Soon, Kamuro realized her voice had been a bit too loud.
Under the increasingly odd stares from those around her, she grew visibly uncomfortable and simply shut her mouth.
"Shall I give you two some time?" Sakayanagi's lips curled slightly, carrying a soft smile.
"Where are you going?" Kaoru asked.
"To buy drinks for you." Sakayanagi leaned on her cane and turned away without hesitation.
Kamuro silently sat up and untied the ropes binding the two of them.
"I'm not naive enough to believe her words, let alone a joke like that," Kaoru suddenly remarked.
Kamuro paused briefly before murmuring, "That has nothing to do with me."
"But I get the feeling you're really annoyed with me," Kaoru glanced at her.
His Emotion Perception reminded him that she was currently agitated.
"You're only realizing that now?" Kamuro's tone was stiff.
"A pervert who harasses girls—no one in the world would like someone like that."
"So that's how it is?" Kaoru said.
"I thought you were just irritated because Sakayanagi keeps ordering you around."
Kamuro brushed aside the hair falling near her cheek and lifted her chin.
"No, you're right. That does annoy me. Around the two of you, I feel like a puppet being manipulated at will."
Kaoru thought for a moment before speaking.
"I'll talk to Katsuragi later and ask him to assign you a different partner."
The fingers twirling her hair suddenly stilled.
Kamuro stared fixedly at Kaoru before replying nonchalantly after a pause, "Sakayanagi won't agree. She's very interested in you right now. If not for her condition, she'd probably be joining you on the field herself."
"But if you're unwilling, I can't force you to participate with me," Kaoru said calmly.
Kamuro curled her lips in displeasure.
"Hearing that from you feels weird. Weren't you the one who forced someone to show you their—"
"I never forced you."
"Didn't you?"
"Have I?"
"I don't know."
For some reason, the atmosphere gradually turned awkward and silent.
Just as Kaoru was about to speak after a moment of contemplation, Kamuro suddenly said.
"Tell me the truth—do you think I'm jealous?"
The girl remained seated, hands clenched tightly on her lap, trying to maintain a composed expression.
Yet her eyes betrayed the turmoil within.
"No. Jealousy requires that Kamuro-san likes someone and wants to monopolize them," Kaoru touched his cheek.
"But Kamuro-san definitely doesn't like me, right? At least, not as a member of the opposite sex."
Though his words aligned with what she wanted to hear, they inexplicably irritated her.
Kamuro averted her gaze slightly.
"Yeah, as long as you understand."
As she spoke, her chest tightened faintly, and her trembling lashes made her eyes seem half-lidded.
"But I quite like Kamuro-san," Kaoru gazed at the sky from where he sat.
"Maybe it's lust, but whether as the opposite sex or as a friend—I like you, Kamuro-san."
Her breath hitched, as if something had suddenly struck her.
Her entire body became sensitive, her cheeks burning hot.
Kamuro Masumi swallowed, her mouth dry and parched.
After a moment of silence, Kamuro shot him a sidelong glance before spitting out one words.
"Pervert."
"Is liking you considered perverted?" Kaoru asked, puzzled.
"Because you've said this kind of thing to many girls."
Though her tone was skeptical, Kamuro stated it as a fact.
Kaoru dodged the topic and instead asked, "Do you really not want to change partners?"
Kamuro frowned, visibly displeased. "If you have the guts, go ahead and replace me."
Kaoru glanced at the rope she had untied, his silence deafening.
"Break. We need a break," Kamuro said after a pause. "And stop changing the subject in front of me. How many girls have you... never mind, I don't care. Just don't say that word to me again."
"Can I still say it now?" Kaoru blinked. "From the very first second of enrollment, I've liked you, Kamuro-san. Your face is adorable, your legs are fair, and the way you talk—"
Before he could finish, Kamuro abruptly smacked him, cutting him off while muttering curses.
"Do you really have to spout such embarrassing lines to feel satisfied?"
"Cough, just telling the truth," Kaoru groaned, clutching his stomach.
Kamuro stood up, ignoring him, and strode toward the rest area with her long legs.
Kaoru lay on the ground for a while until a shadow suddenly fell over his face.
"Do you still need the rope?"
It sounded like Ai Morishita's voice.
He tilted his head up, meeting her calm gaze.
"Probably not anymore." Kaoru sat up, casually removing the rope from his calf.
"Are you practicing the three-legged race too?"
Aside from the mixed-gender three-legged race, there was also a group competition—girls with girls, boys with boys.
Kaoru had already found his partner.
"Tanihara's rope snapped, and there are no extras in class. Katsuragi said he'd try to borrow some straps next time," Ai explained, standing beside him.
"I saw you and Kamuro-san weren't practicing anymore, so I thought I'd ask if I could borrow yours."
"She's taking a break. Not sure if we'll practice later, but you can take it for now." Kaoru handed her the rope, the brief touch of her soft fingertips lingering.
Ai took the rope but didn't leave immediately.
Instead, she asked curiously, "Did you two fight?"
"Why do you ask?" Kaoru tilted his head.
"Because Mitoma-kun is a player, and everyone's been wondering when things would blow up between you." Ai seemed oblivious to his dark expression and added.
"Also, I'm curious—why don't Sakayanagi-san and the others get mad at you?"
"Because they're not my girlfriends yet." Kaoru paused. "You ask me, but I'd like to know the answer too."
Ai stroked her chin, murmuring to herself, "So you're a lecherous man, yet they don't mind your lechery. How strange."
With that, she took a small step back.
Since Morishita Ai could sense that Kaoru was staring at her thighs—she was wearing shorts, leaving her fair-skinned legs naturally exposed—she took a step back.
"Was my gaze that obvious?"
"No, I didn't sense any malice, but it still felt... perverted. Sorry, please forgive my reflexive reaction."
"But was stepping back really necessary?"
"Some instinct told me that if I got too close to you, I'd end up becoming perverted too."
"..."
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