Kamuro Masumi Takes a Beating

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, student dormitory.

"Amasawa!!!!! Waaaaah, my life is so miserable!!!!!!!"

Amasawa Reigetsu opened the door, and a lump of Kamuro Masumi lunged inside.

Amasawa Reigetsu: ? Are you pulling my leg?

"Sakayanagi, she—Sakayanagi has gone insane, aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!"

Hearing this, Amasawa Reigetsu felt relieved. He already knew the full picture: Sakayanagi had seen him on a date with Kiyoko that day, forcibly kissed him, then fled and played ostrich for two days. With no one else to talk to, she had been tormenting Kamuro Masumi.

"Guh—!"

"Bang—!"

With a dull thud, Kamuro Masumi was plastered against the hallway wall like a flattened mochi, then slowly slid down.

"Amasawa, are you even human!!!! You can't just stand by and watch me die!!!!! I'll never make fun of you again, waaaaaah!!!!!"

There was no response from inside the room.

"Amasawa, I'll f—"

Personal terminal notification: 5,000 points received.

"Daddy!!!!!"

"Thanks, boss! You're the best, boss! May you stay in peak health!"

Kamuro Masumi shouted while forming a giant heart with her hands in front of her chest. There wasn't a trace of her previous grievance left in those big eyes.

"Go, go, go, go play somewhere else."

Before Amasawa Reigetsu could shoo her away in disgust, she sprang up from the floor like a carp and gave a sloppy, lightning-fast military salute.

"Understood! Your foster daughter obeys your command!"

Before the words even faded, Kamuro Masumi used her one-time-per-chapter flash and vanished from Amasawa Reigetsu's sight.

It seems Sakayanagi Arisu really is going to break Kamuro Masumi...

Or is the Morishita Ran syndrome spreading?

Was Kamuro Masumi always this kind of person...?

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-A.

"Amasawa Reigetsu, as the oldest harem king in human history, there is one thing I must remind you of."

Amasawa Reigetsu, who had been daydreaming, heard Morishita Ran's voice—feigning mystery with a hint of coldness—beside his ear.

He tilted his head in confusion, his gaze just landing on his deskmate's exquisite face—

"Clap!!!"

A crisp and abrupt sound of clapping exploded right in front of Amasawa Reigetsu without any warning.

This sudden, deafening noise not only stunned Amasawa Reigetsu, but it was like a bolt of lightning striking Mashima Tomoya, who was at the podium explaining English reading.

Instantly, veins bulged on Mashima Tomoya's forehead; he seemed to be struggling to keep himself from throwing Morishita Ran out.

Morishita Ran pulled her hand back and stared at Amasawa Reigetsu without blinking. She leaned forward slightly, as if observing a rare specimen under a microscope, her tone filled with undisguised surprise and curiosity:

"Ah, Amasawa Reigetsu, you've got guts. You actually weren't scared."

"How did you do that?"

Just as Morishita Ran was staring at Amasawa Reigetsu with her beautiful eyes—

"Clap!"

This clap was even crisper, more forceful, and even more inexplicable—

"Holy crap!"

Morishita Ran jumped up from her chair like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She clutched her chest, her naturally fair cheeks flushing a light red from the shock, and those eyes that always held a mysterious air were now filled with disbelief and panic.

"Gnnnngh..."

Coming to her senses, Morishita Ran immediately puffed out her cheeks like a deeply wronged pufferfish. She glared at Amasawa Reigetsu, her eyes full of accusation and resentment, as if she hadn't been the one who tried to scare him just a moment ago.

"The two of you... get out and stand in the hallway."

On the podium, the veins on Mashima Tomoya's forehead finally burst under the strain, and the chalk in his hand snapped in two. He took a deep breath, looked at Amasawa Reigetsu, swallowed his anger, and calmly ordered them to go stand outside.

This scene had happened many times in Class A. Mashima Tomoya was now considering whether to separate these two weirdos or just kick them out before class even started.

Amasawa Reigetsu sighed helplessly. Under Morishita Ran's murderous glare, he stood up slowly and grabbed her by the back of her collar.

Morishita Ran glared at him furiously while flailing her limbs because she was being carried like a kitten. As they passed by Mr. Mashima, she didn't forget to mutter in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"...Despicable, resorting to a sneak attack."

You feel like the type who blames the mouse when you lose a match. You feel like the type who says a heavy rain ruined your college dreams. You feel like the type who eats snacks all day and whales fried in elephant meat at night, then claims you get fat just from drinking water.

Sister Ran is the best!!

Class 1-A, at the doorway.

Morishita Ran had somehow acquired two buckets, filled them with water, and insisted on balancing them on her head while standing at the entrance.

Amasawa Reigetsu: What is the meaning of this?

Morishita Ran: I saw it drawn like this in a manga. Aren't you curious what it feels like?

And so, from then on, there were always two people balancing buckets at the door of Class A during English class.

"By the way, Amasawa Reigetsu. Why hasn't Sakayanagi Arisu been coming to see you lately? My grandfather was a famous detective, and he once taught me the secret to investigating infidelity."

"Because we did that kind of thing."

Amasawa Reigetsu balanced the bucket, his eyes staring blankly ahead, looking like someone who had submitted himself to the Abstinence Society after losing everything.

"I don't get it, so what exactly is 'that thing'? Did you do that kind of thing to Sakayanagi Arisu's shoes?"

In Morishita Ran's eyes, Amasawa Reigetsu was looking ahead with a sage-like expression; this was a reasonable deduction.

Morishita Ran was certain of it.

"Thud—"

Amasawa Reigetsu placed the bucket on the ground, spilling a little water, and then the distance between their faces closed rapidly—

This was a wall-pin, she was being wall-pinned!? Could it be that Amasawa Reigetsu was going to—

Morishita Ran felt her heart suddenly race. Her fair face, unlike any time before, was truly stained with a shy, pinkish hue typical of a young girl.

She tilted her head back slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Her hands gripped the hem of her soaked shirt in confusion, her entire body stiff against the cold wall, yet she struck a pose of total helplessness, a submissive look as if waiting to be plucked.

This extreme contrast made her appear both fragile and alluring at this moment.

"That's right, we did that kind of thing."

Can Morishita Ran really be this beautiful!? Brother, you smell quite nice...

Amasawa Reigetsu looked at her as if she were a childhood friend he had worn diapers with, who had suddenly grown out her hair after a long time apart—

"Chirp~"

Amasawa Reigetsu pecked Morishita Ran lightly on the forehead. Her face turned completely red; she felt the blood rushing toward that cool sensation on her forehead, as if craving to feel more—

"You, you, you, you, you!!! You lecher!! You actually kissed me!!!"

"Splash—"

The bucket on her head lost its balance and, accompanied by a loud "clatter," crashed heavily onto the hard concrete floor. The cold, clear water poured down like a waterfall, drenching Morishita Ran from head to toe.

Her loose white school uniform shirt was instantly soaked through, clinging tightly to her exquisite skin and becoming nearly translucent. The girl's graceful curves were outlined without reservation beneath the fabric, and one could even vaguely see the color of her undergarments.

Hmm, white. Sister Ran is unexpectedly plain!

A few wet strands of hair stuck messily to her flushed cheeks and slender neck. Crystal-clear droplets slid down her delicate jawline, traced the rise and fall of her chest, and continued downward, soaking the hem of her skirt and gathering into a puddle at her feet.

Morishita Ran subconsciously hugged her arms, trying to cover her exposed skin, but it clearly only made the whole scene even more impossible to resist.

Sister Ran felt like she was going to die of embarrassment; to think that after a lifetime of drifting, she would end up like this! She only felt her cheeks burning intensely and her heart pounding violently in her chest, but she also felt extreme anxiety. The intense emotional shock left her mind blank, and tears began to fall like broken pearls.

In an instant, an invisible and gentle mental force rippled out like water, silently sweeping through the entire school building.

Mass Induction activated.

Morishita Ran seemed to sense something and looked up tremblingly.

"Is this your doing? I think... I can feel something."

Morishita Ran's sobbing wouldn't stop, but looking into Amasawa Reigetsu's steady, glowing eyes, she admitted that this was a sense of peace she had never felt before.

"Don't be afraid... No one can notice us."

Amasawa Reigetsu deliberately lowered his voice. His deep, masculine tone carried a soothing magnetism as it rang softly in Morishita Ran's ear. Then, a school blazer was draped over her, the scent of pine and the warm aroma of pheromones mingling together, gently enveloping Morishita Ran, who was shivering from being soaked through.

"That's too unfair..."

Morishita Ran felt an urge to bury herself in the warm chest of the person who had just knelt down to check on her, but she was afraid that their relationship hadn't reached that point yet...

Amasawa Reigetsu would probably be disgusted that I'm all wet.

I don't want to experience the taste of loss again... So I don't dare to gamble, I don't dare to get any closer to him—

When the label of "superhuman" was torn away, Morishita Ran's inner self—fragile, overthinking, and unlike others—was ruthlessly laid bare by a basin of water.

Since I was born, a group of uncontrollable butterflies has lived in my brain, ready to flap their wings toward any direction of freedom at any time.

Doing whatever Morishita Ran wants to do is the creed I pride myself on.

On the first day of my first year of middle school, my mother told me that as long as I could gain a foothold here and study hard, I would definitely be able to get into a good high school, and eventually a good university, so I could marry into a wealthy family.

Will it really be like that? I am the only one who can imagine that my trajectory will not extend in that direction—

Unsurprisingly, I was scolded by my mother. She was always like this, nagging about school advancement and deviation scores while scattering those butterflies.

But I wasn't afraid, because Morishita Ran had survived elementary school just fine. Even if the butterflies were scattered, they would always fly back!

However.

"Morishita-san, please shut up. Could you stop disturbing our studies?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was jarringly harsh in the quiet classroom.

She furrowed her brows, her eyes revealing a near-instinctual disgust—

It was as if I were a fly that had wandered into a high-end restaurant, ruining some order she had meticulously maintained.

From that day on, everything changed.

It seemed that no one could notice my existence anymore, no matter how exaggerated my movements or how loud my voice—

No one scolded me, and no one laid a hand on me. They simply used an incredibly tacit method to strip me away from all normal social orbits.

The butterflies were dying one by one...

No, it was that they found my body too boring... They could never fly again.

Why was everyone ignoring me?

Were the stories of my Blue Stream Style ancient martial arts, my Great Detective Grandfather, and my role as a Listener of Nature not moving enough for you? Then I would just work harder to create even more interesting settings—

No, I knew the truth.

I was a freak.

So...

Amasawa Reigetsu, please grab my hand and don't let go, okay?

If I couldn't act the way I used to, could I still be called Morishita Ran? But if I even imagined Amasawa Reigetsu ignoring me just like they did—

My heart ached as if a piece had been gouged out of it.

This was the first time Amasawa Reigetsu had seen such a complex, hesitant expression appear on Morishita Ran's face.

Morishita Ran seemed to have made up her mind; she lifted her head and bravely looked Amasawa Reigetsu straight in the eyes.

"I—waaaaah!!! What are you doing!!"

My body suddenly lost its center of gravity, my vision rotated ninety degrees to face the ceiling, and less than ten centimeters away was Amasawa Reigetsu's face...

The mental preparation Morishita Ran had painstakingly built was overturned by this bridal carry. She turned her head away, not daring to look into Amasawa Reigetsu's eyes.

"Morishita Ran!"

"My fellow empath of strange abilities, lift your proud head! I ask you: are you willing to follow me forever, until the end of the world!"

Morishita Ran didn't answer. She simply lowered her tense arms, wrapped them around Amasawa Reigetsu's waist, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips firmly against the person in front of her.

Kamuro Masumi: This isn't right, is it? Why did Morishita get to first base this chapter while I took a Leo Kick to the face? Are you kidding me?

Sakayanagi Arisu: Don't you dare touch my husband!