Chapter 5: Competition
He can't stop recreating it over and over again in his mind. He keeps reliving the sensation on his skin, salivating just imagining the taste of her sex, getting aroused every time he thinks about her. And his thoughts become more and more recurrent throughout the day.
He slaps himself during lunch to wake up from the trance brought on by the fervent desire that from moment to moment becomes painful. Suguru looks at him, arches an eyebrow and gestures in his direction, as he doesn't understand why he has suddenly slapped himself.
He got an 8 on his last exam and feels really encouraged, but not by his grades, as he should. Satoru can only think of the pair of panties he has hidden in one of the drawers in his room. He laughs just remembering Kasumi's face after convincing her to go home without panties, gripping the edges of her skirt tightly. He hopes he didn't cause her too much trouble on the way back; that no pervert would have noticed to take a picture of her. It's something that only came to his mind hours later, while he was eating dinner, had he thought about it with a cooler head he probably would have been a little more considerate.
"Why are you so distracted? No, don't tell me... You have such a perverted face that I can only imagine what you're thinking."
"Hey, hey, you keep saying that sort of thing lately. Do I really look like a pervert to you?"
"I know you too well. But... the truth is that I find it strange. You usually don't take long to tell me that kind of stuff, not that I'm dying to hear it... Did you meet someone?"
"Something like that..."
"Tinder? Grindr?"
"I'm not going to tell you this time."
"Wow... how gentlemanly of you," he teases in a calm tone.
"I'm growing up, Suguru."
"You sure are."
"By the way, congratulations. You've already passed an exam, that only means two things. Either you're too afraid that Toji-sensei will beat you up, or Miwa is a good tutor."
"I think it was the Kit Kat," he answers, taking the last one out of his pocket. "Kasumi gave them to me before the test."
"That's good luck, but I don't think you can pass an test by luck alone."
"The good thing is that for now I only have to worry about the next game. Is still on for Saturday?"
"Sure, since you started your private lessons you haven't been out much. Should we stop by the arcade before the movie?"
"Sounds good."
At the end of the first recess, the boys return to the classroom. Gojou spots Kasumi from afar, sitting at her desk talking animatedly with Shoko. He sits behind her with a bigger smile than he usually sports and leans in to listen to their conversation.
"I like that brand, although it's a bit expensive," Shoko comments.
"It is, they have really nice blouses, but I couldn't even go into the store since I couldn't afford anything they sell. I usually just look at the pictures..." she comments, showing her the screen of her cell phone. "I hope to get a good job when I finish college so I can buy a lot of new clothes."
"Do you want me to buy you something, Kasumi-chan?" Gojou asks behind her. "You deserve it for being such a good tutor."
"Ah?" she blurts out, not realizing that he had returned to the classroom. "N-No... that's not necessary, Satoru-kun. Your father already pays me well enough."
Kasumi smiles. She looks shyly into his eyes and a slight pink hue tinges her skin over her cheeks. Finally, she seems to have begun to get used to him. Or that's the impression she gives Satoru.
"You should take advantage, Miwa," Shoko interrupts. "Gojou must have more money than everyone in this class."
"I couldn't..."
"Dah... just tell me where the store is and I'll pick out something nice for you," he says, taking the phone from Kasumi's hands to see what brand of clothes they were talking about. A message appears over the screen and he reads it almost instinctively.
'See you Saturday?'
Gojou reads and loses his smile for a strange reason. He holds it out to her and she takes it.
"You have a message."
Kasumi reads and smiles, then types over her cell phone a reply and Satoru looks strangely.
"Hey, aren't you going to the movies with us on Saturday?" he asks, making it obvious that he has read her message.
"Oh! I totally forgot..." she replies apologetically, "I have to finish a project and we're meeting up with the guys from the club on Saturday afternoon. But... maybe I can meet up with you guys afterwards. Sure... if it's not too late for you guys."
"How about some ice cream after the movie?" Suguru asks and she nods.
"Great!"
"Hey, Kasumi-chan, don't you think it's a little rude to stand us up like this?"
"Leave her alone, Satoru. Unlike you, she's got important things to do," says Shoko in a disinterested tone and turns to the blackboard.
"I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again," Kasumi whispers and ducks her head.
The noticeable change in Kasumi's expression is enough to make Gojou snap out of his discontent.
"Don't make that face Kasumi," he replies and pats her head to stroke her hair. "Just don't take too long."
Despite Kasumi's assurances that there is no one she likes, he still can't forget the comment Shoko made to him a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately he has forgotten the name he read in that message, who he suspects is the person he was mentioned to. And, although he has no interest in formalizing something with her, he is still bothered by the idea that Kasumi might be interested in someone else.
She doesn't seem like the type of person capable of lying to him, she's too nice people. She's humble and considerate, the detail of the chocolates was particularly special to him. She even encouraged him before the exam and assured him that he would do well. She is pleasant and warm, she is tolerant of all kinds of jokes and even more tolerant of his more daring approaches.
As the final bell rings and he prepares to leave for his practice, he gets the idea to whisper something sassy over her ear again before she leaves. But, as he leans in her direction she turns against the door and smiles, waves and gets up from her seat quickly.
Satoru turns and sees a boy under the door frame. A boy of average height and black hair pulled back in a ponytail, a few messy hairs over his forehead and a smile that widens as soon as Kasumi reaches him.
"Who's that guy?" He says aloud without even noticing and Suguru and Shoko turn to look at him before he and Kasumi walk off down the hallway.
"That one? Isn't he the one who won the science fair last year?"
"I think it's Muta-kun, was that his name?" asks Shoko to herself.
"Yes, that's him. I think he's a freshman."
"Huh? A freshman? And what's a freshman doing with Kasumi-chan?"
"Well, Miwa skipped a couple of years so maybe they're the same age. Why do you ask Satoru?" she wonder. "You're not jealous of your tutor, are you? Oh... couldn't be that... the boy Miwa-chan likes?"
"Is that him? He doesn't look very attractive to me..." complains Satoru raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe he's not your type, Satoru," Suguru laughs. "But maybe he's Miwa-chan's type."
Distracted by that encounter, Gojou is almost completely oblivious to his basketball practice. For the first time in months, he misses a basket and Toji hits him in the back of the head as he sees the ball circling the hoop to fall out. Satoru rubs his head, Fushiguro-sensei's big hands still burning on his skin even ten minutes later.
Sweating, they walk to the locker room at the end of practice. Gojou and Getou say goodbye to their teammates and before leaving, Satoru receives one last threat from his sensei.
"I'm going to kick your ass if you're not on guard in the next game."
While not the most encouraging words an athlete could hear, Satoru nods and smiles and turns back to the corridor. A quick shower, clean clothes and strawberry juice later, the pair sets off for the outskirts of the school, but stop when they hear a couple of voices coming from the bathroom.
Suguru signals Satoru to be quiet, he clearly hears a cry, although the sound is faint.
"Please, I won't say anything," he says, his voice hanging by a thread.
"Hey, where's all the courage you had a moment ago?" asked another, and they hear a punch. "Didn't you just say you wouldn't do our homework again? Huh?"
"You get smart with your threats again and you'll go home with no teeth, got it?" a third party interjects.
"N-No... I promise I won't do it again."
Suguru squeaks and frowns, pushes open the bathroom door and sees on the other side three bullies intimidating a boy, hiding his face in his hands as he cries and trembles.
"Get lost," says the tallest one as he turns around, but is speechless when he sees the pair standing under the door frame. "G-Getou-sempai!"
"G-Gojou..." stammers another.
"Uhm..." mutters Satoru, walking in quietly with both hands in his pockets. "Do I know you?" he asks the boy who can barely lift his face to look at him. His cheek is puffy, reddened and his hair is disheveled. His glasses remain on the floor by his feet with the right lens cracked.
"That's Kiyotaka Ijichi," Suguru says. "He's in our class, Satoru."
"Ahh... I see. What are you doing with him?" he asks, though the answer is obvious.
"W-We have some unfinished business with Ijichi," replies one of the bullies, trying to raise his voice, but his face loses all trace of courage when Suguru rests a hand on his shoulder.
"I think your business with Ijichi is over, if you don't want to have a problem with us as well."
"No! Getou-sempai Gojou-sempai!," interrupts the shorter one trying to smile- "We... we were already going to leave, we don't want to have problems with you. Ijichi... forget what we said, we were just joking."
Like rats, the trio scurries out of the bathroom and Satoru watches the scene with annoyance. Suguru squats down and grabs Ijichi's glasses to extend them to him. Gojou looks at him under his dark glasses, he wipes his nose with the sleeve of his uniform and smears it with snot and tears. And, to his surprise, Ijichi bends down and spreads his hands on the floor.
"Thank you very much!" He says, lowering his face, prostrate at his feet, "Thank you very much Getou-sempai! Thank you very much Gojou-sempai!"
"Ah... don't do that," he replies with annoyance and bends down to grab him by his uniform and lift him up on his feet. "If you act like a pussy, they're going to keep picking on you."
"I'm sorry, Gojou-sempai. You're right..."
"Relax, Ijichi. I don't think they'll bother you again."
"Thank you! Really... thank you very much. If... if at any time you need anything, do not hesitate to come to me. I am at your complete disposal," he says and bows to them.
"All right, all right... I'll keep it in mind Ijichi-kun."
"And if those monkeys bother you again, don't hesitate to tell us."
"Huh? I'm nobody's bodyguard," replies Gojou, scratching the back of his head.
"Don't be rude, Satoru," he replies, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, then turns his gaze to Ijichi, much warmer and comforting. "Don't mind him, Ijichi. Satoru is a good guy, deep down."
"Did you do their homework for them?" Satoru asks suddenly.
"Y-Yes..."
"But those aren't sophomores."
"No... but... they made me do their research papers. That's why I ended up falling behind with my homework and had to tell them that I wouldn't do their work for them anymore, I even threatened to tell the principal the whole truth, but..."
"I understand," replies Satoru. "Well, see you later, Ijichi."
"Y-Yes! Please! Don't forget! I'm at your service!"
Suguru comes out of the bathroom, less calm than he usually is. Incidents like this usually turn his stomach, and this time is no exception.
The sun sets as they leave the school, but before leaving Satoru averts his eyes when he notices that boy also leaving with the straps of his briefcase clutched by his shoulder, the same fellow from the science club that by now has become infamous to him.
He has a scar on his chin and a haughty look, he doesn't even turn to look at him as they cross the school gate and he walks in another direction. Satoru follows him with his eyes until the last second and then turns to the front.
"There's something about him," he mutters without thinking and Suguru turns around, recognizes Muta-kun and then turns his eyes to Satoru's indignant face.
"Who? Muta?"
"Kasumi-chan is very nice people, I wouldn't be surprised if he takes advantage of her."
"Oh, you're worried."
"I don't know, he doesn't look good."
"Uhm... he looks a little... coarse. But I don't think there's anything to worry about."
Suguru takes out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lights one as they walk, Satoru's face frowns even more. Getou at least has the finesse to blow the smoke in the opposite direction.
"You're spending too much time with Shoko, her bad habits have already rubbed off on you."
"Are you jealous? You've become a bit possessive lately, must be because you're an only child."
"You're too."
"But I have no problem sharing," he says, smiling in his direction to extend the cigarette.
"No, thanks."
"As you wish," he replies with a shrug.
Strangely, they don't talk too much on the way. Suguru still irritated by the encounter with those bullies, Satoru annoyed by the mere presence of Kokichi Muta in his school. And, as they both pondered in their thoughts, an attractive idea arose in Gojou's mind. Suddenly Kiyotaka Ijichi's offer becomes convenient. Something doesn't sit right with this boy hovering around the innocent and pleasant Kasumi, but getting directly involved in the matter would make him look too suspicious. Suguru has hinted at it before, and if anyone finds out about the nature of his tutoring it could completely tarnish the name of sweet Miwa Kasumi.
Having a pawn at his disposal could come in handy.
On Friday night, Satoru wanders alone in his mansion, takes a bowl of ice cream out of the refrigerator and eats from it with a spoon while watching an indie horror movie. But he fails to pay attention to the plot and finds himself searching through social media for that boy from the science club. Not finding him, he searches for Kasumi and soon finds her smiling profile picture. He sends her a friend request and swipes his finger across the screen without finding anything interesting. Before he knows it, he's finished his ice cream and feels his belly swell as he lies down on the mattress to sleep, but he just can't. He tosses and turns again and again, looking for the coldest spots on his bed. At some point in the night he hears a notification and sees on the screen that Kasumi has accepted his request. Accessing her social media, he sees pictures of her siblings and a couple more from school, not much there, nothing in particular that catches his attention. Kasumi probably doesn't have much time to spend on such things.
'Isn't it past your bedtime?' he asks in a text message.
This is the first message Satoru sends Kasumi that doesn't have to do with school schedules and school matters. He watches the screen with his face on the pillow and waits.
'I'm having some trouble sleeping, how about you?'
Satoru smiles, he's certainly in the same situation, though he can't assume for the same reasons as him.
'Should we exchange nudes?'
Kasumi doesn't answer. Gojou is unaware that she shares a room with two younger siblings and at this point she hears Kano snoring and Sochi's nose whistling. In the absence of a reply, Satoru continues typing.
'Just kidding.'
'Hahaha,' she replies almost immediately.
'Do you want to come home after tomorrow's ice cream?'
Kasumi looks at the message and holds her breath.
'You owe me.' Gojou says, 'for going with the club kids instead of coming to the movies with me.'
'I don't think it's safe to go back home that late.'
'Then stay the night.' Satoru looks at his own message and assumes Kasumi's reaction. 'We have guest room,' he completes to comfort her. 'Tell your parents you're going to sleep at a friend's house.' Kasumi takes a few long seconds to reply and it makes him uncomfortable, so he continues to write as verbiage. 'We'll have fun, what do you say?'
'I'll think about it.'
...
Knowing in advance what kind of evening might await her with Gojou Satoru, Kasumi finds herself too distracted to concentrate on the project she is preparing together with her fellow science club members. Fortunately, Muta-kun is extremely skilled and could actually manage perfectly on his own.
He looks at the robotic arm they have prepared, which could very well function as a prosthesis for an amputee. Certainly, this whole project is beyond her expertise, but she tries very hard to keep up with the guys and is extremely helpful to everyone.
"Do you have plans for later?" asks Muta-kun, as they gather their things and Kasumi seems to wake up from a lucid dream.
"I'm going to meet some classmates for ice cream. Why don't you to join us?"
"Uhm..." He hesitates, turning his face away as he has blushed from just asking a question. "No."
"Huh? Why not? The boys are very nice. I'm sure they won't mind if you come with us. Come on, you don't get out much either, do you?"
Unable to refuse Miwa's smile, Kokichi nods and smiles. It can't be that bad if she's there, in fact, he's tried to ask her out on a couple of occasions, but every time he tries his tongue gets stuck and he ends up asking anything that comes to mind.
"Okay," he finishes, and they both walk out of the school towards the ice cream shop where the rest of the guys are waiting for them.
...
The movie sucked, Satoru keeps complaining as they walk towards the ice cream shop where they will wait for Kasumi. The main character was unbearable, too conceited and self-centered, even narcissistic. The plot completely predictable, nothing innovative. The only good thing were the action scenes, Satoru likes explosions and exaggerated displays.
"You're exaggerating, it wasn't that bad," says Shoko as they enter the ice cream shop.
"Well, it was pretty bad... I'm surprised they're already making a sequel," Suguru comments.
"I'd watch it just to hate on it," replies Satoru.
The three of them sit at a table against the window. Satoru looks at his cell phone screen and smiles as he sees a message from Kasumi.
'Just got out of school, I'm on my way.'
She hasn't accepted his proposal yet, but he doesn't give up hope. At least he's gotten her out of Muta-kun's hands. Such a cute, nice girl has no business with a strange guy like that.
After buying an ice cream for each of them, they continue talking about the awful movie they just saw and before long, Shoko looks up.
"Oh, there's Miwa," she says as she looks out the window, "and she's with a boy."
Satoru turns around and watches in bewilderment as the pair walk across the street. They are talking and he soon notices the blush on Muta's cheeks, looks at her tenderly, says something that makes her laugh and as they cross the street, he feels his fist clench tightly under the table.
Miwa notices the eyes on them and raises her hand to greet them. Kokichi looks up and the first thing he notices is Satoru's frowning face, who quickly turns and rests his face on his right hand.
As they enter, Kasumi hurries over and they both stand in front of the table. Satoru watches them apathetically.
"I hope we didn't take too long. He's Kokichi Muta, a classmate. You don't mind that I invited him, don't you?"
"Not at all," Suguru replies.
"Sit with us," says Shoko, crawling over the seat to share it with them.
"Muta-kun, you're a freashman, aren't you?"
He nods, not opening his mouth to answer. Suguru smiles in his direction, quickly realizing that this is a quiet, introverted boy. He looks at Miwa out of the corner of his eye and to him his interest is evident.
In a second, Kokichi feels completely out of place. He shifts uncomfortably on his seat and feels Gojou's irritated gaze on him. Had he known this pair would be here today, he wouldn't have accepted. He never liked popular guys.
"Muta-kun," Kasumi says, "Let's go buy some ice cream."
He nods again and gets up next to her to go to the displays. Satoru watches them from his seat and can't disguise his look.
"Change that face or you'll make the boy uncomfortable," Suguru whispers to him.
"I told you, there's something wrong with that guy," he replies in the same tone.
"Hey," interrupts Shoko. "It's in bad taste to secrete like that, at least include me."
"Satoru thinks Muta-kun is a bad influence on Miwa-chan."
"Huh? Muta-kun? Satoru, you're the worst influence on her."
Gojou rolls his eyes and gets up from his seat.
"I'm going to buy another ice cream."
He watches him from behind, waiting while Miwa pays for her purchase. Suddenly he puts his arm around him. He easily pulls him twenty centimeters taller and drags him close against him after ordering a chocolate ice cream for himself.
"So Muta-kun, huh?" he says, "I haven't seen you around school, you don't go out much, do you?"
"No..." he replies, slightly irritated and then turns his face in Kasumi's direction. She waits patiently for her change.
"How did you get this scar?" Gojou asks, pointing at Kokichi's chin. "I hope you're not the type to get into trouble, because I have a suspicion that you're not as nice a guy as everyone thinks you are..."
Muta's face darkens and he looks fearlessly straight into Gojou's light blue eyes.
"Don't mess with me, you hear?"
Satoru smirks, lets go and pats him on his back.
"Muta-kun, don't take things so seriously," he comments as he laughs.
Kasumi arrives to meet him and Kokichi hands her the ice cream cone, however, he doesn't make the same effort as Gojou to conceal their unpleasant conversation.
"I forgot I have something to do. Sorry, Miwa, I have to go."
"So soon? At least stay to finish the ice cream..." asks Kasumi and Kokichi gives her the ice cream.
"Gojou-kun can eat it. His mouth is big enough for two."
"See you later, Kokichi-kun. Oh, I can call you Kokichi, right?"
"Whatever," he replies before leaving.
They both see him walking out the door without even looking back.
"What did you talk about?" asks Kasumi. Gojou sees the concern in her eyes and puts his arm around her, holding her close to his chest.
"Nothing important, I guess he doesn't know how to take a joke. Don't worry... Vanilla ice cream?" He questions as he looks at the cone Kokichi abandoned. "What a boring guy."
"Too bad... Muta-kun doesn't have many friends. Not even in the science club."
"I'm not surprised," he replies and takes the cone from Kasumi's hand, walking back to the table with Kasumi under his wing.
Fortunately, Kokichi's hasty departure didn't hurt Miwa's mood for too long. Suguru, Shoko and Satoru tell her in detail every bit of the movie they just watched, and she laughs at how over-the-top it turned out to be. A couple of school gossips, an invitation to the next basketball game and a finished ice cream later, the small group leaves the ice cream shop for the street.
The lights come on over the city almost at the same time and Suguru escorts Shoko to her bus stop and Gojou and Kasumi say goodbye to leave in the opposite direction, with the same excuse.
"So, are you coming or not?" he asks her as they walk.
Kasumi has had her heart in her hand for several minutes now; from the very moment she said goodbye to the other pair. She fears that somehow they will realize that something is going on. It is possible that Gojou has already told Getou, after all he is his best friend.
As Gojou's question leaves his lips, Kasumi realizes that she has been asking herself the same question all afternoon, in fact, she has been asking it since the night before. Perhaps she should already have an answer for him, since inside her bag she has pajamas, her toothbrush and a clean change of clothes. However, she still hesitates. She senses that the offer of the guest room is nothing more than an excuse to spend the night with her and she is not sure how much she will be able to resist, if he were to get his hands on her again.
"Satoru..." she murmurs, walking beside him. "Does Getou... know what happened between us?"
"Of course not," he answers in a confident tone. "A gentleman never tells."
Kasumi smiles, not knowing that the real reason Getou is still unaware of the situation is because he would be upset to think that he is taking advantage of the naive Miwa.
"Well... that puts my mind at ease," she replies and thinks that maybe Satoru is more responsible and respectful than she thought. "All right, I'll go to your place."
"It'll be a sleepover," he replies, satisfied. "We can watch a movie and order a pizza. Do you like anchovies?"
She nods, her face flushed and her navy blue eyes vibrating with happiness. Gojou is completely unaware of how exciting all this is for Kasumi. It's the first time she's run away from home to spend the night somewhere else, it's also her first sleepover. In her mind, maybe this also counts as a date.
Satoru meanwhile can only think about continuing his extracurricular activities, maybe tonight he'll get lucky and Kasumi will reconsider whether or not she is ready.
The mansion is empty, his footsteps felt echoing through the corridors as Gojou turns on the lights. It differs greatly from her own home, Kasumi thinks of her siblings' laughter and fights, her mother permanently in the kitchen preparing something or sewing holes in the children's clothes, her father watching television. Everything here seems sterile, so clean that she fears leaving marks on the parquet floor with her socks. But Gojou walks relaxed, lies down in front of a huge TV and picks up the remote control. He pats the cushion next to him as he sees her standing there, not knowing what to do with her own body.
Satoru quickly senses how nervous she is and sighs, it seems like a never-ending job. Kasumi goes back and forth from her shyness, constantly fearing what is about to happen. But, since he has all night, he decides to take his time and wait until the precise moment when she lets her guard down.
Like a strategist, he lets her sit next to him and doesn't hint at anything. He searches with the remote control for a grid of movies and turns to look at her.
"Which one do you prefer?"
"I don't know, a romantic one?"
"Those are boring, let's watch a comedy. Oh! I like this one, it's about a group of friends who lose their brother-in-law in Bangkok, but it turns out he was in the elevator the whole time."
"Maybe we could watch one without you telling me the ending, what do you think?"
Satoru smirks, often his enthusiasm gets the better of him and he ends up ruining endings for others. He agrees to watch a romantic comedy that ends, as expected, with the couple realizing they love each other at the very end of the movie. Kasumi sighs as she watches the ending with adolescent glee, typical of a girl her age. Satoru yawns and orders a pizza with his cell phone. He has had to hold back every urge to lay hands on her, long enough for Kasumi to feel comfortable enough in his presence.
When the doorbell rings, Satoru gets up, takes the order, pays the delivery man, and returns to put the box on the table, and doesn't take long to take a slice and put it in his mouth.
"Your father travel a lot?" she asks, taking her first portion. He nods as he chews. "What about your mother?"
"She died when I was little," he answers expressionlessly, and Kasumi immediately tenses up.
"I'm so sorry," she says, cursing herself for her question.
"Don't worry, it happened a long time ago. I don't remember her much."
"I have two younger brothers," Kasumi continues, trying to fill the awkward silence. "My mom is a housewife and my dad works in a factory."
Satoru remembers Suguru's comment about Miwa's father and feels slightly irritated at the mere mention of him. He finds it strange that Kasumi is so docile and cheerful despite the circumstances. If it were him, he would most likely feel terrible resentment against his father.
"Kasumi-chan, what do you want to study in college?"
She looks him in the eye, as if surprised that he is curious about her life.
"Business," she answers firmly.
"Business? Why?"
"It's the most lucrative career in the country."
"Oh, you like money," he answers, smiling, he can understand that.
"Well, it's not that I like money per se, but you need money for everything. To eat, to dress, even to study. If I study business my chances of finding a job are higher. I just want to help my family to have a good economic background, so that it is no longer a worry."
"Aren't you too young to be thinking about such things? You should be taking advantage of your youth to have fun."
"But I'm having fun with you now, aren't I?"
Satoru smiles. Kasumi really is a smart girl and he holds back the desire to hint at another kind of fun. His hormones start to flutter anxiously inside him and he drinks a glass of orange juice to occupy his lips with something else and avoid the urge to flirt with her just when she's letting her guard down.
"Besides," she continues, averting her gaze, "now that I have a job I can devote myself to having a bit more of a social life, I no longer have to stay up late finishing homework or completing school projects. You've helped me a lot."
Guilt is something new to Satoru, and right off the bat, he doesn't realize that's what he's feeling. He just knows it feels uncomfortable and gets up to get another carton of juice from the fridge.
"We're both wining, Kasumi," he replies. "You earn time and money and I pass my exams and continue to play on the basketball team."
He intentionally avoids what is going on in their tutoring, although they both think about it. They look into each other's eyes and he cocks a smile full of mischief, he just can't help himself. Kasumi, for her part, glues her eyes to the empty pizza plate and nods.
She yawns, he watches her from across the couch and knows it's time to take action.
"Wanna sleep?"
"I'm not good at sleepovers," she laughs, as if apologizing. "I usually get up early to shower before my brothers."
"Come, I'll show you the guest room."
Note: Thank you so much for reading, specially to Minth Esthete for her comment. See you on the next one!