Chapter 23

Kageyama Sora's reason completely collapsed. As he flipped over and pressed her into the fluffy mattress, he heard the faint creaking of the bed springs.

And this time, it wasn't to restrain Yuki Kataoka and stop her from acting recklessly, but to be the one acting recklessly himself.

Their breaths intertwined. Yuki Kataoka wrapped her arms around his neck, bold and passionate, though only she knew how anxious she truly was.

Of course, only Yuki Kataoka knew that as she gazed at his reddened eyes and slightly swollen lips, she wore a look of utter satisfaction.

The moment the moonlight spilled back into the room, Kageyama Sora lowered his head to kiss her, turning all their contradictions and struggles into this intensifying ambiguity.

The curve of the down mattress swallowed them both, and the faint creaking of the bed springs, mixed with the night wind outside the window, became the accompaniment for what followed.

With Yuki Kataoka showing herself without hesitation, Kageyama Sora took possession of the young girl's purity.

The height difference between the two of them was already significant, and Kageyama Sora was quite well-endowed as a man.

This caused Yuki Kataoka, the moment she was possessed, to feel as if she were being completely stretched open, and she couldn't help but let out a tearful cry: "It hurts."

"Take it, even if it hurts." Kageyama Sora's scorching palms swept across Yuki Kataoka's back, the protruding vertebrae of her spine jumping beneath his fingertips: "This is what you asked for."

There was no tenderness at all; it was truly as if he were trying to break Yuki Kataoka, who looked like a little girl, into a doll.

The soft flesh at her waist was gripped until crimson marks appeared—the proof of his loss of control.

By the middle and later stages, Yuki Kataoka truly couldn't take it anymore.

Her fingernails curled into his back like vines clinging to a rock face, carving her own patterns into his muscles.

Kageyama Sora felt the sting of pain and lowered his head to bite the hollow of her collarbone, tasting a hint of salty sweat.

A memory suddenly flashed back: she was tilting her head and smiling at him, the sensation of her twin tails brushing against the back of his hand just as soft as this, yet now it had become the spark for a prairie fire.

He remembered that time when Haramura Nodoka and Saki Miyanaga went to help at Mako's house, and Yuki Kataoka had even worn a maid outfit, specifically showing her skirt hem to him.

Perhaps this little girl had already been interested in him back then, but because of her usual boisterous behavior, he hadn't noticed—or rather, even if he had, he hadn't taken it seriously.

"You're distracted..." She kissed his lower lip, the way her tongue traced his lip line carrying a childlike curiosity and aggression.

A suppressed groan escaped Kageyama Sora's throat as he plunged his fingers into her messy hair, tearing the cherry hair accessory off completely.

Chapter 51 Please Do Not Tell Haramura Nodoka

After the twilight faded, the moonlight leaking through the gaps in the bamboo blinds wove a silver net across the bed.

Yuki Kataoka lay on her back on the down mattress, her twin tails already scattered into a messy fan shape, the once-neat cherry hair accessory rolling onto the Persian rug like a discarded red heart.

Her porcelain-white cheeks were flushed with a cute, delicate red, her moist eyes like glass beads soaked in moonlight, her petite nose beaded with a light sweat, and her cherry lips slightly parted, the breath she exhaled carrying the sweet scent of citrus.

When Kageyama Sora leaned over, his shirt buttons brushed against the hollow of her collarbone, making Yuki even more nervous.

He stared at this girl who had the appearance of a little girl but was shockingly bold; her charming look was completely different from Amae Koromo.

Amae Koromo had a scarred heart beneath her cute exterior, carrying the loneliness of a genius who was misunderstood and the Demon King style of self-isolation.

But Yuki Kataoka was more in line with her age—a simple, cute, little girl style.

So, little girls are divided into ordinary ones and dark ones.

But no matter the type, when they were with Kageyama Sora, they were all dripping with charm.

She even possessed a bit of the initiative of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

The curve of the down mattress swallowed them both, and the faint creaking of the bed springs, mixed with the night wind outside the window, became the accompaniment for their intimacy.

And when Yuki Kataoka's warm palm covered Kageyama Sora's heart, it felt as if their hearts were connected at that moment, the frantic heartbeat shaking his eardrums until they ached.

Kageyama Sora pressed her against the headboard with near-forceful intensity, the moonlight piercing through the clouds again, flowing like liquid silver over her exposed skin.

The look in her eyes as she gazed up at him was wet, her eyelashes dusted with fragmented light, like a butterfly trapped in a spiderweb.

When he leaned down to bite her earlobe, listening to her trembling soft cries, he suddenly couldn't tell if this was a punishment or a reward.

Amidst the rustling of fabric, the crisp sound of a button snapping broke the air.

It really was too intense, to the point of ruining her clothes.

Yuki Kataoka's legs unconsciously wrapped around his, the soft sensation causing his reason to snap completely.

His kisses wandered downward from her collarbone, leaving a winding trail across her waist and abdomen, as if mapping out a star chart that belonged only to them.

The arc of her arched back fit perfectly with the contour of the mattress, and the moonlight cast their overlapping shadows onto the wall, twisting into a totem of desire.

"Kageyama-kun..." Her tearful call, mixed with ragged breathing, allowed the frantic bird in his chest to finally break through its cage.

Her eyelashes were dusted with fragmented light, and her moist eyes held a hint of cunning and longing, like a sly little fox.

As their bodies drew closer time and time again, Kageyama Sora heard the roar of blood rushing through his veins, like a rising tide.

The moonlight outside the window was repeatedly swallowed and spat out by the clouds; every alternation of light and shadow pushed their intimacy toward an even more surging crest.

He bit her shoulder, branding her skin with teeth marks, and in a daze, he couldn't tell if this was possession or grabbing the last vine while falling.

When their breathing gradually calmed down.

Yuki Kataoka nestled in Kageyama Sora's arms, her voice carrying a slight sob: "Can you..."

Her nose rubbed against his chest, tears still hanging on her eyelashes; her little-girl-like face looked even more delicate and charming after the intimacy, making her all the more pitiful.

Kageyama Sora was stunned when he heard Yuki Kataoka crying: "What's wrong with you..."

Actually, he wanted to say that this was all her idea and not something he forced, and that her crying right now was really terrifying.

But considering that saying such a thing would make him a total scumbag, he held his tongue and comforted her softly: "Is it me? Did I hurt you?"

Yuki Kataoka nestled into the arms of Kageyama Sora and shook her head gently: "It didn't hurt, the experience was great..."

Her voice carried the naive charm unique to a young girl, and her cheeks were still flushed with a lingering redness.

Kageyama Sora let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that it was a good thing he hadn't actually injured the young girl, but he still wondered what she was crying about...

Yuki Kataoka looked up slightly, her beautiful eyes still showing traces of tears. Despite her petite, loli-like appearance, she now looked so delicate and alluring that she was truly heart-wrenching.

After a long while, Yuki Kataoka sniffled and said: "I just feel... that I might have been too impulsive..."

Kageyama Sora lowered his voice: "So, do you regret it?"

Another silence followed, lasting so long that Kageyama Sora thought she wouldn't answer.

Yuki Kataoka said softly: "Maybe it was a momentary impulse, but I don't regret it..."

Though she said she didn't regret it, Kageyama Sora felt that Yuki Kataoka clearly did regret it and was just trying to comfort herself.

He felt he needed to do something to put the young girl at ease.

So, he gently stroked Yuki Kataoka's back, his voice filled with tender reassurance: "What do you plan to do now? Or rather, what do you need me to do?"

After another silence, Yuki Kataoka asked tremblingly: "Can you keep this a secret..."

"A secret?" Kageyama Sora hadn't expected this request.

Yuki Kataoka had already provided her reasoning: "Yes, I hope you won't tell Nodoka... I don't want her to know that I did that kind of thing with her boyfriend..."

"Fine, I promise." In a sense, this outcome was exactly what he had hoped for.

Kageyama Sora naturally wouldn't refuse; instead, he felt relieved. He had been worried that Yuki Kataoka might have a loose tongue and blab about it.

Having received a positive answer, Yuki Kataoka sat up: "Then I'm going back to sleep. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome if I wake up in your room tomorrow."

With that, Yuki Kataoka pulled her yukata closed, her small figure wrapped in the oversized fabric, making her look even more petite and adorable. She turned and walked out of the room, her back carrying the stubbornness and fragility of a young girl.

It had to be said, although she was flat, she was indeed cute and fresh.

Kageyama Sora had exercised restraint and hadn't left any obvious marks on her; as long as she could endure the pain and the discomfort, there wouldn't be any problems.

After Yuki Kataoka walked away, Kageyama Sora felt a bit restless.

He had originally been caught up in a passionate moment with Saki Miyanaga, but ended up sleeping with Yuki Kataoka instead.

Although in a sense he had been coerced, he had indeed gone along with it and eventually taken the initiative.

The moonlight still spilled through the bamboo blinds, but it could no longer weave the intoxicating web from before, leaving only a room in disarray and his heart filled with melancholy.

What Kageyama Sora didn't know was that when he was sinking into the moment with Yuki Kataoka, there was actually a girl who had wanted to find him, and she had heard everything clearly.

It was just that she hadn't disturbed him and had instead left tactfully.

Of course, it wasn't Saki Miyanaga or Nodoka, but rather Hisa Takei, who had intended to discuss the training camp details with Kageyama Sora.

However, Hisa Takei was a smart person and wouldn't spread this news. Instead, she was wondering if she could use this opportunity to gain something from Kageyama Sora, though whether she would end up losing her own interests in the process remained to be seen.

The Second Day with Hidden Agendas

The morning light, like crushed gold leaf, spilled through the gaps in the blinds onto Kageyama Sora's bed.

After Yuki Kataoka left, Kageyama Sora, exhausted from the night, fell into a deep sleep.

At this moment, the sharp sound of a phone alarm cut through the quiet morning like a blade. Kageyama Sora reached out and fumbled around, finally pressing the button to stop the annoying thing.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and dragged his heavy feet into the bathroom.

The moment the cold water splashed onto his face, he finally woke up completely. The boy's eyes in the mirror gradually cleared; he reached for his toothbrush and mechanically repeated the action of brushing his teeth.

After changing his clothes, Kageyama Sora straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and walked toward the dining hall. The air was filled with a faint scent of disinfectant, and the hallway was so quiet that he could only hear his own footsteps.

In the private dining hall he had specifically booked for the Kiyosumi High School Mahjong Club training camp, soft light shone on the dining table, and various breakfast items emitted an enticing aroma.

Nodoka was wearing a yukata, styled in her usual hairstyle, elegantly cutting her fried egg. Seeing Kageyama Sora walk in, she nodded slightly in greeting.

Yuki Kataoka was trying hard to maintain a bright smile, saying something cheerfully, but to Kageyama Sora, that smile seemed more forced than usual. Clearly, last night's impulse still carried psychological pressure for her.

"Kageyama-kun! Come here, come here, today's burrito is super delicious!" Yuki Kataoka greeted him enthusiastically, her voice as sweet as if it were mixed with honey.

Seeing her try so hard to maintain her usual demeanor made her seem a bit pitiful.

Saki Miyanaga sat to the side, biting her bread, looking like she wanted to say something but held back. Her bright, expressive eyes were full of hesitation.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, she said nothing and just lowered her head to continue eating breakfast.

Clearly, the unfinished impulse with Kageyama Sora at the hot spring last night left her very conflicted; she hadn't figured out how to tell Nodoka, nor how to face Kageyama Sora.

Kageyama Sora sat in an empty seat, feeling a dull ache in his head.

Of the five girls in front of him, Nodoka was his legitimate girlfriend; Yuki Kataoka and Saki Miyanaga had an ambiguous, tangled relationship with him... and then there was...

Suddenly, a playful gaze felt like needles on his back.

Kageyama Sora turned his head instinctively, meeting Hisa Takei's knowing, half-smiling eyes.

Hisa Takei was leaning against the dining hall door frame, twirling a coffee cup in her hand, her gaze seemingly capable of seeing through every secret in his heart.

"Kageyama-kun, up so early?" Hisa Takei approached with a light, brisk step, a meaningful smile playing on her lips. "Quite a few interesting things happened last night, you know."

Kageyama Sora felt his heart skip a beat. As the captain of the Mahjong Club, Hisa Takei was deep and calculating. Being teased by her like this caused a subtle sense of unease to spread through his heart, as if he could already see himself about to fall into some meticulously designed "trap," yet he felt powerless to resist.

And so, after breakfast, during which Mako Someya remained completely oblivious to everything, the Mahjong Club's training began.

The training regimen for Nodoka Haramura could be described as very imaginative, something Kageyama Sora had learned about just yesterday.

Simply put, Hisa Takei had discovered that while Nodoka Haramura had a high win rate when playing online mahjong, she couldn't bring that state into reality, where she was easily influenced by external factors.

Therefore, Hisa Takei had her practice drawing tiles repeatedly, sensing the tiles and focusing her attention, striving to make her state of mind when drawing tiles in reality match that of her online play.

As for Saki Miyanaga, her training method was completely different from Nodoka Haramura's.

In Hisa Takei's words: "Unlike someone like Nodoka Haramura who is easily influenced by reality, there are those who are powerful enough to read the information within reality. Saki Miyanaga is that type; she can see things that ordinary people cannot..."

"Eh..." Saki Miyanaga, having been singled out, looked lost in thought.

Kageyama Sora naturally associated this with Amae Koromo, who was the type of person who could read the information in reality, and even control it.

He had once discussed Amae Koromo's ability with Tohka, who had said that under certain circumstances, Amae Koromo could even cause a power outage in reality.

Hearing this, Kageyama Sora felt from the bottom of his heart that his world seemed a bit unscientific, yeah.

At this moment, Hisa Takei was still analyzing word by word: "However, just being like that isn't enough to beat professional players. So, let's swap things around. Saki Miyanaga, you do the opposite: instead of playing real tiles, why don't you try playing online mahjong? Specifically, the software produced by Kageyama-kun's company. Play against opponents where you can't feel any information other than the tiles themselves."

"Online... the one Kageyama-kun made? It's actually that impressive..." This was the first time Saki Miyanaga had heard of this, and the way she looked at Kageyama Sora couldn't help but carry a hint of admiration.

Kageyama Sora raised an eyebrow slightly and handed his laptop directly to Saki Miyanaga: "That's right. The reason I was able to invest in the National Tournament is because of the nature of my company."

And just like that, the lively training camp began.

Hisa Takei, Mako Someya, and Kageyama Sora worked together to conduct real-life mahjong training with Nodoka Haramura.

Meanwhile, Yuki Kataoka was bitterly working on her study problems. This miserable look was a far cry from the bold and lively girl from last night; even that tiny, unconcealable trace of apology she had shown toward Nodoka Haramura during breakfast had vanished.

As expected, doing schoolwork leaves one with no mood for idle thoughts.

Saki Miyanaga went off to play online mahjong by herself, and what was quite interesting was that this mahjong expert in reality was currently losing consistently in the world of online mahjong.