Chapter Text
“You know,” Ishigami thought aloud as his kart flew past the finish line and claimed victory once again. “I'm starting to think that you kind of suck at Mario Kart.”
“I almost won that time!” she argued in exasperation.
“Fifth place counts as almost winning? Since when?”
Iino's cheeks puffed out in unison with the furrowing of her brows.
“Ah, well I guess in comparison to your usual tenth place it is a win of sorts,” he acknowledged, earning a yelp from the girl beside him.
“One more game! This time I'll definitely win,” she declared.
And for the most part, her resolve proved strong. She maintained a steady pace all through the first lap, and—in a move that even surprised her—advanced to fourth in the second. Her heart thumped faster as they approached their final lap.
All I need to do is get a little closer, she thought, her eyes narrowing in determination.
“A-ha!” she squealed as her kart advanced to third.
“It's not over yet…” Ishigami reminded her, his concentration cemented on the game. He reclaimed first place after a tumultuous second round in which he found himself stuck in third. It amazed Ishigami that Iino even made it to fourth, but it didn't surprise him too much. She'd been improving with every rou—
A sudden warmth on his neck jolted Ishigami out of his reverie.
“I-Iino?” he asked as she pressed a kiss to the area, causing his grip on the controller to slacken.
“Gotcha!” she jumped up from her seat and gave the screen her full attention as Princess Peach sailed into second place. While Peach continued coasting beyond the finish line, Iino let out a long woohoo.
Ishigami gasped, zeroing back in on the game only to find that he'd fallen to fourth place. As if matters couldn't be made worse, another kart zoomed past his at the last minute, effectively placing him in fifth.
“Oh how the tables have turned,” she smirked, crossing her arms and relaxing into the couch.
Ishigami gaped at the screen, then back to Iino. He repeated this motion a comical amount before feeling a tingling sensation on his neck. His mind then reverted to just a moment ago when she'd been kissing that very spot and a bloom of red flourished across his face.
“Did you and Fujiwara switch bodies?” he asked in disbelief. “I mean, what's the world going to think once they find out that Miss Public Morals plays dirty?”
“Don't be such a sore loser,” her head shook with laughter.
“I did not lose,” he raised his index finger in the air. “I was swindled by a deceptively innocent-looking cheater who still couldn't even get first place. And fifth place is almost a win anyway!”
Iino simpered, capturing his finger in her hand. “Since when?”
Her touch, paired with the coquettish smile on her face, turned out to be too much for Ishigami to handle. Any adrenaline pumping within fizzled out and he absently wondered if his blush reached his ears.
“Hey, you didn't actually switch bodies with Fujiwara, did you?” he asked, sizing her up suspiciously.
She rolled her eyes and released his finger from her grasp. “Should we play another round?”
"We've been playing a while now... Why don't we do something else?" he asked, not-so-discreetly reaching for the spot on his neck that she’d been kissing.
"I see," she scooted closer to him. “Well, I guess I do have to atone for my crime somehow,” she conceded.
If this is losing, Ishigami thought as Iino moved to straddle him, I guess it's not so bad.