Chapter 645: Miss Shimizu’s Hasty Escape
Clear sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering onto the street in dappled
patterns that swayed gently with the breeze. Kazumi walked quietly on the road leading to
school, the hem of her black uniform skirt swaying slightly with her steps. Her expression
was more indifferent than usual, her brows slightly furrowed as if contemplating a complex issue.
The blond-haired young boy, like a guardian spirit, followed beside her, his school bag slung
over his shoulder, a hearty smile on his face as always. He tilted his head, looking at Kazumi’s
profile, and asked with some confusion:
“Kazumi, what’s wrong today? You seem different from usual.”
“…Nothing.”
Kazumi subconsciously turned her head, her gaze unexpectedly meeting Satō Shin’ichi’s face.
Sunlight streamed down, casting a golden edge on the boy’s sharply defined features. His face,
carrying the aura of sunlight, had thick sword-like eyebrows above eyes as azure as the sea,
so clear they could reflect a person’s image. His tall nose had a heroic air, and the slightly
upturned corners of his mouth held a charmingly wicked, shadowed smile, revealing a row of
teeth so white they seemed to reflect light.
But soon, the girl’s attention began to shift downwards, towards how his chest, rising and
falling with his breaths, stretched the uniform fabric into full curves, and how, little by little,
the texture of his pectoral muscles was visible. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing the clear
纹理 of his youthful arms, with well-defined joints and healthy, sun-tanned skin.
She noticed how the muscles in his arms tensed and showed a powerful curve as he gripped
his school bag strap. The hem of his shirt was slightly lifted by the wind around his waist,
giving a glimpse of his well-defined abdominal muscles.
She didn’t know when it started, but this idiot, the boy who had been by her side, had gradually
transformed into his current self, like a fully-grown lion, casually exuding a strong masculine
aura from his magnificent physique.
Instantly, Kazumi’s ears turned red uncontrollably. She quickly turned her face away and
quickened her pace, moving ahead.
“No, what’s going on?!”
The girl was certain she had met Satō Shin’ichi yesterday. In less than half a day, such a
major change couldn’t possibly have happened. Yesterday, she had seen this foolish blonde with
a slightly silly look, but today, he had suddenly become… so impactful?
“Could it be the influence of death energy?” she mused. Her body, accustomed to prolonged
immersion in an ice coffin, was exceptionally sensitive to temperature. Satō Shin’ichi’s vibrant
vitality was like a sudden furnace in the bitter cold of winter, making one unconsciously
want to draw closer.
“No, that’s not right. A half-undead body has a high resistance to low temperatures. It
couldn’t be for such a boring reason!”
Kazumi’s peripheral vision involuntarily glanced back. Satō Shin’ichi was scratching his
head in confusion. This action caused the muscles of his tense shoulder blades to bulge into a
sexy curve at the cuff of his shirt.
The girl’s throat suddenly felt dry. She abruptly turned her head back, her fingernails
unconsciously digging into her palm.
After receiving that message last night, she had to get back into the ice cabinet and soak in
the bone-chilling water for two full hours before she could finally calm down. Now, seeing the
culprit right before her eyes, the calm surface of her heart began to ripple again.
What was wrong with her? It made her feel both shy and annoyed.
“…He’s just an idiot,”
She secretly glanced at Satō Shin’ichi beside her. The young boy was earnestly talking about
something. Sunlight streamed onto the tips of his hair, casting a golden halo that spread across
his face, as if even the soft light had a glow.
For some reason, Kazumi’s cheeks began to burn. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to
adjust her school bag strap to hide her失态.
It seemed that because Satō Shin’ichi’s aura was present beside her again, the scenes from
yesterday began to replay in the girl’s mind like a movie. And her body, just like now, was
experiencing it even more intensely than yesterday – inexplicable heat, palpitations, and
accelerated heartbeat, as if she had been cursed with something strange.
“So, I will definitely pass the hero test!”
Satō Shin’ichi, completely unaware of Kazumi’s abnormality, was still immersed in his own
topic. “By then, I’ll be able to protect you better. Ah, that’s right, I’ve already explained it to
Sakura-nee. I’ll be mindful of my distance from female friends from now on.”
Listening to him tirelessly planning for the future, Kazumi felt speechless. Why was this
idiot discussing these things as if it were already a “divine decree”? Most importantly—
shouldn’t such matters be discussed with her consent first?!
“Hey, Shin’ichi.”
Enduring the shyness on her face, Kazumi reached out and touched her boyfriend, who was
still talking beside her, and said.
“About this kind of thing, shouldn’t you also consider me…”
“No, no, that’s not it. What I mean is, Kazumi, I genuinely want to correct Satō Shin’ichi’s
one-sided declaration of engagement.” But as soon as she started, she realized that by saying
this, she was also acknowledging the fact of his so-called engagement. She quickly covered her
mouth, but her face, already flushed red, was now starting to deepen into a blush.
“You like me!”
Satō Shin’ichi heard all of Kazumi’s mumbled words. The boy was stunned for a moment, then
his eyes lit up, and he flashed a signature wide grin.
He tightly covered Kazumi’s left hand with his right hand, gripping it firmly, and then said to
her.
“Kazumi, you’re absolutely right. I was too worried about your condition yesterday and was a
bit too hasty. Indeed, this kind of thing should require your consent. That’s something I
didn’t consider. I’m sorry.”
The boy stopped in his tracks, seemingly lost in thought, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Then his gaze shifted to the ground, the confusion in his eyes turning into determination.
“Kazumi, please wait for me.”
Then, his right leg slowly bent, his knee gradually approaching the ground.
“Wait!!! What is he doing?!”
“I didn’t mean it like that at all!!! I just wanted to remind him that he can’t just consider his
own thoughts about these things!”
“Satō Shin’ichi, what are you doing?! This is the street, with so many people. Are you trying to
embarrass me to death by doing this so suddenly!?”
“Besides, we’ve only been together for a short time. This is absolutely not the time for this!”
“If I don’t agree, he’ll be so embarrassed, right? Especially after everything yesterday. But
even with such a simple question, I don’t seem to be acting too reserved? Cough, cough,
Shimizu Kazumi, why is ‘agreeing’ even an option in your mind?”
“This kind of thing shouldn’t be happening, ahhh!”
Kazumi’s enhanced dynamic vision, a benefit of her partially undead body, allowed her to see
the stretching muscles of the boy’s ankle and his knee getting closer and closer to the ground.
At this moment, Kazumi felt like she could hear the roaring sound of her brain working at
breakneck speed. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and it seemed as if the whole
world had narrowed down to the voice in her head and the rapidly beating heart within her chest.
“No, no, no, I need to think of a way. This absolutely cannot happen!”
Kazumi’s brain seemed to visibly freeze. White steam again rose from her head, but this time,
under the girl’s last remaining will, her body still made a final motion.
Kazumi tightened her grip on her school bag, disregarding the restriction of her uniform skirt,
and her pretty face drooped.
Her shoes stepped forward, and she continued to bolt towards the school at an incredibly fast
speed. The disappearing speed and the white gas rising from her head made her look like a
steam train traveling on the road from a distance.
Meanwhile, Satō Shin’ichi had bent down, kneeling on one knee, his right foot extended
forward, revealing two shoelaces trailing onto the ground. He placed his hands on both ends
of the shoelaces and briskly retied them.
The seriousness on Satō Shin’ichi’s face turned into a hint of ease, as if he had accomplished
something incredibly important.
When Satō Shin’ichi looked up, he found that his normally obedient girlfriend, who had been
standing before him, had disappeared. In her place was only the vast, empty air.
“Huh? Where’s Kazumi?”
