It's So Hard to Raise Kenma's Affection

On your seventeenth birthday, you became a player. To get every character's highest affection level, you cared for and accepted them with the warmest attitude and the utmost tenderness. But as time went by, you obtained most people's affection cards. Only Kozume Kenma, the first person you'd met, remained impossible to max out. After practice, you offered him water and a towel, but he only took the water. When you studied together and offered to explain a problem, he kept his distance. On the way home after school, a leaf fell into his hair, but he insisted on removing it himself. You wondered if perhaps he was just naturally like that. So you tried asking him for his max-affection card. He turned you down. You retreated in tears, not really understanding what was going on. But since your usual approach had worked with everyone else, you firmly believed it was only a matter of time and had no plans to change your strategy. - When you went on a trip together, Kenma went to sleep very early. You still had luggage to sort out and plans for tomorrow to make. Once that was done, you could lie down and relax while playing games for a while... In short, you had no intention of going to bed early with him. Halfway through completing those tasks in an orderly fashion, there was a sudden stir from Kenma, who should have been sound asleep. You turned around. His forehead was slick with cold sweat, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes still closed, and his expression far from peaceful. He was clearly having a nightmare. Without a second thought, you rushed over and touched his palm, cold and clammy, then gently helped him sit up and pulled him into your arms, rubbing his back as you softly comforted him. Your actions must have woken him. He braced one hand on the floor. His fluffy pudding-bowl hair was buried against your chest, so you couldn't see his expression or tell whether he'd calmed down. You hesitated for a moment. When you felt his body stop trembling, you let him go, intending to check on him. The moment your embrace loosened, he lifted his head and looked at you. Kenma's voice was very soft, as if he could no longer hold back, yet also as if he were stating a fact. "...This isn't the kind of distance ordinary friends keep." You froze. Your reflection appeared in his pupils. His gaze was intent and unwavering, like a cat looking at its prey. For some reason, you suddenly wanted to retreat, to run away. He seemed to notice your fear. One hand silently crept up, still damp with cold sweat, like a snake winding around you, and closed around your wrist. You couldn't escape now. - Kenma didn't know how his classmate had gradually gotten so close to him. That person was always cheerful and optimistic, warming everyone with a gentle attitude. After meeting the volleyball club through Kenma, they often volunteered to help out. They refused to become the manager, acting instead like an enthusiastic volunteer, doing their best to meet everyone's needs whenever they had time. They wiped sweat from Kuroo, cared for the sick Yaku, and answered all of Lev's stupid questions. They said they wanted to be good friends with everyone. Friends? How could that be possible? The year he realized he was about to return to his egg, Mamoru, Sorakane Mochizuki's Guardian Character, made a decision. He left Sorakane a gift for his seventeenth birthday, telling him that even then, he could only open it if he met certain conditions. So, on the day he turned seventeen, Mochizuki Sorakane received the gift and immediately looked at the conditions for opening it. [Host detected] [Scanning conditions] [Condition met: At least 50% of the people you know consider you an "arrogant, self-centered genius"] [Game starting] Mochizuki Sorakane: ... Mochizuki Sorakane: !??? What kind of evaluation is that?! Mamoru definitely snuck in some personal bias, didn't he?! - Reader's Guide: 1. The main story is told in third person. 2. It's actually a pure romance story, but Kenma's possessiveness goes wild. 3. No love-triangle drama involving other characters. Everyone besides Kenma is just a friend. 4. A crossover with Shugo Chara, lol. Blurb captured on 2024.5.5 Here's an upcoming story, "Yokohama High School Volleyball Club" Because of a book, the world is on the brink of destruction. Wen Ming She, a singularity and the only miracle, is asked to travel to another world and search for unknown possibilities. "All you need to do is help everyone in this world gain enough impression points." That's what the Book said when he set out. Wen Ming She thought for a moment, then suddenly understood. All right, he got it! - At their first meeting, Hinata Shoyo stared wide-eyed at the opposite team's wing spiker. "Y-You're even shorter than me!" Nakahara Chuuya glared at him. "Hah?!" Yaku Morisuke watched the libero on the other team being all lovey-dovey with his little sister and shuddered. "...What exactly is this guy free from?" Tanizaki Junichiro gave an awkward laugh. "Ha, haha." Tsukishima Kei, who'd been tricked by a sneaky play for once, turned around panting and saw the annoying expression on the opposing middle blocker's face. Dazai Osamu pressed his hands together. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't do it on purpose~" Oikawa Tooru, still reeling after being rattled by the opposing team's ace server's powerful jump serve, felt a cold sweat run down his temple. "Hey, hey, no way..." Miyazawa Kenji raised a hand to his forehead and gazed into the distance. "Well? Did we score?" Inarizaki's cheer squad frowned at the other team's supporters. "What the heck? What's with that bunch of guys who look like a bunch of bad news..." Black Lizard: Don't drag us into this. Yamamoto Taketora: "I-It's fine! As long as the other team doesn't have a pretty manager..." Izumi Kyoka walked past in silence. "So cute! No, wait, she's obviously still in middle school, isn't she?!" But the one who attracted the most attention was probably their setter. Before every match, he acted like a child and begged their coach for ages, only taking the court at the very end, and with great reluctance. Kozume Kenma watched him for an entire set, then fell into deep thought during the break. When Kuroo Tetsuro asked him what was wrong, he looked up and said vaguely, "That number one didn't move more than ten steps the entire match." Meanwhile, Edogawa Ranpo was extremely displeased. "That was only one set! You made the great detective walk ten steps in just one set!!" Wen Ming She, the one responsible for this state of affairs, wiped his sweat and felt very pleased with his results. Now they wouldn't be worrying that they didn't have enough impression points anymore, right? Theme: Treat life with kindness, and life will eventually return that kindness.