"Nino, listen to my explanation."
Haruto stood up and grabbed Nino's fist, and the next moment, he grabbed her other fist.
Then there was nothing more.
No matter how angry she was, Nino wasn't strong enough.
Nino's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't pull her hands away at all. She could only glare at Haruto with sharp eyes: "Damn it, let me go!"
It was only then that Nino realized she had been impulsive all along.
This guy's hands were like iron bands, so strong.
With a dark expression, Haruto said, "It was Miku who twisted her ankle. I was the one massaging her, not [beep--]. Pay attention and find out what's really going on!"
"Really?"
Nino opened her eyes wide and unconsciously looked at Miku.
Miku turned her face away and said, "It's true, Nino, you misunderstood."
"Miku, look at me."
Nino gritted her teeth and asked, "Did Kuromori threaten you?"
Hearing this, Haruto said expressionlessly, "If I threatened Miku, do you think you could escape today?"
Nino was furious: "How dare you threaten me?"
Haruto's vision darkened.
'Can you just listen carefully and understand the meaning! Was that supposed to be a threat? Your language comprehension skills would make Hiratsuka-sensei cry!'
"That's enough!"
Haruto couldn't help but pull Nino closer, staring into her blue eyes from up close and said, "Listen to me carefully, I didn't bully Miku!"
"If you keep spouting nonsense, believe it or not, I'll write the words right on your thigh!"
"Y-you wouldn't dare!"
"Then let's try it!"
"Wait!"
Seeing that he actually seemed about to lift her skirt, Nino's face turned red with anger and she shouted, "Damn it, I get it! Let go of me! Pervert!"
"Do you really get it?"
"Pervert! I said I get it, now let me go!"
"Humph!"
Haruto let go of Nino and immediately said goodbye: "I've explained what happened. For the details, you can ask Miku."
"I'm leaving."
After saying that, he turned and left without a second glance.
Nino stared at his back and couldn't help but grind her teeth: "Just wait for me!"
She took several deep breaths and unconsciously placed her hand over her heart, feeling as if it was about to jump out.
She bit her cherry lips hard, feeling both embarrassed and angry.
This was the first time in her life someone had bullied her like this. When he came just now, her heart had almost stopped!
Moreover, the other party had actually used that method to threaten her.
Filled with resentment!
Nino crossed her arms, looked at Miku, and said dissatisfied, "Miku, this is a school, at least be mindful of the consequences! Luckily, I saw it, but what if someone else had?"
"Rumors will spread throughout Sobu High School by tomorrow!"
Miku bent her legs, resting her chin on her knees, and said, "You were too impulsive."
"Hmph, it's not like I wasn't worried you were being deceived."
"Impossible."
Miku replied that she wasn't naive, so she wouldn't be easily deceived.
"Who knows!"
Nino said, "Come on, let's head back together today!"
"Mm."
As the two sisters left Sobu High, Nino suddenly asked, "Miku, do you like Kuromori?"
Miku turned her face away, unconsciously holding her headphones, and replied calmly, "Why do you ask?"
"If you don't like him, keep your distance from him in the future."
Nino said calmly, "Because boys at this age are very dangerous creatures, and it's easy to have illusions, like thinking he likes you or something."
"If he misunderstands, he might start bothering you."
❀❀❀
The library.
A confused expression appeared in Itsuki's eyes, and after a while, she lay on the desk, frustrated, unable to hold back her sad tears.
"Ugh... No, I don't feel as sharp as I did yesterday. My mind feels completely blank."
When she thought of yesterday, there was an indescribable feeling.
Her thoughts were clear, her intellect quick, and her mind seemed like a spring.
She could clearly remember difficult math formulas that were hard to grasp and memorize, and she clarified many formulas that she previously couldn't understand, manipulate, or use flexibly.
The feeling of being enlightened, like seeing the moonlight break through the clouds, intoxicated Itsuki, and she felt the joy and satisfaction of having worked hard and receiving a deserved reward.
But after coming home yesterday, and even now, Itsuki's mind was still blank, chaotic, and confused.
It was just like before.
Like a rusty machine, working hard.
There's a saying that it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
Itsuki might be in that state right now.
Because the buff Haruto applied wasn't permanent, he didn't have the ability to permanently grant a certain buff to others.
The current time limit was about a day.
The buff applied to Itsuki lasted only two hours.
For the buff to work, the two parties had to make physical contact.
The strength and duration of the buff were related to the level of contact between the two parties. If Itsuki wanted the buff to last a whole day, she would at least need to exchange bodily fluids... like saliva, not other unspeakable things.
As for why this was the case...
Perhaps it was simply how his ability was set up?
After all, there are some really questionable ways healing magic works in certain anime.
By comparison, just a forehead flick or a touch on the fingertip to grant someone a buff was already pretty amazing!
Surely, as his ability improves, the limits might be surpassed one day.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Seeing Itsuki, Haruto felt relieved. By the way, Itsuki and Yotsuba were indeed the cutest!
"You're here, Kuromori-kun." Itsuki's eyes lit up, looking hopeful, and the ahoge on her head perked up.
Because Haruto had been there yesterday, she was in great condition.
Even though Itsuki didn't know the specifics, she needed to work hard again today!
Haruto sat down, holding a copy of "Norwegian Wood" in his hand.
He had a wide range of hobbies, including reading, games, comics, and more.
But at school, he usually only read literature because other books were easily confiscated by Mafuyu.
The study session began.
But Itsuki soon realized she still couldn't focus.
Strange, why was this happening?
Her face showed confusion, and the hair on her head shifted slightly.
It wasn't like this yesterday. Even though it was her first time, the experience had been so great that she couldn't let it go.
And now, it was no different than usual.
'Is it because Kuromori-kun is next to me? Right. If I get smarter when Kuromori-kun is nearby, then wouldn't that mean... ahem...'
Itsuki's face turned slightly red, and she quickly interrupted her thoughts.
'Kuromori-kun flicked my forehead yesterday. Even though that was amazing, what if... what if that's the key?'
The sun shone through the window, forming beams of light, and the floating dust particles were clearly visible in the air.
This was the phenomenon of light scattering, also known as the Tyndall effect.
Of course, some chuunibyou might say these were the appearances of High Elves.