Finally, a few meters away from the school, the looks in their direction had almost vanished as they moved away from the other students.

Though not entirely; it wasn't as annoying as before now.

On the other hand, Reiji had nothing to complain about; the feeling of his arm being pressed against Kanade's chest was incredibly pleasant.

For Kanade, all she could think about was how her heart was racing uncontrollably, threatening to burst out of her chest. She felt feverish and had butterflies in her stomach.

"Reiji-kun?" She looked at him: "Can I ask you a question?"

"By asking that, you've already asked one." He joked, letting out a chuckle as he saw her expression change: "Haha, sure, go ahead."

Pouting, she returned to normal seeing that he agreed, then hesitated a little before asking: "Mm, I might be a bit curious, but I'm interested in knowing... What made you change so much? I remember that before you weren't like this; even your hair... You went back to your original color, right?"

"There's no thrilling story behind my change." He avoided and added, giving an air of mystery and solitude: "But still, do you want to hear it?"

"Yes." She nodded, her face lit up a bit seeing that he was willing to share his story with her.

"Mm, before, I was rebellious against life..." Up to this point, he was telling the truth, explaining about 'his parents', the hard life he had, and then, he distorted reality by mentioning that he had a near-death experience. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie... Anyway, he told her how he started to reflect on his actions and decided to turn over a new leaf, aspiring to live as a better person.

Ding! The system indicated that her favorability towards him had increased.

Kanade, who listened to his story attentively, seemed to have been touched and identified with him, even shedding a few tears.

To Reiji's surprise, her favorability index had already surpassed 90 – the system indicated that she would instantly agree to be his girlfriend or even have sexual relations with him, should he ask!

Gently wiping away her tears with his free hand, he said, "Don't cry, it's all in the past now. I've overcome it and, as I said, I want to start over, to live as a better person."

"I know you will." She looked at him with her eyes still moist, which gave her an even greater charm, making her beautiful purple eyes shine intensely. She added, with conviction: "I believe in you!"

With a smile, he lightly touched her nose with the tip of his finger: "Thank you for believing in me so much."

His smile was breathtaking, making Kanade feel as if her face was on fire again.

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Just hearing his voice and seeing him smile, she felt her cheeks warming up. 'Ahhhhh', she was feeling overwhelmed!

She placed her free hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.

Watching the changes in her expression, Reiji found her extremely adorable. He let out a contagious laugh, affecting Kanade, who looked at him enchanted by his laughter.

It was the kind of contagious and sexy laugh that only a few privileged men possess. It could even be said to be rarer than a blue diamond, known for its rarity and incomparable beauty.

No wonder that, instead of getting upset seeing Reiji laugh, she actually felt captivated, like a reader in front of the first chapter of an engaging book, immediately transported into a world of endless possibilities.

"I like..." She whispered.

"Hm?" Reiji interrupted his laughter, leaning slightly to better understand her words.

"N-Nothing." Shyness wrapped around her again, making her blush even more than before, with her heart beating frantically.

Reiji's curiosity was piqued; he realized she had murmured something, but due to the low volume of her voice and the fact that he had been laughing before, he couldn't understand. However, since she seemed reluctant to repeat, he didn't insist.

At that moment, they reached the train station.

As they went through the ticket gate, they waited in the carriage for the train.

It was a busy time, and, even if not the peak intensity, the seats were all taken.

Standing, waiting for the train, Kanade continued holding Reiji's arm. Since he hadn't asked her to let go, after they went through the ticket gate, she grabbed his arm again.

Kanade blushed at the thought: 'No matter how others look at us, it must give the impression that Reiji and I are in a relationship, right?'

Feeling the tighter grip around his arm and his arm sinking a bit into Kanade's ample chest, Reiji involuntarily swallowed hard. After all, no one is made of steel. Feeling her breasts pressing against his arm all the way there, and now that she was squeezing even more, making it seem like his arm was enveloped by a marshmallow pillow, he was almost at his limit, struggling to control his physical reaction. In fact, he was already partially affected...

Controlling his breathing and trying to divert his thoughts from that, he initiated a conversation: "I talked about myself before, now tell me a little about you. Besides movies, do you have any hobbies or something like that?"

'Is he interested in me?' Upon hearing his question, she perked up.

With a shy smile, she responded with a touch of enthusiasm: "Ah, besides movies, I'm kind of a music enthusiast. I love discovering new bands from different parts of the world. I think music has this incredible power to connect people, no matter where they're from. I also like reading, especially romantic comedy..." She blushed: "And I like to draw, although I'm not very good at it. It's my way of expressing what I feel or just to relax. Oh, and whenever possible, I try to venture into the kitchen. Experimenting with new recipes has become kind of a recent hobby for me."

Seeing her talk so much about herself with so much enthusiasm, he smiled slightly. Without realizing it, his smile now was extremely gentle, enough to affect the people around who looked in their direction.

When she stopped talking, Kanade noticed his smile, blushed, and lowered her head as if she were a young wife.

Indeed, things seemed to be moving quickly. Reiji could clearly feel it, but again, that didn't mean it was a bad thing.

Gradually, he also began to erase all the scenes he had from the hentai anime in his memory, replacing them with the memories he was creating with Kanade, which, by the way, were far more pleasant.

"Speaking of reading, I also like it," Reiji said. "I don't have much restriction in choosing; as long as it's something engaging, I'm willing to give it a chance and read."

"I know what you mean," she replied with an excited smile, pulling his arm a bit closer involuntarily. "I always get excited when I come across the first chapter of an engaging book that immediately seems to transport me to a world of endless possibilities~"

She looked a bit dreamy. Her eyes shone distantly, as if she was truly traveling in her fantasy.

Coming back to herself, she smiled shyly, but realizing that he didn't seem upset, let out a light laugh.

It was, in a way, an emotional paradox; how could she, after just one day of deeper interaction, feel so close to him? It was as if their souls had known each other long before this meeting, sharing an intimacy that defied the logic of time. There was something almost mystical about this connection, a phenomenon both enchanting and confusing.

Deep in her being, the young woman who still lived in her heart delighted in a whirlwind of sensations that made this brief interval feel, at the same time, an eternity and a fleeting second. It was an enigma, a beautiful mystery vibrating with life and the promise of unimaginable discoveries.

Stealing glances in Reiji's direction, she noticed how he became more attractive with each moment, to the point that she only had eyes for him, ignoring everything else. 'Heavens, what's happening to me?' she questioned herself, surprised by this sudden fixation that seemed to arise out of nowhere, making her question her own emotions.

Oblivious to Kanade's internal turmoil, Reiji noticed the arrival of the train: "It's here, Kanade-chan. Shall we?"

"Ah, yes." Coming back to herself, she smiled, still somewhat distracted.

||- Note -||

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