Night Raid

That was awfully direct. Suzune frowned slightly.

Eito guessed she was saying it on purpose.

"Um, Eito, if I catch a cold next time, could you take care of me like this too?" Sato asked, tugging on his hand.

"Sure, of course."

"Oh, you're so sweet!"

As she spoke, Sato leaned against him, hooked her arm through his, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"..."

"If you two want to show off your relationship, take it outside. Don't bother me."

Suzune said coldly, then burrowed under the covers.

"Oh?" Sato tilted her head. "Horikita, are you jealous? We're not even dating, and you're already butting in."

"I just think you two are annoying. And I'll never fall for him in my life, so don't get the wrong idea, Sato."

"Is that so?" Sato let go of his arm. "Then make sure you remember those words, Horikita."

"Hmph."

Afterward, he and Sato went outside.

As soon as they were out, Sato lowered her head and apologized:

"I was so rude just now. I shouldn't have done that without asking. If it upset you, please tell me off."

"I'm fine. But why did you do it?"

"Well..." Sato crossed her legs, her hands clasped behind her back. "I... I just wanted to test her, to see if she really likes you. You've gone this far for her, after all, so your relationship... I—"

"So, what's the result?"

"...Well, I'm sorry," Sato said. "But my intuition tells me there's a 40% chance she likes you."

A woman's intuition, huh? Still, he trusted his own more.

"All right. Thanks, Sato. Sorry for the trouble this time. I'll treat you next time."

"Um... could we make it a movie instead?" Sato asked nervously.

"A movie... Sure, that works."

Another movie. Did she like going to the movies that much?

"Okay, don't back out. I'm serious this time."

"Oh."

Eito couldn't quite figure out what she meant by being serious.

Maybe only Sato herself knew.

For now, that was the end of the matter.

After what had happened yesterday, Ibuki spoke with him more often.

She still looked annoyed, but she kept asking him questions. Most were about his class. She asked indirectly, but he saw right through it.

That confirmed his guess from the day before.

One of her questions surprised him.

"Who's the smartest person in your class?"

That was easy.

He called Yamauchi over.

"What is it?"

Yamauchi looked thoroughly annoyed.

He'd been climbing a tree with Ike and was about to win, but Eito had called him down.

Eito said:

"Ibuki thinks you're smart and wants you to show off your intelligence. That okay, class genius?"

Yamauchi puffed out his chest.

"Looks like you've got a good eye. That's right. Teachers always praised me when I was little. I was the smartest kid in my class."

"Got any achievements to your name?"

"One time, I wanted to scare my teacher, so I hid under the lectern. The teacher couldn't find me and called the police, but even the police couldn't find me. Hahaha!"

"So what were you doing the whole time?"

"I fell asleep."

Eito nodded, then looked at Ibuki.

"See? Isn't he smart?"

"He sure is."

Ibuki looked at him, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Yamauchi didn't understand their subtext and continued to boast smugly:

"Another time, I secretly smeared paint on a girl's skirt. She didn't notice all day, and then she called in sick the next day. Hahaha—"

"..."

"And another time..."

Yamauchi went on about his "heroic" deeds, oblivious to the darkening expressions on Eito and Ibuki's faces.

Now Eito understood firsthand: Yamauchi really was annoying.

But it also gave him a deeper understanding of Yamauchi.

Sometimes, even someone everyone looked down on had redeeming qualities. Only by taking the time to think carefully could you discover the tiny flecks of gold buried deep in a cavern of unfathomable flaws.

In the end, those things could become your own strengths, too.

Night Raid

Night.

What came to mind when you thought of night?

Beautiful moonlight? Skin as smooth as ice and jade?

No. None of that mattered.

A night raid was the most romantic thing of all.

Just as Osamu Dazai had left No Longer Human behind before he died, Eito would complete his own night raid. He wouldn't care even if it killed him.

So, under cover of darkness, Eito activated his superpower, found Kikyo's tent, and sneaked inside.

It was summer, and the blanket was thin, covering only Kikyo's upper body. Her loose pajamas outlined her seductive, alluring figure.

Kikyo was sleeping near the edge of the tent, so he lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, facing her.

Even through her clothes, her delicate body felt as smooth as silk. A faint scent of soil mixed with the sweet scent of milk filled his nostrils.

After several weeks, he could finally feel Kikyo's soft body again.

But touching her through her clothes wasn't enough. He soon slipped his hand inside.

The movement woke Kikyo.

She was about to scream when he covered her lips with his.

"Mmph... Mm..."

At first, she was startled. But as she gradually felt the familiar press of their lips, Kikyo slowly stopped struggling and leaned quietly against him, letting him take what he wanted.

Just before she ran out of breath, Kikyo finally pushed him away and leaned against the pillow, panting.

Afraid someone might hear, Eito didn't dare speak.

But the hand below never stopped moving.

They were close together, and the night was dark, but once their eyes had adjusted, they could just make out each other's faces.

Kikyo said nothing, but he could tell what she meant from her piercing eyes.

[Keep moving and you're dead.]

[Bring it on.]

He kissed her again.

Then he moved down from her chin.

He couldn't remember exactly what happened. All he could recall was the soft, smooth sensation against his lips.

As for going all the way, he'd have to be completely insane to let the whole class come over and watch.

Besides, Kikyo stopped him. She must have understood what that last step meant. For her own sake, she wouldn't let him inside so easily.

After all, she understood men better than anyone.

What he hadn't realized was that another girl in the same tent had been awake the whole time, listening to the sounds of the two of them making out.

Morning.

After Kikyo had changed, she noticed a girl in the same tent staring blankly at her.

Was she in love with her?

Heh. As if.

"Karuizawa, what's wrong? Is there something on my clothes?"

Kikyo walked over and asked.

"Ah—n-no, nothing," Karuizawa said, shaking her head nervously. "I just think Kushida looks really cute today."

"How could that be? If we're talking about cute, Karuizawa is the cutest girl in class. Even I can't help falling for you."

Kikyo smiled.

"...Really?"

"Of course. And you're dating Hirata, the most handsome guy in class. That's amazing. I think you two make a perfect couple."

Kikyo's brows arched as an envious look appeared on her adorable face.

Even Karuizawa, who got along with Kikyo on the surface but had always viewed her as a rival, couldn't help thinking that she really was cute, and that she said such nice things.

Before this, Karuizawa wouldn't have doubted her. But the events of last night kept replaying in her mind.

How could this innocent, cute girl do something like that with a boy in the middle of the night?

Did she have a boyfriend? Who was he?

The light had been too dim last night, and Karuizawa hadn't dared make any obvious movements that might alert them. So she still hadn't seen the face of the boy who had been making out with Kikyo in the middle of the night.

Hirata?

No, impossible.

As his fake girlfriend, Karuizawa knew Hirata pretty well.

He was a genuine good guy who would never take advantage of a girl. They'd been pretending to date for so long, and he'd never once tried to grope her.

Of course he wouldn't do something as vile as sneaking into a girl's tent in the middle of the night.

That left only one person in class as the prime suspect.