As expected of Kaito. With just a small trick, he fooled Mashiro and the others. He lied as naturally as breathing, didn't even blink once. If she hadn't been out shopping with her mom last Saturday, she'd almost have believed she really was duo queuing with Kaito that day.
'But only half an hour? That's way too short. Even if you're making it up, make it longer. I clearly have good stamina! Does no one appreciate the value of the long-distance running champion of the "Tontun Escape Squad"? Totally underestimated!'
"Ahem, anyway, this question, President, you pass," Karuta Mashiro coughed and cleared her throat, then said seriously, "Next... it's time for boyfriend-kun to be punished."
The couple identity was a double-edged sword, sharing both fortune and hardship. If they had won, they could've made the last-place person complete two tasks or answer two questions. Similarly, now that they had lost, the punishment was also doubled.
Kaito stayed silent for a while. Although his singing performance earlier was probably the best among everyone present, duet challenges were all about mutual coordination. No matter how high his individual skill, it wouldn't ensure victory. Anon kept making mistakes, so their final score naturally wasn't high.
But a loss was a loss. He was someone who accepted the consequences, so he just nodded, "Let's begin."
"Let me think, what kind of request should I make..."
Karuta Mashiro tilted her head in thought for a while, then got an idea. She clenched her right fist and gently pounded her left palm, "Let's keep it simple. President and boyfriend-kun must kiss right now, a French kiss, for one minute."
"How about it? This request is pretty easy, right?"
From her perspective, this really was a simple punishment, basically a freebie. After all, this couple had already done the most intimate things. Kissing should be nothing to them, right?
Besides, there were no outsiders present. Other than boyfriend-kun, it was all girls. The President didn't need to worry about looking unpresentable in front of strangers. On the contrary, this was a great opportunity to deepen her relationship with her boyfriend.
'Oh my god, I am way too considerate!', Thinking about how the President was probably already grateful to her in her heart, Karuta Mashiro couldn't help but start humming with pride.
'At this rate, I might as well die of beauty envy?'
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Chapter 248: Why Are You So Skilled!
'K-k-k-k-kKiss? And a French one?'
Chihaya Anon froze for a moment.
'Doesn't that mean tongue has to be involved?'
Just the thought of that scene made the pink-haired girl's pretty face flush helplessly red, like she had a raging fever, burning with astonishing heat.
No matter how bold she talked, she knew her own situation best. She and Kaito were only fake lovers. Their past interactions couldn't exactly be called "reverent," but it could be summed up as sentiment without overstepping propriety.
Now being asked to kiss in front of others was like asking a baby not even a month old to walk straight into a marathon.
'Impossible! No matter how I think about it, it is impossible!'
'Besides even if, even if I force myself to agree in principle, I have to consider Kaito's opinion."
She'd never heard that Kaito had a real girlfriend, nor seen him get close to any girls. The only opposite-sex friends he was on good terms with were in the same club. He had a face that attracted girls like flowers to butterflies, but lived like a celibate monk.
In other words, there was a big possibility he still had his first kiss.
Generally speaking, boys like that tend to be traditional.
'If I agreed, but Kaito refused'
'Won't the scene become super awkward?'
In fact, Kaito did furrow his brows.
Not because of anything else, but simply because, this kind of request had already gone beyond the scope of pretending to be a couple. It was something only real couples should do.
Sure enough, one lie leads to more lies to cover it up. Even if he could accept it, Anon was still an innocent girl as pure as a blank sheet of paper. She would definitely resist inside.
He shook his head, "Karuta-san, change the request."
"Eh?", Karuta Mashiro tilted her head, a little surprised, "For a couple, something like this shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
The gyaru-dressed Kirigaya Touka also blinked, "Boyfriend-kun, don't tell me you're shy?"
Kaito: ""
Of course he wasn't shy. He would never be shy in this lifetime. He wasn't some herbivore male protagonist from a Japanese manga, blushing over a lucky pervert incident.
Especially since he'd even experienced the soul-crushing play of his younger sister eavesdropping through the wall, this kind of small situation wasn't nearly enough to make him feel ashamed.
Nearby, Yashio Rui glanced at the pink-haired girl beside her and revealed a thoughtful expression, "Maybe the shy one is someone else?"
Karuta Mashiro and Kirigaya Touka exchanged looks, then very tacitly shifted their gaze to a certain pink-colored figure.
Sensing the gaze of her three friends falling on her, Anon, who had been struggling internally, bit her silver teeth, and somehow a surge of courage rose up.
'Whatever!'
'Hesitation leads to defeat!'
The mood had already been set to this point, if she backed down now, it would be impolite.
There's a psychological term called "sunk cost." The more time and energy you invest in something, the harder it is to give it up, because giving up means wiping all that effort away. It's worse than tossing a rock in the water, at least that makes a sound.
She and Kaito had been pretending to be a couple for this long, they'd held hands, sung songs together, how could they give up halfway now?
'Just a French kiss for a minute! What's the big deal?'
"I-it's just a kiss! Just a little kiss! I'm already prepared!"
The girl raised her head and puffed out her chest, her delicate cheeks full of a heroic spirit, 'if I don't go to hell, who will?"
Okay, that was definitely an act.
Actually, Anon was super nervous inside, carefully watching Kaito's expression, afraid he would say something cruel like, "You're right, but I refuse."
"Ooh, what a bold statement!"
"As expected of President Chihaya!"
With the trio's little exclamations, now the pressure shifted to Kaito's side.
Anon had already made her stance clear and didn't mind this kind of thing. If he kept hesitating, it would make him seem too indecisive, and would also make the trio suspect their relationship, if you've supposedly been dating for so long, why act like kissing is a life-or-death situation? Are you really a couple?
Since he'd already agreed to pretend to be Anon's boyfriend, he would fulfill that promise as best as he could. Kissing was indeed crossing the line, but refusing her now would just embarrass the girl in front of her friends and make the situation completely unmanageable.
Things had reached this point, no use talking more. Kaito let out a soft breath and made up his mind.
What does kissing feel like?
The colorful lights of the karaoke box kept flashing, casting vibrant shadows on the ceiling. A warm and pleasant breath approached, like a spring breeze plucking the heartstrings, making the girl instinctively close her eyes.
Her eyelash tips, fine and long like little brushes, trembled slightly. The big hand at her waist was scorching hot, as if it would burn through the thin uniform skirt. Anon, nearly melting, had her mind go completely blank, even losing the ability to think. She could only follow his movements clumsily, responding awkwardly to an unfamiliar world.
One minute was short, but sometimes it could feel as long as forever.
When everything ended, the soft body in his arms had already melted into a puddle of spring water. Her gray eyes were misty like fog. Kaito had to reach out to support her just to keep the girl from collapsing to the floor from weak knees.
Anon clearly didn't have much experience in this area and had to rely on him for the entire process. She even accidentally bit his lip in the middle, thankfully not hard enough to break skin, clumsy like a little duckling just out of the shell.
'Ugh'
Limbs weak and body numb, Anon couldn't help thinking in her heart, 'So this is what kissing feels like?'
'It is way too intense.'
Of course, it also felt really good. She had never experienced this kind of floating sensation, as if she were about to soar with the wind, even forgetting where she was. Her whole being immersed in an exquisite pleasure, when she came to her senses again, she couldn't even stand straight.
But
Thinking of a certain strange feeling, she suddenly felt puzzled.
'Is it just my imagination?'
'It kinda feels like Kaito's movements were very skilled?'
But that didn't necessarily mean anything. Maybe it was just a coincidence.
Anon didn't think too much about it. She'd seen similar science facts online before. Supposedly, boys are often self-taught in this area, able to perform well without being taught.
By contrast, the girl was more concerned about another issue.
'Just a kiss alone feels this amazing, if we go a step further what will that feel like?'
Thinking of a special scene she'd once seen in a youth training manual, the girl's pretty face flushed slightly, and her gray eyes shimmered, like a rose dew drop trembling in the morning mist.
In her heart, a long-lost stir of desire awakened.
She really did want more.
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Chapter 249: Night on the Galactic Railroad
"Today was really fun! Thanks for treating me!"
"President, you're too polite~ Let's go out to eat together again next time! I know a great buffet place!"
"Mm-hmm, Mashiro, Touka, and Rui, see you next time~"
"Bye-bye, President~ and also Boyfriend-kun, see you next time~"
The moon had risen to the treetops, and the karaoke sign lit up in a rainbow of colors, complementing the red lanterns of the nearby izakaya. Soft light and shadows reflected off the asphalt road.
"Phew...", As she watched the backs of the trio gradually walk away, the girl with long pink hair stretched out her arms as if freed, giving a big lazy yawn, as though she had finally let out a breath of relief, "It's finally over..."
She turned and looked at the boy beside her, clasped her hands together, and didn't hide her gratitude in the slightest, "Today's situation really was all thanks to you, Kaito. If you hadn't helped me, I definitely would've socially died in front of Rui and the others..."
"That's an exaggeration," Kaito shook his head, "They all admire you a lot. Even if they found out the truth, they'd probably understand."
In the end, it's perfectly normal to not adjust well to life abroad and choose to return home. It's hardly some terrible black history, it's just that Anon herself was getting hung up on it.
"Well, you're not wrong about that."
Anon didn't argue, her gaze wandering around as if searching for something, and soon landed on a nearby milk tea shop that was still open.
She "tap-tap-tapped" over in a run, and shortly after "tap-tap-tapped" back again, proudly handing him a paper bag as if presenting a treasure.
"Here, here! Super large family-size pearl milk tea, with added taro balls, coconut jelly, and a little bit of water chestnut! It's my favorite combo! It's for you!"
Kaito opened the package. The cup was so full of toppings that it was nearly overflowing, and it had quite a hefty weight to it.
If described with some exaggeration, this could be considered the "The Boba Supreme" of the milk tea world.
Of course, the calories contained were also explosively high.
"Why didn't you buy a cup for yourself?", he asked, noticing her hands were empty.
The girl touched her head shyly and said in a small voice, "I have gained weight."
After all, as a girl, there's an instinctive need to watch her figure, even someone as plain as anon isn't exempt.
Kaito didn't care about things like that. If he wanted to, he could keep his body shape unchanged forever. But seeing Anon clearly craving it yet still resisting and turning her head away with effort made him feel a rare mischievous urge.
Puncturing the sealing film with a straw, he handed the milk tea to her and raised an eyebrow, "Really not even one sip?"
"Since you're saying that, Kaito!"
He expected Anon to hesitate for a while and then resolutely refuse, but the girl instead bit onto the straw with an "ah-woo" and mumbled, "Lat juft dish once, gunghing nothin but comply..."
Kaito: "..."
He had the feeling she'd been waiting for him to say that.
However, Anon didn't forget that this milk tea was a thank-you gift for him.
She only took one sip to try the taste, then let go of the straw, licked the milky liquid at the corner of her lips, and earnestly said, "Thank you for the treat!"
"..."
Kaito shook his head helplessly, looking at the straw now wet with a faint glimmer of bite marks. He didn't know what to say.
'Oh well, guess I'll get used to it.'
In the end, he just sighed, "Let's go. I'll walk you home."
Chihaya Anon forgot where she had read a particular line.
There are some paths that feel very long when walked with others, but when walked with someone hidden in your heart, they feel so short you don't want to take another step.
Walking on the quiet, empty path, she truly felt that sentiment.
Under the bright white streetlights, the boy's shadow was stretched long, sweeping across her skirt like a strip of dark silk, mixed with the faint scent of greenery, it stirred something in her heart.
Anon secretly glanced at the boy beside her. His beautifully handsome profile was bathed in the soft white light, like a carefully sculpted Greek statue, flawless.
At first, her gaze was subtle, watching only from the corner of her eye. But later, she became bolder and didn't even try to hide it anymore.
Noticing her open, direct stare, Kaito finally stopped and turned to look at her, "Why are you staring at me?"
"Because you're good-looking," the girl answered without thinking.
But she quickly realized what she had said, winked her left eye in a playful wink, "Eh-heh~ just joking, don't mind it~"
