Shimiya's Vulnerability, Kushida Takes Advantage?

Kushida didn't answer. She simply walked over, hugged Shinomiya, and said softly, "It's okay. Take a deep breath."

Shinomiya couldn't take anything in right now. He merely stared straight at Kushida.

Shinomiya was sitting while Kushida stood. He buried his head against her stomach, clinging tightly to her as he continued to sob.

Kushida gently stroked Shinomiya's hair, comforting him and telling him to take deep breaths and calm down.

It didn't seem to help. Shinomiya kept sobbing as though he couldn't hear her.

The upperclassman beside them was stunned stiff by the sight.

What kind of situation was this?

He'd played the piano until he broke down?

Though it really had been incredibly moving.

"Underclassman, are you...?"

The upperclassman wanted to step forward and check on Shinomiya.

Shinomiya only shrank further into Kushida's arms and held her even tighter.

The upperclassman grew awkward at the sight, unsure what to do.

Seeing that Shinomiya's condition wasn't improving, Kushida began to panic as well.

"Upperclassman, I'll take him to the infirmary first. I'm really sorry," Kushida apologized.

"It's fine, it's fine. Hurry and go. His health comes first." The upperclassman waved his hands repeatedly, telling them not to worry about it.

Kushida tried to support Shinomiya out of the classroom, but he still clung to her desperately and refused to let go. She had no choice.

She could only whisper into Shinomiya's ear, "I'm not leaving. Let's go back to the dorm first, okay?"

That was right. Kushida intended to take Shinomiya straight back to the dorm. The infirmary wouldn't be able to treat this anyway; all he could do was get some proper rest.

After coaxing and persuading him for a while, Kushida finally got Shinomiya to cooperate.

The upperclassman also wanted to help, but whenever he approached, Shinomiya would cling tighter to Kushida. He could only give up and watch from the side.

Kushida led Shinomiya out of the piano room, then turned back to thank the upperclassman.

"Thank you, Upperclassman! Sorry for the trouble!"

Watching the two of them leave, the upperclassman let out a sigh of relief.

Was this the world of geniuses?

Their piano playing could stir up emotions more easily than anyone else's. He definitely had to get him to join the club—then the competition would be in the bag!

Still, it was a good thing that underclassman had been there just now. She really was such a gentle person!

Back in Shinomiya's dorm room.

Kushida put the exhausted, tearful Shinomiya to bed, tucked him in, and went to get him a glass of water.

Shinomiya obediently drank it at Kushida's prompting.

The slightly cool water ran down his throat, bringing Shinomiya a trace of clarity. He realized he was lying in bed.

He had no memory of how he had ended up there. His emotions had collapsed at the time, and he had only felt something warm holding him.

His eyes, once blurred by tears, gradually cleared. The first thing Shinomiya saw was Kushida's focused face.

His mind was still in chaos, leaving him unable to think. He could only instinctively murmur, "Kikyo..."

Kushida froze. Seeing that Shinomiya had regained some clarity, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Once she saw that he was getting better, Kushida got up to leave.

"Honestly, Shinomiya is such a pain. Nothing good ever happens whenever I run into him."

The moment she stood up, Shinomiya grabbed her. Perhaps because of his recent martial arts training, he pulled Kushida directly into his arms.

He continued to mutter, "Don't go, don't go..."

Shinomiya's consciousness was still muddled. Seeing the only color in front of him about to leave, he instinctively wanted to keep her.

Shinomiya was too strong for Kushida to break free.

Kushida became annoyed for a moment, but she could only helplessly give up. Looking at Shinomiya's unfocused gaze, a faint flutter suddenly rose in her heart.

But she quickly came to her senses. This was a perfect opportunity.

Shinomiya had completely lost his reason right now. It was the ideal time to pry information out of him. As long as she learned Shinomiya's secret, she wouldn't have to worry about him revealing what happened in middle school—and she could even threaten him into doing things for her.

What a heaven-sent opportunity!

Kushida put on her angelic persona.

"Yoha, is there anything you usually don't want others to know?"

Shiomiya had no idea what Kushida meant by that.

He only felt that even though the person in his arms was right beside him, she seemed to be drifting farther and farther away.

Shiomiya suddenly felt a little panicked. He only held Kushida tighter and tighter; no longer merely grabbing onto her, but pressing their bodies tightly together until Kushida was sprawled entirely over him.

"Eh... eeeh?! What are you doing?!"

Kushida was at a complete loss after this sudden move.

Shiomiya buried his head in the crook of Kushida's neck, still murmuring without pause.

"Don't get so far away from me... Don't go..."

Kushida got a little angry and switched back to her normal voice.

"Let go of me!"

Kushida hadn't expected Shiomiya to actually loosen his hold a little, and the unease on his face also eased slightly.

That change made Kushida freeze. Then, when she spoke in her cutesy voice, Shiomiya would tighten his hold; when she spoke in her normal voice, Shiomiya would relax.

Kushida gradually grasped the instructions for operating Shiomiya Yo.

In her normal voice, she said, "Yo, is there something you can't tell anyone else?"

Shiomiya fell silent for a moment. Because he instinctively trusted Kushida, he murmured, "I have a system and a diary. They're both my secrets."

Having obtained Shiomiya's secret, Kushida felt pleasure shoot straight to the heavens in that instant, sending her whole body into climax!

Kushida naturally skipped over the word "system," assuming Shiomiya was out of his mind, and asked directly, "Then where's your diary?"

"It's... it's on me."

Kushida was overjoyed.

"Shiomiya Yo, you're going to fall into my hands!"

She eagerly began searching Shiomiya's body, but found nothing. She searched him several more times, yet still came up empty-handed.

"That bastard Shiomiya Yo! He's out of his mind and he's still lying to me!"

Kushida was furious and wanted to get up and leave, but Shiomiya held her tightly again.

Whenever she tried to get up, he would pull her closer.

Kushida had no way of dealing with Shiomiya's antics. Thinking of all the grievances she had suffered, her eyes unconsciously reddened, and she began cursing Shiomiya Yo as she cried.

"Waaah...

Shiomiya Yo, you bastard!

You bullied me before, and now you're bullying me again!

Why am I so unlucky, running into you?!"

Kushida cried so hard that she looked utterly pitiful. Her tears quickly soaked Shiomiya's clothes, and even as she cursed him, she pounded his chest with her fists to vent the resentment in her heart.

Seeing the person in his arms cry, Shiomiya only felt more panicked.

What left him most at a loss was that Kushida's colors were beginning to fade. Shiomiya could feel her getting farther and farther away from him.

"I never want to see you again! Sob..." Kushida cried as she tried to break free from Shiomiya's arms.

Those words struck Shiomiya's fragile nerves. He wanted to keep the person before him.

He wanted to hide her somewhere deeper.

Shiomiya directly pulled Kushida beneath him, wanting to cover her with his body. He braced his hands on either side of her head, and their eyes met.

Kushida's cheeks flushed red. She struggled desperately, her legs kicking wildly. "Let go... Let go of me!" But she still couldn't escape Shiomiya's grasp.

Shiomiya's face slowly lowered, and Kushida nervously shut her eyes.

The next morning, at dawn.

Shiomiya woke up from hunger, his mind still somewhat muddled. He reached out to lift the blanket, but touched something soft and warm.

Turning his head, he saw Kushida lying beside him.

Shiomiya instantly sobered up.

What was going on?!