Wooden Street Specialty, Caffeine [Poisoning] / Rewards, Promises, Bedtime

However, her reaction shattered Hoshino En's hesitation.

This woman must have something on her mind, otherwise why would she act so happy!?

No, I still need to keep my distance and avoid being scammed by her.

The old saying goes, "Gentle Trap is a hero's grave," and there's truth to it... Besides, he wasn't exactly a "hero," at most he was the number one lackey of a "treacherous minister."

"Hey? Don't be so heartless! I won't do anything bad to you, I'm on your side!"

Seeing that her words seemed to have the opposite effect, Karuizawa Kei quickly tried to make amends, but Hoshino En was already lost and confused, unable to search.

I don't believe it.

He responded coldly, then sat down in a chair and moved away from Karuizawa Kei.

Seeing his obvious rejection, Karuizawa Kei's composure crumbled slightly.

Ugh! Why did the progress bar suddenly drop back?

I've worked for nothing these past two months!!!

I'm in, can't change it, so be it. ┭┮┭┮

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 91, Section 85: Wooden Street Specialty, Caffeine [Poisoning]

"Um... Hoshino -kun? Hoshino-kun? En-kun ~ Can you please pretend I just misspoke? I really meant it..."

"No, I don't believe it. Also, go back after you finish your coffee. Your workout clothes are washed and ready to wear after a quick dry."

Hoshino En Karuizawa Kei's last shred of dignity.

So, there was originally an overnight bonus? But now it's gone!!

No!!!!!!!

Seeing Karuizawa Kei's belatedly stunned expression, Hoshino En's face flashed with a mixture of confusion and admiration.

The acting was so realistic; the portrayal of "gaining and then losing" was incredibly lifelike.

This kid might become an actor someday.

For the next few minutes, Karuizawa Kei was on the verge of collapse, Hoshino En Enishi remained on guard; neither of them uttered a sound.

Until the time came, their coffee was empty.

"En-kun, no matter how I explain it now, you won't believe me, right? After all, I've already noticed that you don't trust feelings."

He got up and put the cup back on the plate, but Karuizawa Kei didn't leave. Instead, she climbed back into his bed.

"Let me guess, you've been betrayed before, and it was from your parents, whom you trusted a lot, right?"

Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked as if she were drunk.

So, they've finally shown their true colors?

Her completely different tone and manner of speaking aroused Hoshino En's vigilance.

Is it finally time to make a move?

"You guessed correctly, but there's still a slight discrepancy—my emotional detachment isn't because I've been betrayed. I never had any feelings or trust for those men from beginning to end; it's innate."

Calling it "betrayal" seems a bit inaccurate. Rather, it's more accurate to say that he got what he wanted before he was taken advantage of—every single one of those guys ended up as his "wallet."

"There are no inherently cold people."

Karuizawa Kei rushed in front of him, gently stroking his cheek with her right hand, her dazed eyes filled with heartache and anger.

"You simply didn't experience the emotions you should have had during your most sensitive years, which led you to the subjective conclusion that you are [emotionally detached]—in reality, you are very compassionate."

"Otherwise, you should have dealt with me and those people back then. That would have been more in line with your idea of [zero risk], wouldn't it?"

No, no, no, I just thought you weren't a threat at the time, so I ignored you... Who knew you'd be so capable? Your foundation is amazing!!

Hoshino En muttered to himself, but he had to admit that Karuizawa Kei's words made some sense.

From Hoshino En's perspective now, his actions back then could truly be described as insane: how could he let such a huge threat escape?

Even if the chances of her revealing the truth are very low, in probability theory, zero does not exist. If she couldn't withstand the pressure during the interrogation and told the police the whole story, then even if he had an alibi, he wouldn't be able to escape arrest and imprisonment. He shouldn't have taken that kind of wishful thinking.

"Hey, Yuuki-chan~ If I became as amazing as you... if I unified the class and created a loving [Paradise] for you... would you accept me?"

Karuizawa Kei suddenly pounced on him, getting so close that Hoshino En had nowhere to escape.

Her arms were wrapped around Hoshino En's neck, her slightly heaving chest pressed against his left arm, and her warm lips were close to his ear. Her next words, warm with her breath, reached his ears precisely.

"Will you love me as much as you love Sakayanagi Arisu? Will you favor me as much as you love Kushida Kikyo? Will you pamper me as much as you love Shiina Hiyori? Will you like and love me as much as you love Ichinose Honami?"

If you hadn't acted so strangely, Liu, based on your progress and performance over the past two months, I wouldn't have distanced myself from you so much.

Hoshino En was about to tell the truth, but the girl's body temperature, which was much higher than his, forced him to swallow it back.

"Hey, Karuizawa, are you alright?"

Although he knew that women's body temperature was generally higher than men's, the heat coming from Karuizawa was rather unusual.

He ripped the clay off himself and threw it onto the bed.

"Hey! Karuizawa, wake up! Wake up!"

He climbed on top of the girl, pinning her struggling limbs down with his body. He cupped her face in his hands and patted her cheek with his right hand, which had just touched a coffee cup with ice.

"Eh? En-kun, do you want it?"

However, the dazed girl mistook his behavior for lust and a desire to release. So she stopped struggling, pulled her hands back from under Hoshino En's armpits, placed them on the buttons in front of her chest, and began to undress.

"It's okay, I was mentally prepared a long time ago... Although I was a little scared just now, I heard that bigger ones are more comfortable and satisfying, so I'm not afraid at all."

"Wait, what are you doing?!"

Despite having better physical attributes, Hoshino En Karuizawa Kei, who was a woman.

He realized what was happening, but his movements didn't keep up. He watched helplessly as Karuizawa Kei unbuttoned all her clothes and opened her white shirt.

"En-kun, I'm ready."

She spread her limbs, looking as if she were ready to be picked.

He was almost frantic with worry for Hoshino En.

"Wait, Karuizawa, sister, calm down, something's wrong with you!" ±♀·↓)<Zero~♂

Hoshino En didn't bother with any more probing. He pressed her bent limbs down, then pulled the blanket over her and rolled her up like a Karuizawa -style Chicken Roll.

"Karuizawa, you don't happen to be someone who gets excited by caffeine, do you?"

Caffeine... excitement?

"After consuming caffeine, you may experience symptoms similar to being drunk. Have you ever had these symptoms when you practiced brewing coffee before?"

"Drunk? I didn't drink any alcohol, how could I be drunk?!"

"I'm not drunk!"

It seemed that Hoshino En Enishi's words had triggered some key phrase, as Karuizawa Kei, who had been curled up into a ball, began to do crunches continuously, as if to refute his statement with her actions.

But this is clearly a sign of being drunk.

Hoshino En pressed her down against the corner of the wall and sighed helplessly.

"I used to see En-kun whenever I was making or drinking coffee, so how could I possibly get drunk at that time!"

Well, now even hallucinations are appearing.

A person's facial expressions and actions can be faked, but the body's subconscious instinctive reactions cannot be faked. In addition, they are now so close that if Karuizawa Kei Hoshino En definitely notice... But he did not notice anything amiss.

In other words, Karuizawa Kei's reactions were genuine, so what she said before was probably also her true thought.

This child is quite severely poisoned...

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 92, Chapter 86: Reward, Agreement, Sleep

Etc!

Feeling a mix of emotions, Hoshino En suddenly noticed the situation in the room.

In the kitchen, the mess left by Karuizawa Kei after making coffee hadn't been cleaned up yet;

On the desk, two coffee cups that had been used, and containers for sugar and milk, were still there;

In the bathroom, Karuizawa Kei's sportswear and her underwear still needed to be dried;

On the bed, a large silkworm is going on a drunken rampage; who knows what terrible things it will do once it's free...

Oh my god, how is he going to sleep tonight?

He loves cooking, but hates cleaning up; otherwise, why would he drag Kiyotaka along to post food poisoning videos late at night?

Fortunately, things eventually took a turn for the better.

After struggling for a while, Karuizawa Kei finally stopped.

"En-kun, don't you want me anymore?"

Because of her earlier struggle, a few tears had welled up in the corners of her eyes, and her crystal-clear eyes stared blankly at Hoshino En.

Hoshino En: "..."

He was about to die; after realizing she didn't seem to be acting, he felt he couldn't bear her gaze any longer.

It's like facing love...

He remained silent for a moment, which intensified Karuizawa Kei's feeling of being abandoned.

But seeing that the girl seemed about to burst into tears, Hoshino En could only try to comfort her in the same way she used to comfort her younger sister.

"You are an independent individual; you never belonged to me in the first place."

"So... did I do well today?"

"Okay, of course it's great! Whether it's dealing with Ibuki or your coffee-making skills, you did a fantastic job."

"Then... can I... can I ask for a reward?"

Karuizawa Kei's crying face instantly turned into a smile, a change so swift that Hoshino En almost thought she had already woken up.

But Hoshino En, with years of experience with women, knew that he shouldn't provoke her at this moment, but rather go along with her wishes—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep tonight.

"Okay, what do you want?"

But he could guarantee that if the other person's demands were too excessive—like kisses, hugs, or being lifted up high—he would definitely curl her up into a ball and throw her out.

"Then... I want to sleep together!"

Karuizawa Kei blinked her eyes, her bright purple pupils fixed on Hoshino En, awaiting his reply.

Hoshino En: "..."

Sleeping together... seems fine.

Anyway, back when he was still living in that house, he slept with Ai every day, and it seems that things haven't changed much now.

"Sure, no problem."

He reached out and gently ruffled the girl's slightly disheveled blonde hair, soothingly.

"I'll go tidy up the kitchen first, and dry your clothes; you need to be good by yourself, go to the bathroom to rinse your mouth, and then lie here quietly, okay?"

"Um!"

Her excited and loud reply made Hoshino Yuki feel like she was back in 1966, but back then, her feelings of love were fear, while Karuizawa's were excitement.

Sigh~ I have to take care of a child again, and this one is different from Kiyotaka's; he's not independent yet.

He sighed, picked up the plate with utensils on it from the desk, and went to the kitchen to start tidying up, just missing the smile that Karuizawa Kei had just given him.

She woke up suddenly while struggling, but she didn't think she was acting crazy; she just assumed she was too excited from drinking coffee.

Oh dear, how embarrassing! How could I have done something like that in front of En-kun?

Especially the part where she demanded the same love from him as she did from everyone else—that was truly shameful.

But the final result was pretty good; En-kun accepted it, hehe~

Afterwards, following Hoshino En's instructions, she obediently went to the bathroom to rinse her mouth and then returned to bed.