Kyaru had barely stepped out when she spotted Jhin holding her clothes and gazing at them with rapt "affection." Forgetting she was wrapped in nothing but a towel, she lunged forward and snatched them back, cheeks flushed scarlet as she snapped:
"What are you doing, you pervert?!"
The fragrance of shampoo drifted from the girl's damp, glistening hair. Her fair skin, still rosy and warm from the bath, was utterly enticing — and those watery jade-green eyes brimmed with shyness tinged with just a flicker of anger.
"Why did you come out without drying your hair?" Jhin asked, watching Kyaru with perfect composure, as though he hadn't done anything remotely strange.
"I was actually going to ask you to help me dry it… but then you — you just had to go and pull that."
Jhin's expression turned grave. "Mm… can I say I was merely confirming something just now?"
That look actually threw Kyaru off. She unclenched her little fist and asked, curious despite herself: "C-Confirming… what?"
"Your natural scent."
"Go to hell!!!!!"
Smack. The fist flying toward his eye was caught firmly in Jhin's grip. His legs simultaneously locked around her slender, smooth thigh. With the slightest push, he toppled Kyaru back onto the bed, and the towel knotted at her chest came undone from the impact, revealing an expanse of snow-white, silken skin.
"D-Don't… don't look…" A tiny, helpless sound escaped Kyaru's lips. Strands of damp hair clung to the corner of her mouth; tears of embarrassment welled in her eyes. She murmured softly: "Can you… can you turn the lights off?"
"Okay."
The light went out. Her ivory body glowed with a faint, soft luminescence in the darkness. Jhin's scorching warmth and the heat of his breath against her made her gasp — a sound he swallowed immediately.
His fingers moved like an explorer mapping every curve and hollow of her body. The roughness of his touch stirred something deep inside her — an itch she couldn't quite scratch, a breathless pressure that left her unable to release what was swelling in her chest.
Kyaru cupped his face in both hands. Even in the darkness, those sky-blue eyes of his were perfectly clear to her. She murmured softly, as though asking him — or perhaps asking herself:
"Is this… really okay?"
Mm.
With his answer, the faintest smile curved her lips — as though a knot buried deep in her heart had at last been smoothed away. She pulled his head into her arms and let herself feel his warmth.
The girl's tender, inexperienced cry rang out like the first birdsong after rain — clear and brief. Then, like a bird tumbling into first love, her voice grew melodic and lingering, swelling and fading in turns, singing the love song that belonged only to her.
The sound of fine raindrops drumming against banana leaves filled the room in a continuous rhythm. Kyaru wrapped her arms around Jhin's back and neck, parted her lips to reveal a cute little fang, and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
"I have to ask… was that really necessary…"
"I like it."
"Fine… you hurt me a little, I hurt you a little. Fair's fair."
Their chests pressed flush against each other; the beating of their hearts was like two great drums hammering together, striking deep within, forging the feeling called "love."
Time moved like an invisible pair of hands, lifting away the gauze of moonlight that veiled the night, layer by layer, until the very last was peeled back — and morning light draped itself across the room as a new and gentle curtain.
The dormitory window was not large, and it faced the endless open sea. Jhin held Kyaru against him, the two of them leaning against the wall as they watched the red sun climb slowly over the horizon. Though neither had slept a wink all night, neither felt the least bit mentally exhausted — if anything, they felt remarkably, strangely refreshed.
"Kyaru, how many days does the competition run again?"
"Two days. You already wasted half of yesterday." Kyaru pulled his hand — which had been roaming mischievously under the covers — out and gave it a light bite, then let it slip right back to its business. She narrowed her eyes contentedly, like a little cat basking in its owner's affections.
"Then we'll have to make a real effort today."
"Good that you know."
Grumble. Jhin's stomach announced its grievance loud and clear. He slapped Kyaru's smooth thigh in irritation: "I should've bought something to eat yesterday!"
She glared at him. "Why are you slapping my leg? Have you lost your mind?!"
"Heh, my hand slipped."
"As if anyone believes that. Breakfast won't be delivered for another hour — you'll just have to starve until then!" Kyaru rolled onto her side, pressed her hand against his chest, and found a comfortable spot to settle in.
Jhin pulled a long face. "Come on, I've been hungry since midnight… can't we go out and get something early?"
"The stalls outside aren't even open at this hour. How were you so energetic all night if you were starving?"
"Well… those are two different things. How about… we take a bath?"
"You go. I don't feel like moving."
"Alright. When I'm done, make sure you go too."
"I know, now go already."
The moment he stepped into the shower, Kyaru sprang up and cut a section of fabric from the center of the bedsheet — the part marked with a dark-red plum-blossom pattern. Even Jhin had no idea: tucked beneath her pillow was a pair of scissors, most likely placed there back when they had first moved in together on that first day.
By the time Kyaru had bathed and come back out, she finally understood why Jhin had chosen to stand by the window — the smell that lingered in the room from the night before was far too thick, almost overpowering enough to sting.
Bubbles containing breakfast had already materialized in the air. The two of them dressed, collected their meals, and stepped out of the dormitory, leaving the window open to ventilate. There was simply no eating a normal breakfast in that room.
Compared to the urgency she had felt at the start — that desperate drive to claim the championship and obtain the Merfolk's Blessing — Kyaru was far more relaxed now. She stopped fretting over winning or losing at each stall game, or where she ranked, and simply enjoyed the time she spent with Jhin.
Even so, every game she entered still earned her a respectable placing. When the bell announcing the end of the competition rang out, the medal count recorded on the back of her student ID was locked in at 562.
On the overall leaderboard, that number left people speechless. Most students simply couldn't conceive of anyone scoring that high at the Blue Sea Feast — across every prior festival, the winning champion had never topped roughly three hundred medals.
"Now then… let us welcome our champion to the stage!" The principal raised the microphone and extended her left hand to one side; the spotlight followed her gesture and fell upon Kyaru as she slowly stepped up.
"It's her?!"
"Didn't they say a child abandoned by the mermaids could absolutely never win the championship?"
The principal gave a light cough to quiet the students. "Kyaru, a student from Class 1-C, is this year's festival champion. As the Merfolk's Blessing can only be bestowed upon women, the male student in her group is asked to return to the dormitory, where a gift of equivalent value will be waiting for him."
"Another Blue Sea Feast draws to a close. Champion, please follow me to receive the Merfolk's Blessing — and everyone else, please enjoy the performance by Kessoku Band. I paid quite a handsome sum to convince them to agree to a public show."
The principal set down the microphone and leaned in to whisper something in Kyaru's ear. Kyaru's eyes went wide; she glanced at the principal, then at the retreating figure of Jhin walking away — as though she had made up her mind about something. She turned and followed the principal off the stage.
Jhin never received the supposed gift. Instead, a small slip of paper was pushed through the gap beneath his door. On it were written five words:
"Kyaru is already dead."
____
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