It might be unthinkable now, but in the past, the smartphone or even a mobile phone did, especially in the tryside like his pce, so Satoshi had to say he felt quite troubled as he couldn't tact Kaho when he had e te.

  "I thought you had left."

  Kaho somehow said those words as she looked at him.

  "I won't do that." Satoshi eechless by her accusation and said, "I have told you that I want to go home with yht? So, how I go home without you? Do you think I am someone who will joke around about that?"

  "....."

  Kaho blinked her eyes and then apologized. "I am sorry. I was joking before since I know well that you aren't someone who will always joke around."

  Satoshi's role might be like that of a joker, but even so, she knew well that the others had only his outer part, and his inside retty manly.

  "But thank you for waiting for me. I am happy."

  Watg his happy smile, Kaho also smiled and said, "You should be lucky that you have a cute girlfriend like me who waits for you patiently."

  "..."

  Satoshi eechless, but he khat he was the one who had made her wait despite the fact that he was the one who had given the invitation. "Then, should we go baow?"

  "Um."

  As Kaho nodded, Satoshi also took this ce to hold her hand.

  "...you are pretty assertive."

  Kaho eechless, but she didn't hate his toubsp;

  Still, he only smiled and said, "I always strike the iron while it is hot, but if you are unfortable with it, then I let you go."

  "...no, it's fine." Kaho lowered her head as her face blushed shyly. "I was surprised at first, but somehow... it isn't bad."

  "Right? Your hand also feels o hold."

  "...you are pretty shameless, you know?"

  "If I don't do so, then I 't get yht?"

  Kaho sighed helplessly, but she didn't let go of his hand and held him si felt pretty fortable.

  Still, Satoshi didn't pn to hold her hand too long, but when he was about to let go, she held him tightly. He raised his brows and thought that she retty assertive, too.

  Yet, while they were a bit shy, the two went home holding hands.

  Some students naturally saw them and were dumbfounded, but Satoshi and Kaho ighem as they had their versation.

  "Do you have to help the teacher every day like that?"

  "Not every day; it is only occasionally. If it's every day, I will refuse her."

  "You refuse?"

  "Do you think I 't refuse someone? I don't have an awkward or pushover personality, you know?"

  Then, you let me hold your hands after I just fessed to you?

  Regardless, Satoshi khat everything just depended on the mood, and to take the retionship further, one had to take the risk. Naturally, a ce of beied existed, but if one ted, then it was all goht?

  After all, if he didn't make a move, then it would mean he had to wait for Kaho to make a move, and he had to let her bear the nervousness and the risk of taking their retionship further, which retty unmanly, he thought.

  heless, their trip home retty peaceful and enjoyable, especially with the beautiful sery of Takayama City as everything was still raw, without being affected by the development of teology, especially with many old-fashioned buildings remaining in good quality, which was one of the reasons why this city was also famous for tourism.

  Frankly, Satoshi also had to admit that this city retty weird as it was located in the mountains, isoted from most cities, yet somehow, this city was thriving; but then again, as teology developed, he knew well that if this city didn't develop its specialty, it might bee a ghost town iure, especially with the birth deing problem and urbanization as the ine from this city was much less than in the big city.

  "By the way, I haven't asked you this."

  "Hmm?"

  "Do you love me?"

  "...that's so sudden, but I guess that's a fair question."

  "So, do you love me now?"

  "...how about you?"

  "Hmm... to be ho, I am not sure, but when you hold my hand and as we walk like this, I feel my heart filled with happiness, and I just want this time to tinue..."

  "....." Satoshi blinked his eyes, watg Kaho's face slowly grow redder, but fortunately, the e su masked her cute blush. "Thank you. I am happy to hear from you, and of course, I love you. If I don't, then I won't fess to yht?"

  If Oreki had heard what Satoshi had said at that moment, he would have definitely rolled his eyes.

  Kaho smiled and asked, "So, how long have you fallen in love with me? Is it love at first sight?"

  "No, I don't think that it is love at first sight, and to be ho, I don't believe in love at first sight."

  "You don't?"

  "Love at first sight is all about appearance, right? If one's appearance is ugly, do you think one fall in love with him or her at first sight? I think that love at first sight is all about lust."

  "..."

  While Satoshi's words were so blunt that it made her speechless, Kaho also nodded, but somehow, she still waue. "Then, how does one fall in love? Or rather, how did you start to love me?"

  "Hmm... I guess it all started due to curiosity."

  "Curiosity?"

  "Yes, frankly, I was not that good with you at first as you were quite blunt and often reprimanded me."

  "It was all because you often missed your homework and were a troublemaker."

  Kaho couldn't help but pout as she heard his answer.

  "Sorry."

  "It's fine, so what does it have to do with the reason you fell for me? Do you like being reprimanded?"

  "...I am not a masochist, okay?"

  "Then?"

  "Be patient. Let me expin it slowly."

  "Okay. I will listen."

  Watg her expet eyes, Satoshi sighed inwardly, then said, "After that, I started to look at you more, watg you from a distahinking that even if you often have a flid might eveed due to your straightforward nature, you still tinue, never wavering, and... I am attracted to that part of you.

  "But I know that I am a pretty troublemaker, so it's hard for me to have the ce to get close to you, but today... I tried to, and I am gd that I did."

  "Satoshi..."

  Kaho was moved by his words, but—

  " I kiss you?"

  Sn, Kaho moved lightly to the side and hit him with her shoulder lightly. "It is too early!"

  "That's a shame..."

  Watg his disappointed expression, Kaho blushed and said, "If... if you do well on the est, then I will think about it." She thought that it might be a good idea to use this ake him study harder. After all, even if the knowledge of a sight not be necessary in the adult world, having a good grade is better than nht?

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  "Then, I will study hard!"

  Kaho only ughed as they tio walk until they reached her home.

  "Then, I will go home now."

  "Um, be careful."

  While relut, Kaho decided to part away from him and walked home, climbing the stairs slowly. Satoshi also started to walk home as he thought about his future and what he should do to make money.

  Still, he had to say, Kaho's home was huge.

  'As expected of the heiress of the rgest shrine in this city...'

  Yet, unlike Oreki, who was zy, Satoshi didn't want to rely on his woman, but he had to say the reward that he gained from Kaho was quite weird. It was just when he was about to go home—

  "Father!"

  Satoshi was startled when he heard Kaho's panicked voice, so he quickly ran bad saw Kaho and others, who were frightened and overreacted by something.

  "What's wrong, Kaho?"

  "Satoshi... my dad..."

  Satoshi looked at the middle-aged man, who held his chest tightly, seemingly to be in deep pain, and quickly said, "Call the ambunce. Get a pillow." As he instructed them one by one, all of them followed and quickly helped Kaho's father, who had fallen.

  Still, it seemed that the ability he gained from Kaho was more frightening than he had thought.