A date? Sounded like such a hassle.
Just the two of them, alone—could anything be worse?
She was starting to regret it.
She shouldn't have agreed to this in a moment of impulsiveness. Using skipping class as a cover for his intentions—how sneaky.
Even if she hadn't realized it at the time, it was still sneaky.
And why did he have to say it out loud? How was she supposed to pretend not to notice now?
Kamuro could easily imagine how their classmates would view her.
The rumors about the two of them were already ambiguous enough, and now they'd skipped class in front of everyone.
She'd probably never be able to clear her name.
"So this is your method. How capable of you."
Kamuro held the beer with both hands as they walked through the mall.
At this point, there was no turning back.
"Buying the entire mall, deliberately shutting off the surveillance cameras, and tricking a minor into drinking—are you planning to take advantage of me?"
"Yeah, I'm fantasizing about your body."
Kaoru's tone was dismissive.Kamuro gritted her teeth in frustration.
It was always like this—this guy always knew how to provoke her emotions, yet she could never retaliate against him.
It was truly infuriating!
Occasionally, he should be the one getting teased and messed with by her!
Bang!
With a loud noise, Kaoru stopped in his tracks and turned to see a conspicuous footprint now marked on the vending machine.
Shifting his gaze, he saw Kamuro's face flushed bright red, looking somewhat exhilarated.
She was the one who had caused the sound just now.
"Are you drunk?"
Kaoru noticed the beer can in her hand was already empty, the girl's grip so tight it nearly crumpled the aluminum.
"Hah, who's drunk now!"
Kamuro's breathing grew rapid, her voice significantly louder.
"It's my birthday today anyway! I never needed you meddling from the start. What does it matter what I do alone?"
She really seemed drunk.
Such low alcohol tolerance?
But her drinking manners were rather poor—probably the type who gets increasingly reckless with each drink.
Fueled by mental exhilaration, she'd indiscriminately attacked the vending machine.
Indeed, she shouldn't be allowed to drink more.
"But birthdays should be happy occasions. Though this method is foolish, I want to become accomplices with Masumi—to understand how you usually feel."
"That's utterly pathetic!"
"How does committing a crime feel?"
"Shut up!"
Kamuro lifted the beer can, apparently intending to toss it into the trash bin, but accidentally put too much force into it.
The can traced a parabolic arc through the air and, under Kaoru's watchful gaze, plummeted straight down to the first-floor lobby.
They were currently on the third floor.
Fortunately, there were no pedestrians below, or this would definitely count as throwing objects from a height for Kamuro.
"How terrible."
Kamuro touched her cheek. "Is my body burning up? I feel so hot all over, like I'm bursting with endless energy."
"You're simply drunk. You're forbidden from touching beer ever again."
Kaoru walked to the trash bin and casually tossed his own beer can inside.
The one downstairs could wait for now.
"I don't need your lectures! Besides, I'm not drunk at all—I feel perfectly alert!"
Kamuro glared at Kaoru, then shifted her gaze to the shopping mall.
"This is actually my first time seeing the mall so quiet and empty. It's always so noisy normally."
"Want to experience all the shops?" Kaoru asked.
Kamuro patted her head, trying to sober up a bit. "Are there any stores that normally don't allow students in?"
"This is what you usually care about?"
Kaoru was somewhat speechless.
"None of your business! I'm just curious."
Kamuro muttered quietly, "Spent so many points just to wander around the mall. You idiot."
You should've said so earlier—it's not like I couldn't have taken you out somewhere.
"Shops where students can't spend money... I suppose they'd be venues specifically designed for teachers."
"B-bars?"
"Absolutely not. Not in your current state."
"Stop nagging!"
"..."
Kaoru sighed in resignation and had no choice but to take her to the bar.
The bars here were essentially identical to those outside—clearly set up for office workers.
Normally, not only teachers would visit, but other Kōyuku employees could also drop by for a drink.
Under usual circumstances, the staff would have shooed them away.
But now, armed with his Cash superpower, Kaoru smoothly escorted Kamuro through the bar's entrance.
"See? It doesn't look that special—pretty much like a yakiniku place."
"Your expectations for bars are too high, aren't they?"
"Don't TV shows often depict protagonists picking up women in bars? Depressed women drinking some Bikini Cocktail, then the protagonist can hit on them and eventually get a room together."
"Does such a TV drama exist?"
"When watching those scenes, I'd always wonder—what do cocktails taste like? What does it feel like to drink in a bar?"
Kamuro let out a deep sigh, then grew agitated again, veins bulging on her forehead.
"The result is about the same as a yakiniku restaurant—this is practically fraud!"
"Bars are just like that; you're overthinking it." Kaoru led her out of the bar.
Though they had drunk beer earlier, openly ordering cocktails in a bar would create a bad impression.
Bang!
"Ahaha, Mitoma, you died again!"
In the arcade, Kamuro was unusually excited.
She picked up the light gun with extreme seriousness, having already taken down Kaoru seventeen times—a complete victory!
"Pathetic! What kind of terrible gameplay is this? Coordinate with me! You're such a useless man. How dare you bring a girl to the arcade with skills like this!"
Perhaps alcohol had clouded her judgment, as she now appeared more spirited than usual.
Her classmates would probably never believe the woman wreaking havoc in the arcade was Kamuro.
Well, they likely wouldn't imagine her occasionally kicking the machine while muttering about why the drinks wouldn't fall out either.
Kaoru had no choice but to buy milk and honey to sober her up first—otherwise, today's plans would likely be ruined.
"Uwah, wh-what is this?"
Kamuro took a sip of milk, her face contorting with disgust, "It's slimy and doesn't taste good at all. Did you give me some weird drink?"
"Pure milk." Kaoru said, "If we keep arguing, it'll be lunch break soon."
At these words, Kamuro seemed to regain a moment of clarity.
"So fast? It feels like only seconds have passed. You really spend money like water!"
Was she going to keep harping on this all day?
"So frustrating. Being dragged out by you for no reason—my future life is definitely ruined. Honestly, from the moment I got involved with you, I've been like an idiot, constantly being played by you."
"Can't you have any positive thoughts about me?"
"Heh, there's no way to be optimistic. Having a Harem Overlord around me, who didn't even spare me—just thinking about it makes me despair."
"Hold on. Today is your birthday."
"My birthday?"
Kamuro knocked on her own head, "Seems like it is. Skipping school for my birthday, even this part is under your control. I don't know what to do anymore."
"Didn't I tell you already?" Kaoru said calmly, "You can order me to do one thing today. Consider it your birthday gift."
"So the birthday person gets what they want?"
Kamuro raised her eyebrows—this didn't seem bad.
"Since you didn't want to attend a birthday party anyway."
Kaoru said, "You might as well spend the day however you like."
Kamuro closed her eyes.
Celebrating her birthday—no matter how she thought about it, felt completely unrelated to her. This was just how things had always been.
When she first left home and applied to Koudo Ikusei, she didn't think it was anything special.
Advancing to higher education, getting a job—these were just excuses to convince her parents.
The reason she took the entrance exam was probably because it didn't matter where she went.
She just never expected to actually be accepted.
Initially, when she heard about the S System, Kamuro didn't have any particular thoughts.
She just slightly felt the person next to her was impressive for being able to predict these things.
Whether she could graduate from Class A or get expelled for some reason—though she felt a bit nervous, Kamuro realized she was different from them.
What was there to care about?
Even if she got expelled, she could just transfer to another school.
If she couldn't advance her education, she'd obediently find work.
When it came to life plans, Kamuro rarely thought about such things.
Her daily life was simply that of an ordinary student: attending classes and resting, nothing more.
She stole things because she felt like it—no particular reason.
Kamuro wasn't short on money, nor did she have any psychological issues.
She simply wondered: if she took a few things, would anyone notice?
This was probably what they called a twisted sense of amusement, right?
After all, the things she stole were usually not used but kept as trophies.
Later, when Sakayanagi Arisu discovered it and Kaoru used the Cold Reading Technique to coax the truth out of her, aside from being startled and resentful, Kamuro didn't think it was a big deal.
There was nothing to worry about in the first place. She had nothing worth caring about, and even if she got expelled, no one would mind.
Holding such thoughts, Kamuro was confessed to for the first time.
"Let me ask you something."
The girl suddenly opened her eyes.
Kaoru looked at her in confusion, waiting for her to continue.
"Why do you want to make me happy?"
Kaoru was slightly taken aback, then pondered and said, "Maybe it's easier to win you over that way."
Kamuro's expression remained blank. As expected, he was a playboy, always thinking about women.
"Fine, there's one thing that would make me happy right now. Are you willing to do it?"
"Go ahead."
"Promise me first."
"…"
Kaoru gave in.
He had thought she was still drunk, but she had sobered up so quickly and even knew how to trap him.
Still, it didn't matter if he agreed.
Though Kamuro was often harsh toward him, she wasn't a bad person at heart.
However, the next moment, Kaoru saw Kamuro break into a smile and point a finger at him.
"Cross-dress for me!"
Damn it, she was acting out while drunk.
"It's almost lunch break; people will be coming soon."
Kaoru tried to refuse. "Besides, where would I find clothes to change into?"
"No, no, no. It's precisely because people will be coming that I want you to cross-dress."
As she spoke, Kamuro naturally began unbuttoning her own clothes."
"Don't worry about the clothes—we can swap!"
In that instant, Kaoru fully understood: he must never let her drink again.