After leaving the gymnasium. I waited a bit downstairs for her. She got her chance to escape and I even got to see Fukuda trying to chase after her. Chii didnt notice him though.

Good for him, I guess? No. It was not good for him when he watched Chii run toward me without stopping at a certain distance. The girl jumped in my arms as if she waited for long to do that.

And when I caught the girl, I looked at him without returning a triumphant grin. Its not needed anymore, after all. If he couldnt accept the reality that he already lost even before the fight started, then theres no redemption for him.

In any case, we hurriedly left that area, to avoid other curious eyes that might see us. Whether he followed us or not, I couldnt care less. He could hurt himself more, thats his life anyway. But he would never see Chii in a vulnerable state. If I noticed him nearby, I would quickly cover her with my body even if we were not doing something risqu.

Fortunately for him, he didnt follow us. He avoided another heartbreak.

I know... Sooner or later, that guy would try and confirm my relationship with Chii. Whether he went to ask the girl or me, theres only one answer. Besides, if he somehow lost control and he tried to use force on Chii, theres that little self-defense technique that I taught them. From what I heard from her, she resumed training her grip to deliver the most pain for anyone who would attempt.

The girl thought of resuming playing sports. Not baseball but softball so retraining her grip was also for that reason.

Anyway, I brought her into a rather secluded area. Well, not entirely secluded. With the number of students on the campus right now, theres still a high possibility for us to be seen by someone.

Even so, the place was already the most ideal. Its the same place where I brought Nami back then, behind a gym storehouse... Moreover, I just couldnt hold myself back... It was a certainty that I wouldnt be able to spend that much time with them today. Moreover, I might even leave for my part-time job right after this game because of time constraints. Thats why theres no other better chance than now.

I saw your pouty lips and I... cant help but want to kiss them.

Im not pouting because Im jealous! While maintaining her slight pout, Chii quickly replied but a few seconds later, she realized that her answer was slightly problematic... Wait... I didnt mean...

Hmm? What you dont mean? Is my Chii jealous?

I said, Im not!

Really? I said I wanted to kiss your pouty lips but there you are... declaring that youre jealous. Tell me, should I play along with that lie? My lips curled up as I brought my hand to her waist. Slipping it around to her back, I pulled her close to me.

Not knowing how to answer, the girl instead clicked her tongue and looked at me in indignation. If I said Im not, Im not...

The girl grabbed the hem of my shirt, gripped it tight and pulled it down. Feeling the tug, I naturally lowered my upper body, leveling my face to hers.

Perhaps annoyed at how I didnt reply to her, indicating that I stood by what I said previously, the girls expression turned complicated.

Part of her possibly wanted to concede and honestly admit that shes jealous while the other part wanted to see me concede to her even if its just on this occasion.

And what better path should I take? Obviously, towards her satisfaction. Alright, I believe you, my Chii is not jealous. Can I kiss you now?

As soon as I said that, I took in her entire appearance and let my eyes admire her fully. Chii was in a rather tame outfit today compared to what her gyaru friends were wearing. When I said tame, its not the overly flashy appearance where eyes wouldnt be able to resist checking her out. Its more like a casual outfit shed wear if shes not perceived as a gyaru. Furthermore, apart from her hair and the light touch of make-up, the girl would hardly be mistaken for a gyaru.

Although I already got used to and became somewhat fond of her contrasting behavior while wearing her uniform like a gyaru, shes also great this way.

You kiss monster. Every time, you keep on asking for a kiss.

Is that bad though? Our relationship started with that. I stole your first kiss.

... You stole it and you kept on doing it every single day. No, every single moment you found a chance.

My bad. I got addicted to it.

Its feeding your desire, you mean. Chii pouted again. Talking about our past like this, I was also checking if shes still affected by what happened.

However, I could see her lips curving up into a gentle smile as she slowly recalled those instances.

Mhm. That too. But Chii... I enjoyed it. Even when it became you who started initiating it.

I know that... If you didnt like it, you would push me away.

Im such an idiot back then.

What back then? Youre still an idiot today... At the very least, you finally admit to it... Thats enough for me to be glad.

Upon saying that, with our bodies pressed against each other, Chii completed that smile before placing her lips on top of mine.

Imitating that first experience we had before reenacting everything that happened between us, Chii and I became locked at each other for a good while.

By the time we finished, her expression somehow turned melancholic. Her revisit on those memories already reached the point when I cut her off and told her that she was boring.

Thats why before her tears could form, I opened my mouth.

Youre never boring, Chii. Youre a little clumsy, true. No, wait. Not just a little. However, I could remember how youre always working hard... I could continue blaming my desire but I should fully own up to it. I found other girls that could also satisfy my desire resulting in me giving you less and less attention... But thats all in the past, today... No. Ever since I reconnected with you, I found myself being drawn to you... This idiot loves you a lot...

Even when I ended that speech with another kiss, Chiis tears still flowed down her beautiful space, ruining the thin makeup she put on. However, the tears that she bore today werent that of loneliness but joy.

Sharing that kiss for another minute while I tried to wipe the tears that continued running down her face, Chii and I then laughed at each other.

Geez... Thats a cringy speech again. How many times are you going to do that?

Every time youre close to tears?

Idiot. You always fail to stop it.

I know. But at least, youre smiling beautifully whenever that happens.

And with that, Chii found no words to rebut. In the end, we shared another few minutes before we separated. Shes going to the restroom to redo her makeup and cover up her swollen eyes while I waited for a bit outside just to make sure that Fukuda wouldnt suddenly appear before going back to the school gates.

How many minutes has it been since they arrived? Looking at the clock on my phone... 13 minutes and counting. Furthermore, there were 10 missed calls and at least 20 messages all from Setsuna.

That girl was persistent.