Sleeping Together

It was as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito, but the two of them still heard it.

Kikyo glared at him for some reason.

Maybe she was angry because her underhanded plan to use him hadn't worked.

Eito said, "Then can I ask Sakura out sometime?"

"...I'm sorry... I don't like going out."

He didn't dare say, Then let's hang out in your room.

Kikyo cut in. "Eito, are you trying to pursue Sakura? Is that why you're so eager to ask her out?"

Eito stared at her expressionlessly, as if to say:

[Can't you just keep quiet?]

Kikyo winked at him.

[Nope.]

Hearing Kikyo's words, Sakura grew uneasy. She clutched the hem of her clothes, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.

Eito hurriedly said:

"Kikyo, you've got it wrong. I'm just bored, so I wanted to go for a walk with a friend." He was saying this for Sakura's benefit.

"Is that so?" Kikyo said with a smile. "Didn't you just go on a date with Sato and me the other day? How could you be bored?"

"A... a date? With... two girls..." Sakura looked up, somewhat shocked.

"N-no, it wasn't a date. We just went out with friends. You can ask Maya if you don't believe me." Eito looked at Sakura with an utterly sincere gaze.

"All right, I... understand." Sakura covered her chest and let out a breath of relief.

Then she looked at the two of them and said, with a hint of envy:

"You're so close... unlike me..."

Uh, how could she tell?

They weren't close at all.

Kikyo patted her on the back. "It's okay. From now on, we'll both be your friends. If there's anything you're uncomfortable telling other people, you can talk to us."

"Mm... thank you..."

Sakura smiled happily. Her smile left Kikyo momentarily dazed. Then, as if she'd understood something, Kikyo looked at Eito.

"Just as I thought. I finally understand what you're trying to do."

"Uh, you've got it wrong."

Chapter 29: Sleeping Together

The midterm exams were approaching.

Since he already knew that the midterm exam papers were the same every year,

he'd spent 3,000 points and, with a little intimidation and threats, gotten ahold of past exam papers from the upperclassmen for a very cheap price.

Then he handed them to Kikyo.

"Why are you giving them to me? Wouldn't it be better for you if you gave them to Horikita?" Kikyo asked in confusion, then seemed to think of something. "You're not planning to do something to me again, are you?"

Eito found her words familiar.

That was right; he'd heard the same thing from Suzune, though her tone had been much colder.

He said calmly, "I just think you'll be more effective. Compared to her, your classmates are more likely to trust you."

That was one reason. More importantly, he didn't want the three idiots in his class to get expelled.

He hadn't cared before, but if those three idiots got expelled now, where would he find any amusement?

Besides, if anything happened later, he could always use Yamauchi as a scapegoat.

Kikyo smiled. "Then I'll accept them. As a reward... what would you like?"

A reward again. Kikyo really did like rewarding people.

In that case, he had no intention of holding back.

"Then come sleep in my room tonight."

"Eh?"

Kikyo looked at him as if he were beyond saving. "You really can only think of that sort of thing, every time."

"Is that not okay? Then forget it."

Kikyo sighed.

"Fine. It's not like this is the first time you've taken advantage of me. But you can't get handsy. I'll just come over and sleep."

"Mm."

They'd done everything except go all the way.

These days, Kikyo was becoming less and less resistant to him. That seemed like a good thing.

He only had to try a little harder.

Even if he couldn't break through Kikyo's psychological defenses, he could break through her physical defenses.

One study suggested that women might develop feelings for someone they shared intimate moments with. It even claimed that they might mistake their own desire for love.

Love was an abstract concept to begin with. No one was so conceited as to define it once and for all, and everyone understood it differently.

But there were prerequisites for that sort of thing. Someone like Yamauchi had no chance at all.

The day before the exam, Kikyo distributed the papers to her classmates.

After this, the class trusted Kikyo even more.

But Suzune's expression seemed off.

Eito couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"

"...Nothing." Suzune looked somewhat defeated.

She'd originally been full of confidence about raising Class D to Class A, but at a crucial moment, she hadn't noticed something even Kikyo had thought of.

This made her doubt whether she was capable of raising the class to Class A.

Maybe she just couldn't do it.

"Takeda, help me." For the first time, the proud, confident girl asked him for help.

She looked at him with complete seriousness, her gaze focused and free of any impurity.

It seemed she genuinely wanted his help.

Eito almost agreed.

"No."

"...Why?"

"I can't do it."

"All right."

Suzune angrily pinched his arm, snorted, and turned away.

It seemed she really was angry.

Eito rubbed the bruise and thought helplessly.

He'd chosen to do the same as Ayanokoji. When it came to talented people like Suzune, the more he helped, the harder it would be for her to grow.

Of course, if all he wanted was a pretty vase, then it wouldn't matter.

That night, he heard a knock at the door.

When he opened it, it was Kikyo, just as he'd expected.

The school rules said that boys couldn't stay in the girls' dorms after 8 p.m., but they didn't say that girls couldn't enter the boys' dorms.

Besides, even if there had been such a rule, Eito wouldn't have followed it. As long as no one caught him, it was fine.

He had the superpower to stop time, so it was easy for him to avoid being seen by the cameras.

The school also turned a blind eye to rule-breaking. Many places on campus had no surveillance cameras installed, deliberately, to simulate the real world. The real world had a dark side, and it was impossible to avoid.

After Kikyo came in, she couldn't be bothered to act cute. She went straight over and sat in his chair.

"Let me make this clear: if you really dare do that sort of thing to me, you can get ready to be expelled with me."

"Oh."

"I'm going to take a shower first. Don't peek."

"I won't."

There was no need to peek. He'd installed a camera, after all. He could watch the footage later.

Still, Kikyo was pretty bold, showering in someone else's dorm room.

Was it because she trusted him?

The thought made him feel inexplicably guilty.

Forget it. He'd delete the recording. He'd have plenty of chances to watch her openly in the future.

Kikyo took a long time showering. Listening to the water running in the bathroom, he started to feel sleepy.

So he turned off the light and climbed into bed.

In a daze, he drifted off to sleep.

Until—

A warm sensation came from his back, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

It seemed to be Kikyo's hand.

He heard her voice from behind him:

"Don't move. I'm not wearing anything right now."

"Uh... why aren't you wearing anything?"

"On purpose."

"..."

She'd deliberately undressed to tempt him, while also telling him not to move. Was she trying to torture his soul?

How mean.

No, maybe she was dressed and was just saying that on purpose, waiting for him to turn around so she could laugh at him.

The karaoke incident was proof enough.

He decided to stop dwelling on it.

"Why did you wake me up? Don't tell me you want me to attack you."

"I want to ask you something." Kikyo paused for a few seconds, then said, "If you had to choose, would you rather get expelled with Horikita or with me?"

What a ridiculous question.

It was even harder than choosing between saving his girlfriend and his mother.

He thought for a full ten minutes before answering:

"With you."

"...Why?"