Ch. 23 - The Fallen Chopsticks

“Oh? Looks like Izumi’s chopsticks fell under her skirt~.”

At Minako’s words, Harutaki almost choked.

What the hell kind of new quantum mechanics thought experiment was this?

Nogami’s chopsticks? Zeno’s paradox?

When unobserved, were the chopsticks both chopsticks and not chopsticks? Both under her skirt and behind her legs? What next – chopsticks that defy gravity and phase through walls?

Whatever. This was just another one of their ridiculous games.

He wasn’t the type to take advantage of girls, but if they wanted to mess with him, they’d better be prepared for him to fight back.

Dog chasing bones, pigs hunting truffles, rice-mice popping kernels… call it what you like—this was a counterattack in self-defense!

He was just about to stand and tear off the blindfold when a sudden force shoved him hard from behind, pitching him forward.

His nose landed on something soft, warm, and slippery. A tremor ran through the body in front of him.

“W-wait… ngh!”

Nogami let out a stifled gasp, humiliation coloring her voice.

This was all Minako’s idea… Minako said it would work—

Biting her lip hard, Nogami repeated that in her head, holding herself back from simply decking the “doggy” beneath her.

If this was what it took to make him crawl like her pet, if this was what it took to bring that irritatingly handsome face down to heel, then… maybe a little indignity was worth it.

Besides—

This game that Minako taught her carried a thrill, a dangerous freshness, no less satisfying than bullying worthless trash.

In fact, compared to watching him lick her foot in shame, this might be an even more exciting toy to play with.

Just endure.

Endure a little longer.

Harutaki’s nose slid along the bend of her knee, Minako’s hands pushing his back to drive him in deeper, until—

“Hss… careful!”

He hadn’t realized until now just how much strength even a girl who didn’t exercise could exert with her thighs. It hurt—sharp enough to make him suck in cold air.

Sure, being caught like this was… not entirely unpleasant. But if she squeezed too hard, this little game might turn into an obituary.

No way he was being anyone’s dog. But even he had to admit—this was a strangely blissful kind of suffocation.

“L-let go…”

So this was what “happily suffocating” felt like.

Dizzy-eyed, Harutaki drifted, thoughts scattering. The more he struggled, the tighter Nogami clamped down. At this rate, he might actually pass out under her skirt.

He tried prying her legs apart, but her skin was too smooth to grip, and his breath too short to apply real force. Not to mention, his body strength was simply lacking.

He’d only been back to morning runs for about a week. Endurance, sure. Explosiveness? Not yet.

If brute strength wouldn’t free him, he’d have to outsmart her.

He wasn’t about to do anything indecent. Not here. So far, this could still be chalked up as the girls forcing him into a game. But if he crossed the line, there’d be no undoing it.

So—

He’d use what he had. Lower body strength usually outmatched the upper body’s.

Like a boar rooting cabbage, he kicked both legs outward, tipping the chair and dragging Nogami with him in a backward fall.

“Izumi!”

“Watch out!”

Sae and Minako both cried out, scrambling forward. But the few steps of distance between them might as well have been miles.

At the same moment Nogami’s balance broke and her thighs loosened, Harutaki shot out a hand—

Not to grope.

But to catch.

His palm smacked against the back of her head, cushioning the fall. His stomach slammed into the chair edge, a flare of pain shooting through him, but at least—she was safe.

If he got hurt, even badly, Nogami could walk away without guilt. But if she hit her head… he might not live to see tomorrow.

The back of the skull was fragile. A fall like that, unprotected, could cause serious damage. He’d already decided when he tipped the chair—protecting her came first.

“Are you okay, Izumi!?”

Sae and Minako finally reached them, only to stop short. Nogami lay motionless, not resisting, while Harutaki hovered over her, pinning her down.

And at that moment—

The blindfold slipped loose from his face.

Their eyes met.

Rose-red and violet locked together.

Her wide eyes glistened like gemstones, water pooling at the corners. The sharp, catlike tilt that usually radiated hostility had melted into something vulnerable.

A flush spread across her cheeks, down her straight nose, softening her into something bright, delicate, like a polished apple set out just to shine.

His arm cradled her head, his body pressed between her legs. Their pose was too much like lovers caught in a stolen kiss.

Looking at her now, Harutaki’s heart betrayed him—

A rose stripped of thorns.

A wildcat with claws trimmed away.

How could anyone not be moved?

And Nogami, staring back, felt the same.

Her heart pounded like a drum. Her throat burned, breath catching as though blocked.

She almost wanted him to—kiss her.

The thought jolted her, and she crushed it immediately. Her dazed eyes snapped sharp again.

“Perverted mutt… you’ll pay for this!”

Before he could speak, she shoved him off, spitting venom, and bolted for the door.

“Izumi! Wait!”

Sae sprinted after her.

Minako, the mastermind, lingered, studying Harutaki with amused curiosity.

“I thought for sure you’d steal her lips right there. Give her a big surprise.”

“More like give myself a big death sentence,” Harutaki muttered, clutching his aching chest, rubbing the red welt blooming on his stomach.

He glanced at her.

“You’re not going after her?”

“Sae’s with her. She’s better at comfort than me. Besides, Izumi doesn’t need comfort right now—she needs space.”

“…So then why did you teach Nogami that… ‘game’? What’s the point?”

He couldn’t believe Minako would go so far just for fun. Not with her own friend. Not with Nogami.

“There’s a truth and a lie. Which one do you want first?”

“…The lie?”

“Calling me ‘blonde, big-breasted’ and then getting played like a dog, don’t you think that’s hilarious?”

“…And the truth?”

She smiled slyly.

“Just wanted to test what Nogami really feels about you.”

…Her feelings? What feelings?

From Nogami’s treatment of him, Harutaki hadn’t seen anything but hostility. Affection seemed impossible.

Confident, but not arrogant, he believed he was good enough. But Nogami Izumi? No way she’d turn hate into love.

Yet Minako, noting the skepticism in his eyes, paused at the doorway. Twirling a strand of hair, she glanced back with a teasing wave.

“I’m looking forward to the day the watchdog bites its master. Steal Izumi’s first kiss for me, won’t you? Bye-bye, Hoshikawa-kun. I’d better hurry—Sae’s too straightforward. In the end, it’ll be me who has to calm her down.”

With a click, the sliding door shut.

Leaving Harutaki alone in the empty classroom.

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