People Worth Watching

Walking against the flow of students heading for the academic building, Hoshino kept his head down and hurried back toward the dorms. Quite a few students cast curious looks his way. Those close enough to see his sorry state, however, frowned, covered their noses, and avoided him.

This was the most humiliating experience Hoshino had suffered since enrolling—no, perhaps the most humiliating experience of his entire life.

That woman... Hoshino thought through gritted teeth. One day, I'll make her pay...

"Hoshino?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Hoshino instinctively looked over, then immediately realized what was happening and turned his head in the opposite direction. But it was already too late.

"It really is Hoshino! You... how did you end up like this...?"

The one who had called out to him was Sakura Airi, his classmate. Just yesterday, the two had started dating.

Under normal circumstances, Sakura probably would not have dared to speak to Hoshino in such a crowded place. But seeing how miserable he looked, her concern overcame her shyness, prompting her to approach him. Of course, she still had not dared to call him by name directly.

And yet—Hoshino ignored her completely.

"Um... Akira?"

"No! You've got the wrong person!"

Hoshino muttered the words under his breath before fleeing at top speed. All that remained was the Red-haired Girl, standing there in a daze.

I feel like I heard that exact same line yesterday. What a cycle.

As he reflected inwardly, Hoshino ran back to the dorms. Fortunately, he did not encounter any Class D students along the way. Once inside his room, he stripped off all his clothes and shoved them straight into a garbage bag, tying it shut.

That outfit had become a psychological trauma for Hoshino. No matter how thoroughly it was cleaned, merely seeing it would remind him of what had happened today. He had to throw it away.

As for the money to buy a new uniform, he would make that female teacher pay it back with interest sooner or later.

Hoshino washed himself twice with body wash, only stopping after confirming again and again that there was no strange odor left on him. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he went out and headed upstairs.

More than ten seconds after he knocked, the door opened a crack. Kushida revealed one eye through the gap. "Why are you back? Shouldn't you be in class at this time?"

"It's a long story. Just let me in first."

Though she looked reluctant, Kushida still opened the door. Hoshino walked straight inside. After locking the door behind him, Kushida went over to draw the curtains.

"...Hey, don't you think you're misunderstanding something?" Hoshino could not help asking as he watched her movements.

"I'm not misunderstanding anything. I trust my instincts." Kushida pursed her lips before adding, "Of course, I'm only doing this so we can talk more privately."

That way of speaking was practically identical to Hoshino's. He gave a wry smile. "Whatever you say." Then he sat on the bed. Kushida had been about to lean against him when she suddenly sniffed and asked in confusion, "What's that smell?"

Hoshino's face darkened, and he said nothing.

Seeing his reaction only made Kushida more curious. She wanted to come closer and pry for answers, but she was also somewhat put off by that strange smell. After hesitating for a moment, her love of gossip won out. She promptly climbed onto the bed, supporting herself with both hands as she lowered her body. Rubbing her cheek ingratiatingly against Hoshino's chest, she looked up at him with wide eyes, appearing especially adorable and pitiful.

"Akira~ Master~ What happened? Tell me, please~"

Hoshino's resistance lasted roughly ten seconds before he finally succumbed to Kushida's spoiled act. He told her about what had happened that morning as briefly as possible, and, as expected, received her merciless laughter in return.

"Ahahahahaha..." Without the slightest concern for her image, Kushida laughed so hard that she rolled around on the bed. Hoshino frowned and waited patiently beside her for a full two minutes.

"Are you done laughing?"

"Mmm..." Kushida sat upright and wiped away the tears she had laughed out. "Sorry, don't be mad at me. It was really hard not to laugh..."

"I'm not mad at you." Hoshino's voice was calm.

"I know, I know." Kushida nodded repeatedly. "From your description, that was probably Hoshinomiya-sensei from Class B."

"Class B... Hoshinomiya Chie..." Hoshino softly repeated the name, sinking into thought, only to be interrupted at once.

"Akira..." Kushida tugged hard at his arm. "Go take a shower already."

"I just took one."

"But boys' so-called showers are probably the kind that only take a few minutes, right? That won't do. The smell won't come off that easily." Smiling sweetly, Kushida forcibly pulled him to his feet, then went behind him and pushed him toward the bathroom.

"Fine, fine." Hoshino reluctantly agreed, then suddenly reached back and grabbed Kushida's arm. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to get clean. You'll have to help me."

With Kushida's assistance, Hoshino spent two hours thoroughly cleaning himself.

Since they moved out of the bathroom around halfway through, it could not really be called a shower in the strict sense.

Kushida's pretty face was flushed red, her breathing slightly unsteady, with several sweat-dampened strands of hair stuck to her forehead. No matter how one looked at it, her earlier shower had been for nothing.

Simply put, Kushida was currently in pain and pleasure at once.

Even she could not clearly explain how she truly felt now. Though only a little over half a month had passed since that night by the artificial lake, the unforgettable events of that time no longer seemed quite so important.

The frightening impression Hoshino had left on her was fading day by day, but a deep and intimate connection had already formed between them—and it continued to grow stronger.

Especially after they crossed that line last night and built a new relationship, Kushida vaguely realized that she had already fallen deeply into it. The loss of her virginity, which would have troubled her immensely half a month ago, now felt natural and inevitable.

Have I... been conquered in bed? Kushida asked herself after Hoshino left that morning.

She did not remain confused for long. When Hoshino returned and she saw him upon opening the door, the joy filling her heart gave her the answer.

All she could say was that the famous saying of that Chinese woman writer was still not outdated.

Kushida lay sprawled over Hoshino's chest, tracing circles on it with her finger until the ticklish sensation became unbearable.

"Settle down." Hoshino grabbed her two restless hands.

Kushida continued teasing his palm with her fingers. "So, Akira, did you properly vent all that frustration?"

"Not enough." Hoshino gave a mischievous thrust, drawing a coquettish cry from Kushida. Then he cleared his throat and said seriously, "Kikyo, I want to discuss our next move with you."

"Huh? Me?" Kushida froze for a moment.

"Yes. There's no one more suited than you, who has information on every class in this grade, to discuss this with."

The joy of being trusted filled Kushida's heart. Excitedly, she pounced on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a fierce kiss. "Hmph, this is what I'm best at. Just ask me anything you want to know!"

"Tell me about Class B." Hoshino smiled and patted her head. "Based on the information we currently have, Class B is completely different from the other three first-year classes. Their defining trait and advantage is unity."

Kushida picked up where he left off. "That's right. Based on what we know, most Class B students are well-rounded types—not outstanding, but not bad either. To put it bluntly, they're fairly average. The only person worth watching is—"

"Ichinose Honami."