Chapter 22

Saki Miyanaga's face turned even redder.

This time, she was certain it wasn't because of the hot spring water, but purely out of shyness.

Her mind was completely filled with that sentence from Sora Kageyama: "Can you let me win a hand, too?"

For some reason, she felt that if both she and Nodoka Haramura could let Sora Kageyama win, it wouldn't be impossible, but... would Nodoka agree?

At this moment, without waiting for Saki Miyanaga to ponder any further, Sora Kageyama's lips, carrying the warmth of the hot spring, gradually drew closer to Saki Miyanaga.

The moonlight shattered into stardust amidst the swirling mist, sprinkling onto his slightly trembling eyelashes. His obsidian-like pupils reflected Saki Miyanaga's flushed cheeks and her eyes, which were filled with panic and anticipation.

His nose tip brushed gently against hers, and their overlapping breaths condensed into moist white fog within the steam.

Saki Miyanaga could feel the breath he exhaled onto her lips, scorching and rapid, as if he were about to set her entire being ablaze.

Her heart hammered like a drum, making her eardrums ache. Her hands subconsciously clutched the damp skin on Sora Kageyama's shoulders, her fingertips digging into his firm muscles, earning a low, muffled groan from him.

Finally, Sora Kageyama's lips pressed gently onto her red ones.

The touch was as soft as a feather, yet carried an irresistible force.

Saki Miyanaga froze in place, her mind going blank. She only felt a chaotic sensation on her lips, as if an electric current were racing up her spine to the top of her head.

Sora Kageyama's palm slowly caressed her back, moving from her slender waist upward, brushing over her protruding shoulder blades, and finally resting in her water-soaked hair, pulling her more tightly into his embrace.

The hot spring water rippled gently beneath them, the waves mixing with their ragged breathing to compose an ambiguous melody in the night.

Sora Kageyama's lips brushed lightly against hers, and Saki Miyanaga couldn't help but part her mouth to meet him.

A scorching kiss unfolded—a kiss Saki Miyanaga had never experienced before, one that felt as if she were about to be swallowed whole.

Saki Miyanaga felt as though she were drowning in this long, lingering kiss. The surrounding mist turned scalding, and even the temperature of the hot spring water couldn't compare to the heat surging within her body at this moment.

She closed her eyes, immersing her heart and soul in the shock and sweetness brought by Sora Kageyama, forgetting Nodoka Haramura, forgetting all her concerns, leaving only the temperature between their lips and teeth.

After a long while, Sora Kageyama slowly released her, silver threads still hanging from the corners of their mouths.

Saki Miyanaga opened her eyes in a daze, gazing at the handsome face inches away; his eyes were filled with a light intertwined with ** and tenderness.

Her cheeks were red enough to bleed, and her breathing remained rapid. Sora Kageyama lowered his head and kissed her forehead lightly, his voice hoarse and low: "Perhaps, I have found another tile that can let me win."

Saki Miyanaga felt as if she had completely lost her senses.

However, her reason and instinct still compelled her to pull away from Sora Kageyama.

She braced herself and stood up: "Although I am indeed tempted, I cannot do something that would betray Nodoka Haramura..."

Sora Kageyama did not stop her, instead asking with a hint of a smile: "So, are you planning to give up?"

Yet Saki Miyanaga shook her head: "I promised Nodoka Haramura that no matter what happens, I would be honest with her. I will go and explain things to her before I come to approach you again."

Having said that, Saki Miyanaga went ashore, grabbed her yukata, and ran off. She told herself firmly that she must make things clear with Nodoka Haramura.

Watching Saki Miyanaga's retreating figure, Sora Kageyama only thought... how cute...

Chapter 49: Yuki Kataoka's Initiative

When Saki Miyanaga stumbled away from the hot spring pool, the sound of her wooden sandals striking the stone path gradually faded along the corridor.

Sora Kageyama submerged his burning neck into the hot spring, the ripples on the water surface swallowing their intertwined reflections; only the bronze bell continued to sway in the night breeze, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

He gazed at the pool water, which shimmered silver under the moonlight, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the spot where he had held Saki Miyanaga's waist just moments ago, as if the girl's soft body heat still lingered there.

The moment he returned to his private room wrapped in a yukata and opened the door, the lights inside caught him off guard.

It is worth mentioning that because he still had work to do and for the convenience of everyone's joint training, he was not staying with Nodoka Haramura. However, to make it easy for everyone to find him at any time, the members of the Kiyosumi High School Mahjong Club all knew the password to his room.

Therefore, Sora Kageyama subconsciously wondered if Saki Miyanaga and Nodoka Haramura had come to find him after having their showdown.

However, he hadn't expected that the moment he pushed the door open, the scent of sandalwood mixed with a sweet, citrus fragrance would rush toward him. Cherry-shaped hair accessories were scattered on the bed, and Yuki Kataoka was lying sideways on the prepared futon. Her brown twin-tails hung loosely over her shoulders, and the collar of her thin yukata was wide open, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.

"Kageyama-kun." The playful girl narrowed her eyes, revealing a cunning smile like a cat. She crawled over on her bare feet across the futon, her hair tips brushing against his tense calves: "Saki-chan's way of running away was super cute, right? But whatever she can do, I can do too."

Startled by this sudden development, Sora Kageyama took half a step back, his lower back hitting the low table with a dull thud.

The moonlight cast interlaced shadows on Yuki through the bamboo blinds, outlining her not-so-obvious curves.

She had a cute, petite figure, but that didn't mean she lacked appeal.

It made Sora Kageyama unable to help but wonder whose figure was better, Yuki Kataoka's or Koromo Amae's.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he recalled Saki Miyanaga's moist lips, but he was forced to turn his gaze toward the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window: "Yuki-san, don't mess around. Are you dreaming and still half-asleep?"

The girls' rooms were so far from his; even if she were confused, she wouldn't be confused enough to end up here.

To put it bluntly, Sora Kageyama was just refusing her, while incidentally giving Yuki Kataoka a way out.

Normally, a thin-skinned girl would have run away long ago.

But Yuki Kataoka was clearly different.

"I'm not dreaming!" Yuki Kataoka boldly and suddenly threw herself into his arms, her damp hair tangling around his fingers.

When she looked up at him, tiny water droplets still clung to her eyelashes: "I originally thought that I would never touch the person Nodoka likes... but Kageyama-kun, you already kissed Saki-chan."

Clearly, without Sora Kageyama or Saki Miyanaga knowing, Yuki Kataoka had seen the scene at the hot spring pool.

However, she hadn't done it on purpose; she had simply been worried because Saki Miyanaga hadn't returned for so long and went to check on her. She hadn't expected to see such a blood-pumping sight, which had also stirred up Yuki Kataoka's own... desires.

Her bold, warm breath sprayed against his collarbone as she stood on tiptoe to nip at his earlobe: "Adding one more to the mix, that wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?"

Kageyama Sora went rigid, feeling the girl's soft body pressing tightly against his own.

In his memories, Yuki Kataoka was always the innocent girl eating chicken wraps, looking cute and guileless in her short skirt.

Yet, at this moment, she was like a cunning wildcat, gnawing at his neck with kisses that tasted of citrus.

Her fingertips wandered along the sash of his yukata, giving a light tug at his waist, and the fabric slid down his shoulders to reveal his well-defined chest.

"Don't..." Kageyama Sora's voice was swallowed by her sudden, passionate kiss.

As her cool fingertips brushed over his abdominal muscles, Kageyama Sora abruptly gripped her slender, fair wrists: "There's a limit to this mischief."

"Kageyama-kun, your body is clearly being very honest, though..." Yuki Kataoka laughed as she lowered her head to kiss him, her twin tails falling on either side of his cheeks, the tips brushing against his sensitive skin.

She flipped over to sit astride his waist, her yukata falling completely open, the moonlight casting a soft glow over her exquisite curves: "Kageyama-kun, listen to my heart, is it beating wildly..."

She grabbed his warm, large palm and pressed it against her chest; the warm sensation made Kageyama Sora's pupils shrink.

Yuki Kataoka was now kneeling boldly between his hips, her knees pressing against his hip bones; at this angle, her nose was just brushing the hollow of his collarbone.

When she looked up at him, the top of her head barely reached below his Adam's apple, and her twin tails swept across his pectoral muscles, making his muscles tense involuntarily from the ticklish sensation.

"Kageyama-kun's waist..." She used her index finger to trace circles along the lines of his abs, and when her fingertip slid above his navel, he gasped sharply: "Nodoka eats so well..."

The scent of citrus washed over him as Yuki Kataoka kissed his abs once more, her teeth grazing his skin with soft, rhythmic sounds.

Because of the height difference, as Yuki Kataoka did this, Kageyama Sora could see the fine fuzz on the back of her neck and her shoulder blades peeking out from deep within the collar of her yukata.

The moonlight outside the bamboo blinds shattered into silver foil, spilling over her hair tips and his heaving chest, as if they were a pair of true lovers.

"Yuki..." His warning was crushed in his throat by her obsessive, clinging sounds.

Her tongue climbed along his jawline, her damp, hot breath spraying onto his earlobe as her teeth bit down on his ear stud, shaking it gently: "Say my name, Kageyama-kun."

Her twin tails swept across the back of his hand, and only then did he realize his palms had somehow gripped her lower back, pressing her deeper into his body.

Her knees left tiny creases in the bedding; having knelt for too long, they were growing numb, so she lifted her hips slightly to adjust her posture.

This movement caused her to brush against Kageyama Sora's hidden parts through the thin fabric, and both of them let out stifled breaths.

Kageyama Sora's hand traced up her spine, and when he reached the back of her neck, he suddenly applied pressure, forcing her to tilt her head back.

It was a literal grasp of the scruff of fate.

"Stop now..." His voice was hoarse and restrained, his thumb stroking her lips, his fingertips feeling her rapid breathing: "There's still time."

Yuki Kataoka, however, suddenly opened her mouth to take his thumb inside, her wet, hot tongue swirling around his fingertip as she let out a muffled whimper.

Her soft fingertips slipped into the hem of his yukata...

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the bamboo blinds, weaving a web of light and shadow over their intertwined limbs.

Kageyama Sora suddenly flipped over, pinning her down into the bedding...

Yuki looked up at him, her twin tails fanned out in a messy arc, her cherry hair accessories having rolled to the bedside at some point.

His nose almost touched her forehead, the height difference forcing him to arch his back slightly, a position that placed his weapon right against her core, the friction through two layers of fabric creating a scorching sensation.

In this extreme and chaotic situation, Yuki reached out to stroke his brow bone, and as her fingertips brushed his eyelashes, he instinctively closed his eyes.

He heard Yuki Kataoka whisper: "Kageyama-kun's eyes... are like dice made of obsidian."

Chapter 50: Eating Sweet Yuki

Moonlight leaked through the gaps in the bamboo blinds, weaving a web of light and shadow over their intertwined limbs.

Yuki Kataoka looked up at Kageyama Sora's handsome face, her twin tails fanned out in a messy arc, her cherry hair accessories having rolled to the bedside at some point.

His nose almost touched her forehead, the height difference forcing him to arch his back slightly; at this moment, not only was the atmosphere just right, but the scene was perfect as well.

In this extreme and chaotic situation, Yuki reached out to stroke his brow bone, and as her fingertips brushed his eyelashes, he instinctively closed his eyes.

He heard Yuki Kataoka whisper: "Kageyama-kun's eyes... are like dice made of obsidian."

Obsidian?

He was slightly surprised that a girl like Yuki Kataoka could say something like that.

And taking advantage of the moment Kageyama Sora was stunned, Yuki Kataoka, finding strength from who knows where, shouted arrogantly: "Invincible Scissor Kick!"

Then, she clamped her legs around Kageyama Sora's waist, reversing their positions.

Kageyama Sora was completely bewildered: "You..."

At this moment, Kageyama Sora's back sank into the fluffy down mattress, the soft touch of the velvet sheets coming from his palms, yet he only felt that this was too absurd.

It wasn't his first time in such an ambiguous encounter with a girl, but one with as much "showmanship" as Yuki Kataoka was certainly a first.

And clearly, Yuki Kataoka's showmanship wasn't over yet.

Yuki Kataoka was now kneeling on his thighs, her twin tails swaying slightly with her movements, the cherry hair accessories shimmering in the moonlight.

As she looked up, her nose almost brushed his chin, her small face becoming even more alluring in the interplay of light and shadow.

This face-to-face assault made Kageyama Sora's heart race, and he couldn't tell if it was because of the scissor kick or the sheer impact of her beauty.

But at this moment, Kageyama Sora only felt as if a bird were frantically fluttering inside his chest; he desperately told himself to push her away, but his throat felt blocked, unable to utter a complete refusal.

"Kageyama-kun, your heart is beating so fast..." Yuki Kataoka's fingertips traced along the open collar of his yukata, the cool touch gliding over his burning skin and sending a shiver through him.

The scent of citrus mingled with her warm breath, lingering at the tip of his nose; the air she exhaled against the hollow of his collarbone made his arms tighten uncontrollably.

Kageyama Sora turned his face away, not daring to look directly into those eyes steeped in moonlight, where the surging heat threatened to drown him.

He screamed frantically in his heart that he couldn't do this, that it would end in disaster; Yuki Kataoka was so close with Nodoka Haramura, and if things went wrong, it would absolutely lead to a catastrophe.

Yet, when the words reached his lips, they took on a different tone: "Yuki, stop messing around..."

Even though he was refusing, the words he spoke sounded as if they were laced with indulgence.

Before the words had even faded, a wet sensation suddenly touched his earlobe.

Yuki Kataoka caught his earlobe between her teeth, nibbling gently while her tongue flicked back and forth in a kiss.

A numbing sensation shot up his spine to the top of his head; Kageyama Sora's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the reprimand he intended to voice turned into a suppressed groan.

His sanity teetered on the edge of collapse, yet his remaining clarity still struggled: "This is wrong, Nodoka Haramura..."

But when her hands climbed onto his shoulders and her nails scraped against his taut muscles, all his reservations were cast to the winds.

"Liar, you clearly like it." Yuki Kataoka pressed her cheek against his chest, pouting as she listened to his frantic heartbeat.

Her voice rose at the end of the sentence, sounding playful as it usually did, yet now it sounded more like a woman than a girl.

Kageyama Sora lowered his head and collided with her damp gaze; the eyes reflecting his own out-of-control state held a heat he had never seen before.

Her movements as she untied his yukata were gentle and slow; every knot she loosened felt like the unraveling of his last shred of pretense.

As the yukata slid off, her scorching gaze swept across his chest, and as she leaned down to bury her face in the crook of his neck, Kageyama Sora finally let his hands clasp her slender waist, his fingertips caressing her soft skin as his back sank into the depression of the down mattress, a voice in his heart clamoring: "Just this once, just indulge yourself this once..."

"So fragrant..." She murmured, kissing Kageyama Sora's Adam's apple, the scalding touch making his entire body go rigid.

From his Adam's apple to his collarbone, every shallow tooth mark she left behind felt like a brand of ownership seared onto his skin.

Outside the window, the night wind rose suddenly, the sheer curtains rustling; the moment the moonlight was swallowed by the clouds, the darkness only amplified every sense.

Yuki Kataoka found his lips in the dark, and the moment they touched, she received a fierce, burning response from Kageyama Sora.