She just stole my first kiss!!

Lunchtime ended, and I still hadn't eaten. Honestly, I didn't even feel hungry after what happened earlier.

I sat at my desk, zoning out, replaying the chaos of before in my head.

Shino walked in and immediately noticed. "Haru, you okay? You look like you just got hit by a truck. Did Shiori-sensei pound you real hard or something?" she said, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

"Please, just let me be," I muttered, too drained to even argue.

Because… Shiori-san stole my first kiss!

It wasn't like I'd been saving it or anything, but come on—kisses are for people who are dating, right? Not for someone you just met in real life four days ago.

(Fun fact: Yes, this is already Chapter 16, but only four days have passed in the story. If you've been paying attention, you'd know that.)

Though we've been gaming together for six months, real life is a whole different thing.

And now… I can't stop wondering.

Does Shiori-san actually like me? Like, like me in a romantic way?

I must've been grinning without realizing it because Shino leaned in. "What are you smiling about, Haru? Reliving the torture from earlier?"

"Shut up," I said, brushing her hand away. "And stop pinching my cheek."

School ended, and I went straight home. Shiori-san sent me a LINE message saying she wouldn't visit tonight because she had work.

Honestly, that's a relief. I don't think I could face her after what happened.

When I got home, Mom greeted me. "Welcome back, Haru. Not with Shiori-san today?"

"If we're always together, people will start talking," I mumbled, heading upstairs.

I didn't see Aunt Marika or my little sister, Nishi, so I asked Mom. "Where's Nishi? And Aunt Marika?"

"They're playing in Nishi's room," Mom said.

On my way to my room, I bumped into Aunt Marika, who had just stepped out of Nishi's room.

"Oh, Haru, you're back!" she said with her usual cheerful tone.

I sighed. "I'm not playing games with you tonight."

She pouted. "Why are you so quick to judge? I just wanted to talk about our outfits for the parent orientation."

"I'll wear my uniform, and you can wear something appropriate. And it's not until Wednesday, so we still have time."

"Fine," she said with a big grin. "But you better help me tomorrow!"

She seemed way too excited. I just hoped she wouldn't embarrass me or cause any trouble.

When I got to my room to change, I noticed something.

My wallet.

It was gone.

I must've dropped it on my way back or maybe in the music room. My ID was in there, so if someone picked it up, they'd know it was mine. But what if they didn't return it?

So much for that sweet kiss earlier—now it's causing problems.

I thought about messaging Shiori-san for help, but… I couldn't bring myself to do it. I hadn't even replied to her earlier message. I just stared at it and left it there.

Maybe I'd just ask Aunt Marika for some allowance instead.

After dinner, I went straight to bed. It had been such a long day, and I needed sleep, or I'd probably pass out tomorrow.

I closed my eyes, ready for peace. But then…

Something moved under my bed.

What the hell? Sadako?

I froze, my heart racing. Slowly, I bent down to peek under the bed.

"Boo!"

"Shiori-san?!" I yelped, almost falling back.

She crawled out from under the bed with a smirk and pushed me onto the mattress, pinning me down.

It was just like earlier.

"Shiori-san, why are you here?!"

"Shh," she said, covering my mouth. "Be quiet. I sneaked in."

When she finally uncovered my mouth, I asked, "But what are you doing here? I thought you had work!"

"You didn't reply to my message earlier," she said with a pout. "Are you mad at me?"

"No! I just—"

Before I could explain, she leaned closer, her face inches from mine, and whispered, "Hey, about that kiss earlier… Is it bothering you?"

"No! Not at all!" I blurted out, my face heating up.

"Good." She smiled. "But I feel like it was… missing something, don't you?"

"Eh? Missing what?"

She started unbuttoning her uniform. "Let's make it better, Haru-kun~"

"Shi-Shiori-san?!"

"Itadakimasu~"

And then I woke up.

It was already morning.

Damn it. Just a dream.

Not that I wanted it to be real, of course.

But then I noticed something. My pajama pants… And the smell…

A wet dream. Great.

Now I'd be even more embarrassed to face her.

I rushed to the bathroom to clean up and wash my pajamas. There was no way I'd let Aunt Marika or Mom find out and misunderstand.

After eating breakfast and borrowing money from Aunt Marika, I headed to school.

When I got to the classroom, I immediately went to Shino. "Hey, did you see my wallet yesterday? I think I dropped it."

"Nope," Shino said, shaking her head.

Then, Shiori-sensei walked in.

"Everyone, take your seats. I have an announcement."

This must be about the parent orientation tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is the parent orientation. Please make sure to bring your parents. They'll be updated about your academic performance, attitude, and—"

She stopped mid-sentence when someone knocked on the door.

It was a girl.

"Hello," she said shyly. "Is Haruki Mishizaki in this class?"

Shiori-sensei nodded. "Yes. What do you need from him?"

"I'm Yuna Fuukawa from Class C," the girl said. "I found his wallet in front of the music room yesterday and wanted to return it."

Wait.

"Yuna… Yuna-chan?!" Shiori-san blurted out .

"Sensei, Yuna-chan sounds a bit embarrassing," Yuna said with a laugh.

This is bad.

Yuna is real?!

Shino patted my shoulder and whispered, "Haru, is it just me, or did Shiori-sensei just unleash her conqueror's haki?"

(A/N: conqueror's haki is a technique in one piece. Just search it to know the context."