Feeling Nibutani Shinka in his arms again after so long, Hayashi Maki was a little excited.
The girl's soft body and rosy skin were irresistible. In her school uniform, Shinka radiated the charm of a high school beauty. Her gentle fragrance washed over him, and his hand slid beneath her skirt to the snow-white thigh.
Shinka was one of the first girls he'd met after recovering his memories as a transmigrator. In both temperament and looks, she was wonderful—of course Hayashi Maki liked her a lot.
Faced with his closeness, Shinka squeezed her eyes shut; her breathing quickened, and her pretty face flushed a tempting pink. She was being bullied by this bad guy—yet she was also looking forward to it.
Even Megumi Kato had "moved up," while she was still standing still. He'd even made a move on Miura Yumiko. She felt aggrieved, thinking he'd fallen for other girls and forgotten her. Now it seemed she was still plenty captivating.
The long break lasted barely twenty minutes. With class coming up, Hayashi Maki didn't go too far. At the fifteen-minute mark he reluctantly let her go. Eyeing her rosy lips, he smiled in satisfaction. Cupping her cheeks, rubbing them lightly, he teased:
"How was it, my Shinka-sama?"
"Pah! Don't ask a girl something like that after you bully her!" Shinka leaned, weak-kneed, against his chest, letting him encircle her slender waist. The bow on her chest was a mess. Seeing him tease her and joke about it, she gave him a little punch, half-shy, half-peeved.
Hayashi Maki chuckled and hugged her a bit tighter.
"Only because you're too cute. You know my resistance to you is basically zero."
"Liar!" she huffed. "If your resistance is zero, why am I still a normal person? Even Kato's started to become 'different.' I think you got distracted by Ako and Yumiko's looks and forgot about me!"
She pinched his waist to show her displeasure. He laughed at her plaintive expression and quickly soothed her with a kiss on the cheek.
"No way. Don't I text you all the time? And I've held back because I respect you—you didn't want to make a contract yet, remember?"
Which was true enough. But girls are reserved; how could she just agree so easily? Shinka pouted in silence, still aggrieved. That first-year, Dekomori Sanae, kept dragging her off to play with a self-styled "Dark Flame Master," making her chuunibyou flare back up—she'd nearly embarrassed herself in front of friends. If she did become a magical girl, she wouldn't be chuunibyou anymore—she'd be a real mage.
"Alright, don't sulk. I do treasure Mori-sama," he said gently. "Come home with me tonight."
Her heart skipped. "Go home with you? W-what are you planning?"
Hayashi Maki gave her a sly look. "Didn't you say I don't value you? Tonight I'll teach you magic."
"So? Going to turn me down?"
"I—I…" Blushing, she didn't know how to answer. She wanted to say yes, but would that make her seem too easy?
"Mmm—" Seeing her flustered, he firmed her resolve with another kiss. She melted against him. Just before class, he finally let her go.
"Alright, it's settled—come home with me tonight. For now, back to class."
He strode off; she hurried after him, her face burning hotter at the thought of going home with this bad guy—and what might happen.
Hayashi Maki, utterly unfazed by the state of her heart, returned to his seat and pulled out his textbook.
At lunch, Shinka ate with Shiina Mahiru, Miura Yumiko, and the others. Her eyes kept drifting to Mahiru's face. Noticing, Mahiru tugged her along to the restroom. In a quiet corner, Mahiru asked, curious:
"Shinka… what's up today? Why do you keep giving me that look?"
Blushing, Shinka hesitated, then decided to speak.
"Um… Mahiru… Hayashi Maki asked me to go to his place tonight, and… um…"
"That's wonderful! You're very welcome!" Mahiru squeezed her hand, smiling encouragement.
Head down, red-faced, Shinka mumbled, "You don't mind? He'll… probably do bad things."
Mahiru smiled softly. "It's okay. We're good friends, aren't we? As long as Maki-kun doesn't abandon me, I can accept it. Let's get along, Shinka."
Seeing Mahiru so kind and open-hearted, Shinka relaxed.
"Thank you, Mahiru."
The air grew easier; with Mahiru's blessing, Shinka felt quietly relieved about the evening.
As for Hayashi Maki—
He went up to the roof. He'd wanted to spend lunch with Kirisu Mafuyu, but Mafuyu-sensei said it wasn't convenient today, so he let it go.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had taken the day off as well; he'd need to check on her—when a girl was sick, it was the perfect time to show boyfriend material.
Not wanting to waste the lunch break, he spent a little time with Kawasaki Saki on the roof, then headed to the library.
Sanshokuin Sumireko let out a soft sigh when she saw him take the seat across from her again.