I just suddenly thought it was kind of funny."
At the same time, she felt a warm current pass through her heart, soft as cotton candy.
She had no idea where the sweetness came from.
She touched her chest and said, "Stop fooling around. It isn't funny. Just be yourself."
Bai Ye shook his head and stood up.
"You've got it wrong. That was the real me just now. I wasn't pretending."
"Oh?"
"So..." Bai Ye spread his arms and smiled. "Baby, how about a hug?"
"Where's your dignity?" Horikita glared at him, embarrassed, her fingers clenched tight.
"You threw it away." Bai Ye stepped closer. "Come on. Want one or not?"
"No."
"Are you sure? My arms are really warm."
"I don't care whether they're warm." The girl glared at him, her eyes tinged with embarrassment.
Her coquettish expression, at once coy and annoyed, made his heart skip a beat.
He stepped forward and took Horikita's hand.
"Then let's hold hands. You don't mind that, right?"
"Do whatever you want."
They'd already kissed, so Horikita didn't think much of that small request.
And so the two of them walked hand in hand across campus.
The bright spring breeze carried away the lingering chill in the air and brought with it a delicate fragrance.
It smelled lovely, like an elegant, serene girl gently stroking someone's face with her soft hands, caressing and pinching until they never wanted it to end.
When more and more students began to pass by, Horikita's expression grew a little uneasy.
"Aren't you going to let go?"
"What's there to be afraid of? Let them look if they want. What's it to me?"
"Well... do as you like."
Horikita nodded and said no more.
Before you continue