After dinner, Kitagawa Kai returned to his dorm.
He took a shower, and the hot water washed away the fatigue from spending the afternoon in the library.
After changing into his pajamas, he casually towel-dried his damp hair and sat down at his desk, ready to continue reading the mystery novel he hadn't finished that afternoon.
Just then, his phone screen lit up.
Kitagawa glanced at it. It was a text from Kamuro Masumi, brief and to the point:
"Sakayanagi came to your dorm to play chess. Be careful."
Kitagawa looked at the message, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
Here to give me Points again? But I'm not short on Points now.
He set down the towel, picked up his phone, and opened his Personal Points screen. After subtracting the 50,000 he paid Ichinose each month, he had 3.4 million left.
He tidied up the room a little and waited for the angel investor to arrive.
"Knock, knock, knock."
After three knocks, Kitagawa opened the door at lightning speed.
"Good evening, Kitagawa-kun. You opened the door so quickly. Were you looking forward to my arrival?"
Sakayanagi Arisu stood leaning on her cane, her delicate figure framed by the doorway. Her burgundy uniform jacket lay neatly over her shoulders, and the collar of her white shirt was immaculate. Her silvery-white hair gleamed softly in the warm yellow light, giving her a slightly different air from her usual coolness.
Kitagawa's gaze lingered on her for only a moment before shifting to the person beside her.
Kamuro Masumi.
She wore a simple dark T-shirt and jeans, her purple hair tied in a low ponytail, and held the chessboard tightly in her arms. In the light, her eyes weren't as cool as usual. They sparkled, her violet irises dancing with delight.
Kitagawa didn't respond to Sakayanagi right away. Instead, he greeted Kamuro first.
"Masumi, long time no see. Honestly, you didn't have to bring a gift just because you were visiting."
The moment the words left his mouth, before Kamuro could react, Kitagawa naturally took the chessboard from her hands.
Then he glanced around, his eyes quickly sweeping over the hallway, Sakayanagi beside him, and his own empty hands.
Without further ado, he shoved the chessboard into Sakayanagi's hands.
"Classmate Sakayanagi, hold this for a moment." Kitagawa's tone was flat; he hadn't even phrased it as a question.
The wooden box settled into Sakayanagi's outstretched hands. She caught it almost by reflex, a brief flicker of surprise crossing her eyes before her customary smile covered it.
The chessboard changed hands. Kamuro's arms were empty, and she stared blankly at her hands.
In that split-second lull, Kitagawa gently drew Kamuro into his arms.
The hallway's yellow light was warm. The air seemed to freeze.
Sakayanagi stood an arm's length away, holding the chessboard box that had suddenly been handed to her, like an elegant bystander.
"It seems Kitagawa-kun was more eager to see Kamuro. Should I not have come and played the part of the third wheel?"
Sakayanagi's words were half serious, half joking.
But Kamuro's body stiffened noticeably. She had only just come to her senses, and her cheeks were already bright red. Now they looked as if they might catch fire.
"Classmate Sakayanagi, would you like a hug too?"
"Kitagawa-kun's invitation is certainly unexpected." Sakayanagi's voice remained gentle, but there was a touch more amusement in it than before. "But in front of Masumi... wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?"
"It's fine. I'll hug her, then you."
With that, Kitagawa let go of Kamuro and turned to Sakayanagi, who was holding the chessboard.
He moved without hesitation, bending slightly. His right arm supported her back, and his left slipped beneath her knees. He lifted her steadily, chessboard and all.
A familiar pose.
Only this time, she could smell the fresh scent of his body wash, mixed with his own scent.
The girl's body stiffened ever so slightly when Kitagawa touched her, but she soon relaxed, even adjusting her grip on the chessboard a little.
"Kitagawa-kun's way of treating his friends... is still so enthusiastic."
Kitagawa set her securely in the chair in front of the desk, then casually tidied her slightly disheveled hair.
"You're welcome." He straightened and turned his gaze to Kamuro, who was still frozen in the doorway.
"Masumi," Kitagawa said, his voice especially clear in the quiet room. "Come in and close the door."
Kamuro had known Kitagawa might have more than one Kitten, but watching what had just happened made something inside her twist slightly. She couldn't say what it felt like.
"I hope I haven't disturbed you too much at this hour. I just suddenly felt that the night was lovely, and suited a quiet game." As Sakayanagi spoke, she began setting up the chessboard.
"What are we playing today?" Kitagawa asked casually as he poured water for them.
"If Kitagawa-kun loses, I won't take your Points. I'll only ask you to do one thing for me in the future, as long as it's within your ability and doesn't go against your principles. And if I lose, the same goes for me."
"Something within your ability covers too much," Kitagawa said calmly, pushing the filled glasses toward them. "If I asked you to drop out, that wouldn't go against your principles, would it?"
"But Kitagawa-kun wouldn't make such a request, just as I wouldn't ask you to do something that would hurt yourself or someone else. This wager is a bet on our trust in each other."
"Is that so?" Kitagawa sat on the edge of the bed, picked up his glass, and gently blew away the steam. "Then I'm a little interested. I can tell you my condition right now."
"Let's hear it."
"If Sakayanagi loses, she has to wear a maid outfit for me and call me 'Chief' a few times."
Kamuro stared at Kitagawa in disbelief, then looked at Sakayanagi. How could he come up with something so outrageous?
Sakayanagi's lips still held that faint smile, neither quite smiling nor not. She looked at Kamuro. "Classmate Kamuro, did you know Kitagawa-kun usually gets up to this sort of thing?"
"No. But with this guy, it's not impossible."
Kamuro nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Then, Sakayanagi, do you dare accept this challenge?"
Will you agree, Classmate Sakayanagi?
Sakayanagi sat quietly, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of the chessboard.
"A maid outfit, and calling you 'Chief'~"
"Could you tell me, Kitagawa-kun, was this condition something you came up with on a whim?"
"It wasn't on a whim."
So you'd been plotting this for a while.
"I'm curious," Sakayanagi said softly. "If I really put on a maid outfit and called you 'Chief'... would Classmate Kamuro be watching beside us? Or would it just be me?"
At that moment, Kamuro felt like a powerless husband, quietly awaiting judgment. Were these two really students?
"Having both of you isn't out of the question." Kitagawa's expression grew more and more perverse.
"Then," Sakayanagi began slowly, her voice gentle but carrying a weight of its own, "this time, Kitagawa-kun, I won't lose again, even against the 'Peak of Advanced Nurturing.'"
The Peak of Advanced Nurturing?
What the heck was that?