Chapter 9: How Well Do You Deal With Pressure?

Cold air that leaked through the ventilation woke him up that day. Hence why he should have remembered to close them, yet for some reason he didn't do that, and the cold air kept targeting his back.

"Hm~, so that's how you live, huh? Pretty clean for a boy your age, I might say."

"Airi-senpai, aren't you only two years older than—"

"Shhh," the woman interrupted him, putting her soft finger on the boy's cold lips.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to disclose a woman's age? Besides, did nobody tell you? I'll never age a day past seventeen!" she continued, winking at the boy as she intentionally held her eyes on his cheeks that had turned pink.

Not wasting too much time to look around, Airi found a comfortable spot to sit on the bed and signed the boy to do the same and sit next to her.

"Ah... first I have to close the vents. I think it's getting pretty cold."

"Hm? What kind of new excuse is that?"

"It's no excuse! Look, I'll go here, and then I can grab a chair and, kya!—"

But Haruto didn't get a chance to advance past the bed, and after letting out a girlish shout dragged him back, he found himself sitting with his hands on his legs next to the blonde beauty that had invited herself over.

"Next time, at least check before lying to me like this. I don't mind the lies, but lame ones such as saying that you have to close the already closed vents hurt me a little..."

"...huh?..."

Since Airi's words were not registering right for the boy, he moved his trembling head and took another look at his initial destination. As per his senpai's words, the vents were already closed.

"Then... why do I feel—"

There was no need for Haruto to ask that. When Airi took her hand off his, she left behind a single finger that caressed the boy's palm. That's when the cold air assaulted the boy's spine again, and the answer came naturally. It was never about the vents.

"That won't do, Haruto... Are you eating properly? Your hands are so cold, yet I can't help but notice how red your face has gotten. Don't tell me you have a fever. You're not contagious or anything, right?"

It was clear Airi didn't mean what she was saying, and all the more proof came when her concerned expression bloomed into a teasing one.

"Or maybe... Is this the first time you've had a girl over?"

Technically, that wasn't the case, and proof lay on the bed right next to Airi, looking at the two with a worried gaze that Haruto had seldom seen before. It was an expression he didn't enjoy seeing. To see Yuurei's usual smile turn into a frown only made the mysterious cold wind that bothered the boy feel even colder.

"Hmm?"

But for some reason, at that moment, he couldn't look Yuurei in the eyes. His gaze kept falling back on the beauty sitting in between them. Whenever he tried to look at the ghost girl, some sort of self-defense mechanism would trigger in his body, and his eyes would shift suddenly to a view that felt much warmer.

Never had Haruto looked at Airi from such an angle. The way she sat next to him, close enough for him to clearly see the details of the makeup she had put on today, made the boy's head spin. How she held her bare legs crossed; her fair skin slightly red from the cold outside; and the revealing shirt she had chosen to wear as she visited the boy, every single part of the woman he looked at shouted how this was no coincidence.

"Are you really okay?" Airi asked, putting her palm on Haruto's forehead.

"If you don't feel too good, you can lie down. I just have one thing to ask you. There's no need to stress like that. Okay?"

The moment that "okay" left her lips, as if a spell had been cast on Haruto, his mind went blank, and his pupils widened to get a better grasp of Airi. Her soft lips, her skin, her well-kept hair, and her seductive smell. It felt as if all of these were closing in on the powerless boy, capturing him into a world where only the two of them existed.

Although there was somebody beside her, somebody who shouted something at the boy, it would all fade away soon, for the only one that existed here was Airi.

"So... can I ask you a question?"

"Ahem! You already did," Haruto answered as he shook his head, trying to play it cool and hoping Airi couldn't hear the loud beats of his heart.

"Oh? Look at you trying to take charge! But that won't work with me~"

Instantly, he was put back in his place.

"So~" Airi continued, leaning in to close the distance between the two.

"That was you tailing me up in the trees, right? What were you looking for?"

That's when Haruto's heart sank, and the most basic form of communication—words—left the boy's mind.

"That wasn't... That's a pretty bold accusation!... How do you know it was me?"

"It wasn't?" Airi asked, tilting her head as she kept leaning in.

It was no use. Whenever the boy thought he could come up with an escape plan, Airi would use one of the many weapons in her arsenal to trap him again. Once again, she had cut off his escape routes.

Still, he was lucky. The moment the conversation shifted and he felt the world coming down on his head, Haruto's senses had come back, and as he looked up to regain himself, he saw Yuurei's worried expression.

The ghost kept shaking her head and her palms, yet she didn't say a word. Her gaze interlocked with Haruto's, she repeated the same motion over and over again.

What was she trying to say? It was plain to see that she was saying "no" to something, but what exactly did she want Haruto to avoid?

"A... that's right... I shouldn't lie... Yes, it was me." the boy said, looking back at Airi.

"And what were you looking for?"

"An answer, a hint. Anything to tell me if you're dating someone."

"Is that so~ That's a roundabout way to do things instead of asking me directly. And why would you care about that?"

"Because..."

That's when the image of him beating up King Kobra resurfaced in the boy's mind, and as King faked his usual smile, the boy's mind cleared up.

"That's right."

He had to find out about this woman. He couldn't let himself be toyed with by her, for she had already toyed with another close to him.

He had to know. For the sake of his friend, he had to ask her. That alone brought determination in his eyes—determination that even made the ghost above them smile, her eyes turning gold and brimming with hope.

"Airi-senpai, why did you reject Kenta?"

"...Pardon?"

"When he confessed to you, why did you leave him hanging like that? I am not blaming you, and I am not saying that you should love him back! As his friend, I just want to know what that idiot is lacking. So, if you could, please tell me!"

Without realizing it, Haruto had bowed his head, and to the bowed head, Airi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Pfft! Aahahaha! Is that really it?"

"Well... Yes..."

After taking a good minute for herself to laugh her heart out, Airi settled down, ready to give an answer that might forever change the dynamic between her and these two awkward boys.

"The truth is, I already like somebody."

Though his head was still bowed and nobody could see his expression, Haruto's face lit up the moment he got his answer.

"Ah! Is that so? That's a relief to hear! So it wasn't Kenta's fault!"

"Hm? Is that really enough of an answer to satisfy you? Won't you try to do anything for your friend's sake?"

Haruto shook his head, not even noticing the palms that had grabbed his face and pulled it up.

"Of course I'll help him. I'll find the guy who has stolen Airi-senpai's heart and tie him to the bed so he—"

And before he could finish his sentence—before the shining light of determination in his eyes even got to fade—the boy's cold lips felt the warm touch of another's.

Ah... If ghosts exist in this world, then maybe magic to control the mind does too...

That's what the bewitched boy thought, but that thought faded quickly, and even the notion of ghosts left his head soon after, failing to come back even after Airi had parted her lips from his, licking the corners of her mouth as if she had served the best meal of her life.

"Then I'll tie him up with you~"