"Little Kikyo is so thoughtful. I'm almost falling for you. But I can agree to some small requests. If you didn't want anything at all, Little Kikyo, I'd actually feel even more uneasy." A faint smile played at the corners of Watanabe Hayabara's mouth. His deep eyes gazed gently at Kushida Kikyo, warm as the winter sun.
Kushida Kikyo's face blossomed into a sweet smile, like a flower opening in spring. She bounced lightly over to Watanabe Hayabara, then playfully held up five fingers. "Hayabara-kun, how about giving me 50,000 points?"
After she spoke, Kushida Kikyo fixed her gaze on Watanabe Hayabara like an alert little deer, seeming to search his face for even the slightest reaction.
Watanabe Hayabara found her innocent expression a little amusing. His smile deepened slightly as he drew out his reply. "Oh?" There was a hint of playfulness in the lingering syllable, making it hard to guess what he was really thinking.
His gaze slowly fell on the girl's raised hand. Her five fair fingers were like tender shoots sprouting in early spring, and her nails were neatly trimmed and rounded, with a faint pink tint that made them look especially cute. She looked so carefree and innocent that it hardly seemed as if she were asking for a substantial sum of money. She looked more like a child asking an adult for a piece of candy.
That's quite a bold request.
"I don't remember Little Kikyo spending points frivolously. You should still have quite a few left, shouldn't you?" Watanabe Hayabara asked with the air of a curious child, seemingly concerned about where Kushida Kikyo's points were going.
Kushida Kikyo lightly tapped her toe against the ground, making her skirt ripple. She deliberately softened her voice, lifting the end of each phrase with just the right touch of bashfulness. "It's only 50,000 points. That shouldn't be much for you, should it, Hayabara-kun?" As she spoke, she lowered her eyelids. Her long lashes cast a small shadow beneath her eyes, hiding a fleeting glimmer of calculation and leaving only a carefully measured look of expectation.
Watanabe Hayabara suddenly chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. He leaned forward and gently tapped the back of the girl's hand with his fingertip. His tone shifted between warm and cool. "Kikyo certainly gets right to the point." Sunlight happened to catch his eyes, revealing a hint of understanding in their amber depths. "But why would I give you so many points for no reason?"
"But I helped you, Hayabara-kun, even if I did it of my own accord." Kushida Kikyo blinked as if caught off guard by the question, then broke into an even brighter smile. She took his arm and gave it a gentle shake. "Still, you're the best to me, Hayabara-kun." She deliberately pressed her cheek closer to him, the scent of citrus in her hair mingling with the warmth of the sun. "I have a use for these points. I might even be able to help you someday."
Watanabe Hayabara simply smiled, then took out his phone. Its blue glow fell across his composed face as he transferred 500,000 personal points to Kushida Kikyo. A soft beep sounded, followed by a notification that the points had arrived.
Kushida Kikyo immediately sprang away with a cheer. After checking the terminal, she turned and bowed to him, her smile dazzlingly sweet. "Thank you, Hayabara-kun! I knew you were the best!"
"Why don't you use those points to go shopping, Little Kikyo? I won't keep you."
"Hayabara-kun, are you really that eager to get rid of me?" Her voice was soft and gentle, carrying a hint of barely perceptible hurt, like a kitten abandoned by its owner. It stirred a fine ache of sympathy in the heart.
"After all, Little Kikyo has publicly said she won't date anyone, right? If someone sees us and posts about how close we seem on the school forum, it might stir up unnecessary rumors and cause you trouble. I'm only thinking of you," Watanabe Hayabara explained.
"All right, goodbye, Hayabara-kun." Kushida Kikyo waved to Watanabe Hayabara as if she couldn't bear to leave.
Watanabe Hayabara stood where he was, his hands still in his pockets, though his fingertips had long since gone cold. The gentle smile on his face seemed to be slowly wiped away by an invisible hand. The curve of his mouth gradually flattened, and the warmth in his eyes steadily cooled, leaving only a calmness too deep to see through. He narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced around, but seeing no one nearby, he continued strolling through the park.
After growing tired of the park's scenery, Watanabe Hayabara sat on a bench by the pond, its surface warmed by the sun. He let out a deep breath and sank lazily against the backrest, enjoying the tranquil comfort of the setting sun.
After an unknown amount of time, a soft, cotton-candy-sweet voice suddenly slipped into his ears, like a stone dropped into a still lake, instantly breaking the calm.
"Hello, could you help me with something?" The girl's voice carried a careful politeness, its final note rising slightly like a feather brushing against the heart.
The soft voice drifted over with a sweet, fresh scent, like a freshly unwrapped orange candy melting on the tongue. Watanabe Hayabara's lashes fluttered. From the corner of his eye, he first caught a glimpse of something pink swaying nearby. He blinked, letting his blurry vision slowly come into focus.
Her pink hair gleamed in the sunset like mother-of-pearl, and the curls at the tips resembled the edges of a perfectly baked soufflé. The girl stood three steps away, her school uniform's ribbon tied into a neat bow that rose and fell gently with her breathing. Most eye-catching was the curve of her chest, outlined beneath the fabric in a soft, beautiful shape. The buttons at her collar looked as if they might burst open at any moment, and whenever she leaned forward slightly, her striking figure swayed in a way that made his heart skip.
Watanabe Hayabara shifted his gaze away from her swaying figure and met her eyes. "What is it, Ichinose?" His voice was drowsy, as if he had just woken up, and the end of his sentence trembled faintly.
"Huh?" The girl abruptly raised her head, pink strands brushing her cheek. "You know my name?" Fragments of the sunset reflected in her pupils as confusion rippled through them. "I don't... think I recognize you."
Watanabe Hayabara sat up straight, absently rubbing a crack along the edge of the bench with his fingertip. He looked at the girl's lips, parted slightly in surprise, their outline as delicately drawn as if with a cherry-blossom-pink lip pencil. "Everyone at school knows Ichinose." He suddenly chuckled, softening the lines at the corners of his eyes. "In last week's Student Council poll for 'the girl you'd most like to date,' you came in first by a landslide. There were tons of people gathered around the hallway bulletin board looking at it."
"Ah... that poll?" The girl's cheeks suddenly flushed red, the color reaching her ears. She hurriedly waved her hands, the pink bow in her hair dancing with the motion. "Th-that's just everyone being kind to me." She took a deep breath, then put on her usual sweet smile and clasped her hands in front of her stomach, bowing slightly. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. Could you please..."
"Watanabe Hayabara, Class 1-D." He cut her off, his gaze settling on her trembling lashes. "Whatever it is, I'd be happy to help."
Ichinose Honami raised her head in surprise. Her pink hair slipped over her shoulder, and she noticed that the boy in front of her had a pair of shallow dimples when he smiled.
"He's really handsome..."
Before you continue