You Like Me?

Sakura burst into tears. "Xia Mu, just tell me what you want. Stop scaring me like this."

At this point, she just wanted Xia Mu to get it over with. As long as his demand wasn't too outrageous, she'd accept it.

Xia Mu took out his phone and tapped the screen as he replied, "I have something to do today. I'll find you tomorrow."

After keeping an eye on Kushida for a month, he'd accumulated quite a few Skill Points, so there was no need to rush.

It was just that his last Hypnosis seemed to have made Kushida question herself, and her correction value had been hovering around thirty ever since—not too high, not too low.

She wasn't quite so kindhearted anymore, either. Once, after a girl had pestered her too much, she'd snapped right then and there.

Though she apologized afterward, it still tarnished the image of his angelic Kushida.

Xia Mu wondered what Kushida would be like if she ever completely let herself go.

"T-tomorrow?" Sakura murmured. A frightening idea suddenly occurred to her.

She could knock Xia Mu out and take back her camera. Even if he spread rumors about her afterward, she could just deny everything.

The thought flashed through her mind, but she immediately shook her head and dismissed it.

Wouldn't that make her the bad guy?

She'd better wait and see what Xia Mu actually wanted first.

While Sakura was lost in thought, Xia Mu finished up and returned her camera.

"All right. Now let's exchange contact information."

Throughout the whole process, Sakura was like a startled little hamster, letting Xia Mu do as he pleased.

"Okay."

After they exchanged contact information, Xia Mu waved his phone. "See you tomorrow. Don't you dare stand me up. I've got your photos on my phone."

He'd just transferred the pictures from her camera to his phone via Bluetooth.

With that, he headed toward the library.

In fact, Sakura could simply deny everything and insist Xia Mu had edited the pictures, since they weren't the original files.

The other students wouldn't care much, either.

Xia Mu had naturally thought of that possibility. But Sakura would never do such a thing, given her personality, which was why he'd felt comfortable returning her camera.

Watching Xia Mu walk away, Sakura looked at a loss. "Xia Mu really is a strange person..."

No, a strange bad guy!

Sakura silently corrected herself.

As usual, Xia Mu headed to the library.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Walking over to the spot where the two of them often sat, Xia Mu apologized softly.

"Ah, it's fine. I'm used to it by now."

Shiina waved for Xia Mu to sit down, then joked, "You weren't off on a date with some girl again, were you?"

At that, Xia Mu stumbled halfway into his seat and nearly fell over.

A woman's intuition really was sharp.

"Oh?"

Shiina noticed his reaction. "Looks like I guessed right again."

"It wasn't a date, just a normal conversation."

Xia Mu replied, then sat down and opened the book Shiina had picked out for him that day.

Natsume Soseki's Kokoro.

It was probably her way of returning the favor for the ridiculously sugary Dragon Clan she'd recommended to her last time.

Kokoro was much the same sort of thing. It was a complicated love triangle about two tenants who were like brothers and both fell for their landlady's daughter. One of them was so sure of his own superiority that he believed he was certain to marry her, but the other used underhanded means to marry the landlady's daughter first, turning the two men into enemies.

"Is that so?" Shiina glanced sideways at Xia Mu.

"Of course. Heaven is my witness." Xia Mu glanced at Shiina's long, flawless legs as he replied.

They were truly a feast for the eyes.

"Hmm. You don't seem worried at all." Shiina had thought Xia Mu would be badly shaken when Class D's results came out that day.

But after spending a month with him, she'd gradually gotten to know him.

He always seemed calm and composed, with an air of having everything under control.

She couldn't say exactly why, though. It was just the impression she had.

It even seemed as if he understood her inside and out, right down to her little schemes.

"What would I be worried about? I didn't fail." Xia Mu shrugged.

He knew Shiina meant the Class D point totals.

"You're not just putting on a brave face, are you?" Shiina Hiyori smiled. "If you're short on points, you can ask me. I can lend you some as a friend."

"Great. Then treat me to dinner tonight."

"Wow, Xia Mu, you really don't hold back." Shiina couldn't help poking his cheek with her index finger. "You really do have thick skin!"

Xia Mu didn't back down. He reached out and caught Shiina's delicate finger in his hand. "What, are you taking it back?"

"Then I'll have to call you a promise-breaker."

Feeling the warmth of Xia Mu's palm, Shiina blushed and struggled to pull her hand free. "I'm not taking it back. If I promise something, I'll do it."

"Mm-hmm. We'll see."

"Or I'll draw a little turtle on your face~"

Grinning, Xia Mu traced a drawing in the air over Shiina's face with his finger.

"Don't you dare!"

Shiina bit her lip. "Then I'll turn you into a clown!"

"Come on, a goblin would be bad enough." Xia Mu would rather accept his own ugliness than become a clown.

Who could just be a clown?

"See? You're scared now, so stop teasing me!"

Shiina reached out and pinched Xia Mu's thigh hard before finally pulling her hand back, satisfied.

For some reason, a trickle of honey-sweet delight bubbled up in her heart, and the corners of her mouth kept lifting.

"X-Xia Mu."

A breeze drifted in from outside the window, gently stirring Shiina's hair.

"Hmm?" Xia Mu turned his head and saw that Shiina's face had somehow grown redder than the fiery clouds in the sky.

"Do you think... we're being a little too intimate?" Shiina finally worked up the courage to voice the question that had been on her mind.

The way she felt when she was with Xia Mu was just like the descriptions of love in novels, wasn't it?

Whenever she was with him, she felt happy.

Everything was fun. She just wanted to tease him and watch him get worked up.

But Xia Mu's next answer left Shiina at a loss.

"Not at all. We're just good friends." Xia Mu answered as if it were obvious.

"G-good friends?"

Shiina blinked her gem-bright eyes. "Do good friends read, eat, fool around, and go for walks together every day? Do they go to the movies and talk about life and the world?"

"They do, right?" Xia Mu replied, sounding unsure.

Looking at Shiina's gloomy face, Xia Mu cried out in surprise, "Don't tell me you like me?"