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The room had been alive with movement for nearly two hours before it finally fell into silence.
Outside the window, the night had deepened. The last streaks of the sunset had long disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the vast Tokyo skyline cloaked in darkness.
Lying in bed, covered only by a sheet, Kure Ragna rested with his hands behind his head, legs crossed in a relaxed posture. Beside him, Kushida Kikyo lay on her side, her back facing him, completely bare beneath the covers.
The long, relentless session had drained every ounce of her strength.
"Hey, you still awake?" Kure Ragna turned slightly, reaching toward her without much thought.
Kikyo hadn't truly fallen asleep. She had nearly lost consciousness a few times in the middle of it, but after catching her breath, her mind felt clearer—her body, however, was utterly exhausted. Feeling his touch, she barely reacted, too tired to move.
That was until his hand wandered to her stomach.
"Hiss—don't touch me there!" she gasped, flinching.
"Alright, alright…" Ragna chuckled, sliding his hand upward instead, pulling her into his embrace so they were face to face.
Even in the dim light, he could make out the faint traces of tears on her cheeks, her eyes still slightly red. But it wasn't sorrow that had brought them—it was something else entirely.
The bed, surprisingly, remained relatively clean. The floor, however, was a disaster. Especially the kitchen.
That was where Kushida Kikyo had popped her first bottle of champagne.
If nothing else, this night was proof that Advanced Nurturing High School had excellent soundproofing. If they were in any regular high school dorm, Ragna was pretty sure a supervisor would have knocked on the door within the first ten minutes.
"You hurting?" he asked, noticing how she still held her stomach protectively.
Kikyo shook her head silently.
"Good."
Ragna turned onto his back, exhaling as he stared at the ceiling. After a pause, he smirked.
"So? Feeling less stressed now?"
Another shake of the head.
Psychotherapy had a method called catharsis therapy—trapped emotions were released through shouting or intense emotional outbursts in a soundproof room.
Kikyo had undergone her own version of catharsis tonight. A two-hour session, to be exact.
Now, she felt oddly at peace. Almost like she had reached enlightenment. If she weren't so mentally drained, she might've started contemplating the meaning of the universe.
"Hey."
"Mm?"
"Take off your sunglasses."
Ragna raised a brow. "Huh?"
"...I want to see your face."
She would never have said something like that under normal circumstances. But right now, it felt… natural.
Surprisingly, he agreed without hesitation.
"Alright."
With one hand, he removed the shades, revealing a pair of striking black-and-white pupils—an anomaly among ordinary people.
For a moment, Kikyo held her breath.
Ragna sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. No, I don't have mydriasis."
"That's not the point at all," she muttered.
"Well, it's nothing special. I can't shoot lasers or see in thermal vision. Just regular eyes, really." He moved to put his sunglasses back on, but she stopped him.
"Don't move. Let me look properly."
She cupped his face with both hands, tilting his head slightly as she examined him from different angles. After a long moment, she leaned back and exhaled.
"Not bad. No loss."
"...What?" Ragna blinked.
Kikyo rested her head against his shoulder, staring at the ceiling. "Means you're handsome. I didn't lose much."
"...?"
A question mark practically hovered above his head.
Kikyo, however, continued as if he weren't utterly confused.
"And for the record, it was my first time."
"As if we're not in the same boat," he replied casually.
She stiffened slightly. "...What?"
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing."
Silence settled between them.
"Hey."
"My name's Kure Ragna."
"Shut up… Let me ask you something. That Karuizawa woman—you two are only pretending to be in a relationship, right?"
Ragna blinked, caught off guard. "It's real—"
"Liar."
She called him out without hesitation.
Ragna sighed. "Are you crazy?"
"You're the one with the problem." Kikyo rolled her eyes. "It's been over a month. Anyone with eyes can tell. Even the dumbest girl in class, Wang Meiyu, believes it. But everyone else? We all know. The only ones still acting like it's real are you and Karuizawa."
"...Fine, fine. Believe what you want."
She smirked. "That's what I thought."
"Anyway, let me change the question… What do you think of Yukinoshita Haruno?"
Ragna frowned. "Why bring her up all of a sudden?"
"Just answer."
Ragna thought for a moment. "At first, I thought she'd be more interesting, but now? Meh. If nothing changes, I'll be done with her after the midterms."
"Done? You mean you're leaving school?"
"Of course not. Just done playing along with her games. Got other things to focus on."
"...Oh."
Kikyo went quiet. Then, after a brief pause, she coughed lightly.
"Ahem."
"...?"
"Nothing. Get up."
Ragna sat up, glancing around the room. The aftermath of their activities was evident everywhere. Clicking his tongue, he stood, slipping on his slippers.
"I'll clean up first. What do you want for dinner? I'll order takeout."
"...Don't move."
Before he could turn around, he felt something soft press against his back.
A pair of slender arms wrapped around his neck from behind, Kikyo's breath warm against his ear.
"Last question."
"Hm?"
"What do you think we are now?"
Ragna gave it some thought, then answered in the most logical way.
"Friends with benefits?"
Kikyo twisted his waist—hard.
"Ow—!"
"Fuck you."
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