Welcome to Paradise of Freedom

"Alright, on your marks, get set... go!"

As the command fell, Horikita and Kiyotaka shot forward at breakneck speed. At first, Kiyotaka was still adjusting to Horikita's pace, which made her lift her head proudly and cast a disdainful glance at him.

But then Kiyotaka accelerated with long strides, and that sudden burst of speed nearly caused Horikita to stumble and lose her balance.

"Wait..."

In her fluster, Horikita let out a small cry of surprise.

She desperately tried to keep up with Kiyotaka's pace, but because she was inferior to him in basic stamina and strength, she couldn't seize the lead and was forced to lag behind.

"Like you said, it's not hard to match your partner. Speed up!" Kiyotaka said quietly.

"That's... I know! You don't need to tell me!" Horikita gritted her teeth stubbornly, forcing herself to barely keep up with Kiyotaka's rhythm.

Seeing this, Kiyotaka quickened his pace again. The length of his strides was like an insurmountable chasm for Horikita.

Before long, Horikita could no longer keep up with Kiyotaka's rhythm at all. Her foot slipped, and she was about to fall.

Kiyotaka stopped in time and steadily caught Horikita by the shoulders, preventing her from falling.

Supported by Kiyotaka, Horikita gasped heavily, unable to hide her exhaustion and dishevelment.

Kiyotaka crouched down, untied the rope binding them together, and then silently watched Horikita without a word.

Horikita felt his gaze and understood what he was trying to tell her. Though unwilling, the facts were plain and left no room for argument. She could still tell right from wrong.

"I get it. I'll go apologize to Onodera." Horikita said, feigning calm.

"And?" Kiyotaka showed no sign of letting her off, pressing further.

"I... I'll go tonight." With no way to avoid it, Horikita stammered out the words, then quickly walked toward Onodera as if fleeing.

Whatever they talked about, Onodera soon sat up and began testing again with Horikita, and this time, there was clear improvement.

Kiyotaka withdrew his gaze and sat down weakly on the ground.

"Ah, I'm really tired."

"You worked hard."

Suddenly, Kiyotaka felt a chill at the back of his neck. He looked up to see Kikyo's smiling face right in front of him, very close, holding a bottle of water against his neck.

Kiyotaka took the water, opened the cap, took a couple of sips, and said, "Aren't you pretty busy? How'd you sneak out?"

Though Kikyo was hidden within Class D, both boys and girls were eager to get close to her. In a sense, she was a hidden boss—if she called for support at any time, she might gain more backing than anyone else in the class.

"Gotta slack off sometimes..." Kikyo sat down next to Kiyotaka, swinging her feet leisurely.

"By the way, Kiyotaka, do we really have to do this? If we do, it'll really hurt the class's morale, won't it?" After a moment's hesitation, Kikyo asked out of the blue.

Kiyotaka glanced at Kikyo, then looked up at the sky.

"Sometimes setbacks make them see their situation clearly. Only then can they unite to face the difficulties." Kiyotaka didn't answer directly, almost muttering to himself.

Kikyo nodded and didn't ask further. With a "heave-ho," she stood up and went back to practice.

Chapter 66: You're a Bit Forward Today (Revised)

As the sky gradually darkened, Hirata gathered everyone together.

"Everyone worked hard today. We'll discuss the order of the matches later, so just keep yourselves in good shape." Hirata said with a warm smile as he looked at everyone.

All the stares directed at Class D had vanished, because they were slowly realizing that knowing the opponent's strength was useless—the 'matchup chart' was what really mattered. No matter how strong or weak your opponent was, if you didn't face them, it was like punching cotton; all that strength went nowhere.

As Hirata finished speaking, everyone dispersed in twos and threes.

Even Kiyotaka had been forced to exercise today, and his clothes were inevitably stained with sweat. Right now, he just wanted to hurry back, shower, and change.

Not long after Kiyotaka returned to his dorm, his door opened from the outside. He calmly watched Horikita walk in and said with a smile, "Yo, you kept your word."

Horikita snorted in reply, "I'm not about to break my promise to you."

"Glad to hear you say that."

"Don't talk to me like some old father!"

Horikita kicked Kiyotaka in spite.

"I'm drenched in sweat and feeling awful. I'm going to take a shower. Want to join me?"

Kiyotaka extended the invitation to Horikita, originally just meaning to tease her, but who knew she'd actually agree.

"Sure, I'm soaked in sweat too."

With that, Horikita generously entered the bathroom first, even puckering her lips at Kiyotaka from the doorway.

Kiyotaka glanced at Horikita with slight surprise. She was acting a bit off today. Normally, wouldn't she have tsundere'd her way straight out the door?

But Kiyotaka didn't overthink it. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Horikita's exercise today had been intense too. Even now, faint beads of sweat slid from her forehead, tracing down her snow-white neck. Her sportswear clung slightly to her body from the dampness, her graceful figure and flushed, translucent skin revealing themselves subtly with every movement.

When Horikita saw Kiyotaka come in without making a move, she didn't mind. She leaned lightly against the sink, slowly bent down, and peeled off the long athletic socks covering her pale legs. Because of her posture, her already somewhat full softness pressed heavily against her thighs, showing half a bun-like shape through the round neckline.

Then Horikita stood up, slowly stripped off her clothes, and stood completely naked in front of Kiyotaka.

Kiyotaka looked at the delicate, jade-white body before him but made no move.

"What, you need me to help you?"

Horikita raised her brows slightly, looking at Kiyotaka as she asked.

Kiyotaka thought for a moment, then a smile tugged at his lips.

"Doesn't sound bad?"

With that, he spread his arms, looking like he was ready to be handled.

Horikita shot Kiyotaka a glare. Her face was icy cold, but her body obediently walked over.

As Kiyotaka's clothes were peeled off one by one by Horikita, the two soon stood face to face, completely bare.

Kiyotaka pulled Horikita into his arms, leaning in to kiss her.

"Stop, all sweaty, filthy."

Horikita pushed against Kiyotaka's face with her hands, struggling.

Kiyotaka grabbed both her wrists and pinned them against the wall, leaving Horikita completely immobilized, staring at him.

Kiyotaka ignored Horikita's murderous glare entirely. His head slowly moved toward her neck, took a deep breath, and then his tongue quietly licked it.

A slightly fragrant saltiness. Kiyotaka smacked his lips. To his surprise, the scent Horikita gave off after exercise was even richer than usual. He'd always thought it was because she sprayed something on, but it turned out to be her natural body scent.

This discovery only fueled Kiyotaka's interest further. His tongue began to wander around Horikita's neck.

"Don't, too dirty."

Horikita was still struggling at this point, but it was clearly half-hearted. Her flushed face and increasingly dazed, watery eyes had completely betrayed her.

Horikita's legs unconsciously rubbed together, trickles of sweat running down her thighs. But that couldn't quell the heat inside her—instead, it only stoked the nameless fire stronger.

Then Kiyotaka let her go. But Horikita threw herself into his arms on her own, her small hand finding that long-missed companion and feeling it change in her grip. She couldn't help swallowing.

"Do whatever you want."

Kiyotaka whispered into Horikita's ear, like a devil's murmur.

"Stinking sweat, so dirty."

Horikita muttered disdainfully as she obediently knelt down.

Kiyotaka was long used to Horikita's tsundere antics and let her words go in one ear and out the other.

Today, Horikita seemed especially diligent, and the feeling she gave Kiyotaka was especially thrilling too.

Horikita only felt a warmth rise inside her, choking her so much that tears sprang to her eyes.

"Cough, cough, cough."

When Kiyotaka let go, Horikita immediately coughed.

"Trying to kill me? That deep."

Horikita shot Kiyotaka a reproachful glance, then stood up, found her position, and slowly sat on the sink, her back against the wall. She looked like she was sitting on a little stool, her whole body in a yoga pose.

Horikita's dazed eyes locked onto Kiyotaka. She stretched out one hand and crooked her finger at him.

"Come on."

Kiyotaka pressed forward directly.

Because Horikita had taken the initiative, he started moving right away, picking up speed with each contracting sensation.

Horikita sang out without holding back, as if releasing all the longing of this period.

"You're being a bit forward today, aren't you?"

Kiyotaka watched Horikita's slender waist start to move on its own and couldn't help teasing her.

Horikita rolled her eyes slightly, her gaze hazy as she looked at Kiyotaka. She didn't answer, just reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung her whole body on him.

With a thrust of Kiyotaka's hips, Horikita was lifted into the air. Suspended, she was hit by a sensation she'd never felt before.

"Ah!!"

Horikita couldn't imagine how Kiyotaka's seemingly frail body possessed such explosive strength.

The battlefield shifted from the bathroom to the hallway, and from the hallway to atop the white sheets.

During that time, their offensive stances had changed countless times, but each one made Horikita feel as if she were on the verge of death.

Unable to withstand Kiyotaka's impact, Horikita even tried to flip over and take control, but unexpectedly, even when Kiyotaka was beneath her, he remained just as fierce and unstoppable.

With a series of spasms, Horikita let out a high-pitched cry before going limp in Kiyotaka's arms.

Kiyotaka buried his head into Horikita's chest, taking a deep breath, and found that her sweat had transformed from a faint fragrance into the clean scent of body wash. This pleasant smell drove Kiyotaka to ravage Horikita's delicate body relentlessly, not stopping until it was covered in marks.

Horikita lay sprawled on the bed, her body a canvas of ruin—countless fine scratches and kiss marks all bearing witness to their earlier intensity.

At this moment, Horikita had shed her usual cold demeanor, like a docile kitten, letting Kiyotaka do as he pleased.

"Why are you so obedient today?"

Kiyotaka bit Horikita's ear and asked.

Horikita felt a tingling sensation all over and shivered, then said softly, "I missed you."

Kiyotaka gave her ** a firm slap.

"That doesn't sound like you?"

Horikita pouted and pinched his waist, saying, "Are you sick or something? Do you really need me to look at you coldly like usual for you to feel comfortable?"

"Yeah, that's more like it."

Horikita shot him a flirtatious glare, then buried herself in his arms, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.