Skip the drinks?What was that supposed to mean?
Just… straight to it?
For a moment, Asakura Kaito genuinely couldn't process what she meant.
It wasn't until Mizuno Kanade finished speaking, cupped his hand gently, and slowly leaned her body toward him that he finally realized —
Something was wrong.
The sofa was small to begin with. Kanade shifted her waist—slightly restricted by the tight dress—and in one effortless motion, moved her petite body dangerously close.
From within the straps of her dress, a soft, pale cleavage appeared and disappeared with every small breath.
So close that Kaito could once again catch that faint fragrance — the same scent he had smelled on her school uniform moments earlier.
So it wasn't from the clothes…Was this the legendary natural body fragrance?
In front of him, her beautiful, delicate face slowly lowered. Her bangs fell forward, hiding her eyes so he couldn't see her expression.
"Actually… just now, I saw you with my clothes..."
"Do you… have feelings for me?"
Those words snapped Kaito back to full consciousness.
I just sniffed one time — don't make it sound like I was savoring it with my little brother joining in!
His head spun.
This damn system!If not for the system's body-fluid mission, why would he sniff someone's uniform in the first place?!
If he had been sniffing something even more restricted, she would've already called the police!
Seeing he didn't respond, Kanade continued, her voice soft:
"Thank you for hosting me tonight… but I have to leave."
"So… whatever you want to do, just do it now."
Her tone was calm, gentle — each word carefully spoken.
Kaito suddenly went cold.
He understood now.
She thought she owed him a favor because he took care of her.Now she felt guilty leaving without repaying it.
And because she'd seen him smell her clothes… she assumed he wanted her body.
So she came here… prepared to offer repayment.
In order to leave quickly.In order to end things tonight.
Was this truly how someone with suicidal thoughts thought?
Nothing in this world worth holding on to — so it didn't matter what she gave away?
Kaito was shaken to the core.
But if he actually accepted…He'd lose any reason to keep her here.
So "skipping the drinks" meant THAT?!
He felt wronged on a cosmic level.
What does she take me for?!
He only intended to get her drunk enough to fall asleep so he could extract the mission-required body fluid!Nothing else!
He was about to explode in frustration when—
He felt her tiny tremble.
Kaito glanced down.
The girl leaning lightly against him, the hand clutching his arm, her shoulders—
Were shaking uncontrollably.
A trembling baby bird.
Kaito almost laughed.
Pretending to be calm, huh?
The girls working at foot spa parlors have far better acting skills than you.
If she could manage even one-third of this innocent trembling, today's "cosplay-high-school-girl" masseuse wouldn't only be charging 699 yen.
"Can you lift your head a little?" Kaito asked.
Truthfully, he had never thought of himself as a good person.But when faced with something like this—
If he took advantage of her now, he would truly be lower than a beast.
"What's wrong…?"
Kanade raised her head.
Those brown eyes held no light.
Kaito sighed.
This foolish girl probably didn't even realize what she was doing anymore.
She could have just left.If she walked out the door, what excuse would he have to stop her?
But instead, she insisted on "repaying" a nonexistent debt — doing something she didn't want to do, just so she could leave this world without bothering anyone.
Even death, and she was still considering other people.
Someone this kind…Would be eaten alive by the world.
"I think… you may have misunderstood something."
After a brief thought, Kaito gently lifted her hand off his arm.
"Eh?"
Kanade froze.
Her already foggy mind churned and collapsed all at once.
Was her body that… unattractive?Was she less appealing than a piece of clothing?Or did he… like the school uniform instead?
Countless questions invaded her mind.
Her shoulders shrank back, and her face quickly twisted into a mix of embarrassment and wounded pride.
"I admit, when I was washing your uniform earlier, I did something out of habit…But I had a reason for it.It wasn't that I wanted anything from you."
"Out of habit…?" Kanade echoed.
"Yes."Kaito spoke earnestly."For example, when your eye feels uncomfortable, you rub it without thinking.When you're relaxed or thinking, you twirl your hair without realizing it."
Kanade blinked.
"Really…?"
Hearing this new "theory" for the first time, she seemed genuinely invested. Her fingers unconsciously curled a lock of her hair, winding it around and around.
"See? Look at yourself — you're playing with your hair right now!"
Kaito suddenly pointed.
"Oh!"Kanade quickly pulled her fingers away, eyes widening in surprise.
Seeing it was working, Kaito calmly continued:
"I also have a habit of sniffing my clothes when I apply detergent.So earlier… it was just an unconscious reflex."
She stared at him, eyes uncertain.
"Really…?"
"Really."
"Then I…"
If that were true…Her earlier behavior seemed even more embarrassing…
"You see? You haven't even had a single drink yet, and you're already acting tipsy.Even if you needed to leave urgently, you didn't have to joke like that."
Kaito cracked open a beer can with a crisp pshh, and laughed brightly.
One sentence.One smile.
Whether sincere or not, it dissolved most of the suffocating awkwardness.
Though the topic remained vague, both tacitly agreed to drop it.
"…Thank you."
Kanade accepted the beer, though her cheeks remained pink.
Even if it was a misunderstanding…She had been rejected.
Yet strangely, she didn't feel overly humiliated.
There was something comforting — safe — about this boy with the warm smile.
Even though it was their first meeting.
She took a small sip.
Bitter.Terrible.
She silently protested, but still raised the can and drank.
And the moment the cold beer slid down her throat—
A refreshing, unfamiliar sensation washed over her.So new that her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"How is it?" Kaito asked.
"Not… as awful as I expected."
Kanade replied before taking several more gulps, even though she still found it bitter.
No wonder so many people like drinking.
She could start to understand.
Once she had calmed down, Kaito brought over a small stool and sat across from her.
Pshh!
He opened another beer and took a long drink.
Refreshing coldness exploded down his throat.
The first sip of chilled beer — nothing could compare.
A few drinks in, the two of them sat facing each other in the small living room.
The atmosphere that had been frozen minutes ago now warmed naturally.
And Kaito realized…Kanade wasn't actually that hard to talk to.
Once the beer was opened, the conversation flowed.
"You said you paused school and went abroad?" Kaito asked.
"Mm."
"What for?"
He took a sip, pretending to be casual — as if casualness could mask how personal the question was.
"For competitions… and then—"
She paused halfway through.
Kaito understood the silence and gently offered a prompt:
"Cello competitions?"
"Mm."
"What kind of competition takes a full year?"
"I joined a lot, but mostly it was for further training."
"So you're a professional cellist?"
Kaito remembered the system's profile of her.
Hearing that, Kanade seemed to regain a bit of spirit.She leaned one elbow on the table, resting her chin on her hand.
"Professional? Me? No way. I'm just an enthusiast.Most of the competitions I entered weren't very prestigious."
"Then why did you come back?"
"Of course — to take the university entrance exams."She smiled softly."I want to get into Sakura Conservatory.It's every musician's dream school.I can finally meet the seniors I've admired for so long…"
As she spoke, her eyes slowly filled with bright, hopeful longing.
Kaito stared.
A girl who had worked hard abroad for a year.Someone with a dream.A goal.A future she desperately wanted.
Someone with eyes full of hope.
Someone like this—
Why would she ever want to die?