Back in the classroom, just before class started, Origami turned to Yuki and asked about Kasumigaoka.
"Who was that vixen?" Her eyes narrowed as if she were interrogating a cheating husband.
Yuki knew he had to put a stop to that. So, while no one was looking, he reached over and grabbed hold of Origami's ass.
Caught off guard, Origami's face flushed bright red. "Yuki... not here... This place..."
Her breathing grew heavier as she tried to stop him, her voice warm and breathy. But even as she said that, her body pressed closer to him, and her legs shifted to rest over his thighs.
Seeing her like that, Yuki knew better than to let her get her way. He pulled back just as things were getting heated, leaving her hanging.
"I... Yuki..." Origami's eyes glistened as she looked at him, almost pleading.
But Yuki refused to give in.
"I was wrong," she quickly admitted her mistake, her tone sincere.
Only then did Yuki nod in satisfaction. He went on to explain who Kasumigaoka was.
"She's a light novel author I met online. I thought her writing was good, so..."
After hearing him out, Origami finally understood how Kasumigaoka knew Yuki. "So she's the author of that popular light novel series." Origami looked mildly surprised. "Her book is pretty good." She even offered her own review.
"You've read it?"
"Yeah. I was bored a while back, so I finished it in a day." Origami gave a small nod.
Yuki hadn't expected Origami to have that kind of interest—he had always thought her mind was just filled with lewd thoughts.
"You've got some taste." He smiled, and they chatted a bit more before class started.
When the final bell rang and school let out, the city streets grew lively. Everywhere you looked—alleyways, train stations—there were boys and girls in school uniforms. Among the bustling crowd, a girl in a school uniform walked side by side with a strikingly handsome boy. She carried a large black guitar case on her back.
The two were, of course, Yuki and Ryo Yamada.
Just before school ended, Yuki had received a message from Ryo. She had asked him to meet after school, saying she needed his help with something. She hadn't gone into detail, but since they had already been intimate, Yuki considered her his woman. Of course he would take responsibility.
So, he agreed. After school, he met her at the designated spot and followed her to their destination.
"Hey, Ryo. Why the silent treatment? You're not shy, are you?" Yuki noticed Ryo's quiet demeanor and couldn't help but tease her.
Ryo shook her head. "Being shy... that's for kids. I'm... already an adult now."
Her expression was blank, her voice calm—but Yuki caught the brief flicker of shyness in her yellow eyes. He smiled faintly but didn't call her out on it.
"So, where are we going?" he asked, though from the direction they were heading, he could already guess without using his omniscient abilities—she was taking him to STARRY.
Sure enough, Ryo's answer confirmed it.
"STARRY," she replied flatly.
Yuki smiled and stared directly at her.
"Wh-What?! Is there something on my face?!" A rare trace of nervousness appeared on her usually stoic face as she lightly touched her cheek, checking for anything out of place.
"No, it's just… if we're going to STARRY, why aren't we taking the train? Why are we walking?" Yuki gave her a knowing smile, as if he had already seen right through her.
Tokyo wasn't all that big—taking the train from their school to STARRY would only take about ten minutes. On foot, it would be about twenty. Still, it was a fair distance.
When he asked the question, Ryo looked flustered.
"I... think walking is healthier," she came up with a quick excuse.
But Yuki obviously wasn't buying such a flimsy reason. He had a pretty good guess—this girl just wanted to spend some time alone with him.
"You sure about that? By the time we get there, you might be completely wiped out." He expressed some doubt about her stamina.
"No problem. My P.E. grade at school is a D." Ryo gave him a thumbs-up, her face expressionless.
"You say that like it's something to be proud of. D is the second lowest grade!" Yuki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.
In Japan, grades ran from A to F—A being the highest, F the lowest. Ryo's D grade was just barely above passing. Most students scored a C or B in P.E. D wasn't exactly impressive. As for F—it was hard to imagine a healthy person landing there.
"Alright, fine. If you get tired, I'll carry you." Yuki sighed and played the considerate boyfriend card.
Ryo gave a quiet nod, the corners of her mouth lifting just slightly.
And so, Yuki walked with Ryo all the way to STARRY, treating it as a chance to spend time together. Ryo was clearly enjoying herself.
But the pleasant mood didn't last long. Dark clouds suddenly rolled in, swallowing the setting sun. The air grew heavy with moisture, turning into a light haze. The beautiful sunny day had turned overcast in an instant.
It looked like rain. People around them began hurrying to find shelter—except for those who had umbrellas.
"Yuki-kun, do you have an umbrella? It looks like it's going to rain soon." Ryo turned to look at him.
"Yeah, I do." Yuki nodded and pretended to pull one out from inside his jacket. In truth, he simply created one on the spot.
Ryo watched him pull an umbrella out of his jacket and looked genuinely puzzled. "How big are your pockets? You can actually fit an umbrella in there?"
Even if it was a small folding umbrella, she was still surprised he could pull it out of his jacket. Yuki just smiled and didn't answer.