Good.
Her not rejecting him on the spot was already the best outcome.
So Sasaki did not take the opportunity to act shamelessly.
Striking while the iron was hot might work sometimes, but it depended on the atmosphere.
Kasumi's mood was clearly unstable, and if he pushed further, it would only make things worse.
With that thought, he withdrew his hand, smoothed her wrinkled sleeve, and held her gently.
"It is okay. I will work hard to make you accept me. Let us eat now."
Seeing her listless expression, he stroked her soft hair.
"I know Kasumi's heart is in a mess right now and you are not in the mood to eat. But if you do not eat, you will not have the strength to resent me. If you do not resent me, I might think you have accepted me."
"If Kasumi accept me, I can..."
When she saw him glance at her chest again and felt the hand around her waist turning unruly, her face flushed once more. "I..I'll eat... stop messing around..."
Afraid he would tease her again while she was eating, Kasumi Haruno straightened her back, her round bottom slightly lifted.
"...You should also sit back and eat. The food is getting cold."
Hmm..he could not upset her, but staying within her acceptable limits was fine.
Placing both hands on her curved waist and hips, Sasaki pressed down lightly and made her sit on him again before leaning forward to grab his bowl and chopsticks.
"Alright, let us eat together."
Because of his shameless action, Kasumi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
However, since he only held her and did nothing excessive, and because she still liked him and enjoyed being close to him, she said nothing.
As he occasionally picked food for her, she ate the nearly cold lunch in small bites.
After they finished eating, and because she was still in a bad mood, Kasumi only told Sasaki to put the dishes in the sink to soak before going upstairs to her room.
Of course, he did not leave them like that.
Although it seemed like a small matter, when she came downstairs later to cook dinner, seeing clean dishes instead of greasy ones would create two completely different moods.
More importantly, it was related to her impression of Sasaki's lifestyle.
So only after cleaning everything did Sasaki go upstairs to her room.
After his honest confession, Kasumi clearly was not in the mood to study.
After he entered the house, Sasaki saw Kasumi lying on the bed, covered with a thin blanket, her back facing the door.
Looking at her, he gently closed the door and walked toward the bed.
After slipping off his slippers, he quietly slid into bed beside her.
Filled with Kasumi's scent, he reached out his arm, wrapped it around her waist, pulled her closer into his embrace, and then remained still.
Soon, her body, which had stiffened the moment he got into bed, gradually relaxed.
As fine rain pattered softly against the window outside, the two of them stayed pressed together in silence.
After a short while, Sasaki nuzzled his face into her hair and said softly, "Kasumi, can you join my Club?"
Although she resented and could not accept his promiscuity, she still deeply enjoyed the feeling of being held by him while listening to the gentle rain outside.
Now, hearing him suddenly speak, Kasumi was visibly startled.
"A Club?"
With his thumb resting against the silky fabric over her stomach, he gently caressed her soft belly, humming in affirmation.
"Mm."
Ignoring his small movements, which had only begun after she responded, Kasumi focused on what he had said.
As far as she knew, was he not helping at the Library? How did a Club suddenly appear?
Still lying with her back to him, she asked in confusion, "Is it a Club you created?"
"No, but it is not much different."
Not much different.
From those words, she formed a guess.
"It would not be a Club created by your lovers, would it?"
"Kasumi is very smart," Sasaki replied with a smile.
Before she could continue, he added, "Do you not want to know why they accepted that together arrangement?"
"Aren't you curious? Don't you want to ask them yourself?"
Curious, she certainly was.
But if that Club was filled with his lovers, then as an outsider, joining would not only make her feel awkward, it would make everyone uncomfortable.
Because of that, she hesitated.
"I would rather not. It is full of your lovers, and it would not be appropriate for me to join."
Since he had so many lovers, she was also afraid that if she refused, his contact with her might lessen.
While she could not accept his Playboy nature, she still couldn't let go of this intimacy.
So, after a brief pause, she added quietly, "But if I have time, I will go take a look myself... if it is not too much trouble."
Although that was not the answer he had hoped for, it was still acceptable.
Sasaki tightened his arm around her waist.
"No trouble at all. After we submit the Club application next week and confirm the Club room, I will tell you the location."
"Mm."
After she responded, neither of them spoke again.
They returned to the same quiet yet strangely warm atmosphere as before.
Time passed slowly until Sasaki heard her breathing become soft and steady.
Raising himself slightly, he leaned over to look at her sleeping face.
Then he reached for the phone he had placed on the bedside table before getting into bed.
13:30.
After confirming the time, he quietly got out of bed.
He adjusted the blanket over her, tidied the textbooks on the table, placed them into his school bag, and then walked out of the room.
...
When Kasumi woke up, the sky outside was already pitch black, and the sound of rain hitting the window had weakened considerably.
Lying flat on the bed, she reached out and touched the other side... however.
The warmth had long since faded.
Resting her head back on the pillow, she stared at the dim ceiling and sighed inwardly.
Although she had known he would not stay, when she realised he had truly left, she still felt a faint sense of disappointment.
Turning her head toward the low table not far from the bed, she noticed it was empty.
Not even a note.
After lying there quietly for a while and calming herself down, Kasumi threw off the thin blanket and got out of bed.
As usual, she went downstairs, turned on the lights, and walked into the kitchen to cook.
However, just as she was about to open the refrigerator door, she noticed a yellow sticky note attached to it.
It read:
[I have already made dinner for you. Just heat it up when you wake up, and it will be ready.
Remember to praise me after you eat it ~
Sasaki.]
As she took down the note and looked at the familiar handwriting, Kasumi's carefully composed mood instantly became unsettled again.
As her heart beat faster in her chest, she could not help but smile softly.
"Really... why did you not remind me in my room... how mischievous..."
...
Click.
Sasaki capped the pen, put it into his school bag, stood up, and stuck the note onto the refrigerator.
After checking that all the windows in her house were properly closed, he picked up his belongings and left.
As he glanced at the fine rain still falling from the eaves, he was about to open his umbrella when his phone chimed with a message notification.
At this time, he already had a guess about who it was.
Leaning his umbrella against the door, he took out his phone.
[Sasaki-kun, I heard from your little sister that you're not home today~ You haven't forgotten our promise, have you? Those who break a promise have to swallow a thousand silver needles, you know~ (serious.jpg)] 13:36
13:36 Read
[Kurumizaka-san would not really make me swallow needles, would she?]
13:37
[That depends on whether Sasaki-kun breaks his promise.]
13:37
[So if you do not want to swallow needles, you should come back early.]
13:38
[Otherwise~ Reina, Yukina, and I, if the three of us combine, you will have to swallow three thousand needles in total~]
13:38 Read
[...]
13:38 Read
[I know, I know. I will be back as soon as possible.]
13:39
[Okay~ We will be waiting for you at home~]
Putting away his phone, Sasaki opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain.
To be honest, he had not fully understood Kurumizaka Ruri's intentions at first.
After all, she had intimate videos of him with other girls, the explicit ones.
Considering what she wanted from him...hm, logically, she could have threatened him directly.
So why delete them in front of him?
After thinking about it, he concluded that she was likely trying to gain his favour by deleting them.
Moreover, since she knew his secret, he was naturally at a disadvantage in conversations and interactions.
It seemed like a carrot-and-stick method, a soft form of control that would not make him resent the three girls while still keeping him restrained.
One could only say that Ruri Kurumizaka truly deserved her reputation as a young lady from a prominent family.
He indeed did not resent them and even had a good impression of them.
After all, he didn't like anyone threatening him.
From Sasaki's perspective, although the method was roundabout, it did not change the fact that he was a hunter.
When the time came, he would make them cry and then see who was truly in control.
.
.
.