Hikigaya never expected Kasumigaoka to be this bold.
They were separated from Yukinoshita by just a bookshelf.
And yet—
She actually had the audacity to kiss him in broad daylight?!
Wait.
Yukinoshita was right there!!
Hikigaya pushed Kasumigaoka away with all his might.
Trying not to attract attention, he lowered his voice.
"Are you insane?!"
As he spoke, his eyes instinctively darted through the gaps in the bookshelf to check on the other side.
Yukinoshita was deeply engrossed in her novel, her expression completely absorbed, as if she were in another world.
Hikigaya exhaled in relief.
As her boyfriend, he knew Yukinoshita far too well.
Once she was focused on reading, she became completely oblivious to the world around her—almost nothing could distract her.
"Hehe..."
Kasumigaoka wiped the corner of her mouth and smirked.
"Well, whose fault is it for bringing someone who shouldn't be here? This was supposed to be our private date."
"Ahem, Yukinoshita is my girlfriend. What's wrong with me bringing her?" Hikigaya took a deep breath, trying to remain calm.
"Hmph, 'girlfriend,' huh?"
Kasumigaoka crossed her arms under her chest, emphasizing her curves as she leaned forward provocatively.
"Aren't you tired of always going home with her? Tell me—does your girlfriend have a body like mine?"
"Liking someone has nothing to do with their body."
Hikigaya glanced at her, his expression indifferent.
"Even if Yukinoshita had no chest or hips, I'd still only like her."
"You... Hmph! You really are an ungrateful 'Air-kun'!" Kasumigaoka huffed, an unmistakable hint of jealousy in her voice.
"So? Which test paper is it?"
Ignoring her complaints, Hikigaya turned his attention to the bookshelf, scanning the near-identical stacks of test papers.
"Kiss me, and I'll tell you."
"Not happening."
Hikigaya rejected her immediately.
Not only was Yukinoshita on the other side of the bookshelf, but they were also in a public bookstore!
Kissing here?
Just imagining it made his embarrassment skyrocket.
Of course—
If it were Yukinoshita asking, or even forcing him to kiss her, he might consider it.
But Kasumigaoka? No way.
"Oh? Not gonna do it?"
Kasumigaoka chuckled.
"Then I'm not telling you either. Hmph~"
"Fine, I'll find it myself."
"Oh? You'll find it yourself?"
Kasumigaoka smirked.
"There are so many test papers here, and you suck at math. If you manage to find the right one, I'll crawl on the floor and act like a puppy!"
"You said it."
"Of course."
Kasumigaoka giggled, her tone playful.
"Air-kun, I'm telling you, you're better off listening to me. Just do what I say, and I'll give you the best test paper—one that will boost your math scores like never before."
"If your math improves, you'll have a much better chance of getting into the same university as Yukinoshita~"
Kasumigaoka hugged her chest, accentuating her perfect curves in a way that would drive most men crazy.
But—
Hikigaya completely ignored her and focused on the test papers.
Honestly—
If he wanted to make this easy, he could just call Yukinoshita over.
She was a top student, after all.
She'd probably find the right test paper instantly.
But asking her for help over something this trivial felt a little pathetic.
Besides—
Kasumigaoka would probably interfere, and if she let something slip about their conversation, their whole situation could get exposed. That would be a disaster.
So, Hikigaya decided to find the right test paper himself.
His eyes scanned the shelf.
He started thinking.
"Hehe, Air-kun, don't waste your time. You're hopeless at math—there's no way you'll find it."
Kasumigaoka smirked as she watched him hesitate, not even flipping through the test papers.
She was already feeling victorious.
"Just give in and agree to my terms. If you do—"
"It should be this one."
Before she could finish, Hikigaya suddenly crouched down and reached toward a tightly packed stack of test papers at the bottom of the shelf.
"???"
Kasumigaoka, who had been full of confidence just a moment ago, froze completely.
"As expected..."
Hikigaya murmured as he pulled out a math test paper.
"Wha—You...!"
Kasumigaoka wanted to refute him, but when she saw the certainty in his expression, she knew there was no point in denying it.
Biting her lip, she couldn't help but ask:
"How did you figure it out?"
Hikigaya casually flipped through the test paper and answered calmly:
"You mentioned this morning that the previous batch of test papers had run out, so new ones had to be ordered. Since they just arrived today, that means there should be a lot of them."
Kasumigaoka glanced at the tightly packed bottom shelf, silent for a moment before asking:
"But that doesn't make sense. There are plenty of math test papers all over the shelf. Why did you assume it had to be the ones at the bottom?"
"Because the ones on the upper shelves all look a bit worn out—clearly, people have been flipping through them. If they were high-quality test papers, they would've been taken already. That means those aren't the good ones."
"..."
Kasumigaoka looked at the upper shelves and felt her eye twitch.
And before she could say anything else—
Hikigaya continued:
"Of course, all of that was just my deduction. The main reason I was sure..."
He smirked slightly.
"...is because, from the moment we started talking, your eyes never stopped glancing toward this bottom shelf."
"!!"
Kasumigaoka's expression stiffened.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile.
"Impressive, Air-kun. Such sharp deduction skills, such keen observation—amazing, truly amazing! Come on, let me reward you~"
Kasumigaoka shamelessly leaned toward him.
But Hikigaya immediately stopped her, his tone calm.
"Senpai, did you forget something?"
"Huh? Forget what...?"
"You said that if I found the test paper, you would..."
"!!!"
Kasumigaoka's face turned deathly pale.
Seeing her flustered expression, Hikigaya smirked.
"Senpai, please begin your performance."
****************************
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