Lilac Petals (Classroom of the Elite)

Chapter 4

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka

As I unlocked the door to my room, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. Just a while ago, I had been hanging out with the Ayanokouji group in the arcade. I guessed we spent around five hours there.

I had found out about something pretty sad as well—I sucked at arcade games. But, at least I wasn't as bad as Keisei, who couldn't score a single point no matter what game we played. Surprisingly though, Haruka turned out to be the best of us, with Akito trailing close behind in second place, and Airi securing the third spot. Although, Akito and Haruka were only separated by a single point in the end, so they might as well have been evenly matched in skill.

It was now almost seven, the time of day when the sun had almost finished setting in the horizon. Darkness had begun to take over, causing the elongated shadows cast by the sun in my room to slowly dissolve.

It was one of those evenings where I couldn't bother to do anything. I suppose you could say that laying on my bed and gazing up at the ceiling was my way of enjoying these last few days of my break.

And that was my plan. At least until...

Ring!

The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the room. I was wondering who it was, and why they were visiting me in the evening. However, once I looked at the security monitor, all the questions in my mind instantly faded away.

"Good evening, Kiyotaka. If you don't mind, may I stay here for a little...?"

On the other side of the door, it was just Sakayanagi Arisu.

What struck me as strange was that when I opened the door, she wasn't wearing her usual smug face. Instead, it had been replaced by a... timid expression.

Did something happen to her?

"Oh, hello. Come in."

"Pardon the intrusion." Arisu left her shoes at the door, before walking into my room.

"You can sit on the couch."

I thought a couch would be more comfortable for her. Unlike beds, they offer better back support if you sit upright.

Once Arisu had settled on the couch, I made myself comfortable on the bed. I thought she might strike a conversation, but instead, the room was filled with silence for several minutes. She just looked at the floor, her cheeks tinged with a subtle shade of red.

Anyway, why was she here? Was she hiding from someone? Did she have a fever? I needed to confirm.

"So, why are you here?"

"I simply want to ask you a question..." she began, subtly increasing her grip on her cane. "What is your type, Kiyotaka?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you were to seek a girlfriend, what kind of person would you be interested in?"

"Hmm..."

That was an interesting question. I decided to answer truthfully, since I pretty much had no reason not to.

"I guess it would be someone like you," I answered.

"F-Fufu, is that so? In that case, what if I were to propose becoming your girlfriend?"

"Huh?"

The air suddenly grew heavy. She looked at me with expectant eyes, and the blush on her cheeks had deepened, becoming more noticeable.

"I don't think I heard you. Can you uh, say that again?"

"I'm quite certain you heard me the first time," she remarked, letting out a quiet, shaky sigh. "Human warmth is often felt in romantic relationships. That's why I believe it would be rather beneficial for us to enter such a relationship."

Entering a romantic relationship with Arisu didn't sound too bad. She knew about my past, so I didn't have much to hide from her. And she knew all too well that I didn't have feelings for her, and I suspected that she felt the same way. So, this was my chance to learn about human warmth in a controlled environment.

"I'd only be satisfying my curiosity. Are you okay with that?"

"Naturally, I expected as much. I don't mind at all." She looked at me with a warm smile.

"Well, I guess that's settled then."

Was that really okay, though? She would be sacrificing her chance to be in a genuine relationship with someone else.

Her fake relationship with me might resemble some aspects of human connection, but in the end, it wouldn't be built on genuine emotions. So, I was pretty unsure if I was going to get anything out of this fake relationship.

Now, imagine a situation where she finds a romantic interest in another person. You could argue that it would be a tricky scenario. What would she do with our fake relationship under those circumstances? Would she just scrap the human warmth project altogether?

Our relationship was most likely temporary anyway. It would fade away with time, once I had learned all I needed to know about human warmth.

But, why was she going so far to teach me, even when there was nothing in it for her? Was she trying to extract favors from me? If that was the case, then I didn't mind.

We sat in silence for several minutes. I had expected her to leave by now, but she didn't move from her spot, and continued smiling at me. Technically, we were a couple now, so I supposed that it made sense for her to stay in my room.

"Kiyotaka, would you mind standing up for a moment?"

"Okay."

Following the instruction, I stood up from the bed. And as I did, she also stood up, and slowly approached me. After a few moments, we were so incredibly close to each other, to the point where our bodies were almost touching. She looked up at me, wearing a smile, while I gazed down at her.

"Now, I'd like you to wrap your arms around my torso, and pull me closer."

I gently extended my arms and followed what she told me to do, pulling her head in with one hand and burying her face into my chest. The scent of her lilac-colored hair resembled cherry blossoms in full bloom, and to be frank, it was... pleasant.

"Please, hold onto me."

"...Okay."

She dropped her cane, a loud thud echoing across the floor. Her body slowly relaxed, as if the weight of her petite figure had surrendered itself onto me. Then, I felt her arms make their way around my waist, completing the embrace.

"This is what people refer to as a 'hug.' Please remember that."

We stood in that position for several minutes, while the world around us slowly faded away. My fingers gently glided through the strands of her soft hair, caressing it as she tightened her embrace.

At that moment, words felt unnecessary. The only sound that could be heard was the subtle humming of the air conditioner, filling the silence throughout the room.

An unfamiliar warm sensation slowly welled up within me. It was definitely more than just a simple, distinctive feeling. In fact, I couldn't put my finger on what it was. What was it about her that triggered this response in my body? I needed to investigate as soon as possible.

Of course, I knew that this was a hug. I had read it in many novels, and seen it happen before my eyes during my time in this school. However, I had never realized it before, but...

Hugs were nice.

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Author's Note

next few updates might take a lil bit longer than usual.

hoped u enjoyed the chap