11:55 AM.
After Tougou left, in the counseling room among several moderately damaged but still usable iron lockers, faint murmurs could be heard from one of the innermost lockers.
"Don't go out yet~ Let's stay here a little longer~?"
"Stay longer? I'll get soaked..."
"Eh?! Really? Let me see."
"Wait, no, let me get out first."
After a while, there was a sigh followed by a question:
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's safe today, don't worry~?"
"Wait, I have tissues in my pants pocket."
"It's okay. The fabric of the workout pants is thick, so it won't show through."
"But won't that be uncomfortable?"
"If we leave the tissue here, we won't be able to come back."
"And if someone sees you holding tissue when you go out, it will look very strange."
"You want to come back here again?"
"This place isn't safe!"
"This place is absolutely safe.
This time was just an accident. Who knew that gorilla of a teacher would bring a student here to talk?"
The voice of discontent and doubt became clearer as the locker door was opened.
Dressed neatly and wrapped up tightly, Momo Kashiwabara stepped out of the locker slowly.
Though her attire remained unchanged, her face was flushed from being inside the locker too long, and her legs were wobbly from standing too long, despite her efforts to appear unaffected.
With one hand on a nearby metal locker, she steadied her wobbly legs and massaged her lower back to relieve the soreness, all the while commenting on the close call they just had:
"Honestly, that was close. Luckily, Fuyumi noticed someone was coming; otherwise, we would've been caught."
"But it seems like Fuyumi likes this kind of thrill~"
After adjusting his clothes, Sasaki, not out of breath and his face calm, stepped out of the locker and lightly knocked on her head in response to her teasing:
"Who do you think made me excited in the first place?"
"It's too comfortable, I can't help it~"
Her face, a mix of white and pink like freshly bloomed cherry blossoms, was charming and coquettish, adding a delicate blush to her youthful complexion.
The smile on her face was like the subtle fragrance of peach blossoms, full of a sweet, gentle happiness.
Holding the tall yet soft girl in his arms to prevent her from stumbling like a weak-kneed shrimp, Sasaki listened for any sounds outside before opening the door:
"Are you hungry? Shall we go to the cafeteria for lunch?"
"Mm~~"
Shaking her head while nestled against Sasaki, Momo Kashiwabara's clear eyes looked up at his face:
"If Fuyumi doesn't mind not accompanying your other girlfriends, you can have the bento I made~"
"What are you talking about?"
Lowering his head and lips to cover her soft cherry-like lips, Sasaki only pulled away when her breathing became heavy.
Holding her slender waist tightly, he gently walked down the stairs while correcting her:
"Momo is also my girlfriend. Can't I eat the bento you made while being with you?"
Not hearing any complaints about favoritism, Momo Kashiwabara, knowing her boyfriend was a flirt but not a heartless one, hummed sweetly and pulled a small cloth doll from her pocket:
"Look at this Fuyumi~"
"It's a return gift for the bracelet~"
Holding the tiny cloth doll she handed him, Sasaki looked at the little version of himself made from light brown and white fabric, blinking in surprise.
"Ah?! Mm~"
Compared to the dinosaur doll that initially connected them, this mini version of himself was much more delicate.
Gently squeezing the doll, Sasaki commented:
"Momo, you're really good with your hands. I love it."
Saying this, he put the doll carefully in his pocket.
"As long as Fuyumi likes it. But are you sure it's okay not to have lunch with the others?"
"It's fine. They have their own friends, and we don't always eat together."
Right now, Chifuyu and Otome were in the 'honeymoon' phase of their friendship.
Otome had already messaged him after the second class saying she would have lunch with Idiot Chifuyu, so it was better for Sasaki not to join.
"Wow? They can be friends? Amazing~"
Hearing his words and assuming they had reached the point of mutual acceptance, Momo Kashiwabara blinked in surprise.
"Not quite. Otome and Rinka's relationship is complex and hard to explain, but yes, they can accept each other."
"As for the one eating with them..."
Since his relationship with Chifuyu was still at the friendship stage and stealing someone's girlfriend wasn't exactly honorable, Sasaki simply told Momo they were friends with mutual feelings, not yet beyond that.
Though the girl found it odd, she liked Sasaki too much to consider breaking up.
But not saying a word of criticism was impossible.
"Telling your girlfriend you have feelings for other girls... Fuyumi, you're so bad and unfaithful. Why can't you be more devoted?"
Expecting such a question from a girl at some point, Sasaki, who had prepared his response, stopped and, meeting Momo's questioning gaze, hugged her tightly:
"Being devoted is great... but how could I have held Momo if I were?"
Left speechless by Sasaki's question, the girl thought for a while and then wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his jaw softly before reluctantly saying:
"You're so sly~"
"But I will never let Momo slip away~"
Feeling the tightening embrace, Momo Kashiwabara, feeling even more fulfilled than before, clung to Sasaki's neck tightly and replied:
"Mm~"
.
.
.
.
Ding-ding-ding~
As they reached the entrance of the equipment building, the lunch bell rang.
Momo Kashiwabara, who was holding Sasaki's arm, said:
"Fuyumi, wait here for a moment~ I'll go get the bento."
"No need for that. I can go with you, right?"
Expressing confusion at Momo's arrangements, Sasaki was about to continue when the girl interrupted:
"Although that would be nice, won't it be troublesome if your classmates see us? If Otome and Rinka find out, things could get complicated, right?"
Before Sasaki could explain, knowing that such public displays of affection could cause problems for him, Momo Kashiwabara, who had anticipated this, didn't show any resentment.
"Besides, it's very quiet here, so we can enjoy our lunch and be intimate without interruptions."
Sasaki didn't feel exasperated at Momo's straightforwardness in seeking affection.
He wanted to be close to her too, to nestle against her, feel her softness and whisper sweet words.
So, Sasaki didn't persuade further.
"Alright, I'll wait here for you."
"Mhm, I'll be quick, see you soon~"
Momo Kashiwabara waved cheerfully before dashing off toward the distant school building.
After her figure disappeared, Sasaki intended to sit on a nearby bench under the shade of a tree to rest.
But before he could take a step, he heard the crisp sound of shoes tapping on the floor coming closer.
Sasaki instinctively turned around to see a petite girl, even smaller than Rinka, standing a short distance away, looking straight at him.
Though she wore a high school uniform, her cute, youthful appearance and petite figure made her look like a middle school student.
Her silky black hair, reaching her waist, was tied on either side with purple ribbons, framing her small, adorable face and petite, non-human-like triangular ears.
Her fine bangs slightly covered her delicate eyebrows, but did not hide her strikingly beautiful golden eyes.
Strands of hair fell from her temples to her neck, enhancing her pale, youthful face's transparency under the bright sunlight, giving her an almost ethereal look.
A small, subtle beauty mark under her left eye added a hint of mature charm to her innocent appearance.
Despite her adorable looks and expressionless face, Sasaki couldn't help but find her alluring.
Moreover, Sasaki knew this girl—not from direct interaction, but because they were in the same class.
Her name was Sutora Iga, and she was quite popular among the boys, ranking third.
Although she excelled academically, she didn't seem to have many friends, nor did she appear bullied or ostracized.
As Sasaki stood at the entrance, reflecting on what he knew about her, this extraordinarily beautiful girl walked up to him.
Sasaki, being quite tall, easily over 185 cm, dwarfed the petite Shion Iga, who barely reached his chest.
Standing so close, it was evident she was there to speak to him.
As she remained silent, Sasaki broke the ice:
"Excuse me, are you—"
Before he could finish, Sutora Iga twitched her delicate nose like a little puppy, sniffing the air, then remarked:
"You did it, didn't you?"
"?"
"What?"
Though he doubted she could know what had transpired with Momo, Sasaki's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her.
Since they were in the same class, she should have been at PE, yet her pristine white short-sleeve shirt and her exposed, porcelain-like arms showed no signs of exertion.
Her fine, white lace-trimmed socks and indoor shoes also indicated she hadn't participated in PE.
In addition, the way she looked at him felt a little off.
It wasn't the indifference or closeness of looking at a classmate, nor the mockery or disdain of looking at a cat, dog, or insect.
It was more like the gaze of a predator eyeing its pret; hungry and wanting to devour.
Though this gaze was fierce and terrifying, because of her youthful appearance and somewhat unsteady predatory stare, it made Sasaki feel like he was facing a small tiger cub, eager to hunt but not yet fully capable.
This anomaly made Sasaki narrow his eyes and furrow his brow.
While it seemed unlikely, the fact that he could traverse worlds meant it wasn't impossible for other oddities to exist in this one.
With that in mind, he hesitated but asked:
"Are you...not human?"
"Eh?"
Surprised, Sutora Iga tilted her head slightly and, after scrutinizing Sasaki, nodded without hesitation.
"That's right~ I'm a succubus~"
"You could tell? How surprising. Is it because of your heightened senses?"
'A succubus?!'