“Achoo—!”
During lunch break in the classroom, Hoshino Haruka, who was sitting at her joined desk eating her bento, suddenly sneezed without warning.
Could she have caught a cold from not sleeping well last night?
But an ether-composed body shouldn’t get sick, right?
She expressionlessly pulled out a tissue and wiped her nose.
Before she could throw the tissue away, the back of her head suddenly bumped into something incredibly soft.
“Caught a wild Haruka-chan— meow!”
Along with an energetic voice, a pair of fair arms wrapped tightly around Hoshino Haruka’s neck from behind.
The energetic girl with bright golden short hair, Rinki Nao, shamelessly pressed Hoshino Haruka’s face into the deep cleavage of her chest.
“Uwaa—! It’s the same expressionless Haruka-chan today too! That silent type is just too cute! I want to pack you up and take you home meow!”
Facing the sudden assault, Hoshino Haruka’s face remained completely calm.
She skillfully gave up on resisting, letting the golden retriever-like girl rub all over her face while her thoughts drifted back to her apartment.
How is that child called Su Ruanruan doing at home right now?
Did she disobey and go outside?
What if someone sees her?
She hadn’t locked the door properly after all. Maybe she really should lock it, because…
An image from this morning before she left uncontrollably surfaced in her mind—
Those soft, snowy-white cat ears that would tremble with every touch; those slender bare calves restlessly rubbing against the cold floor without socks; and that extremely sensitive cat tail that would make the corners of her eyes turn red and make her cry and beg for mercy with just a firm grip…
Just thinking about Su Ruanruan’s soft, jelly-like lips made Hoshino Haruka’s throat feel dry.
“Haa… haa…”
Hoshino Haruka’s breathing unconsciously grew heavier.
Even though her face still wore that unchanging cold expression, a noticeable blush quietly crept up to her earlobes, and her legs under the desk unconsciously rubbed together with slight urgency.
“Hm?”
Rinki Nao, who had been frantically absorbing “Haruka energy,” stopped moving.
She tilted her head, observing Hoshino Haruka’s flushed side profile and her slightly trembling legs under the desk.
She blinked her large, watery eyes in confusion.
“Haruka, are you okay meow? Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever?”
As she spoke, she reached out her small hand to feel Hoshino Haruka’s forehead.
“Nao…” Hoshino Haruka turned her head to avoid the hand.
A rare trace of hesitation and confusion flashed in her eyes.
She hesitated for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words:
“I think I’m sick. I wanted to ask you about it.”
“Eh? Sick? Where does it hurt meow?!” Rinki Nao instantly became worried.
“It doesn’t hurt.” Hoshino Haruka looked out at the blue sky outside the window.
“It’s just that recently, one person’s image keeps appearing uncontrollably in my mind. Whenever I think about her, my heart beats faster and my body gets strangely hot.”
Hoshino Haruka frowned slightly, her tone carrying genuine confusion.
“I’ve never had this kind of out-of-control feeling before. It feels very strange. Nao, what exactly is wrong with me?”
The air was quiet for two seconds.
Rinki Nao tilted her head, staring blankly at Hoshino Haruka.
The next second, she suddenly burst into an extremely exaggerated energetic laugh and slapped Hoshino Haruka’s shoulder hard.
“Hahahaha! Haruka-chan, what kind of joke is that! You can’t possibly be in love meow?!”
Hoshino Haruka didn’t refute her. She simply sat there quietly, looking at her with those clear, cool eyes.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Rinki Nao’s hand that was slapping her shoulder gradually stiffened.
The smile on her face slowly froze, replaced by horror.
“No… it can’t be true, right?”
“That kind of thing absolutely not meow—!!!”
Rinki Nao let out a heart-wrenching wail and hugged Hoshino Haruka’s waist tightly.
Her tears fell instantly as she rubbed desperately into Haruka’s chest, crying as if her heart was breaking.
“Wuuu! Without Haruka, watashi! What is watashi supposed to do meow! I absolutely cannot accept Haruka being stolen away by some wild man or stinky scumbag from who-knows-where! That kind of thing… Haruka falling in love… at least wait until a hundred years after I die meow—!!”
Slap.
Hoshino Haruka expressionlessly raised her hand and delivered a precise chop to the top of Rinki Nao’s head.
“That hurts meow!”
“It’s probably not what you’re thinking.” Hoshino Haruka calmly withdrew her hand and added, “It’s… a girl.”
“Oh, a girl? Then no problem meow!”
The tears on Rinki Nao’s face from her dramatic crying disappeared in an instant.
She bounced off Hoshino Haruka, even striking a proper attention pose on the spot.
Her face returned to its carefree smile.