Chapter 106: Skipping Class

It seemed like a long time had passed. After their lips parted, the young man buried his head in the pillow on her left side. 

He breathed in the faint scent of shampoo coming from her hair and softly whispered in her ear, “Naoko, do you know how irresistible you are? I really want to devour you right now.”

“Lei…” Hearing his words, Naoko, who was lying beneath him, became even more excited. Her body involuntarily twisted, and she tightly embraced the young man’s back.

“Silly, don’t move around too much, or I won’t be able to control myself,” the young man’s breathing quickened as he spoke near her ear.

Feeling his intense desire, Naoko was both embarrassed and delighted. Her body stiffened all of a sudden.

“There’s a credit card in my left pocket. Could you take it out for me?” After a while, the young man suddenly said.

Naoko moved her hands from his back and reached into his pocket. Sure enough, she felt something that resembled a card.

“This credit card* is for you. I’ve already put some money in it,” the young man spoke before she could say anything.

“Lei, you don’t need to do this. I’m not lacking money,” Naoko said.

“I know your family is wealthy, but now you’re my woman, so of course, you’ll use my money,” the young man said domineeringly.

Hearing the words “you’re my woman,” Naoko’s tears flowed like a spring, and she hugged him with all her strength, wishing she could melt into his body.

Sensing the incredible, enticing curves of her body, the young man was stirred, but concerned about her heart, he dared not take immediate action. Instead, he hugged her and rubbed his chest against her alluring form to cool down.

However, this only made things worse, as Naoko, already consumed with desire, now felt like a fire burning inside her. Her skin had turned a rose-like hue, her eyes tightly shut, and she couldn’t help but gasp and moan.

In this situation, the young man felt trapped. Looking at the incredibly beautiful woman beneath him, he wavered between indulging or holding back.

Suddenly, as if by joke, his phone rang.

The ringtone startled Naoko, causing her to freeze, not daring to move.

The young man, unsure whether it was good or bad, let out a bitter smile and took out the phone from his pocket. Seeing the caller ID, he knew it was Kazumi calling.

After adjusting his breath, he answered the call.

“Hello, is this Kazumi?”

“Sorry, I was at a friend’s house and lost track of time. What time is it now?”

“Oh, it’s already after school. By the way, I don’t need you to make dinner anymore. I’ll eat at my friend’s place.”

“Got it. I’ll come home early.”

“You don’t know him. He’s just a friend I met recently. Anyway, I’ll hang up now if there’s nothing else.”

Fearing she’d ask more, he hurriedly ended the call.

Looking up at Naoko, he found her eyes slightly open, peering at him. When she realized he was looking at her, she quickly shut her eyes, her face red as if it would bleed.

Seeing the pink tint on her skin, still lingering with spring-like charm, the young man dared not stoke the flames further.

Sitting up, he tightly embraced her, cradling her gently.

“Wait a moment, call your sister and tell her you have something to do tonight, so you’ll be late. Just order some takeout for her. Stay here with me tonight and make dinner, alright?” The young man whispered, pressing his face against her hair.

“Mm.” Naoko obediently responded.

※※※

“Kazumi, the midterm exams are less than a month away. How are you preparing?” During lunch on the rooftop, Rumi suddenly put down her lunchbox and asked Kazumi.

Kazumi was a little puzzled. Rumi had never asked her about exams before. Besides, Kazumi’s grades were always either first or second in school, so she didn’t need anyone to worry about her. Just as she was about to respond, she noticed Rumi was glancing, almost subconsciously, at Masashi, who was eating his lunch. Kazumi immediately understood and smiled.

“I should be fine. I’ve been attending class on time every day. As for skipping class or leaving early, I’ve never done that. I’m the perfect student in the eyes of all my teachers.”

“Is that so? Then I’m relieved,” Rumi coughed slightly.

“As for me, you shouldn’t worry. But you should be worried about someone who often skips class. If I’m not mistaken, someone made a bet with you, right? I don’t remember the exact terms, but I think it was that if they lost, they’d have to do whatever you say. By the way, Masashi, do you remember what that person said?” Kazumi turned to Masashi.

“You two little troublemakers, don’t keep teasing me. I remember that bet. Look at what you’ve done. You’ve even corrupted Rumi,” Masashi raised his head and glared at his sister.

“What? I’m just reminding you. But I’m curious. Why does the teacher never seem to have a problem with you skipping class so much?”

“How would I know? Maybe it’s just become a habit. If I showed up for every class, they’d probably think I had a fever,” Masashi continued eating his lunch, unfazed.

In truth, he knew the reason. Ever since that politician, Ikeda, had knelt before the principal to apologize to Masashi, the principal had been too scared to bother him again. It seemed the teachers had been instructed to leave him alone as well.

“Senpai, are you really okay? I’ve never seen you study at home,” Rumi said worriedly, tugging on his arm.

“What do you mean, not studying? What about that huge stack on my bedside table?”

“I’m talking about textbooks!” Rumi was visibly annoyed by his nonchalant attitude.

“You little worrywart. Just wait and see how your senpai knocks Kazumi down to the next rank,” Masashi said confidently.

Kazumi stuck her tongue out at him and made a face.

Rumi sighed in exasperation but secretly decided to visit a temple sometime soon to pray for his success.

After lunch, once the two girls returned to their classroom, Masashi turned and headed for the school gate again.

“That guy never changes,” Kazumi muttered helplessly, watching him leave from the classroom window.

Since Naoko sometimes had to help out her classmate’s magazine company by writing articles, they didn’t meet every day, and today was one of those days. While considering where to go, a taxi suddenly pulled up beside him.

“Masashi! It really is you. I thought I might have mistaken someone else for a moment,” said a stylish young woman stepping out of the cab.

“Who are you?” Masashi asked, feeling she looked vaguely familiar.

“Fool, I’m Kurata Ryoko, your cousin,” she said indignantly, raising her hand as if to knock on his head.

Having never been knocked on the head by anyone, he wouldn’t let this cousin be the exception.

“Sorry, it’s just that last time you had your hair tied up and weren’t wearing makeup, so I didn’t recognize you right away,” Masashi said, dodging her hand with ease.

“What do you think? Do I look good like this?” Ryoko immediately forgot her irritation and proudly showed off her trendy outfit.

“Not bad. If the skirt were any shorter, you wouldn’t need to worry about it being revealing—there’d be nothing left to reveal,” Masashi commented with a smirk.

“You brat! How dare you mock me? See how I deal with you!” Ryoko yelled, fuming.

“Hey, your friends are waiting. What do you want from me?” Masashi asked. Despite her outburst, he had some appreciation for this rare cousin of his who had a strong sense of justice.

“I wasn’t particularly looking for you. I just happened to see someone who looked like you on the street and came over to check. Turns out it really is you,” Ryoko said, her words tumbling out like a tongue twister.

“Got it. Since the identity has been confirmed, you can leave now,” Masashi said with a grin. He found her quite amusing.

“You brat! I’m definitely teaching you a lesson today. Come with me!” Ryoko said, dragging him into the taxi.

“Hey, I’m busy. I don’t have time to mess around with you,” Masashi protested.

“Who are you kidding? Judging by your looks, it’s obvious you’re skipping class to hang out. Since you’ve got nothing better to do, come with me,” Ryoko said, slamming the car door shut.

Seeing no way out, Masashi resigned himself and sat down.

He noticed there were two other girls in the car, about Ryoko’s age. One was sitting in the passenger seat, and the other was next to him. It was the latter whom he had noticed earlier.

The two girls were both quite attractive. One had graceful long hair, while the other sported a refreshing short bob that barely reached her ears.

It was a curious phenomenon among girls—those with similar appearances or styles often ended up as close friends.

Ryoko tapped him on the shoulder. “What do you think? My two classmates are pretty, right?”

The short-haired girl sitting next to Masashi turned to Ryoko and asked, “Ryoko, who is this?”

“I’ll introduce him. This is my cousin, Gennai Masashi. He’s still a high school student.”

“Masashi, this is Tachibana Sui, and this is Yamaguchi Tomoko. They’re my university classmates,” Ryoko said, pointing to each in turn.

“Nice to meet you,” Masashi said, nodding politely.

“Hello,” the two girls replied courteously.

“You two don’t have to be so formal with him. This guy is actually pretty fun to mess with,” Ryoko said loudly.

“Hey, where are you taking me?” Masashi asked, glancing out the window.

“Tomoko’s younger sister is in the hospital, so we’re going to visit her,” Ryoko replied.

Masashi felt an immediate urge to roll his eyes. “Are you serious? You’re dragging a complete stranger to visit someone I’ve never even met. What do you think this is, a matchmaking event?”

“Dream on! Tomoko’s sister is way too pretty to even consider you,” Ryoko scoffed.

“Fine, I give up. That was just a metaphor. Anyway, let me out of the car,” Masashi said, feeling defeated.

“No way,” Ryoko said flatly.

Masashi turned to the short-haired girl beside him. “Is she always like this?”

Sui nodded and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

*The author probably doesn’t know the difference between credit and debit cards.