Chapter 18: Because I’m Weak

♠♠♠

After school, I’m walking home with Tachibana-san.

Her breath is white in the cold, and her cheeks look chilled. The gray peacoat, the off-white checkered scarf—she suits winter perfectly. But……

“Tachibana-san, you’re in a bad mood, aren’t you?”

“You can tell, huh?”

Tachibana-san says this with a pout, not looking at me.

“We’re boyfriend and girlfriend, so let’s at least hold hands.”

For a while now, Tachibana-san has been playfully tapping the back of my hand with her own, which is stuffed in her coat pocket, as she walks beside me.

“Nah, this is the school route.”

“Who cares?”

“What, you want me to stick my hand in your pocket? That’d be cramped.”

“It’d be warmer that way.”

“Normally, wouldn’t the girl slip her hand into the guy’s coat?”

“Shirou-kun, you’re not even wearing a coat.”

“Then let’s do it when I’m wearing one.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

Tachibana-san raises one eyebrow and bumps into me as if she’s annoyed. I push back, and we playfully jostle each other.

“Come on, let’s hold hands and walk home.”

“Hold on, don’t rush things.”

“Shirou-kun, your hands look cold.”

“I’m fine. My circulation’s surprisingly good.”

“I don’t like it when you make excuses to dodge things.”

“But—”

I glance back as I speak.

“We’ve got an audience.”

A group of first-year girls walking behind us is staring with curious, excited expressions.

Their giddy voices reach us.

“Tachibana-senpai is so cute, as always~”

“They’re still so lovey-dovey!”

“I wish they’d kiss again!”

That unforgettable moment at the cultural festival stage, when Tachibana-san’s passionate kiss after our comeback victory in the couple’s championship left a huge impact—now, just walking together makes us the center of attention.

“Holding hands here would be embarrassing, right?”

“Who cares about that at this point?”

“You say that, but……”

“I’m stopping by the convenience store.”

Realizing I’m not going to hold hands, Tachibana-san’s mood sours even more.

To cheer her up, I buy her favorite Yukimi Daifuku at the store. As we leave and start walking, I try to hand it to her, but she keeps her hands in her pockets and refuses to take it.

Then, still pouting, she opens her mouth slightly.

“No way, that’s even more embarrassing than holding hands……”

I glance back again.

The group of first-year girls stopped at the convenience store too, and they’re right behind us, watching with expectant gazes.

“Fine, forget it.”

Tachibana-san turns away.

“You’re too worried about what other people think.”

“Sorry.”

“I’d prefer something more straightforward.”

It’s true—Tachibana-san’s sensibility probably doesn’t vibe with this half-hearted attitude. She’s naturally a straightforward girl who acts on her feelings.

I’m the one bending her personality out of shape.

“I’m the one in the wrong here.”

I reflect a little. It’s not exactly resolve, but I make a small decision. I pierce the Yukimi Daifuku with the plastic toothpick and bring it to Tachibana-san’s mouth.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah. Worrying about what people think and avoiding this or that—it feels off. Plus, I like it better when you can be your natural self, Tachibana-san.”

“Then……”

Tachibana-san says, her cheeks slightly flushed as she opens her mouth a little.

“Ah~n.”

“Here, ah~n.”

I say, feeding the Yukimi Daifuku to her. She does the same, feeding me the other one with an “ah~n.”

Naturally, the expected “Kyaa~!” reactions erupt from the girls behind us.

“Nice.”

Tachibana-san smiles, satisfied.

“So, shall we hold hands now?”

I say, slipping my hand into her pocket.

Tachibana-san looks surprised but quickly grips my hand. Her grip is surprisingly strong, and I can tell she’s happy. But……

“Shirou-kun, let’s do more.”

“More what?”

“I love you.”

The next moment, Tachibana-san grabs my tie with her free hand, pulls my face close, and kisses me. Her lips, chilled by the winter air, press firmly against mine.

Her glass-like eyes seem to say, “This is only natural, right?”

A huge cheer rises from the first-year girls behind us.

“Tachibana-san, you’re putting on too much of a show.”

“You’ve gotta go this far.”

“You’re so theatrical.”

A beautiful girl who makes everything picture-perfect. And……

“Shirou-kun, wanna run?”

She says this out of nowhere. When I ask why, she just says, “I’m in the mood.”

Tachibana-san pulls her hand from her pocket, still holding mine, and starts running.

I get dragged along, and for some reason, the first-year girls behind us start running too.

Like a movie director shouting “Action!” our youthful theater begins to roll like a film reel.

♠♠♠

From the next day, Tachibana-san stops holding back. She’s a full-throttle girlfriend. She waits for me at the school gate in the morning and after school, comes to my desk during breaks, and even wears my gym clothes during PE, sniffing them constantly.

“Everyone’s calling me an idiot.”

“A boyfriend-obsessed idiot, right?”

“Yeah.”

Tachibana-san nods with a refreshing smile.

“Am I really that head-over-heels for you, Shirou-kun?”

“That tie you’re wearing?”

“Yours, Shirou-kun.”

“That bag on your back?”

“Yours, Shirou-kun.”

“What do you want to do right now?”

“Kiss you.”

On our way home, we stop at a crepe shop and eat on the street. Tachibana-san wipes cream from my mouth with her finger, licks it, and smiles contentedly.

Once we start running, no one can stop us.

We take purikura photos, get matching phone straps, and say we’ll study together at McDonald’s but end up chatting the whole time.

Riding a bike together down the embankment, shouting “Woo!” as our youth accelerates.

A fast-paced rock band tune plays in my head, matching the vibe.

We go to an amusement park and ride the Ferris wheel, visit a café and drink coffee piled high with whipped cream like a parfait, and even have a slightly intellectual date at a used book market.

“I’m in the mood for karaoke today.”

“I’m terrible at singing, though.”

“I love your singing, Shirou-kun.”

At karaoke, it’s Tachibana-san’s stage—she’s great at music—while I’m stuck shaking a tambourine the whole time. When I complain, “Am I just the tambourine guy?” she suddenly says, “I love you,” and hugs me out of nowhere.

The night we go to see a meteor shower, Tachibana-san sneaks out of her apartment without telling her mom, clearly thrilled, becoming the most romantic and adorable girlfriend ever.

By this time, Tachibana-san has become super popular among the girls.

Her cool appearance used to make her seem unapproachable, but after the cultural festival stage, it’s clear she’s just a normal girl in love, and everyone starts treating her more warmly. The girls affectionately tease her as the “boyfriend-obsessed girlfriend.”

“I’m not okay with this.”

Tachibana-san says over the phone.

At night, I’m talking to her from my bed. Tachibana-san likes falling asleep while listening to each other’s breathing over the call.

“Everyone’s calling me the jealous girlfriend. That’s not true at all.”

“Sakai said it’s hard to talk to me because you give her that sulky stare, Tachibana-san.”

“……”

I hear rustling from the other side of the phone. I imagine Tachibana-san in her pajamas, curled up in bed with a pouty face.

“It’s your fault for making me jealous, Shirou-kun.”

“My fault?”

“You were chatting so happily with those girls today.”

Lately, the girls in class have been paying a lot of attention to me. But……

“They’re just waiting for your reaction, Tachibana-san.”

A girl talks to me. Tachibana-san watches from across the classroom. The girl pokes me or gets touchy. Unable to stand it, Tachibana-san comes over and says, “He’s my Shirou-kun……” with an anxious look. The girls, seeing this gap from her usual self, squeal “So cute!” and reassure her, “Don’t worry, Kirishima belongs to you.” patting her head. That’s the whole routine.

“They’re so mean.”

“They love you.”

Still, Tachibana-san doesn’t seem convinced.

“Fine, you can talk to them, but promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t let other girls touch you. When I see you with them…… my chest tightens…… and I feel like crying.”

Her tone is unusually earnest, and my chest tightens too.

“Got it.”

If I start dodging the girls’ touches, Tachibana-san’s definitely going to get teased, though.

“Alright, I’m going to sleep.”

“Goodnight.”

“Don’t hang up the call.”

Tachibana-san says, but then adds, “Actually, I’ll hang up tonight.”

“I forgot. It’s Hayasaka-san’s turn today, right?”

The youthful, lovey-dovey vibe in her voice is gone, replaced by her old, cool demeanor. She says, very calmly:

“She’s there, isn’t she? Hayasaka-san. Right there with you.”

♠♠♠

Why am I in the same bed as Hayasaka-san while talking to Tachibana-san on the phone?

The reason goes back to that afternoon.

It was after school.

“It’s my turn today.”

When I went to the Mystery Research Club room in the old school building, Hayasaka-san was sitting on the sofa.

“It was supposed to be Tachibana-san’s day, but she’s busy with piano lessons for an upcoming competition.”

So it’s my turn instead. Hayasaka-san says.

“Sorry for the sudden change. We decided it on our own.”

At that point, Hayasaka-san lets out an “Ah” and smiles awkwardly.

“I don’t need to apologize, do I?”

“Yeah. Be more confident. Bring it on.”

“Right, yeah, you’re right.”

Nodding, Hayasaka-san says with a slightly comical tone:

“Kirishima-kun, what Tachibana-san and I say is……?”

“Absolute.”

That’s our three-person agreement.

On the day of the cultural festival, Tachibana-san and I got caught doing something “bad.”

And Hayasaka-san’s reaction, upon learning everything, was completely unexpected.

“Let’s share.”

Hayasaka-san and Tachibana-san proposed sharing me.

And Tachibana-san agreed to it. I can’t fathom what’s going through their minds.

In any case, to facilitate this sharing, Hayasaka-san and Tachibana-san established four rules.

First, Kirishima Shirou must obey whatever Hayasaka Akane and Tachibana Hikari say.

Second, Hayasaka Akane and Tachibana Hikari will share Kirishima Shirou equally.

Third, Hayasaka Akane and Tachibana Hikari must not sneak around behind each other’s backs.

Fourth, if one sneaks around, there will be a penalty, and that penalty must be carried out.

I have no right to refuse, and since the last day of the cultural festival, I’ve been the boyfriend of whichever one of them designates the day.

Today was supposed to be Tachibana-san’s day, but it switched to Hayasaka-san’s.

“So, what should we do?” Hayasaka-san says.

“First, we need to decide where to go.”

Since Tachibana-san and I are officially recognized as a couple by everyone, doing anything with Hayasaka-san requires avoiding attention. Lately, we’ve been going on dates far from school, where no classmates would spot us. But……

“I want to stay at school today.”

Hayasaka-san says.

“It’s a rare day when you’re my boyfriend, Kirishima-kun. Traveling somewhere feels like a waste of time. I want to spend as much time with you as possible.”

“Alright, if we’re staying here, what do we do?”

“A game.”

“What kind?”

“We hold hands and walk around the school building once.”

No, no, no, no—

“It’s after school, but there are still quite a few students around, you know?”

“Yeah. If someone saw us, I’d become the bad girl who’s hitting on a guy with a girlfriend. Tachibana-san’s super popular with the girls lately, so if we got caught, I’d get totally bashed.”

And I’d get even more criticism and hostility as the cheating guy.

“That’s why it’s a game.”

Hayasaka-san says brightly, with a childlike expression.

“We’ll try not to get caught and work together. It’ll be thrilling to sneak around the school.”

“No, but……”

“It’s fine. If things get really bad, I’ll let go of your hand properly.”

That might be a decent safety measure. As I’m mentally simulating it, Hayasaka-san gives a mischievous smile and says:

“Hey, Kirishima-kun, what Tachibana-san and I say is……?”

“Absolute.”

“Ehehe. I love that about you, Kirishima-kun.”

♠♠♠

I’m walking through the school building holding hands with Hayasaka-san. I don’t have the luxury of enjoying the sensation.

Every time I hear the voices of students practicing club activities from the field, I get nervous, wondering if they can see us from over there.

“Kirishima-kun, you know the rules, right?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get this over with.”

Hayasaka-san’s rules are simple.

Our school has a new and old building, connected by corridors on the east and west sides. We only walk on the second floor. Starting from the Mystery Research Club room in the old building’s second floor, we touch the doors of the classrooms at each end of the buildings, making a rectangular loop.

“It’s easy. Hardly anyone’s in the old building.”

“Let’s raise the difficulty a bit, then.”

“Ehehe.”

Hayasaka-san looks down shyly. At her suggestion, one more rule was added.

“The one about kissing in the middle of the corridor.”

“I mean, we’ve gotta do at least that much—”

That’s when it happened.

A male student opens the door of a classroom ahead of us and steps out.

“W-w-w-w-what do we do, Kirishima-kun?!”

“It’s fine. That guy’s got bad eyesight. His glasses aren’t the right prescription.”

The student glances our way but doesn’t react, turning into the nearby corridor.

“Hayasaka-san, if you’re gonna panic like that, we shouldn’t be playing this game.”

“But……”

Hayasaka-san says with a pouty face:

“I wanted to try being a girlfriend at school, even just once. I wanted to be a normal high school girlfriend with you, Kirishima-kun.”

Hearing that, I can’t say no.

Hayasaka-san has been watching Tachibana-san and me in our school-sanctioned youthful theater all this time.

“Not just the second floor—wanna do the first floor too?”

“Really?”

Hayasaka-san’s face lights up.

“Yeah. That’s no big deal, right?”

“Yes! Thank you, Kirishima-kun!”

I start walking, pulling Hayasaka-san’s hand.

When there might be eyes from the side through the windows, we walk perfectly parallel, holding hands but keeping some distance to look like we’re just walking side by side. When there’s a gaze from the front, we shift so one’s behind the other, holding hands behind our backs to slip by.

“Amazing, Kirishima-kun, you’re amazing!”

Hayasaka-san clings to me, thrilled.

“Hey, this is way beyond just holding hands now!”

It’s less like linking arms and more like she’s hugging me. My elbow’s completely sandwiched between her chest, our thighs are touching, and her hot breath is so close I can feel it through my uniform.

“You’ve gotta back off a bit, or we can’t play this off!”

“Let’s hurry to the corridor~!”

“You’re not listening, are you?”

Somehow, I drag her to the corridor and hide in the blind spot of a pillar for the mission’s kiss. I hold Hayasaka-san’s shoulders, press my lips to hers for a few seconds—

“Alright, let’s go.”

But—

“No, more……”

A light kiss isn’t enough, and Hayasaka-san doesn’t let go.

Her eyes are misty, her cheeks flushed—she’s completely switched on.

Hayasaka-san stands on her tiptoes, wraps her arms around my neck to keep me from escaping, and kisses me, panting. There’s no helping it now. Her hot, wet tongue slips into my mouth. When I entwine mine with hers, she sucks on it eagerly.

She clings so tightly I can feel her body’s warmth and softness.

“I love this…… Kirishima-kun, I love you……”

In the end, we kiss for over five minutes before Hayasaka-san finally pulls away.

When our lips part, a thread of saliva lingers. Her white breath is heavy with moisture.

“You can’t enjoy dangerous stuff like this too much.”

“Ehehe.”

Satisfied, Hayasaka-san beams.

We loop through the first floor and head into the final stretch of the new building’s second floor.

“I heard what you said during break time, you know.”

During lunch, some girls at the back of the classroom were talking about their ideal guy types.

When it was Hayasaka-san’s turn, she said loudly:

“I like Kirishima-kun!”

I was startled, but everyone else seemed relieved. Since Kirishima Shirou belongs to Tachibana Hikari, Hayasaka-san saying she likes me comes off as an idol-like tactic to dodge the question by naming an unattainable guy. It’s what everyone expects, so Hayasaka-san remains the pure, pristine class icon.

“You use my name when you turn down confessions too, don’t you?”

Every time someone calls her out to confess, it goes like this:

“I’m sorry. There’s someone else I like.”

“Who?”

“Kirishima-kun.”

“Oh, Tachibana-san’s boyfriend…… Alright, I get it, you’re not interested in me.”

That’s the gist.

“That’s not cool, you know.”

“But it’s the truth.”

Hayasaka-san says with a sulky expression:

“I want to say I like the person I like, loud and clear.”

“Hayasaka-san……”

While we’re talking, we reach the end of the new building. Just as I’m about to touch the final classroom door—

“Hayasaka-san, this is bad!”

Someone’s about to come out from the other side of the door. Through the frosted glass, I hear voices and the sound of the door about to open.

“No way we can pull this off. I’m letting go.”

There’s no way to talk our way out of a face-to-face encounter.

But—

“No.”

“Hey, Hayasaka-san!?”

“I don’t want to let go of your hand, Kirishima-kun.”

Hayasaka-san grips my hand tightly and refuses to move.

“This is bad!”

“I’m your girlfriend too, Kirishima-kun. I love you too. I’m serious too.”

“Look, this whole sharing thing is my fault, and I’m willing to do anything for you two, but this is definitely not good for you, or rather—”

We don’t have time to argue, and the door mercilessly opens.

And the person who steps out is—

An unfamiliar adult woman.

Hayasaka-san lets out a shocked cry:

“M-Mom?”

Oh, right—today’s the day for parent-teacher conferences. Hayasaka-san must’ve forgotten, but this is no time to think about that.

“Akane, who’s this boy?”

Hayasaka-san’s mom says, looking at our joined hands.

“M-Mom, um, this is, um, um—”

Hayasaka-san’s eyes spin as she answers.

“M-my boyfriend! My boyfriend, Kirishima-kun! We’re dating!”

At this point, I have no choice but to say:

“Hi, I’m her boyfriend, Kirishima Shirou. Nice to meet you.”

♠♠♠

Everything happened so fast after that.

I meet Hayasaka-san’s mom face-to-face. I’m invited to their apartment. We have dinner together. We talk for a while, and it gets late. I end up staying over. I borrow pajamas from her dad, who’s away on a solo assignment. I lie down in the bed in her older sister’s room, who’s moved out for work. Hayasaka-san, in her pajamas, sneaks out of her room and slips into my bed. Then Tachibana-san calls. And that’s how I end up in this awkward situation, lying in bed with Hayasaka-san while talking to Tachibana-san on the phone.

“Thanks for coming.”

Hayasaka-san says, clinging to me. She’s lower than the pillow, completely buried in the blankets, pressing her face against my chest.

“I think my mom’s happy I have a boyfriend.”

“But was that okay?”

It’s well-known that Tachibana-san and I are dating.

“She might hear things through her mom friends.”

“It’ll work out. You just say you already broke up with Tachibana-san.”

Hayasaka-san pokes her face out from the blankets and says:

“That’s fine with you, right, Tachibana-san?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Tachibana-san answers over the phone.

The two of them exchange information like this to keep the sharing equal. They seem to have a lot of agreements, but I’m only told a little.

“I don’t want to intrude, so I’ll hang up.”

But Tachibana-san hesitates for a moment, then says shyly:

“……Um, Hayasaka-san.”

“It’s okay.”

Hayasaka-san responds.

“I know the no-sneaking rule perfectly well.”

“……Goodnight, then.”

The phone goes silent.

The next moment, Hayasaka-san starts pulling down the zipper of my borrowed pajamas, trying to undress me.

“W-w-w-wait, Hayasaka-san!”

“What?”

“Didn’t you just talk to Tachibana-san about the no-sneaking rule—”

“That just means we can’t go all the way, like normal couples do at the very end. Everything up to that is totally fine, you know?”

“Is that how it works!?”

Apparently, they made that agreement without telling me.

“Still, I’m surprised Tachibana-san agreed to it. Even if it’s not going all the way, she’s too shy to do much herself.”

“I can’t go to your house, right, Kirishima-kun?”

Tachibana-san already visited my house and got close to my mom as my girlfriend. As a result, Hayasaka-san can’t come to my place, at least not as a girlfriend.

“So Tachibana-san gave up that part for you?”

“Yeah.”

That’s why, Hayasaka-san says, pressing her lips to my chest.

“Let’s go right up to the very edge.”

“But your mom’s sleeping in the other room.”

“It’s fine. Once she’s asleep, she won’t wake up until morning.”

“And doing this kind of thing in your sister’s room feels……”

“Enough of that.”

Hayasaka-san’s eyes go hollow.

“Why are you saying such normal things? We’re already at the point of sharing, you know? Why are you the only one trying to stay calm?”

“……Sorry.”

“I don’t want an apology. I’m not trying to blame you, Kirishima-kun.”

As she speaks, Hayasaka-san starts unbuttoning her pajamas.

“Back then, you didn’t do it with me, right? But that was because Tachibana-san was in the closet, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not because I’m an unattractive girl, right? It’s not because you don’t like me at all, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Then prove it to me. Otherwise, I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t trust words. You know, I’ve been wearing shorter skirts lately. That way, more people will look at me.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“I know. It just made me feel gross, being stared at with those creepy eyes. But I had to do it, because I don’t know otherwise. I don’t know if you find me attractive, Kirishima-kun.”

“I do find you attractive, Hayasaka-san.”

“Then show me. Touch me, make me feel like I’m not some worthless girl.”

And, Hayasaka-san adds:

“What Tachibana-san and I say is……?”

“Absolute.”

Fine. When we started this sharing arrangement, I decided to do whatever they wanted to atone for creating this warped situation.

I let go of my inhibitions and place my hand on Hayasaka-san’s chest.

“Ah!”

Hayasaka-san lets out a sweet breath.

Through her pajamas, I feel the presence of her peaks. I noticed it the moment she came into the room. In her thin pink pajamas, Hayasaka-san isn’t wearing a bra.

As I stroke the peak with my fingers, her hollow eyes start to glisten, and her expression begins to melt.

“Kirishima-kun……”

She quickly becomes clingy, tilting her chin up.

I kiss her full lips, deliberately making wet sounds with my saliva. The sound seems to excite her, and her body temperature rises rapidly. Her sweaty body excites me in turn.

I touch her large, soft chests over the gentle fabric of her pajamas. They change shape amusingly with every grip, and her body reacts just as vividly. The peaks stand out visibly through the fabric, and her skin starts to show through as it gets damp with sweat. The humidity inside the blankets rises.

“Kirishima-kun…… I love you, Kirishima-kun……”

We undress each other, leaving only our underwear on our lower halves, and hold each other close.

“I love this. I can feel your warmth, Kirishima-kun.”

“You’re really warm too, Hayasaka-san.”

On a cold winter night, holding each other skin-to-skin in bed feels extraordinary. It’s a real sense of not being alone. Hayasaka-san’s expression looks happier than ever before.

I touch her hot skin—her shoulders, her back, her waist. The fact that she’s wearing only one piece of underwear excites me. I slide my leg between her thighs, and we try to press ourselves even closer.

“Kirishima-kun, this……”

“Uh, sorry about that.”

“No, it’s okay. This is what happens with guys, right? It’s because you find me attractive, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m so happy!”

Hayasaka-san clings to me, kissing my neck and collarbone.

“You can do anything to me, Kirishima-kun. As long as we don’t go all the way, you can use my body however you want. Please, use it. If you’re excited, I want you to let it out on me. Please, let it out.”

At her words, I position her beneath me and touch her chest. She gasps. I run my tongue over her smooth skin. She presses her hips against me, letting out a sultry cry.

“Hayasaka-san, your voice.”

“Mm.”

Hayasaka-san takes my left hand, puts my index finger in her mouth, and starts sucking on it like a pacifier, muffling herself. When I stimulate her peaks, she writhes and sucks my finger harder.

Every action makes her body hotter and softer.

I pinch her saliva-soaked tongue with my fingers.

With a completely melted expression, she lets out voiceless moans, surrendering entirely.

With my free hand, I touch her underwear. Like that one time, it’s so hot and wet that I can tell even through the fabric.

“It’s okay. You can treat me like a toy, Kirishima-kun.”

I slip my hand inside her underwear. It’s so wet that my fingers slide smoothly into the crevice on their own.

Soon, lewd wet sounds begin to fill the air.

“No…… this is so embarrassing…… I’m so shameless……”

Even as she says this, Hayasaka-san sucks my fingers harder, lets out sweet breaths, and lifts her hips to press herself against my fingers.

Her hips tremble in small spasms. The suction on my fingers grows stronger. The wet sounds intensify, and the spasms come faster—pressing her face into the pillow, Hayasaka-san’s whole body jolts upward.

I’m happy that a girl trusts me enough to give herself completely.

Hayasaka-san, her cheeks flushed and drool dripping from the corner of her mouth, collapses limply. She looks so sensual that I get even more excited, positioning myself between her legs and leaning over her.

Completely lost in the moment, Hayasaka-san lifts her hips, pressing herself against me.

We instinctively rub against each other through our underwear.

“We can’t go all the way. It’s our promise with Tachibana-san.”

“I know.”

“But I want to…… I want to give you everything, Kirishima-kun……”

“I want you too, Hayasaka-san.”

But our promise with Tachibana-san looms large, so we kiss instead.

“Put it in, put it inside me.”

I slide my tongue into her mouth.

“Make it rougher, more, more!”

A substitute act.

She sucks hard on my tongue as I move it in and out, making wet sounds.

Our underwear gets wetter and wetter. Hayasaka-san hugs me tightly from below, pressing her mouth against my shoulder as if biting it. And then—

“Kirishima-kun…… this is amazing, Kirishima-kun…… it’s so good, Kirishima-kun, Kirishima-kun!”

Hayasaka-san rhythmically lifts her hips over and over.

After she collapses again, I kiss her, and we repeat the cycle.

By the time our heat cools, it’s already morning.

“I-I’m gonna go change my underwear.”

Hayasaka-san says shyly, hiding her face with her bangs.

“And, uh, we need to wash the sheets before my mom sees them.”

After Hayasaka-san leaves the room, I reach for the phone by my pillow.

Oh man.

“Tachibana-san, you didn’t hang up?”

“…………”

After a brief pause, Tachibana-san’s voice comes through.

“Good morning, Shirou-kun. I was asleep, so I don’t know what happened, but it seems I left the call on.”

We both probably have a lot we want to say, but after staying up all night, our thoughts aren’t quite clear. Still, I ask the one question I’ve been wanting to ask.

“Was it okay?”

“What?”

“The sharing.”

Back then, Tachibana-san accepted Hayasaka-san’s proposal to share. She could’ve refused Hayasaka-san’s request. But……

“I couldn’t make you choose between us back then.”

“Why not?”

“You’d definitely choose Hayasaka-san. Because you’re kind—”

At that point, Tachibana-san corrects herself:

You’d definitely choose Hayasaka-san. Because—

“Because you’re weak, Shirou-kun.”