Kakeru Ryuen returned to his dorm room to find Kikyo Kushida waiting inside. She had evidently been there for quite some time.
"Why are you only getting back now?" The moment she heard the lock click open, Kushida voiced her complaint. Arms crossed, she looked genuinely angry.
Ryuen, however, was not the least bit intimidated by her attitude. "Didn't I tell you the door was unlocked and that you could wait in here?"
"I've been waiting for exactly one hour and thirty-six minutes!" Noticing his gaze, Kushida lowered her arms with visible irritation. She had put on careful makeup today, but Ryuen's unrestrained scrutiny made her uncomfortable.
"Why not count the seconds too?" Ryuen continued to tease her. Her school uniform was neat, the button that had previously come loose had been sewn back on, and she had clearly made an effort before coming here.
"Shut up! If you have something to say, say it. I don't want to spend another minute around you!" Kushida knew that the longer she stayed in Ryuen's room, the more dangerous the situation could become.
The more urgently Kushida wanted to leave, the less inclined Ryuen was to let her go so soon.
He sauntered over and lifted her chin. "You say you don't want to be around me, yet you dressed up before coming here. Trying to tempt me?"
"Get lost!" Kushida snapped, swatting his hand away. He had ruined the effort she had put into her appearance and was deliberately humiliating her.
Her fist shot toward Ryuen's stomach, but he caught it easily. She tried to strike again with her other hand, only for him to stop that one as well. Furious, Kushida attempted to kick him, but Ryuen hooked her leg and threw her off balance.
Just before she hit the floor, Ryuen caught her around the waist.
Kushida instinctively grabbed onto him. Once she realized she was safe, she immediately struggled to get free, leaving her once-neat uniform rumpled.
"Don't move," Ryuen said coldly.
Kushida went still. When Ryuen had told her to come to his room, she had prepared herself for the worst. Ever since the night she had struck him, she had known this day might come. Yet beneath all her ugliness, Kushida was still only sixteen. She had wanted an ordinary romance, to give her heart to someone she genuinely liked.
But the way she had chosen to survive had left no room for anything ordinary.
When Ryuen saw her fighting back tears, his expression shifted slightly.
He set Kushida down on the bed, then sat at its edge, watching her stubbornly wipe at her eyes. "Did I hurt you that badly?"
Kushida said nothing. She covered her eyes with an arm, refusing to look at him.
"Am I really that frightening?" Ryuen asked.
When Kushida remained silent, Ryuen lost interest in provoking her further. "I called you here because I want you to pass a message to Suzune Horikita. This exam's questions are very similar to the ones from past years. Your class can buy previous exam papers from upperclassmen."
Hearing him finally discuss business, Kushida lowered her arm. Her eyes were still red.
"And then?" Her voice was hoarse.
"That's it. Just make sure Suzune Horikita hears the message."
"Which upperclassmen are we supposed to buy them from?"
"Suzune Horikita can find upperclassmen herself. That isn't my problem. If she lacks even that much ability, she may as well drop out."
The prospect of Suzune Horikita being expelled improved Kushida's mood somewhat, though she still found Ryuen's instructions suspiciously simple.
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Then why couldn't you have just sent me a message?" Kushida flared up. At first, she had thought Ryuen had summoned her for far worse reasons. Now she could plainly see that he had only wanted to frighten her and laugh at her reaction.
"Because I wanted to see that expression on your face."
Ryuen's thoughts drifted briefly to Arisu Sakayanagi, who also had a fondness for white stockings.
Seeing him distracted, Kushida reached over and pinched his waist hard in retaliation.
Ryuen shrugged, brushed her hand aside, and did not bother retaliating.
"How much longer are you planning to stay on my bed?"
"I should be asking you that. How much longer are you planning to keep bothering me? If you like those stockings so much, keep them!" Kushida jumped off the bed, tossed the stockings onto it, put her loafers back on, and headed for the door.
"Don't leave yet. I haven't eaten. Make me dinner first."
"You..." Kushida was hungry too, but she knew she could not easily refuse Ryuen. It was only one meal, after all.
Ryuen could not cook, and his kitchen had no ingredients. He transferred fifty thousand private points to Kushida. "Go buy some ingredients. Keep whatever is left as payment for the meal."
"Hah. How generous. Aren't you afraid I'll come back with nothing but bean sprouts and make you eat bean sprouts for dinner?"
Kushida angrily moved to leave, but Ryuen pointed toward the bathroom. "Touch up your makeup before you go. And for the record, lighter makeup suits you better. Next time, wear black stockings instead."
Ryuen paid no attention to Kushida's response. He had already put on his boxing gloves. If he skipped even one day of training, his whole body felt restless, and right now he needed something to distract himself.
Kushida was dangerously alluring, and Ryuen had come close to losing control. But he had little resistance to a girl's tears. More importantly, he was not desperate enough to cross that line.
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