Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

The reason Kaoru had not made a move on Ibuki Mio before was because the wishes connected to her were far too terrifying.

But now, Kaoru felt he had earned quite a few healing-related rewards, so he should be able to survive. Besides, Mio had come looking for him herself this time.

"So you mean you want to fight?"

Mio seemed to understand what he was implying.

Her expression turned unfriendly, and she unconsciously rolled up her sleeves, revealing a stretch of pale, slender arm.

Although she looked like a petite girl at first glance, the softness of her skin carried faint lines of trained muscle underneath. If her little fist landed on someone, it probably would hurt.

Kaoru glanced at her and felt that he could understand some of those strange wishes now. Being beaten by such a small fist might indeed feel strangely rewarding to certain people.

"If you want to fight, that's fine. But now isn't very convenient for me. Pick a place another day, and I promise I'll show up."

Kaoru thought for a moment. "If you lose, you have to agree to one thing."

"No. I can fight you right now."

Mio lifted her chin. "I won't lose. Last time was an accident. This time, you're the one who's going down."

She had been too careless last time. She had not expected Kaoru's strength to be so far above hers, so she had failed to react in time and lost by accident.

If they fought again, Mio would absolutely get her revenge.

This guy had dared to humiliate her before. If she did not settle that grudge, how could she possibly endure it?

"With you being this enthusiastic, it really is hard to refuse."

Kaoru was interested in the wishes connected to her, but that did not mean he was going to lower himself for them. "I'll give you one minute. If you can hit me, I'll fight you properly."

"Hah. Aren't you looking down on me?"

Faced with his provocation, Mio suddenly rushed at Kaoru. She raised her leg high and sent a sharp side kick sweeping toward him.

It looked fast, but Kaoru dodged it with ease. Not only that, but her follow-up spinning kick, straight kick, flying kick, and sweep all failed to touch him.

As Kaoru avoided each attack, Mio's assault grew fiercer. She completely disregarded her own defense, her eyes fixed only on him.

Kaoru kept stepping back, calmly dealing with the girl's techniques from left and right.

Every so often, the movement of her uniform made him look away just enough to avoid making the situation any more awkward than it already was.

Maybe that was why so many people wanted to be hit by her. The way she threw herself into the fight without hesitation did have a certain fierce charm.

Still, Kaoru did not feel too shaken by it. He had already dealt with a similar wish before.

"Ibuki-san, this should be about enough."

"Shut up, damn it!"

"If you keep going, I'll have to fight back."

Hearing that, Mio thought that since she could not land a kick, she might as well use her fists and close the distance so Kaoru would have less room to dodge.

Unfortunately, she might have overestimated her own strength.

Kaoru shifted slightly to the side, and her fist cut through empty air. Just as she tried to step back, Kaoru caught her wrist.

That only stirred her fighting spirit further. Her other fist immediately swung toward Kaoru's abdomen.

If it landed, it probably would hurt a little.

Kaoru naturally did not give her the chance. As if he had expected it from the start, he blocked her punch, twisted his wrist, and made Mio's face tighten in pain.

"Ugh!"

The sting made Mio snap her head up and lunge toward him, trying to trade injury for injury.

So Kaoru released her hand.

That single movement immediately threw off her balance. She had no time to recover her stance and, following the momentum of her own body, pitched straight toward the ground.

It happened too suddenly. Mio closed her eyes, preparing to take the impact head-on.

Then she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist, catching her steadily before she fell.

The moment Mio realized Kaoru had caught her, her face turned bright red. She immediately began struggling as hard as she could, trying to break free from his arm.

"Damn it, let me go! I swear I'll—"

Before she could finish, a dull sound rang out.

Smack.

Mio froze.

The next instant, she struggled even more violently, shouting with murderous intensity, "Mitoma, I'm going to kill you!"

Kaoru, however, gave her a few more firm taps as a warning.

"I won't forgive you! You're dead! I'll... ugh... I'll definitely kill you!"

The more she yelled, the less polite Kaoru became. After a while, Mio's fierce voice gradually weakened. By the end, she was left with powerless grumbling, no longer having the strength to resist properly.

If one leaned closer to her mouth, they could probably still hear things like "I'll never forgive you" and "I'll kill you," but her words no longer carried much force.

Fortunately, Kaoru was not actually trying to hurt her.

He soon stopped and released some of the pressure, though he had to admit the girl was surprisingly stubborn.

"Ibuki-san, if you lose again next time, it won't be this simple."

Kaoru said softly, "You should be a little more polite toward your classmates. Don't go around starting fights for no reason, especially not in front of me."

Mio's eyes glistened faintly with humiliation. This time, she had lost even more miserably than before, and the place he had smacked still felt hot and sore.

She did not care what Kaoru was saying.

She had to get revenge immediately!

Just as Kaoru was about to let go of Mio, she suddenly twisted around and threw an uppercut toward his jaw.

In an instant, Kaoru caught her fist again and twisted it the same way as before. A muffled sound escaped Mio's throat, and more tears of frustration flashed in her eyes.

Seeing that she still wanted to fight, Kaoru expressionlessly gave her another few warning taps.

"You dare hit me again... ah... I'll definitely kill you... ugh..."

After just a few smacks, Mio's originally fierce expression broke down at once. Her legs trembled badly, and she almost could not stand.

"Still want to keep fighting?"

Kaoru smiled faintly.

'Ugh... no... I can't...'

Mio felt as if all her fighting strength had been drained away.

Even so, she would absolutely never admit defeat to this person.

She froze for a moment, then suddenly became ruthless and bit down on Kaoru's arm. Even if she died, she would tear off a piece of him first!

Sure enough, Kaoru had not expected her to bite. The sudden pain made his expression twist.

Was this girl a dog?

Mio bit harder, and she could faintly taste blood.

Seeing this, Kaoru had no choice but to raise his hand. Mio instinctively closed her eyes, expecting pain.

But the expected blow never came. Instead, his hand only landed lightly, and then his other hand shifted into a controlled pressure-point hold.

Mio was confused for a second, not understanding what he was doing. Then an unusual sensation spread through her body, making her freeze.

The pain and numbness from being restrained mixed together, causing her to tremble violently.

After only a short while, she could no longer keep biting him. She instinctively tried to push Kaoru away, but she had almost no strength left. Instead, she collapsed weakly against him.

"Ugh... you... you pervert! Hurry... hurry up and stop!"

"That bite hurt, Ibuki-san. I'm a little annoyed."

"P-pervert! If you don't stop, I'll yell!"

"Isn't that the wrong line, Ibuki-san?"

Kaoru held her by the waist and lowered his head slightly. "Right now, shouldn't you say sorry and promise not to do it again?"

His breath stirred the hair near her ear, and Mio's face burned fiercely.

"Ugh... you pervert!"

Kaoru smiled faintly.

Words with no bite behind them were useless against him. The girl trembling in his arms gave him a rare feeling of amusement.

"Wrong answer. Think again."

The numb sensation slowly spread through her whole body. Along with it came an overwhelming sense of shame that Mio had never experienced before.

No matter how she moved, there seemed to be no hope of escaping, so she could only endure Kaoru's quiet voice near her ear.

It should have hurt, but after a while, that sensation gradually eased. Instead, it became warm, tingling, and oddly difficult to describe, as if the tension in her muscles was being forced to loosen.

That strange feeling spread through her body. For a moment, Mio almost felt comfortable, and her body slowly adapted to his touch. Her breathing became uneven.

She had never experienced anything like this, and in Kaoru's arms, she was completely at a loss, even forgetting to struggle.

"Someone's coming. Are you going to apologize?"

Mio was breathing unsteadily. Kaoru's voice near her ear made her whole body feel hot, and her mind was a mess. When she heard him say someone was coming, what little reason she had left immediately made her panic.

Even without experience, she knew she absolutely could not let anyone see her like this.

But when the words reached her lips, Kaoru still did not stop. Instead, he seemed to press her even harder. At last, she could not take it anymore and whispered quickly, her voice full of humiliation.

"I... I was wrong... I won't attack you anymore... hurry... stop..."

"And the apology?"

Kaoru touched his injured arm. "You bit me that hard, and you don't even say sorry?"

If she did not say it, Kaoru looked as if he might keep waiting forever.

But the strange feeling running through her body was already too much to bear. She felt hot all over and had no idea what was happening to her. She only knew that if she did not stop Kaoru soon, something even more embarrassing might happen.

After who knew how long, she finally parted her lips slowly.

"S-sorry... I shouldn't have bitten you..."

The instant she said it, Mio felt a surge of humiliation and shame, followed by a breathless weakness, as though she had lost something she had always been proud of.

She did not dare raise her head to look directly at Kaoru.

In the next moment, her legs trembled violently while Kaoru patted her head.

"Good job, Ibuki-san."

Kaoru sounded as if he were comforting an overwhelmed little dog. "Don't do that next time. Biting people is wrong, so you have to apologize properly."

Mio trembled in his arms for a while, breathing heavily. Her mind was blank, and she barely understood what had just happened.

The place that had been sore before no longer hurt much. Instead, it carried a lingering warmth.

When Kaoru finally let her go, an inexplicable sense of loss rose in her chest. After a while, Mio's eyes suddenly widened.

"What did you just do to me? I'm going to kill you!"

Mio was furious. She had actually been coaxed by a man into saying those words, like an idiot!

There had been no one coming at all!

This bastard had tricked her again!

"Want to keep going?"

Kaoru was a little surprised. She had shaken off the effects of his pressure-point technique faster than expected.

Noticing Kaoru's gaze drift toward her again, Mio quickly covered herself, only to hiss from the lingering soreness. She then pressed down on the hem of her skirt, feeling as if she had to keep everything firmly in place.

"I-I'll let you off this time!"

Mio threatened him with more force than confidence. "Next time, you're dead! Wash your neck and wait for me!"

After throwing down that harsh line, the girl hurriedly ran away, afraid that Kaoru would catch her again.

Today might have been the first time she had ever fled in such a miserable state.

Kaoru silently raised his hand. The bite mark she left was clearly visible.

It really did hurt.

Still, when he felt the faint dampness on his fingers from the earlier scuffle, his expression became a little strange.

Even after all that?

Strange.

What exactly was she thinking?

Kaoru was about to clean himself up and continue toward the library to find Shiina Hiyori, but he had only taken a few steps when he heard footsteps behind him.

Before he had time to turn his head, someone covered his eyes from behind.

A soft weight pressed lightly against his back, and the familiar sense of déjà vu immediately made Kaoru think of Asahina Nazuna. He was surprised. Had she been nearby watching all along?

But soon, Kaoru felt that something was off.

He did not hear Nazuna's voice. There was only a faint fragrance and the quiet breathing of a girl deliberately lowering her voice.

"Kiryūin-senpai?"

Kaoru tested the guess.

The other person was silent for a little while before laughing softly. "My, you guessed that quickly. Isn't Asahina-san the one who usually does this to you?"

"Nazuna-senpai isn't as tall as you."

Kaoru answered tactfully.

Because their heights were different, the way they leaned against him naturally felt different too.

Kiryūin Fūka was tall enough that the feeling against his shoulders was completely different from Nazuna's.

"How good you are at complimenting people. Actually, it isn't just height. I'm a little bigger than Asahina-san in other places too."

Fūka released her hands with a smile. "Did your heart race just now?"

With such a sudden surprise attack, Kaoru admitted that his heartbeat had indeed quickened quite a bit. But that was mainly because he felt guilty and nervous after being caught doing something troublesome.

"Did you see everything just now?"

"Oh? Are you planning to silence me now?"

Fūka leaned over his shoulder from behind. "I thought the former Student Council president was already a hopeless flirt, but I didn't expect someone even worse to exist."

For the first time, Kaoru felt as if someone had really caught him by the weakness.

The next scene in the script would not be...

"Want me to help you clean that up?"

Unexpectedly, Fūka took hold of his hand, the same hand he had used while restraining Mio earlier, still faintly damp from the scuffle.