Yukinoshita Yukino had accepted Shizuka Hiratsuka's request, but Rei Ao didn't seem to come seeking her as expected. Confirming her suspicion, she asked, "You never actually came looking for me."
"Yeah, I didn't think it was necessary," Rei Ao replied, shrugging.
"Oh? You think you can make progress on your own?" Yukinoshita's tone remained cool.
"I've been improving recently. Maybe I'll even get first place in the midterms this time."
Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita's interest in him dwindled. Her cold response drifted out, "Rei Ao-kun seems to be quite skilled at making big claims."
"Like when you claimed to taste blood in the cookies earlier."
Rei Ao glanced at her with a smirk.
"I'm not one to make empty boasts."
"Whether it's getting first place or my heightened senses."
"For instance, standing here, I can smell the scent of a cat on you."
Yukinoshita's eyes widened, staring at Rei Ao in shock.
"Yuigahama-san has already left, so I'll take my leave as well. I won't bother you while you're reading."
Rei Ao waved with a mischievous grin and closed the door behind him as he left, leaving Yukinoshita with a puzzled expression.
Because of his mention of a cat, Yukinoshita was reminded of the small campus cat she had fed with some bread earlier that morning when no one was around. The cat never let her touch it, so how did Rei Ao know?
"Could it be... his sense of smell is really that sharp?"
Yukinoshita furrowed her brows slightly.
If Rei Ao wasn't lying, then his test scores...
"Since you've said that, I'll wait and see this afternoon."
Rei Ao, however, wasn't particularly concerned about his test results.
Mai had come to school.
Even though no one else could see her, she was still there.
"So, what made you come to school all of a sudden?" Rei Ao asked, gently stroking her hand. Mai blushed slightly and replied softly, "I brought you a bento. I wanted to have lunch with you."
Rei Ao teasingly bumped his nose against hers, grinning. "Missed me?"
"Or do you miss something else of mine?"
"Or maybe you want me to have a taste of you?"
The first two comments were playful, but the last one had an unmistakable innuendo, causing Mai to roll her eyes and playfully swat him. "You're such a pervert!"
"Haha, but my dear Mai isn't far behind in that department. Who was it yesterday who kept holding my head down and wouldn't let me move, huh? And who was the one who—"
As Rei Ao kept exposing her, with each word getting more and more explicit, Mai quickly covered his mouth, her eyes filled with embarrassed anger. "Stop it, or else!"
Her expression suggested she was ready to pounce if he said one more word.
Rei Ao's smile never faltered, and seeing her so flustered filled him with a strange sense of satisfaction. But knowing that pushing further would ruin the moment, he nodded in understanding.
"Let's head to the rooftop for lunch, shall we?"
Hand in hand, the two left together.
Unbeknownst to them, standing by the staircase nearby was Megumi Kato, who watched them quietly, holding two bento boxes. She silently observed their closeness before murmuring to herself, "I guess living with Rei Ao-kun does give her a head start, after all."
"Why can't you ever behave yourself, even while eating lunch?"
Mai sighed in exasperation.
What should have been a relaxing lunch had turned into something else. Rei Ao had pulled her into his lap, and while that was fine, the real issue was the "gun" poking against her, making her uncomfortable.
He insisted it was just some "rooftop cuddling." But where did he even get such strange phrases?
Holding her waist with a grin, Rei Ao teased, "You say that, but why are your legs moving restlessly?"
"That's your fault!" Mai retorted.
Of course, she'd never admit that she was also enjoying it.
Yes, everything was Rei Ao's fault!
Just as they were bantering, the rooftop door suddenly opened.
Mai instinctively pressed down on her skirt and squeezed her legs together.
"Hmm? Someone's here?" Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had just stepped onto the rooftop, noticed the presence of others and initially considered leaving. She preferred having the rooftop to herself.
But when she saw Rei Ao sitting near the edge, she changed her mind.
With her long, black legs gracefully moving, she approached him and politely asked, "Mind if I sit here?"
Rei Ao nodded. "Go ahead."
Kasumigaoka sat down, taking out a sandwich and her phone. She didn't say much, nibbling on her food while occasionally glancing at Rei Ao from the corner of her eye. She noticed one bento box open and another still closed, finding it a bit odd.
She completely ignored the presence of Mai sitting in Rei Ao's lap.
— 50 Advance Chapters!