With my new seat next to Matsushita, it became easier for her to ask me questions, and it was mildly irritating, but still better than having Horikita threaten me with a compass or having her insult me.

Class was just about to begin when my seat mate had asked me quite the unexpected question.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun, if you're free, would you mind going somewhere with me later today?" (Matsushita)

Oh? How unusual, this could be one of her attempts at discovering the relationship between Kei and me. But if I say I can't, she may question me as to why. How difficult.

"I don't have any plans today, so it should be fine." (Kiyotaka)

"Alright, great! I'll tell you the details later." (Matsushita)

Right after she finished her sentence,

Chabaeshira-sensei walked into the classroom with the same face she always has. I never payed attention in class as these things were taught in the earlier stages of the White Room.

Matsushita approached me and came right beside me, perhaps a little too close for someone like me.

"In case plans change, is it alright if we exchange contact information?" (Matsushita)

"There's no reason for us not to, I suppose." (Kiyotaka)

"Alright, does 4:30 at Keyaki Mall today work for you?" (Matsushita)

"Yeah, sounds good to me." (Kiyotaka)

"Okay, I'll see you later then!" (Matsushita)

Is she trying to get a reaction from Kei like how I did before I confessed to her? Because if so, I'm pretty sure it's working, since I can feel Kei staring me down from across the room.

Maybe a third present will help? Honestly at this rate, I'll run all out of points for the month because of my contract with Kushida and buying things for Kei.

But... there's something different. Something that is making me... hesitant about what I do in front of Kei. Something that makes me want to try harder for her. Could it be

Love?

I don't understand these... feelings. What I'm feeling not only in my body, but my mind. It feels like something constantly tugging at me, asking-no, begging me to be closer to her.

But why am I feeling this way?

The White Room had us lock away our emotions, since they deemed it as unnecessary. So in order to survive in there, human emotions had to be locked up, kept down, away from not only the researches, but us too.

So why was this coming up now? It hasn't been long since I started going out with Kei.

Perhaps because we never needed to lock away the emotion known as love?

Maybe it was because she had that much influence over me these past few months?

Whatever was happening to me, it made me feel just one step, just a little closer to humanity and understanding society and people.

Kei really is a great study into love, huh?