"Rei Ao… how could you…"
Mafuyu Kirisu's eyes were filled with disappointment and distress, because the relationship between the two of them absolutely should not be possible!
"…"
Rei Ao tugged at the corner of his mouth and spread his hands.
"Miss Kirisu, could it be you're being overly sensitive?"
"Impossible!"
Mafuyu Kirisu was certain she hadn't imagined it.
That distinct shape just now must have been Rei Ao's physical reaction!
"Sigh."
Rei Ao took a deep breath.
He had never expected to be so seriously misunderstood over something like this.
Apparently, having a superhuman body could bring some small inconveniences, too.
At that, Rei Ao raised both hands to his waist, preparing to loosen his belt.
Seeing this, Mafuyu Kirisu froze.
"Y-you… what are you doing?!"
"What am I doing? Obviously, I'm going to prove my innocence to you, Miss Kirisu."
His hands kept working.
"Stop, stop, stop!!!"
Events were spiraling far beyond what Mafuyu's mind could handle. Panicking, she frantically gestured for him to stop.
He did stop—though he continued in a firm tone:
"I can't let you wrongly accuse me and tarnish my reputation. You have to let me prove myself."
"F-fine, I believe you! Okay?!"
Mafuyu Kirisu was truly worried he might do something extreme.
However, Rei Ao stepped closer, firmly removing her waving hand from in front of her face.
Meeting her eyes, he said in a low voice, "I can hear the perfunctory tone in your voice.
"This issue concerns your opinion of my character, so I must prove it. What I'm saying is that my physique is unusual, and what you sensed earlier when we, uh…made contact was just how my body normally is."
He really was telling the truth.
"Absolutely not!"
Mafuyu Kirisu refused resolutely, her cheeks bright red.
"I—I definitely can't look!"
"Oh?"
At her words, Rei Ao's brow shifted. He raised an insinuating smile.
"So not looking at it is fine, then—maybe you can check it through my clothes with your hand?"
"Eh?"
Mafuyu was speechless. That…didn't sound okay either. But faced with Rei Ao's serious gaze, she began to doubt if she had misunderstood him. If they couldn't sort it out, this unerasable wedge might remain between them. And in accusing him unfairly, she might do psychological harm. High school students were sensitive—she saw that in her own classes. If this affected Rei Ao's future, she'd feel guilty forever.
"…All right, fine!"
In the end, she decided to accept Rei Ao's request.
So Mafuyu Kirisu really did as she was told.
But she was clearly nervous.
Rei Ao lifted an eyebrow. "Miss Kirisu, are you maybe putting too much force into your hand?"
Good thing he wasn't an ordinary person.
"Eh?"
Mafuyu Kirisu's expression changed. She said seriously, "S-sorry! Rei Ao, let me see if there's any problem!"
Right now she had to fulfill her responsibility and make sure there was no actual harm done. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to rest easy!
"No need. Even though your grip is shockingly strong, it's really not a big deal for me."
He was inclined to decline, but hearing him describe her force as "shockingly strong" only made Mafuyu more unsettled. She insisted, not allowing refusal, "Behave. This is a serious matter, and potentially dangerous. We need to be sure of everything! Even if something is wrong, I won't run from my responsibility as your teacher!"
"…"
Since she insisted so strongly, Rei Ao had no reason to refuse.
"Then… shall we move to the living room?"
"Mm!"
Mafuyu hastily pulled all the curtains closed. She stood before Rei Ao without any concern for embarrassment, fully intent on addressing this earnestly and seriously.
Until—
Rei Ao followed her instructions.
"!!!"
Seeing it with her own eyes, Mafuyu Kirisu froze, not daring to move a muscle.
"Miss Kirisu?"
Only when Rei Ao spoke did she snap out of her trance, her flushed face twisting into an awkward, stiff smile.
"D-don't worry. I'll examine everything carefully."
She felt something in her heart crack open.
With apprehension for the unknown as well as a sliver of curiosity, she began fumbling through her "inspection."
A while later—
"From the surface, everything looks okay."
She finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
But when she looked up, tears glimmered faintly in her eyes, and she startled Rei Ao with her next words:
"But…we need to confirm its function, too!"
"…"
Rei Ao's eyebrow twitched.
Originally, he'd only planned a simple "checkup." But now that she'd said this—
"!!!"
He let her see exactly what "strength" was.
Already formidable, it looked even more impressive in her hands. She finally understood the meaning of "unusual" that Rei Ao had mentioned before.
"Miss Kirisu, if it's too much, let's just forget it. I feel like I'm perfectly fine."
"No way!"
Mafuyu Kirisu stood her ground, insisting on completing this verification. Otherwise, she would feel guilty the rest of her life!
~~~
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