Seeing Hoshimi in his black school uniform, Kasumigaoka couldn't help but feel an overwhelming surge of joy.
Is this a school uniform? Did Hoshimi let something slip? Can I find out where he goes to school ahead of time?
Hoshimi Kiyokawa! I finally caught you making a mistake! Now you can't escape!
In an instant, chaotic thoughts mixed with joy exploded in Kasumigaoka's mind.
Her wine-red eyes began to shine, her heartbeat quickened, and her pale, delicate hands trembled.
The next moment, Kasumigaoka seemed to remember something. Without saying a word, she took a few steps forward and threw herself into Hoshimi's arms, tightly wrapping her hands around his waist.
Having suffered losses several times before, she knew all too well how sharp Hoshimi's powers of perception were.
So, to avoid him noticing anything, the best option was exactly what she was doing now—holding him tightly and burying her face in his chest.
This way, Hoshimi wouldn't be able to see her expression or notice any subtle body movements, rendering most of his freakishly sharp perception useless.
"Hehe~~" Kasumigaoka couldn't help but giggle, her face buried in Hoshimi's chest.
As long as Hoshimi didn't realize he had slipped up, she could use this mistake to find out which school he went to within a week, or even three days, maybe even sooner.
When the time came, she would make a dramatic entrance and show Hoshimi what a real surprise looked like!
"Hehehe~~" As she imagined the scene, Kasumigaoka's laughter grew even more peculiar.
"Utaha, you're laughing like such a creep…" Hoshimi, feeling Kasumigaoka's soft body against his, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, leaning down to tease her by her ear.
"Ahem~" Kasumigaoka cleared her throat, suppressing her increasingly unrestrained laughter.
Now wasn't the time to get carried away. The moment she stepped foot into Hoshimi's school would mark the first phase of her victory.
That would be the perfect time for an unrestrained celebration.
"Utaha, you're so soft~" As the hug lingered, Hoshimi, feeling quite pleased, spoke with genuine appreciation.
Lately, after spending so much time with Kotoko and Yukino, he'd almost forgotten that there are times when you might not hear a girl's heartbeat during a hug…
As expected, when it comes to sheer physical attraction, Kasumigaoka's curvaceous, devilish figure takes the cake.
"Pfft~" To conceal her joy, Kasumigaoka didn't respond to Hoshimi's words, but instead let out a small snort to show her attitude.
"Utaha, have you finished your exam?" Hoshimi asked, his tone intoxicated as he inhaled the fragrance near Kasumigaoka's neck.
"Mm…" Kasumigaoka affirmed with a nod.
In truth, she hadn't finished the last major question.
But it didn't matter. The deviation score at Toyogasaki Academy wasn't high, and as the top student in her grade, she often outscored the second place by over ten points. Even if she didn't answer that one question, she'd still likely maintain her top spot.
Besides, what if the second place surpassed her this time? It was just a small test, not the college entrance exam—hardly something to worry about.
"Utaha, so you've finished too…" Hoshimi's breath grew heavier as he whispered into her ear, "Utaha, has studying for exams been exhausting lately? How about we do something fun to relieve the stress?"
"..." Feeling the shift in Hoshimi's body, Kasumigaoka's own body grew hot, and she hugged his broad back even tighter.
"Hoshimi... There are less than fifteen minutes left until my exam ends…" Kasumigaoka murmured softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"Oh... What a shame..." Hoshimi felt a bit disappointed. His exam had about twenty-five minutes left.
If they had gone by his time, they might have barely had enough to do something fun, but with Kasumigaoka's remaining time, it seemed impossible.
Feeling slightly regretful, Hoshimi thought for a moment and said, "Utaha, how about a kiss to celebrate our reunion?"
"..." Kasumigaoka didn't answer verbally, but her actions gave the most sincere response.
Her hands slid upward, wrapping around Hoshimi's neck. She raised her head, stood on her tiptoes, and initiated a deep, intoxicating kiss.
Under the influence of relativity, the remaining minutes flew by.
"Hoshimi, I hear the bell signaling the end of the exam..." Kasumigaoka's eyes were soft and filled with emotion as she spoke, her forehead resting against Hoshimi's, a trace of reluctance flickering in her gaze.
"It's alright. We can continue during our weekend date," Hoshimi smiled, lightly touching Kasumigaoka's delicate nose.
"..." Kasumigaoka froze for a moment before realizing, "Oh right, we still have a date this weekend…"
Hoshimi released Kasumigaoka, taking a step back, casually sending her out of the dream.
As Kasumigaoka's figure shattered like glass, Hoshimi waved with a smile, "Utaha, let's talk tonight to confirm the exact time and place for the date."
"..." Kasumigaoka's lips parted, as if she wanted to say something, but it was too late—her figure had completely shattered, and her consciousness naturally returned to reality.
In the exam room, Kasumigaoka, now awake, felt a slight headache as she packed up the stationery on her desk.
Earlier, when Hoshimi mentioned the date, she suddenly realized something: should she still go on this date?
Originally, the purpose of the date was to figure out Hoshimi's real-world identity, but now that she had a more direct clue, the troublesome date could be scratched off the list.
Moreover, she was a bit worried. What if Hoshimi noticed something during the weekend date?
That guy's perception was freakishly sharp, and if he figured it out ahead of time, not only would the surprise be ruined, but unforeseen complications might arise.
So, for the best surprise effect, she couldn't go on this weekend's date!
She needed a solid excuse to cancel.
Deadline? Editor's meeting? Family emergency? Or something else?
As Kasumigaoka packed her stationery, she pondered an excuse while following the others out of the exam hall.
…
Dream.
After the departure from Kasumigaoka, Hoshimi took a solid two to three seconds to recover from his regret. He stood in place for a moment, deep in thought, before turning to head into the 99th layer of the Dream.
Meanwhile, the "Doctor," who was conducting experiments, suddenly felt a chill at the back of her neck. She instinctively shrank her shoulders and turned around, only to find Hoshimi standing behind her, staring at her.
"Master, what brings you here? Isn't there an exam today?" She put down the test tube in her hand, surprised as she approached him.
"The exam is over, and I have nothing to do, so I thought I'd come and play," Hoshimi replied, looking up with a cold expression at the heavily dark-circled Doctor.
"Oh, I see... sniff sniff..." The Doctor approached Hoshimi, her nostrils twitching unconsciously.
Upon catching a whiff of a somewhat unfamiliar scent, she subtly said, "Master, do you need me to develop some 'practical' blue pills?"
Hoshimi raised an eyebrow, "Are you underestimating me? Do you think I would need something like that?"
The Doctor scratched her head, "Well, that's true. You probably won't need it. The 'Martial Artist' has taught you the breathing technique, so you should be able to be energetic and vigorous in the future without needing me to create little pills."
Hearing the Doctor mention the "breathing technique," Hoshimi recalled that he had only practiced the breathing technique in the dream. In reality, he still couldn't maintain the rhythm required for it.
Yesterday, while studying in the 99th layer of the Dream, the Martial Artist finally brought him the improved breathing technique.
According to the Warrior's description, this breathing technique perfectly met his requirements, and if he could persist in practicing it, he might reach one percent of the legendary Huangdi – The Yellow Emperor's level.
Well, one percent of three thousand is thirty, which is more than enough for him...
So he immediately abandoned his studies and began practicing this unnamed breathing technique.
By the way, the Warrior gave him the naming rights for this breathing technique, and after careful consideration, he named it "Water Breathing Technique."
This technique mainly strengthens the kidneys, which are associated with water, so calling it "Water Breathing Technique" is perfectly appropriate.
Additionally, practicing this technique is bound to stir up waves in the future; from this perspective, the name "Water Breathing Technique" is also suitable.
The difficulty of mastering the "Water Breathing" is not small, but the creator is right here, plus the abilities of the dream, so he didn't have to exert much effort to learn it.
However, just because he learned it in the dream doesn't mean there aren't issues in reality.
As the name implies, the breathing technique is intricately related to breathing; to practice it, one must maintain their breathing rhythm at the pace required by the technique.
This is quite troublesome—in reality, he had no issues when he deliberately maintained it, but once he got distracted, his breathing rhythm would revert to its normal state.
At the moment, he had no good methods to solve this; he could only rely on time to gradually adapt until the rhythm of the "Water Breathing" became second nature to him.
"Master, do you have anything else? If not, I'll continue my experiments," the Doctor asked, scratching her head, sounding weary.
Hoshimi glanced at the Doctor, silently calculating in his mind.
There were probably ten minutes left until the exam ended, which translated to sixteen and a half hours in the 99 times dream. It would be a waste to not do something during such a long time.
He thought for a moment and decided to spend the first three and a half hours with the Doctor.
"Heh~" Hoshimi's lips curled into a meaningful smile as he stepped closer to the Doctor.
"Eh? Master, what do you want to do?" The Doctor sensed something was off and instinctively raised her hands to protect her chest.
"I'm quite curious about your dream bodies. Since I have the time, I'll come study your structure," Hoshimi's smile grew deeper and more... sinister.
"Master, no! We're just your avatars; there's nothing to study..." The Doctor's face paled, and she instinctively backed away.
"Hehe~ Be good and let me have a look." As the Doctor kept retreating, Hoshimi kept advancing.
Until she was pushed against the experiment table, the Doctor had nowhere to retreat. She held her hands to her chest, shrinking her neck as she timidly said, "Master, please..."
She loved research and was willing to give everything for it, but that didn't mean she liked being the subject of research...
"Just for a moment, let me see," Hoshimi smiled wickedly as he drew closer to her.
"..." The Doctor trembled against the experiment table, her entire demeanor resembling a good girl cornered by a bully, with nowhere to escape.
"Hehe~" With a villainous grin, Hoshimi reached out a large hand toward the Doctor...
...
Three and a half hours later, the Doctor sat motionless in the corner, her expression hollow and her clothes disheveled, resembling a broken doll.
Next to the experiment table, Hoshimi rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Earlier, he had disassembled the Doctor, quite literally, meaning he had opened her body and taken apart her limbs, studying the internal structure in detail.
As the Doctor herself had mentioned, her body had undergone "scientific" modifications, allowing her to be disassembled and reassembled like a toy.
However, her technology was so advanced that even after such extensive modifications, the visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory effects of her body felt indistinguishable from those of a normal person.
In fact, her tactile sensation exceeded that of an ordinary girl.
What a marvelous modification! He wondered if this kind of alteration could be applied in reality; if so, it would be quite fun.
"Doctor, what technology is your energy core based on?" Hoshimi suddenly recalled and asked the Doctor.
"Controllable nuclear fusion..." the Doctor answered instinctively.
Well, let's not think about that. Just the nuclear energy part is something he wouldn't dare to mess with, not to mention the absurd technology of stable output of nuclear fusion energy. If that came out, he would never find peace in his life.
For the sake of his leisurely lifestyle, it would be best to dismiss some dangerous ideas early on.
Isn't it nice to be a relaxed rich young master?
With his current capital, he was already above 99% of the people in the world, firmly in the top tier of the pyramid, and there was no need to climb higher. The troubles that would come with it would outweigh the benefits; it was better to maintain his current position.
"Doctor, I'm leaving. You can continue with your experiments," Hoshimi said, hands in his pockets, lazily walking out of the laboratory.
For the next thirteen hours, he planned to find a dream avatar to teach him some martial arts techniques.
He didn't dare to touch advanced technologies, but martial arts techniques were no problem; he could learn as deeply as he wanted, as it wouldn't affect the true world order. It was enough for his own amusement.
"Snap—" Hoshimi snapped his fingers, summoning a dream avatar skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
Guarding the 66th layer of the dream, female, code-named "Rage."
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