Next Target, 400PS!
--------------------------------------------------
In truth, this entire arrangement was Soyo Nagasaki's idea.
If the lights were on and Kai was looking right at her, she knew she would lose her nerve and bolt.
'If I do this... Sakiko and I can finally be a real family!' With that thought anchoring her, Soyo slowly made her way toward the bed.
Even stripped of his sight in the pitch-black room, Kai's superhuman hearing picked up the rustle of a second person slipping under the covers beside Sakiko Togawa.
And the scent... It was unmistakably Soyo!
So this was Sakiko's grand surprise? He had to admit, it was a damn good one.
——————————
Hours later
Thoroughly exhausted, Sakiko had long since passed out. Soyo, on the other hand, still retained just enough strength to stand. It wasn't because she had better stamina. Sakiko had intentionally taken the brunt of the exertion to spare Soyo her first time.
"Hiss!" Drawing in a sharp breath, Soyo stumbled toward the bathroom.
It was hard to move around in the dark, and her foot caught on the edge of a rug. She fell forward.
"Ah~"
Before she could hit the floor, a large hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a warm hug.
"Careful, Miss Nagasaki," Kai murmured right next to her ear.
The sudden voice broke her short moment of relief. Her eyes went wide with shock.
"Y-You!" She jerked her head up. In the suffocating darkness, she could only trace the faint outline of his jawline.
"When did you figure out it was me??" Now that her secret was out, she asked directly.
"From the very beginning," Kai chuckled. He held her waist and helped her walk to the bathroom. "Your scent is something I could never forget after smelling it once."
Was that a compliment?
Strangely enough, she didn't find his comment gross. Instead, she felt a flutter in her chest. For better or worse, he was her first and only man, so it was natural to feel attached.
"D-Don't read too much into it. I only did this for Sakiko, so don't get any weird ideas." Soyo looked away, avoiding his eyes.
"Is that right?" Kai broke into a wide smile. "Well, apologies in advance... Now that you're mine, you belong to me for the rest of your life. If you want to run, feel free to try. See if I don't drag you right back."
He pulled her flush against his chest, tightening his grip.
Soyo pretended to resist for a moment before giving up. Her cheeks turned red as she looked away. He really was arrogant.
Yet... she didn't hate it.
——————————
The next morning
Kai strolled into the classroom in an excellent mood. Hayato Hayama and his crew had finally returned from their extended sick leave.
A crowd quickly gathered around Hayama's desk, asking him about where he'd been. As the most popular guy in school, everyone wanted to know. Feeling trapped, he gave some vague excuses. There was no way he could tell them the real story about him and Kakeru Tobe.
"Kai!"
Yumiko Miura waved him over as soon as he walked in. After he sat down, she pulled her chair over to sit next to him.
"Kai-kun!" Yui Yuigahama beamed at him from his other side.
Yumiko poked his arm to get his attention. "Hey, do you know what actually happened to Hayama and the guys?"
"Why do you ask?" Kai raised an eyebrow, looking at her with mild curiosity.
"I just get the feeling they're acting a little too... intimate?" Yumiko hesitated, trying to find a better word but couldn't. It wasn't an exaggeration. The boys were acting way too friendly.
Across the room, Hayama slumped into his chair, looking exhausted from fending off the crowd. Tobe immediately pulled out a tissue and began dabbing at the non-existent sweat on Hayama's forehead.
"Hayato," Tobe murmured.
Hayama gave Tobe a warm smile and lowered his voice. "We're in class. If people notice, it'll cause problems..."
In Japan, harsh rumors could ruin someone's social life almost instantly.
"Don't worry. Everyone will just think we're really tight bros. They won't overthink it," Tobe assured him. He had already justified the behavior in his head.
They were part of the same popular group and had always been close friends. Being a little tactile was fine. Plus, they were both guys. Nobody was going to jump straight to that conclusion.
"Good point," Hayama agreed. Tobe's logic made sense. He looked at Tobe with a softer expression. "You're so smart, Kakeru."
"Hayato!"
Even from far away, watching that scene gave Yumiko goosebumps all over.
"..." She shuddered. At first, she thought it was just a strange feeling, but now it was obvious. How did a few days off make them act like this?
Kai was struggling to keep a straight face. 'They begged Shizuka and me to keep quiet, but they can't even hide it themselves?'
Kai cleared his throat and kept his voice neutral. "They're just close friends. You're overthinking it."
"Close friends?" Yumiko scoffed. She knew Kai wasn't telling her everything. She quietly pointed at Yamato and Ooka. "Do close friends do that?"
Under the desk, where no one could easily see, Yamato and Ooka were holding hands, their fingers tightly intertwined.
"You know something, don't you?" Even Yui was staring at him now, dying to know the secret.
Kai sighed. It wasn't his fault they were making their relationship so obvious. Expecting him to cover for them when they acted like this in public was just wishful thinking.
"You guys remember what Cursed Spirits are, right?"
It was an abrupt subject change, but Yumiko and Yui both nodded. Kai had given them a recent thorough crash course to ensure they understood the dangers of the hidden world.
"Like Jujutsu Sorcerers, many Cursed Spirits have their own abilities, similar to Cursed Techniques. These powers can be very different. Sometimes, they can even change a person's basic preferences." Kai smirked. "A power like that isn't too strange, right?"
He felt his explanation was vague enough. He wasn't spelling it out directly. What more could the guys ask for?
"Changing a preference doesn't sound that—" Yumiko began, but then she realized what he meant. She looked back at Hayama and his friends. "Wait. When you say changing preferences... You don't mean..."
Kai just shrugged. What else could it mean?
That single gesture was all the confirmation they needed.
Yui gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. So this was what a Cursed Spirit could do? It was truly evil.
"The curse was originally only targeting Tobe. But they insisted on demonstrating their deep brotherhood by tagging along to meet his online girlfriend," Kai mused. "Now they're true bros for life."
The lesson was simple: mind your own business, or you might end up with an unpleasant surprise.
Yumiko and Yui stared at him, trying to process how little sympathy he had. Calling their situation 'bros for life' was just savage.
--------------------------------------------------
~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)