"Let go already! I'm fine!" Yukinoshita Yukino—more commonly known by her classmates as the ice queen—struggled, her arm caught in a firm but not painful grip.
She tried wriggling free, but Natsukawa Kanade wasn't budging an inch. Once he'd locked her in place, it was like being restrained by steel cables—minus the bruising, of course. It was annoyingly gentle and inescapable.
"I said I don't need your help," she insisted, puffing her cheeks in quiet frustration. "I can walk just fine."
Kanade finally turned his face to her, his expression unreadable.
"Really?"
"Really." Yukinoshita nodded with the seriousness of someone taking an oath before the gods.
Kanade raised a brow. "Hmm… yeah, I'm gonna call bullshit on that."
And just like that, he shrugged, completely ignoring her protests and continued walking, her arm still lightly secured.
Yukinoshita stared at him, expression slowly shifting from disbelief to something more dangerous. This guy… shameless!
She had every reason to believe that Natsukawa Kanade wasn't trying to help at all. No—this was all part of his devious plan to tease her, embarrass her, and maybe even sneak a peek at her injured foot again. Ugh! What kind of guy even paid this much attention to someone's foot?!
Baka! Chotto ecchi janai ka?! (Aren't you just a pervert?)
But no matter how many times she told him to stop, he refused to let go. After a while, she gave up resisting and resigned herself to her fate. She turned her face away, lips pressed together in sulky silence, choosing to ignore him for the rest of the walk.
Stupid, annoying bad guy… all he knows is how to get under my skin.
Just as she was lost in her grumbling internal monologue, the warmth from his hand suddenly vanished.
"Huh?"
She turned her head in surprise, just in time to see him stepping away—putting noticeable distance between them like a guy backing away from a ticking time bomb. His posture was slightly tense, his gaze wary. Was he afraid she'd lash out now that he'd released her?
"…"
Kanade pointed ahead with a relaxed gesture. "We're here."
Yukinoshita blinked, then noticed the infirmary door right next to them.
"Don't look at me like I'm some criminal, okay? I was being yasashii, that's all. Haven't done anything weird…"
(Yasashii=nice)
"…"
Hasn't done anything weird, huh? She silently stared at him, her glare saying, You want a medal for basic decency?
Kanade's spine stiffened under her gaze. For all her silence, Yukinoshita's eyes were sharp enough to flay a man alive.
Still, steeling his nerves, Kanade reached up and knocked on the infirmary door.
"Sumimasen, is anyone inside?"
"Sumimasen, is anyone inside?"
A voice lazily called from the other side. "Come in~."
Kanade glanced at Yukinoshita beside him. "Let's go." He opened the door and stepped in first, like a knight leading the way for a very grumpy princess.
She followed, slightly limping but keeping her posture as regal as ever.
Inside, a single school nurse sat in a white coat, chin propped in one hand, looking like she had just woken up from a nap. As the pair entered, her eyes brightened with recognition.
"Well, if it isn't the two lovebirds again~"
Kanade blinked. He'd seen her before—yeah, during the test of courage night. She was the one who helped escort Yukinoshita back to the dorms.
"Ah… Hello, sensei. Thank you for your help the other night," Kanade said, bowing slightly.
"It was nothing," the nurse waved off the gesture with a smile. "Just part of the job. So… what brings you here today?"
"I—" Yukinoshita opened her mouth, but Kanade beat her to it.
"Her foot's still not healed properly, so I thought it'd be best to get it checked again."
The nurse's eyes lit up. "Ahhh, I see, I see~ How responsible of you!"
Then, before either of them could react, the nurse stood and walked past Kanade, gently taking Yukinoshita by the arm and guiding her to sit on the bed in the back.
"Just wait here, girlfriend-san," she said with a wink.
Yukinoshita visibly twitched.
Meanwhile, Kanade stood awkwardly as the nurse rummaged through a cabinet, eventually pulling out a compact first-aid box. She handed it—not to Yukinoshita—but to Kanade.
He took it, confused. "Eh? You want me to hold it for you while—?"
"You can handle it yourself, right?" the nurse interrupted, waving a hand like this was perfectly normal. "I thought your technique last time was sugoi. Just repeat that. You'll be fine."
Kanade froze. What does she mean last time?! Before he could protest, he found himself nodding automatically.
"Great!" she said, already stripping off her white coat. "Well then, I'm off. I've got errands, so I'll leave girlfriend-san in your capable hands~"
"Eh? Sensei?!"
But she was already halfway to the door. She slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to vanish like a ninja.
Just before she left, she turned back and grinned. "Ah, almost forgot! The key's with you now, Kaichou-san. Lock up when you're done. Bring it to the office tomorrow morning, 'kay? Ja ne~"
"…"
Kanade opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Because she was gone.
Because the teacher had already dashed off like a ninja escaping responsibility, it was far too late for Natsukawa Kanade to correct the misunderstanding. Even if he wanted to say something like "Oi, what do you think you're implying? Don't say weird things like that!"—the words were stuck in his throat.
With no choice, he turned around to face the ice queen sitting on the infirmary bed.
Her glare could freeze hellfire.
Those frosty eyes of Yukinoshita Yukino were like daggers—sharp, cold, and brimming with the unspoken fury of a maiden wronged. If her gaze had a subtitle, it would read: "Who the hell is your girlfriend? Go explode, Natsukawa Kanade."
He flinched. "Oi oi, this isn't entirely my fault, okay? You were standing right there! You didn't say anything either!"
"Cough cough... Anyway, let's take a look at your injury first," Kanade muttered, trying to sound serious, like some kind of medical expert instead of a falsely accused criminal.
"I don't need your help." Yukino's tone was icy as ever. "Just hand me the medical box. I can handle it myself."
"Nope. Not happening. I need to see it with my own eyes. Otherwise, what was the point of bringing you here?"
Yukino glared at him again. Slowly, she brought her arms up in front of her chest protectively, like he was some kind of predator.
"W-Wait! You've totally got the wrong idea!" Kanade waved his hands frantically. "This isn't about anything weird! I'm genuinely worried about your injury, dattebayo! I just want to make sure you're healing properly!"
Her suspicious gaze didn't go away entirely, but she did ease up a little.
"Come on, don't look at me like I'm some perverted villain. Seriously, what kind of image do you have of me in that head of yours?"
"Pervert," she answered flatly.
"I said I'm not a hentai!" Kanade protested, practically stretching his neck like a giraffe to express his dismay.
"Scumbag."
"..."
Ugh, that's even worse! Being called a pervert was one thing—it could just be a misunderstood personality trait. But "scumbag"? That hurt his soul!
"Fine, I'm too tired to argue with you," he sighed dramatically, shoulders drooping as if he'd been personally betrayed by fate itself.
Yukino thought for a moment he'd back off. But instead, he dragged a stool right in front of her and sat down.
"What now?" she narrowed her eyes.
"To check your foot, of course. What else would I be doing? You want me to stand and hover like some weirdo the entire time?"
"I told you, I don't need your help..."
"And I told you, I'm worried about you."
She bit her lip and turned her face away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Heh. Victory for Kanade.
Or so he thought—until she felt a warm touch on her calf.
Her body jolted as if hit by a lightning bolt. She turned sharply and saw Kanade's hand gently tracing her leg, clearly checking the area around her injury.
Her expression flipped from disbelief to sheer rage in a nanosecond.
"W-What are you doing!?" she shrieked and delivered a light kick to his chest—more like a shove, really, but the intent was crystal clear.
Almost immediately, she recoiled, curling into a tight ball on the bed like a cat that had just hissed at someone who touched its tail.
"Pervert! Scumbag! Disgusting foot freak!" she spat, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and rage.
Kanade blinked, stunned by the verbal critical hit.
"W-Wait! You've got it all wrong!"
She crossed her arms and glared at him with laser focus. Her silence screamed, Go ahead, try to talk your way out of this.
"I swear on my limited edition manga collection—I'm not a foot fetishist!" Kanade declared, his face deathly serious. "If anything, I'm more of a... well... a boobs guy. I mean—That's normal, right? It's biology! Instinct! It's in our DNA!"
"Heh." Yukino's cold snort hit harder than any verbal jab.
Kanade curled his lips and muttered under his breath, "Then how was I supposed to know what you were thinking when you didn't move or say anything? I thought you wanted me to help take it off..."
Of course, under normal circumstances, he'd never jump to such a wild conclusion. But just earlier that day, Kaguya had done something similar—subtly hinting and waiting for him to act. Kaguya had at least said something, albeit in her usual roundabout way. He'd assumed Yukino was just the type who was too embarrassed to ask outright.
Yukino: "…"
What kind of normal person thinks like that?! Not moving should've obviously meant "don't touch me," right?!
Still, despite her silent seething, she saw it—Kanade wasn't messing around. As ridiculous as he was, he truly wouldn't let the matter rest until he saw the injury himself. And in his weird, dense-boy logic, he'd done something outrageous for what he thought was her own good.
She sighed, long and low, then inhaled deeply, preparing herself mentally as if about to walk into battle.
"Turn around," she said at last, her voice stiff with embarrassment.
"Eh?" Kanade blinked, caught off guard. "Why?"
"I'm going to take off my socks. Turn. Around," she repeated, glare sharp enough to slice through steel.
"…Ah." He finally got it.
Still pouting, he turned his back to her, muttering internally about why she had to get so angry over something so minor.
As he sat there in silence, the faint rustle rustle of fabric reached his ears. For some reason, the sound was weirdly... loud. Unreasonably so.
He knew she was just taking off her socks. He'd seen plenty of girls' feet before—not that it was a hobby or anything—and Yukino's included. Heck, this wasn't even the first time. But right now, just hearing the sound with no visuals was making his imagination stir in unhelpful directions. What else was she taking off?
He shook his head. Calm down, Natsukawa. You're not the protagonist of a trashy romcom. Get it together.
"…Okay," Yukino finally said behind him.
He turned around, only to notice something odd.
"Wait… where's the sock?" Kanade tilted his head, eyes scanning the area.
Yukino glared at him like he'd just asked her if she snacked on drywall for fun.
"Heh," she scoffed coldly. "As expected of a hentai."
"Cough! Cough… I was just curious!" Kanade coughed awkwardly, waving his hands defensively. "Just wondering where it went! Not for any weird reason!"
No way she was gonna believe that, though. Her eyes were already condemning him to a thousand years in horny jail, so he gave up and switched topics.
"Alright, let's begin the inspection."
He sat back down and casually lifted her slender calf, resting it on his thigh.
This time, Yukino didn't resist. She just gave him a blank look, watching silently as he focused on the task.
Kanade didn't even notice her gaze. His attention was locked on her ankle, hands steady and gentle.
He examined the reddish area, carefully noting the swelling and how it contrasted with the surrounding skin. Compared to how it looked when she was first injured, it was clearly getting better.
"Way better than I expected," Kanade muttered, nodding to himself. "Honestly, I thought you'd be all stubborn and let it get worse. I underestimated you."
"I've… been applying the medicine on time," Yukino said, her voice softer now. She didn't mention it, but the spray he gave her was still sitting right on her desk, front and center.
"Huh. That's actually kinda impressive." Kanade gave her a sideways glance. "Here I thought you'd just let your foot suffer in silence. Y'know, a total shouganai attitude."
"…"
Yukino's expression twitched. Excuse you? Did she look like that much of a disaster?
She clenched her fists in her lap. This guy—he always managed to tick her off within three sentences. Was it a skill? A curse? An annoying special ability?
"But you really should take better care of yourself," Kanade continued, eyes serious for once. "You heal faster, and no one around you has to worry so much."
Then, completely casually, he added, "Want me to massage it for you?"
"…Eh?" Yukino blinked. "Rub it?"
"Yeah," Kanade said like it was obvious. "Massaging it can help reduce swelling, you know."
And just like that, the spell was broken.
"Hentai! Scumbag! Foot freak!!" Yukino exploded in a one-two-three combo, like a tsundere final boss had been triggered.
Kanade: "…"
Again with this?! For the last time—he was not a foot fetishist!
"C'mon, you're misunderstanding me again!" he protested, holding his hands up like a wrongly accused shinobi.
"I'm being serious here! Massage is good for reducing swelling—edema, bruising, all of that. Right after an injury, yeah, it's bad. But after applying blood-circulation meds? It's totally fine, even recommended."
He folded his arms, now in full lecture mode.
"When I was training back then, I got injured all the time. Picked up tons of little tricks and medical knowledge. This is just one of them! I'm not trying anything weird, I swear on my life!"
Yukino blinked at him. He looked like he meant it. Like, really meant it.
Still, she said nothing.
Kanade slumped a little. "Geez… just once, I wish you'd believe me without throwing insults."