[Sensitive Skin: The body's sensitivity will increase tenfold, and the corresponding Tzu Chi will also increase. The conditions for activating this ability are unknown. At the same time, this ability will subtly increase the body's recovery speed.]
Asakura closed the sign-in panel in front of him expressionlessly, a sense of increasing bleakness settling over him regarding his future life.
Damn sensitive skin, is this definitely not a setup for social suicide?
Yukinoshita looked at Asakura's shifting expression strangely and asked softly, "Asakura-kun, what happened?"
Asakura merely waved his hands, not wanting to voice his troubles. "Nothing, Yukinoshita-san. Please head to school after breakfast. I still need to go back and change into my school uniform."
"I'll leave the dishwashing to Yukinoshita-san from now on. I'll be leaving first."
"Please take care."
Yukino subconsciously saw off the man in front of her using the interaction mode from her dream. When she came to her senses, she felt flustered and shy. What's wrong with me?.
"Good."
Asakura waved his hand and hurriedly left Yukinoshita's apartment, caught the earliest train back to his own place, changed into a clean school uniform, and put on his glasses that concealed his attractiveness once more, before setting off for Sobu High School.
...
Having gained some understanding of the flooding ability, Asakura now felt confident enough to take the tram to school. As long as he kept his hands to himself and avoided unnecessary contact with passengers, he was still a harmless young man.
As it was still relatively early, the train carriage they boarded wasn't crowded. Asakura leaned casually against the wall of the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.
Suddenly, a fragrant breeze wafted over, and a pair of delicate hands gently patted his shoulders, as if afraid to disturb the boy's peaceful slumber.
"Good morning, Asakura-kun. This is the first time I've seen you on the train."
Kotonoha Katsura waved and greeted him with a slightly flushed face, a hint of nervousness evident in her expression.
Asakura looked at the graceful and curvaceous girl before him and greeted her naturally, "Good morning, Katsura-san. I've only recently started taking the train to school."
There's nothing wrong with that. Asakura had to walk to school for two days after school started because of his superpowers. He sacrificed too much for the moral integrity of Tokyo passengers. It almost brought a tear to my eye.
The two chatted casually about some interesting things in life, and Kotonoha Katsura displayed a long-absent happy smile, no longer as gloomy as before.
Having been harassed by a strange man in elementary school and constantly ridiculed and bullied by other female classmates, Kotonoha Katsura had become withdrawn and quite fearful of anything related to sex and love.
This was the first time in the girl's dark existence that she had such a relaxed and cheerful conversation alone with a boy.
How wonderful! Warmth and tears welled up in Kotonoha Katsura's heart, and a fluttering sensation was taking root and sprouting wildly, growing into a towering tree. The girl's heart was being filled with the image of someone.
When looking sideways at Kotonoha Katsura's pretty face, Asakura noticed some strange flashes of light and realized that a sneaky boy was taking pictures of the girl.
Makoto Ito was an ordinary high school student in Class 2A. He wasn't particularly handsome, বরং বরং rather thin in appearance. On his way to school by train every day, he would see Kotonoha Katsura, a girl from the neighboring class. From that moment on, he fell in love at first sight with the socially anxious girl.
Because he didn't dare to take the initiative to strike up a conversation, the cowardly and reserved Ito Makoto wanted to secretly take a photo of Kotonoha Katsura to perform "school magic."
Rumor had it that if you set the picture of your loved one as your screen saver and kept it undetected for 24 hours a day, your relationship with her would come true. Makoto Ito took secret photos with such a naive idea, pinning his hopes of love on illusory campus rumors.
...
Asakura's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he gently pulled Kotonoha Katsura behind him. The girl looked confused.
At that moment, he took decisive action, grabbed Ito Makoto's wrist, and punched him hard in the abdomen. Ito Makoto doubled over in pain, his whole body convulsing as he lay on the ground twitching. A pair of shoes stomped hard on the arm of the person taking the photo, causing him to drop his phone.
Asakura bent down to pick it up, gestured to Kotonoha Katsura that she had been secretly photographed, quickly tapped delete, and then casually tossed the phone at Ito Makoto's face.
"If you dare to harass my friends again, your fate will be far worse than this. Out of consideration for being classmates, get out of here immediately, or I'll have the police arrest you."
Asakura coldly warned Ito Makoto away, his posture suggesting he was ready to strike again at any moment.
The surrounding passengers began to murmur amongst themselves.
"It's really terrible behavior for a young man to secretly take photos and harass girls."
"Get away from this pervert."
Ito Makoto's face turned blue and red as he looked unwillingly at the girl he admired, who was now peacefully hiding behind Asakura.
The harsh reality of the situation was undeniable. Kotonoha Katsura instinctively clutched Asakura's arm tightly, seeking a greater sense of security. Ito Makoto was furious. The contemptuous glances from the other passengers made him unable to bear it any longer, and he got off the train at the next stop.
"Luckily, Asakura-kun was here today, otherwise I don't know what I would have done if I encountered someone like that."
Kotonoha Katsura looked at Asakura with gratitude, his handsome face becoming more and more deeply etched in her eyes.
"You're welcome. I already said we're friends."
Asakura waved his hand nonchalantly. His cool yet charming and reassuring demeanor deeply attracted the girl who had just been rescued by her hero.
My heart is about to melt when I see Kotonoha Katsura. He always appears when I need him most and saves me. Moreover, he doesn't have the scary aura of other people but is unexpectedly warm.
What should I do to repay him?
The girl suddenly remembered that Asakura always secretly glanced at her chest during home economics class. Boys are always full of yearning for some large and soft abstract concepts.
It would be great if this burden could be liked by boys. I can use it to repay Asakura-kun, Kotonoha Katsura thought shyly.
...
When the tram stopped at the next station, a large number of passengers suddenly surged in. The entire tram was instantly filled with a sticky, suffocating air, making it difficult to breathe or move.
Asakura instinctively shielded Kotonoha Katsura, using his strong frame to squeeze through a path, escorting the girl to a corner to avoid her being jostled, injured, or harassed.
The crowded mass swayed back and forth as the train started moving. Kotonoha Katsura, losing her balance, stumbled and fell into his arms. Asakura braced himself with both hands on either side of the corner, catching her steadily.
The "naughty child" hadn't held onto the "balloon" tightly and was squeezed to the limit in the narrow space. The warmth made Asakura gasp inwardly.
At that moment, it seemed the conditions for activating his sensitive skin ability were met. Asakura's face changed drastically. He felt that the soft jade touch he could originally bear was gradually transforming into a continuous wave of intense sensation. The boy was struggling to remain composed.
The carriage was shaking, Asakura was in agony, but Kotonoha Katsura, who was clinging tightly to the boy, didn't let go. Instead, she hugged him even more greedily, seemingly enjoying the close contact.
Suddenly feeling a surge of a mysterious power, the girl looked up at Asakura with a moist gaze, her face flushed, showing no intention of creating any distance.
The radio played relaxing music. She swayed to the rhythmic beat, and her tense mood eased.
The atmosphere grew quiet, and the two of them seemed to enter a world of their own, their unspoken feelings blossoming like fragrant flowers, their budding friendship silently applauded by the gentle sway of the train.
...
It felt like half a century had passed when the bell for Sobu High School's arrival at its stop finally rang. Asakura supported the weak Kotonoha Katsura and slowly walked towards the second-year Class B classroom.
The distance between them was silently shrinking, and the girl's selfless devotion made the boy feel slightly overwhelmed.