Eriri watched Yukima Azuma's back as he walked away.
Now that she had cald down and realized he had only been helping her with a cramp... regret welled up inside her.
Especially when her gaze drifted toward his shoulder—
There it was.
A deep red stain.
The bite mark.
She'd left that.
Her heart twisted painfully.
He had only ant to help her. Even if it had been a bit clumsy and awkward, he didn't deserve that.
"I'm... sorry..."
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat.
Damn her pride.
"Alright, I'm heading off," Yukima said casually, waving her off.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.
Eriri's lips parted slightly, but no sound ca.
A bitter taste filled her chest.
"Yukima-san, why were you still at the sports field earlier?" Kita Ikuyo's question broke the silence.
"Huh?" Eriri blinked. "Isn't this still PE class?"
Kita pointed toward the track. "But the boys already finished their outdoor tests. Look—there's no one left on the field."
Eriri followed her gaze.
Only a few girls remained, running laps.
She hadn't realized.
Sowhere inside her, sothing sank.
Her chest tightened with a strange ache.
Was he... waiting out there for the whole ti?
Had he noticed I was pushing myself harder than usual?
Her vision blurred as tears welled up, but she blinked them away.
She couldn't cry here—not in front of everyone.
Still... thinking back—
He had called her "Eriri."
Not "Sawamura-san."
He'd blurted it out naturally, without hesitation.
Eriri's got a cramp. Help .
Those were his words.
Just "Eriri."
Her heart clenched.
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the storm inside her.
"Kita-san... could you co with to the nurse's office?"
—
anwhile, at the edge of the sports field...
Yukima Azuma returned to where Kato gumi had been waiting.
She stood quietly, holding a bottle of water.
"Yukima-san, where did you go just now—" she began, but her voice trailed off mid-sentence.
"Ah, sorry. Sothing ca up." He scratched the back of his head. "Anyway... here. Want so water?"
He held out the bottle.
But gumi wasn't looking at it.
She was staring—at his shoulder.
Following her gaze, Yukima glanced down.
"Oh... that?" he said sheepishly. "Just a little accident. Nothing serious."
But Kato gumi didn't respond.
Her usual soft expression hadn't changed, yet there was sothing in her eyes—sothing quietly intense.
Yukima shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
She didn't say a word.
Instead, she stepped forward, took his arm, and began walking away.
"Co with . I've got a first aid kit in my bag."
"Eh? But what about your 800-ter run?"
"What about it? I'll just write down a number. No one's paying attention anyway."
"...So, Kato-san's mad?"
"You imagined it."
She was definitely mad.
Yukima didn't resist as she dragged him back toward the school building.
By the ti they reached the classroom, it was completely empty.
Kato gumi sat him down in her seat.
Yukima watched as she calmly took out a small white first aid kit from her bag.
Then she turned to him.
"Take off your shirt."
Her tone was soft.
But it carried weight.
Yukima blinked. "...Shouldn't you be embarrassed saying that?"
gumi didn't respond.
She just waited.
Under her cool gaze, Yukima gave in and pulled off his school jacket and white undershirt.
As the fabric slid off his body, the lean definition of his upper torso was revealed.
Not bulky—but clearly toned.
The kind of body that looked average in clothes, but unexpectedly strong underneath.
He'd been training for over a year.
And the results showed.
Kato gumi paused—visibly.
Her gaze lingered for a mont too long.
Her neat bob cut swayed gently as she moved, and the tips of her ears turned pink.
The classroom air felt still.
Charged.
"...Not bad," she muttered quietly.
Then she refocused and leaned in toward his shoulder.
Taking out a bottle of alcohol and a cotton swab, she said, "This might sting. Try to bear with it."
She gently wiped away the dried blood.
The bite wound ca into clear view—four shallow punctures.
It really did look like a cat had taken a swipe at him.
gumi stared at it for a mont.
"...What bit you?" she asked, her voice flat.
Yukima chuckled awkwardly. "It's complicated."
To his relief, she didn't press further.
After cleaning the wound, she dabbed on ointnt and carefully placed a band-aid over it.
"All done."
"Oh, thanks, Kato-san." Yukima smiled. Then, trying to lighten the mood, he pointed to his abs. "Wanna touch them? Consider it repaynt."
He was joking.
But—
"Okay."
"...Huh?"
Before he could react, gumi placed her hand gently on his stomach.
Her fingers were small, but cool to the touch.
Both of them froze.
The feeling was oddly vivid—fingertips brushing against his skin, her touch cautious but curious.
Yukima's heart pounded.
He was sure she could hear it.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
Then—
BANG!
The classroom door suddenly slamd open.
Both of them jumped.
Hard.
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