The sound of rain tapped against the window, and the last trace of blue in the sky had disappeared.
The temperature of the stove rose steadily and the charcoal occasionally crackled, its red glow flickering faintly in Kaoru Mitoma eyes.
Kamuro Masumi sat beside him, silently staring at the burning flames, though her gaze occasionally drifted toward him.
His bare upper body exuded a strange aura in this atmosphere.
The light and warmth of the room teased her sensitive nerves.
Even without deliberately looking, she couldn't help but notice his slightly defined muscles, clean and lean.
He had already changed into long pants, no longer exposing his thin clothing and the thing that had made her blush was now hidden away.
She touched her cheek, which felt warm from the stove.
Every breath seemed to carry a fiery heat and Kamuro Masumi wondered if she was having a fever.
Sizzle—
Kaoru Mitoma picked up the kettle and set it aside, saying.
"In this weather, you should drink some hot water. Wait until the rain stops before you head back."
Kamuro Masumi snapped out of her thoughts slightly and murmured.
"Are you really going to withdraw from the exam and let me be the leader?"
"Let's think about that later" Kaoru Mitoma said as he picked up a water bottle from the side.
"Good thing I prepared two bottles, or we'd have to share one."
Kamuro Masumi lips twitched slightly. "You're really something, aren't you? I see it now—you planned all this in advance, even this cabin."
"Yep, just to see you blush" Kaoru Mitoma chuckled.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, but I'm not blushing at all" Kamuro Masumi replied stiffly.
She had always been stubborn and Kaoru Mitoma didn't mind.
He slowly poured the hot water from the pot into the bottle and a cloud of steam rose from the opening.
However, just drinking hot water wasn't a cure after getting caught in the rain. If your physical condition was poor, catching a cold or fever was almost inevitable.
So, while Kamuro Masumi wasn't paying attention, he had quietly exchanged for an item and placed it in the pot earlier.
After a while, Kamuro Masumi took a sip of the hot water and immediately noticed something odd.
"Did you add something to this?"
"No."
"It tastes weird."
Kamuro Masumi smacked her lips, feeling an inexplicable warmth in her stomach and a continuous recovery of her strength.
Though it felt strange, she simply attributed it to her exhaustion.
Kaoru Mitoma didn't tell her the truth—after all, it was the effect of the soldier pill, which could restore stamina and give her body a buff.
He took a sip of it himself.
The taste was decent, though a bit sticky, probably because it hadn't fully dissolved.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before Kamuro Masumi suddenly spoke up.
"About earlier… thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you" Kaoru Mitoma said with a mix of emotions.
"I didn't expect Kamuro-san to be afraid of thunder. Now I've got another leverage over you. It seems we'll get along even better in the future."
His overly serious demeanor almost made Kamuro Masumi laugh in frustration, though she knew full well that if he hadn't pulled her back in time, Class A might have lost two more members.
"Actually, my intention was just to have you accompany me out here."
Kamuro Masumo was taken aback, then glared at him in annoyance.
"So, you're saying I came out here just to suffer with you?"
Kaoru Mitoma shook his head. "I wouldn't let you suffer for nothing. Coming out on a rainy day like this is usually for the final critical moment. Katsuragi-kun has already decided not to let anyone leave the camp. Anyone who leaves will be considered a traitor to Class A."
Kamuro Masumo frowned.
His tone was unusually stern and she wondered what Kaoru Mitoma and Katsuragi Kouhei were guarding against.
Could it really be the Sakayanagi faction?
Wait, maybe it really was.
"Changing the leader on the final day—if someone could guess that, it means there's a spy within our class" Kaoru Mitoma said. "But the reason I brought you out here isn't because of that."
As he spoke, he revealed to Kamuro Masumo the matters concerning Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune.
Of course, he omitted things like the Marauder's Map, which would have been too shocking for Kamuro Masumo.
After hearing it all, Kamuro Masumo expression turned complicated.
"You really told me all that?"
"It's not certain yet. I just did it as a last-minute thing before withdrawing from the exam" Kaoru Mitoma said, though he already knew that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had witnessed their conversation.
Kamuro Masumo fell silent for a moment, then pursed her lips.
"You people are all so complicated. It'd be better if you just fought it out and settled the score once and for all."
"No, I can't fight."
She eyed him suspiciously.
With a build like that, he didn't know how to fight?
Kaoru Mitoma denied it. "Really, I don't. I'm usually the one getting beaten up, letting others ride over me."
"So you're weak and powerless huh" Kamuro Masumo said, almost mocking him.
Suddenly, Kaoru Mitoma stood up, causing the girl heart to skip a beat.
On the surface, however, she remained cold and even frowned, about to question what he was doing.
But he simply dropped a sentence before walking out.
"Wait here. The guest is coming."
Kamuro Masumo stared blankly as he stepped into the rain and disappeared into the forest.
Only then did she snap out of it.
"Am I being weird?" the girl muttered to herself. "It's just a man body. Why is it so… strange today?"
In their tender years, girls and boys are not much different, both brimming with curiosity about the opposite sex's body.
Her interest in Kaoru Mitoma body indicated that she subconsciously saw him as a genuine member of the opposite sex, someone she could potentially date.
However, Kamuro Masumi was still in a state of confusion, unable to fully grasp her current feelings.
She believed that her relationship with Kaoru Mitoma was merely that of classmates and friends.
Yet, Kamuro Masumi soon experienced another sense of déjà vu.
"...This is too much of a coincidence and who else would go around shirtless like you? Are you some kind of perverted exhibitionist?"
A girl voice came from outside.
Kamuro Masumi looked up just as Kaoru Mitoma entered the cabin with Kushida Kikyo. Their eyes met and both were momentarily stunned.
"You, you, you... why is she... are you two doing... no, no, this is too scary!"
Seeing Kamuro Masumi there, Kushida Kikyo immediately became flustered.
Combined with Kaoru Mitoma shirtless appearance and his clothes casually draped over a chair, her mind raced with all sorts of wild imaginings.
Moreover, it was raining outside, setting the stage for a classic scenario.
And now, she had just walked in on them.
Was she about to be part of some twisted threesome?
Kushida Kikyo expression froze.
She regretted coming, she was still a virgin! She didn't even have a boyfriend.
Why was she being thrown into something like this right off the bat?
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