In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 136

Before she could finish speaking, his warm lips covered hers, silencing any possible protests.

"Well……"

Mikoto's eyes widened instantly, and her body froze again.

Mikoto has truly experienced what it means to be glib and smooth-talking. This guy is definitely that kind of person, and he won't admit it!

However, as their lips intertwined, the embarrassment and resentment seemed to melt away, and their tense bodies gradually relaxed, even responding involuntarily.

The kiss ended, their lips parted, leaving behind a trail of ambiguous saliva.

Looking at Mikoto's watery, misty eyes and rosy cheeks, Higashino asked with a mischievous grin, "How is it? Sweet enough?"

"Sweet my foot!!"

The budding romance was instantly shattered by that teasing remark. Mikoto screamed in embarrassment and anger, and lunged at Higashino with her fists waving.

"You pervert! You lecher! Go die a hundred times over!!"

Although she really liked that feeling, she would never admit it. If she actually nodded happily, she felt that Higashino would definitely take advantage of the situation and make even more demands.

She wasn't quite ready for more, more intimate contact.

"Waaah! Lady Mikoto, spare me!"

Higashino laughed exaggeratedly and begged for mercy, then nimbly jumped off the bed and began to "escape" around the room.

Mikoto kept up the chase, and the small dormitory was filled with the sounds of playful chasing. Pillows and toys became "weapons," and there were occasional "bangs," "smacks," and the girl's exasperated shouts.

If Higashino hadn't taken precautions to soundproof the area beforehand, new urban legends would probably have spread about Tokiwadai soon!

"Don't run! If you've got the guts, stay still!"

"Stand still and let me electrocute you? I'm not that stupid!"

"Take this! Railgun - Pillow Version!"

"Ouch! That hurts! Mikoto, you're trying to murder your husband!"

They played around for a while until they both collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily. Mikoto was so exhausted that she barely had the strength to lift a finger.

Higashino turned to the side, encircling her in his arms, and gently rested his chin on her still sweaty forehead.

"Feel sorry."

His voice was no longer teasing, but carried a hint of seriousness and apology.

"I really didn't mean to barge in. I just... wanted to see you, so I came."

He truly wanted to see her, but only Higashino himself knew the details of the teleportation.

Even though it was a lie, Mikoto felt much better after hearing the explanation.

Mikoto leaned against him, feeling his steady heartbeat and warm body temperature. The shame and anger that had exploded from being seen naked had already been mostly vented in their playful chase.

Hearing his rare, somewhat clumsy apology, my heart had already melted completely.

She wasn't really angry to begin with. From the moment she saw him suddenly appear, the secret joy deep inside her overwhelmed her initial shock.

After all, it was really rare for someone like Higashino, who was always busy with who knows what, to take the initiative to contact him.

"Humph……"

She gave a soft hum in response, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

She forgave him, or perhaps she never really blamed Higashino from the beginning; her reaction just now was merely an instinctive blush of shyness.

Higashino keenly noticed the subtle changes in her expression, knew the alarm was over, and became bolder again.

He tightened his arms, holding the person in his arms even tighter, deliberately bringing up the old topic again: "But speaking of which... Mikoto, you were in the bathroom in broad daylight... huh?"

"what--!!"

Mikoto immediately struggled in his arms.

"Don't mention it! Don't mention what just happened! If you say it again, I'll really shock you!"

She felt like she was about to catch a fever again, and those embarrassing memories immediately surfaced.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it anymore."

Higashino smiled and comforted her. He knew that Mikoto's biggest weakness was that she was too shy, which was also the greatest pleasure he had in teasing her. Her blushing face, which made her more easily embarrassed than other girls, was so cute that he could watch it countless times without getting tired of it.

"But can you tell me why? Why take a shower at this hour?"

Mikoto rolled her eyes at him, pouting with a "it's all your fault" look on her face: "It's all because I played soccer with those idiots in my class this morning! I was all sweaty, my clothes were soaked, it was so uncomfortable! How could I not take a shower? Who knew..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but instead glared at Dongye again, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Who knew I'd run into you, you uninvited pervert!

"I see."

Higashino nodded in sudden realization. Looking at the cute, puffed-up face in his arms, he couldn't help but lean down and steal a kiss on her slightly pouting lips, which provoked Mikoto to give him another symbolic punch and protest.

However, Higashino did not allow Mikoto to "bully" him and chose to fight back.

Higashino's various sneak attacks kept Mikoto busy, and she was taken advantage of by a certain pervert in many places. The defiant Mikoto became a little embarrassed and angry.

Soon, the sounds of playful fighting filled the small dormitory room again.

Chapter 170 Is Mikoto free this afternoon?

The ensuing chase and playful fighting seemed to have exhausted Mikoto's energy and dispelled most of her embarrassment and annoyance.

At this moment, she quietly leaned against Dongye's chest, enjoying this rare moment of time alone together.

"Actually," Higashino thought for a moment and then told me about the request he had received earlier, "I came to find you not only because I missed you, but also because of something else."

After all, he had already received the payment, so he wasn't going to stand the two girls up.

"Hmm?" Mikoto shifted in his arms, tilted her head back, and looked at him with a hint of doubt in her eyes. "Is it going to be some troublesome matter again?"

She wrinkled her small nose.

"Of course not." Higashino chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. "It's about the 'Midsummer Festival' at Tokiwadai the day after tomorrow."

"The Summer Festival!" Mikoto's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's what it is. What's wrong?"

Mikoto knew, of course, that the annual summer festival was the day after tomorrow, but she didn't quite understand what Higashino's visit to her had to do with the summer festival.

She suddenly remembered Higashino's identity: "Oh! By the way, you're a school doctor, so you weren't assigned to be on duty that day?"

“Hmm, smart.” Higashino nodded. “I’ve been temporarily assigned as the on-duty doctor for the day, so I’ll be on standby in the Tokiwadai infirmary all day.”

"Isn't that great?" Mikoto thought it was normal, since Tokiwadai was always like this. It was just that Higashino was very lucky to be selected on his first try. "You came all this way just to tell me this? Just for this?"

Her tone was slightly amused, but she was actually a little happy inside, after all, they would have another chance to be together that day.

“Not entirely.” Higashino looked into her eyes, a playful smile playing on his lips. “I encountered a little ‘trouble’ while cleaning the infirmary just now.”

"Troublesome?" Mikoto's curiosity was piqued.

"Wan Nei Juan Bao and Pao Fu Wan Bin, two students from the swimming club, came to see me," Dong Ye said slowly. "Their club's planned swimsuit modeling event is in trouble because they are short of people for various reasons. They are in a real hurry now. They asked around everywhere yesterday but couldn't find anyone. Today they had no choice but to come to the infirmary to try their luck and ask me to help them see if there are any girls willing to help."

"Swimsuit model?!" Mikoto's voice instantly rose, and the blush that had just faded from her cheeks seemed to be making a comeback.

She immediately thought of the swimsuit she wore at the pool party at the Higashino family's house, and the merciless punishment he gave her afterward.

"You...you mean..."

"Hmm." Higashino gave her a look that said, "That's exactly what you thought," and nodded. "They wanted me to help invite a few girls. And the first person I thought of was my cutest Mikoto."

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "How about it? Can you do me a favor? I'm also really looking forward to seeing you in a swimsuit, Mikoto."

He paused, then continued to tempt her, "How about this time, you wear a swimsuit that's different from the one you wore at my house last time? Like... something cuter? Or... something a little more mature?"

"You...you bastard!" Mikoto's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe apple. She sat up abruptly from Higashino's embrace, glaring at him with shame and indignation. "I know exactly what you're up to! Don't think I don't know what you're plotting!"

She huffed angrily and turned her head away.

However, there was a hint of smugness in my heart at being expected.

"Ahem." Higashino cleared his throat, wisely changing the subject to avoid being attacked by the shy Pikachu's electric shock. "Oh, right, there's one more thing. If Kuroko knew you were going to be a swimsuit model too, he'd probably explode with excitement and then pester you relentlessly, crying and begging to join, right?"

Thinking about how Kuroko might actually do that, Mikoto's lips twitched involuntarily, and a helpless yet amused expression appeared on her face.

"……really."

"So," Higashino suggested, "instead of letting her rush over and cause trouble, why don't you invite her to come along when you see her later? That way she'll behave herself."

Kuroko's obsession with Mikoto is well-known even within the anime and manga community.

The level of yuri (lesbian) tension she displayed earlier, like the arrow piercing the deer, doesn't even qualify as comparable to Kuroko's. Although Higashino wanted to correct her behavior, he never really had a chance to be alone with her.

However, tomorrow's filming is a good opportunity. If we have time to be alone together, I can at least get revenge for Kuroko ruining my date with Shokuhou last time.

Mikoto thought about it seriously and thought it was a good idea. Given Kuroko's personality, being invited by her to participate in "Onee-sama's swimsuit photoshoot" would definitely make her ecstatic and automatically put her into "obedient and compliant" mode, which would be more effective than any threat.

"Hmm, that makes sense. I'll tell her when I go to see her later." She nodded in agreement.

"That's good." Higashino nodded in satisfaction. "With the two of you, we should have enough manpower. I'll call Haru and Ruiko later to ask; they should be interested too."

"Yes, that should be enough." Mikoto was relieved. From what Higashino said, Wannai and Awafuki seemed so anxious, and she was happy to be able to help.

Looking at her relaxed profile, Higashino unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair with his fingers, his voice softening: "Mikoto, are you free this afternoon?"

"Hmm?" Mikoto turned her head and met his inviting gaze, her heart skipped a beat.

A date? The thought instantly filled her with sweetness and anticipation. She really wanted to say yes.

but……

"Ah..." The light on her face quickly dimmed, and she shook her head regretfully, her voice filled with deep apology and annoyance, "I'm sorry, Yu... I can't this afternoon."

"Oh?" Higashino raised an eyebrow. "Any plans?"

"Um..." Mikoto said softly, a little embarrassed, "I promised those idiots in my class... I'll go play baseball with them this afternoon."

Recalling her disheveled appearance during the morning's soccer game, she added, "I got all sweaty playing soccer this morning, so..."

"I see." Higashino nodded knowingly, a hint of regret on his face, but more so understanding.

After all, everyone's life involves more than just each other; daily social interaction and entertainment are indispensable.

Although it was a bit of a pity, he couldn't possibly be unreasonable and make Mikoto give up what they had already agreed to do to be with him.

Higashino reached out and ruffled Mikoto's hair, his tone relaxed: "Well, since I promised my friend, I can't break my promise. Baseball is great too, have fun. As for the date, let's do it another day."

Seeing how readily he understood and gave up, Mikoto felt even more guilty, yet also warmed by his kindness.

She gave a soft "hmm" and snuggled closer to him.

For the rest of the time, the two did not continue those blush-inducing topics, nor did they immediately separate.

Higashino pulled out Mikoto's game console and two controllers from her bookshelf, and the two sat side by side on the edge of the bed, immersing themselves in a fierce fighting game battle.

Soon, the room was filled with game sound effects, Mikoto's protests of "Aaaaah! Yuu, you cheated!", and Higashino Yuu's smug laughter of "That's called strategy! Mikoto, you're still too green!"

The playful banter and laughter eased the small regrets and brought them closer together. It wasn't until Mikoto was about to lose terribly that Higashino put down the controller and stretched.

"Alright, someone's going to get angry if we keep playing like this." He glanced mischievously at Mikoto, who was puffing up with anger after losing several innings in a row. "I have to go. You still have to 'conquer the baseball field' this afternoon, so recharge your batteries."

Although Mikoto was still a little reluctant to leave, she knew it was time for him to go. She got up and saw him to the door.

"Then... about the swimsuits, and Kuroko..." Higashino stood at the door, making a final confirmation.

"I know, I know! Stop nagging!" Mikoto pushed him, her face slightly flushed. "I'll handle it! You should go now!"

Higashino smiled, grabbed her hand that she was pushing towards him, and quickly planted a light kiss on her forehead.

"Yes, Mikoto-sama. See you at the infirmary tomorrow...."

His figure flashed in the doorway and then disappeared completely.

Mikoto stood in the empty doorway, her hand still pressed against the spot on her forehead where she had been kissed.

She sighed softly, a bittersweet mix of worry and anticipation for tomorrow's photoshoot, and turned to close the door.

Chapter 171 Shall we go to Frenda's house tonight?