Getting Strong Means Eating the Forbidden Fruit / Why Are You Forty-Three Sardines Just Watching? Are You Really All Bots?

He got zeroes on the entrance exam and gave the interviewers the brush-off. Threatening him with expulsion didn't seem to have any effect.

Then why had he enrolled at this school?

Personal aspirations?

If that were the case, he wouldn't have been so dismissive.

Then it had to be external pressure.

His parents?

No. With abilities like his, even if he'd been left to grow up wild, he could still have had a good life.

Besides, he'd turned in blank papers for some subjects throughout all three years of middle school.

His parents had either not cared or had respected his wishes.

The school?

That was possible.

The school had threatened him.

After eliminating the possibilities one by one, Chabashira Sae realized that the only explanation left was that the school had threatened him.

Chapter 15: Getting Strong Means Eating the Forbidden Fruit

The plan had changed, leaving him with extra time.

He checked his student ID terminal. It was three in the afternoon.

Tanaka Yukishin didn't know what to do, so he decided to head back to the dorm.

He pushed open the door. Karuizawa Kei was fast asleep on the bed.

The blanket rose and fell gently with her breathing.

Her arms rested outside it. Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, gathering in her hair like liquid gold. Lace traced the line of her collarbone, like a night-blooming cereus opening in secret.

Tanaka Yukishin leaned against the doorframe and watched for a while. When he approached, he moved as quietly as a cat.

A little over twenty minutes later, Karuizawa Kei woke with a cute, kittenlike murmur.

She opened her eyes and jumped in surprise.

Tanaka Yukishin was lying beside her, quietly studying her. She had no idea how long he'd been watching.

"Kei-chan, there's still time to change your mind."

She abruptly sat up, the lingering scent of shampoo in her hair wafting toward him.

"I bathed and washed up carefully, picked out my battle outfit, warmed up, and then took a short nap.

"Now I'm rested and ready to go.

"And at a time like this, you're telling me to change my mind!

"You've got to be joking."

She poked him in the chest with her fingertip, almost as if Yiming Qibasi Shiwo were the one throwing herself at him.

Their eyes met, and Tanaka Yukishin understood how she felt.

So he leaned in and gathered her into his arms.

"You're not ready yet. Let me help you."

"I—"

She barely got the word out before he kissed her.

Mm, what a strange feeling. Her body was growing warm.

The boy's scent was strong and reassuring.

A deep sense of safety welled up inside her.

Tanaka Yukishin's hands moved gently, helping her relax and get comfortable.

A little while later, the moment felt right.

To show his respect for her, he made sure they took things at a pace she was comfortable with.

As the Dragon Bloodline manifested within Tanaka Yukishin, his skin flushed faintly gold and red.

Her determination carried her forward, but since she had no experience, she struggled to judge how much she could handle.

His first, straightforward move left Karuizawa Kei overwhelmed and in a precarious position.

She gritted her teeth and endured the discomfort, refusing to give up.

Seeing this, Tanaka Yukishin eased off, gradually adjusting to what Karuizawa Kei could manage.

After a few rounds, she seemed to be getting used to it.

Karuizawa Kei grew bolder and seemed poised to catch up.

Tanaka Yukishin smiled and picked up the pace.

Things returned to how they'd been before.

As the intensity continued to build, they both gave it their all.

An hour later, Tanaka Yukishin reached his limit, and Karuizawa Kei could barely keep up.

Then he was spent, and she was left exhausted.

To keep her from getting hurt, Tanaka Yukishin reached out and held her close.

Feeling that familiar sense of safety, Karuizawa Kei relaxed.

After resting and regaining some strength, she looked at her lover, still wanting more.

"Sorry I couldn't keep up with you, Yukishin-kun."

"But it was my first time, and I lasted a whole hour. I'm sure if I spend more time with you, Yukishin-kun, I'll be able to face you head-on and beat you someday."

Tanaka Yukishin laughed, still tending to her.

As he helped her recover her strength, he praised her.

"Kei-chan, you're certainly ambitious. I admire your determination."

"Don't rush. I'll help you. I'm sure that with my day-and-night training, you'll make great progress in no time."

...Feeling something odd, Karuizawa Kei pouted.

"Yukishin-kun, you're so mean. I was just bragging, and now you're trying to get the upper hand."

"I'm only helping you recover. How is that trying to get the upper hand? I—"

Oh no. So that had been a feint.

While her banter had distracted Tanaka Yukishin, Karuizawa Kei seized the chance to launch a surprise attack.

Caught off guard, Tanaka Yukishin was delighted rather than surprised.

He was a born battle maniac who lived for a fight and welcomed every challenge.

Karuizawa Kei had played right into his hands.

He laughed and kept up the attack.

Unfortunately, the gap between them was enormous. Even with the advantage of a surprise attack, Karuizawa Kei couldn't make up the difference.

Half an hour later, the same outcome played out again.

Tanaka Yukishin reached his limit, utterly spent.

His energy surged and ebbed like a rushing current, like waves rising and falling in turn.

Then it swept through him in a final, overwhelming rush.

Karuizawa Kei took it all in, but had no strength left to continue.

She knelt on the floor, panting.

"I'm not some delicate girl. I've got plenty of ways to fight, and plenty of strength."

"Yukishin-kun, you've seen what I can do now, right?"

The girl's stubborn, competitive look was adorable.

He slipped his arms beneath hers and lifted her into his embrace.

The two of them went to the bathroom.

"Yukishin-kun, you don't understand a girl's heart. You're supposed to carry me in your arms."

"I do understand, but the bathroom's so small. I couldn't carry you in there."

They played around in the bathroom.

Steam filled the room. Tanaka Yukishin was washing Karuizawa Kei's hair when she suddenly splashed foam all over his face.

"Surprise attack successful!"

Before long, Karuizawa Kei cried out and begged softly for mercy.

"Please let me go, Yukishin-kun. I'm completely worn out."

"Kei-chan, you brought this on yourself. We were having a perfectly nice bath, and then you suddenly attacked me."

"I know I was wrong."

"No way. If you stir things up, you have to take responsibility. I'm worked up now."

After calming down, Tanaka Yukishin picked up the hair dryer and dried Karuizawa Kei's hair.

They left the bathroom together and rested on the bed.

"Yukishin doesn't know how to go easy on me at all."

"We were both there. You can't blame me and pretend you're the victim."

"I'm completely sincere about you, Yukishin-kun. Can't you go a little easier on me?"

"Really? I don't believe you."

Seeing the boy grinning and joking around,

Karuizawa Kei took his hands and placed them against her chest.

"What about now? Is my sincerity real enough? Have I shown you how earnest I am?"

He felt her softness. It was quite comfortable.

Tanaka Yukishin leaned close to the girl's ear. His warm breath made her cheeks flush red.

"I can feel it, but you could still do better."

"Then you'll have to show me what you can do, Yukishin-kun."

"You were just talking about being sincere, and now you're getting stubborn. I guess I'll have to check for myself."

The two of them playfully tussled until their stomachs growled.

After they ate together in the cafeteria, Tanaka Yukishin walked Karuizawa Kei back to her dorm.

Then he went to the shopping district, found an electronics store, and paid to modify his student ID terminal.

The modification worked perfectly. From then on, taking photos and videos wouldn't produce a flash or shutter sound.

Back at the dorm, Tanaka Yukishin used his computer and student ID terminal to create a paid link that would activate on demand and expire automatically after half an hour.

Chapter 16: Why Are You Forty-Three Sardines Just Watching? Are You Really All Bots?

At nine that evening, most students had already returned to their dorms, with only a few still out.

Tanaka Yukishin used the four anonymous accounts he'd bought from Chabashira Sae, assigning one account to each class.

Anonymous 1 → all students in Class 1-A,

Anonymous 2 → all students in Class 1-B,

Anonymous 3 → all students in Class 1-C,