Whats the change in location, cheeky junior? Are you and Izumi keeping something from me?

As soon as I showed up in the room where I told Arisa to wait for me, those questions were instantly hurled by her.

Well, she saw us together earlier this morning. And perhaps Izumi-senpai was acting weird around her. Add my sudden change of venue, her suspicion just went over the limits of what it could contain.

With crossed arms that accentuated those perky breasts of hers, Arisa leaned on a desk as she eyed me making my way towards her.

Shes still as beautiful as I first saw her. And shes as attractive as the first time I became aware of that irresistible desire to have her.

Forget about her question. I just wanted to quickly come over and hold her in my arms.

And that I did...

Even before she could react or nag at me for not answering her questions, my arms were already hooked behind her and her lips were captured by mine.

Y-you... This is nice and I like it a lot. But answer my question first! Perhaps still having some of her wits to not be totally consumed by the similar irresistible desire, Arisa pushed my face away and glared at me.

But thats all she could do. Shes already clinging to me just as much as I did. She even licked her lips, seeking the lingering taste of mine there. Most likely, no one would be able to separate us from each other at this moment. In any case, thats just how it was for us... As always.

Whats there to hide from you? Lets see, is Izumi-senpai acting weird?

There! If theres truly nothing, youll answer differently. And how can you guess that shes acting weird? I thought you were not going to keep things from me, hmm? Is that a lie?

Barraging me with another set of questions as well as her observation about my answer, Arisa grabbed my ears and pinched them.

Its not painful but because of it, the girl pulled me out of my unwitting focus on my burning desire for her. In short, it successfully cleared my mind.

Of course, its not a lie... I will never hide anything from you. But you see, there were cases where I deemed it best not to tell you and the other girls right away. What Izumi-senpai told me was one of those cases...

Even with a clear mind, I still went with what I decided earlier. Im ready for the girl to become upset if she wont accept that answer. Theres no going around it if I wanted to keep them uninvolved in what was about to happen.

Upon hearing my answer, Arisa went silent. Her eyes focused on my face as though waiting for a follow-up. But because I also closed my mouth, indicating that I finished what I said, the girl eventually closed her eyes.

Most likely, shes contemplating how she should respond. Its only either of the two. Pressing me to tell her what Im keeping from her or accept it and wait for when I decide to tell her.

And so, minutes passed by like this.

While shes in the process of coming up with a response, I did my thing. Instead of standing together right here, I pulled us down to sit. I also didnt put her on my lap like I often did. I just opened my legs and had her take the open space there. Following that, I wrapped my arms around her navel, locking her in my embrace.

. In fact, Arisa looked even more relaxed with me. The conflict in her mind and the feeling of comfort werent in any way affecting each other.

Doing it like this didnt interrupt her thoughts. And perhaps unconsciously, shes more relaxed this way as automatically leaned comfortably on me. Around two minutes later, the girl opened her eyes and looked up to meet my gaze. Her lips then drew an arc but it was not a smile. Rather, shes frowning.

Judging from those slanted eyebrows, shes probably about to nag at me or at least scold me concerning something.

Arisa lifted one of her arms and hooked it around my nape before sensually sliding to my cheek, cupping it in her palm.

And soon enough, she finally opened her mouth, her soothing voice gracing my ears.

Cheeky junior. No, Ruki. You wont change your mind, am I right?

My guess was wrong. Shes not going to scold me. This girl was going to confirm things by throwing more questions.

Nonetheless, I simply nodded as an answer to that and let her continue.

Instead of continuing looking up, Arisa twisted her body sideways and leaned on one of my shoulders, in this way we could see each other better.

She asked three more questions and all of which were answered by either a nod or a shake of my head.

Taking all those at face value, the girl then went back to process my answers. Shes going to conclude whether I was being truthful or not.

And like earlier, I just waited while enjoying her irresistible fragrance. I even tried parting her lush hair to kiss her nape, nibble her ears, and do everything my mouth could do without disturbing her too much.

However, I was still scolded by her a few times for doing that. And perhaps thinking that it would calm me down, she would kiss me every time.

And time passed by again. Arisa eventually finished her contemplation.

I see... Whatever it is, you must have a reason for trying to withhold it... I wont ask but keep your promise, alright? I want to hear everything later. I also wont try to extract it from Izumi. Like you, she must also have a reason.

Upon saying that, Arisas frown relaxed as the arc of her lips reversed, turning it into a beautiful smile. I fully captured that with my eyes, making my heart thump from being lovestruck.

Yeah. Im still as hopeless as always.

Thank you. And you can rest assured. I wont go back on a promise.

You say that but you have already gone back to some of your promises. Arisa put on a smirk and poked my cheek. Shes being playful again.

Well, lets play along.

Hmm? What kind of promise was it?

For one, you said youre going to keep your distance. But look at you. Holding me so close. Pointing at my arms wrapped around her navel, Arisa teased.

Thats not my fault. Youre the one who always comes crashing on me. What else can I do apart from catching you?

So, youre saying its my fault? Arisa raised an eyebrow yet her playful smile remained.

This girl... Shes so indulged at this that she probably thought she really got the upper hand.

Well then...

For that particular promise, yes. Why? If you want to, I can still fulfill that.

As soon as I said that, Arisas smile froze as a bewildered look covered her face. Her mouth closed and opened multiple times but no words were issued by it.

Soon enough, her eyes narrowed and she bit her lips as though she was trying to keep herself from crying.

And with a kind of a broken voice, she said, Y-yeah. T-try it. And you will see me cry.

Ah... This girl is too adorable.

I admit defeat. Theres no winning against a womans tears.

There you go. After all this, who wouldve thought that youd be walking around my palms?

I raised the white flag making the girls expression instantly return to its natural smugness.

No one would surely believe me if I told them that she was just about to cry. Look at how much shes grinning... its making me want to tease her more. But if I did that, she might really cry and Im certain that I will be like an idiot, panicking to calm her tears down.

I guess shes right about that. Im walking around her palms... Its not bad anyway.

I will only admit defeat in this instance, mind you. I have a lot of reasons to do so, after all. But first and foremost, theres no way I will let you out of my grasp again, Arisa...

You greedy and cheeky junior... Arisa giggled lovingly as she pulled my head down for a kiss. Although it was swift, it was so sweet that we both already looked drunk from just that.

Pushing the issue of keeping something from her to the back of our minds, this Mentor Program time was naturally transformed into our special moment.