Chapter 89: Koneko's Thoughts
Akeno tapped her slender index finger against her chin. "He's probably on an extermination mission, continuing to train that ability."
"Is it still because of that incident?"
"Yes. Though Yuuto-kun never speaks of it, he's never forgotten what happened."
Haruto nudged the white-haired loli, who had returned to the clubroom and was now sitting on the sofa, munching on a red bean bun.
"Koneko, what are they talking about?"
Koneko shot Haruto an annoyed look—how dare he disturb her while she was eating!
Her feline instincts made her glare at him adorably. Well, since he'd treated her to ice cream before, she'd let it slide this time.
"Mmmph I dunno..." The white-haired loli mumbled through a mouthful of bun.
Haruto vaguely remembered Yuuto having some backstory in the anime, but he hadn't paid much attention at the time. After so long, the details were completely fuzzy.
Moreover, this world wasn't identical to the anime. He strongly suspected Yuuto's actual gender here.
"Koneko, stop eating—no one's trying to take it from you." Haruto scooted closer and whispered, "Now that I'm officially a member, shouldn't I get to know Yuuto better?"
Koneko: "Mmmph~ The bean paste is so sweet~"
Haruto's breath hitched—he was genuinely irritated.
Suppressing his frustration, he adopted his gentlest tone. "Lady Koneko, could you please enlighten me~?"
The white-haired loli shuddered, scooting backward with wide eyes. She stared at Haruto strangely, even pausing mid-bite on her half-eaten bun.
"Haruto..."
Koneko looked at him seriously, then reluctantly at her remaining bun, as if making a tremendous sacrifice.
"I only have half left. If you really want some... I can give you a quarter.
Haruto: (▼ヘ▼#)
After taking a deep breath, he deadpanned, "Oh, how generous of you.
"..."
"No need to thank me. Just remember to share your next snack with me."
Koneko pursed her lips, carefully tearing off half of her remaining portion and slowly offering it to Haruto.
The already small bun had been halved by her earlier bite. Now, divided again, the piece was smaller than half of Haruto's palm.
Staring at the tiny morsel—complete with the loli's tiny tooth marks and glistening saliva—then at her reluctant expression, Haruto snatched it at lightning speed and popped it into his mouth.
"Gulp—"
He didn't even need to chew—the bite-sized bun vanished instantly.
"Ah..." Koneko whimpered softly.
By the time she processed what happened, her beloved bun was gone—without even a "corpse" left behind.
Seeing Haruto still watching her, the loli protectively clutched her remaining portion to her chest.
Pouting, she said, "No way. This is mine now. You ate yours too fast..."
A vein pulsed on Haruto's forehead. Looking at the pitiful loli, his anger dissipated.
Why was he arguing with a food-obsessed kitten?
"Fine, keep the rest."
He sighed. "Eat it yourself. If it's not enough, I'll buy you more later."
"Really?" Koneko eyed her bun, then ventured, "How about I give you this, and you buy me two?"
"If President allows it..."
Haruto's expression flattened. He shouldn't have discussed food with this glutton.
Koneko turned to Rias and Akeno, meeting their gazes.
The two had stopped their conversation the moment the loli shared her bun, watching the scene with amusement.
"No~" Rias wagged a finger. "Too many sweets will give you cavities~"
"Okay..."
The white-haired loli dejectedly nibbled her last piece.
Staring at the bite marks and saliva, then at Haruto's mouth, her cute face suddenly flushed bright red.
Like a thief, Koneko quickly lowered her head and resumed eating.
Strangely, the once-delicious bun now tasted bland.
Even as she ate, her mind replayed Haruto swallowing her piece.
Akeno, noticing the loli's odd behavior, covered her mouth with a sly smile. "Ara ara~ Has our Koneko reached that age already~?"
"Indeed. Aside from you and me, Haruto is only the third person she's shared food with."
Rias gazed fondly at Haruto and Koneko. Good relations among her servants were always welcome—it improved teamwork during Rating Games.
Haruto, still exasperated by the loli, hadn't noticed her reaction. But hearing their suggestive comments, he leaned down to study Koneko more closely.
The white-haired loli squirmed under his scrutiny, wishing she could crush her bun into powder and eat it grain by grain—anything to escape their stares.
Alas, the bun was too small. Despite her slow pace, it was soon gone.
With Haruto still watching, Koneko—flustered and annoyed—suddenly stood and headbutted his stomach.
Haruto, trying to glimpse her face, never saw the attack coming.
"Oof... Koneko... I wasn't the one who said those things..."
"Doesn't matter. It's your fault."
Having struck her target, Koneko scurried behind Rias, ignoring Haruto's calls.
Haruto blinked. Though he'd taken a headbutt, discovering Koneko's special attitude toward him was a fair trade.
He was surprised the first to "fall" in the Occult Research Club was Koneko.
But thinking about it, it made sense. The white-haired loli had spent the most time with him. During their combat training, they'd had countless close encounters—even grappling on the ground during intense sparring sessions.
Koneko's straightforward nature, unlike Akeno and Rias who weighed other factors, made her more susceptible to Haruto's charm.
Too embarrassed to emerge from behind Rias, Koneko remained silent. Haruto decided to wait until they were alone to advance their relationship.
"President, I'll take my leave now."
Haruto prepared to depart, planning to check on Sakura and the Takamine Sisters at home.
He'd sent them back earlier to keep them out of the incident. Now, he needed to brief them to avoid accidental slips.
"Haruto, wait." Rias crossed her long legs, smiling. "Thanks to your early detection and intelligence gathering, we prevented a large-scale disaster."
"You could've claimed a Sacred Gear as a reward—even if unusable, it could've been traded. But I disliked those glasses, so I destroyed them."
Haruto shook his head wryly. "But in the end, it was only resolved because of you and Akeno-senpai. Without you, more girls would've suffered. And I couldn't have kept the glasses anyway."
"No, credit where it's due. Your contributions are undeniable."
Rias batted her lashes. "Surely there's something you'd like as a reward? A powerful skill, a weapon... or perhaps Koneko's first kiss~~"
Haruto's eyes widened. Initially prepared to decline any offers of skills or weapons, the last suggestion made him swallow his words.
He gulped, glancing at the white-haired loli peeking from behind Rias, then at Akeno's crescent-eyed smile.
Finally, his gaze settled on Rias's luscious lips.
"President..."
Steadying himself, he feigned nonchalance.
"If it's a reward... then I want your first kiss."
Silence engulfed the clubroom. Akeno covered her mouth in surprise, while Koneko's shoulders slumped slightly.
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