Okay, it wasn't that exaggerated, actually.
If Akira with the Learning Ability A buff was like having his sanity overloaded after Kanakin Originium, then without this buff, Akira wouldn't have zero sanity; he would just return to his original level.
However, after having tasted that feeling of a flexible mind and clear thoughts, letting Akira revert to being mediocre felt like a constipated blockage, extremely uncomfortable.
Class monitor… Class monitor! I want you right now…!
Your talent!
Akira truly craved the class monitor's talent, mainly because this talent was more effective than indulgences like coffee, cigarettes, or tea. It was similar to the forced calmness effect of Undead Will, significantly reducing the probability of Akira becoming delirious and going insane.
So, without this buff, Akira was experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
This was like tasting forbidden fruit for the first time and then being unable to resist doing it every day, that feeling of knowing the pleasure and itching for more always lingered in his mind.
One could say that Akira's mind had already been corrupted by Anri Hitomi's right hand.
On the other side, Miyako looked at her hand that had been shaken off, her icy expression frozen as she fell into a daze.
"…"
Her hand was shaken off as if he had touched something dirty…
Was it really that bad?
I'm serious, is it necessary?
Does my hand smell?
My palms aren't even sweating?
It's the first time in my life that I've mustered the courage to take a boy's hand, but this is the result I get. Miyako's heart is greatly wounded.
She grasps her left wrist with her right hand, turns her face to the right, and her eyes are about to die again.
Heh heh… Anyway, I'm good for nothing except for having a pretty face…
"You're holding it wrong. Let's hold it again."
"Huh?"
Then she saw Akira go around to her right side, facing her, and forcibly grab her right hand with his right hand.
"Ugh…"
Moreover, his way of holding it was also very strange. He held it for a moment, let go, raised his hand to look at it in front of his face, and then held it again, repeating this several times.
Thinking that Akira had also asked to see her hand at the shrine before, maybe he is continuing to test the feel of it now?
Although she doesn't understand what he is doing, the fact that Akira took the initiative to hold her hand cheered up the depressed Miyako, at least he doesn't dislike her hand for being dirty.
"I don't want to hold hands…"
"You don't? Then what is it?"
"…"
I want to hold hands with you…
How could I possibly say such a thing!
If I'm not in a relationship, but I express that I want to hold hands, wouldn't that be the same as confessing?
Therefore, Miyako doesn't want to admit that she wants to hold hands, and she also realizes that her behavior just now was a bit reckless.
Fortunately, she immediately thought of an excuse and said without changing her expression.
"I saw that you weren't saying anything, and I was afraid you'd go the wrong way, so I was reminding you."
Akira also replied indifferently.
"Oh, thank you for your reminder, then to prevent you from getting lost, let's hold hands."
"…"
He's just teasing me!
He must have seen that I just wanted to hold hands, so he's retaliating here… Mean!
Although she was very angry, Miyako didn't show it, and in the end, she honestly let Akira hold her left hand with his right hand.
Then the anger quickly disappeared.
Feeling the feeling of holding hands, an unparalleled sense of security welled up in Miyako's heart.
In her memory, the last time she held hands seemed to be before she started elementary school, when she was visiting an amusement park with her family, and her first father held her hand to prevent her from getting lost.
At that time, her hands were still small, and her height was also very short. Being held by her tall father required her to lift her entire arm, as if she was being dragged along by her father, which felt very uncomfortable, so in the end, she switched to her mother holding her hand.
Holding hands with Mom…
So that's how it is… So there was a time when I could get along well with Mom…
Mom, she was once gentle with me too…
"…Excuse me, what are you doing?"
Although she wanted to immerse herself in her memories, Akira's actions really made it impossible for Miyako to remain silent.