Chapter 5

“I should probably get going soon…”  

“You’re right. We still have school tomorrow, so we can’t stay out too late.”  

Despite their initial agreement of “just an hour,” they had lost track of time. The sunset that had once peeked through the curtains had long since disappeared, and now, the bright glow of the streetlights outside was clearly visible even through the fabric.  

“Hehe, look at you, acting all reluctant to leave. And to think, you weren’t even that into it at first.”  

“If this keeps up, it’s just going to look like some kind of roleplay where I pretend to resist…”  

“Exactly. And in that case, you’d just be a full-fledged pervert. Though, honestly, I think you already are.”  

“Can’t even argue with that…”  

“And that’s fine, isn’t it? Besides, judging by that expression, I can tell I’ve managed to dye you even deeper.”  

Satoru had no way to argue against Reika’s words. After all, as she pointed out, he was already struggling with the idea of leaving.  

“You don’t have to look so down. I’ll invite you over again.”  

“After a ‘suitable’ amount of time has passed, right?”  

“Of course. Just enough time for you to regain your composure—so that you can pretend to resist at least a little, like today.”  

Reika smirked and gave a playful wink.  

She would never do something like that in their everyday school life. If anyone else saw her like this, they’d be beyond shocked.  

“So, that means it’ll be a while again, huh?”  

“Oh? If that bothers you, you could always start asking for it yourself. If you do, I’d be happy to accept—anytime, anywhere.”  

“Anytime is one thing, but anywhere is definitely a problem.”  

“Hehe, I only call you over when I think you need a fresh dye of my colors. If we did this too often, you’d probably develop some tolerance.”  

“tolerance….?”  

“See? Right now, because I made you wait, we ended up spending way longer together. And even now, you still don’t feel satisfied, do you?”  

“Ugh… that’s… true…”  

“Little by little, you’ll start craving me more. And once you start coming to me of your own accord, I won’t have to worry about things like ‘tolerance’ anymore.”  

So, she wouldn’t invite him too frequently—but if he sought her out himself, she would accept.  

It was all part of her plan, and before he knew it, both his body and mind were already under her control.  

“When you want to be spoiled, when you just want to let go—come to me anytime. By the way you’re acting, I don’t think it’ll be long before you take that step.”  

“…I’ll hold out a little longer.”  

“Oh? Could it be that you can’t get excited unless I’m the one inviting you?”  

“N-no, that’s not it…!”  

“Sure, sure~” 

As they bantered, they shared one last, tight embrace before parting.  

『Hey, so… Ruri just asked me for your contact info.』  

“Yeah, she stopped me on my way out and asked if she could get it through you.”  

『Wait, you and Ruri were that close?』  

“Nah, not at all. I can’t even remember having a real conversation with her.”  

Having just returned from Reika’s house, Satoru received a call from Seiya, who had likely just finished club activities.  

As expected, the topic was Ruri’s sudden request for his contact information.

『So, what do you want me to do? Should I just give her your number?』  

“Ah… about that. What do you think? It caught me off guard, so I kinda said okay on the spot, but…”  

『What do I think?』  

“Well, you know… Amamiya’s pretty popular with the guys. Even in the basketball club, I’m sure there are a lot of guys interested in her, right?”  

『Yeah, that’s true. She’s got that wild, cat-like energy. Doesn’t really settle down with one person.』  

“And honestly, she’s the type of person I struggle with the most. No offense, but even if I gave her my contact info, I’d probably just brush her off. If there’s a risk of her causing unnecessary trouble, you could block her on your end first, and I wouldn’t mind.”  

『Hmm… Well, she doesn’t seem like the type to make a big deal out of things. Besides, even if she’s not your type, she’s still a total knockout. Wouldn’t this be a good chance to at least get to know her?』  

“Uh… well, I mean, I guess…”  

『Look, I know you’re into Hatsune-san, but that’s a rough path. No harm in exploring other options.』  

Seiya seemed to think that increasing Satoru’s social circle—especially with the opposite sex—was a good thing. And since he was saying it out of genuine concern, Satoru couldn’t exactly refuse him.  

『Besides, if I straight-up ignore this, she’ll probably just come at me with complaints later.』  

“R-right… I don’t want you getting dragged into unnecessary trouble. Just go ahead and pass it along, then.”  

『Got it. This mission’s gonna cost you, though.』  

“…I’ll make you a secret study guide for the next exams—the ultimate cheat sheet for avoiding failing grades.”  

『For real!? Hell yeah, deal!』  

With that, their conversation ended, and Satoru let out a deep sigh.  

“Living while keeping things hidden is tough…”  

It wasn’t just about keeping secrets. He had to live as if those secrets didn’t even exist in the first place.  

Since he was pretending to be single while keeping his relationship with Reika under wraps, situations like this were bound to happen.  

“In that sense, Reika was right. It’d be easier if I just came clean…”  

But that would come with its own set of headaches—people gossiping, questions he didn’t want to answer, unnecessary drama.  

Either way, it was a hassle.  

And yet, he had no intention of ending things with her.  

If anything, he was bending over backward just to keep this relationship intact.  

“I’ve been dyed by her, huh.”  

The moment he realized it, an oddly warm feeling settled in his chest—something akin to longing, it’s not a bad feeling, he thought.