104. I Will Never Let You Go

Natsukawa Kanade lied.

When Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed him, layer by layer, her sharp words peeling away his defenses, he responded with a truth hidden beneath his own layers of pride and frustration.

"You care about me, don't you?"

How could he deny it? Of course, he cared. She was the girl he had once "liked," after all.

Or perhaps it was more admiration—an idealized longing for someone so radiant, so beyond reach. But that didn't change the fact that he had pursued Kasumigaoka Utaha with all the fervor of a teenage crush. Even after her rejection, he couldn't entirely erase those feelings. It wasn't as if he'd moved on completely.

The idea of her with someone else, someone who succeeded where he had failed? That thought gnawed at him, even if he refused to acknowledge it aloud.

But, standing in the chaos of her apartment, Kanade buried those feelings beneath a mask of practicality.

"The room is a disaster. Have you seriously not cleaned since you moved in here?" he scolded, bending down to scoop up a pile of clothes.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, her arms crossed and a frown adorning her elegant features, looked far from apologetic. She watched him with an expression that seemed more irritated than guilty.

How arrogant, Kanade thought. To make a mess like this and then act indignant when someone points it out. Typical.

But for Kasumigaoka, Kanade's harmless criticism wasn't a source of anger. No, far from it. His grumbling felt strangely intimate—like the kind of casual bickering one might have with a boyfriend.

The reason she seemed upset, however, was far more personal. Her carefully orchestrated "attack," a flirtatious move born of whimsy, had been interrupted.

The atmosphere had been perfect. She had set the stage flawlessly, leaning toward him with all the allure of a seasoned enchantress. She was even mentally prepared for the consequences if things went further than expected.

And yet, Kanade—her ever-dense junior—had completely derailed the mood.

She had barely leaned in when he kicked her out of bed. To wash the sheets, no less!

Was that even normal?! A healthy high school boy comes to the apartment of his beautiful senpai, and all he thinks about is housework? Truly, there was something wrong with this boy!

"Junior…" Kasumigaoka began, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "You wouldn't happen to have issues with... you know... that, would you?"

Kanade paused, mop in hand, and looked up with an exasperated expression. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

He resumed mopping without waiting for her to elaborate, his tone laced with the weariness of someone all too familiar with her antics.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was infamous for her sharp tongue and occasional dirty jokes. Despite her quiet, literary persona in public, she was anything but innocent. Kanade, having spent enough time around her, was used to her offbeat humor.

Still, he wasn't always prepared for the twists in her unique train of thought.

"Senpai, could you at least try to act a bit more respectable? Even if we're close, there should still be some boundaries between us," he muttered, nudging her feet so he could clean the floor beneath them.

Kasumigaoka smirked. "Oh? Are you trying to lecture me on propriety, Kanade-kun?"

She tilted her head playfully, but her tone carried a subtle edge. It wasn't often that someone scolded her, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it.

Kanade didn't flinch. "You don't have many friends, do you, Senpai? That's probably why you act so extreme with people. Either you tease them like you do with me and Eriri, or you ignore them entirely. It's not exactly a balanced approach."

"Hmph. As if I need advice from you," Kasumigaoka scoffed. But she obediently lifted her legs and rested them on the edge of the sofa, hugging her knees like a sulking child.

"Go ahead. Ignore me. Leave me to my treacherous, lonely existence. That's what I deserve, after all…"

Kanade sighed, rolling his eyes at her theatrics. "What are you, an angsty elementary school kid?"

Still, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of candy, holding it out to her.

"Here. It's a random flavor. Might cheer you up."

Kasumigaoka stared at the candy with mock disdain. "Really, Kanade-kun? This is your grand gesture?"

Despite her words, she snatched the candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.

A second later, her eyes widened in horror.

"What is this?! It's bitter!" she exclaimed, sticking out her tongue as if to expel the taste.

Kanade smirked, a rare look of satisfaction crossing his face. "That's the 'surprise' flavor. Serves you right for being such a drama queen."

Kasumigaoka Utaha stuck out her tongue, her expression one of pure indignation. She glared at Natsukawa Kanade, eyes narrowed, the perfect picture of a wronged senpai.

"Are you messing with me on purpose?"

"Of course not," Kanade replied, shaking his head with an air of practiced nonchalance. "It's random, like I said. You were just unlucky, senpai. Though it's a shame... I actually like that flavor. Didn't expect you to snatch it from me."

"Hontou ni...?" Kasumigaoka muttered, unconvinced. Her gaze sharpened as a sly idea bloomed in her mind. Slowly, she smirked, the type of grin that sent chills down Kanade's spine.

"In that case, how about you try the candy yourself?" she offered coyly, leaning forward slightly. "Here, junior, take it—from my mouth."

She fully expected him to react with some kind of flustered eagerness, maybe even stretch out his hand, giving her the perfect opportunity to tease him. She could almost hear herself mock him: "Oh my, so impatient! Were you really hoping for an indirect kiss?"

But instead, Kanade simply waved her off, his expression as neutral as ever. "No thanks. It's dirty."

Kasumigaoka froze, her smirk faltering. "...Dirty?"

"Yeah," Kanade said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Sharing drinks is one thing, but candy? That's a step too far. Do you know how filthy the human mouth is? It's up there with the dirtiest parts of the body."

Kasumigaoka's face darkened instantly, her playful mood evaporating into thin air.

A cricket of a junior dared to call her dirty? Her?

Her frustration at his earlier refusal to "play along" flared back up with a vengeance, mixing with the sting of his casual dismissal. If he thought her mouth was "dirty," she'd make sure he regretted it!

"Perfect," she thought. "Let's see you refuse now!"

Without warning, Kasumigaoka leapt from the sofa, her movements so swift and determined that Kanade barely had time to react. Before he could process what was happening, she had grabbed his arms and pinned him down onto the sofa, her face hovering precariously close to his.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, what are you doing?! Did the fever get to your head?" Kanade's voice was a mix of exasperation and panic as he squirmed against her hold.

"Stop struggling, junior," she said, her tone low and mischievous, though a blush crept up her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with a strange intensity. "I just want to see something. If you really like that flavor, you wouldn't mind proving it, right? Or... have you been lying to me all along?"

"Wake up already!" Kanade grumbled, still trying to wiggle free. He didn't want to hurt her, especially since she wasn't in peak health, but her grip was surprisingly firm for someone who had just been sulking a moment ago.

"It's fine, Kanade-kun," she cooed, her face inching closer. "I just want to... observe your reaction. It's all in the name of research~."

"Yamero!" Kanade growled under his breath. The situation was getting dangerously out of hand.

Just as he debated whether to use force to free himself, salvation came in the form of a loud bzzzz.

The phone on the table buzzed insistently, breaking the tension like a gust of fresh air.

Kasumigaoka froze mid-advance, her expression faltering as the sound yanked her back to reality. With a loud click of her tongue, she pulled away, her expression one of begrudging defeat. "Tch. What a pity..."

Kanade, not missing the opportunity, scrambled upright and grabbed the phone as though it were a lifeline. Pressing it to his ear, he let out a breath of relief. "Thank you, Kato. You have no idea how much you just saved me."

From the other end of the line came Kato Megumi's calm, almost detached voice. "Really? I'm glad I could help, Kanade-kun~."