Intimacy and Possessiveness

"Kushida, if you want to thank me, then answer my next questions seriously. I have one... no, two... three questions now."

Kushida Kikyo: "..."

How many are there?!

I'm speechless.

However, since it was rare for Hoshino En to take the initiative to ask her questions, she was quite willing to do so.

"No problem, feel free to ask me anything."

She moved to the edge of Hoshino En's bed and sat down, facing Hoshino En as he turned from the desk. Her bright smile hadn't faded yet.

This relative position is exactly the opposite of the day when Kushida Kikyo pressed her handprint.

Because it was somewhat related to that incident, Hoshino En suddenly realized.

Then, to prevent Kushida Kikyo from being scared away, he added another sentence.

"Then I'll ask. Don't get angry when you hear it. Just give the truth and don't misunderstand."

However, his repeated assurances did not put Kushida Kikyo at Matsushita; instead, they made her suddenly wary.

"You're not trying to ask me something personal, are you?"

The gentle smile on her face instantly turned into a cold, piercing blade, and her gaze, as if looking at an insect, was extremely sharp.

"It's not really that private; I just want to know some general knowledge."

However, Hoshino En took her expression as a sign that she was mentally prepared, so he asked directly.

"Your breasts are 82D. If you carry them every day, your shoulders should be very tired.●.√)-♂∝|&Han]: Right?"

"You..."

Kushida Kikyo choked, unsure of what to say.

Normally, she should have slapped Hoshino Enishi across Hoshino En face and yelled "pervert!"... but the other person didn't show any excitement at all, which instead gave her a sense of frustration, like, "Am I really that unattractive? I can't attract him at all?"

No, no, if I really think that way, I've already lost. He can even ask such a question; I can't give him a hard time anymore.

"It seems so. Kushida, your expression is as easy to read as ever. Go back and learn how to maintain a poker face. Now, the second question—"

Hey hey hey!! That's it?

"Wait, I..."

"Second question: Can you let me see it? Without any obstructions, just the kind I can see directly."

"I..."

Kushida Kikyo settled in Bengbu.

I nm%￥#￥@!*&￥@#￥%!!@#!@@!!!!

Without the slightest hesitation, she slapped him across the face.

Snap--

Hoshino En grabbed the wrist of the hand that was swinging out.

What are you doing?

He pulled her arm aside, his gaze fixed on her face, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"I should be the one asking you what you want!!"

Her right hand was grabbed, but Kushida Kikyo didn't give up; she immediately swung her other hand.

Slap--

Ling's other hand was also grabbed.

Qi Duang!!!

She was pinned to the bed by Hoshino En.

"Didn't I tell you before? Just answer truthfully and honestly, don't get the wrong idea."

With her left leg kneeling beside the bed, Enishi Hoshino En's right leg naturally extended, pressing diagonally against the edge of the bed between Kushida Kikyo's legs. She grabbed the girl's wrists with both hands, pressing her entire body down onto the bed.

"I'm not going to eat you."

"... Then can you let me go first?"

Kushida Kikyo looked at Hoshino En Yuuki, who was so close to her. His pair of Purple Star Eyes seemed to have the power to bewitch people's minds, and he also had a very pleasant scent, which made her heart start to beat faster.

I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying, I can't take it anymore!!

"No, you're a bit too agitated right now. I need to make sure you don't pose a threat to me."

"Don't worry, since you're unwilling, I won't force you. You just need to answer one more question."

Hoshino En's breath touched the area around Kushida Kikyo's neck, causing her to go limp.

It's over, there's no escaping it now...

"Kushida, let me ask you this: I felt excited when I saw Ichinose's breasts, but I didn't feel any arousal when I saw you. Do you know why?"

That's clearly just a pile of fat, no different from regular meat, at most serving the function of breastfeeding. Why would it attract him?

Furthermore, even though they were of similar caliber, why did Ichinose and Kushida have completely different impacts on him?

Was he too familiar with Kushida? But he had only just met Kushida the day he pressed his fingerprints, and he didn't feel any romantic feelings towards her then!

He asked his question, but the girl did not respond.

Hoshino En: "..."

"Kushida? Kushida?"

He climbed onto the bed, half-sitting on Kushida Kikyo's stomach, pulled her hands over her head, intertwined her wrists, held them in place with his left hand, and used his free right hand to stroke her cheek and pat it.

Slap slap--

Kushida Kikyo still didn't react.

Although her eyes were still open, her pupils seemed to have lost focus; her mouth was slightly open, and her breathing was labored and weak.

Huh? What happened? Has she lost consciousness?

He reached out and checked her breath.

No, she wasn't breathing through her nose.

He wasn't breathing through his nose, but his mouth was moving involuntarily; he didn't seem to be in any particular condition...

Hoshino En: "..."

Why is she holding in her anger for no reason?!

Was it really because the person was too excited?

But she couldn't just keep holding her breath; she hadn't given him an answer yet.

So— Hoshino En placed her free right hand on the ticklish spot under Kushida Kikyo's armpit, and her five fingers began to twitch nimbly.

"Ah! Wait... No!!"

The effect was remarkable; Kushida Kikyo came back to life and struggled to escape the hand.

But with her body and hands pinned down, she was completely unable to move.

"Hoshino, you bastard--!!!"

Seeing that her struggles were futile, she began to tilt her head back repeatedly, trying to bump her forehead against Hoshino En's forehead so that he would release his grip due to the pain.

"Woke up?"

Seeing that she seemed to have regained her energy, Hoshino En stopped scratching.

"Now that you're awake, hurry up and answer my third question."

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 86, Section 81: Intimacy and Possessiveness

"What's the problem?"

Kushida Kikyo's reply made Hoshino En's heart sink, a sense of frustration washing over him like talking to a brick wall. Had she not been listening at all? He gently pressed his temples, feeling somewhat exhausted.

"Then I'll say it again..."

"This is a simple question: Hoshino-kun, you're a boy, after all."

Just then, a third voice came from behind Hoshino En. As soon as the voice fell, Kushida Kikyo, who was being protected by him, clearly felt his body tense up instantly—the hand gripping her wrist tightened abruptly, and his legs pressed together at his sides, as if he had instantly entered a state of alert.

The next second, the world spun around her, Kushida felt as if she were being gently lifted up and spun halfway through the air. When her vision stabilized, she was already sitting up, facing the French windows of the balcony, her hands gently held in front of her by Hoshino En. Hoshino En's gaze passed over her head and landed in the direction of the entrance hall—where the toilet and bathroom were connected, clearly the location of the person who had just spoken.

"Karuizawa, why are you wearing my coat? I clearly prepared spare loungewear for you."

Hoshino En looked at Karuizawa Kei standing by the desk, her helplessness replaced by a hint of seriousness. Borrowing her coat wasn't a big deal; what truly bothered her was how Karuizawa Kei had managed to appear behind her so silently. When had she come out? How much had she heard? She hadn't noticed at all; it seemed her recent comfortable life had dulled her senses.

"When I came out, you were talking to Kushida, and the noise just drowned out my footsteps." Karuizawa Kei pulled her gray coat tighter, her tone relaxed. Having spent two months together, she could roughly guess Hoshino En's concerns. "As for this coat..." She tugged at the hem, "If you don't like it, I'll change back right now."

As she said "9", she turned and walked to the chair, took off her coat, folded it and placed it on the back of the chair, revealing the light blue loungewear she was already wearing underneath—it was a spare set of clothes that Hoshino En had prepared for her beforehand, loose, comfortable and just the right size.

"Is this alright now?" She walked around from behind the chair and stood by the bed, a playful smile on her face.

Hoshino En glanced at her. To be honest, after a month and a half of training, Karuizawa Kei's figure was indeed much more upright than before. Her loungewear accentuated her well-proportioned figure, and since she had just taken a shower, her hair still carried a faint citrus scent, refreshing and soothing. This scent inexplicably reminded him of the tea fragrance he had smelled at Sakayanagi Arisu last time; although different, it was equally comforting.

"It's fine." He nodded, his tone softening.

Hearing the affirmation, Karuizawa Kei put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest triumphantly. However, the room wasn't heated, and the slightly chilly air made her subconsciously shrank her shoulders. "But it's still a bit cold, Hoshino-kun. You promised a white shirt..."

Before she could finish speaking, Hoshino En had already taken a clean white shirt from the closet and handed it to her. "Put this on first, so you don't catch a cold."

Karuizawa Kei took the shirt, her fingertips touching the warmth of the fabric, and felt a warmth in her heart. She was about to thank her when she saw Hoshino En suddenly frown, her gaze falling behind her—it turned out that Kushida Kikyo had stood up at some point and was looking at them with a puzzled expression.

"You guys just now..." Kushida's words were cut short as she suddenly remembered something, her expression changing slightly. She quickly replayed the conversation in her mind, carefully recalling whether she had said anything that didn't fit her "pure and kind" persona. Although she sometimes let her guard down in front of Hoshino En, having a third person overhear her true thoughts was something she didn't want to see.

The more Jiu tried to recall, the more her mind felt like a tangled mess. She felt like she had forgotten something important, but she couldn't quite grasp the clue. Just then, Hoshino En suddenly spoke up, "Kushida, what were you trying to ask just now?"

The sound interrupted her thoughts. Kushida paused, about to reply, when she saw Karuizawa Kei put on a shirt, walk over to Hoshino En, and say with a smile, "Looks like I've come at the wrong time? You two were talking about something very important, weren't you?"

Hoshino En shook her head. "Not really, I was just talking about our previous agreement." He turned to Kushida, "You haven't finished answering your question yet."

Kushida looked at the two people in front of her. Karuizawa Kei, wearing a loose white shirt, stood beside Hoshino En. Although they maintained a polite distance, there was an unspoken understanding between them. She suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and cleared her throat. "I just wanted to say, as a boy, isn't Hoshino-kun sometimes a bit too serious?"

"It's always better to be serious than to be ignorant," Hoshino En said calmly. "Some things can't be left ambiguous."

Karuizawa Kei noticed the slightly awkward atmosphere and quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, alright, since everyone's here, how about we have something to drink? I'll go make some tea."

"No need to trouble yourself." Hoshino En stopped her. "I just boiled some water, a cup of warm water will do." He turned to Kushida, "Why don't you sit down too? Aren't you tired of standing?"

Kushida hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed, his gaze unconsciously sweeping across the room. The clock on the wall ticked, and the wind outside the window rustled the leaves, gradually easing the atmosphere in the room.

Karuizawa Kei brought over three glasses of warm water, handed them to the two of them, and then sipped her own glass, saying, "Speaking of which, Kushida, did you come to see Hoshino-kun today for something?"

When the topic turned to business, Kushida perked up. "It's about next week's class activity. I wanted to ask Hoshino-kun's opinion. After all, your suggestions at the last Sports Festival were very helpful, and this time..."

Before she could finish speaking, Hoshino En suddenly raised her hand to signal her to stop, her gaze turning towards the door. "Someone's here."

Just as she finished speaking, there was a soft knock on the door, accompanied by Ichinose Honami's gentle voice. "Hoshino- san, are you there? I've brought over the notes I borrowed from you last time."

Hoshino En got up and opened the door. Ichinose was somewhat surprised to see the three people in the room. "Oh, Kushida and Karuizawa are here too. Did we disturb you?"

"No, we were just talking about class activities, and since you're here, why don't you join us?" Hoshino En stepped aside to let her in.

Ichinose entered the room, handed the notebook to Hoshino En, and her gaze inadvertently swept over Karuizawa Kei's white shirt. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, but she didn't say anything and simply sat down quietly in the chair.

The room became even more lively. Kushida continued talking about the activity plan, Karuizawa Kei occasionally chimed in to add to it, Ichinose listened attentively, offering gentle suggestions from time to time. Hoshino En leaned against the window, watching the three interact, and suddenly recalled her earlier thoughts—about the distance between people, about the so-called "possessiveness."

He had always felt that caring about someone would turn into a strong desire to control, like an animal instinct to claim territory. But looking at the Matoba before him, Ichinose's gentleness, Kushida's enthusiasm, and Karuizawa's straightforwardness—each maintaining a comfortable distance yet naturally engaging in the same conversation—this relaxed atmosphere seemed unrelated to "possession," but rather to a tacit understanding of mutual respect.

Like Ichinose, she certainly caught his eye when they first met, but seeing her interact naturally with the other Transit Group, he felt no jealousy. Instead, he found her sincerity rare. Perhaps, the connection between people is never maintained by "possession," but rather by finding a comfortable place for each other through respect and understanding, just like now.

"Hoshino-kun, what do you think?" Kushida's voice pulled him back to reality.

Hoshino En snapped out of her reverie, looked at the three expectant eyes, and nodded gently. "I think it's fine, we just need to adjust the details a little more."

Karuizawa Kei clapped her hands with a smile, "Great! Let's discuss it together after school!"

"Okay," Ichinose replied gently.

Kushida smiled, his earlier tension completely gone. The atmosphere in the room lightened, and sunlight streamed in through the window, casting overlapping shadows on the floor, warm and peaceful.

Hoshino En watched this scene, she suddenly felt that her previous confusion had been answered. Perhaps the complexity of human nature does not lie in the black-and-white "instinct," but in how to maintain the bottom line of respect and find a balance in interactions with others. Just like now, no one is trying to control anyone else, yet they can feel the warmth of each other's presence in the same space.