Chapter 44: Blazing Red Lips
"What's so impossible about it? Onee-chan, Kouichi-kun is strong yet gentle, full of manly charm, and 'versatile in both literary and martial arts.' His singing carries real magical power that touches the heart. We're totally on the same wavelength—it's perfect!"
"What are you even saying? You only met him today and you're already saying you're in love? Your feelings and decisions are way too hasty!"
"Oh? Then let me ask you this, Onee-chan—what do you like about your boyfriend?"
"Um… probably his kindness, I guess."
"Ha! Kindness? He's just a total herbivore guy. And he only swooped in when your heart was hurting, taking advantage of the moment. Onee-chan, when you say that word, you're actually feeling guilty, aren't you? Because after a whole year together, you're still not sure what you even like about him. Otherwise, no matter how conservative you are, you wouldn't have stopped at just holding hands—you'd at least have given him your first kiss by now, right?"
"I…"
"Feelings don't depend on how long you've known someone. Otherwise there wouldn't be such a thing as love at first sight."
"But he's Nao's boyfriend. Doing this would be betraying her, wouldn't it?"
"Why would it be betrayal? Everyone has the right to like whoever they want—it doesn't matter about status, or even gender. I'll compete with Nao fairly. Of course, I don't actually intend to threaten her position as the official girlfriend. When it comes to marriage material, both she and you are way better than me. But even though I've fallen for Kouichi, I'm not planning to marry him in the future. Being his 'lover' wouldn't be bad at all, you know?"
"'Lover'… Airi, you…"
"I'm just kidding! Okay, Onee-chan, go home already."
airi said it with a smile, but Marina didn't think she was joking at all—and had no idea how to respond.
[Crap, I got way too caught up enjoying myself in the 2D world. Even if time flows differently, it's already 3:30 in the real world. I've already missed one afternoon class.]
Takumi grimaced as he slipped into a quiet corner and returned to reality. Sure enough, second period was already in session. He hurried toward the classroom, sneaking along the hallway. Peeking through the window, he saw the infamous "Extinction Master" lecturing—and his heart sank even deeper.
Of all people, it had to be her class. Extinction Master was notoriously strict. Even the golden-haired princess Ryūko—top grades, stunning looks, powerful background, the ultimate "three-good student"—barely got a smile out of her. Any tiny mistake and she'd get scolded harshly. Skipping class without permission? If she caught him, he was dead meat.
"Screw it. Worst case, I'll just use the Hypnotic Demon Eye in front of everyone."
Takumi steeled himself, stepped to the door, and called out.
"Excuse me!"
The chalk in Extinction Master's hand froze mid-stroke. Her sharp gaze locked onto him. But to his shock, she said,
"Come in. Midterms are coming up. Your grades are always average to below. You need to miss fewer classes. Falling behind by even one lesson puts you further back. Do you want to become the class's super heavyweight anchor, dragging everyone down with you?"
She delivered the cold joke with a dead-serious face—no one laughed. Takumi had no idea why his truancy had turned into an excused absence, but this was a miracle. He quickly bowed.
"Yes! I'll definitely work harder!"
He slipped back to his seat and let out a huge sigh of relief. No clue what happened, but he'd dodged a bullet. In the real world, he didn't need to overthink things—just keep up his usual routine. He pulled out his textbook.
His timid seatmate quietly slid a note over: "You okay?"
Takumi glanced at it, then scribbled on his own paper and passed it back.
"I'm fine. What's with the excused absence? Do you know?"
"I wrote a fake note in your handwriting."
"Holy—thank you so much! You're seriously my lifesaver!"
He didn't bother with another note. Instead he grabbed her hand and whispered,
"Thank you."
Aoi Yuu's face turned bright red behind her glasses. She murmured back,
"It wasn't just me… I asked Ryūko-san to get a slip from the school nurse saying you had heatstroke and needed IV rest. That's what got it approved."
"The golden-haired ojou-sama? Yeah, only someone like her could make the nurse write a fake note like that."
Takumi was genuinely surprised. Then he noticed Aoi Yuu's flushed cheeks. For the first time, he really looked at her properly.
Unlike the princess who attracted stares everywhere she went, Aoi Yuu seemed almost invisible no matter where she was. They'd been seatmates for two years, yet he'd never truly seen her face clearly—only recognized her by the long black hair down to her hips, the bangs covering her eyes, and those huge black frames.
Today, staring closely, the usual haze seemed to lift. She had a delicate oval face, skin so fair it practically glowed under the sunlight streaming through the window—snow-white and dazzling. From the side, her profile was unexpectedly beautiful.
And then, through the curtain of hair and the thick lenses, he caught a glimpse of violet eyes.
…Was that an illusion?
Aoi Yuu seemed to sense his stare. Like a startled fawn, she pulled her hand back, quickly brushed her long bangs over her temple to hide that faint purple gleam, and scooted slightly farther away.
Ding-dong-ding-dong…
The end-of-class bell rang. Takumi stretched, feeling exhausted. His extra afternoon in the other world had made the day feel endlessly long.
He turned to Aoi Yuu.
"Yuu-san, want something to drink? To say thanks, let me buy you a soda. No refusing—I hardly ever see you drink anything. Women are made of water, you know. Gotta stay hydrated."
"Th… thank you."
Takumi was curious whether the eye color he'd glimpsed was real or just a trick of the light. Sure, in the real world some people used colored contacts to change their eye shade, but Aoi Yuu wore glasses—unlikely she'd bother. If her eyes really were purple… that'd be interesting. One golden-haired princess in class, now a purple-eyed girl too? It was starting to feel like his everyday life was turning into a full 2D anime.
At the school shop he grabbed a Mirinda soda for her, a Sprite for himself, and on impulse also picked up tea, carrying them back in a bag.
He set the soda on Aoi Yuu's desk, placed his own drink beside it, then walked over to Ryūko.
The golden-haired girl rarely left the classroom after class—her spot always attracted crowds of gawking boys from other classes too. But after Extinction Master roared at them a few times, no one dared approach anymore.
"Here."
Takumi set the Ice tea in front of her. Ryūko was reading a thick, serious-looking book in perfect German. She closed it and said coolly,
"What's this?"
"A thank-you drink. You really saved me big time."
"You mean the absence excuse? I get it. I don't like beverages. Thanks anyway."
"Once I put something down, I don't take it back. Oh, and don't forget—you invited me, remember? If you don't drink it, I'm just heading straight home after school."
"You—!"
"So quick to get mad? Tsk, getting angry too easily makes you overheat. And if you're worried about heat, drink ice tea."
Takumi grinned and popped the tab open for her. Ryūko huffed, snatched it, and took a sip.
"There. Happy now?"
"Haha, that's more like it. Rejecting kindness just makes people think you're unapproachable."
Takumi turned to leave, then paused. He leaned in close to the golden-haired princess's ear and whispered,
"Golden-haired princess… I've suddenly gotten really interested in you."
Ryūko's ear tickled from his breath. Startled by the words, she whipped her head around.
The sudden motion made Takumi's lips brush across her soft cheek—sliding all the way to those vivid, unpainted lips that burned like fire.
An electric jolt shot through both of them. Their bodies trembled, and for a moment they simply froze, staring at each other.
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