"She was beautiful, don't you think?"
"Yeah..." — "Too good for you," murmured the brown-haired boy.
Receiving such brief responses, Sudou didn't know what else to say. He was grateful to have fulfilled the request, albeit reluctantly, but he felt that Ayanokouji had been especially distant lately...
The brown-haired boy changed clothes as quickly as possible and left the locker room. Upon exiting, he didn't find either of the two girls who had been with them today, so he sat down on one of the many chairs around the pool.
"It's so hot... this reminds me of that time," he recalled the first time they went to the pool, just him and Suzune in their first year, as he closed his eyes. However, shortly after, a shadow began blocking the light, and he heard a familiar voice calling him.
"Come with me," an authoritative voice came from the woman he was thinking of.
"Huh? What's going on, Suzune?"
An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air for a few seconds... until Ryuen couldn't hold back and laughed, that calm and sarcastic laugh that had already become typical of him.
"Well, look at that... seems like the future Horikita doesn't waste any time!" he said with a crooked smile, tilting his head slightly back. "You're planning on doing 'things' in the pool, huh?"
The laugh followed, low, provocative, and full of malice.
Horikita's eyes widened, completely caught off guard by the insinuation. She blushed immediately — a soft, but evident flush spreading from her neck to her cheeks.
"W-W-We wouldn't do that," she retorted, her tone a little louder than usual, perhaps even a bit desperate.
But no one believed her.
Kei raised an eyebrow. She was leaning back with her arms crossed, observing the screen with a slightly ironic smile.
"We 'wouldn't do that'...? Hm, sounded more like a 'we wouldn't do that... I think,' Suzune," she said, feigning innocence, but her tone was sharp as a knife.
Horikita bit her lip lightly, realizing that her own reaction was only making the situation worse.
Ichinose turned her gaze away from the screen, blushing slightly.
"A-Are they really not... I mean... there... in that place?" she asked, trying to laugh nervously, even though the question was more for herself than anyone else.
Nanase also blushed, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to contain her shock.
"A... relationship so direct... to the point of... doing something... in the pool...?" she whispered, but her genuinely surprised look contrasted with her attempt to maintain composure.
Sakayanagi, despite her usual self-control, couldn't hide a faint blush on her cheeks. She chuckled quietly, mostly to herself, her eyes still on the screen.
"I don't know what's more fascinating... whether it's Suzune's direct command or the way he simply obeys. She tilted her head with a mischievous smile. "Is this emotional or physical control? I'm curious."
Ichika exploded with excitement. She practically jumped in place, clapping her hands and laughing with gleaming eyes.
"AHHH! This is what I wanted to see!! Finally, something spicier! Look at how she calls him, ordering him around... and he's going! AND IN THE POOL! There's gonna be some naughty business! There's gonna be!!"
She looked at Suzune and shouted eagerly:
"Suzune, you're the best!! Show them who's in charge!!"
Horikita covered her face with one hand. The heat in her face was unbearable now. She didn't know if it was from embarrassment, excitement, or pure confusion.
"This is a misunderstanding! I... I'm not like that!"
Chabashira-sensei, who had been silent until then, let out a nervous cough.
She adjusted her glasses stiffly, avoiding looking directly at the screen.
"I-I hope the transmission stops here... This shouldn't be shown, right? Ryota...?"
Her voice sounded more concerned than authoritative.
Chie Hoshinomiya, on the other hand, laughed softly — and with malice. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs elegantly and winking at her colleague.
"Don't be so puritanical, Sae-chan. The students are just... exploring their youth. And frankly, watching Horikita dominate the situation like this... it's delicious to watch."
She sighed, a mischievous smile on her face.
"I think I'll start rooting for this couple now."
Kushida, despite trying to keep a neutral expression, couldn't hide the discomfort in her gaze.
"Hmph... what kind of girl drags a guy out and orders him to follow her like that...?" she murmured, biting the inside of her cheek.
Sato whispered something to Kei, chuckling lightly.
"Hey, if this really turns into a hot scene... do you think Ryota will censor it? Or will he let us see everything?"
Kei didn't answer immediately. She was staring at the screen intently. Her expression was oddly calm... but her eyes betrayed a bitter mixture of emotions.
She remembered when she was the only girl Ayanokouji listened to. The only one he allowed to move him, even if just slightly.
But now?
"Come with me."
He followed. Without questioning.
He stood up and obeyed.
— "He... didn't do this with me," she whispered so softly that only Sato heard.
Sato squeezed her hand, but didn't reply. There was little to be said.
Ayanokouji, in the room, sighed.
His eyes were half-lidded, watching his future self with attention.
— "Interesting," he commented, emotionless. "I didn't expect to react like this."
Ryuen let out another laugh.
— "You never expect anything... but this 'you' clearly already accepted being Suzune's dog. Even wagging his tail in the pool."
Horikita couldn't take it anymore.
— "I DON'T HAVE A DOG!" she screamed, desperately trying to restore her dignity.
But it was no use. Everyone was laughing. Or blushing. Or both.
Ichika threw herself backward onto the bed, laughing loudly.
— "OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS REALITY!"
Sakayanagi covered her lips with her hand, trying to hold back another wave of laughter.
Chie looked at Chabashira and murmured:
— "If this gets censored, I'll be disappointed. I want to see just how far Suzune can go."
Chabashira was pale.
— "I... need to talk to Ryota about the limits of this broadcast."
Ryuen ended with a final provocation:
— "So, Suzune? Are you going to say you don't like when he obeys you like that?"
Horikita closed her eyes, turning her face away, her face still burning.
But deep down...
...she liked it. A lot.
Before his vision could be completely filled by her figure, Suzune grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away from where the brown-haired boy was resting.
"What's going on all of a sudden?" he asked, watching a visibly shaken Suzune.
"You..."
"Huh?"
"We're stepping into territory we won't be able to return from..."
"What do you mean?"
"I think... I'm going to accept going out with Sudou-kun..." she said, looking at him intently.
In response to that statement, the brown-haired boy gave her a piercing look before quickly grabbing her by the wrist and pinning her against the wall, similar to what her brother had done in their early school days. The difference was that the brown-haired boy had positioned his knee between the black-haired girl's legs, causing her to let out a faint moan from the act.
The shock was immediate.
Widespread. Absolute.
A cold silence fell for a few seconds.
Everyone had frozen at Horikita's words:
"I think I'm going to accept going out with Sudou-kun..."
But no one was prepared for future Ayanokouji's reaction.
No one.
Not even present-day Ayanokouji himself, who now kept his eyes locked on the screen with an unreadable expression, as if analyzing a chess move made by a version of himself he didn't fully recognize.
And then...
RYUEN BURST OUT LAUGHING.
"AHAHAHAHAH!" he threw his head back, hitting the back of the chair. "THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, DAMN IT!! THE GUY LOST IT!! THIS IS THE REAL 'HIGH-PERFORMANCE MAN'!!"
Ichika couldn't hold back either:
"HOLY SHIIIT!!!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and clapping like she'd just seen a goal in the finals. "HE WENT INSANE FROM JEALOUSY!!! OH MY GOD, HE WENT FOR THE KNEE!!! THE KNEE, PEOPLE!!"
She laughed exaggeratedly, nearly falling to the floor.
Kei froze.
Literally.
She was standing — or at least she had been, until her leg gave out and she had to grab the nearest chair for support.
Her eyes were wide. Her face? Pale.
Her heart? Beating so loud she could hear it in her ears.
"...He's never done that to me," she murmured, in disbelief, almost whispering. "Never... touched me like that..."
Sato slowly turned toward her, just as stunned.
"Kei...? Are you okay?"
Kei didn't answer.
Nanase stood still.
Her face completely red, hands covering her mouth.
"Th-th-they... but... this is... would this be considered... harassment... or... was this an act of... desire?"
Sakayanagi widened one of her eyes.
It was one of the rare moments her composure wavered.
"He lost control..." she whispered, fascinated. "He acted without thinking. Wildly. On instinct."
She gave a small, dangerously enchanted smile.
"I... liked it."
Ichinose shook her head, completely stunned.
"No... this... this isn't the Ayanokouji I know... He's always been cold, distant... he doesn't... he doesn't react like this..."
She looked completely dazed. Like she had just seen a wild animal emerge from an open cage.
Chabashira nearly knocked over her chair as she stood up.
"This is... this is completely inappropriate! It goes against all school rules! Against the code of conduct!" — her voice rose several tones, eyes wide, breathing heavy.
Chie smiled.
A mischievous, pleased smile.
"Oh my, Sae-chan... youth has its impulsive moments. And I must confess..."
She leaned forward, lightly licking her lips.
"That scene was hot. Very hot."
Kushida was pale.
Hatred boiled beneath her skin.
She was in disbelief. Furious — and didn't even know why.
"She... she moaned... with his knee there... she let him!" she muttered through gritted teeth.
Horikita, present in the room, was having a full-blown meltdown.
Her face was completely red, her gaze lost, her body frozen.
"N-No... I... I wouldn't do that..."
She began to back away, nearly stumbling.
Ryuen burst out laughing again.
"Wouldn't do it? WOULDN'T?! You MOANED, woman!"
He imitated her in a high-pitched voice:
"Ahhn~"
And laughed even harder.
Ichika joined in, clutching her stomach.
"And she even said she'd go out with Sudou just to provoke him, and LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! THE GUY TURNED JEALOUSY INTO A MENTAL ERECTION! HAAAAAA!!!"
Present-day Ayanokouji closed his eyes for a second.
Then he murmured:
"That version of me... momentarily lost control."
Everyone turned to him.
"Huh?" — Ichinose.
"Come again?" — Sakayanagi.
"Kiyotaka...?" — Suzune, trembling.
He opened his eyes, calm — but his voice came slightly lower.
"That version of me... he lost control. For the first time, emotionally. Because of her."
Silence returned.
But now, it was heavier.
Sakayanagi was the first to speak.
"This is... dangerous. Fascinating, but dangerous. An Ayanokouji who feels? Who reacts with violent desire? That... changes everything."
Kei lowered her gaze.
She couldn't deny it anymore. The truth was clear.
That intensity. That possessiveness.
That... want.
It wasn't for her.
It was for her.
For Suzune.
Chie let out a soft sigh.
"Well... now I'm rooting for this couple too..."
Chabashira muttered:
"This is going to be censored... right? Ryota...?!"
But Ryota just kept smiling...
And the screen still showed Suzune's wide eyes, locked in the intense gaze of the boy pinning her against the wall.
"That's what I meant..." said the black-haired girl, averting her gaze with a completely red face.
"Are you being serious...?" asked the brown-haired boy, clear irritation in his voice.
"And what if I am?" the black-haired girl replied, giving him a challenging look—but with a small smile.
"You know I won't allow that."
The atmosphere was suffocating. Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.
Every word from that dominant version of Ayanokouji carried a weight—sexual, emotional, and psychological—that hit especially hard for the girls in the room.
Present-day Suzune, seated, was in total collapse.
"N-No... I..." she pressed her knees together, face hidden behind her hands, completely flushed, almost moaning from embarrassment. "He... he's so... so commanding... I... I can't...!"
But she couldn't finish the sentence.
Kei was speechless.
Her mouth slightly open, her face completely red. She didn't know where to hide her face.
"...This is... this is bullshit," she muttered, almost angrily—but it was a mix of anger and frustration. "He never talked to me like that... like that... Actually, maybe once... but that doesn't count."
She clenched her fists.
Sakayanagi averted her gaze with a slight blush.
"A man who leads... with presence, with firmness... that's rare to see."
She sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"Suzune... you're lucky."
Ichinose tried to stay calm, but the sweat on her forehead, the blush on her cheeks, and her bitten lips revealed everything.
"He... he was so direct... he didn't even hesitate..."
She clutched her hands tightly in her lap, trying to ignore the rising excitement creeping into her thoughts.
Nanase was trembling slightly.
She covered her face with both hands, but her eyes peeked through her fingers.
"He's... really that commanding...? Is this... what some girls actually like...?" she murmured, half-confused, half-fascinated.
Ichika couldn't resist.
She stood up again, now fanning her face with her hands.
"I'M FREAKING OUT OVER HERE!!! THE WAY HE SAID 'I WON'T ALLOW IT'... HOLYYYYY SHIIIIIIIT! I WANT A WHOLE FIC OF HIM DOMINATING EVERYONE!!"
She threw herself back into the chair and screamed:
"HORIKITA, YOU LUCKY BITCHHHHHH!!!"
Chie laughed elegantly, but there was mischief in her eyes.
"That version of him... is delicious. The kind of man who doesn't ask permission—he takes."
She lightly bit the tip of her index finger.
"Suzune, you melted, didn't you?"
Suzune turned her face away but didn't deny it.
Her heart was on fire. She was trying to keep her breathing under control.
But inside her...
That phrase echoed over and over again.
"You know I won't allow that."
That firm voice, the piercing gaze, the way he pinned her down...
It was everything she never knew she wanted.
Sato and Matsushita were speechless.
Sato whispered:
"I'm... wet."
Matsushita looked at her, shocked:
"S-Sato?!"
"Sorry! But... OH MY GOD!"
Chabashira was somewhere between panic and a breakdown.
"This is not appropriate... this... this crosses all school boundaries! This is... seduction!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.
"Ryota!! This isn't going to continue... right?!"
Ryota simply crossed his arms with a wide grin.
"This is just the appetizer. The main course comes later."
Sudou's eyes widened.
"H-He's threatening to wipe my shitty future self off the map... right in front of the girl... using pure presence...!!"
He went silent, then whispered:
"Respect."
Onodera let out a soft laugh upon hearing him say that.
Present Ayanokouji watched the screen intently.
His eyes were fixed, serious.
"This version of me... is starting to abandon neutrality. He's being consumed by desire, by emotion."
He briefly closed his eyes.
"And Suzune... isn't resisting."
Present-day Suzune let out a faint, muffled moan.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"D-Don't look at me! I'm just... just hot, that's all!" she shouted, suddenly standing and rushing to the corner of the room, completely red, thighs pressed together.
Ichika pointed:
"OOOH! LOOK AT THAT! TODAY'S HORIKITA FEELING IT FOR REAL! AHHH THIS IS SO GOOD!"
Ryuen laughed.
"Tsk... who would've thought. The cold Horikita... totally melting for a man who takes charge."
Kushida, who had been silent until now, finally snapped—mentally.
"This is ridiculous! He was never like that with me! Never had that look! That tone! That heat!"
She clenched her teeth.
"I... I'll make him look at me like that one day. Even if I have to..."
She stopped, her eyes darkening.
Chie noticed, and laughed.
"Looks like someone else is losing control too..."
The tension hit its peak.
The image froze right at the moment he leaned in even closer to Suzune, as if about to kiss her—or completely dominate her.
And everyone in the room... was stuck there, unable to look away.
"What won't you allow? But who do you think you are- mmphh...!" she was interrupted by the brown-haired boy with a kiss, from which the girl wanted to get away and slap him, however, her emotions betrayed her, and she ended up responding to the kiss. However, her actions did not stop there, as the boy began to apply pressure to her intimate area with his knee, and his right hand traveled to her butt, squeezing it gently, all while his left hand focused on one of the black-haired girl's breasts, who, not wanting to be left behind, began to explore the brown-haired boy's well-defined body, feeling every muscle in his arms, abdomen and back, leaving small scratches on him, which did not go unnoticed by the boy, who after separating his lips from hers, looked directly into her eyes and spoke.
Hell had been unleashed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" — screamed present-day Horikita, throwing herself backward onto the couch and burying her face in a pillow like her soul had left her body.
"I DON'T EXIST ANYMORE!!! I'M GOING TO DIE RIGHT HERE!!!"
She was shaking. Literally.
"He grabbed my... HE GRABBED IT! AND I WAS EXPLORING HIM?! OH MY GOD, THAT ABS! I CAN FEEL IT ON MY SKIN, EVEN IF IT'S NOT ME!"
Kei, stunned, could only watch.
"This... isn't the Suzune I know..."
She swallowed hard.
"She gave in completely. She... liked it."
Then she looked at her ex-boyfriend, sitting beside the girl having a breakdown.
Kiyotaka Ayanokouji.
His face was neutral. Impeccably neutral. As if nothing had shaken him.
But...
His legs were crossed.
Kei noticed it instantly.
She was shocked.
"Even you're... feeling something, huh?"
He didn't answer. Just averted his gaze for a moment.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Sudou was blushing—far more than usual. But he remained seated, upright, respectful. He didn't look away from the screen, but he wasn't smiling either.
Onodera, beside him, was red to her very soul.
She placed her hand in front of his eyes.
"You don't need to see this...!" she said, nervous but sweet.
"I won't look if you don't want me to." — Sudou replied with a slight bow.
"I trust you, Onodera."
Onodera froze.
"W-With words like that... I'm the one who'll end up kissing you, Sudou-kun..."
Ryuen and Ichika were in absolute ecstasy.
"OH MY GOD!!! HE RAN HIS HAND ALL OVER HER!" — Ichika screamed, clapping wildly, eyes sparkling. — "HE DIDN'T EVEN GIVE HER TIME TO RESPOND!"
Ryuen laughed loudly.
"I TOLD YOU, ICHIKA! HE'S A MONSTER! THIS IS A DOMINANT MONSTER IN MAX MODE!"
"LOOK AT SUZUNE SCRATCHING HIM! AAHHH, I WANT A KIO-CHAN ALL FOR MYSELF!"
Chabashira, sitting in the back, had her face completely red. She couldn't even comment.
She was frozen.
"I... am I in a nightmare... or a live porno?"
She coughed.
"I'm a teacher! I'm a teacher!"
Chie was blushing too... but laughing.
"Wow, he went straight for it, huh... No 'may I', no 'sorry'... just grabbed, squeezed, kissed, and dominated."
She crossed her legs and smirked mischievously.
"Kiyotaka, you surprise me more every day."
Sato and Chiaki were utterly done.
"I-I..." Sato whispered. "I felt everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Like it happened to me."
She discreetly placed her hand between her legs, trying to keep her composure.
"My panties..." Chiaki whispered. "They're... soaked."
Sato's eyes widened.
"YOU TOO?!"
"YOU TOO?!" — they both responded in unison.
The two looked at each other and laughed, embarrassed, but sharing a moment of deep understanding.
"This is unacceptable..." — said Chiaki, biting her lip. — "But so... irresistible..."
Kushida, in the back, had her face turned away, but her furtive gaze gave her away.
She was pressing her fingers against her thigh, tense.
"He... was never like that with me... never..."
Her breathing was unsteady.
"If he grabbed me like that... I'd never recover..."
Sakayanagi, calm as always, just smiled.
"A man who knows what he wants... and takes it."
She closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly.
"Suzune... now I understand why you never fell for anyone. You needed someone stronger than you. Someone who could break through your walls."
Nanase, completely overwhelmed, covered her face with both hands.
"That was a sin... but it was... beautiful..."
Ichinose bit her finger.
"I... didn't know he..."
She paused, shutting her eyes tightly.
"This affected me more than it should have."
The screen froze at the exact moment he said his next line...
And the subtitles began to appear in slow motion.
Ryota smiled.
"How about... we hear what he has to say after all this?"
Everyone was silent.
Breathing heavy. Minds spinning.
Present-day Suzune's body trembled, hidden behind the pillow.
Present-day Ayanokouji's eyes were half-lidded, as if in a trance.
And then, the subtitle appeared:
"You're mine, Suzune..."
"Don't you dare say that when you spend all your time with that gyaru..." said the girl with black hair. Was it jealousy he detected?
"Does that bother you? Let me remind you, you were the one who didn't want anything with me."
"Doesn't it bother you to do this with your girlfriend?"
"It bothers me a little..." he said, staring intently at the girl with black hair, "But what bothers me more is the idea of handing you over to another man," said the boy with brown hair as he captured the lips of the girl with black hair once again, leaving her completely captivated by his words... wanting to savor every part of him and drown in his taste...
After they ran out of breath, the boy started kissing the girl's chin, moving down with each kiss, leaving a trail of fire in his wake.
The image exploded on the screen with the kiss and the sharp words of Ayanokouji from the future. A momentary silence spread throughout the room, interrupted only by the muffled sound of a pillow colliding with a face.
"AAAAHHH!!" — Horikita screamed, her face completely buried in the pillow, trying to hide the scarlet red that overtook her cheeks. She knew it was useless to hide, but the embarrassment was unbearable. Even so... the smile that formed involuntarily was proof that those possessive words had affected her. A lot.
Ryuen burst into laughter. "Hah! Now that's what I'm talking about! That's how you take control of the situation! You're mine, Suzune! Damn, if that's not a confession, I don't know what is." He looked sideways at the real Ayanokouji. "So... not gonna say anything? Gonna keep that stone-cold face of yours?"
Ayanokouji didn't respond immediately. He wore his usual neutral face... but anyone who looked closely would notice the detail: he had crossed his legs. Very discreetly, yes, but still... a revealing gesture.
Ichika practically jumped in place. "OH MY GOD! THIS IS SO GOOD! IT'S ALL GOING UP IN FLAMES!" She threw her arms up, as if celebrating a goal. "Dude, this Ayanokouji from the future is my spirit animal! You're mine, AHH, someone hold me back!"
Ichinose, completely red, had her hands covering her face. Even without looking, her fingers parted just enough to show she wanted to see more. "This... this is almost indecent..." — she murmured, but her voice was weak, trembling, and deep down, there was admiration — and desire. "He... he's so different. More... intense..."
Sakayanagi watched with a serene smile, though her cheeks also bore the flush of excitement. "The most fascinating thing about all of this..." — she spoke calmly — "is how Horikita clearly enjoys his domination. She loses herself in him, even when she tries to resist. A dangerous dynamic, but... fascinating."
Sato and Chiaki were as red as Horikita. Chiaki gripped her friend's arm, both of them trying to maintain a composure that had already evaporated along with the collective sanity of the room.
"That was... way too intense," Chiaki whispered, her legs instinctively crossing.
Sato took a deep breath. "His voice, the way he speaks... it's so direct. He doesn't leave room for doubt. I... I totally understand what Horikita's feeling."
The two girls knew it wasn't just a kiss. It was a step forward... a step that affected the psyche, the body, the soul. A submission — almost mandatory — yet still desired.
Kushida looked away, but her face was also flushed. She kept a subtle smile, but her eyes were shining. "He's much more dangerous like this..." — she whispered. "A man like this... he breaks you completely and then rebuilds you his way."
Nanase remained firmer, but even she couldn't help swallowing hard. "This level of... intensity..." — she murmured — "isn't something you see every day. And future Horikita didn't resist. She gave in completely."
"Yeah," Chabashira agreed, her voice hesitant. "This is dangerous... but there's something very... hypnotizing about it." She ran her hands over her arms, as if cold, but in reality, it was just the chill spreading over her skin.
Chie laughed, clearly enjoying herself, even though her face was also slightly flushed. "This is becoming an adult-only case," she commented. "But I admit... this side of him is pretty interesting."
Chabashira, on the other hand, was sweating. Literally. "They're not... going to show more, are they? Right? Right? Ryota?" She looked around nervously, as if she could appeal to someone.
Ryuen, still laughing, waved his hand. "Ahhh, let them show more! This is better than a prime-time soap opera!"
Sudou, flushed, tried to stay quiet, but his expression didn't hide his discomfort. He barely had time to say anything because Onodera, also red, firmly placed her hand over his eyes again.
"You're not watching this! I'll only leave when this is over!" — she said firmly, though her face was like a tomato.
"Okay, okay..." — Sudou raised his hands in surrender, allowing himself to be guided by her orders. "I respect that."
In the corner of the room, Ichika was still shouting excitedly. "Ryota, IF THERE'S MORE, SHOW IT! WE NEED TO SEE THEM HAVING SE—"
"ICHIKA!" — Ichinose screamed, completely panicked.
But Ryuen was already laughing loudly. "She's right! Show that damn thing! The mood is hot, and Ayanokouji's turning into an erotic manga protagonist!"
Kei, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. She simply crossed her arms and let out a light sigh while discreetly looking at Ayanokouji in the reaction room next to Horikita. "Yeah... he's really moved on..." — she murmured to herself. There was no more sadness. It was acceptance. Seeing that future Ayanokouji so involved with another girl, so dominant, so emotional... confirmed what she already knew: that guy was no longer hers. And that was okay.
She looked at Horikita, who was still buried in the pillow, and smiled slightly. "Good luck, Suzune," she thought silently. "You'll need it."
Horikita, in turn, was still trying to compose herself. She wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye for at least a few good minutes. But hidden behind the pillow, there was a faint, almost dreamy smile.
"You're mine..."
Those words echoed within her like an addictive melody.
And she didn't want it to stop anytime soon.
With the little breath she had left and her eyes closed, the girl spoke, "I-I guess there's no way around it... make me yours..." she whispered, completely surrendering to the kisses and caresses of the brown-haired man. Both of them knew what was about to happen... and neither of them would refuse, as they both loved the sensation of being close to each other. The brown-haired man began kissing the girl's neck, intending to leave a hickey while his hands made her see stars in intervals with his skilled touch on her intimate area. However, before he could get satisfied, the brown-haired man was abruptly interrupted by a push from the girl... This surprised him, but he quickly understood why she had done it.
"Kiyotaka?" said a somewhat anguished voice.
This was going badly...
"NOOOO!!" — Ichika shouted, standing up from her chair with her arms raised to the sky as if summoning some mystical entity. — "SHE RUINED THE SCENE! IT WAS SO PERFECT! DAMN IT, KEI!"
Ryuen, right after, slammed his hand on the table and laughed loudly, but with genuine anger mixed with amusement. — "THIS GYARU! HAD TO RUIN EVERYTHING! I WAS ABOUT TO GET POPCORN! BUT..." — He paused, his eyes gleaming. — "...finally, the drama is coming. The drama of the future cuckold. Now this is going to be real entertainment!"
Ichika brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide with pure excitement. — "It's true! It's going to happen! She's going to find out she's being cheated on live! THIS IS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL! The emotion! The breakdown! I WANT TO SEE TEARS!"
Meanwhile, the Kei in the reaction room let out a heavy sigh, leaning her body slightly back, resting in her chair as if she had been expecting this. She ran her hand through her hair with a sarcastic smile.
— "I knew this part would come sooner or later..." — she murmured, staring at the screen. Her gaze was a mix of irritation, boredom, and slight curiosity. — "Let's see how I react to this... whether I'll cry, scream, or tell him to fuck off with class."
She didn't seem furious. Nor sad. Just... resigned. Like someone who had already moved on long ago.
— "I'm not jealous," she thought. "But if this version of me humiliates herself for him, I'll be embarrassed for her."
A few beds away from Kei, Horikita let out a low, irritated sound:
— "Tsk..."
It was almost inaudible, but clearly a sign of frustration for being interrupted just when she was surrendering — in a good way — to the pleasure of that moment with the future Kiyotaka.
Ayanokouji, still with his usual calm, slightly turned his face towards her and, in a very discreet gesture, lightly ran his fingers through her hair, giving her a silent caress.
Horikita didn't say anything, but her face turned a little redder. She bit her lower lip lightly and averted her gaze, trying to hide how much that simple gesture calmed her... and made her feel more vulnerable.
— "...Idiot," she whispered, too quietly for anyone but him to hear.
On the other side of the room, Ichinose, Chabashira, and Nanase sighed in unison, as if they could finally breathe after all the accumulated tension.
Ichinose placed a hand on her chest. — "Thank God that stopped before it turned into something I... wasn't prepared to see," she said, nervously smiling.
Nanase nodded. — "Yes. I wouldn't know where to hide my face if it had continued."
Chabashira, on the other hand, dropped the tablet she was using to take notes on anything didactic. — "This is completely off the rails. I'm here as a supervisor, but I feel like I've become the babysitter of an adult reality show."
Sakayanagi, who wasn't showing shame but rather a curious air, slightly tilted her head. — "Interesting. Very interesting. The interruption wasn't just physical... it was emotional. Kei, even though she doesn't want him anymore, still has something weighing on her heart. Enough to try to stop him from moving on... even if subconsciously."
Sato, watching everything with wide eyes, commented to Chiaki:
— "Man... this is more intense than anything we've ever seen. Do you think the future Kei is going to flip out?"
Chiaki swallowed dryly. — "If she doesn't flip out, at least she'll suffer. She still seemed very connected to him. That pain is going to hit hard."
Kushida, who had been silent, smiled. — "Love, jealousy, possession, emotional betrayal... this episode has it all. I'm loving it."
Ryota, in the center of the room, had a nearly devilish smile. He knew exactly what he was doing. And he knew the best part was yet to come.
— "I think everyone here already understands that... the drama has really begun now."
He slowly spun the Nintendo controller. — "And don't worry, that was just the beginning of the emotional pain. The bigger bomb hasn't even dropped yet."
Ichika practically jumped out of her chair. — "IS THERE MORE? RYOTA! FOR THE GODDESS OF LUST, SHOW IT ALREADY!"
Ryuen, still laughing, slapped her on the shoulder. — "Relax, damn it. Suffering is like wine... it has to be savored. Slowly."
Kei, with her arms crossed, looked back at the screen, this time more attentively. Her face was now more serious.
— "Let's see if I at least have dignity when I find out," she murmured. "Or if I'll turn into the idiot who forgives a man just because he's got game."
Ayanokouji shot her a curious look. But didn't say anything.
Horikita, noticing his gaze towards Kei, crossed her arms as well and threw a quick side glance at the gyaru.
She didn't feel jealous — not anymore. But there was tension in the air... and she knew exactly what it was.
Ayanokouji was a man who could make any woman fall in love... and deep down, everyone in the room knew that.
What mattered now was: which one of them would be strong enough to endure this game?
Sakayanagi spoke softly, but with firmness:
— "Love is a weapon. And he's learning to use it perfectly."
Chabashira, sitting in the corner, massaged her temples. — "Why did I agree to supervise this again?"
Chie, sitting next to her, laughed quietly. — "Because you're a masochist, Sae-Chan."
"Ah! There you are!" exclaimed the redhead, happy to have found his maiden.
"What were you doing?" asked the blonde with a dark expression... as she felt that her worst fears might be coming true. "Why are both of you so nervous?"
"Why is Horikita-san's face red?"
"Why is Kiyotaka breathing heavily? No... it can't be true, right?"
An instant silence took over the space. No one blinked.
Ichika, however, leaned slowly forward, her eyes shining as if she were watching the final episode of her favorite soap opera.
— "It's NOW..." she murmured, her lips curling into an excited smile. "The truth will hit her in the face mercilessly. The official cuckolding has arrived, Ryuen."
Ryuen let out a rough laugh, his eyes fixed on the screen. — "Finally. I want to see the blonde's face crumble. Will she cry? Will she scream? Will she hit both of them? I don't know what to expect, but I know it's going to be BEAUTIFUL."
Ichika laughed along with him. — "She's on fire with intuition. That 'no... it can't be true, right?' was pure repressed emotional desperation. Feel it? Feeling it, Kei? It's burning in the emotional cuckoldry."
While the two enjoyed themselves like children watching a tragic spectacle, the rest of the room was in shock. Literally frozen. It was as if the scene had hooked them with an invisible claw.
Sato covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide open.
— "She realized it... she realized it. This is going to be a mess. A BIG mess!"
Chiaki bit her lower lip, nervous. — "Man, the future Kei is so shaken up. You can see it. Her voice... trembling. Her eyes. She's trying to keep her composure, but she's breaking inside."
Ichinose, with a worried expression, shook her head slowly. — "This is going too far... if she confirms anything now, it'll be devastating. I wouldn't want to see anyone suffering like this."
Nanase crossed her arms, serious. — "If Horikita and Ayanokouji don't know how to explain or ease this, this scene might become irreversible."
Chabashira exhaled slowly, as if she, too, was getting tense. — "The girl clearly caught them in an intimate moment. Whatever happens, this situation will have consequences."
Kei in the reaction room, who had been watching silently until now, let out a sigh, but not of surprise. It was something more... melancholic.
— "I knew my future version was still attached to him," she murmured. "She still loved him... still hoped he hadn't really left."
She smiled wryly, but there was bitterness in her eyes.
— "Deluded."
Even so, she stayed firm. No tears. No scandal. But the curious gleam in her eyes showed she wanted to know... how her other version would react.
Horikita was also watching the scene intently, but with a mixture of embarrassment and tension. Her face was slightly redder – more from the previous content than from the scene itself – which contrasted with her serious gaze.
— "She's going to ask. She's going to confront," she murmured. "But what will I – the future version – answer? How will I react with someone catching us in that moment?"
Ayanokouji, sitting next to her, seemed more neutral, but his eyes were focused on the screen. The tension between his and Horikita's versions was palpable.
Without saying anything, he just gently passed his hand over Horikita's thigh, pressing lightly, like a silent anchor to keep her in the present. She turned, surprised by the gesture, but when she saw him staring at her with his usual calm, she relaxed, though timidly.
— "...Thank you," she whispered. "But this is... uncomfortable. Even for me. This version of me made some mistakes that are really uncomfortable to watch."
Ayanokouji just nodded.
Sakayanagi, observing closely, commented coldly:
— "The curious thing is that the truth hasn't been spoken yet. And still, the pain is already spreading. This shows how feelings don't need proof... just signs. Too small to deny."
Chabashira-sensei, who clearly no longer knew where to put her face, said:
— "Why am I still here? This turned into a teenage drama with a hint of Greek tragedy!"
Chie, on the other side, laughed. — "Because it's getting too good to leave now."
Sudo, finally breaking the silence that had dominated him since the beginning of the scene, grunted:
— "If it were me, I would've knocked them both out. No one plays with someone's heart like that..."
Ike murmured: — "Dude, she's going to freak out... I've never seen Kei with that look. She was crumbling just by seeing them sweating..."
In the reaction room, Ichika and Ryuen were still enjoying themselves like sadists watching a tragic play.
— "Will she cry? Will she run? WILL SHE SCREAM?" — Ichika said, almost jumping out of her seat.
— "Do you think she'll say 'I knew you were going to cheat on me with her'? Ah, this script deserves an Oscar, I swear!" — Ryuen commented with enthusiasm.
Ichika dramatically placed her hand on her chest. — "This moment... this pain... this anguish... it's everything I wanted to see. It's art, Ryuen. Art."
Kei in the reaction room, despite the overall tension, remained firm.
— "If she makes me look desperate, I will never forgive myself. Come on, show them you can get through this with dignity."
But her heart was beating faster. And she knew. She knew that the pain of her future version was real.
The pain of being left behind. Of being replaced. Of not being the chosen one.
And that feeling... no matter how much she tried to hide it, it still throbbed somewhere deep inside her.
The blonde knew that the relationship between the two was deeper than they let on; it had always been that way. But because of Horikita's nature, she never considered her a threat. So why was she overthinking this?
"It's impossible that Kiyotaka and Horikita are doing something inappropriate in a place like this, right?"
"They don't even have that kind of relationship to begin with," she told herself, trying to calm her anxieties.
"They were probably talking about something related to the exams, or she was just scolding him for something... right?" the redhead responded, laughing. "Being so close, they definitely don't get along that well..." he teased.
Everyone present... blinked at the same time. A single, long, synchronized blink of disbelief, as if everyone's brain was trying to process that self-delusion in Kei's future version, spoken out loud.
And then, almost in slow motion, everyone turned their eyes toward Sudou.
The boy, who had been distractedly staring at the screen until then, felt dozens of gazes fall on him like an emotional avalanche. His cheeks turned as red as ripe bell peppers.
"I... I didn't say anything, damn it," he murmured, his voice low, almost childlike.
Onodera, sitting next to him, could no longer hold back her laughter. She covered her mouth with her hand, but not before letting out a chuckle.
"My god... how can his future version be SO stupid?" she whispered, and then gently patted Sudou's head as if he were a puppy that had just done something wrong. "But it's cute, you know? That innocent stupidity, that passionate denial... it's almost romantic."
Sudou muttered with his head down, avoiding the stares.
"It's not me... it's him. Another me."
Ryuen, never missing a chance, threw more fuel onto the fire:
"It's the same DNA, champ. Your future self is wearing an emotional diaper. Impressive. I bet if Horikita had come out of the room fixing her hair, your version would still say it was a collective asthma attack."
The whole room burst out laughing.
But among the laughs, there were also heavy looks of frustration and indignation — all now directed not at Sudou... but at Kei.
Or rather, at Kei's future version, who spoke sentences as though drowning in denial.
Kei, in the reaction room, had red cheeks, not from secondhand embarrassment, but from a mixture of contained anger, indirect humiliation, and self-shame.
"How... HOW can she say this with a straight face?!" she said, her eyes wide, turning to Sato. "She saw them. She SAW them. They were sweating! She saw their state! What more needs to happen for her to understand the obvious?!"
Sato, in response, hugged her shoulders and gently pulled Kei's head against her, petting her tenderly.
"Calm down, girl. She's just... trying to survive. Sometimes, when we love someone, we refuse to accept what's right in front of our nose."
"She's fooling herself on purpose!" Kei retorted, clenching her fists. "She's playing the fool, the sucker! And I... I can't believe this is my future version!"
Ichika, leaning against Ryuen, was now powerless from laughing so much.
"She's like a wife who catches her husband naked with another woman and still says 'he was helping her look for a earring.'"
"It's worse than I imagined," Ryuen added. "I think my future self would be too embarrassed to even tease her. This is pathetic."
Horikita, next to Ayanokouji, stared at the screen with a subtle blush on her cheeks, but her eyes were intensely focused.
She took a deep breath.
"...I didn't imagine she considered me so harmless."
Ayanokouji let out a brief "hm," his face neutral, but he was also analyzing.
"She knew from the beginning that something was going on between us... but refused to face the possibility."
"It's a classic mistake. Underestimating someone who seems too distant or cold to feel anything. But... what amazes me is how she chooses to deceive herself."
Horikita sighed.
"If this were me, I would have shouted. I would have confronted them. I wouldn't stay quiet like this. And, honestly..." — she hesitated but finished, — "this passive attitude scares me."
Kei, hearing this, quickly turned to Horikita with eyes blazing.
"You think I'm weak?!"
Horikita looked at her calmly. "I think your future version is too hurt to react as she should. This isn't weakness... it's emotional exhaustion."
The sentence echoed. No one responded.
Ichinose, touching her lips with a thoughtful finger, murmured:
"She's breaking inside... and instead of facing it, she's trying to convince herself that nothing's happening."
Nanase, pragmatically, added:
"A psychological defense mechanism. Denial. It's common when reality is too harsh."
Sakayanagi, smiling ironically, said:
"But the result is tragic, isn't it? She's throwing herself into the abyss with her eyes closed. She's choosing suffering, slowly."
Sudou finally spoke, turning to Ike:
"Man... if I saw the girl I like with another guy, sweating, breathing heavily, and with that guilty look, I'd lose my mind."
Ike agreed. "Dude, it's not possible. It's not just denial... it's self-deception on advanced mode."
"Poor guy," thought Ayanokōji. Even so, he felt a strange sensation as he watched the guy in front of him hastily push the conversation forward, simply wanting to spend a brief moment with the woman he liked — the same woman who had spent the previous day in the arms of the brown-haired man, shouting his name more than once. He couldn't help but curl his lips slightly at this thought.
Horikita didn't respond and ran off, heading toward the pool near the lockers she had used before. Sudou followed her almost instinctively, while Kei stood still, head lowered, waiting for Ayanokōji's response.
In the observation room, silence reigned for a few seconds.
It was Sudou who broke the tension first — but not in the way some expected.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a completely relaxed expression. Contrary to what the scene might suggest, he didn't seem shaken at all.
— "I really... don't feel anything for her anymore," he said, with a calm honesty. "And honestly, the guy in the video seems kind of... lost, right?"
Everyone blinked, as if they were expecting an explosion or an awkward moment from him. But nothing like that happened.
Onodera, who was sitting next to him, sighed deeply, relieved.
— "That's good..." she murmured softly, her face turning slightly pink.
Sudou noticed and, with a crooked smile, reached up to gently stroke the top of her head.
— "Don't worry. I'm fine," he said, trying to ease any tension she might still be feeling.
Onodera shrank a little, shy, but didn't pull away. On the contrary, her face flushed even more, and she let out a small, soft laugh.
— "You sometimes surprise me, Sudou."
— "Yeah... even my future self can be an idiot sometimes, but at least I've learned something over time," he replied, shrugging.
On the other side of the room, Suzune kept her eyes fixed on the screen. The sound of Ayanokōji's future thoughts still echoed in her mind: "the same woman who had spent the previous day in the arms of that man, shouting his name more than once."
She blushed.
Not a lot. Not excessively. But visibly.
She turned her gaze to Kiyotaka, who was beside her — the present. The one who hadn't yet done those things with her. Still... the idea of it all was already very clear in her mind, just like the memory of the recent night when she had given herself to him for the first time.
She remained silent for a few seconds, her brow furrowed slightly. There was something uncomfortable about hearing his thoughts exposed like that, so raw and direct. The silent possessiveness, the subtlety of his malice... all of it provoked an uncomfortable heat in her chest.
— "Your future self is... more expressive than I expected," she murmured, crossing her arms.
Kiyotaka, calm as ever, just raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Suzune sighed.
— "But I prefer the present touch," she added softly, with a half-smile, closing her eyes for a moment to better feel his affection.
Meanwhile, Kei was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands resting on her knees, her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn't even need to look at the screen — everything was already burning inside her. Her face flushed, her eyes slightly wide, her heart pounding with a mix of indignation and shame.
— "Why... why am I like this?" she muttered, almost to herself.
Sato, who was beside her, placed a hand on her shoulder. Her touch was light, gentle. But she didn't say anything.
— "Sato..." Kei looked up, anxious. "Am I really like this when it comes to Kiyotaka? I mean... so... submissive? So... faded?"
Sato hesitated.
She looked at the screen, then at Kei, and finally nodded slowly. Very slowly. As if fearing her friend's reaction.
— "I... I think you lose yourself a little when it comes to him," she replied, with uncomfortable honesty. "You're not like this with anyone else. Just with him."
Kei closed her eyes and sighed, almost as if she had been slapped in the face.
— "This is so... pathetic."
— "It's not pathetic," Sato immediately retorted. "It's love. But... maybe a little unbalanced."
Kei laughed. A weak, bitter laugh.
— "I hope my future self grows some courage soon. Because if not... she'll just end up getting hurt."
Sato smiled, gently squeezing her friend's shoulder.
— "It'll get better. You're strong. Even your indecisive version has a limit, right?"
Kei didn't answer, but her gaze fixed on the screen seemed to silently agree.
On the other side of the room, Ichika watched everything with attentive eyes. The scene, the faces, the reactions. She didn't say anything, but her gaze moved from Suzune to Kiyotaka, from Kiyotaka to Kei, and from Kei to Sato.
— "Interesting..." she murmured, just to herself.
Kushida, on the other hand, tried to hold back a smile that was threatening to form.
— "What a delicious mess," she whispered, leaning back in her chair.
— "You seem to enjoy this," Haruka commented, her voice low but heavy with judgment.
— "And you don't?" Kushida retorted with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's like watching a reality show in real time... with the bonus of knowing that nothing happening there can be stopped."
— "That's cruel," Haruka replied, looking away, squeezing her hand.
— "Or just... inevitable," Kushida shot back, with an enigmatic smile.
Haruka sighed in frustration at Kushida's words.
Ryuen, briefly interrupting the tense atmosphere, spoke up.
— "At least now we know that Ayanokōji from the future can be a little cruel, huh? Never imagined he'd have thoughts like those..."
— "He's just more honest," Hirata commented, adjusting his posture uncomfortably. "But... it's still a bit unsettling to see how he thinks about things so coldly, even when it involves other people's feelings."
The present Ayanokōji remained silent, as if it wasn't about him. But his gaze was fixed on the screen. And his hand was still gently stroking Suzune's hair.
— "It's not coldness. It's... awareness," he murmured finally. "Sometimes, knowing what the other person feels only serves to reaffirm what you've already decided to do."
Suzune glanced at him briefly. She wanted to understand more of what he was saying. But maybe... maybe she wasn't ready yet... But perhaps she was getting close.
Once again, the room fell silent. One of those heavy silences, where everyone seemed trapped in their own thoughts.
And then, as if the universe was preparing to drop yet another dramatic piece onto the emotional chessboard, the screen blinked, announcing the next scene.
But at that moment, no one moved. No one took a deep breath.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, was stuck on what that last sentence had revealed.
"It was exactly like Sudou said... she was telling me not to do anything like what happened with Maezono again, or it could be bad for the class..."
"Are you sure?" asked the blonde, feeling tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes. However, they didn't fully form once she felt the boy with brown hair's hand in hers, their fingers intertwining.
"Don't think too much, Kei," said the boy with brown hair, gently pulling her toward the pool.
As if the shadow hanging over her had disappeared, the boy's words eased the blonde.
"Hm!" she nodded cheerfully. "Let's have fun, Kiyotaka!"
An uncomfortable silence fell for a few seconds in the reaction room. The screen gently darkened after Kei's last line from the future, and all eyes slowly turned to the present Kei.
However, she had her head down, her shoulders slightly hunched, completely flushed.
"...Don't look at me like that, damn it..." she murmured, her voice muffled by the pillow she was hiding behind.
Sato was sitting next to her and reached out to gently stroke her back, trying to console her in some way. She herself seemed a little embarrassed by what she'd seen, but her friendship with Kei took priority.
"It was... really intense," Sato commented, giving a hesitant little smile. "But look, Kei... you're not the only one who acts differently in the future."
"But..." Kei lifted her head a little, eyes wide, her cheeks still burning. "I believed him right away! He just grabbed my hand and that was it! I... I STOPPED CRYING AND JUST ACCEPTED IT?! Just like that?"
She buried her face back into the pillow, letting out a muffled groan of pure embarrassment.
"My god... am I really this submissive?!?!" she shouted, now almost desperate.
"Yes," Ichika responded with a provocative and utterly mocking smile. "A docile doormat."
Kei immediately raised her head and flipped Ichika the middle finger without thinking twice, her face completely red. Despite the gesture, there was a half-pout on her lips.
"You're horrible," she said, huffing.
"Thanks, I try," Ichika winked at her.
Rokusuke crossed his arms, watching with a nearly amused smile the interaction between the two. He didn't seem interested in intervening.
Horikita, sitting calmly next to Ayanokouji, stared at the blank screen with a thoughtful expression. Her eyes slowly moved to Kei, and although she had her reservations about the blonde, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy.
"Emotional manipulation," Suzune murmured. "She didn't realize it, but he broke the tension with a touch and a simple phrase, and she was completely drawn in by it."
"..." Suzune sighed, and for a moment, her gaze lowered. She knew exactly what it meant to have someone who could invade your defenses so easily. Feeling Kiyotaka's fingers stroking her hair, her body responded before her mind did.
She closed her eyes, leaning slightly toward him as if absorbing that feeling.
"...You have almost the same effect on me, Kiyotaka..." she murmured softly, so only he could hear.
Ayanokouji didn't respond with words, he just continued the gentle stroke on her hair, a small gesture, but one that said a lot. Horikita relaxed beside him, her lips curling into a small smile that contrasted with the previous tension.
Sudou, on the other hand, was oddly calm. When the scene started, he kept his arms crossed and his posture straight, observing without much judgment. When the scene ended, he just let out a light sigh.
Onodera, sitting next to him, watched him with some trepidation, as if waiting for some explosive reaction. But nothing came. The most that happened was him giving her a gentle pat on the head.
"Everything's fine, Ono. It doesn't bother me. That phase is over," he said calmly.
Onodera blushed slightly, both from the gesture, the nickname, and the relief of knowing that Sudou wasn't really still hung up on that. She let out a quiet sigh and smiled at him, a bit shy.
"That's good, Sudou. I... I thought this would really bother you, sorry for not believing you when you first talked about it," she admitted sincerely.
"A while ago, maybe. But nowadays? No. I'm moving on," he shrugged. "And you're helping me move in that direction."
The words made Onodera even redder, but happy. She looked away, touching her own hair, smiling discreetly.
Ryuen, on the other side of the room, laughed with pleasure. He seemed more excited than usual.
"This is getting interesting," he said, staring intently at Kei. "I was waiting for the moment when she'd figure everything out... but seeing the impact of these little future actions here in the room is much more entertaining."
Kei shot him an irritated glance, still slightly red.
"You're a sadist," she fired.
"And you're an emotional puppet, apparently," Ryuen retorted with a grin.
"Shut up," Kei huffed, throwing a pillow at him. Ryuen dodged it laughing, not bothered at all.
Ichika continued observing the blonde with a certain gleam in her eyes.
"But seriously, Kei... you really trusted him without hesitation? Not a single doubt?"
Kei ran her hands over her face and sighed deeply.
"I know... I know... It seems ridiculous. But..." she hesitated, looking at the blank screen. "It was Kiyotaka, you know? He... he always has that way of looking calm all the time. Strong. Sure of himself. In that moment... my future self just wanted to believe he was there for her."
"...Even knowing that the day before he was possibly with another woman in his arms," Ichika finished, sharp as a blade.
Kei froze. The sentence cut deep, deeper than she'd like to admit because it still hurt. But she forced a smile, now more sad than provoking.
"She... wanted to believe she still had value for him," her voice wavered a little, but she kept the tone firm. "Even if it was a lie."
Sato squeezed her friend's hand gently, and even Ichika, for a brief moment, seemed to soften her expression.
"That's the most human thing you've said so far, Kei," Ichika said, crossing her arms. "And... it's sad."
Kei nodded in silence, staring at nothing.
"Maybe I need to change more here in the present," she murmured, more to herself than to the others.
"Yes, you do," Ichika said mercilessly, but with an unexpected sincerity. "And I hope that future version realizes this in time."
Sakayanagi, who had been observing everything in silence, raised a faint smile.
"It's fascinating, really. The subtle manipulation. A touch on the hand. An innocent invitation to the pool. And everything gets resolved."
"Or it gets swept under the rug, like a rotten secret," commented Hoshinomiya, who had appeared once again with a bottle of juice. "This relationship has been giving me a bad feeling from the start."
"We're all watching a play where each character has their own secrets," Ichika commented, leaning back in her chair. "The question is: who's going to explode first?"
"Kei," Ryuen answered immediately, laughing. "She's holding this internal bomb together with duct tape."
"Shut up!" Kei threw another pillow.
The room erupted in subtle laughter.
Horikita looked at Ayanokouji beside her.
"So... What did you think of the scene?"
"Strategic," he answered. "But also emotional. She still trusts too much. That makes her vulnerable. And that could be dangerous at some point."
"Even for you?" she asked, leaning slightly toward him.
Ayanokouji looked at Suzune for a brief moment. Their eyes met in silence.
"Even for me," he answered, his tone calm and sincere.
Suzune closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. The gentle stroking of her hair continued.
The tension in the room slowly faded, but the emotions still lingered in the air.
Everyone knew that this was just another scene. And that the most intense ones were yet to come.
End of part 1 of chapter 2.