"How could I possibly do it on purpose?" Shichen shook his head and answered calmly.
"How is that not possible? Why else would we end up in this kind of place?" Kyouko lifted her head and glared at him in embarrassed anger.
She'd thought this guy acted properly around people—turns out he'd just been faking it!
"I really don't know. This ability just teleports to an empty spot. I guess this was the only place with no one in it," Shichen continued to play dumb.
"You expect me to buy that? There's no way it's such a coincidence. You brought me here on purpose, didn't you? Planning to take advantage of me?" Kyouko demanded.
"Not at all. I'd rather stand here and watch the students getting changed outside than do anything to you."
"You… Am I worse than them in your eyes?" Kyouko pressed against him, furious.
"That's not it," Shichen shook his head. "You're really cute and very attractive—it's just that your status is a hassle."
"My status? Tch~ You're actually worried about that?" Kyouko instantly understood: he was just wary of the trouble that came with her being a celebrity.
"It's not that I'm scared, just that I don't want my life with Lala and the others getting harassed by paparazzi," Shichen explained.
"That's all?"
"What else? It's annoying. And you do know I've got other women, right?"
"You mean that tiny elf-looking girl, Frieren, and the golden-haired assassin?" Kyouko recalled them.
From that game world last time, both had left quite an impression—enough to make even her feel something.
As for Yami, looking her up had been a shock. That notorious an assassin? No wonder she was that strong.
"Not just them… Anyway, that's how it is. I really don't want tabloids blasting my private life as a principal all over the place."
"As the principal, you can't handle something like that?"
"Principal doesn't mean omnipotent."
"But your abilities are pretty strong, aren't they? You don't have any tricks to handle paparazzi?"
"Oh, I do. It's just too much hassle, and I don't feel like creating trouble."
"Calling it 'trouble'… so I'm not worth it to you?" Kyouko stared at him, annoyed.
"Worth it or not…" Shichen gave her a look. "Honestly, why are you so eager to throw yourself at me?"
"T-that's…" Kyouko's gaze skittered away.
"You do have an ulterior motive, don't you?" Shichen pressed.
"H-how could I—mmph!" Kyouko started denying loudly, but Shichen quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
In the cramped closet, his right hand was braced between them to keep a bit of space.
Kyouko wasn't paying attention to that at all. When she realized what he'd done, she froze and didn't dare make a sound.
Not that she actually needed to worry—Shichen had already put up a soundproof barrier. No one outside could hear a thing.
Except for one person.
Tap, tap, tap—
Footsteps came closer to the lockers. Through the sliver of the door, Kyouko could see long, golden hair.
Right now, there was only one girl at this school with long golden hair.
The golden-haired girl stopped in front of their locker and reached for the handle.
Thump-thump—
Inside, Kyouko had no idea what was happening. Her heart hammered so hard that Shichen could feel it clearly through the softness pressed against him.
She looked at him, utterly panicked, her eyes saying, What do we do?
Shichen could only shrug helplessly.
Click.
The locker door opened and the golden-haired girl appeared—Yami, of course.
She met Shichen's gaze without changing expression, flicked her eyes toward Kyouko—who had her eyes squeezed shut in terror—then just calmly closed the door again.
She hadn't needed the changing room at all; she could transform her clothes at will. Her classmates had just dragged her along.
She'd simply sensed something was off about this locker and come to check. With how sensitive she'd become to Shichen's presence and spatial distortions, it was impossible not to notice.
"All clear," Shichen said, taking his hand away from Kyouko's mouth and patting her smooth cheek lightly with a little smile.
"Eh?"
Kyouko opened her eyes, confused.
"What's wrong?"
"W-wasn't there someone who opened the locker just now?" she asked uncertainly.
"There was."
"And she… didn't say anything? No one found out?"
"Hehe~ She's an acquaintance. Don't worry about it."
"An acquaintance?" Kyouko tilted her head.
"But you'll have to make it up to her later," Shichen added.
"Me? Make it up to her?"
"Of course. She just saw us like this and has to keep quiet. You can't not give her something in return, right?"
"I mean… that is true… What does she want?"
"Relax. She's your fan. Just meeting her will be enough."
"Oh, that's all…" Kyouko let out a breath, unconsciously clinging tighter to Shichen as she relaxed, her chest rising and falling against him even more noticeably.
"See? You're this scared, and you still have the nerve to accuse me?" Shichen teased.
"Who said I'm scared—I'm not scared! It's just that being seen like this is way too embarrassing, okay! You're the one who's too timid; you wouldn't even touch me when I'm like this!" she shot back.
"I'm timid?" Shichen's eyebrow twitched.
"Aren't you? What's so scary about paparazzi? I'm literally right in front of you like this and you don't dare do anything. Some man you are…"
"Oh, you really wanna go there… Aren't you afraid I'll lose my temper?"
"As if. You don't have the guts—mmph?!"
Kyouko was cut off again—but this time, not by his hand.
He pinched her flushed cheek between his fingers, her nearly-transparent pink lips puffing up adorably.
"You do realize you're playing with fire, right?" Shichen leaned in, his breath warm against her face.
Kyouko wasn't afraid. She stared back at him, eyes wide and stubborn, refusing to back down.
Food delivered right to his mouth—Shichen wasn't going to waste it. Especially since he'd deliberately maneuvered things to this point.
He smiled and, once more, closed the distance, brushing a kiss against her lips.
"…"
Kyouko's eyes flew wide and she froze.
He kissed her. Actually kissed her.
This guy really dared to…! Even if she'd been provoking him, she hadn't expected it to go this far.
"So? Do I count as a man now? Regretting it?" Shichen asked, amused.
"R-regret? Why would I regret it! If anything, you—is that all you've got? Just that?" Cornered, Kyouko immediately went on the counterattack.
"Don't push your luck. If I really go for it, you'll just complain."
"Heh~ Just admit you're scared… mmph!"
Before she could finish, her lips were sealed again—and this time it definitely wasn't his hand.
Her vision was filled with Shichen's face, dark eyes like deep pools, and her heart trembled. But all her focus was on their mouths.
This wasn't just a quick peck anymore. They stayed pressed together, and the sensation was far deeper.
If the first kiss had been a fleeting brush of a shooting star, this one was a direct impact on her soul. A bolt of electricity shot straight through her, muddling her thoughts, turning her brain into static.
Kyouko had never been actually against him—not really. She wouldn't have kept teasing him like this if she were. Now, with her first real taste of kissing, that overwhelming rush she'd only ever imagined left her completely bewitched.
Seeing her spacing out, Shichen slid his left arm around her slim waist and his right hand up to cradle the back of her head—then went further.
With no thought of guarding herself, Kyouko's lips parted instinctively. He found her tongue and twined around it.
The shock of it jolted her fully awake for a moment. In her eyes, she could only see his—eyes that seemed to be smiling at her.
She suddenly realized she'd been played.
So this was a deliberate setup.
Of course it was. A man with this many women already, being interested in her wasn't strange at all.
That laid-back act from before had just been bait to reel her in.
This guy was way too experienced.
Led entirely at his pace, Kyouko could only passively accept it as her consciousness blurred again.
The feeling of kissing… was beyond anything she'd imagined. No fantasy could compare.
So this is why people like kissing so much, she thought.
She tightened her arms around his neck.
She hadn't been faking it—she really did like him. Their positions weren't far apart, they'd gone through that game incident together, and he had such bizarre powers.
Things were moving a bit faster than she'd expected, but now that it was happening, she had no intention of backing out.
Before long, though, as someone completely new to this, she was running out of breath.
When she started to gasp, Shichen finally pulled back, stroked her face, and asked softly, "Want to transfer to my school?"