As Kotoko Iwanaga was resolutely heading to her next arbitration site, Kiyokawa Hoshimi felt a sudden chill run down his spine while teasing Yukinoshita in the dream world.
He looked around and touched the back of his neck, sensing that something bad might be about to happen. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he turned his gaze to Yukinoshita.
"Yukinoshita, are you hiding something big, planning to give me a surprise?"
Hearing Hoshimi's question, Yukinoshita's pupils contracted, and her mind began to churn. What was going on? How did Hoshimi know she was planning revenge? Was he guessing? Or was he trying to deceive her? Or had he somehow learned her thoughts through some unknown means?
What should she do? How should she act?
In a flash, Yukinoshita's mind raced with thoughts. Forcing herself to calm down, she glanced at Hoshimi and coldly said, "Hoshimi, did you forget what you said yourself? We are in an antagonistic state. In that case, can my revenge really count as a surprise?"
"...That's true." Hoshimi stroked his chin, roughly determining that the sense of danger just now wasn't brought about by Yukinoshita.
He had the upper hand in every aspect against Yukinoshita, making it difficult for her to pose a real threat to him.
So who was the source of that sense of danger?
Was it the "one-eyed, one-legged monster princess"? Or the mysterious "great detective"? Or perhaps that excellent offspring of an assassination clan?
Apart from these three, there seemed to be a few others...
With this thought, Hoshimi's eyebrows twitched. Things were indeed becoming tricky. But fortunately, it was still within his control. Based on the feelings cultivated in the dream world, they shouldn't go as far as to kill him, right?
With his right eyelid twitching slightly, Hoshimi began to carefully recall what he had done in the dream world.
Thinking about it, he had always adhered to moral boundaries, never forcing the girls who appeared in his dream world. At most, he had done some pranks to satisfy his own pleasure.
Even when things went further, it was mutual consent, at worst a case of reluctant acceptance turning into desire.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem to warrant killing him.
Even Yukinoshita, who was now constantly seeking revenge, surely didn't have the intention to kill him; she just wanted to return the favor for her own losses.
"Yes, that's it, no problem with safety."
Hoshimi made a fist with his right hand and tapped his left palm. At this moment, he was immensely grateful that he was a rational male who adhered to moral limits. Otherwise, his current situation would be a true nightmare!
Since safety wasn't an issue, he might as well continue playing. When the crisis came, he would deal with it as it happened.
In fact, that's all he could do right now.
As for preparing a response plan in advance?
Would they come? He didn't know.
If they came, when would they arrive? Who would come? He didn't know.
How would they react to him in the real world? Without meeting them in person, he couldn't be sure.
Given these unknowns and the lack of information, it was better to wait for them to show up and then plan his response based on the situation.
There's no point in worrying. It would be better to relax and wait for them to come.
"Yes, that's right. Yukinoshita, let's continue playing. Huh?"
As Hoshimi looked up to continue teasing Yukinoshita, he found that she had already disappeared.
"Hoshimi! Let's go to hell together!"
Suddenly, Yukinoshita's cold voice sounded from behind him.
The next moment, she wrapped herself around Hoshimi from behind, restraining his arms and legs. She looked like an octopus clinging tightly to his back.
Then, with a strong push forward, Yukinoshita pulled Hoshimi over the edge of the rooftop, sending them both plummeting down.
"Wow, even the upright Miss Yukinoshita has learned to ambush?"
Hoshimi, with his arms and legs bound, remained unflustered, teasing Yukinoshita as they fell rapidly.
"Hmph! To you, ambushing is perfectly legitimate!"
Yukinoshita snorted coldly, tightening her grip on Hoshimi's arms.
"Huh? When did the upright Miss Yukinoshita learn to be so flexible? I thought you'd always be so rigid."
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent, no longer engaging with Hoshimi.
"Not talking again, how boring."
Hoshimi tried to move his arms, but Yukinoshita had locked them too tightly, leaving little room for him to maneuver. He then tried moving his legs, but found the situation similar, with Yukinoshita's slender legs clamping his own, preventing escape.
Since that was the case, Hoshimi didn't force his way out. Watching the ground approaching rapidly, he smiled and said, "Hey, Yukinoshita, do you have a fear of deep water?"
"?!"
Yukinoshita's pupils contracted, instantly guessing what Hoshimi was about to do next.
She wanted to let go of Hoshimi, but it was too late.
"Splash~~"
The next moment, the city's ground turned into a deep blue ocean.
Yukinoshita and Hoshimi plunged straight into the sea, splashing water everywhere.
The moment they entered the water, Yukinoshita held her breath and immediately released Hoshimi, swimming gracefully towards the surface like a mermaid.
"Whoosh--"
Without Hoshimi's burden, Yukinoshita quickly reached the surface. She floated there, naturally treading water with her hands and feet. Looking around, she couldn't spot Hoshimi.
"Hu~hu~hu~"
Panting, Yukinoshita searched anxiously for Hoshimi, unable to quell her unease without seeing him. In such an environment, she didn't know what Hoshimi was planning.
"Whoosh--"
A splash sounded behind her, and Yukinoshita quickly turned to see Hoshimi, his hair wet, smiling brightly at her from a close distance.
She turned around, facing him silently. Now, she was at ease; as long as Hoshimi was in her sight, she could mentally prepare for whatever prank was coming.
"Yukinoshita, can you surf?" Hoshimi asked with a smile.
"..." Yukinoshita silently shook her head. Surfing was not among her skills.
"What a coincidence, neither can I. So let's learn together." With a wave of his hand, Hoshimi made a white and a black surfboard appear on the water. He climbed onto the black one first and looked back at Yukinoshita, challenging her.
"Yukinoshita, come on, let's see who the real genius is."
"Okay."
Yukinoshita never feared a direct challenge. She climbed onto the white surfboard, standing firmly, and met Hoshimi's gaze without backing down.
"Great, I love your unyielding spirit, Yukinoshita. So..."
With a bright smile, Hoshimi waved his hand, and all the city's buildings vanished, leaving only an expanse of blue ocean. Then, the wind started to blow, the clouds began to gather, and under the gloomy sky, a twenty-meter-high wave formed instantly, rushing towards them.
"Yukinoshita, let's break the world record! A 25-meter giant wave, don't get swept into the sea!"
Hoshimi, standing on his surfboard, looked exceptionally sunny and cheerful, while Yukinoshita, watching the giant wave approach, had only a look of stupefaction in her ice-blue eyes.
A beginner challenging the world record? Could there be anything more ridiculous?
The next moment, the giant wave hit, and Hoshimi's surfboard lifted him up while Yukinoshita was simply swept into the water.
Seeing this, Hoshimi, floating in the air on his surfboard, waved his hand, and the wave disappeared, the world returning to clarity and the ocean calming down.
He squatted on his surfboard, smiling as he waited for Yukinoshita to swim back up.
"Whoosh--"
After who knows how long, Yukinoshita emerged from the water, her face pale. She glared at Hoshimi and gritted her teeth.
"Hoshimi! You despicable man! Why can your surfboard fly?!"
"Oh, this? It's a special surfboard I made. By the way..." Hoshimi stroked his chin and reminded her with a subtle expression, "Yukinoshita, your clothes got washed away. Oh, and your skirt too."
"?!"
Yukinoshita looked down at herself, her face turning red as she growled, "Hoshimi! You bastard! This isn't over!"
With that, she dove into the water like a mermaid, disappearing from sight, leaving Hoshimi squatting on his surfboard, facing the endless blue ocean.
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