No… No way! You’re overthinking it! I’m not jealous at all! How could I possibly be jealous of you? Stop flattering yourself!
Keti frantically turned her head away, not daring to meet Lynn’s eyes as she stubbornly denied it.
“Oh really?”
Lynn let out a soft chuckle, as if he’d already anticipated her reaction.
“If you’re not jealous, then should I call Alice back to continue our earlier conversation? After all, you said yourselves that it was just an act. So pursuing Alice shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
As he spoke, Lynn made to let go of her, pretending to reach for the door.
“No!”
Almost on instinct, Keti suddenly stretched out both hands and clung tightly to Lynn’s waist, pressing her entire body against his chest as she shouted loudly.
“You’re not allowed to go! You’re not allowed to chase after her!”
The air froze in an instant.
Only after shouting did Keti realize what she had just done—and what she had just said.
She stiffly raised her head and met Lynn’s gaze, which was filled with teasing amusement and the look of someone who had won.
“Oh? I’m not allowed to go? Give me one good reason, Keti.”
Lynn didn’t push her away. Instead, he took advantage of the moment to wrap his arms around her slender, soft waist.
His large palm gently caressed the pert curve beneath her short skirt, sending waves of tingling electricity through her.
“If you don’t explain clearly, it’s going to be really hard for me to decide what to do.”
“I… I…”
Keti bit her lower lip, her eyes red-rimmed—that was the ultimate sign of extreme embarrassment.
She knew she had no way out anymore.
Every excuse had been torn apart, every pretense ripped away. The only thing left in front of her now was that one undeniable truth.
The truth that filled her with unbearable shame, yet she could no longer avoid facing it.
“Because… because…”
The girl’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, trembling with a trace of tearful sobs.
“Because…”
“What? I can’t hear you.” Lynn deliberately leaned his ear closer.
“Because… you’re mine, you idiot!”
The silver-haired beauty stomped her foot in frustration, as if she had used every ounce of strength in her body to shout those words.
Then she buried her head back into Lynn’s chest, too embarrassed to look up, only able to let out muffled, suppressed whimpers.
So humiliating.
Really, truly humiliating.
To think that someone who used to consider herself a tough guy was now crying in a man’s arms and admitting she was jealous.
This was basically a public execution-level social death scene.
Yet the mockery she expected never came.
The next second, she felt a warm hand gently lift her chin. Immediately after, that familiar kiss—carrying a faint hint of mint—landed softly yet firmly on her lips.
“Mmph?!”
Keti’s eyes widened, crystalline tears still clinging to her lashes.
The kiss wasn’t domineering or lewd. Instead, it was full of comfort and tender affection. Lynn gently nibbled at her soft lips, little by little devouring her grievances and unease.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Lynn looked down at the silver-haired girl in his arms—her eyes dazed, her face flushed crimson—and the corner of his mouth curved into a wicked, charming arc.
“I’m very satisfied, little kitten~ That’s the cutest confession I’ve ever heard.”
“Who—who confessed… Ah no, no, that doesn’t count! I misspoke, cough cough…”
“I mean, actually, what I meant was… I have to protect my childhood friend! So, um…”
“There’s absolutely no way I’m letting you get close to her!”
Keti was still trying to stay stubborn, but her voice had turned soft and mushy, almost like she was acting spoiled.
“Shh, don’t ruin the mood.”
Lynn pressed a single finger to her lips. The smile in his eyes deepened, taking on a hint of dangerous possessiveness.
“Since my little kitten put it that way… if you don’t want me doing those things with anyone else…”
Lynn bent down slightly, scooped the girl in his arms up in a princess carry, and strode toward the large leather sofa deep inside the office.
“Then, as compensation, you’ll have to take full responsibility and endure everything I wanted to do… in Alice’s place.”
“Huh? Huhhh?!”
The sensation of being lifted off the ground made Keti panic and wrap her arms around Lynn’s neck. By the time she processed the meaning behind his words, she had already been laid down on the sofa.
“W-Wait! Here? This is… the office!”
Keti looked around at the bookshelves and desk filled with school vibes, and her sense of shame instantly exploded.
“And… and what exactly are we going to do? Haven’t we already… you know, done that?”
“That? Which one?”
Lynn slowly unbuttoned his collar, revealing his firm collarbone. Then he knelt on one knee on the sofa, looking down at the trembling little kitten beneath him.
“Satisfied with just a kiss? Since when did my little kitten’s appetite become so small?”
“Then… then what else do you want…”
Keti clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. Her long silver hair spilled across the black sofa, looking especially alluring under the dim yellow lighting.
Her pitiful, watery eyes were misty with both fear and a faint trace of anticipation she herself refused to admit.
“What do I want?”
Lynn leaned down, one hand braced beside her ear, the other slowly sliding up along the curve of her thigh. His fingertips brushed teasingly against her sensitive skin.
“Weren’t you just shouting about protecting your childhood friend? Since Keti is so dedicated and willing to sacrifice, naturally the teacher has to properly teach you… what a deeper adult relationship really means.”
“But before that…”
Lynn’s fingers suddenly paused, then hooked gently under her delicate chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“Your jealous reaction earlier was cute, but it still wasn’t honest enough. So before we do anything more interesting, I need to check first—whether your body has become as honest as your mouth claims.”
“Wh-What kind of check…”
Keti’s voice trembled, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
“Lift up your skirt.”
Lynn’s tone left no room for refusal, carrying an irresistible authority.
“Huh… What? Right… right here?!”
“Yes, right here. Do it yourself.” Lynn smiled, but his eyes glinted with wicked mischief.
“If you don’t behave, I’ll have no choice but to take a picture of you like this and send it to Alice, who just left. I bet she hasn’t gone far yet, right?”
“You! You’re despicable!”
Keti gritted her teeth and glared at him, but faced with Lynn’s threat, she had no counter.
Humiliation.
Utter, crushing humiliation.
Yet beneath that humiliation, her restless heart beat faster and faster, as if something deep inside her was being ignited.
“I’ll count to three.”
“Wuu… Fine! I get it! I’ll do it!”
Keti cried out with a sob in her voice. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and her trembling hands slowly grasped the edge of her skirt hem.
Under the bright office lights, beneath the predatory gaze of her sworn enemy—
The silver-haired beauty flushed crimson from ear to ear, and—extremely slowly—lifted the concealing fabric upward little by little.