Watching Sakayanagi Arisu fail to answer her question, Sakura Airi showed no intention of backing down.
A gleam of smug amusement flickered through those lake-blue eyes of hers. She leaned her body slightly forward, amplifying the wordless pressure between them — and given that Sakura Airi stood taller than Sakayanagi Arisu, not to mention her considerably more generous figure up top, the pressure bearing down on Sakayanagi Arisu was all the more overwhelming.
Still smiling sweetly, she fixed her gaze on the silver-haired beauty who normally carried herself with such insufferable confidence, and pressed on in a voice that was gentle yet utterly relentless.
"Sakayanagi-san, what do you actually think? Do you have that kind of special fondness for Natsu… or do you have absolutely no feelings for him whatsoever? None of that kind of feeling that comes with being interested in someone of the opposite sex?"
The way Sakura Airi advanced step by deliberate step, it was as though she had made up her mind: she was not leaving today without prying a definitive answer out of Sakayanagi Arisu.
Such a blunt, utterly unsparing offensive — even Sakayanagi Arisu, whose psychological fortitude was extraordinary and who was accustomed to controlling every situation around her, found herself struggling to hold the line in this moment.
She scrambled frantically for a countermeasure. Since Sakura Airi had framed this as a binary — something like a "Yes or No" ultimatum — it was only natural, given Sakayanagi Arisu's character, that she would go looking for an option that wasn't supposed to exist.
To make her openly admit, in front of this many witnesses — in front of the person himself — that the feelings she had been so desperately suppressing had already taken root deep inside her heart? Feelings for Shikime Natsu?
That was absolutely, utterly impossible. Not in a million years.
Sakayanagi Arisu drew a slow, quiet breath. Her slender fingers gripped the hem of her skirt in a white-knuckled clutch. The moonlight happened to fall only on her face at that moment, so the small telltale signs of her nerves went unnoticed — or so Sakayanagi Arisu believed. In truth, Shikime Natsu had been watching every tiny movement she made with perfect clarity.
Forcing the corners of her lips to maintain an arc that had grown somewhat stiff, Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her chin up slightly, attempting to reclaim her usual composure, and replied in a measured tone.
"I think Sakura-san is reading too much into this. Shiki-san and I… are nothing more than ordinary classmates who have simply spent a bit more time together than most."
She had even made a point of emphasizing the words "ordinary classmates." As for that sort of evasive, brush-it-off answer — there was no way Sakura Airi was going to let Sakayanagi Arisu off with that. If Sakayanagi Arisu hadn't come tonight, that would have been one thing. But she had come. And that meant… it was no longer entirely up to Sakayanagi Arisu. It did feel a little like bullying, admittedly. But then, the target was a silver-haired genius beauty. This level of teasing was surely nothing she couldn't handle.
Sakura Airi broke into an even more radiant smile. Bathed in the moonlight, that smile sent a distinctly dangerous chill skittering across Sakayanagi Arisu's senses.
If she stayed here any longer, she had the unsettling feeling she was going to tumble headfirst into a trap.
"Of course I know you and Natsu are classmates, Sakayanagi-san~" Sakura Airi blinked, a playful edge creeping into her voice.
"But the heart of what I was asking is this — do you like Shikime Natsu as a person? Or do you dislike him? Those are the only two options on the table right now, Sakayanagi-san. There are no others~"
Hearing that near-shameless interrogation, Sakayanagi Arisu groaned inwardly.
From the moment Sakura Airi had started this line of questioning, Sakayanagi Arisu had known this woman would be difficult to deal with. But she hadn't imagined she'd be quite this tenacious. Most people, upon receiving the sort of answer she'd just given, would take the graceful exit being offered to them. This woman had not.
She had absolutely no sense of reading the room — or rather, if Sakura Airi truly did have that sense, she would never have pressed on like this, forcing Sakayanagi Arisu into a corner that was becoming increasingly difficult to escape from.
Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze drifted instinctively toward Shikime Natsu.
The central figure of this entire ordeal was seated on a wooden chair not far away, utterly at ease. His arms were folded across his chest, that signature not-quite-a-smile expression resting on his face as always. This topic concerned him most directly of anyone present — and yet the insufferable man sat there like a complete and total bystander, radiating the laid-back energy of someone who had front-row seats to a show and was determined to enjoy every second of it.
That man… he was absolutely waiting to see her humiliate herself, wasn't he?
Sakayanagi Arisu gritted her teeth, the defiant spark in her chest surging sharply upward.
If she actually let on right now that she had feelings for Shikime Natsu — knowing his personality — he would become even more insufferably smug about it afterward. Heaven only knew what sort of methods he'd use to torment her even more than he already did.
In that case, she absolutely could not give him the satisfaction.
Just as that disagreeable man always made sure to deny her what she wanted — she would fight back with everything she had.
So, Sakayanagi Arisu smoothed her expression back into an elegant smile, held Sakura Airi's gaze directly, and enunciated each word with crisp deliberateness.
"Is Sakura-san worried I might steal Shiki-san away? In that case, I believe Sakura-san can rest easy. I harbor no feelings of that sort toward Shiki-san. Nothing as unnecessary as 'liking' him."
Even as she said it, Sakayanagi Arisu kept her peripheral vision locked on Shikime Natsu's face, tracking even the most minute flicker of change in his expression.
In the moment she declared she had no interest in him, Sakayanagi Arisu did feel a sharp, vindictive satisfaction. But immediately after — a nameless, stinging ache spread through her chest without warning.
Her heart trembled, ever so slightly. She knew perfectly well those words were a lie. And yet — somewhere in the depths of her subconscious — she genuinely feared that Shikime Natsu would take her at her word and simply eject her from his world entirely.
If he really did cast her aside, Sakayanagi Arisu thought she might actually die of grief. She had only this very afternoon, after so much effort, managed to draw the word "charming" from him — a small, hard-won victory she had been quietly savoring.
If Sakura Airi ruined that for her, she would absolutely despise her for it — even if the damage ultimately traced back to her own refusal to be honest.
What had started as a "like" versus "don't like" had, in the space of a second, become "like" versus "hate." The grey in between had been completely erased, forcing her to plant her flag at one extreme or the other.
This woman in front of her… was genuinely terrifying. She had been laying stepping stones into a pit, one by one, and coaxing Sakayanagi Arisu to jump into each of them.
"Oh? Is that so? Well then, for the sake of thoroughness — I'd like to ask Sakayanagi-san to confirm that one more time."
"Sakayanagi-san — do you like Natsu, or do you hate him?"
This time, Sakura Airi had quietly swapped the options: "don't like" had become "hate." And "don't like" and "hate" were not remotely in the same category.
"Don't like" could still encompass indifference — a neutral, emotionless space. "Hate" carried only negative weight.
Sakayanagi Arisu's violet eyes bore into Sakura Airi. This woman had done it deliberately. She had quietly changed the options from under her.
The question was essentially about the same thing — and yet the emotional stakes attached to each answer were entirely different.
"Didn't I already answer that?"
Sakayanagi Arisu kept her composure with great effort as she replied slowly. She had already given her answer: she didn't have those kinds of feelings for Shikime Natsu.
But Sakura Airi shook her head — and then flashed that infuriating smile again. It was the same smile Shikime Natsu wore. The exact same one. Equally detestable.
"Sakayanagi-san…"
Sakura Airi's gaze stayed fixed on her, and she stepped another inch closer. The pressure intensified. All Sakayanagi Arisu could see was the insufferable cow advancing on her.
"This is about your true innermost feelings, you see. And when it comes to things like that, people almost never give an honest answer the first time around — which is precisely why a second confirmation is necessary. Only then can we know what Sakayanagi-san truly thinks."
"And besides — there's every chance Sakayanagi-san's first answer was given under duress~"
Upon hearing those words, Sakayanagi Arisu felt her heart just about explode with indignation. Under duress? Was now any different from being under duress?
From the very moment she had started talking with Sakura Airi, this woman had been using exactly that kind of situational pressure to corner her. The sheer nerve of it was beyond offensive. In Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, that formerly harmless-looking, adorable face of Sakura Airi's had by now twisted into something indistinguishable from a demon's.
And honestly — Sakura Airi's personality was just as rotten as Shikime Natsu's. They were cut from the exact same cloth. In Sakayanagi Arisu's internal ranking of insufferable people, Sakura Airi had officially achieved parity with Shikime Natsu himself.
The fact that she could rival Shikime Natsu in that particular ranking said everything about how deeply exasperating Sakura Airi had become in this moment.
That, and the pressure she was exerting right now was overwhelming.
"I don't… like him."
Sakayanagi Arisu replied in a small voice. Those violet eyes of hers drifted, without conscious intent, back toward Shikime Natsu — still watching for his reaction.
Sakura Airi, standing directly in front of her, caught every bit of it.
"So in other words, Sakayanagi-san hates Natsu?"
Sakura Airi smiled and pressed on.
Sakayanagi Arisu redirected her gaze back to Sakura Airi. Those were the two options that had just been established: not like, or hate.
Hate?
Well — it wasn't entirely wrong to say Sakayanagi Arisu's feelings toward Shikime Natsu were complicated. There was liking in there. And there was hating.
But that was a different thing entirely from the "don't like" she'd just said. If she admitted here that she hated him — there might genuinely be no path forward between herself and Shikime Natsu.
The moment she imagined a life without that irritating man in it, Sakayanagi Arisu felt something clench around her heart, squeezing it with a dull, aching pain.
And so, after a long and heavy silence, Sakayanagi Arisu summoned every last ounce of her willpower and forced the words out through her teeth.
"I… don't hate Shiki-san."
The instant those words left her lips, a wave of scorching heat rushed straight up to the crown of her head.
Her entire face blazed as though it had been set on fire — crimson from cheek to cheek, so red that even the tips of her ears looked like they might bleed.
Those violet eyes of hers, which always carried that knowing, sardonic glint, were now filmed with a faint, delicate mist in the moonlight — looking both terribly wronged and utterly mortified at once.
For a girl who had spent her entire life accustomed to being the one who controlled everyone else's emotions around her, to expose her own feelings so plainly, with nowhere left to retreat — even if all she had said was "I don't hate him" — it was the pinnacle of humiliation.
Because the opposite of "don't hate," after all, was "like." And she liked Shikime Natsu.
And she had said it like this — in front of Shikime Natsu himself, under the watching eyes of his three girlfriends.
If he hadn't been present, she might have been able to maintain that elegant, composed air of hers — speaking about it the way one tells a story, explaining coolly that yes, she did harbor some fondness for that man.
But now… with that smirking culprit sitting right there watching — Sakayanagi Arisu felt so mortified she wanted to find a crack in the floor and disappear into it.
Having finally gotten her answer, Sakura Airi broke into a thoroughly satisfied smile.
She clapped her hands together lightly and summed it all up in a breezy, cheerful tone.
"Well then — since Sakayanagi-san has made it clear she doesn't hate Natsu… by our logic, that's essentially an indirect admission of liking him, isn't it~?"
Hearing that completely shameless leap in reasoning, Sakayanagi Arisu's already-scarlet face looked about ready to emit actual steam. Abandoning all decorum, she shot back with barely restrained indignation.
"Th-that's not what I meant at all!"
"Oh? So… does that mean it's actually hate after all?"
Sakura Airi blinked with the most innocent wide eyes imaginable, cheerfully hopping back and forth on that one exposed nerve.
Sakayanagi Arisu glared at her with undisguised ferocity. If anyone were to ask her right now whether she hated Sakura Airi — she would answer with immediate, thunderous certainty: yes. Absolutely yes. She hated her so much.
This woman had the gall to extract her innermost feelings from her like this, in a situation like this, using words like that. It was too vile for words.
Sensing that the moment had been milked for all it was worth, Sakura Airi graciously chose to pull back. She smiled warmly, her tone shifting back to that gentle, girl-next-door quality.
"Alright, alright — I'll stop teasing Sakayanagi-san. It's getting late, and we have roll call tomorrow morning."
With that, Sakura Airi glanced over at Sakayanagi Arisu, a hint of a smile still dancing in her eyes.
"So then, Sakayanagi-san — are you certain you'd like to stay tonight and share this little cabin with us?"
"Of course I'm staying!"
Sakayanagi Arisu bit out the answer through clenched teeth.
She had been thoroughly mortified by Sakura Airi just now — her pride lying in pieces on the floor — but that same ruthless competitive streak of hers had now been ignited to a white heat.
After suffering such a devastating loss tonight, she was absolutely going to see this through to the bitter end. She would play the most magnificent, radiant third wheel this cabin had ever seen.
She refused to believe that, with her right here watching, these shameless people would actually dare to do anything indecent right under her nose.
Receiving that firm answer, Sakura Airi showed not a flicker of displeasure — she simply said softly to Sakayanagi Arisu:
"Wonderful. Sweet dreams, Sakayanagi-san. Goodnight."
Then Sakura Airi turned to look at Shikime Natsu, and gestured toward the windows.
"Natsu, would you mind — cover up the windows, please."
Shikime Natsu rose from the wooden chair and, with practiced efficiency, used the broad leaves he had prepared in advance to seal every gap in the window frames completely.
As the last sliver of moonlight was extinguished, the entire cabin plunged into absolute darkness.
Sakayanagi Arisu had claimed a dry corner near the door for herself — her chosen strategic position.
On the other side of the cabin was the space where Shikime Natsu and his three official girlfriends would be sleeping.
Yet before Sakayanagi Arisu's frantically pounding heart could even begin to settle — in less than ten minutes — a sound broke through the silence of the cabin.
A soft, continuous, rustling sound. The unmistakable friction of fabric sliding over fabric in rapid, relentless succession. Then, beneath it — the subtle, rhythmic creak of heavy weight pressing down on wooden boards.
And then, in the darkness — several low, suppressed sounds. Sounds that carried with them a certain breathless, alluring quality. Sounds that burrowed into Sakayanagi Arisu's ears like a spell she couldn't unhear.
In that instant, the color that had barely begun to fade from Sakayanagi Arisu's face blazed back so intensely it looked as though it might bleed through her skin.
She recoiled like a startled cat, curling herself into the tightest possible ball, both slender hands clamped over her ears with all the force she could muster.
She had never — not for a single second — imagined that these people would actually dare. That they would actually, genuinely dare to do something like this, with her — a living, breathing person — still in the room, in this cramped little space with practically nonexistent soundproofing.
And from the sounds alone, it was plainly not a one-on-one affair. It was the kind of entanglement — all four of them — that made her scalp crawl just trying not to picture it.
Sakayanagi Arisu's mind short-circuited completely.
She had come in here intending to be a chaperone — a human obstacle — and instead she had been made the sole, captive audience to this vivid, live spectacle.
The broken murmuring. Shikime Natsu's low, predatory laugh. The girls' overlapping voices — the occasional breathless plea — every syllable mercilessly ravaging what remained of her vaunted rationality.
She began to despair furiously. Why had she agreed to come in here? Why had she ever thought she could challenge that unconscionable man, Shikime Natsu?
Caught in that perfect storm of scalding shame, excruciating awkwardness, and something she couldn't bring herself to name — something that washed over her in waves, sharp and bittersweet and green — Sakayanagi Arisu did not sleep a wink the entire night.
When morning came, Sakayanagi Arisu opened her eyes. Those violet irises were threaded with fine red, the telltale marks of a sleepless night. It was the first time in her life she had ever experienced lying awake through an entire night.
Even now, the events of the previous night were still replaying themselves in her mind — and though she had perceived nothing but sound, Sakayanagi Arisu's formidable imagination had more than filled in the rest, rendering the full scene in vivid, merciless detail inside her head.
____
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🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats
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