Problem Child Education

At this distance, Masumi Kamuro could hear Seishiki Otonashi's faint, weak breaths... and the subtle scent of jasmine wafting from him.

Ah... I really did push him down... Seishiki Otonashi's body is so light... the type that feels like it'd break easily.

One hand pressed against his chest, the other gripped both his slender wrists and pinned them above his head. Her left leg wedged between his parted thighs.

Like a lab mouse awaiting dissection, bound and toyed with at her whim...

His body was trembling... she could feel it clearly...

That cute face showed a hint of pain, fear...

How wonderful... this expression was because of me.

"If you seriously resist, I'll stop."

Otonashi twisted his body, but his strength was too weak—he couldn't get up at all.

"Was that your limit just now?"

Masumi Kamuro watched Otonashi's struggles with interest.

"Don't..."

Otonashi squeezed out a faint breath from his lungs. Like a car exhaust pipe long past repair, it could only let out a whimper...

Masumi Kamuro had never been this close to a complete stranger before. Staring at Otonashi's face, she wondered—was this guy really a man? Frailer than a woman, pitifully weak. How did he get into Class A...

"So that was your full power? If that was your best, you can't beat me in strength at all."

"In other words, no matter what I do to you now, you can't resist."

Only then did Otonashi realize he'd just blurted out something disastrous.

"Hand over your phone."

"..."

Otonashi bit his lip... his expression was easy to misunderstand—face red and ears burning like a shy maiden's. It almost made it look like Masumi Kamuro was the one bullying him.

Masumi Kamuro's hand slid along Otonashi's waist, searching for his phone.

"Gugu..."

She could feel Otonashi's waist, thinner than a woman's, squirming.

"Don't move."

Her warm breath brushed against Otonashi's ear, and his body stiffened involuntarily.

Masumi Kamuro sat her full weight on Otonashi's waist, found the phone in his pocket, and pulled it out.

"So heavy..."

Feeling the weight on his waist, Otonashi's gasps grew more distinct...

"Shut up."

Masumi Kamuro opened the phone and found it locked with a passcode.

"The code."

"Like... like I'd tell you."

Otonashi bit his lip, his violet eyes glaring at Masumi Kamuro. Like a cat that refused yet invited...

It was exactly this aura of [fragility] he gave off—so easily toyed with—that stirred something in Masumi Kamuro, a craving for a stronger [thrill of desire].

A cold expression hung on Masumi Kamuro's face, while her heart danced wildly on the stage inside her left chest.

"Pinned down like this, do you think you have the right to refuse?"

"Don't... ugh... ha."

Masumi Kamuro placed her hand on his side, kneading and occasionally lightly tickling.

"Gu gu gu gu."

Otonashi forced himself not to make any strange, shameful sounds—though what he was already doing was shameful enough.

Otonashi couldn't suppress or control his heartbeat. His nostrils burst like a broken pipe, spewing scarlet liquid reeking of rust...

That sight instantly killed Masumi Kamuro's mood. She tossed a handkerchief from her shoulder bag, got up, and left.

Otonashi watched her leave. That woman even took his phone... How outrageous. This was straight-up robbery...

Otonashi first picked up the handkerchief to stop his nosebleed. What a troublesome woman. He never thought she'd actually go that far...

Sitting up, he took a candy from the plastic bag and ate it.

He walked to the bushes, searching for the micro-camera he'd flicked out of his sleeve before being dragged in.

"The angle should be fine—it'll capture the part where Kamuro-san pushed me down."

After all, a Cheat Gambler who wanted to cheat at will—tossing mahjong tiles, flicking chips, switching cards—could easily throw a camera with precision.

(The next day)

Masumi Kamuro sat in her seat observing Seishiki Otonashi. Despite what he did yesterday, he was still leisurely reading a manga.

He sure was thick-skinned. Should she apologize to him for what she did? Masumi Kamuro hesitated.

No, that was out of the question. She needed to get him to delete that video from his phone. Maybe then she could reconsider.

Just then, a girl with little presence approached Otonashi. Masumi Kamuro hadn't even remembered her name yet.

"Does this guy have that many girls around him?"

He seemed close with Tamiya Emi from their class, sometimes even blending into the girls' circle. Then he'd been invited out by that Kikyou Kushida from Class D. And now there was another one.

"Tch."

Just a cheap man using his cute face to seduce girls left and right. Nothing impressive.

After finishing the morning classes, her mind was in turmoil. Every time she tried to listen, she'd zone out halfway through, recalling yesterday's scene... Her heart would ripple with unease no matter what.

Tch. She felt irritated somehow.

During lunch break, her phone received a message from the homeroom teacher, telling her to come to the office.

Had Seishiki Otonashi finally told the teacher? Whatever. She might get suspended, right? Didn't matter.

When she pushed open the faculty office door, only Otonashi was inside, sitting on the sofa.

"Yo, you're here."

"Why you? Where's Teacher Majima?"

"Doesn't the teacher eat lunch at noon? Or do you think he's working overtime in the office?"

Otonashi's aura had changed. The original [fragile] presence was replaced by something more [dominant].

"Time to educate a problem child."

"So how did you do it? Using the teacher's account to send me a message."

"Simple. I bought it with points."

"Wasn't your phone with me?"

"Did you forget the school has ID cards? Mobile payments are convenient, sure. Seems like a lot of people don't know the school phones have NFC hardware built in. That means school phones can read student ID cards to transfer points."

(NFC technology strictly speaking only gradually became widespread to the public in the 2014 smartphone era. Although NFC existed as early as 2004, its adoption was limited due to usage scenario constraints and insufficient technical promotion.)

Masumi Kamuro couldn't help but look at Seishiki Otonashi with a bit more respect. She'd thought he was just a pretty face before, but there was actually something in that head of his.

"Get to the point."

"I'm curious why Kamuro-san steals things."

"None of your business. What, you want to do what you did yesterday?"

"Sorry, but I can't grant Kamuro-san's wish this time. The faculty office has surveillance, you know. And if you try to get too close to me, I'll scream harassment. No joke."

"Boring."

Masumi Kamuro felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

"Go ahead and play your teacher-pretend game here."

When she went to push the door open, she found it completely locked from the outside.

"Now now, I predicted Kamuro-san would try to leave, so I used a little trick."

"So sit down and let's have a nice chat, Masumi Kamuro-san."