Chapter 374: Chapter 372: Rindō-senpai, Don’t Be Impulsive!
Momo gritted her teeth, black lines practically forming on her forehead. Was Sui teasing her on purpose, treating her like a clueless little girl?
"Suipa, do you have a death wish?" she growled, her expression darkening as she began to exude the aura of the dessert queen she was known for.
But before she could act, a sharp 'pop' rang out as Sui playfully flicked her smooth forehead.
"Ow! That hurt!" Momo yelped, clutching her head as tears filled her eyes. Just moments ago, she had embodied the fierce dessert queen, but now she looked like a bullied child.
"What did you just call me?" Sui asked, smiling mischievously.
"Suiba!" Momo shot back angrily.
'Pop.'
"Su Pian!" she cried out again, correcting herself, but another flick came.
'Pop.'
And so, after just stopping her tears from earlier, Momo began crying once again, clearly frustrated by Sui's antics.
"Y-You jerk!" Momo held the candy in her mouth, one cheek puffed out. She covered her forehead, her voice trembling with shame and fury as she glared at him. "Go to hell!"
In her rage, she tore the paw off her teddy bear and stuffed it onto her hand, as though preparing to fight Sui to the death.
But one minute later…
Momo sat quietly on the ground, nibbling on the candy Sui had given her. Her anger had completely melted away.
"This candy… it's really good," she muttered to herself, the sweetness calming her down. "It doesn't taste artificial… it must be made from natural ingredients. I could definitely use this in a dessert."
With the candy still in her mouth, Momo continued mumbling incoherently, savoring its elegant flavor.
"I didn't know you and Momo had such a close relationship," Rindō commented, watching the scene with a raised eyebrow.
"Momo's actually quite proud. She only cares about things she finds cute and ignores everything else," Rindō explained. "When I first entered school, it took me a whole week to get her to say a single word to me."
"Really?" Sui asked, surprised.
Rindō narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "But what did you do? Be honest!"
Her tone was serious, like an investigator interrogating someone suspected of manipulating a woman's feelings.
Sui sighed, exasperated. "I didn't do anything. I just gave her a few candies."
"Candies? That's how you'd trick a five-year-old!" Rindō teased.
"Well, isn't Momo-senpai always like a little girl at heart?" Sui replied with a chuckle.
Momo's tendency to seek out things she deemed cute and to look down on those who didn't meet her standards was definitely childlike behavior. Her aloofness was just the arrogance of a little girl.
In truth, Momo Akanegakubo's personality was quite similar to Erina's. The difference was that Erina was a tsundere aristocrat, while Momo was more like a tsundere child.
Rindō nodded thoughtfully. "I was starting to think you were using some shady methods to get close to Momo."
She gave Sui a warning pat on the shoulder and said seriously, "Just remember, being a loli-con is illegal!"
Sui rolled his eyes at her comment, speechless. Then, out of nowhere, he said. "Actually, senpai, I like queens more—like you."
"W-What?" Rindō blushed, clearly caught off guard, but quickly regained her composure.
"Heh, too bad for you, I'm not as easy as Momo. Regular guys don't stand a chance with me!" she said proudly, flipping her hair.
"Well, aren't you the one who's always coming to me?" Sui muttered under his breath.
"Hmph!" Rindō suddenly grinned, her golden eyes gleaming as she pinched Sui's cheek. "You jerk! Didn't you say you had no more candy? Hand it over, now!"
Sui sighed in resignation as Rindō triumphantly took the candy from him, happily popping it into her mouth. Before leaving, she threw him a final glance. "Don't forget to come cheer for me later, kohai!"
Sui could only roll his eyes. Rindō and Momo were alike in one regard—they were always satisfied as long as they had something tasty to eat.
Later, Rindō competed in the 1,500-meter run, where Miyoko also participated.
In the end, Rindō placed first, while Miyoko came in second.
"That's amazing! Senpai really have the stamina of an explorer," Megumi marveled.
"Yeah, those two have some serious endurance," Yoshino agreed, though her tone was slightly envious.
"Rindō-senpai's endurance is incredible," even Erina admitted, clearly impressed.
"Kohai, help me over to rest," Rindō said, draping her arm over Sui's shoulder as she panted, clearly tired from the run.
With a sigh, Sui helped her to the locker room. Thankfully, it was empty. He handed her a bottle of water.
Rindō's face was flushed from the heat, and her skin was reddened from exertion. Without hesitation, she unscrewed the bottle and poured the water over her head, letting it run down her face and body.
The cool water trickled down her cheeks, glided along her long legs, and pooled on the floor beneath her.
"Ahh, that feels so good!" Rindō sighed in relief, her sharp little canines showing as she smiled brightly.
However, now drenched, her entire body was soaked, and her athletic clothes clung to her figure, her curves faintly visible through the fabric.
"I didn't expect her to wear red," Sui muttered to himself.
"Huh?" Rindō froze, then quickly realized what he meant. A deep blush crept across her face as she swiftly covered her chest.
"You little pervert! How dare you peek!" she growled, twisting his face in retaliation.
"You dumped water on yourself," Sui protested, though he couldn't help feeling lucky there was no one else around to witness the scene.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, kohai." Rindō's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" Sui looked at her, confused.
Rindō's breathing was still heavy, and her whole body radiated heat. The scent of her sweat mixed with the fragrance of her body filled the small locker room.
"senpai… are you feeling a little too excited?" Sui asked, his voice slightly awkward. Running could definitely get the blood pumping, but this felt different.
"Mmm, I am indeed getting excited," Rindō replied, her golden eyes gleaming with an intense look. "I have this… urge."
"Rindō-senpai, let's not be impulsive—" Sui want to sau something, but before he could finish, Rindō's hot, flushed body pressed against him.