Her curiosity was piqued.
Sajuna's gaze lingered on the bookshelf, and her thoughts drifted back to the book she had read with Komi the other day.
"It's such a warm, wholesome story… so why would they draw it like that?!"
Taking a bite of her ice cream, Sajuna felt a twinge of inner conflict.
Should she finish reading the rest?
Of course not!
This was a boy's room. Reading a book here would make her no better than a lovesick fool!
But great stories have a way of hooking their audience.
I want to read it.
I really want to know what happens next.
After a moment of hesitation, Sajuna sighed in defeat, stood up, and headed toward the bookshelf.
"…I just have to finish it."
While she wasn't a perfectionist, she hated leaving things incomplete. The story had been on her mind for days—an unresolved itch she couldn't ignore. Not knowing the ending was like a cat spotting a toy it couldn't reach—endlessly frustrating.
Standing on tiptoes, Sajuna located the comic on the shelf.
"Phew~ It's still here," she murmured in relief. "Guess Amamiya didn't notice what Komi-san and I were reading after all."
Clutching the comic, Sajuna returned to her spot in front of the fan, opened it to the last page she'd read, and continued. As she flipped through the pages, her cheeks began to flush ever so slightly.
---
Meanwhile, downstairs.
In the bathroom.
Amamiya stepped out of the shower, drying his hair with a towel.
"Huh? Where's Sajuna?"
Walking into the living room, Amamiya looked around in confusion. Sajuna wasn't there, nor in the yard or the bathroom. Yet her shoes were still at the entrance—she hadn't left.
"Hmm… is she upstairs?"
Looking toward the second floor, Amamiya climbed the stairs and stopped in front of his bedroom door. He tried the handle—locked.
Of course, Sajuna had prepared for this. Before doing anything questionable, precautions like locking doors and windows were essential. Social embarrassment was the ultimate risk!
As a high schooler well-acquainted with the ways of manga tropes, Sajuna was no amateur in such matters.
"Ah, so she's in there."
Finding the door locked, Amamiya raised his hand and knocked lightly.
Knock, knock.
"Ahhh—"
A startled cry came from inside, followed by the sound of a muffled thud and a distressed yelp. It was the sound of someone caught red-handed, like a cat caught stealing fish.
"Sajuna, open the door."
"W-wait a second!"
Her panicked voice came from within, accompanied by the hurried shuffle of footsteps.
A moment later, the door unlocked with a faint click. Sajuna stood in the doorway, biting her lower lip.
Her face was flushed a deep red, her breathing uneven, her clothes disheveled, and her misty eyes brimmed with embarrassment. Even the corners of her eyes sparkled with faint traces of tears.
Amamiya's expression turned increasingly perplexed.
He couldn't help but ask, "What were you doing in there?"
"I wasn't doing anything!"
Oh, really? If you weren't doing anything, why did you lock the door?
Sajuna turned her face away, half-shy and half-irritated. "Why do you shower so fast?!"
"Boys are just quick in the shower."
"Less than ten minutes? How can you possibly get clean in that short a time?"
"It's more than enough time," Amamiya said, opening his arms playfully. "Want to check for yourself?"
"Pah~!" Sajuna spat in embarrassment, her cheeks flaring. "I'm not inspecting your body!"
"…"
As Amamiya spoke, his eyes drifted into the room.
The space looked spotless and undisturbed—at first glance. But then his gaze caught something near the chair.
A dark, wet spot stood out starkly against the light yellow floor.
There was no water source in the room. Why would there be a puddle?
Wait.
There was a potential source of water…
Following Amamiya's gaze to the floor, Sajuna blinked in confusion. Then, realization dawned, her face flushed deep red, steam practically billowing from her head. Clenching her fists in a mix of shame and anger, she shouted:
"You—you—you, w-what are you thinking about?!"
Amamiya glanced at her with a calm, almost pitying expression. "Everyone's hobbies deserve respect…"
Sajuna's fury boiled over.
"It's not what you think!"
"I understand," Amamiya said with a nod. "It's saliva, right?"
"I'm not an alpaca! How could I drool that much?" Sajuna's chest heaved as she grew more flustered, her face burning red. "It's ice cream!"
"Oh, ice cream?"
"Just now… I was distracted by my phone, okay? The ice cream melted and dripped onto the floor, leaving that puddle!"
Amamiya raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then where's the ice cream now?"
Sajuna answered firmly, "Of course, I ate it!"
"And the popsicle stick?"
Sajuna fell silent, her mind racing.
In her panic from Amamiya's sudden knock earlier, she'd accidentally stuffed the popsicle stick into the comic. But there was no way she could admit that now. Revealing she had been secretly reading an adult comic in a boy's room would be a humiliation worse than death!
Seeing Sajuna's silence, Amamiya sighed and took a step back.
"If you say it's ice cream, then it's ice cream. I'll go downstairs. Just make sure you clean the floor."
"Y-you don't believe me!" Sajuna gritted her teeth, seething with frustration. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled as a bold idea came to mind. She grabbed Amamiya's arm tightly and declared:
"I have a way to prove my innocence!"
"…What?"
"Come in!"
Dragging him into the room, she pointed to the puddle on the floor. "Smell it. You'll know it's watermelon ice cream immediately!"
"You… actually want me to smell that?" Amamiya froze in disbelief, then shook his head firmly. "Sorry, that's beyond my limits. You'll have to find someone else for that kind of thing."
Sajuna, unable to take it anymore, shoved Amamiya lightly in the abdomen, attempting to push him closer.
But…
Amamiya stood completely unmoved, like a mountain.
"…Sit down!" Sajuna shouted in exasperation, her face crimson.
Only then did Amamiya sit on the edge of the bed, his expression unreadable.
"Now, smell for yourself and see if it's watermelon ice cream!"
Grabbing his shoulders, Sajuna leaned in, bringing her face close to his. Opening her mouth slightly, she revealed a row of pristine white teeth.
Amamiya found himself staring. Her soft, red tongue, the trembling pink flesh inside her mouth—it was oddly mesmerizing.
As Sajuna exhaled, a faint, sweet aroma of watermelon ice cream wafted over him.
"…"
The air in the room grew heavy and silent.
Almost unconsciously, Amamiya reached out and lightly placed a hand around Sajuna's slender waist.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, a flicker of panic appeared in Sajuna's wide, pink eyes.
Hello?!
I just asked you to smell it! Are you seriously about to kiss me?!
Although… if he did kiss me, he'd get a clearer taste of the flavor…
Wait, what am I thinking?!
There's no reason to kiss! Smelling is enough!
What's the point of proving my innocence if I destroy it in the process?!
As the faint warmth radiated from Amamiya's body and his scent grew more pronounced, Sajuna felt her heartbeat quicken. Her head spun, and her gaze became hazy, her eyes practically swirling like mosquito coils.
Finally, at the last possible moment, Sajuna snapped back to reality. With every ounce of strength she could muster, she turned her face away, her voice trembling as she pleaded weakly:
"N-no, don't…"
Sajuna, who had always carried herself with arrogance and poise, now spoke in a tone softer and more vulnerable than ever before:
"I… I can't betray Umi-chan…"
"I didn't realize you were such a loyal person."
Amamiya raised his right hand, gently tucking a stray lock of Sajuna's hair behind her ear. Then, with a calm smile, he said:
"You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one pushing you. So, it's okay now, right?"
"Huh?"
Sajuna froze for a moment, then pouted her cheeks in frustration.
How could it be okay?!
He's clearly just trying to cover for himself!
Amamiya's gaze softened as he looked directly into Sajuna's eyes and said in a gentle voice:
"Since the game chose me, I've made one decision."
"What decision?"
Sajuna couldn't help but feel curious.
Amamiya's expression turned serious. "JOJO, I'm not human anymore."
Sajuna: "…"
"Emotions, morality, ethics… they're nothing more than chains humans use to hold themselves back," Amamiya said in a calm and detached tone. "As long as I'm shameless enough, no one can defeat me morally."
"The law only states that bigamy is illegal. Does it say liking multiple girls is a crime?"
Amamiya truly detested people who tried to act all poetic and self-righteous.
If you like multiple girls, then just admit it. Don't make excuses, dodge the truth, or keep secrets. If you're going to be a scumbag, at least be an honest scumbag.
Sajuna's eyes widened as she blurted out, "How is what you just said any different from what a scumbag would say?"
"There's a big difference. For example…" Amamiya leaned in slightly, meeting her gaze directly. "I'll always only like you, Sajuna."
"Y-you—you! What are you saying?!"
Sajuna's cheeks turned a fiery red as she quickly looked away, her heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably.
"See? A scumbag lies to manipulate and toy with someone's feelings," Amamiya explained calmly. "But me? I'm the only honest scumbag in this world."
Sajuna: "…"
At that moment, Sajuna truly understood what it meant to say, 'If you have no shame, you're invincible.'
Being utterly shameless was truly a kind of superpower.
"Let go of me!"
Pouting her cheeks, Sajuna huffed in annoyance.
Say what you want, but there's no way I'll accept it!
Amamiya, unfazed, replied, "But I still haven't smelled it yet."
"No way!"
Sajuna pulled herself free, glaring at him. Trying to push your luck and even bully me? Over my dead body!
Amamiya took out a tissue and offered, "Fine. Then I'll clean the floor."
"I'll do it myself!" Sajuna snapped, snatching the tissue from his hand. "I don't need your help."
"…"
After she cleaned the floor, Amamiya casually picked up the discarded tissue and sniffed it.
"Hmm. It really does smell like ice cream."
"I told you it was ice cream!" Sajuna fumed, her temper flaring. "What is wrong with your brain that it's always full of weird ideas?!"