Goodnight, Kushida

Hoshino raised an eyebrow, his hands never stopping. "You can't judge people that simply, Kushida. Everyone has several different faces. You should know that very well."

Indeed, when it came to having two faces, the girl Kushida Kikyo was no exception.

"But..." Kushida shook her head. "It's different! Yesterday, you were like that! I-I don't understand why you're treating me like this today..."

Gentle. Kushida did not say the word aloud.

He could be dense and lecherous at times, but he also showed thoughtfulness and consideration in every way. Just now, Kushida had bickered with him like they were old friends, nearly forgetting what had happened yesterday.

But how could she forget?

Even facing Hoshino as he was now, Kushida could pretend not to care. Yet she knew perfectly well that if Hoshino showed even the slightest hint of authority, she would immediately fall back into the abyss of fear.

Hoshino still wore a faint smile. "Yeah, why indeed..."

He gently stroked Kushida's hair. "If you can't figure something out, don't think about it for now. You're sick, Kushida. Your top priority now is getting plenty of rest."

As he blew her hair dry, Hoshino used his hand in place of a comb to brush through it. The boy's long fingers ran through her hair, occasionally massaging her scalp lightly. Kushida could not help feeling drowsy and languid.

"Do you remember what I said to you yesterday?"

That sudden question jolted Kushida awake.

"You said... you would make me choose whether to be your toy or your pet."

"That." Hoshino smiled faintly. "Come to think of it, I gave you one night to consider it. You should tell me your answer now."

"I..."

"I was joking. In the end, that choice depends on me, not you." Hoshino spoke calmly. "I meant the sentence before that."

"The sentence before that was..."

Kushida's mind was not particularly sharp right now. It was strange—what had happened last night felt unforgettable, yet when she tried to recall it, everything was hazy and unclear.

"I said I wanted you to be my woman."

"...So I don't have the option to refuse, do I?" After a moment of silence, Kushida asked softly.

"Kushida wouldn't refuse." Hoshino said with a smile.

"You're that sure?"

"From your perspective, your biggest crisis right now is that I discovered the side of you that you hide. If I reveal it, it will threaten your life, won't it?"

Hoshino's voice was as casual as if he were making small talk.

"You have to make sure I don't reveal your secret. That is extremely important to you. You even went so far as to let me touch your breasts in order to threaten me. Heh." Remembering last night, Hoshino could not help chuckling. "Unfortunately, your threat did not work on me. Since coercion failed, you can only tempt me with benefits. That means you cannot ignore the conditions I put forward."

Kushida silently lowered her head.

"Looks like what other people think of you really is very important to you."

"Yes... I know I'm not particularly outstanding in other areas. Only when it comes to dealing with people, my talent... Forget it. Why am I even telling you this? You definitely wouldn't understand."

"Maybe I don't." Hoshino said. "But I don't need to."

Kushida slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Hoshino. The boy's eyes were like deep gemstones, as though they could see through people's hearts. The corners of his lips curved up slightly, displaying a confident yet modest smile. Soft light shrouded his skin, and his whole body radiated an indescribable charm.

"Don't move, I'm almost done." Hoshino pressed his fingers against both sides of Kushida's head and gently turned her face back. "Don't stare at me. Aren't you afraid you'll be captivated?"

"Narcissist."

Kushida laughed as she cursed him, then leaned back against Hoshino's chest.

"It's really unbelievable," she murmured. "After you did that to me, I thought I would hate you, or be afraid of you. I never expected... being with someone who knows what I'm really like would feel so relaxing..."

"Kushida, you live too tiredly." Hoshino said flatly. "You're always bound by what others think, like wearing clothes that are soaked through. Not only are they heavy and restrictive, they'll make you sick too."

"...Maybe you're right. But I might already be unable to change."

"As I said earlier, I'm quite good at helping girls take off their clothes."

"That is pure sexual harassment, you pervert."

"Hey, I thought that was a pretty cool thing to say."

It was cool, and it made me feel safe too. Kushida silently thought.

What kind of expression was she wearing right now? Kushida did not know. At the same time, she was glad that Hoshino could not see it in their current position.

She lightly coughed twice, did not respond to him, and picked up her phone. "I almost forgot. I still need to reply to Hirata and the others."

The girl was the most popular person in class. Since she had suddenly fallen ill and taken leave, many classmates, including Hirata, had messaged her to ask about her condition.

"That can wait until tomorrow."

Kushida ignored Hoshino's suggestion. While quickly working her phone, she brought up another topic. "Tomorrow, I'll probably get surrounded by everyone asking about the two of us secretly dating, right?"

"Maybe. How do you plan to deal with it?"

"Of course I'll firmly deny it. It was someone's complete and utter lie to begin with." Kushida rolled her eyes. She no longer cared much about maintaining her image in front of Hoshino. "I'll clarify that someone confessed to me, got angry and embarrassed after being rejected, and actually tried to force himself on me. While I was struggling desperately, I accidentally fell into the lake."

"Hey, that explanation is way too slanderous toward me."

"Hmph. What you actually did was far worse, wasn't it?"

"But me confessing voluntarily and then getting rejected—that is completely impossible, isn't it?"

"What? That's the part you care about?" Kushida stared at him dumbfoundedly. "Please put some limits on your narcissism."

"Kushida," Hoshino said seriously, "answer honestly. If I really confessed to you, would you agree to date me?"

"No. Impossible. Give up on that idea."

Kushida answered immediately without even thinking.

"Fine..."

Watching Hoshino visibly wilt—his acting was painfully fake—the corners of Kushida's lips secretly curled upward. She picked up the lunchbox, scooped a spoonful of porridge into her mouth, and swallowed. Unfortunately, she could not taste much right now. Still, the warmth felt pleasant.

Kushida ultimately drank less than half of it. By then, Hoshino had finished drying her hair and turned off the hair dryer. The room suddenly became quiet.

After a short while, Kushida said softly, "I want to sleep."

"Okay." Hoshino answered. Naturally supporting her by the arm, he walked her to the bed, helped her lie down slowly, and pulled the blanket over her.

Kushida lay on her back, her pale little face expressionless, one small hand still clutching Hoshino's collar.

"Can you... stay with me?"

"Of course."

Hoshino took a chair and sat beside the bed.

"Turn off the light."

"Okay."

Hoshino got up and turned off the light. The room immediately became dim again. Carefully feeling out the furniture and clutter in the room, Hoshino slowly returned to the bedside and sat down. A small hand immediately reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Goodnight."