An indirect kiss

"Then I'll sit beside you, Miss Kamishiro."

Amahane Byakuya rather shamelessly sat down right beside Rize Kamishiro.

He acted quite naturally, without the slightest hint of forcing it.

Honestly, suddenly dating Rize Kamishiro was pretty interesting to him, even if it was only a "fake romance."

What made it interesting was Rize Kamishiro's true nature. Although Rize would certainly find some way to eat him in the end, what might happen along the way was still something to look forward to.

He just had to make sure he didn't get carried away. Whatever else Rize Kamishiro might do, she wouldn't attack him in public at Anteiku, this very café. After all, its owner was the SSS-rated ghoul known as the Non-Killing Owl, who was also the Manager of Ward 20.

"Call me Rize."

Rize Kamishiro immediately corrected the way Amahane Byakuya addressed her. "We're already dating. Why are you still being so formal?"

"All right, Miss Rize."

Amahane Byakuya nodded.

Meanwhile, the news that Amahane Byakuya and Rize Kamishiro were officially dating caused quite a stir in the café.

Still, everyone limited themselves to visible reactions or hushed discussions, without sticking their noses into it.

Few of the ghouls among them dared to offend Rize Kamishiro.

Even Touka Kirishima, who was wiping the dishes while working at the front counter, couldn't help looking over toward Amahane Byakuya and Rize Kamishiro.

Amahane Byakuya and Rize Kamishiro had plenty to talk about, though that was naturally because both of them were actively looking for topics.

"Do you have any hobbies? I think we should get to know each other's interests first."

Rize Kamishiro asked him this.

"My hobbies? Reading books, reading manga, and listening to music I like."

Although Amahane Byakuya was playing along with Rize Kamishiro's act, the hobbies he listed were genuine.

"When it comes to books, I especially enjoy Teacher Takatsuki's work."

Only then did he embellish things a little, bringing up Sen Takatsuki's works.

"Teacher Takatsuki? What a coincidence. I love Teacher Takatsuki's work too."

Rize Kamishiro smiled delightedly, as though she truly adored Sen Takatsuki.

In reality, she was merely tailoring her response to Amahane Byakuya's tastes so she could get him further under her thumb.

If Byakuya had said he liked some other author's work, she would have claimed to like that author too.

Watching Rize Kamishiro, whose manner betrayed not the slightest trace of insincerity, Amahane Byakuya couldn't help marveling at how frightening this woman was...

If he had been some inexperienced young innocent who knew nothing of Rize Kamishiro's true nature, she would certainly have had him dancing to her tune, only for him to end up as food.

"Which book would you recommend most, Byakuya? I've only just started reading Teacher Takatsuki's work, so I haven't read much yet."

"I think Teacher Takatsuki was at her best right from her debut. Her first novel, To Kafka, is a must-read, and her latest book, The Hanged Man's MacGuffin, is excellent too. I'd highly recommend both."

"Oh, I know To Kafka! The trick with the letters really took me by surprise~ Teacher Takatsuki's short story collections are interesting too, like The Rainbow's Black-and-White Painting."

Amahane Byakuya and Rize Kamishiro chatted so comfortably that, to an outsider who knew nothing, they looked exactly like a young couple with real chemistry.

Unfortunately, the truth was nothing of the sort.

"What about your tastes, then?"

Just then, Rize Kamishiro abruptly changed the subject.

"What?"

"Do you like your coffee plain, Byakuya, or with some sugar? A little sugar, or a lot?"

Rize Kamishiro asked for specifics.

"I prefer mine plain."

Once again, Amahane Byakuya answered honestly.

"Really? I prefer adding a little sugar. Would you like to try mine, Byakuya? You might end up liking it too."

Rize Kamishiro picked up the cup of coffee in front of her, a sweet smile spreading across her face.

Those words and gestures would undoubtedly have a devastating effect on an inexperienced young man. How many could keep their heads in a situation like this?

If Amahane Byakuya hadn't known Rize Kamishiro's true nature so well, he admitted he would have found it difficult to resist her charms too.

Now that things had come this far, Amahane Byakuya didn't want to back down.

He took the coffee from Rize Kamishiro's hand and sipped it, looking a little embarrassed despite himself.

[Ding! The host has completed an "indirect kiss" with Rize Kamishiro. Reward obtained: 10 fusion points!]

Just then, the system suddenly chimed.

Amahane Byakuya was surprised. He hadn't expected to earn fusion points this way too.

It seemed his earlier decision to keep interacting with Rize Kamishiro had been the right one. He could trigger the system's rewards at any moment.

"How is it?"

Rize Kamishiro pressed him for an answer.

"Mm, a little sugar really is nice."

Amahane Byakuya nodded.

"That's good. I was worried you might not like it."

Rize Kamishiro breathed a sigh of relief, resting her right hand on her chest with an adorable expression.

"Come to think of it, we both have type D blood, we're close in age, and we both like Teacher Takatsuki's work. Now even our tastes are almost the same."

Rize Kamishiro deliberately made the atmosphere a little flirtatious, though on the surface she remained perfectly natural.

"Yeah, we seem to get along pretty well..."

Amahane Byakuya smiled as he spoke.

"Oh... sorry, I just remembered something I need to take care of, so I'll have to leave for a bit. How about we meet here again at this time tomorrow?"

Rize Kamishiro gave Amahane Byakuya an apologetic look.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Amahane Byakuya replied.

"Then make sure you come at this time tomorrow, Byakuya. I want to learn even more about you."

Rize Kamishiro winked at Byakuya, making the implication about as blatant as it could be.

"...All right."

Amahane Byakuya had already seen through Rize Kamishiro's little game of playing hard to get.

If he had been a clueless young boy, he would probably have spent every moment until their next meeting thinking about Rize Kamishiro.

Then Rize Kamishiro left.

As she walked out of the Antique Café, Rize Kamishiro still wore a serene smile, holding a lovely, delicate little handbag in both hands in front of her, the very picture of a lady.

Yet beneath that quiet, graceful exterior lurked the savage, vicious Glutton.

At that very moment, Rize Kamishiro was thinking about how she would toy with Amahane Byakuya next.

It was Amahane Byakuya's unexpected confession earlier that had suddenly made Rize Kamishiro think this way of playing might be quite enjoyable.

She would wait until this human boy was utterly devoted to her, then give him the surprise of his life.

What sort of expression would he have on his face when I finally enjoyed this "delicacy"?

Just thinking about it is exciting~