Failed Probing and Jealousy (Continued)
The words precisely filter out all redundant embellishments and go straight to the core.
His hand on Karuizawa Kei's waist didn't even tighten; it just gently caressed her soothingly.
It remains unchanged.
In the teachers' apartment, Hoshinomiya Chie lazily sank into the sofa, her expensive face mask revealing only her crescent-shaped smiling eyes, while she gently swirled the wine glass in her hand.
"Oh dear, Tanaka-kun is still so clueless about romance~"
Her drawn-out voice carried a hint of coquettish complaint, "The teacher specifically chose this quiet time to check on our mysterious and powerful new Student Council secretary! Especially... I heard you even have a kitten?"
"Um."
Tanaka Yukishin responded, her gaze shifting from Karuizawa Kei's face to the cardboard box in the corner of the sofa—the little orange cat seemed to have been startled awake, lazily stretching.
Karuizawa Kei nestled in his arms, holding her breath, like an alert kitten, listening quietly.
"Ah! I heard it! I heard it! What a lovely voice!"
Hoshinomiya Chie's voice instantly filled with surprise and "maternal glow".
"It must be very clingy, right? A guy as outstanding and charming as Tanaka-kun, having a warm little life by his side, doesn't that feel amazing? When the night is quiet, stroking its soft fur, all the stress will disappear..."
Her words were full of implications, subtly linking the companionship of pets with "emotional comfort" and "solitude at night," each word like a feather scratching at a delicate boundary.
"It's alright, it's just a kitten after all. It's normal for it to be dependent on people."
Tanaka Yukishin stated calmly, then paused, his gaze falling on the top of Karuizawa Kei's head in his arms.
Hoshinomiya Chie's lips twitched almost imperceptibly beneath the face mask.
She quickly adjusted her tone, her voice now imbued with a deeper melancholy and allure.
"Really... Tanaka-kun always manages to describe warmth so objectively. But, I understand! A focused and excellent guy like you must sometimes feel that taking care of a little life is a burden, right? Feeding, cleaning, playing... especially late at night when you want to focus on doing your own thing, or... enjoy some private time, having a little one next to you can be quite a nuisance, isn't it?"
She deliberately emphasized "private time," as if she were spying on someone from afar.
Karuizawa Kei's body tensed up for a moment in Tanaka.
Hoshinomiya Chie paused, lowering her voice even further, becoming more ambiguous, like a whisper between lovers.
"Actually... I think that instead of taking care of an immature little animal, it would be better to... find a more understanding and considerate companion? For example, someone mature, beautiful, understanding, and... very, very willing to provide you with... um... all-around care anytime, anywhere?"
"Sensible", "Considerate", "Anytime, Anywhere", "All-round care".
Every word was like poison coated in sugar, pointing nakedly at herself.
It points to a highly aggressive temptation that transcends the boundaries between teachers and students.
"..."
Because there are people around me right now.
Tanaka Yukishin did not respond immediately.
Hoshinomiya Chie's explicit suggestion had already exceeded the scope of his usual emergency response.
His fingers, which were resting on Karuizawa Kei's waist, stopped tapping lightly. His body froze for a moment, as if he were rapidly analyzing the sudden, hormone-fueled flow of information.
From "caring" to "raising a cat," and then to that blatant suggestion of becoming a "special companion" with oneself as the bargaining chip...
Every word, every suggestive and seductive phrase, pierced Karuizawa Kei's ears like a needle.
Karuizawa Kei's heart was in turmoil.
What?! She... how dare she?! She actually hinted at wanting to be Xue Xin's woman?!
"Take care of me anytime, anywhere?! What a shameless woman!"
As a teacher... has she gone mad?! She'd actually say something like that just to gather information?!
A strong sour feeling mixed with anger at being offended instantly shattered Karuizawa Kei's original calm and understanding.
She slightly lifted her face, which had been buried in Tanaka Yukishin.
In the darkness, those beautiful eyes flashed with disbelief and burning jealousy.
Hoshinomiya Chie's audacity and lack of scruples made her feel an unprecedented sense of crisis—Yukiko was just too outstanding!
She's so outstanding that she attracts a woman of Hoshinomiya Chie's caliber to lower herself and resort to any means necessary to test, and even... seduce!
No! This can't go on!
The position next to Xuexin... will only attract more and more people!
Even a cunning old fox like Hoshinomiya Chie has personally gotten involved... If that introverted Sakura Airi continues to be so timid and hesitant, it'll all be too late!
We need to make her face reality sooner and muster the courage to confess her feelings! We need to get her on our side too!
Having more allies means less risk of being exploited by those cunning women outside!
At the same time, a bold, even slightly mischievous, idea was ignited like a spark.
Karuizawa Kei's mind, which was filled with jealousy.
Since Hoshinomiya Chie dared to "seduce" her man like that on the phone...
Then why couldn't she give this arrogant teacher a "small response"?
Let her know that Tanaka Yukishin is not alone on the other end of the phone!
Just as Hoshinomiya Chie was still saying in a sweet voice on the phone that she was "absolutely sensible and considerate," Karuizawa Kei was moved.
Taking advantage of the brief silence Tanaka Yukishin felt after being struck by Hoshinomiya's bold statement, she slipped silently from his warm embrace like a graceful mermaid.
Instead of leaving the hall, she knelt down between Tanaka Yukishin's outstretched legs, positioned directly in front of his crotch.
In the dim light, she raised her head, her eyes, which shone brightly with jealousy and mischief, looking directly at Tanaka Yukishin with a hint of provocation and cunning.
Tanaka Yukishin's lowered eyes met hers for a moment.
He saw the fire in her eyes and that familiar, mischievous air about her.
But his expression remained unchanged.
However, the left hand that was originally around her waist and the right hand that was resting on her thigh trembled slightly at the fingertips, as if they sensed what she was about to do.
Karuizawa Kei's lips curled into an extremely charming yet slightly mischievous smile.
She stretched out her slender fingers, not to touch Tanaka Yukishin, but... gently hooked the edge of the elastic band of his sweatpants with her fingertips.
Then, while Hoshinomiya Chie was still saying "flirtatious things" on the phone...
Karuizawa Kei leaned slightly forward, opened her mouth, and with her pearly white teeth, gently, yet with an undeniable force.
It bit the end of the nylon drawstring on the side of the waistband of the sweatpants, which is used to adjust the tightness!
"Hiss..."
A faint gasp, almost drowned out by the static of the phone, escaped from deep within Tanaka Yukishin's throat.
His body tensed instantly!
The hand, which had been resting steadily on the pillow, suddenly clenched tightly, the knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
His lowered eyes suddenly narrowed, as if a storm was gathering deep within his pupils, as he stared intently at Karuizawa Kei kneeling before him.
This brief, unusual silence, and the almost imperceptible, suppressed, and unusually heavy breathing, were clearly transmitted to Hoshinomiya Chie's ears through the hands-free microphone.
Her sweet voice paused for a moment, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of doubt.
"... Tanaka-kun? Is there... any sound from your end?"
Tanaka Yukishin spoke almost immediately, her voice slightly lower and hoarser than before, carrying a tense feeling of forced suppression.
"No signal interference. v() is as old as my wife, Siwu hliu."
He answered very quickly, but his gaze was fixed on Karuizawa Kei as if it were a physical object.
It carried a warning, but also a smoldering, dangerous fire.
Far from being intimidated by his gaze, Karuizawa Kei seemed to be encouraged by it.
She loosened her teeth, but her tongue, with an unusually bold and warm touch, gently licked the spot where she had just been bitten!
At the same time, her fingers began to restlessly slide slowly and suggestively inward along the edge of the elastic band...
On the phone, Hoshinomiya Chie continued her probing, asking the crucial question about Chabashira Sae.
But at this moment, Tanaka Yukishin's mind was completely occupied by the audacious and jealous little woman in front of her.
He responded to Hoshinomiya Chie with absolutely rational and cold words.
"Chabashira Sae... no additional pressure was applied..."
While experiencing Karuizawa Kei's increasingly excessive "pranks" that carried a sense of punishment and possessiveness.
His breathing became heavy, and his chest heaved noticeably more.
The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the pillow, were visibly prominent.
Every touch of Karuizawa Kei's fingertips or lips felt like a pluck at his taut nerves, bringing waves of indescribable trembling and intense impulse.
He had to use immense willpower to keep his voice steady so as not to completely lose his composure in front of Hoshinomiya Chie.
Karuizawa Kei watched Tanaka Yukishin's desperate attempts to restrain himself, and saw the desire and warning swirling in his eyes, a strange sense of satisfaction and the pleasure of a triumphant prank replaced the jealousy and anger in her heart.
She wanted the woman on the other end of the phone to know that no matter what she said or did, the one who truly possessed Tanaka Yukishin and could make him lose control at that moment was Karuizawa Kei!
There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone.
"Heh... hehe..."
Hoshinomiya Chie chuckled awkwardly, her sweet voice finally breaking down, revealing a mix of embarrassment and exasperation. "Tanaka-kun is really... good at separating public and private matters! I was just... joking! Alright, alright, I won't disturb your private time anymore! Bye!"
The last "I love you~" was said through gritted teeth.
When Hoshinomiya Chie angrily hung up the phone, only the dial tone of the busy signal and the sudden, silent tension between the two remained in the room.
Tanaka Yukishin suddenly reached out and grabbed Karuizawa Kei's shoulder with surprising force.
He lowered his head, a storm raging in his deep eyes.
It was a forced arousal of physical desire, annoyance at having one's train of thought interrupted, and a hint of... helplessness towards the audacious girl before him.
Karuizawa Kei stopped what she was doing, tilted her head back, and looked at Tanaka Yukishin with a victorious smile that was a mixture of jealousy and seduction.
Tanaka Yukishin swept her phone aside, making a dull thud.
He leaned closer, his voice low and hoarse.
"Hui... you're very brave tonight."
Karuizawa Kei showed no fear, instead tilting her head back and clinging to him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed sweetly into his ear.
Her voice was soft and charming, with a hint of grievance.
"Xuexin... that Hoshinomiya Chie, she's so mean! I... was jealous! And... I just wanted to remind you, your all-around care... already has someone else. By the way..."
She winked slyly. "Let me test how strong your firewall really is in the face of that kind of temptation. It seems you barely pass."
She deliberately misinterpreted his question, packaging a jealous prank as a "loyalty test."
Tanaka Yukishin stared at her, her chest heaving.
Karuizawa Kei could feel the astonishing warmth of his palm as he held hers.
He remained silent for a few seconds, the storm in his eyes still raging, when suddenly he stirred.
With an undeniable aggressiveness, he fiercely kissed the girl's smug, still-chattering little mouth!
The kiss was full of punitive intent, yet it also carried a burning desire that had been aroused, instantly consuming all the girl's excuses and smugness.
On the television screen, the neon lights still flickered and blurred.
The reflections on the sofa showed the overlapping figures, and in the corner, a forgotten little orange cat blankly licking its paws.
The two figures became completely entangled, utterly submerging the probing and ripples left behind by Hoshinomiya Chie in their own fiery, silent battlefield.
Karuizawa Kei's last thoughts before she lost consciousness.
Sakura Airi... I need to have a serious talk with her tomorrow...
In the teachers' apartment, Hoshinomiya Chie ripped off her face mask; even the expensive serum couldn't smooth away the gloom and frustration between her brows.
She downed the rest of the red wine in one gulp; the icy liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn't extinguish the rage and disbelief burning within her.