Stepping out of the girl's warm room, Kaoru was met with the biting night wind, instinctively pulling his coat tighter around himself.
Somehow, it seemed like he always got kicked out afterward.
Kaoru took out his phone.
It was already close to 1 a.m., and it was probably too late to deliver gifts now.
However, he had received messages from quite a few people—Christmas greetings from Ichinose Honami, Sakura Airi, Kamuro Masumi, Yamamura Miki, and Karuizawa Kei.
Kaoru replied to each of them one by one.
The messages remained unread—they were likely asleep at this hour.
It was about time to head back.
Kaoru put away his phone, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the second floor.
At the same time, he decided to start a new ten-draw.
After all, he had accomplished quite a lot over the past two days—whether it was the "dual journey" with Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune or today's encounters with Ichinose Honami, Amikura Mako, Tachibana Akane, and Sakayanagi Arisu—Kaoru had collected plenty of wishes.
After deducting three of them, he had accumulated twelve draws.
This time, he didn't plan to hold back—he wanted to use them all.
[Drawing corresponding rewards now…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the reward—"Pain Transfer"!]
["Pain Transfer": Allows the user to transfer any pain they experience to a designated target. Does not include actual injuries. Duration: one minute.]
...
[Congratulations! You have obtained the reward—"Light of Life"!]
["Light of Life": Restores a small amount of HP to the target. Does not take effect if the target is already dead.]
...
"Bandages," "Stamina Potion," "Grilled Meat," "Painkillers," "Small First Aid Kit," "Bloodsucking Sword"…
[All rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory!]
Looking at these rewards, Kaoru sighed.
Most of them were only useful for minor injuries—clearly not enough to cure Sakayanagi's heart condition, which was a persistent debuff.
The most valuable reward this time was probably "Light of Life," which could restore HP and might be able to save Sakayanagi in a critical moment.
Of course, Kaoru could also use it on certain elderly individuals—there were plenty of people in this world on the verge of death who desperately longed for a miracle like "Light of Life."
Kaoru returned to his room, took a quick shower, and then fell into a deep sleep.
...
Heavy, suffocating, as if something was pressing down on him.
Beyond that, Kaoru faintly caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance.
A warm, soft sensation nestled in his embrace, and his nose tingled slightly.
Perhaps it was the sensitivity of youth, or maybe just the vigor of his prime—despite all he'd been through, Kaoru could still feel the vitality coursing through him.
Yet, that vitality seemed to have settled into a certain soft little hand, and he could even hear her murmuring.
Kaoru opened his eyes to find Kushida Kikyo lying beside him, sharing the same pillow, while she had stolen most of his blanket.
"Good morning, Master," Kushida said with a playful grin. "I thought you'd be with Ichinose. Didn't expect you to spend the night alone. Did she reject you?"
"If she were here today, would you still have barged in?" Kaoru replied expressionlessly, pulling the girl closer.
"Showing up in a man's room first thing in the morning—aren't you embarrassed at all?"
Kushida let him hold her, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She actually quite enjoyed being held by him, but she still teased him.
"Well, what can I do? She took the best spot. Of course, I'd be curious whether you two did anything. If you had, I'd shamelessly join in."
Kaoru's lips twitched, his expression turning odd.
Why was she more eager for a threesome than he was?
"Had enough groping?"
She seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much, and Kaoru was starting to lose his restraint.
The girl in his arms was soft and fragrant, and her hand was currently gripping his most vulnerable spot.
"It's fun, and not what I expected… Well, not entirely unexpected. I thought only guys got addicted to this, but then I realized it hurts at first, but then it feels good." Kushida sounded a little shy, but in front of Kaoru, she didn't want to keep pretending.
After all, he was the one who corrupted her.
"Did you steal my key just for this?" Kaoru asked flatly, his fingers teasing her.
The plump softness in his grasp was like a ripe peach, her snow-white skin peeking from her collar, so tempting he wanted to take a bite.
"Who would do something like that? I'm not some shameless woman. If I wanted to do this kind of thing, I could get a boyfriend anytime."
As she spoke, Kushida let out a soft moan, her brows furrowing slightly as if enduring his touch.
Then, her body stiffened when Kaoru began his counterattack, making her legs instinctively press together.
"Mhm, the not shameless Kikyo—tell me, have you gone to the bathroom today?" Kaoru whispered in her ear, his voice gentle but his movements rough.
"Ah—! Y-you… you pervert…!" Kushida's face flushed red, his voice triggering an involuntary reaction in her body.
"Mmm… I-I was wrong… stop… Master, ah—! I really can't hold back…"
Listening to her ragged breaths, Kaoru smirked and finally stopped, letting her recover.
"I've had enough. Every time I'm with you, I end up humiliating myself," Kushida huffed, glaring at him.
"No biting my ears next time!"
"Really? You were clearly enjoying yourself too, so how can you blame me?" Kaoru said nonchalantly, as the girl's excitement had already transmitted completely to him through her fingertips.
"You forced me!" Kushida Kikyo naturally refused to admit it, then, as if venting, made Kaoru hold his breath. She smirked triumphantly, "Now I've got you. Should I help you out?"
Their eyes met, and Kaoru leaned in for a kiss.
No girl could resist the feeling of a kiss—the kind that made her heart leap out of her chest, soft and tender, pressing close together.
The person she liked was right before her, as if wrapped in his fervent warmth, leaving her whole body weak and tingling.
Before she knew it, Kaoru had wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
As she frowned, that strange yet familiar sensation returned.
"I've done something bad again. I feel like I'm beyond saving. What should I do?" Kushida looped her arms around his neck, her dazed gaze seeming to murmur to herself.
"It's fine. I'm here." Kaoru paused, then added.
"Besides, this side of Kikyo is something only I get to see. I'm perfectly satisfied."
"Sounds like I'm the one at a disadvantage!" Kushida Kikyo pouted slightly before smiling again.
"Hmph, I want to be on top. This isn't comfortable enough."
Perhaps out of caution, Kushida Kikyo was wearing casual clothes today, though her coat and sweater had already been tossed aside.
All that remained was a long-sleeved undershirt and a pleated skirt, giving off the vibe of a cozy, domestic girlfriend.
Kaoru stared for a moment before realizing—it was actually his long-sleeved shirt.
She must have taken it the other day and was now wearing it back.
Kushida Kikyo quite liked this.
She interlaced her fingers with his, their hands clasped together, giving her enough support to avoid fumbling around.
"How do I look?"
"Lewd."
"You're lewd too. Much lewder than me."
"Girls who aren't lewd would be shy. Only our little Kikyo is addicted."
"Cut it out! Karuizawa does it way more than I do!"
"Kei just likes clinging to me."
"I don't care. I want it too—the same number of times!"
"..."
"Hey, should we record a video?"
Kushida was curious about how she looked right now.
Without a mirror, she thought of having Kaoru film her so she could admire it later.
"It's better not to record stuff like this," Kaoru frowned. "If it accidentally gets leaked, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Kushida thought about it and realized he was right.
Their phones were school-issued—who knew if the school could access their private files?
"What about the photos of me from before?"
"I deleted them."
"Huh? Didn't you say you uploaded them to the cloud?"
"I lied."
"Grr—"
Kushida nearly burned red with embarrassment and squeezed him hard a few times in retaliation.
Just as the two were enjoying their morning "exercise," the door to the room quietly cracked open.
"Strange, why is there a pair of shoes here?"
Hearing the murmur, Kushida and Kaoru froze, then turned to see Karuizawa Kei stepping into the room.
Their gazes locked, and the items in Karuizawa Kei's hands fell to the floor.