Airi Was Such a Good Girl

"You guys finally made it."

Hirata smiled as the group came through the door.

Kiyotaka swept his gaze across the room. The dim lighting made faces hard to see, but he could tell there were more people than expected.

"Hirata, why does it feel like there are so many people here?"

"Hello, Ayanokoji."

Before Hirata could explain, Ichinose came over to greet Kiyotaka.

"Ah, we ran into some people from Class B on our way here. They were planning a group outing too, so we decided to come together. The more, the merrier."

Hirata smiled.

"Oh, I see. A bigger crowd sounds nice."

Kiyotaka's reply was mild.

"Kiyotaka, what are you doing hanging around the door? Get over here!"

Sudo spotted Kiyotaka from inside and called out at the top of his lungs.

"Yeah, coming."

With that, Kiyotaka left the others and headed straight for Sudo.

Ichinose took Kikyo and the others off to have fun.

Horikita had tried to refuse, but they coaxed her into joining them.

"Hey, Kiyotaka, should I apologize to Horikita? She got a fever and fainted because of me. The way she looked at me just now was terrifying."

Yamauchi leaned in to ask quietly as soon as Kiyotaka sat down.

"Huh? Did she? You must be imagining it. I don't think she even looked this way."

Kiyotaka glanced toward Horikita.

"I wasn't imagining it! If you hadn't told me to smear that mud on her, she wouldn't be glaring at me. Her eyes are scary as hell."

"Ah... I see. Then go apologize to her."

Kiyotaka shrugged.

"No way. You have to come with me, even if it's just for moral support!"

Yamauchi hauled Kiyotaka to his feet and headed toward Horikita.

Horikita noticed them approaching. She looked at Kiyotaka in confusion, as if asking what they wanted.

Kiyotaka merely shrugged.

"Heh, um, Horikita..."

Yamauchi rubbed his hands together awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"Um, well, I'm sorry! If I hadn't smeared mud all over your head, you wouldn't have gotten a fever and fainted. Please forgive me!"

Yamauchi bowed a full ninety degrees in apology.

Horikita gave Kiyotaka, standing beside Yamauchi, a meaningful look before answering.

"It's fine. I gave you a shoulder throw in return, didn't I? It's over."

"Really? What a relief! Heh, I'll head back, then."

Yamauchi abandoned Kiyotaka and went back alone. Kiyotaka was about to follow when Horikita grabbed him and said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes,

"Ayanokoji, where are you going in such a hurry? Stay and have some fun with us."

Airi and Kikyo covered their mouths, giggling as they watched. Beside them, Ichinose blinked with curiosity.

Kiyotaka sighed to himself and found an empty spot to sit.

Once he sat down, Horikita spoke quietly enough that Ichinose couldn't hear.

"So you were behind him smearing mud all over my head."

Kiyotaka picked up a drink and stared straight ahead as he drank, utterly absorbed.

Horikita couldn't do much to him here. She gave his arm an angry pinch before some students from Class D pulled her away to join the fun.

Seeing Horikita dragged off, Kikyo and Airi followed. They knew she wasn't good at handling occasions like this, and Kikyo would have to help her out.

Kiyotaka had barely sat down, yet Ichinose was already the only one left beside him.

They sat in silence, drinking, until Ichinose finally spoke.

"Ayanokoji, about that exam... do you know who the holder in Class B was?"

"Are you ready for the answer?"

Instead of answering her question, Kiyotaka asked one of his own.

Ichinose pouted and gave a faint, petulant huff.

"Why are you like this? You won't give an inch. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat. Answers come at a price."

In the dim room, Kiyotaka's golden eyes seemed unusually bright to Ichinose. She could feel him watching her closely, his gaze intense.

"Then could you... charge a little less? The price is too high."

Ichinose didn't know why she had said it. Her face flushed the moment the words left her mouth.

Kiyotaka paused. He had only said that to scare her off. He hadn't expected her to agree.

"No. It has to be at least the same as last time, or I'm not interested in answering."

Ichinose fell silent. Kiyotaka thought that would be the end of it.

Instead, Ichinose took off her jacket, laid it over her lap, and whispered so softly she was barely audible,

"Then... go ahead. But you have to promise that what you tell me is true."

The shy yet stubborn look on her face caught Kiyotaka's interest.

He slipped his hand beneath the jacket and rested it on Ichinose's smooth thigh. Her entire body stiffened at once.

Kiyotaka took his time, slowly moving his hand along her thigh and feeling the softness of her skin.

Ichinose hadn't expected to react so strongly when he had only touched her thigh. As his hand wandered, her body began to feel stranger and stranger. Whenever the KTV lights crossed her face, a rosy blush was plainly visible.

When Kiyotaka's hand moved toward the middle, he found her legs pressed tightly together, without the slightest gap. He made a couple of token attempts, then withdrew his hand when she didn't budge. He went back to his drink as though nothing had happened.

Ichinose knew exactly why he had stopped. She had clamped her legs shut because she was so shy and nervous.

"Could you... not touch me there?"

Ichinose blinked at him, looking pitiful.

"Could I not answer your question?"

Kiyotaka's reply was flat.

That told Ichinose everything she needed to know. She struggled with herself for a long while, but she wanted the truth for the sake of what lay ahead. Gritting her teeth, she made up her mind. She parted her legs slightly, took Kiyotaka's hand, and guided it over.

But Ichinose pulled too hard, causing Kiyotaka's hand to strike her there.

"Mmm—!"

The sudden sensation drew a cry from her before she could stop it. Remembering they were still in the room with everyone else, she hurriedly covered her mouth.

Kiyotaka's hand began to move, teasing her without restraint.

A strange sensation sent a shiver through Ichinose, and she instinctively closed her legs again.

This time, however, Kiyotaka's hand was still between them. Her legs closed tightly around it.

"You really can't take much."

Kiyotaka sensed her reaction and murmured the words.

Ichinose glared at him, embarrassed and indignant, her eyes shimmering.

Kiyotaka shrugged, entirely unafraid of her harmless glare, and kept moving his hand.

Ichinose felt everything more intensely than she had last time. She didn't know whether it was because her classmates were nearby or because her clothes were thinner today.

A tingling sensation ran through her whole body, as though countless ants were crawling over her skin. She kept wanting to rub her thighs together, but the last of her reason held her back. If she did, the consequences would probably be worse.

At last, Kiyotaka judged that about as much time had passed as last time and pulled his hand away.

As his hand withdrew, Ichinose felt a cool draft and shivered. Then she saw him looking at the silvery threads stretching from his fingers, and she was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.

Strangely, embarrassment wasn't all she felt. More than anything, she was reluctant for it to end. Part of her inexplicably wished he would continue.

Ichinose shook her head to drive away the absurd thought, then said,

"I've... paid the price. Can you answer my question now?"

Kiyotaka glanced at her and answered evenly.

"Shiranami Chihiro."

"So you were the one who wrote down our class?"

Kiyotaka gave her a strange look but said nothing.

"What's that look supposed to mean?"

His expression annoyed Ichinose, and she demanded an answer.

Kiyotaka found it amusing.

"First, we left the Class B entry blank. We don't want to damage the friendship between our classes. Second, did you forget about Kaneda from Class C? Or did you think you could go all those days without giving yourselves away?"

Ichinose slapped a hand to her forehead. Lately, she had been so preoccupied with Kiyotaka that she had overlooked things right in front of her. No wonder he laughed at her. She deserved it.

That was what she thought, but she still protested,

"You don't have to look at me like I'm an idiot."

"How else should I look at you? If this is how the leader of Class B thinks, isn't that cause for concern?"

Ichinose was left speechless. For a moment, she had no idea what to say.

For the first time, Ichinose felt that someone had outdone her in an argument. She was too embarrassed to explain herself to Kiyotaka, so she could only swallow the humiliation.

At the same time, she grew more interested in him. She felt there was something about him she couldn't figure out. Usually, he seemed almost invisible, but once she started paying attention to him, she could hardly look away.

As the old saying went, curiosity really did kill the cat.

And Ichinose was one curious cat. One careless step, and she might fall into a bottomless abyss.

"Attention, all students. The next Special Exam is about to begin. The exam instructions have been sent by text message to your devices. Please read them carefully and follow the directions. We repeat..."

The sound in the private room was suddenly overridden by the Special Exam announcement.

"You've got to be kidding. Another one? I thought we were done."

"My god, what are they trying to do to us?"

Even Kiyotaka paused when he heard the announcement. Then he narrowed his eyes and took out his device. Sure enough, a text message was waiting.

"They never run out of new tricks. One hassle after another—they won't give us a moment's peace."

Kiyotaka sighed helplessly.

"Everyone, since another Special Exam is coming up, why don't we call it here and focus on preparing?"

Hirata stood and addressed the group.

The others agreed, and soon everyone began leaving in twos and threes.

"Well, I'll be going too, Ayanokoji."

Ichinose had returned to normal by then. There was no sign that her face had been flushed only a short while ago. She waved to Kiyotaka and left.

"Kiyotaka, should we head out too?"