So... Are You Two Dating?

"Is that so...?"

Arima didn't quite understand. He wasn't into those so-called manga—he simply enjoyed reading books.

"Yes, attending school with you, Arima, makes me really happy" replied Minami.

It didn't seem like she was pretending. Her words came from the heart.

She had already resigned herself to her fate, mentally prepared to be taken to the ghoul detention center after next week's exams.

So, she wanted to take these last few days to be a little selfish.

She had always envied the kind of youthful, school-life moments that human girls experienced in manga.

Even if Arima was probably the kind of person who deeply despised ghouls, she still felt content just being around him.

...

All the way to the school gate, Minami never actually ate the piece of bread.

After all, Arima already knew she was a ghoul. There was no point in pretending to eat in front of him, and forcing it down would only make her suffer.

Just as she was about to throw the bread into a nearby trash can, Arima spoke up.

"Are you wasting food?"

"I can't help it. I really can't eat it. Even if I force it down, I'll just have to vomit it back up" Minami apologized, looking genuinely remorseful.

"Then give it to me" Arima said expressionlessly.

"Huh?"

Minami blinked in surprise before her face turned a shade of crimson.

Although she hadn't eaten the bread, she'd been holding it in her mouth the entire way.

In other words, if Arima ate it now, wouldn't he also…?

"Um, Arima... you don't mind?" she asked shyly.

"Mind what? You didn't eat it, did you?" Arima replied without a hint of emotion.

"Well, that's true, but it's been in my mouth for so long..." Minami looked embarrassed.

"Oh, I see. But that's not a big deal. It's not like it's direct physical or mucosal contact. At most, it's just a trace amount of saliva, probably less than what's exchanged through droplets when we talk face-to-face."

Arima's calm, logical response left her speechless.

"Well… okay"

Minami found herself at a loss for words.

Watching him eat the bread without any hesitation, Minami couldn't help but feel amazed at how unfazed he was. He didn't even shy away from saying the word "saliva" something she had been too embarrassed to mention.

After finishing the bread, Arima even gave her a stern piece of advice.

"Wasting food is unacceptable. Don't do this again"

He wasn't referring to her holding the bread in her mouth, but to her deliberate attempt to waste food.

"I understand" Minami nodded obediently.

Suddenly, she realized something—wasn't this whole exchange just like the kind of moment she dreamed of from a school romance manga?

...

Since the incident with the pumpkin-head ghoul, Taishi and Aki had both decided to come to school every day, as if they had narrowly escaped death.

Aki had also completely cut ties with the delinquent biker gang.

As for the buzz-cut guy and the rooster-haired delinquent, they were so traumatized by the encounter with the Pumpkin-Head ghoul that they couldn't even look at their motorcycles without shaking.

Only Ryou remained, but riding solo wasn't fun for him anymore. Besides, he was terrified the pumpkin-head ghoul might show up again, so he reluctantly gave up street racing.

"Taishi, why don't we just play baseball again? With Ryou too" Aki suggested.

"Baseball..."

Taishi hesitated.

"You used to love baseball, didn't you? Why did you suddenly stop playing?" Aki asked curiously.

Long ago, Taishi had been passionate about baseball and quite talented at it. She and Ryou used to join him for games.

But one day, Taishi abruptly gave up on baseball, and the three of them had gradually fallen into delinquency.

To this day, neither Aki nor Ryou knew why Taishi had quit.

"That's... hard to explain" Taishi muttered, clearly unwilling to reveal the truth.

"Alright, no pressure. But you know, the condition I mentioned yesterday was really just my way of saying I hope you'll return to the baseball field" Aki said with a smile.

"I..."

Taishi looked conflicted, but before he could answer, the teacher entered the classroom.

"Quiet down, everyone. Class is about to begin" the teacher announced.

Aki sighed and turned her attention to the blackboard, while Taishi remained preoccupied with his thoughts.

...

After school that afternoon.

Byakuya walked over to Arima's desk and said, "Arima, you're taking Minami home later, right? I'll head out now."

"...Alright" Arima nodded slightly.

"Goodbye, Byakuya" Minami waved cheerfully.

"Goodbye" Byakuya replied before leaving.

However, Taishi quickly ran out of the classroom after him.

"Byakuya! What's going on? Is Arima already that close to Minami?" Taishi asked, clearly flustered.

Aki chased after him, calling, "Taishi, wait for me!"

"They're close? I don't know how close. But they do seem to go to and from school together" Byakuya said casually.

"That... that's basically dating!" Taishi's voice cracked with frustration.

He hadn't expected Arima to get so close to Minami so quickly, leaving him with no chance at all.

"Idiot Taishi! All you ever think about is other girls!" Aki shouted as she finally caught up, though secretly, she was relieved.

At least now, Taishi wouldn't be obsessing over Minami.

With that, Byakuya decided to walk home with the two of them.

...

Meanwhile, Arima walked Minami home as usual, as if it were just another task.

"Arima~ Minami~!"

A voice called out to them from behind.

It was a classmate, a girl named Kobayashi.

"Kobayashi" Arima greeted her, remembering her name. He had memorized the entire class roster on the first day of school.

Minami greeted her warmly as well, but then Kobayashi hit them with a sharp question.

"Arima, I noticed you and Minami coming to school together this morning. And now you're walking home together, too. So... are you two dating?"