Chapter 104: I Won’t Let You Off

Kanade Natsukawa lied.

When Utaha Kasumigaoka pressed him, when she teased him and asked him that pointed question:

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

How could he not? She was someone he had once loved.

Maybe it was admiration. Maybe it was infatuation. Regardless, he had pursued her passionately.

So of course he cared. How could he not? Even though his confession had been rejected. Even though, someday, she might find happiness with someone else.

It wasn't his place to interfere. Everyone had the right to pursue their own happiness.

But that didn't mean he wanted to hear about it.

"Has this room been a mess since the day you moved in?" Kanade scolded, gathering the scattered clothes and strewn items around the room. He gave Utaha a pointed look.

Utaha sat on the couch, arms crossed, cheeks puffed in mock indignation. She had no intention of lifting a finger.

Her expression wasn't because of Kanade's nagging. She didn't care about the mess. No, her pout came from frustration.

She had been so close.

The mood had been perfect. She had deliberately exuded charm, positioning herself in a way that even she admitted was borderline seductive. She had been prepared for anything, even for Kanade to lose control and pin her to the bed.

But instead of succumbing, Kanade had brushed her off to… clean her bedsheets?

What kind of teenage boy visits a beautiful senpai's home and focuses on housework instead of her?

Something was wrong with this kouhai of hers!

"Tell me, Kouhai-kun," Utaha said, squinting suspiciously. "Could it be that you… have a certain issue?"

"What are you talking about?" Kanade didn't even look up, busy mopping the floor.

That was just how she was—always saying something outrageous out of the blue. To the outside world, Utaha Kasumigaoka was a poised, literary girl. But Kanade knew better. She was devilishly sharp, endlessly teasing, and had a mind brimming with scenarios that bordered on the indecent.

"Senpai, you should be more mindful of your image," Kanade said without pausing his cleaning. "Even with close friends, there should be a respectable boundary."

Utaha gave a light scoff. "And here I thought you were my closest friend, Kouhai-kun. How heartless."

To Utaha, their relationship was unique. She didn't have many friends to begin with, and with Kanade, she often pushed boundaries to see how far she could go. Sometimes, it was teasing him mercilessly. Other times, she ignored others entirely.

But Kanade's chiding didn't faze her. She simply kicked off her slippers, propped her bare feet on the couch, and hugged her knees.

"Well, Kouhai-kun, I guess you should stop worrying about me then. Just let me rot away in my own filth," she said dramatically, her voice dripping with mock despair.

"Are you a sulking elementary schooler?" Kanade shot back, tossing her a random fruit-flavored candy from his pocket. "Here, have a random-flavor candy and stop whining."

"Meaningless," Utaha muttered, tearing open the wrapper and popping the candy into her mouth.

Her face scrunched up immediately.

"Ugh! What is this? It's bitter!"

"That's what you get for having bad luck," Kanade said, his voice as calm as ever. "I actually like that flavor. Too bad you got it."

"…Is that so?" Utaha's expression softened into a sly smirk. An idea bloomed in her mind.

"Well then, Kouhai-kun, why don't you enjoy it for me? Go ahead and take it back—from my mouth."

She leaned closer, fully intending to tease him further.

Kanade raised an eyebrow. "No thanks. That's disgusting."

Utaha froze, her playful smirk slipping away.

"…Disgusting?"

"Of course. That's unsanitary," Kanade said plainly. "Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth?"

Utaha's face darkened, her soft features hardening into a cold mask of fury.

This kouhai—he actually just called me disgusting?

The small grievance of earlier—the one she'd managed to push aside—now surged back with a vengeance.

Kouhai-kun… you're dead.

In an instant, Utaha sprang to her feet and tackled Kanade onto the couch, pinning him down. Her hands gripped his arms tightly as she leaned in dangerously close, her face inches from his.

"What are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!" Kanade struggled, careful not to use too much force against his "sick" senpai.

"Prove it, Kouhai-kun," Utaha said, her voice tinged with a strange mix of frustration and determination. "Prove you weren't lying about liking that flavor!"

"What are you even talking about?!"

"Don't worry, Kouhai-kun. This is purely scientific. I'm just observing your reaction to determine if you're honest," Utaha murmured, her breath warm against his cheek.

"Y-you're not thinking straight…" Kanade stammered, her face inching closer.

Just as he was contemplating drastic measures, his phone rang loudly from the coffee table.

Utaha froze, blinking as if waking from a trance. She glanced at the phone and let out a quiet "Tch."

"So close…"

"So close to what?!" Kanade exclaimed, using the distraction to wriggle free and grab his phone. Relief flooded him when he saw the name on the screen.

"Thanks, Kato. You've no idea how much you just saved me," Kanade said as he answered.

"Oh? Glad I could help," came Megumi's calm, unruffled voice from the other end.

"…"