But Kaneko had caught the rubber band. She was holding it between her thumb and forefinger like a dead insect. Her note, folded into a tight square, landed on his desk five seconds later: Put it on your own wrist. Pervert.
If you are learning Japanese, you quickly learn that context is everything. You can study grammar textbooks until your eyes bleed, but sometimes a single phrase—punctuated by the delivery of the speaker—can flip a situation entirely on its head. gomu o tsukete to iimashita
In a stationery context—specifically with mechanical pencils— gomu often refers to the . But Kaneko had caught the rubber band
Not “he asked.” Not “he suggested.” Told. Pervert
But in a romantic or flirty context, if someone whispers "Gomu o tsukete," there is zero ambiguity about what is happening.