"..."
"..."
Pitter-patter...
Neither of them spoke. Only the soft sound of indoor shoes against the floor filled the silence. Chisato's big, crystal-clear eyes blinked. Her arm intertwined with her good friend's.
"What's wrong, Makoto? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Chi-chan... were those words from the heart just now? Or were you threatened?" She knew her friend liked that senior. She couldn't believe Chi-chan would treat him like a stranger and say those things.
"Why would you think I was threatened?" Chisato pouted her bright red lips and laughed. Though Xiaoxiao had done too much at the beginning, now it was undoubtedly her own truth.
Her mind, her feelings, her thoughts toward Senior Yuuto—all had changed.
"I'm sincere~"
"But... don't you like that senior? Why suddenly, suddenly..."
"It's a long story. Anyway, the person I like is Xiaoxiao. That won't change." Chisato spread her hands, ten fingers interlacing. A bright smile crossed her face—a happy smile.
As for Senior Yuuto, she didn't care anymore. She wished she could distance herself immediately, afraid of any misunderstanding. Though Chisato felt she'd never truly taken Senior Yuuto seriously—
Girls always became cautious. They gave their all to the person they loved.
"I love him. I love the time I spend with him. I'm so happy~ Hehe."
Chisato's laughter, to Makoto's eyes, seemed a little dazzling.
"..."
'Why is this happening? Liking him or something... I made a deal with Mu Xiaoxiao because of Chi-chan. And now you tell me Chi-chan actually likes him? Isn't this too ridiculous?'
Himemiya Makoto's mind swirled. She felt a little wronged.
And that guy Mu Xiaoxiao—he'd never told her the truth this whole time. Just to do those dirty things to her, right? That damned wretch!
'He definitely laughed at me behind my back!'
'Why didn't I ask Chi-chan sooner? Then I wouldn't have been so stupid...'
She followed Chisato to the locker room in a daze. Besides them, a few other girls from class were changing. Himemiya Makoto felt lost, unsure what to do next.
"Chisato! What's that?!"
A beautiful girl with lavender long hair and a slightly cool demeanor suddenly approached. She stood before Chisato, staring. "You have a tattoo?!"
'What?'
Himemiya Makoto followed the voice. When she saw her friend Chisato remove her coat, revealing the pink heart-shaped mark on her lower abdomen, her pupils trembled. 'That's the Incubus Pattern.'
That mark—the same as the one on her...
"Huh? Seriously, Chisato, you're a bad girl now? Getting tattoos?"
"But look—this kind of tattoo is so alluring. It's really interesting."
"I don't think this is a tattoo." Chisato quickly waved her hands, cheeks flushed. "Technically it's the same, but... anyway, the boy I like gave it to me."
"Wow! It really is a sexy tattoo! Sounds so fun—I want one too!"
The girls gathered, chattering endlessly. The purple-haired girl's forehead developed a vein. "You guys! Getting tattoos like this violates school rules!"
"Class Rep Shiina, you're so rigid."
"Right. Someone like our class rep doesn't have a boyfriend, so it's normal to be left out."
Teased by everyone, the class rep named Chizuru Shiina's girlish face flushed bright red.
After finally dismissing the curious girls, Chisato put on her gym clothes, covering the Incubus Pattern. "Makoto? What's wrong?"
She noticed her friend still dazed.
Himemiya Makoto pursed her lips, not knowing what to say. She met Chisato's big, bright eyes and delicate, fair cheeks. After a long silence, Makoto silently opened her locker.
In front of Chisato, she slowly removed her school uniform jacket...
Her attractive collarbone and snow-white skin exposed to the air. Chisato's eyes widened bit by bit. The expression on her face gradually shifted to stunned disbelief.
"Makoto, you..."
Looking at the Incubus Pattern on Himemiya Makoto's body—identical to her own—Chisato's pink lips slowly parted. Under her friend's watchful eyes, she covered her face and complained.
"That big villain Xiaoxiao! He's at it again!"
Makoto: "???"
Makoto: "..."
'Chi-chan... what kind of reaction is that?'
---
In the gymnasium, boys played basketball, trying to impress the opposite sex with handsome looks and athletic prowess.
Of course, some less athletic boys sat on the sidelines as inconspicuous spectators.
Mu Xiaoxiao was one of them. The only difference: several beautiful girls sat beside him, drawing envious stares from many boys.
Bang, bang, bang!
The basketball on court suddenly veered off course. It flew straight toward Mu Xiaoxiao with heavy spin and force.
"Watch out!"
"Look out!"
Whether aimed at Mu Xiaoxiao or the girls beside him, a direct hit would likely cause injury. Just as everyone braced for disaster—
The boy sitting cross-legged on the ground raised his eyelids and stretched out his hand.
Boom!
He caught the basketball steadily, holding it firmly.
Beside him, Himemiya Makoto stared with trembling eyes at the ball barely centimeters from Chisato's face. If Mu Xiaoxiao hadn't caught it, maybe...
But Chi-chan—what was that expression? Did she realize how dangerous that was?
"Hehe. I knew if Xiaoxiao was with me, I'd be fine." Chisato sat on Mu Xiaoxiao's other side, leaning shoulder to shoulder. Her intimate posture showed no trace of fear.
Surrounding eyes widened in surprise. They stared at Mu Xiaoxiao with curiosity.
"Are you okay? Sorry about that!" Several boys hurried over to apologize. Their eyes held curiosity as they looked at Mu Xiaoxiao.
"You guys need to be careful. Do you know how dangerous that was?" Chisato complained a few words but didn't continue lecturing. "Good thing Xiaoxiao was here."
Himemiya Makoto watched Mu Xiaoxiao with complicated eyes. Her gaze toward Chisato grew even more tangled. After the boys left, she sneered. "Look at you two. So close."
'You two get close, and I'm the one suffering! Do you even know that!'
"Makoto has a problem with that?" Mu Xiaoxiao tilted his head, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Our agreement was not to hurt Chi-chan. To a certain extent, I haven't hurt her. Chi-chan does everything voluntarily. That's not breaking the deal, is it?"
"...You—you're just twisting words!"
Mu Xiaoxiao shrugged, noncommittal. "Twisting words or not, I'm in the right."
'This guy!'
"Okay, stop arguing, Xiaoxiao." Chisato tugged the boy's hand. "Makoto is my good friend. Don't bully her, okay?"
She leaned her body against him, exhaling softly, speaking coquettishly. "She did all this for me... I'd feel so guilty if you bullied her. If you want, I'll give you anything. I'll do anything~"
"There's no way I'd let a girl I've targeted just walk away." He paused. "But since Chi-chan asked... Makoto, our deal is void."
"Xiaoxiao~"
Moved.
"Don't forget what you said. Anything I want." Mu Xiaoxiao smiled strangely at Chisato.
"Woo... pervert~ hentai~"
Watching these two openly flirting, the corners of Makoto's mouth twitched. Her emotions tangled.
Though he'd let her go, Himemiya Makoto didn't feel very happy.