Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

"A student council president openly bullying a girl in broad daylight. I wonder if you're fearless because you have someone backing you, or if you've simply gotten carried away."

At the school infirmary, Kiryūin Fūka was cleaning the bite mark on Mitoma Kaoru's hand before putting a bandage over it.

"Just looking at these teeth marks is scary. It looks like you were bitten by some wild dog."

"We were just messing around."

Kaoru said, "I already taught her a lesson last time, but she still came after me for another fight."

Fūka sat across from him. After finishing with the wound, she lifted her pretty face and gave him a smile that was not quite a smile.

"What an interesting kind of fight. One person bites, and the other one restrains her until she gives in. Don't you feel embarrassed at all?"

As she spoke, she lightly lifted Kaoru's wrist again. "Honestly, biting you like this was already generous of her. Even if she reported the student council president for bullying a girl, I wouldn't be surprised."

Of course she would not be surprised. Her face practically said that she was only here to enjoy the gossip.

"Senpai, were you really just passing by?"

Kaoru pulled his arm back. In truth, he probably had not needed a bandage. He had even wanted to try accelerating the healing process with Made in Heaven.

"Yes. At my age, I need suitable exercise. An occasional walk is good for the body."

Fūka nodded seriously, though nobody knew what age she was referring to.

Kaoru did not believe a word of it. Recently, he had often noticed her following him, especially when he was on dates with Asahina Nazuna.

"Oh my, you don't believe me?"

Fūka suddenly leaned closer. Since both of them were sitting on the infirmary bed, that distance allowed Kaoru to see even her eyelashes clearly.

"I've discovered that you're quite interesting, Mitoma-kun. You seem to have a different face depending on who you're with."

Her hand rested lightly against Kaoru's chest.

The thin shirt did not fully block the sensation of her touch, and her palm pressed gently over his heart, as if she were feeling the rhythm beneath.

"I've been observing you a lot lately. You're much more amusing than I expected."

Fūka leaned in, her shoulder brushing against him.

Her soft hand moved from his chest up toward his face. "You've already won over Asahina-san, haven't you? I've seen plenty of aggressive men like you before, so that part shouldn't have surprised me."

"What's strange is that men more aggressive than you usually aren't this shameless, and men more shameless than you usually aren't this... gentle?"

Toward the end, Fūka hesitated for a moment, as if she could not find the right word.

Still, she did not seem too bothered by it. After all, in her eyes, there were plenty of men stranger than Kaoru.

Kaoru was simply a strange mixture of contradictions.

Just when she thought he was extremely lustful, he could restrain himself. With someone like Nazuna, he had actually managed to hold back until now.

But the moment she thought he might not be that shameless after all, he could turn around and act without hesitation, even saying ridiculous things to girls he had only just met, with no dignity as a man at all.

Earlier, Fūka had even thought Kaoru might surrender, perhaps even letting Mio trample over him in defeat.

Instead, Kaoru had firmly turned the situation around, leaving Mio with no choice but to give in while being held in his arms.

Fūka had been truly surprised.

She had never expected Kaoru to have such a forceful side to him. It was completely different from the Kaoru she usually saw.

She did not know about the wish-granting system, so naturally she had no idea why Kaoru had provoked Mio in the first place.

"Senpai, you're too close."

Kaoru caught Fūka's wrist with one hand, even as he closed the distance himself until their noses were almost touching.

"You've been following me all this time. Are you really planning to make my heart race?"

This was not the first time he had been this close to her, but when he breathed in the faint fragrance around her and looked at her face from such a short distance, Kaoru had to admit that his self-control was being tested.

Fūka was also wearing her school uniform. Her appearance carried a composed, mature charm that was different from the younger girls around him. Compared to Honami and the others, this senpai was still a senpai after all, and that sense of confidence made her difficult to ignore.

Even with their faces this close, close enough that lowering his head slightly would let him kiss her, Fūka showed no sign of embarrassment. Instead, a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

"My, how aggressive. Are you planning to do something bad to your senpai while the infirmary is empty?"

Kaoru suddenly felt a force push him back, and before he knew it, he had fallen onto the bed.

Fūka pressed his hands down and looked at him from above.

"What a shame. I don't like letting other people take the lead."

Fūka slowly settled over him, her posture calm and confident as she looked down at him.

"Although I do want to try making Mitoma-kun fall for me, you deliberately let me follow you too, didn't you? You wanted me to see how you act. You wanted me to be curious."

Fūka leaned down until she was almost resting against him, their faces only a short distance apart. She moved slightly, as though testing Kaoru's reaction.

At the same time, her fingers traced lazy circles over his shirt, moving from his chest down toward his stomach.

"Oh, so you really do have abs. They're surprisingly firm."

Fūka smiled as she lowered her face near his neck and ear. "The easiest way to make your heart race is to do something bold to you, isn't it? You wanted to remind me of that, right? That's why you dated Asahina-san, kissed her openly on the road, and made me feel strangely annoyed watching it."

"Part of it was like you said, but I kissed Nazuna because I wanted to kiss her."

Kaoru shifted his gaze away from Fūka, though it was difficult with her so close.

"What about me?"

Fūka's forehead touched his, and their eyes met.

Their breaths mingled faintly in the small space between them.

"You wanted to provoke me because you wanted me to become interested in you. Then tell me, Mitoma-kun, why do you want me to be interested?"