Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

At the same time, Nanase Tsubasa received a Double card.

Its effect was better than nothing.

The first-years were at a slight disadvantage in this joint exam.

They had never been to the uninhabited island before, and whether in terms of information or private points, the upper years were stronger than them.

The school had forbidden cross-year grouping and item-card exchanges, clearly to protect the first-year students. After all, item cards were not the only things private points could buy.

Because of what happened last time, Hōsen Kazuomi was now very interested in Kaoru and wanted to defeat him in this uninhabited island exam.

After spending these days around him, Tsubasa understood very well what kind of danger that man posed.

In Hōsen's eyes, most things could be solved with fists.

Because of that, Tsubasa planned to discuss things with Kaoru.

In this all-year joint exam, she should finally be useful, right?

The girl used that as an excuse for herself, trying her best not to recall the scene from a few days ago as she went to the Student Council office like usual.

Immediately after, she saw Kaoru coming out of the office.

A flicker of panic flashed through her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.

"President, are you going somewhere?"

Tsubasa watched him lock the door. Since nobody else came out, she felt a little puzzled.

"Nanase-san. Shiina-san didn't come here, so she should be in the library. I have something to discuss with her."

Kaoru put away his key.

The Student Council keys were only held by the president, vice president, and secretary. "There's nothing much today. Nanase-san can go back early."

Tsubasa remembered who this Shiina-san was.

The first time she saw that small senpai, the girl had been sitting in the office with both hands holding a copy of The Greek Coffin Mystery. The evening shadows had fallen over her soft face, and her loose blue hair had seemed to glow.

Later, Tsubasa learned that she had been rereading Ellery Queen's mystery novels because she wanted to write a mystery novel of her own.

Tsubasa occasionally saw Shiina Hiyori in the office, and she only knew that Hiyori was a girl who loved literature. The two of them had not really interacted much.

"Is this about the forum writing contest?"

After a slight hesitation, Tsubasa asked.

"That's part of it... She thinks I'm lying to her now. With you and Kaho around, the Student Council doesn't look short-handed at all."

Kaoru looked somewhat embarrassed.

Tsubasa was very capable. Ever since she became familiar with Student Council work, she had practically taken over most of the paperwork.

Everyone felt that once the upper-year officers retired, Tsubasa would definitely hold an important position, such as secretary. Even Kaho believed Tsubasa was better suited for it.

"Can I go with you?"

As soon as Tsubasa said it, she instinctively added, "I want to discuss the uninhabited island exam with you. But I won't interrupt you and Shiina-senpai. It's fine if I wait until you're done talking."

Tsubasa did not know what Kaoru would think, but she felt a little nervous.

The scene she had been trying so hard to forget was being dragged back into her mind by his gaze.

She was wearing black knee-high socks today as well.

Although they were not the same pair from that time, the feeling Kaoru had left on her calves and feet still seemed to linger.

It was the first time an opposite-sex student had touched her feet like that.

Her foot had felt light enough to rest in his palm, yet at the same time like some rare treasure being carefully handled.

The strange sensation of his fingers brushing over the fabric and her ankle was something she could still remember even now.

Not to mention, she had been forced to play along at the time, trying her best to act the way Kaoru liked while carefully pressing down her skirt to keep herself from being exposed.

She had endured her embarrassment with a red face while stepping against his chest and touching his chin with the tip of her foot.

Even she had felt that it was incredibly strange. She had no idea how Kaoru could handle it so calmly.

Was he remembering that scene now too?

As that thought flashed through her mind, Tsubasa remembered Hiyori as well.

That senpai would definitely have a deep impression of her now.

Even Tsubasa, who considered herself a tool, could not help the faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Sure. I also have something to talk to you about."

Kaoru accepted her excuse.

Tsubasa immediately started overthinking.

What did Kaoru want to talk to her about?

Was he planning to make her do something strange again?

Seeing Kaoru start walking, Tsubasa could only suppress her doubts and follow beside him. She adjusted her pace to match his, falling a little behind bit by bit, then hurriedly catching up again like a duckling chasing after its mother.

Kaoru noticed her small movements and consciously adjusted his own walking speed.

When Tsubasa realized that, her heart began beating a little faster, and her cheeks felt warm.

...

The two soon reached the library.

Hiyori was reading seriously.

Beside her, a stack of novels had been piled on the table, with scattered notes laid out in a slightly messy fashion. She seemed to be recording something, and her handwriting was neat and dense.

It was only after Kaoru greeted her that Hiyori finally lifted her pretty face. She hurriedly tidied the table in front of her and made space for Kaoru to sit beside her.

Tsubasa greeted Hiyori as well, but she did not disturb Kaoru and Hiyori's conversation.

She only listened quietly from the side.

They were talking about the forum writing contest. Kaoru wanted Hiyori to come back to work, and he also wanted to read the novel Hiyori had written.

Tsubasa was surprised, especially when Hiyori really took a manuscript out of her schoolbag. Her curiosity toward this senpai deepened.

After that, the two of them started discussing the manuscript.

Terms like "orthodox mystery" and "social mystery" came up, and Tsubasa did not fully understand them.

She only knew that Hiyori wanted to write a mystery novel.

Even so, Hiyori seemed very negative about it.

She felt she could not write one properly and that she did not have the talent.

In her view, she was only clumsily imitating the great writers who came before her.

"What I want to see isn't something written by those so-called great writers."

Kaoru said, "I want to see the plot Shiina-san designed herself."

Then he asked, "If I wrote a novel, would Shiina-san want to read it?"

"I would."

Hiyori answered without thinking.

"You want to read mine, and I want to read yours. We're friends, not editors or critics. Don't be so harsh on yourself."

Kaoru smiled. "If you want to read something from me, I'll write one for you when I get back."

Seeing him smile, Hiyori smiled shyly as well, perhaps because she felt much more relaxed.

For her, trying to create a mystery novel of her own was also a brand-new experience. It was no less exciting than discovering a groundbreaking mystery novel.

The two then continued discussing novels, sharing reading lists and thoughts with each other. Tsubasa found it increasingly novel.

She had not expected Kaoru to have such a book-loving side. He looked nothing like the version of him who usually harassed girls.

In addition, Tsubasa did not hear them bring up classes or exams at all. They were simply sharing books.

This made things a little troublesome.

How was she supposed to open the topic?

Tsubasa felt slightly troubled.

Then she saw Kaoru stand and walk toward a bookshelf not far away, so she followed him.

The school library was extremely spacious. Row after row of shelves stretched out almost endlessly, making it feel less like a high school library and more like a university one.

At first, a few students could still be seen passing by. But after a while, the surroundings became silent.

Tsubasa watched Kaoru stop in front of a row of shelves. He extended his slender, well-defined right hand and pulled a book from the shelf.

The cover looked a little strange. She could not clearly see the title, which made her curious.

Also, why was he not saying anything?

What did he want to discuss with her?

Was she supposed to speak first?

But what should she say?

Maybe she should look at a book?

Tsubasa's breathing faltered slightly.

As if trying to hide her emotions, she turned her face and let her gaze fall on the shelf in front of her.

She had originally planned to casually pick out a book, but the moment she saw the covers on this shelf, her face suddenly turned red.

"This area is popular literature. Light novels are categorized here too."

Kaoru said, "This whole shelf is full of them. I suspect someone in the library is using public funds to feed their personal hobbies."

"Isn't the library managed by the teachers?"

Tsubasa tried to remain calm.

Just now, she had seen a light novel cover with a swimsuit girl on it, drawn with an exaggeratedly glamorous figure.

"Sometimes they ask the Student Council to help with moving books, registering them, shelving them, and so on."

Kaoru guessed, "Maybe someone convinced the teacher in charge of purchasing to buy them."

After all, the teacher responsible for purchasing might not understand these things. If students liked reading them, buying a batch probably seemed harmless.

Tsubasa accepted that explanation.

However, looking at the light novel in Kaoru's hand still made her cheeks heat up, because the title on the cover was something like Reincarnated in Another World: Building a Beast-Girl Harem with All My Heart.

Kaoru naturally noticed her gaze. He handed the book to her and said, "This isn't anything indecent. Aside from the title and illustrations, there's nothing really extreme inside."

Tsubasa had never read a light novel before. Doubtfully, she accepted the book from him and happened to open it to the page Kaoru had just been reading.

In the next instant, the girl's ears turned red.

"President!"

Kaoru froze slightly.

He only saw Tsubasa slam the book shut with a bright red face, glaring at him in embarrassment and anger.

"Please don't show this kind of thing to other people. Next time, enjoy it by yourself!"

She had finally thought he had a side that was somewhat acceptable, only for him to immediately take out something like this.

The fact that she had actually believed him for a moment made Tsubasa regret it deeply.

Kaoru, however, was even more confused.

"What's wrong with it?"

"The fact that you can so naturally show a girl this kind of thing is already a huge problem!"

"Is it because of the harem part?"

"Please don't play dumb. This... this is obviously indecent!"

"What part is indecent?"

"Guh... T-this part. Read it yourself..."

As soon as she said that, Tsubasa saw Kaoru lean in.

Their faces suddenly became very close, and his presence made her forget how to breathe.

Perhaps because he wanted to steady the book in her hands to read it properly, Kaoru held her wrist and leaned near her shoulder. His face was almost touching hers, and her body stiffened at once. She could only hear her heart pounding wildly.

"This is a pretty normal scene. There's nothing wrong with it. You're the one reading it with dirty thoughts."

Kaoru lowered his head.

His warm breath brushed past the girl's hair and neck, and he could see the exposed skin there turning faintly pink.

Her chest rose and fell unevenly.

"What dirty thoughts? Read it yourself!"

Tsubasa was both embarrassed and angry, no longer caring about his gaze. "The protagonist is helping the beast-girl character clean up after an accident, and the narration keeps describing how cute and soft she is, and how lucky he feels..."

Perhaps feeling that this was not enough, Tsubasa continued.

"And then it keeps talking about bubbles and her blushing and how happy he is to help her, like the whole scene is written just to make people imagine strange things..."

As she read, Tsubasa herself became increasingly embarrassed.

What was she doing?

At a time like this, she should have shoved the book back onto the shelf.

So she huffed angrily and was about to see what explanation Kaoru could possibly give, only to turn her head and almost bump into his face.

Her heart skipped.

Then she became even angrier.

Because Kaoru was smiling.

This guy had tricked her into reading it out loud on purpose!

"President!!!"

"All right, all right. Sometimes there are one or two novels that skirt the line a little. But there really isn't the kind of content you're imagining later."

"Please stop explaining. I know very well what kind of person you are, President. Even if you read this sort of thing, I won't look down on you. After all, you're already a pervert."

"Why does that somehow sound like praise?"

Tsubasa felt as though her blood pressure was rising.

This was the first time she had encountered a target like this.

And to think she had just been wondering how to gain Kaoru's trust and learn what type he liked.

"Fine, let's put the idle talk aside for now. What did you want to tell me?"

Kaoru took the light novel back from her hand. "Are you planning to form an illegal team with me?"

The topic changed so quickly that Tsubasa almost failed to keep up.

After slightly organizing her emotions, she said, "If you need me, I'll be waiting for your instructions at any time."

"Illegal team-ups may not succeed. The school must have considered whether we might act together. They'll probably scatter all the groups, such as having one group complete tasks in one area while another group handles tasks elsewhere."

"I'll exchange information with you during rest time."

"What information?"

"The information you want."

Tsubasa noticed Kaoru frown.

That was not the reaction she had expected.

After a while, Kaoru suddenly asked, "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Although she did not understand why he was suddenly asking this, Tsubasa still answered.

"No."

"You liked your childhood friend, but you never kissed him?"

"I... I never dated him..."

A shadow flashed through Tsubasa's eyes.

Forget dating.

As a tool, she should not have any private feelings. They would affect the completion of her mission. Otherwise, she would forever be an unqualified tool.

"Then Nanase-san still has her first kiss."

Kaoru smiled. "What if I said the information I wanted was your first kiss?"

Tsubasa froze in place.

In truth, she had imagined similar situations before.

Acting Director Tsukishiro had given her this kind of order, and Kaoru was a lustful man. Sooner or later, she would probably encounter something like this.

In Tsukishiro Tokinari's eyes, a qualified tool should feel honored no matter what kind of task it was given, even if it meant giving up something precious.

A tool should simply work hard to complete the mission bestowed upon it.

Tsubasa had seen plenty of such qualified tools.

Even so, a faint, naive fantasy still remained in her heart.

At that moment, Kaoru lifted her chin.

Their eyes met.