Chapter 1687 A Reward
Upon reaching Saionji, I grabbed her hand without hesitation and moved us from that spot.
Going further into the path until we reached the same abandoned corner from yesterday.
Of course, the events that transpired there remained vivid in my head. It's a pleasant memory that will surely be remembered by the three of us for days to come; especially for Eguchi-sensei.
Using the same wooden bench, I pulled down Saionji to sit next to me. The girl didn't offer that much resistance. Nonetheless, she couldn't hide her astonishment to find a place like this here.
When she finished taking in our surroundings, she turned to face me with her lips playfully curled upwards.
"What is this place? Did you bring me here to avoid interruptions?"
"Hmm? You don't like it?"
Matching her attempt to get the upper hand, I inclined my body to her side, just enough for me to stretch my arm from her back and across her shoulder.
As my fingers gripped around the connecting joint of her arm and shoulder, Saionji froze momentarily before her head sharply turned to check my audacious move.
She audibly clicked her tongue and lifted her arm to peel my fingers off of her one by one. Once she was done, she plucked it off by pinching the back of my hand.
I didn't stop or resist her. I simply let my hand drop on her side, unmoving.
Saionji glanced at it for a few seconds before dropping her own on top of it.
Perhaps finding it weird that I kept it still despite her placing her hand there, Saionji alternately looked at me and our small connection.
In the end, a hint of frustration surfaced on her pretty face which, I wouldn’t deny, stoked the fire of my desire to tease her.
"Don't make that face, senpai. You're pretty like you said. Being frustrated will just give you wrinkles."
"Psh. Whose fault do you think is this?" She grumbled in reply as she used her other hand to point at her face. Noticeably, she didn't deny her frustration.
“Anyway, I just happened to be there. I’m not waiting for you.”
This girl. So, instead of answering my question, she opted to come up with an excuse for why she was there.
Obviously, she's lying.
Looking at how her lips became pouty, this girl has just reinforced in my head how much of a bad actress she is. Or if I looked at it positively, she's too honest that acting isn't suited to her.
In fact, I could imagine her failing to lie even if she miraculously mastered controlling her facial expressions. Not saying what was running in her mind would never suit Saionji.
Her egotistical self will always be her best version.
But then again, that's probably just my biased view of her. For sure, there are more sides of her that I've yet to discover.
Anyway, without moving my hand and simply letting our connection slowly foster, I inched my head closer to her, making her unable to evade my gaze.
"Is lying to me going to be a habit, senpai? If that is so… I’ll be very disappointed.” I shook my head as I put on the appropriate expression.
“That’s not, I’m not– Ugh… It’s a sarcastic response! Can’t you see the obvious? Who else will I wait for out there?!” At first, she tried to deny it but she eventually put her palm on her face, abruptly changing her tone.
Sensing the hint of desperation in her tone and expression, I soon flipped my resting hand on her side, clasping the one she put on top before using my other hand to reach in and hold her by her chin.
“Heh. There you go. I appreciate the honesty. But you don’t have to shout. You know it’s ineffective against me.”
“Hmph. Ineffective or not, I don’t care.”
I put on an amused smile which immediately irritated her. As always, she couldn’t stand being bested by me.
Despite our position already encroaching on a daring territory, this girl was so adamant about not putting down her pride and yielding to me.
But thinking about the last time, she’s also like this. In the end, she still succumbed to the temptation.
"Well, whatever suits you, senpai. I’m not here to make you uncomfortable anyway.”
Slowly, I filled the gaps between her fingers, clasping her hand tightly. Additionally, I slid my other hand to her cheek to gently caress it.
Even though Saionji tried her best not to react to it, her face still betrayed her as heat gradually accumulated on her face. The pinkish hue gradually became visible.
“Alright, need I remind you about our conversation earlier, senpai?” As she slowly heated up, I opened my mouth again, “Shall I grant you your reward like this?"
"Reward…" Her voice trailed there as though she was trying to wrap her head around the true meaning of that word. A moment later, her eyes darted sideways, evading my heated gaze, "N-no. I'm not here for that. Do I look like a child needing a reward to you?”
“I don't know. Tell me.” I shrugged which further irritated the girl.
Nonetheless, we remained in the same position. With our hands clasped together and our faces only inches away from each other, we’d definitely be mistaken for a couple if someone walked in on us here.
Anyway, with how close we were, my mind couldn’t help but focus on her current state. Her round, sharp eyes were trembling. Perhaps, hesitating whether to continue looking at me or shut it completely. Her breathing was gradually slowing down, an indication of her exasperation. Then her glistening lips which seemed so inviting were eventually sucked in her mouth, wetting it more. Soon after, the lower one got held back by her perfect row of teeth as she bit down on it.
“Onoda-kun. You’re too much for me.”
Snapping me out of my slowed perception of time, Saionji finally formed words from deep within her.
Too much, huh? Am I going too far? I don’t know. This is still pretty standard in my book. I mean, I have yet to act unbridled. All I did was hold her hand and caress her face – both with her silent consent.
“Senpai, is that you conceding to me? Are you finally going to acknowledge that you cannot beat me?”
“What? No! I mean… I didn’t come to see you in order to claim that reward.”
Saionji panicked for a bit there. But that’s fine. This was also my intention in saying those words. To bring her back to reality.
“Alright, let's say you waited for me there not because of the reward. Shouldn't you tell me your reason? I told you I'm not a mind reader."
As I said that, I retracted my hand from her cheek and put some distance between our faces. Of course, our hands stayed clasped. That connection was necessary.
Saionji failed to reply right away but with my eyes trained on her, she eventually parted her lips again as she muttered in an extremely low voice.
"... It didn't subside."
"Come again?"
"I said 'It didn't subside'. I still feel uncomfortable around them. I don’t think I can still come and join you in that restaurant.”
Ah. So that’s how it is, huh? This girl… After twists and turns, she separated from them and waited to tell me this. Or rather, she probably only meant to inform me that she wouldn’t be there in case I looked for her.
However, with me pulling her to this place without saying anything else, she missed the opportunity to say it right away.
Then again, she could’ve stopped me, right? And yet, she didn’t. Which means halfway through, she accepted this situation.
“I see. I understand, senpai. I won’t force you if it’s truly uncomfortable for you.” After weighing my choices of words, I opted for that along with an understanding nod.
“... Hmph. I know you’d say that.” Although her tone remained the same, her voice was softer than before. Not the low-volume one but something along the lines of being a little gentle with her delivery. “I have more things to tell you. But if you truly want to give me a reward, go ahead… I’ll take that home as a trophy.”
Haa. What should I do with this girl and her obsession with not wanting to be bested by me? I’m certain she’s already aware that no matter what she does, she won’t be able to bend me, and yet… she still keeps on trying like this. She and Hana are cut from the same cloth.
“Nope. A trophy is supposed to be an award. Not a reward. Give up on that, senpai. Anyway, can you close your eyes?”
“... Stingy brat.” The girl annoyedly muttered. But shortly after that, she followed my words. Furthermore, her lips parted open. For sure, she’s already expecting me to kiss her.
What else to do then?
That’s how I wanted to reward her so…
Without wasting any more time, I gripped her hand tightly as I once again pushed my head closer to her.
Before taking the final push for the kiss, I candidly whispered, “Azusa-senpai, you’re beautiful.”
And she immediately replied as her lips bloomed into a satisfied smile, “I know…”
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