The True Cult: Welcome to Paradise

"Yeah, run!"

As soon as Kiyotaka finished speaking, the others felt he had a point and immediately bolted. Kiyotaka followed behind, letting out a sigh.

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Day Just for Airi

After everyone dispersed, Kiyotaka thought it over and decided not to return to his own dorm, instead heading to Airi's.

When Kiyotaka knocked on Airi's door, she had just finished showering and was drying her hair with a towel wrapped around her. Hearing the knock, she didn't dare open it.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Standing at the door, Airi heard Kiyotaka's voice. Her slightly panicked expression instantly gave way to surprise and delight. She couldn't wait to open the door and looked at Kiyotaka standing outside.

"Kiyotaka, why are you here?"

Kiyotaka took in Airi's scantily clad appearance, paused for a moment, then spoke.

"I figured it was getting late, so I came straight over so we could head out together tomorrow."

Airi naturally noticed Kiyotaka's gaze. Her face flushed with shyness as she murmured softly.

"I did wash up a bit over there, but I still felt sticky, so I took another shower when I got back."

As she spoke, Airi pulled Kiyotaka into the room. He glanced around—this was only his second time in Airi's room, he thought. Unlike last time, this room now had several photos of Kiyotaka, and judging by the angles, they were all candid shots.

This discovery brought a hint of amusement to Kiyotaka's face.

Airi noticed too. Overcome with embarrassment, she let out an "Ah!" and her small hands fidgeted with the towel unconsciously, unable to meet Kiyotaka's eyes.

Seeing this, Kiyotaka pulled her into his arms, breathing in the fragrant scent of her bath.

"What's there to be shy about? Tomorrow I'll be with you. Let's take some nice photos together, okay?"

At his words, Airi's eyes shimmered as she looked at him, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Mm, okay."

Heaven knows, Kiyotaka hadn't come over tonight with any intentions—it was purely to make it easier to go out tomorrow by sleeping over first.

But sleep he did, though it was utterly exhausting. Once Airi took the initiative, pressing her proud softness into Kiyotaka's hands, everything spiraled out of control.

"Hmm... I can't anymore. I don't even have the strength to move."

After their passionate encounter, Airi said weakly.

At that moment, Airi's body was covered in a faint pink flush, and her eyes as she looked at Kiyotaka were filled with satisfaction and affection.

Kiyotaka naturally wouldn't push her further. He shifted her off him with one hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Go to sleep. We've got a whole day of fun tomorrow—what if you run out of energy?"

Airi shot him a glare, thinking to herself.

"This jerk talks all high and mighty, but why doesn't he just pull out!"

But Airi didn't say it out loud. She just found a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and rested, still feeling the lingering sensations.

The next morning, Airi woke up to a swollen feeling. She went through her morning routine with practiced ease, and after a satisfying "breakfast," she got off Kiyotaka and took a quick shower.

When Airi came out of the shower, Kiyotaka was already dressed and waiting for her.

"Just wait a bit more—I'll change clothes in a second!"

Airi hurriedly grabbed an outfit and started changing right there. Kiyotaka strongly suspected she was doing it on purpose, but he had no proof.

Soon, Airi was wearing a fitted white shirt with a sun-protection jacket and a pair of tight jeans. This outfit showcased her curvaceous figure perfectly, with all the right curves in all the right places.

Airi walked up to Kiyotaka and spun around.

"Kiyotaka, does this look good?"

Usually, around others, Airi would tie her hair up and wear a pair of thick, non-prescription glasses.

But today, her hair was loose, and without the glasses to hide behind, the unique vitality of a young girl radiated from her completely.

Kiyotaka couldn't help but grab her and give her a deep kiss before saying.

"Good. You're so cute I want to eat you up."

Airi giggled and slipped out of his grasp.

"No way, time's almost up. You promised you'd spend the whole day with me."

With that, she grabbed Kiyotaka and rushed out the door excitedly.

Today, Kiyotaka treated himself like a tireless robot. Once they reached the shopping district, he asked Airi.

"Where should we go first?"

At his question, Airi furrowed her brows tightly, thought hard for a long time, then stuck out her tongue and said.

"Kiyotaka, I don't know. My head's full of just wanting to go out and have fun with you, but I never thought about where to go."

Kiyotaka's expression froze for a moment, then he gently flicked Airi's forehead with a hint of affection before taking her hand and leading her into the mall.

When they passed by an accessory shop, Kiyotaka hesitated for a moment before taking Airi's hand and leading her inside.

Airi entered the accessory shop and her eyes lit up at the dazzling array of sparkling accessories. She immediately grew excited browsing the cute trinkets, completely forgetting that Kiyotaka was right beside her.

But that worked out perfectly. Kiyotaka himself began carefully selecting as well. When he spotted a silver-white four-leaf clover necklace tinged with a hint of pink, he felt it would suit Airi especially well. He glanced at Airi, who was absorbed in looking at things, then secretly had the shop assistant wrap it up and paid. After pocketing the packaged necklace, he quietly moved to stand beside Airi.

"See anything you like?"

Airi looked up and shook her head.

"No, let's go."

After they came out, Airi took the initiative to hold Kiyotaka's hand and began strolling around. But most of the time, she only looked without buying anything. This made Kiyotaka ask with slight confusion, "Those clothes clearly suited you well. Why won't you let me buy them for you?"

Airi shook her head.

"With Class D's current performance, the points distributed each month are barely enough for living expenses. It's better not to waste them. I'm already happy just having you accompany me shopping. I have enough clothes."

Kiyotaka's gaze toward Airi grew increasingly gentle. It seemed that besides the goal of Class A, he'd also need to find a way to earn points.

Before they knew it, a whole morning had passed. Airi's stomach let out a rumbling sound.

This made Airi so embarrassed she didn't know what to do.

"Ah, I'm so hungry. Let's go get something to eat?"

Kiyotaka said calmly, patting his stomach, then took Airi's hand and led her into a Western restaurant.

There weren't many people in the restaurant. One person spotted Kiyotaka and said curiously, "Isn't that Ayanokoji? Who's that next to him? I feel like I've never seen her before."

"Kei, stop gossiping. Let's eat and go. Didn't you say you wanted to watch a movie later?"

"Oh yeah, let's go, Yosuke."

The ones who noticed Kiyotaka were Yosuke and Kei, the openly dating couple in class. As he led Kei away, Yosuke gave Kiyotaka a thoughtful glance or two before leaving as well.

Kiyotaka naturally noticed the gaze, but he simply couldn't be bothered to care. Or rather, even if they were discovered, it wouldn't be a big deal. He had already prepared for everything when he decided to go out.

So this lunch, arranged by Kiyotaka, left Airi feeling very happy and satisfied.

Chapter 24: Tonight, Whatever You Want

After eating their fill, Airi contentedly pulled Kiyotaka along as they left.

When they passed by an arcade, Airi was captivated by all kinds of cute plush toys on display.

She looked at Kiyotaka pleadingly, tugging at his sleeve and asking, "Kiyotaka, can I play that?"

Kiyotaka followed her gaze and spotted her target. He fondly patted her head and said, "Wait here while I go exchange for some game tokens?"

"Mm-hmm, okay!"

Airi nodded eagerly like a little chick pecking at rice, then cheerfully walked over to the claw machines, already thinking about which one to grab.

Seeing this, Kiyotaka quickly went to exchange tokens. But when he came back, he saw a guy hovering around Airi, chattering away, even following her wherever she went.

Witnessing this scene, Kiyotaka's golden eyes flickered with a faint light. He strode quickly to Airi's side, pulled her directly into his arms, held her tight, and said with a smile, "Darling, sorry to keep you waiting. I've got the tokens. Let's go."

Seeing Kiyotaka's move, the guy's smile turned awkward, and he slunk away.

"You, you could have just refused him directly. Why do you have to be so timid?"

Kiyotaka said to Airi with a hint of exasperation.

Airi looked at Kiyotaka's slightly annoyed expression, then gave a sweet smile.

"Because I believe you'll come to help me, Kiyotaka. And isn't that exactly what happened? No matter what happens, you'll always be by my side."

With that, she even happily gave him a peck on the cheek, her face showing no panic at all, only deep trust in Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka gave Airi a helpless look. This girl trusted him way too much. Then he handed over the tokens he'd exchanged and said, "Here, I got a whole bunch of tokens. Grab whatever you want."

Seeing the pile of tokens, Airi's eyes sparkled with joy.

"So many! I'm going to catch every single one!"

But compared to Airi's bold declaration, her skill was somewhat lacking. The pile of tokens had already been halved, and aside from one plush she'd snagged by luck as a consolation prize, Airi had nothing else to show for it.

This made Airi's once excited expression gradually turn into a pitiful pout. She looked at Kiyotaka with a woebegone face and said, "Kiyotaka, I can't catch anything. Boohoo."

Kiyotaka hadn't expected Airi to be so upset she was almost in tears. He gave a helpless chuckle, then patted her head and asked, "Is there something you really want? I remember you can exchange small plushies for big ones here, right? Got a target in mind?"

"I do... but I can't catch it. I thought I could get it."

"Which one?"

Airi asked, pointing with her small hand. Kiyotaka followed her gaze and saw a plush bear clutching a heart-shaped pillow, requiring twenty-five plush toys to exchange. He couldn't help narrowing his eyes—a heavy task lay ahead.

"Leave it to me. I'll definitely get that big bear for you today."

Airi looked at him awkwardly.

"It's fine if you can't. I've already wasted so many of your tries. It's a bit tough."

Kiyotaka watched Airi's pitiful expression and couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheek, asking—

"Then, if I do it, what's my reward?"

Airi's face flushed bright red at his words. She leaned close to his ear and whispered—

"If you do it... tonight, you can do whatever you want."

Hearing that, Kiyotaka's competitive spirit blazed to life. He had been observing for a while and already figured out the claw machine's pattern. Tonight's freedom to do as he pleased was his for the taking!

Airi watched Kiyotaka, now fired up by her provocation, the shyness in her eyes deepening. But seeing his fierce determination, she felt deeply satisfied inside. Usually, the Kiyotaka she saw was cold and aloof, but lately, he'd shown more actions tinged with personal emotion. She felt he had changed—become more human.

And just as Kiyotaka had said, he turned into a claw machine killer. Plush toys began dropping one by one from the chute, dazzling Airi so much that she clapped her hands until they were red, as if she felt nothing.

Unbeknownst to them, a crowd had gathered behind them, standing there to watch.

Until the last plush toy fell—the twenty-five-toy mission complete, with two coins still jangling in Kiyotaka's hand—Airi couldn't hold back her excitement. She pounced on Kiyotaka and kissed him hard. Only when she heard the cheers behind them did she realize they were surrounded by a crowd. She let out a yelp and buried her face in Kiyotaka's chest, too embarrassed to show herself.

Kiyotaka remained unfazed. He stroked Airi's hair, packed up all the plush toys, and led her to the redemption counter to exchange for the big plush bear she had been longing for.

When Airi got the bear, she hugged it with delight, burying her entire face in it and rubbing against it fiercely.

"Remember our bet."

Kiyotaka whispered in Airi's ear. Hearing this, Airi shot him a sultry glare, then, with one arm holding the bear and the other holding Kiyotaka's hand, she led him out of the arcade.