Kazusa ultimately gave in.
She allowed her hand to rest in Chisato's palm.
Her expression remained indifferent, her gaze impatient, but her heart pounded wildly, and the tips of her ears burned.
Chisato, however, remained unaffected. There wasn't a trace of impatience on his face as he carefully examined the injury she had inflicted on herself in a moment of recklessness.
The injury was on her palm. Fortunately, given the circumstances at the time, she hadn't been able to exert too much force, so the skin was merely reddened. Even after all this time, there was no sign of swelling—she was quite lucky.
A simple application of anti-inflammatory and pain-relief medication should be enough.
"I'm going to apply the spray now. After that, I'll need to massage it lightly to help the medicine absorb better. Don't move, and if it hurts, let me know immediately."
Chisato read the instructions on the spray bottle, carefully explaining what was about to happen.
"Just shut up! If you're gonna do it, then hurry up!"
Kazusa squeezed the words through clenched teeth.
"Alright, here I go."
"Hmph!"
Her body had already fully accepted his care; only her mouth remained defiant.
Catching a glimpse of her current expression from the corner of his eye, Chisato secretly chuckled.
But his hands didn't stop moving.
He twisted open the cap of the spray and carefully brought it close to her palm before pressing the nozzle. A faint herbal scent spread through the air.
There was likely menthol in the medication—it brought a sudden coolness to Kazusa's palm, easing the burning sensation from her injury. Instinctively, she let out a small, sharp inhale.
Chisato looked up.
"Does it hurt?"
Kazusa instantly composed herself.
"No."
Her response was still cold and aloof, but it lacked the sharp hostility from before. Once someone got to know Kazusa, they'd realize she was actually quite easy to read.
After applying the spray, Chisato picked up a cotton swab and gently rubbed the area.
This time, Kazusa didn't have any dramatic reactions. She remained quiet until he was finished.
"Alright."
Chisato, somewhat reluctant, let go of her hand, allowing her to pull it back. He then tidied up the first-aid kit and set it aside.
"If your hand still hurts in the morning, you should apply the medication yourself again."
"…"
"…"
The two of them stared at each other in silence.
Now that their brief moment of contact had ended, Kazusa returned to her usual cold demeanor. The lingering warmth and tension dissipated, replaced by her usual cool and distant air.
She glanced at Chisato's face before suddenly turning away, issuing a command in an unquestionable tone.
"Get up."
"…"
Chisato had no idea what she was thinking, but he obediently followed her instruction.
"Basket… basketball."
"…Huh?"
"Huh, what? Hurry up and play basketball!"
Kazusa shot him a glare and added an explanation for her sudden demand. She still couldn't forget what had happened on the court earlier. Honestly, she probably never would.
Why should she be the only one humiliated? Now it was his turn to experience what it felt like to get blocked!
"Wait a second, Kazusa, I really didn't do it on purpose."
"I just suddenly heard you saying something on the court and walked over to pass you the ball like you asked. And besides, you were the one who pushed the ball away, right?"
Chisato was completely thrown off by her demand. It had come out of nowhere, and he couldn't keep up with her shifting emotions.
Without thinking, he started explaining again, trying to prove his innocence and earn her forgiveness.
But Kazusa didn't care about any of that.
The game had already been ruined. No amount of explanation could change that. If anything, his words only made her angrier.
She grabbed her water bottle and threw it at him with full force.
"You idiot, idiot! How was I supposed to know you'd show up at my house at that exact moment?!"
Chisato raised his arm to block her furious attack while still attempting to defend himself.
"I literally told you yesterday before I left that I was coming back today!"
"Even so, you knew I was completely unaware of what was happening outside, and yet you sneaked up to the court so quietly!"
"There's no way that wasn't intentional! You definitely had ulterior motives!"
"I did have ulterior motives, but I would never act on them against your will! If I really wanted to, then back when it was just the two of us alone in the gym, I would've already taken full advantage of the situation!"
"Why would I wait until Yoko was around? The risk was way too high, and it was completely inconvenient!"
The second those words left Chisato's mouth, he knew he had messed up.
Kazusa grabbed a pillow and started smacking him over the head.
It didn't hurt at all, but the anger on her face, combined with the force behind her swings, made her emotions crystal clear.
He had unintentionally admitted that he did, in fact, have thoughts about her—but why would he say that now, while she was still furious?
Realizing his mistake, he quickly looked at Kazusa's expression, expecting the worst.
But then… something unexpected happened.
She didn't get angrier.
Instead, she lowered her head slightly, her face flushing a deep red.
She looked… shy.
Almost as if… she had accepted his explanation. Almost as if… she was happy about it.
What the hell? That worked? That doesn't even make sense!
While Chisato was still trying to make sense of what just happened, Kazusa took a deep breath, steadied herself, and spoke again.
"Basketball."
No way, Kazusa, you're doing this again?
Chisato's lips trembled slightly.
"Why?"
"One thing has nothing to do with the other. Even if you didn't mean it, you still... humiliated me. And besides that, my hand is injured because of you."
"It hurts a lot. Didn't you just say you'd make up for your mistake? A real man doesn't go back on his word. Play basketball!"
Wow. So now you know how to take advantage of the situation and turn it in your favor? Kazusa, you've really grown.
"…Kazusa, are you sure you want me to do this?"
Chisato thought about it a lot.
He could pretty much guess what Kazusa was thinking right now—she wanted to see him make a fool of himself to balance things out in her heart.
But even knowing that, he still felt a little conflicted.
Because, honestly speaking, this didn't seem like a punishment to him at all. It wasn't even something that would make him feel embarrassed.
Playing basketball and messing up in front of the girl he liked, having her watch his every move while he stole glances at her reactions…
If you looked at it from a slightly perverse perspective, this was more like a reward.
But Kazusa only saw the surface level.
In her eyes, Chisato was hesitating, stumbling over his words, trying to evade the topic.
The more he acted like this, the more determined she became to make him suffer the same kind of embarrassment.
So she smirked coldly.
Standing up within the three-point line, she looked down at Chisato, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her posture carrying an air of superiority.
"I'm sure. I'm serious. I'm not joking with you…"
Hmph! So you do have things you're afraid of!
—Such confidence swelled in her chest.
Over the past few days, Kazusa had carefully reflected on everything that had happened between them, from the moment they met until now.
It was all a complete scam built on countless lies.
She finally understood why she had felt those strange moments of unease back then.
For example, whenever he got a phone call, he would either hurriedly hang up or walk a few steps away before answering.
At the time, she had thought nothing of it, believing that even couples should respect each other's privacy.
But looking back now, that bastard Chisato was probably busy training with his basketball friends and ignoring her, wasn't he?!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Just swallowing her frustration and letting these things go felt impossible. If she let it slide, she might end up so frustrated that she'd lose years off her life!
She had to do something in return.
Make that jerk experience the same humiliation. Let him understand exactly how she had been feeling these past few days.
And now, she had the perfect excuse.
So without hesitation, Kazusa spoke.
"…I'm not joking. If you don't play basketball for me, then get out!"
"…"
Chisato rubbed his forehead. He wasn't particularly intimidated by Kazusa's serious demeanor.
If this had been back when they were still deeply in love, he might have even thought she was just creating a playful little moment between them.
Even though their relationship had hit rock bottom now, he still couldn't help but have such thoughts.
But this was definitely not the time to smile.
No, the best course of action was to go along with her request.
After all, since that day at the hospital, this was the first time she had spoken so much to him. He had to seize this chance to break the ice.
If she really wanted him to play, then so be it.
"I understand…"
"Then hurry up."
The moment Chisato "reluctantly" gave in, Kazusa's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smirk.
This was karma.
She had already decided—after his "performance," she would shamelessly run her gaze over his entire body, then give the most sarcastic, cutting remarks possible.
She would make him suffer, completely venting the frustration and resentment she had been holding in!
As for how this farce would end, she hadn't thought that far ahead.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that Chisato had finally caved.
He let out a soft sigh, picked up the basketball, and positioned his fingers on either side of it.
Kazusa instinctively held her breath, her gaze locked onto him.
Then, suddenly, he paused.
"Kazusa, just one three-pointer should be enough, right?"
"Keep dreaming. You have to show me all your layup moves."
Kazusa answered in the most natural tone, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Fine, whatever makes you happy.
Chisato lifted his eyelids slightly.
Having received a clear answer, he resumed his movements.
He took a deep breath.
The basketball jersey clung to his torso as he slowly adjusted his posture, settling into a proper shooting stance.
Kazusa's ears turned red.
For a brief moment, she was surprised to see how seriously he was taking this.
Even though he looked thin and weak on the outside, when he actually played basketball… he was surprisingly…
Surprisingly… hard to find fault with.
His side profile was handsome. His posture was impeccable.
Kazusa stared at him for a long time, her eyes unconsciously growing misty.
She only snapped out of it when Chisato lifted a fist to his lips and cleared his throat.
"This should be enough of a demonstration, right?"
He was still trying to talk her out of this. It was for her own good—otherwise, in the end, she would only embarrass herself.
But Kazusa refused.
She forced herself to meet his gaze, her lips barely forming a stiff smile, her stubbornness written all over her face.
Like hell she was backing down now.
The best part was coming up!
This was her chance to see Chisato's face turn red, to make him feel the same shame she had just felt!
There was no way she would give up now.
I tried to warn you.
Whatever happens next, don't blame me.
Faced with this terrible turn of events, Chisato calmly placed his hands on his waistband.
Before actually doing anything, he even thoughtfully asked,
"Kazusa, are you sure you don't want to look away for a moment?"
"I'm sure!"
Kazusa, who had just slightly lowered her head, was immediately provoked by his words. Her competitiveness flared up again.
Even if it was difficult, she forced herself to stare straight at his hands.
"Click. Bang."
Chisato leapt into the air.
The ball swished cleanly through the hoop.
It bounced a few times on the ground—thud, thud, thud—rolling further away.
Kazusa clenched her fists.
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
A delayed wave of embarrassment began to wash over her.
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I hope the title can convey how confused I am while reading this.... I didn't miss a chapter this time
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!