The door clicked shut with ominous finality, leaving behind a silence that felt somehow heavier than before.
Kuroha Akira lay on the infirmary bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard soft footsteps. Asato Hitomi walked behind the curtain and settled into the accompanying chair by the bed, her expression a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
"I never expected there was anyone in this world who could leave me speechless," she murmured.
Kuroha Akira couldn't agree more. Loli-sensei operated on an entirely different plane of existence. Even he, who prided himself on skin as thick as a city wall, felt humbled by her sheer audacity.
"So..." Asato Hitomi reached into her pocket with an oddly casual motion. "Following Loli-sensei's suggestion, I found this in the drawer."
She held up a small square package. Inside, the ring-shaped protrusion was unmistakable. Kuroha Akira recognized it immediately—it was the same great invention Granny Kobayashi had once paid him to buy, the marvel of modern science that effectively reduced human fertility.
"You actually went looking for it?!"
"Yes." The class monitor's expression was perfectly neutral. "So... should we use it?"
"Huh?!"
Kuroha Akira's brain short-circuited.
Class monitor! You have to be joking! Please, for the love of everything holy, tell me you're joking!
Otherwise... otherwise he'd have to seriously reconsider whether the class monitor's perception of friendship had become dangerously distorted. He might even need to reevaluate their entire relationship.
Fortunately, Asato Hitomi's sweet smile returned after witnessing his horrified expression.
"Just kidding." She laughed lightly. "We're just good friends. There's no way we'd do something like that."
"Right, right! Hahahaha..."
Kuroha Akira forced out three dry laughs, his heart still hammering against his ribs. Okay. Good. The class monitor's perception hadn't warped beyond recognition. Yet.
"If we developed that kind of relationship now, our friendship would fundamentally change." Asato Hitomi's voice was thoughtful. "I don't want to change my relationship with Kuroha-kun at this point. Besides, we still have that promise for when we're thirty, don't we?"
"Mm-hmm..." He nodded vigorously, then paused. "Wait. So you took that thing out to test me?"
"Partly." She nodded. "I wanted to see if Kuroha-kun had any... inappropriate intentions."
"Expected as much."
The class monitor's tests were truly endless. Kuroha Akira suspected that if he ever showed even the slightest romantic interest in any female member of the Literature Club—including her—she would immediately sever all ties with him.
"Also..." Asato Hitomi's gaze dropped to the package in her hand. "I've never actually seen one of these before. I was curious."
Before Kuroha Akira could respond, she tore open the package with decisive movements and extracted the latex product inside.
"So this is what they look like." She held it up to the light, examining it from all angles. "It's rolled up like this. And it stretches..." She tested the material experimentally. "It's so long. Can this really be worn all the way down?"
"..."
"No wonder Loli-sensei called it a balloon." The class monitor nodded with apparent scholarly interest. "The elasticity is remarkable. It feels like it could hold quite a lot of water... Ah, I understand now. This way, no matter how much comes out, it's all contained. No need to worry about leakage."
"..."
"But if it's this slippery on the outside, won't it slip off during... movement?" She frowned thoughtfully, continuing her analysis. "Maybe the inner surface is less slippery? The side that touches the skin must provide enough friction to stay in place." She rolled it partially down her finger, testing. "Hmm, my guess is correct. And this reservoir tip makes it obvious which way is up—though I suppose it would be difficult to get wrong regardless."
"..."
"It's still remarkable that something so small can prevent pregnancy, though." She continued, utterly unfazed. "I've heard that contraceptive pills have a higher success rate and don't interfere with the experience. But some say pills have side effects..." She looked up. "Kuroha-kun, are you listening?"
"Uh..."
Kuroha Akira's mind was static. White noise. Complete and total system failure.
What exactly was happening right now?
He was watching the top student, the popular school beauty, the untouchable class monitor—Asato Hitomi—casually playing with a condom and seriously analyzing its structural properties and functional applications.
What the actual hell?!
"Class monitor." His voice came out strangled. "I'm going to sleep now. If you have nothing else to do, please return to class."
He rolled onto his side, presenting his back to her.
Brain shut down commencing. Please hold.
But Asato Hitomi wasn't finished. She stood abruptly, grabbed his shoulder, and forcibly rolled him back onto his back.
"Kuroha-kun." She leaned over him, her face close to his. "Do you know that you're terrible at managing personal space?"
"That sentence should be reversed for you, class monitor..."
At this moment, Kuroha Akira's gaze was perfectly level with Asato Hitomi's chest. From this angle, his entire field of vision consisted of her uniform stretching over two very prominent... peaks. If he lifted his head slightly, he'd make contact.
Today's horny energy was reaching dangerously high levels.
Think about Shinomiya's beautiful white-stockinged legs! He reminded himself firmly. Never forget your roots! Legs are eternal!
"I'm not like this with everyone." Asato Hitomi's voice was soft but firm. "I'm only like this with friends."
"Then being your friend sounds exhausting..."
"Unfortunately, Kuroha-kun." Her smile widened, but something in her eyes made him shiver. "I've already decided you're my most important friend. So don't even think about running away, okay?"
"Uh..."
Terrifying. This was straight-up yandere dialogue.
If he ever actually dated the class monitor, he probably wouldn't be allowed to exchange more than three sentences with any other woman for the rest of his life. She was absolutely the type to tightly control her boyfriend's whereabouts.
That kind of ultimate henpecked existence? Just thinking about it was suffocating.
"It might seem to you like I suddenly got close to you." Asato Hitomi continued, seemingly unaware of his internal panic. "But I told you before—I've been observing you secretly for a long time. I only initiated contact after confirming Kuroha-kun's character. So I actually understand you quite well."
Asato Hitomi never did anything without confidence. She had reliable sources, information networks Kuroha Akira could only guess at. And after actually talking to him, she'd found him even more interesting and reliable than expected—which only made her want to be friends more.
"I know, I know." Kuroha Akira waved weakly. "So please let go. It's hard to sleep like this."
He just wanted her to return to class already. Preferably before she offered any more commentary on condom functionality.
But instead of leaving, Asato Hitomi suddenly lowered her head, bringing her cheek close to his collar.
From anyone else's perspective, it would look like the class monitor was about to kiss him. But Kuroha Akira knew better—she had no reason to launch such a surprise attack, and it wasn't her style. So he remained calm.
Her hair brushed against his nose, ticklish. A fresh floral scent filled his nostrils—the kind that made teenage boys' hearts race, often mistaken for a girl's natural fragrance but actually just good shampoo.
Asato Hitomi inhaled deeply, then frowned.
"...There's an alcoholic smell." She pulled back slightly. "Kuroha-kun, did you drink?"
"Minors aren't allowed to drink."
"Even if you did, I wouldn't report you." Her eyes were serious. "Please tell me the truth."
"The truth is..." He sighed. "Last night, an older sister at my host family drank too much. I got her scent on me while taking care of her."
Being tightly hugged by Toshiro-san and sleeping half the night pressed against her would definitely transfer some alcohol smell. But so much time had passed—that faint odor should have dissipated. Kuroha Akira had checked himself and smelled nothing. Otherwise, teachers might have suspected him.
The class monitor's nose was incredible. Though maybe it wasn't surprising—people often couldn't smell their own scents. Like how people with body odor or foot odor were usually the last to know.
"I see." Asato Hitomi nodded slowly. "That must have been difficult for you."
She didn't ask about his host family, which surprised him. With her emphasis on friendship, he'd expected her to probe deeper, wanting to help a friend solve family problems.
Perhaps the class monitor's own family situation was complicated. Maybe she empathized and deliberately avoided asking about others' domestic issues.
"There seems to be another smell." Her nose twitched.
"Hmm?"
"A very fragrant scent." She leaned closer again. "Kuroha-kun, did you change your shower gel?"
"No..."
Kuroha Akira was genuinely puzzled. What other smell could be on him?
Of everyone he'd interacted with recently, Shinomiya was the most likely source. She'd bought new shower gel yesterday, and girls generally used more when bathing. He'd noticed a fragrant scent on her last night.
But he'd only massaged her legs and feet... Oh. And carried her to his room while she was asleep. That must have been when the smell transferred.
But that was hours ago. Could she still detect it?
The class monitor was way too sensitive to smells!