'Escape?'
Kaito still didn't turn his head. He only pondered for two seconds before slowly saying, "I have no such intention."
Soyo lightly bit her cherry lips, her voice not diminishing in sorrow at all, "Then… why don't you dare turn around to look at me?"
Kaito suddenly had a déjà vu feeling that he was Buddhist Monk being questioned by the Queen of the Women's Kingdom.
But he was, after all, not a real high monk. After a moment of silence, he turned around and met the gaze of the brown-haired girl, using his actions to prove everything.
Soyo, who had been full of disappointment, became a little shy instead when she saw that he really turned around.
After all, she was a pure maiden who had never had intimate contact with the opposite sex. Every minute, every second passing now was a tough test of shame for her heart as a young girl.
But Nagasaki Soyo's personality was just like that, once she decided on something, she would not retreat.
Things had come to this point. Behind her was a sheer cliff. Only by pressing forward bravely could she grasp the final chance.
She had no intention of hiding anything, even letting her arms that were held in front of her chest fall naturally, generously displaying her body, as plump and beautiful as jade blossoms.
Kaito quietly gazed at her. Those familiar sapphire-blue eyes were as clear as if washed by water, but at this moment, they hid a burning emotion he couldn't comprehend, like stars on fire falling into a lake, blooming into rainbow-colored coral.
"I heard, in your country, there is an old saying," The girl's sweet voice still carried a trembling tone, but she forced a gentle smile, "A life-saving grace cannot be repaid, so one can only offer their body in return."
"This is already the fifth time I've been saved by you, Kaito-kun."
"A double life-saving grace… As expected, only by offering the rest of myself as a bargaining chip can I repay it, right?"
It had only been a single day, not even twenty-four hours.
The two pure friendships he once thought to be unbreakable had already changed one after another.
'Did you and Kita secretly arrange this behind my back?'
"It's already the twenty-first century, Soyo," Kaito had a bit of a headache, "Offering one's body as repayment is just the dross of feudal literature. If you're thinking of giving yourself because of that kind of reason, then it's completely unnecessary."
Of course, it wasn't just because of that reason.
"Kaito-kun, you totally don't understand~", Soyo softly smiled, "As a girl, even if she really has no way to repay a debt, she would only say 'I offer my body' to a guy she has good feelings for."
The girl's eyes were like a gentle breeze, holding watery light, glimmering with a dreamlike, mysterious color.
"So, I like you, from the heart. It has nothing to do with gratitude."
After a moment of silence, Kaito finally lifted his head and looked straight into the girl's beautiful eyes, "Your meaning… I kind of understand."
Soyo lightly breathed out, waiting for what he would say next, unusually nervous.
"You are a very good girl. No matter your personality, appearance, or other conditions, you're excellent."
Even though she was praised and acknowledged, the brown-haired girl's pretty face didn't show the slightest sign of joy.
According to the normal script, next… should be the turning point, right?
As expected.
Kaito paused and then added, "But, I already have a girlfriend."
He didn't dislike Soyo, otherwise, when he sensed she was in danger, he wouldn't have rushed to the scene to rescue her at the first moment.
But Yumiko's existence was a mountain he couldn't get around.
As a cultivator, and also a long-lived species, many of his values couldn't be restricted by mortal standards.
In the world of cultivation, strength was respected. As long as one had enough power, regardless of gender, having a harem of three thousand was very normal.
Kaito didn't reject this kind of behavior, but he also understood that not all girls could accept sharing the one they love with others.
Since Soyo had already shown her full sincerity and gone all in with her final offensive,
He wouldn't deliberately hide things, but would directly respond to the girl's feelings.
This was not only respect for Soyo, but also respect for himself.
The brown-haired girl's pretty face stiffened slightly.
'Kaito-kun… already has a girlfriend?'
Although her heart felt bitter, this answer was still somewhat within expectations.
Nagasaki Soyo remained silent for a long time before quietly asking, "That girl… is it Mutsumi?"
Kaito shook his head.
Seeing this, Soyo's heart became slightly conflicted.
If it was really Mutsumi who got ahead of her… she really didn't know what to do.
After all, in Soyo's past impression, Mutsumi, who had no ambition, was undoubtedly just a salted fish and wasn't someone she needed to stay on high alert for.
"Actually, you've met her once."
Kaito didn't keep her guessing and spoke directly, "Her name is Miura Yumiko."
'Miura-san?', Soyo recalled in her mind and finally remembered the face of a certain blonde girl.
She and Yumiko had only met once, during the ghost-senpai incident, when they had gone to the Mizusaki house together and witnessed a script of girls meeting rivals. Along with them had been a pink-haired girl named Gotou Hitori.
Since then, they hadn't interacted again, and had never met again.
'However, in terms of timing, Miura-san indeed arrive before me.'
'So, should I withdraw?'
'Just give up my first love like that? Hand Kaito-kun over to another girl?'
Just imagining that possibility made Soyo feel suffocated.
She couldn't do it. She absolutely couldn't.
If possible, of course she wanted to monopolize the boy she loved. Not to mention touching, she didn't even want other bad women to look at him. Ideally, she could hide him in a basement, just for her to play with and treasure.
But…
Since she was the one who arrived later, her mentality had to change a bit as well.
'Sharing with others is always better than standing aside watching someone eat alone, right?'
'It isn't too late yet. At least, ahead of me, there is only Miura-san.'
'If I hesitate any longer, in a few days, I might not even make the top five, perhaps not even seventh, eighth, or eleventh.'
'Moreover… even if Miura-san gets ahead of me, we haven't really married Kaito-kun yet.'
'That seat is still undecided. In the end, who will win is still unknown.'
Soyo didn't think she would lose to anyone else.
Determined in her heart, the girl suppressed her internal bitterness and quietly asked, "Between you two… how far have you gone?"
Kaito hesitated for a moment. Since he'd decided to be honest, he didn't hide it, "Everything."
'Even the first bath I have been dreaming about… has already been drunk?'
Soyo's heart ached, as if an arrow pierced through her chest.
'In a place I can't see, Kaito-kun… has been stepped on and ridden by that naturally evil blonde bad woman all along?'
Seeing the girl stay silent for a long time, Kaito wasn't surprised, "If you can't accept it, we can treat what happened today as if it never occurred. We're still friends."
'Friends?'
'After coming this far, how can I possibly be content returning to just being friends!'
"I can not care about anything. But…", Soyo lifted her head and spoke word by word, "No matter what you've done with Miura-san, I want to do it all with you too, completely, without the slightest reservation!"
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