Chapter 370: Pushing the Thrill to the Limit
The seaside scenery was beautiful, though the weight on his back was far from light.
The weight of an entire beautiful girl — if it were anyone else, they'd probably have collapsed long ago.
Only Sakurai Saki was strong enough to keep walking and talking.
At the moment, they were discussing marine animals.
"Orcas are the cutest sea creatures in the world."
Just a few dozen minutes ago, he had reminded himself not to make absolute statements, yet here he was making one of the most absolute declarations imaginable.
That alone showed how much he loved Orcas.
His LINE stickers were Orcas, the cushion on his sofa at home was an Orca — if the nearby aquarium had them, he'd probably be like Shirogane, the dolphin fanatic, and go watch the Orca shows every now and then.
"They really are cute. They look kind of like pandas." Shinomiya Kaguya nodded slightly.
Pandas were cute.
Orcas were also cute.
"Zzz~"
(⸝⸝ᴗ﹏ᴗ⸝⸝) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
Fujiwara Chika gave her own response to their conversation —
She had fallen asleep.
"She fell asleep so fast… just like a kid." Shinomiya Kaguya looked at Chika, her tone filled with helpless amusement.
"Zzz~" — the slow, steady sound of breathing.
The cool sea breeze, the gentle sunlight, and the sense of warmth and happiness from lying on the back of the one she liked —
With all those factors combined, it was perfectly natural for Chika to fall asleep.
"When she's quiet like this, she looks really beautiful." Shinomiya Kaguya quietly moved closer to Sakurai Saki, gazing at the girl peacefully asleep on his back — soft pink lips, a delicate pale face, smooth shoulder-length light-pink hair, and her closed lashes hiding the blue eyes beneath.
Anyone who saw that scene would find their heart racing uncontrollably.
Fujiwara Chika was the "silent beauty" type.
So beautiful — if only she didn't have a mouth that talked.
Of course, in terms of looks alone, she easily ranked among the top five of Shuchiin.
"Cute, isn't she?"
"What are you so proud of?" Shinomiya Kaguya huffed coldly.
"When a girl this cute likes me, isn't it normal to feel a little proud?"
"And what about me — the one who likes you — I'm standing right here!"
"I never said Kaguya wasn't beautiful."
Shinomiya Kaguya's voice immediately dropped to minus thirty degrees: "Between me and her, who's prettier?"
"I think…"
"You're not allowed to say 'both are equally pretty'!"
The answer was blocked right from the start, leaving Sakurai Saki completely lost for words.
A deadly question like this — whichever answer you choose, you lose.
Just imagine the possible reactions.Simple as that.
Scenario 1:
Sakurai: "Of course Kaguya is prettier."
Kaguya: "If Fujiwara were awake, you'd never say that. You're only saying it because I'm the one asking, right? Hmph! You rotten man!"
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Because Kaguya would say exactly that.
Sakurai Saki knew Shinomiya Kaguya all too well — after all, the two of them had already "been honest with each other" once before.
Scenario 2:
Sakurai: "I think Chika's prettier."
Kaguya: "Hmph~" (a cold laugh).
Aha, game over right there!
'In the end, no matter which side I pick, it's a dead end!' — Sakurai Saki realized his blind spot.
Right now, he felt like a frying pan crawling with fire ants.
Girls really are mysterious creatures.
You can't tell them something obviously fake, but if you tell the truth, they get upset.
Girls don't need the truth — they need bias.
Brothers, remember this well!
Let's survive together!
"Kaguya, either way, I still like you."
"Sweet words like that won't work on me." Shinomiya Kaguya wasn't the kind of woman to be swayed by sugar-coated lines.
"Do you think women of the Shinomiya family are that easy to deal with? You think a vague, half-hearted line like that is enough to brush me off?"
"How about going to the aquarium tomorrow? Just the two of us. There are still two days left of Golden Week, right?"
"Y-You… suddenly asking me out like that, what are you planning?" — Shinomiya Kaguya asked, her face flushing red.
It was the first time Sakurai Saki had ever invited her out on a date alone.
"Can't I?"
He gave her no chance to refuse, nor did he bother explaining why.
Shinomiya Kaguya lowered her head, staring at the tips of her sneakers, and muttered softly:
"If… if you really want to go with me, then…"
…The fact that she could still spit out such a tsundere line was beyond anything Sakurai Saki had expected.
Please, Kaguya-chan, the era of tsundere girls has already passed!
"I'm glad you agreed."
"You really want to go on a date with me that badly?" — Shinomiya Kaguya recovered from her embarrassment and shot back.
"Of course. Wanting to go on a date with the person you like is perfectly normal."
"Stop talking."
"I like you — super like you."
"Mm~"
"Like… huh?"
Sakurai Saki hadn't even finished speaking when he realized Kaguya had already stepped right up to him.
At this moment, both of his hands were supporting Fujiwara Chika's thighs, leaving him completely unable to do anything else.
Shinomiya Kaguya, caught between embarrassment and anger, suddenly lunged forward.
And then—
In Sakurai Saki's astonished gaze, she kissed him.
'Hey! Chika is still here!'
Seeing the panic in Sakurai Saki's eyes, Kaguya felt a flicker of satisfaction inside. Her face, flushed bright red from embarrassment, now shifted into a look of smug triumph.
...
The morning sea breeze blew through the hair of the boy and girl leaning against each other, and at the same time, it awakened someone who had been fast asleep.
"Hmm~"
(っ˕ -｡)ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
Fujiwara Chika slowly opened her eyes. "Huh?"
In her sight, Shinomiya Kaguya was looking at her with a gaze full of emotion, her face slightly flushed.
"What's wrong, Secretary Fujiwara?"
Shinomiya Kaguya asked, feigning calmness.
That was close — her movements just now had been a bit too strong, almost waking Secretary Fujiwara up.
Luckily, she reacted quickly and stopped just before Chika opened her eyes.
Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Shinomiya Kaguya shot Sakurai Saki a sharp glance.
'Pervert.'
You clearly knew Chika was about to wake up, yet you still didn't let go!
Do you really enjoy the thrill of danger that much?
If Secretary Fujiwara finds out about our relationship, how exactly are you planning to explain it?!
"Kaguya-san, your face is really red," said Fujiwara Chika as she stepped down from Sakurai Saki's back.
"Sorry, Saki-kun... I fell asleep."
She straightened out Sakurai Saki's wrinkled school uniform.
"N-no, it's fine."
Sakurai Saki stammered slightly as he replied.
"Saki-kun, what's wrong with your tongue?" Fujiwara Chika noticed.
"Accidentally... bit it."
"Oh? How do you even bite your tongue like that?"
What on earth had he just done to end up biting his tongue?
Or maybe he'd been sneaking a taste of something?
"Chika, have you ever heard the story of 'The Farmer and the Snake'?"
"Eh? What story is that?"
Fujiwara Chika's attention was instantly diverted elsewhere.
Shinomiya Kaguya lowered her head slightly, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
'Can't believe something like that could make me feel so excited...'
Realizing what she had just done, Kaguya was overcome with an unbearable wave of embarrassment.
...
A few minutes later, the three of them continued walking along the beach.
"Kaguya-san, is your leg okay? Do you want Saki-kun to carry you?"
"Umu... it still hurts a little."
For Shinomiya Kaguya, lying was as easy as breathing.
"Then you should let him carry you, don't overexert yourself."
Hearing that, Shinomiya Kaguya immediately nodded.
Then, the two of them turned toward the boy with eyes full of expectation.
Sakurai Saki: "..."
And what about my opinion?