Cote : I Just Want to Grant Your Wish!

Chapter 775: Chapter 775

Kaoru understood the situation perfectly.

He had not won Fūka over.

And Fūka herself knew perfectly well that she had not genuinely fallen in love with him either.

Neither of them was pretending otherwise.

However, Fūka also could not deny that Kaoru interested her.

If there really was a man capable of winning her over someday, she suspected it would probably be him.

Fūka had never seriously considered romance before.

She had already planned her future clearly. She had no intention of obediently following the path her family arranged for her and instead wanted to live independently, relying on herself.

She could barely imagine another person appearing in that future.

There had never been a place for a partner in her life plan.

Yet none of that prevented her from becoming curious about Kaoru.

If she wanted to experience romance for a while, why couldn’t she?

She could borrow a boyfriend, enjoy herself, and leave once she became bored.

Why should she shoulder someone else’s entire life?

Breaking up was hardly illegal.

That was more or less how Fūka’s mind worked.

Kaoru interested her.

Romance interested her.

So she wanted to try dating him and see what happened.

If she learned what romance felt like and eventually lost interest, they could simply separate peacefully.

Naturally, Fūka would never have entertained such a bizarre idea with an ordinary boy.

Kaoru was different because she found him entertaining.

He could do outrageous things while somehow avoiding the instinctive disgust she would normally feel toward someone crossing her boundaries. Instead, he left behind a strange, lingering curiosity.

As far as Fūka was concerned, very few people could manage that.

And since Kaoru already had so many girlfriends, she figured she would not even need to take responsibility for him.

Someone else already would.

"So?"

Fūka looked toward him.

"Have you thought about it? Want to try dating me?"

Coming from anyone else, the words would have sounded like a confession.

Fūka showed absolutely no embarrassment.

To her, she was merely inviting Kaoru to try something new together.

Just like before.

"No."

Kaoru shook his head.

"If Senpai only wants to play around, then we’re not suitable for each other."

The old Kaoru might have agreed without hesitation.

A reward practically falling into his hands for free would once have been difficult to resist.

"Why?"

Fūka still seemed genuinely puzzled.

"I’m not asking you to break up with anyone this time. Wouldn’t having one more cute girlfriend be a good thing?"

"Because Senpai only wants to experience dating."

Kaoru answered calmly.

"The moment you become bored, you’ll leave."

"I don’t like quitting halfway through something, and I definitely wouldn’t enjoy watching Senpai eventually stand beside someone else."

"So either we never start, or we stay together."

Fūka gave him a strange look.

So he had not been joking earlier.

Was his possessiveness really that severe?

"Dating you means being bound to you for life?"

She folded her arms.

"That’s a little terrifying, Kōhai-kun."

Fūka chuckled.

"You suddenly say something like that, but are you really capable of carrying someone else’s future on your shoulders?"

"If I couldn’t do even that much, I wouldn’t deserve to tell any of them that I love them."

Kaoru remained calm.

His refusal to compromise was actually part of what reassured Kei and the others.

The more openly he declared that he wanted all of them, the clearer it became that he had no intention of abandoning anyone.

His greed, absurd as it was, filled the insecurity buried inside the girls.

Even Kikyō and Suzune, who often acted as though they did not care, paid close attention to what Kaoru truly intended.

Had he ever shown signs of choosing one person while abandoning another, their strange harmony would never have survived.

Fūka fell silent.

She suddenly remembered the time Kaoru had forcefully kissed her.

’No wonder some girls actually fall for him.’

When Fūka said nothing more, Kaoru checked his tablet.

The nearest task he could participate in alone was still several hundred meters away.

If everything went according to plan, Ikuto’s people would probably already be there, helping secure him a place.

Suddenly, a hand reached in from beside him.

Fūka lightly caught his chin and turned his face toward her.

Kaoru found himself staring directly into her glittering eyes.

She looked as though she had just invented another terrible idea.

"How about we test something?"

Fūka said.

"If I enjoy being close to you enough, maybe I’ll keep this relationship going."

Kaoru stared at her.

"What?"

"I mean exactly what I said."

Fūka showed none of the embarrassment one might normally expect.

"You have plenty of experience, don’t you? So show me why everyone likes you so much."

Kaoru understood.

Or perhaps he understood even less.

His expression gradually became serious.

"Senpai, I’m not a toy for you to experiment with."

"You can be for a little while."

Fūka looked almost excited.

"If I had to choose someone to explore this sort of thing with, you’re still the best candidate."

Despite claiming to be embarrassed, her ears were not even red.

If anything, her eyes were sparkling.

"I don’t think relationships should be treated that casually."

"Don’t underestimate yourself, Mitoma."

Fūka smiled.

"Are you saying you don’t have enough confidence to make me enjoy being with you?"

"..."

It was perhaps the first time anyone had challenged Kaoru’s pride quite like this.

He took several slow breaths.

"Senpai understands what she’s saying, right?"

"I understand what you mean."

Fūka gave him an unconcerned smile.

"You’re the one who still doesn’t understand me."

Then she clicked her tongue.

"Why am I letting you complicate this? If I want to try dating someone, I’ll try dating them. If you genuinely make me fall for you, spending my life with you isn’t impossible either."

Kaoru blinked.

Only then did he realize they had been thinking on entirely different wavelengths.

For someone as fiercely independent as Fūka, romance did not carry the same assumptions it did for everyone else.

She understood perfectly well what dating meant.

She simply wanted to experience a world she had never explored before.

And most likely, Kaoru had accidentally awakened that curiosity.

Without him, she probably never would have considered it at all.

That was why Fūka kept insisting that if Kaoru could genuinely make her happy enough, she might eventually remain with him.

"But I’m still not promising marriage."

Fūka continued casually.

"I’m not going to fight your other women for some official position either."

She seemed completely unaware of how outrageous her words sounded.

Kaoru felt as though their roles had somehow reversed.

Hearing this from Fūka was strangely uncomfortable.

"No."

He shook his head.

He was already preparing to leave the school temporarily.

This was the worst possible moment to begin something complicated with Fūka.

Fūka froze.

Then she stared at him in disbelief.

"To be completely honest, I’m starting to get irritated."

Her expression became blank.

"If you don’t give me a reason I find acceptable, I’m going to follow you around all day."

She glanced at his tablet.

"You’ve been paying close attention to tasks. You’re trying to climb the rankings and compete with Nagumo, aren’t you?"

Her tone made Kaoru believe she really might interfere with his plan out of pure annoyance.

Fūka was usually relaxed about everything, but being rejected repeatedly had finally injured her pride.

Kaoru realized he had failed to consider her feelings.

After hesitating, he told her about his upcoming plans.

He explained the situation with 283 Production and that he intended to leave school temporarily.

At first, Fūka looked surprised.

By the time he finished, however, she was not frightened or unsettled.

Her eyes were shining even more brightly.

"Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

Fūka eagerly touched Kaoru’s face as though checking whether he was real.

"No wonder everything looks identical. What other secrets are you hiding? Do you seriously have one of those hypnosis apps too?"

"Yes. I own a hypnosis app."

Kaoru slapped her wandering hand away.

"Keep touching me and I’ll hypnotize you."

"Into doing something embarrassing?"

Fūka apparently knew enough pop-culture nonsense to understand the joke.

"I could cooperate for a small experiment, but don’t keep me hypnotized too long."

"Senpai, is that really the important part?"

Kaoru was beginning to lose patience.

Why did everyone immediately ask whether he possessed a hypnosis app?

"What else am I supposed to care about?"

Fūka replied as though it were obvious.

"Did you think I’d become upset because you’re leaving?"

"Don’t forget, I only have two semesters until graduation. I’ve even considered finding a way to repeat a year."

"If you go outside first, that’s convenient for me. I won’t be bored after graduating."

"I should be happy you’re leaving."

Kaoru had no response.

Then again, Fūka was not in love with him.

Naturally, she would not cling to him the way Kei did.

"So?"

Fūka suddenly wrapped herself around Kaoru’s arm.

"Does knowing your secret mean we can continue our little experiment now?"

She stared directly at him.

That faint fragrance drifted toward him again.

Fūka was tall enough that she did not need to rise onto her toes to bring her face close to his.

Her lips were only a short distance away.

Kaoru was still a normal boy.

His emotions were not permanently calm.

And Fūka’s charm was exceptionally difficult to ignore.

Especially when she was practically offering the temptation herself while insisting he did not need to take responsibility.

"Senpai, if you keep doing this, I’m going to kiss you."

"Last time I barely understood what I was supposed to feel."

Fūka watched him with pure curiosity.

"So try again."

At this point, Kaoru found it increasingly difficult to refuse.

His gaze fell toward her lips.

Finally, he lowered his head.

One arm slipped around Fūka’s waist as he kissed her gently.

His other hand brushed through her long hair before settling behind her head.

Fūka initially kept her eyes open.

Most girls instinctively closed them during a kiss, but she simply stared at Kaoru with clear curiosity.

Then her expression slowly changed.

The kiss lasted longer.

Her breathing became uneven.

For the first time, Fūka seemed to understand why something so simple could make people lose themselves in it.

When Kaoru eventually drew back, he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Fūka did not answer immediately.

A faint red color had finally reached the tips of her ears.

Kaoru leaned close and murmured something teasing beside her ear.

Fūka visibly shivered, then bit her lip as though annoyed by her own reaction.

No matter how fearless she normally acted, unfamiliar affection could still catch her body off guard.

"Again."

Fūka looked dissatisfied.

Apparently, she found her own reaction embarrassing and wanted another attempt to prove she could remain composed.

Kaoru hugged her and kissed her again.

This time, Fūka participated far more naturally.

Her hands unconsciously caught his sleeves, and after experimenting several times, she gradually figured out how to follow his rhythm.

When they separated again, Fūka touched her lips thoughtfully.

"This is strange."

She looked genuinely fascinated.

"It’s just kissing. Logically, it shouldn’t be that interesting."

"Yet?"

"It’s surprisingly fun."

Kaoru smiled.

"I can teach you something even more dangerous."

He leaned toward her ear.

"Close your eyes. Don’t say anything for a moment."

Fūka actually obeyed.

Once she could no longer see what he was doing, the smallest touches became far more noticeable.

Kaoru brushed her hair aside, held her closer, kissed her again, and occasionally whispered deliberately embarrassing remarks beside her ear.

Without her vision, Fūka’s imagination did the rest.

For the first time, she understood why some girls closed their eyes so willingly.

’So this is why.’

The realization itself irritated her.

Fūka had no intention of simply allowing Kaoru to control the entire interaction.

She suddenly caught his wrist and retaliated with her own teasing touch.

Kaoru stopped.

Fūka opened her eyes.

He was taking a slow breath.

"You’re stopping?"

She blinked innocently.

Kaoru finally understood.

This senpai possessed virtually no sense of embarrassment.

"I surrender."

He stepped back slightly.

"If we continue like this, we’re going to create a much bigger problem."

He still possessed enough reason to remember what they were supposed to be doing on this island.

"No."

Fūka caught him before he could fully escape.

"I’m still curious."

Then she offered what she apparently believed was an excellent bargain.

"How about I help you with tasks for the next few days? You’re dealing with Nagumo anyway. I can be useful."

"Senpai, please develop some restraint."

Kaoru finally understood what Masumi must have felt whenever Fūka became impossible to handle.

"You were the one teasing me first."

Fūka looked genuinely offended.

"Why are you allowed to experiment while I’m not? That’s completely unfair."

"No means no."

Kaoru remained firm.

Kissing was one thing.

If he allowed Fūka to keep escalating out of sheer curiosity, he was not confident where the situation would stop.

"I only want to see what happens!"

The more firmly he refused, the more Fūka felt as though she had somehow lost the contest.

Now she desperately wanted to even the score.

Kaoru was beginning to wonder whether threatening to smack his senpai on the head would finally make her stop when he heard faint footsteps nearby.

Both of them froze.

They turned.

Ibuki Mio stood several meters away, holding up her tablet.

"Hahahaha! Didn’t expect this, did you, Mitoma?!"

Her voice carried the triumphant satisfaction of someone finally achieving revenge.

"I recorded all that disgusting flirting you two were doing!"

As though venting every grievance she had accumulated over the past several days, Mio repeatedly tapped the tablet.

The shutter sound clicked again and again as she photographed Kaoru and Fūka standing together.

Kaoru and Fūka exchanged a look.

They had been so distracted by each other that neither had noticed Mio approaching.

A dangerously calm light appeared in Fūka’s eyes.

Now that they had been discovered...

Perhaps eliminating Ibuki Mio was the simplest solution.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!