Can You Touch Me?

Hinamori Momo stood at the office door, looking at the two people inside with a somewhat stiff expression.

It would have been fine if Rukia had said nothing, but her guilty look made Hinamori feel especially miserable.

Rukia wanted to explain herself, but she also knew that under these circumstances, the more she explained, the more it would seem like something was going on. It would be tantamount to revealing Hinamori's feelings in front of the President, and might even make the President dislike her.

She had never paid attention to it before, but now that she thought about it, the President patting her head really was rather suggestive...

Had she really not noticed, or had she noticed long ago and simply not resisted it?

Hadn't the President noticed either?

She felt like crying.

Hinamori quickly composed herself and smiled. "President, Rukia."

After thinking it over, Rukia decided it would be better to leave first. She took the initiative to say to Xin, "President, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."

With that, she fled the office as though escaping.

The moment she stepped outside, she pressed herself against the wall beside the door, her chest heaving violently.

How had things suddenly turned out like this...

Seeing Rukia take the initiative to leave her alone with Xin, Hinamori felt a little better and thought that perhaps she had indeed misunderstood just now.

The President was good to everyone...

Xin returned to his seat as well and casually said, "Someone from the Kuchiki family of the Four Great Noble Clans came by earlier. They said they wanted to see Rukia."

Hinamori froze when she heard this, her attention immediately drawn to the news.

"What did they want with Rukia?"

"I don't know. The Kuchiki family's people left before Rukia returned."

"Huh?"

Xin asked again, "How is your friend's situation? Is he willing to come study at the Spirit Training Academy?"

Hinamori pondered for a moment, then nodded lightly. "But it'll have to wait until next year. Toshiro feels very guilty. He thinks Grandma's worsening health is all because of him."

"Luckily, it was discovered in time. There's still time for everything."

"For this matter, I have to thank you, President."

Xin chuckled softly. "You've already thanked me."

Hinamori pressed her lips together tightly and looked at Xin sitting there. She had so much she wanted to say, yet when the words reached her lips, she did not know what to say.

Anything she wanted to say seemed abrupt and presumptuous.

She had been unable to sleep all night, but fortunately, she had thought it through. Whatever Senior Kanazawa did was Senior Kanazawa's business. What mattered was the President's attitude.

How could someone like the President possibly have no admirers?

She was one of them, and Senior Kanazawa was merely one of them as well. In the future, there would be many, many more.

What she should do was find a way to become the most special one to the President among all those people. There was no point in agonizing over other people's feelings. She could not change that; what she could change was the President's opinion of her.

She gathered her courage and suddenly asked, "President, there's actually something I've always wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you have Rukia become your assistant?"

Rukia had not actually left yet. She also wanted to hear what Hinamori and the President would say. She was afraid the two might argue, though she felt that Momoko had neither reason nor standing to question the President over something like this.

The conversation coming from inside instantly left her stunned.

She wanted to know the real answer to that question too.

But why was Momoko asking this... Was it because of what had happened just now?

Xin gave a laugh and asked in return, "Why are you suddenly asking that?"

Hinamori said, "I think Rukia isn't particularly outstanding in any regard. Of course, she has her strengths, but did you see those strengths from the very beginning, President? Rukia told me about the Student Council assessment back then. I don't think I performed worse than she did, and besides, I..."

She wanted to say that she was more suited than Rukia for the position of the President's assistant. Her personality was more cheerful, and she was more passionate about work.

She wanted to ask whether Xin had special feelings for Rukia, whether he liked Rukia.

As for Senior Kanazawa, after spending several months with the President, Hinamori could clearly sense that the President did not have any special feelings for Senior Kanazawa.

Because if someone truly liked another person, it was hard to hide those feelings. The President's attitude toward Senior Kanazawa was no different from his attitude toward anyone else, so Senior Kanazawa was not much of a threat. She only dared make such excessive demands because the President was kind and because of that promise.

By comparison, the President's treatment of Rukia was clearly special.

Xin glanced at Hinamori's Affection in the system interface, which was fluctuating wildly between high and low.

Leaning back in his chair, he honestly disliked being questioned like this. Tilting his head slightly, he slowly said, "I did see Rukia's strengths from the very beginning. At the same time, I also saw her shortcomings. That's why I felt that Rukia needed training in this position more. If she were only allowed to be an ordinary Student Council member, her shortcomings certainly wouldn't improve in a short time. Hinamori, you may be more outstanding than Rukia now. Everyone likes you, but Rukia needs this opportunity more than you do. Since you're such good friends, you should understand that first and foremost."

Hinamori could not help speaking up. "President, but I... I..."

She clenched her fists tightly, but in the end, she said nothing more. She was both shy and afraid.

Afraid that she would not be able to bear the consequences if she rashly said it aloud.

Xin suddenly chuckled again. "Hinamori, I still owe you a promise. Have you decided what you want?"

"..."

Hinamori was speechless, her mind in complete turmoil.

Ever since making that promise, she had been thinking about what request she should make.

Excessive, reasonable, ambiguous, appropriate...

The most suitable thing she had thought of was to ask the President to teach her healing arts in his spare time. That would not only increase the time they spent alone together and bring her closer to him, but it would also be a very suitable and reasonable excuse.

The President would be joining the Fourth Division in the future, and she wanted to study healing arts more deeply. That was enough of a hint as well...

But why could Senior Kanazawa make such an excessive request!

Then could she do the same?

But did she have to become as awful as Senior Kanazawa? What would the President think of her then?

Hinamori bit her lip tightly, a glimmer of light shifting in her beautiful eyes as she stared intently at Xin. Only an office desk and a few steps separated them.

But she truly did not know how great the distance between herself and the President was.

Was it only those few steps, as it appeared on the surface? Did it only take one initiative word from her?

"President..." Hinamori's voice trembled slightly.

"Can you... touch me, like you touched Rukia just now?"

Rukia left from outside the door.

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