Don't Talk, Kiss Me

Palesa Coffee Shop, five minutes before the agreed time.

The newcomer was bundled up from head to toe, her baseball cap pulled so low that it hid most of her brows and eyes. She wore a mask too, leaving only a pair of clear eyes visible. It was Himeno Yuki, concealing her identity. She looked at Kazami at their meeting spot.

"Are you Don't Talk, Kiss Me?"

An older female student happened to be passing nearby and caught every word. She stopped in her tracks, looking sideways at the two in surprise. The younger students really are getting more unconventional by the day, being this direct right on campus. These youngsters are so uninhibited. Times really have changed completely. They're nothing like how shy and awkward we were back then.

Kazami looked surprised at the girl's question.

"Huh, right now? Where should I kiss you?"

He scratched his head shyly, looking bashful and reserved. "I'm a little embarrassed."

Emotion Points from Himeno Yuki +8.

That presumptuous remark hit Himeno Yuki right where it hurt. The girl was so angry that she stamped her feet, losing her composure on the spot.

"You bastard! You fucking asshole! Kiss you, my ass!"

Emotion Points from Himeno Yuki +9, +5, +8.

A string of numbers flooded the display, showing just how angry she was.

Watching her hop around and flail her arms, Kazami offered a perfectly serious critique of her movements.

"Are you dancing? Your movements are way too stiff. What a terrible dance. I've learned a little myself, so I can give you some pointers. Free of charge."

Yep, I got this skill from Matsushita. Ballet lv3.

Himeno glared fixedly at the bastard in front of her and explained through gritted teeth, "What dancing? It's that ridiculous username you picked! Don't Talk, Kiss Me! I've completely humiliated myself today! I can't show my face anymore!"

Only then did Kazami catch on, letting out an "Oh" of sudden realization.

"Oh, that username. I thought you were... ahem, so that's what this is about." Seeing Himeno's murderous glare, Kazami swallowed the rest of his words. "So, you're here to ask me for help?"

Himeno Yuki took a deep breath, suppressing her anger and trying to preserve what little calm she had left. She glared fiercely at Kazami, silently repeating, Don't get angry. For the sake of the negotiations to come, she would put up with him for now. "Yes, I'm here to ask for help."

Watching the steady stream of Emotion Points, Kazami said,

"I lied. There's no way."

At those words, the anger that had just subsided flared up again. Himeno Yuki's face filled with fury. "You're seriously so tiresome! I hate lying frauds like you more than anything!"

Emotion Points from Himeno Yuki +9.

Kazami was delighted to see the Emotion Points keep rising. "But, well, I know where to find what you want. It could help you out of this mess."

Himeno Yuki had been on the verge of exploding, but that remark captured all her attention. Then she smiled.

"Men who lie are the most charming." Himeno Yuki sounded exceptionally sincere. "It's proof that people like that are clever. You're one of them. Where can I get it?"

That was way too quick a change, Kazami marveled. Women really are fickle.

"You've definitely got a bright future ahead of you. You can spin one lie after another. You're really something, even breaking out cheesy pickup lines for this exam."

Emotion Points from Himeno Yuki +7.

This feels even easier than Yamauchi. Kazami sighed with feigned regret. "Unfortunately, they don't want to help."

Just as hope had flared up in Himeno, a bucket of cold water was dumped over it. She lost it and couldn't help lashing out. "Then why are you deliberately stringing me along? Are you sick in the head?"

From...

Watching the numbers rise, Kazami reversed course again. "But we're pretty close. We're on excellent personal terms. If I have a proper talk with them, we might be able to work something out. I can probably get it sorted for you."

Himeno, who had gotten up to leave, did a complete about-face. She became sweet and docile, her voice soft. "Oh, stop it. I knew you were the best!"

Her voice was alluringly soft. Kazami chuckled. "I prefer you all defiant and unruly. Didn't you say I was sick in the head?"

The girl's cheeks flushed faintly. "I'm sick too! I mean, I'm heartsick over you! No, what am I even saying... You have to work something out for me. Please!"

From...

Look at her, all cute and tongue-tied on the outside, but still cursing me inside. Women really are all actresses.

Kazami chuckled. "You were right. I really am sick."

"The biggest problem I've had my whole life is that I love bullshitting. I've never been able to kick the habit."

He calmly exposed all his lies. "Those connections, that relationship, being able to negotiate a deal-it was all bullshit. Not a word of it was true."

Yep, I really did copy this skill from that idiot Yamauchi. This is my first time using it.

Silence fell over the scene for a while.

The anticipation and tenderness drained completely from Himeno Yuki's face, replaced by utter fury. Every last trace of that gentle veneer shattered, and she gritted her teeth.

"Ah! You piece of shit! I'll beat you to death!"

"You bastard! You lying fraud! Having fun making a fool of me?"

Himeno Yuki abandoned all concern for her image, raised her hand, and swung at Kazami.

This has gone off the rails. I didn't expect Himeno to be a violent girl too. Emotion Point farming paused.

The first pot of money is always bloody, though the blood is coming from the wrong place. Everyone else's first pot of money draws someone else's blood, so why is mine drawing my own? Why do things always turn out differently from how I expect? Though I really did farm quite a lot of Emotion Points just now.

"White-haired fool, gray-bearded old villain! This very day, you shall descend to the underworld..."

Himeno interrupted Kazami's grand declaration.

"You?"

"What? When autumn comes, on the eighth day of the ninth moon, my flowers shall bloom and all others meet their doom. Their soaring fragrance shall pierce Chang'an, the whole city clad in... ow!"

Kazami took a hit. He actually hadn't managed to block it. What kind of speed is that? "Damn it, do you dare let me fin... ow!"

After chasing him around for several laps, she had actually only landed two or three blows. Himeno wasn't so angry anymore. She stood with her hands on her hips, panting, her eyes frighteningly fierce. "You just had to make me get physical. Can we talk properly now?"

Kazami raised his hands in surrender. Could he say no in this situation? He had actually failed to beat this masked girl just now.

"Yes, yes, absolutely! We'll talk properly. Definitely!"

"By the way, have you trained in anything?"

Himeno swept back the hair that had gotten mussed while she was beating Kazami.

"Judo, plus Taekwondo and women's self-defense."

Right. Great. Another girl with serious skills. Advanced Nurturing, you sure know how to pick them. Why am I always stuck playing at the highest difficulty? Damn it, can't I find someone weaker than me?