[9 P.M.]
Compared to daytime, the night in Hoori Town was not at all quiet. In fact, one might even say it was livelier.
Unlike the bustling Tokyo, there were no dazzling and overwhelming neon lights polluting the view here. There were barely even any streetlights; the illumination mainly came from traditional paper lanterns and stone lanterns, giving the town a very classical charm.
Walking along the small alley paved with green stone slabs, Kita recalled the kagura dance performance they had just seen and still felt somewhat unsatisfied, "The miko-sama's dance was truly sacred… sacred and beautiful. No wonder it attracts so many tourists..."
"Too bad it ended after just a short while."
Yumiko also deeply agreed, but thinking this was only the first day of their trip, she felt at ease. If anything, they could just come see it a few more times.
When they returned to the hot spring inn, it was still early. Just going back to their rooms to rest seemed kind of boring.
So, Nijika straightforwardly suggested, "How about we all play a round of cards?"
"Wouldn't regular card games be kind of boring?"
Scum Ryou stroked her chin, deep in thought, "How about we add a punishment system? Like, whoever loses has to pick Truth or Dare or something?"
'Dare?'
All the girls in the group silently shifted their gaze toward Kaito, as if they'd all thought of something. Their lovely faces tinted with a strange blush.
Nijika lightly cleared her throat, "I-I actually brought a Truth or Dare tabletop card game..."
Kita softly agreed, "Then I guess we have no choice. If we don't play, it'd be a waste, right?"
Even Yumiko raised her hand, "I agree."
Add in the easily influenced little Bocchi, and the proposal passed unanimously.
Kaito didn't spoil the mood, and so everyone gathered in his room, excited and ready to play cards.
Nijika was the first to take out a small bulging box and pulled out two different types of cards from it. The blue cards were labeled "Truth," and the pink ones were labeled "Dare."
Kita quietly leaned in and asked in a whisper, "Nijika-senpai, in the Dare cards… there aren't any super embarrassing punishments, right?"
Nijika winked at her but didn't say anything.
The unspoken message was loud and clear.
Kita got her answer. Her face reddened as she shrank back into her seat, her fighting spirit suddenly ignited.
The rules were simple and could be understood as a kind of matching game: only pairs with the same value could be played. Players could also draw a card from the person next to them. Whoever finished all their cards first would be the winner. When no more pairs could be made, the one left holding the Joker (the clown card) would be the loser.
The winner could then draw a card from either Truth or Dare and designate the loser to perform the content of the card.
The girls rubbed their palms in anticipation, exchanged glances, and the air seemed to spark with tension.
Then—
"I won," After playing his last pair of Aces, Kaito remained calm.
Old Maid was essentially a game of luck, 'These girls of the 21st century are still too naive. They actually think they can challenge me, a cultivator, in terms of fortune?'
Do they even understand what it means to pull 7 rate-up SSRs in a 10-pull? Courting Death!!!
"Um..."
Nijika pulled a Joker from her hand and placed it on the table, "Looks like I'm the loser?"
'Although I didn't win, being punished by Kaito-kun somehow doesn't seem all that bad?'
Shimokitazawa's Archangel bashfully lowered her head, feeling the envious stares of her friends. Her long lashes trembled, "Ka-Kaito-kun... please whip me—no, I mean, please punish me!"
Faced with the blue and pink decks, Kaito thought for a moment and chose the right-side Dare deck.
He casually drew a card and glanced at it, "Pin someone of the opposite sex closest to you against the wall for three minutes, and make deep eye contact... Isn't this punishment a bit too much? Should I draw another one instead?"
Kaito hadn't planned to start off with something this intense.
Normally, his luck was pretty good, he shouldn't have drawn such an awkward punishment for both sides.
No matter what, for a pure girl who's never been in love, this punishment seemed a bit too much.
"No, since it's a game, we have to follow the rules!", Nijika, however, firmly refused, wearing an expression of heroic resolve, as if saying "If I don't go to hell, who will?" "Kaito-kun, please forgive my rudeness!"
She stood up as she spoke, practically rushing in front of Kaito. She placed her hand on the wall behind the beautiful boy, creating a private and ambiguous space.
The distance between them was close. So close that they could hear each other's breathing.
Although she had long known that Kaito had a face that could outshine the world, even at this close proximity, she couldn't find a single flaw.
Those light chestnut-colored eyes were right in front of her, like whirlpools in the deep sea, threatening to swallow Nijika's rationality whole.
'If... if I just lean in right now...'
The girls watching from the sidelines felt complicated. Some wanted to stop them but also feared that when it was their turn, their moment might be interrupted too.
Yumiko especially.
To watch her boyfriend get this close with another girl, this was a wall slam, no less… even she had never done that before...
She should've felt humiliated, sour, like she'd been cuckolded.
But... her breathing involuntarily grew heavier, and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rose in her heart. [T/N: 😱]
Unfortunately, three minutes passed all too quickly. It was over in a flash.
When the two finally pulled apart, Yumiko felt a weight lifted from her chest, but also experienced a subtle regret that even she hadn't noticed.
"It's done, it's done! Time to start the second round!"
Even though Nijik took the first taste, that just meant everyone had a chance to eat meat.
Kita couldn't wait. She quickly reshuffled the cards and started a new round.
As expected, Kaito won again. This time, the loser was Bocchi.
The little terrified bean seemed nervous, but thinking of the reward Nijika-senpai just got, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement.
'Ev-even if there's no wall slam, just a head pat would be enough for me...'
"K-Kaito-kun, pl-please begin…", she said softly.
Given the lesson from last time, Kaito originally planned to pick Truth.
But Bocchi's shy, timid demeanor looked far too bullyable. Only a saint could resist the urge for more than three seconds.
So he chose Dare again.
"Hold a Pocky stick in your mouth and choose the person of the opposite sex closest to you to eat it with."
'T-t-t-this… this is basically a kiss!'
Bocchi's face was burning hot, like it was on fire, and she stammered, "B-b-b-but I didn't bring any Pocky…"
"No worries, I brought some~", At the crucial moment, a certain Miura classmate, who refused to be named, stepped forward and generously provided a whole box of strawberry-flavored Pocky.
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