Special Fetish

"Huh?"

Kamuro Masumi froze, wondering if she'd heard him wrong.

But Uesugi Hara immediately repeated himself, and her expression stiffened.

The next second, undisguised disgust spread across her face. She looked at him as if he were a pile of irrecyclable trash stuck to the ground, her gaze so cold it held not a trace of warmth.

"Gross."

The word came through her clenched teeth, utterly devoid of any other emotion.

That was probably how any girl would normally react to hearing something like that.

Uesugi Hara found himself oddly "thrilled" by the look she gave him, but he still hadn't given up. He hurriedly raised his hands and waved them. "I just want to look at your legs. How is that gross? And don't get the wrong idea... I just saw something earlier and suddenly wanted to check something..."

Before he could finish, Kamuro Masumi cut him off with a glare. She took a big step back, as if putting some distance between them would keep her safe, and curled her lips in undisguised contempt. "Stay away from me."

With that, she turned and left, walking so quickly she seemed to be escaping something filthy.

Uesugi Hara hurried after her for a couple of steps and called out, "Kamuro, Kamuro! You just promised to help me!"

Kamuro Masumi spun around, frowning. "I did promise to help you, but I never said I'd indulge your insanity!" She looked him up and down, her eyes full of disbelief. "What is wrong with you? How dare you say something like that to a girl in a place like this? I'm telling you, that one line alone is more than enough for me to report you to the police for sexual harassment!"

Kamuro Masumi wasn't exactly easygoing to begin with. After hearing such an outrageous request, all she wanted was to get away from this guy who'd clearly lost his mind. She edged farther to the side, ready to leave at any moment.

"Even if you called the police, you'd be the one getting arrested," Uesugi Hara muttered under his breath with a pout.

"What did you say?" Kamuro Masumi was too far away to hear him. She'd only seen his lips move, and frowned as she pressed him.

"Nothing," Uesugi Hara said, deliberately drawing out his words as he changed tack, his tone tinged with hurt. "I just didn't expect you to go back on your word, Kamuro."

Uesugi Hara tried to goad Kamuro Masumi.

It might not have worked on other people, but it worked on a girl as adorably simple-minded as Kamuro Masumi.

Just as expected, she took the bait.

Her frown deepened. The anger in her eyes was now mixed with a few traces of awkward hesitation, and her cheeks flushed faintly. She seemed to be arguing with herself: admitting she'd changed her mind would make her look unreliable, but she couldn't bring herself to agree to such an outrageous request either.

"You really just want to look at my legs?" Kamuro Masumi asked, embarrassed. She packed all her uncertainty into the question and finally relented.

"Yeah, yeah!" Uesugi Hara nodded eagerly.

Kamuro Masumi glared at him, then waved a hand in resignation. "Fine. We'll go look over there, on that bench. Make it quick!" With that, she strode toward the bench, as if staying another second would drown her in embarrassment.

The lamplight spread in a warm, yellow glow around the bench, washing over the ground and outlining the figure seated there.

Uesugi Hara's eyes settled on Kamuro Masumi's beautiful legs, and for a moment he forgot to look away.

They were straight and slender, her skin glowing with a healthy, fair sheen in the light. The proportions from calf to thigh were just right.

Her short skirt barely covered her knees, leaving a stretch of skin as smooth as fine porcelain exposed. The edge of her long socks left a faint mark just below her knees, bringing together the girl's youthful energy and delicate beauty.

Even resting quietly, her legs seemed to hint at the lively rhythm of her movements—with a touch of girlish charm in their lightness and the vibrant energy unique to youth.

Feeling Uesugi Hara's undisguised, burning gaze, Kamuro Masumi grew terribly uncomfortable. Her earlier anger had vanished somewhere along the way, and a faint blush crept over her cheeks, making her look unusually bashful.

"Hey, you... have you looked enough yet?" She turned her face away, her voice trembling slightly with a flustered edge she didn't even seem to notice.

Only then did Uesugi Hara contentedly pull his gaze away. He looked at her reddened ears. "Huh? Kamuro, are you blushing?"

Uesugi Hara was a little surprised. They'd only met today, but from what he'd seen, Kamuro Masumi seemed like the carefree sort of girl—the kind who even sat like a seasoned fighter.

But now she had turned her face away, her ears were red, and her words were stumbling. That bashful look she couldn't hide was much cuter than the fierce, bristling way she'd acted earlier.

Kamuro Masumi was momentarily at a loss for words. She whipped around to glare at him, but her cheeks only grew redder, the blush spreading to her neck. "W-who's blushing? Don't talk nonsense!" She tugged at her skirt, looking uncomfortable.

Suppressing a laugh, Uesugi Hara deliberately leaned closer. "Oh? Then why are your ears as red as ripe cherries?"

"That's because the streetlamp's shining on them!" Kamuro Masumi retorted, her chin held high, though her eyes darted away. "Are you done looking yet? If you are, hurry up and leave. I don't have time to sit here while you act crazy."

"I'm done, I'm done." Uesugi Hara knew when to quit and readily agreed.

The two fell silent for a while.

Uesugi Hara suddenly wiped the smile from his face, straightened his expression, and spoke seriously. "Kamuro, I've discovered a very serious problem."

"Oh." Kamuro Masumi raised an eyebrow, her voice flat. She'd already buried the little trace of embarrassment from earlier, and sounded completely unfazed.

Her cool reaction caught Uesugi Hara off guard. "Aren't you curious what the problem is?"

"Oh. What is it?" Her tone was still indifferent, as if she were listening to something completely unimportant.

Uesugi Hara faltered, scratched his head, then said it anyway. "I think... I might be a pervert."

At that, Kamuro Masumi looked up and stared at him in silence for a moment.

Then she spoke with perfect calm, each word clear. "You can be a little more confident. Drop the 'might.' You are a pervert. What normal person tells a girl, 'I want to look at your legs'?!"

Uesugi Hara was caught off guard again. "I was just asking you to confirm it... Besides, I only like looking at legs."

He changed the subject, glancing at Kamuro Masumi's pocket, his tone taking on a hint of retaliation. "Look who's talking. You're no better. Judging by how practiced you were just now, I doubt it was your first time doing that. You probably didn't steal that beer just to drink it, either, did you?"

He deliberately paused, as if searching for the right words, then clapped his hands. "Oh, right. Is it called kleptomania? Someone like you probably specializes in stealing things minors aren't allowed to buy. Like stealing beer—you get a thrill out of breaking the rules, right?"

He even raised an eyebrow, his look saying, "You're one to talk."

"Hmph, none of your business." Kamuro Masumi's cheeks warmed at being found out, but she kept her voice tough and turned to leave, her footsteps stomping against the ground as if she were picking a fight with someone.

After taking two steps, she stopped abruptly and turned back, lowering her voice in warning. "I don't want anyone else finding out about what happened today. If word gets out..." She raised her fist, her knuckles white with tension. "You'd better think carefully about the consequences."

With that, she reached into her pocket, pulled out the cold can of beer, and tossed it at Uesugi Hara irritably. "You can have it. Just looking at it annoys me."

The can traced an arc through the air, and Uesugi Hara caught it easily.

He first tucked the troublesome thing into his pocket. By the time he looked up, Kamuro Masumi was already far away.

Honestly, she could've just left. Why leave him with this nuisance?

Watching her figure gradually disappear into the night, Uesugi Hara couldn't help imitating her earlier tone. He pinched his voice high, drew out the words, and clenched his fist as he waved it around. "You'd better think carefully about the consequences~"

He laughed at his own performance, then shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Tch, who are you trying to scare?"

The evening breeze carried the glow of the convenience store lights past him. He patted the can of beer in his pocket, wondering with a headache what he was supposed to do with it.