Chapter 32: Lover Rotation

♤♤♤

It was a weekend morning.

I was in the shopping district with Hamanami, lining up outside a sneaker shop before it opened.

“Sorry for dragging you out so early.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Hamanami’s boyfriend, Yoshimi-kun, is apparently a sneaker collector. A limited-edition overseas model was going on sale today, but Yoshimi-kun had basketball practice. So Hamanami and I came instead.

“Here, Kirishima-senpai.”

She hands me a can of coffee.

“Your reward.”

The sneakers we’re after are a popular model, and you need to win a purchase lottery to buy them. That’s why I was roped in to boost our chances.

“But you’re pretty devoted, Hamanami. Lining up early in the morning for your boyfriend.”

“I won’t deny it.”

Hamanami puts on a prim expression but shyly pulls her knit cap with ear flaps lower, her cheeks red as she exhales white breath.

It’s a clear winter morning, the air crisp and refreshing.

“By the way, Hamanami, don’t you have something you want to ask me?”

“Nope, not really.”

Hamanami turns away with a blank look.

“Come on, you do. It’s definitely a rumor going around the first-year classrooms.”

“I don’t know anything~”

“You’re curious, aren’t you?”

“Let’s buy the sneakers and go home.”

“So, Yanagi-senpai walked into the classroom—”

Mid-sentence, Hamanami covers her ears.

“And what happened next was—”

“Ahh~ ahh~ ahh~ ahh~ ahh~”

It’s not about what’s said, but who says it.

Yanagi-senpai declared in front of everyone that he’s dating Tachibana-san.

“It’s all my fault.”

The story Yanagi-senpai spun was this: He’s always liked Tachibana-san and aggressively pursued her while she was dating me. Hayasaka-san comforted me in my despair, and we started dating.

Since it came from Yanagi-senpai, the classroom accepted it as the truth. It was a neat conclusion, and there was no need to say more.

Me and Hayasaka-san.

Yanagi-senpai and Tachibana-san.

On the surface, these pairings align with societal norms. One-on-one relationships, properly breaking up before dating someone new. Yanagi-senpai takes the blame for pursuing a taken girl, but he’s not the type to care about gossip, and he’s a third-year about to graduate anyway.

It was a barely acceptable way to save face. The situation settled for the moment.

But for Tachibana-san, who’s in a different class, it must’ve been a bolt from the blue.

After school, we agreed to meet at a café far from school.

At a four-person table, Hayasaka-san and I sit side by side, with Yanagi-senpai across from us. After a silent wait, Tachibana-san enters with a cold expression.

She strides over, grabs a glass of water from the table, and wordlessly splashes it on Yanagi-senpai.

“Sorry.”

Yanagi-senpai wipes his face with a handkerchief.

“I want to talk. Will you sit?”

Tachibana-san still glares at Yanagi-senpai.

“You want Kirishima to spend the rest of high school as a two-timing jerk?”

At that, Tachibana-san roughly sets her bag on the table and sits.

“Explain yourself. Kirishima was supposed to be dating Hikari-chan. How did this happen? I think I deserve to know.”

Hayasaka-san answers.

“I liked Yanagi-kun.”

Yanagi-senpai’s expression turns complicated.

“But I thought that love wouldn’t work out, so I talked to Kirishima-kun about it. Then I started liking Kirishima-kun, and we got into a vague relationship. But Kirishima-kun’s first love came true, and he started dating Tachibana-san too—”

Hayasaka-san spoke vaguely, perhaps not wanting Tachibana-san to feel like she was the top girl.

Yanagi-senpai listens and sighs.

“You were half-assing things like that?”

“Sorry.”

“Did Hikari-chan know and still date Kirishima?”

Tachibana-san doesn’t answer. She loved being the bold, youthful girlfriend at school. Having that taken away has made her furious.

Silence lingers.

Eventually, Yanagi-senpai speaks.

“How about we try this arrangement for a while?”

His proposal was to play pretend lovers with the pairings he’d created to save face: me with Hayasaka-san, him with Tachibana-san.

“Absolutely not.”

Tachibana-san firmly refuses. But Yanagi-senpai doesn’t back down.

“It’s my final request.”

He bows his head. Tachibana-san falters. She’s weak when someone discards pride or propriety to confront her.

“Just until I graduate. A limited-time thing. Be my girlfriend. I know it’s unfair to say this, but I think I’ve done enough for Hikari-chan to deserve one chance. If I can’t win your heart by graduation, I’ll never appear before you again. I swear.”

Tachibana-san, unsure where to direct her emotions, knits her brows and lets her gaze wander.

Then, prefacing with “Be honest.” she says,

“Yanagi-kun, you consulted Hayasaka-san about love, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If I reject you, what would you do with Hayasaka-san?”

Senpai relaxes his expression and answers honestly.

“I’d probably ask Hayasaka-chan to date me.”

Tachibana-san makes a difficult face for a while but eventually says in a calm tone,

“I want to talk to Hayasaka-san alone.”

So Yanagi-senpai and I step outside.

Under the eaves, we silently fiddle with our phones.

Eventually, Yanagi-senpai speaks.

“Hikari-chan will probably agree to this. To protect Kirishima’s reputation, to repay her debt, and to cleanly remove me from her life.”

Even temporarily becoming Yanagi-senpai’s girlfriend might make people think Tachibana-san isn’t loyal, but she probably doesn’t care about that.

“In these two months, I’ll make Hikari-chan fall for me.”

Senpai says it like he’s convincing himself.

But the conclusion the two girls reached was unexpected. A message on my phone calls us back, and as Yanagi-senpai and I sit at the table, Tachibana-san says,

“The first month, I’ll date Yanagi-kun. The next month, Hayasaka-san will.”

“Huh?”

Yanagi-senpai lets out a confused sound.

I look at them in shock.

Tachibana-san keeps a cool demeanor, while Hayasaka-san nods firmly.

In other words—

They’re proposing a rotation of lovers.

♤♤♤

“Wa~hhh, wa~hhh!”

“Hamanami, why are you crying?”

“B-B-B-Because you’re telling me a scary story!!”

The sneaker shop opened, and we were lining up at the register.

Hamanami didn’t win the lottery, but I did, so we can buy the sneakers.

“Is it that scary?”

“Of course it’s scary! Why do you look so confused? Did you leave your ethics and common sense somewhere?”

Tachibana-san and Hayasaka-san will take turns being Yanagi-senpai’s girlfriend. When they’re not with Yanagi-senpai, they’ll be my girlfriend.

“It reeks of decadence! Don’t turn Tokyo into a city of depravity! Sodom and Gomorrah!”

Hamanami shrieks. Her wit is as sharp as ever.

“How do Tachibana-senpai and Hayasaka-senpai feel, taking turns being Yanagi-senpai’s girlfriend? And can you actually pull off this rotation?”

“That’s why we made rules.”

“Here come the rules!”

The four of us discussed and set rules for the lover rotation.

First, the duration is two months until Yanagi-senpai graduates. The first month is Yanagi-senpai with Tachibana-san and me with Hayasaka-san. The second month is Yanagi-senpai with Hayasaka-san and me with Tachibana-san.

Second, nothing beyond hugging is allowed. Kissing is banned. This rotation is a trial, and anything too intense is prohibited.

Third, we should go on dates as a group of four whenever possible. If dating as a couple, we must periodically send photos to the other two to ensure the second rule is followed.

It started with Yanagi-senpai’s request to Tachibana-san for one last chance.

But a different context has emerged. Tachibana-san likely has her own motives, and Hayasaka-san has hers. And—

“Wait, Kirishima-senpai, are you planning to use this for a soft landing? Since choosing one would hurt the other, you’re thinking if one naturally ends up with Yanagi-senpai, it’ll all work out—”

I affirm with silence. At that moment—

“You haven’t learned a thing! Not a single thing! None of Kirishima-senpai’s plans have ever worked!”

“Maybe I’ve been failing all this time for this one final success. Failure is the mother of success, right?”

“If Edison knew he’d be quoted by someone like you, he’d never have said it!”

Hamanami says, then takes a breath to calm herself.

“Joking aside, I can’t even imagine how this’ll play out.”

“We went out as a group of four yesterday.”

“Ugh………… Where’d you go?”

“An indoor pool.”

A leisure-oriented heated pool, quite large with a lazy river.

“And of course, both girls were in swimsuits, right?”

I nod, “Yeah.”

Both Hayasaka-san and Tachibana-san wore pretty revealing swimsuits.

That day, we met at the station and headed to the pool.

We were together as a group of four, but it wasn’t a double date. We stayed in the same space to act as a deterrent, ensuring neither couple broke the rules by doing anything too intense.

So, once we gathered poolside, we immediately split up.

Hayasaka-san was thrilled about the water slide.

“Hugs are okay, right~?”

With that, I hugged Hayasaka-san from behind as we went down the slide. Come to think of it, it was my first time seeing her in a swimsuit.

But my gaze kept drifting to Tachibana-san whenever I let my guard down.

Tachibana-san was in a pool a bit away, practicing swimming with Yanagi-senpai. She’s not good at swimming.

Yanagi-senpai held both her hands as she put her face in the water, kicking her legs.

Tachibana-san usually vomits when touched by guys other than me. But with Yanagi-senpai, she no longer gets sick from hand-holding or shoulder touches.

What hurt my chest more was the pained expression Tachibana-san made when she surfaced for air.

Tachibana-san rarely breaks her cool facade. But now, she was showing those other expressions to Yanagi-senpai. Her wet hair, her wet skin—those were supposed to be mine alone—

I couldn’t help but think that.

The clincher came while I was walking through the lazy river, with Hayasaka-san clinging to my arm. My attention was entirely on her body, but then she said,

“Look, they’re practicing breaststroke.”

I looked and saw Tachibana-san holding the poolside, floating, while Yanagi-senpai held her ankles from behind, guiding her legs to mimic breaststroke movements.

“That’s quite a position.”

It was a shock.

Since it was breaststroke, Tachibana-san was repeatedly spreading her legs while facing backward, her movements exaggerated by Yanagi-senpai’s hands.

“Don’t they both look a bit embarrassed?”

Hayasaka-san whispers in my ear.

“Yanagi-kun’s got Tachibana-san in that position from behind—he’s definitely aware of it, right? What’s he looking at? Her white legs? Her hips? Or…… Tachibana-san’s swimsuit has so little fabric, doesn’t it? With her legs spread so boldly, I wonder if it’s slipping.”

Yanagi-senpai was interacting with Tachibana-san at a boyfriend’s distance.

The girl only I could touch, the skin only I could see, the space only I could approach—Yanagi-senpai was closing in on it. She was supposed to be mine alone—

Even though Hayasaka-san is beside me, even though she’s my girlfriend right now, all I can think about is Tachibana-san, who’s Yanagi-senpai’s girlfriend.

And, whether she knows my feelings or not, Hayasaka-san whispers again,

“Tachibana-san’s weak to being pushed, right?”

It’s true—Tachibana-san loves being pursued aggressively.

“Yanagi-kun, in that position, making her spread her legs from behind—he’s thinking about doing that, right?”

I recall that night in Kyoto, what I did to Tachibana-san.

“Tachibana-san might have everything overwritten.”

Her words make me imagine it.

On the other side of that thin swimsuit fabric, Tachibana-san, forced from behind, gasping with a pained expression.

Is that an impossible future? But if I let go of Tachibana-san, it’s a natural future.

Even if I don’t let go, Senpai is thinking about doing it.

After we decided on the lover rotation, Yanagi-senpai said to me when we were alone:

“I’m not following the rules. If I think I can go for it, I will.”

♤♤♤

“O~i, come back~! Kirishima Shirou, come back~!”

“Huh!”

Hamanami’s voice snaps me back to the sneaker shop.

“What was I doing……”

“You were staring into space, rambling on. I already paid. Thanks.”

Hamanami is carefully holding the sneaker box.

Apparently, I dove too deep into the pool incident.

“By the way, Kirishima-senpai, you’ve been glued to your phone. What are you doing?”

“Looking at pictures of Tachibana-san and Yanagi-senpai on their dates.”

When we have to date as pairs, the rule is to periodically send photos to the other two.

Since Hayasaka-san and I go to cram school, it’s hard for all four of us to always be together.

But Yanagi-senpai has limited time to win over Tachibana-san, so he actively goes on dates. That’s why photos of them hanging out keep piling up.

Tachibana-san and Senpai at a bookstore, watching a soccer game, a selfie holding hands. Lovers’ clasp. Tachibana-san’s expression is neutral.

“I don’t know why, but looking at these photos makes me feel all floaty. It’s supposed to hurt, but I keep wanting to see more, more. Of course, I know I shouldn’t, but before I realize it, I’m looking again……”

“You idiot!”

Hamanami snatches my phone.

“Your brain’s getting destroyed! This is seriously bad. You guys are doing something more dangerous than drugs!”

While saying that, Hamanami scrolls through the photos.

“But just because they send photos doesn’t prove they’re not doing anything, right? Like, look at Tachibana-san here—her cheeks look flushed, don’t they? Like she’s been moving her body vigorously…… Her clothes seem a bit disheveled too…… Oh, this photo’s of her eating cheese risotto. Must’ve been hot—she’s teary-eyed, with something white and gooey dripping from her mouth. But is this really cheese risotto? Yanagi-senpai’s with her, right? Could this be…… Yanagi-senpai’s…… Just kidding! Kidding! I was teasing! Don’t give me that dead-fish look!”

Since starting this rotation, I’ve been in a daze. Hamanami said my brain’s being destroyed, and she might be right.

I’m walking the floor now, but it doesn’t feel like I’m moving my own feet. My thoughts keep drifting to Tachibana-san. What’s she thinking? Tachibana-san, Tachibana-san.

“Oh, Tachibana-san, you’re here. I had something I wanted to ask.”

“I’m Hamanami!!”

A Tachibana-san-like Hamanami screams. This Tachibana-san’s got sharp comebacks.

“Snap out of it! Tachibana-senpai isn’t here!”

“But she’s right there, holding colorful sneakers……”

“Tachibana-senpai doesn’t wear colorful sneakers!”

I start walking toward a slightly shorter Tachibana-san.

“Hey, Kirishima! Don’t bother innocent people, you idiot!”

The quick-witted Tachibana-san tries to stop me, but I ignore her.

I put a hand on that Tachibana-san’s shoulder and say,

“Hey, Tachibana-san.”

The short-haired, slightly childish Tachibana-san turns and says,

“Oh, Kirishima-san! What a coincidence.”

It was Tachibana-san’s younger sister, Miyuki-chan. In other words, a Tachibana.

♤♤♤

Hamanami, Miyuki-chan, and I walk down the main street.

At the sneaker shop, Miyuki-chan had said,

“I have something to consult Hamanami-san about.”

She seemed a bit down.

“Was it okay not to buy those sneakers?”

Hamanami asks as we walk. Miyuki-chan didn’t buy the colorful, boyish sneakers she’d been holding at the store.

“It’s fine. I didn’t really want them.”

She used to love boyish sneakers, but now she honestly wants to wear more girly things.

That change seems to be her concern.

“I’ve always been active since I was little, with lots of guy friends. But lately, they don’t hang out with me. Earlier, some boys from my class were going to the arcade, and I asked to join, but they said, ‘We’re not hanging with you.’”

It’s not like she’s being bullied or ignored.

“Instead, guys have been asking me to hang out one-on-one more often. I say I want to hang out with everyone like before, but they say they’re done with that kind of relationship. What should I do?”

Hearing Miyuki-chan’s worries, Hamanami squeals, “So cute~!!”

“What is it with the Tachibana sisters and their occasional pure-girl vibes?!”

It really did feel like a fifteen-year-old girl’s dilemma.

“It’s my fault. I quit the track team last summer, my skin’s gotten paler, and I let my hair grow out. Since then, the guys have been acting distant.”

They’ve probably started seeing Miyuki-chan as a girl.

“Since I looked too much like my sister, I cut my hair short first.”

When we first met at the futsal court, she had a ponytail. Now it’s a short cut.

“I thought about going back to wearing only sports brands like before……”

But when she held the sneakers, she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to wear them.

I think to myself: No matter how much Miyuki-chan tries to dress boyishly like before, it won’t go back to how it was. Because the boys have realized it. That their friend they always hung out with is a girl, and that feeling is romantic.

They can’t be just friends anymore. They can’t go back.

But she probably needs to figure that out herself, not be told.

Hamanami knows this too, so she says,

“I think it’s about what you want. Do you want to go back to those boyish days, or, since you grew out your hair, maybe you also want to dress up and be more girly?”

Why not try both? Hamanami suggests.

“If you try going super boyish or super girly, you might figure out what feels right.”

“You’re right, maybe so. Right now, I feel kind of half-hearted. Since the sneakers didn’t excite me, I want to try going all-out girly next.”

“Leave the styling to me! I’ll make you the cutest girl ever! Miyuki-chan’s Cinderella, and I’m the fairy godmother!”

It’s easy to forget, but Hamanami, with her asymmetrical hair and bold use of bright colors, has a high fashion sense. I thought this would kick off Hamanami’s styling session. But—

“I’ve always wanted to wear something like this.”

The shop window Miyuki-chan pointed to displayed……

An ultra-frilly gothic lolita dress.

Hamanami does a fake stretch, composes her expression, and screams,

“You’re not conflicted! Not at all! This isn’t about wanting to go back to boyish days with the guys! From head to toe, you’re all girl! Just like your sister! These shoujo-manga-brained sisters!”

Still, as a rite of passage for a fifteen-year-old girl, she decided to try gothic lolita fashion. Buying it would be expensive, but rentals were available.

“What, Hamanami, you know a lot about this.”

“I have a friend who’s into this stuff. Lots of girls want to try it.”

We entered a shop with a Renaissance-style exterior and signed up for a one-day experience course. They’d do her makeup and lend accessories and shoes. After waiting in a changing room, Miyuki-chan emerged.

“How is it?”

It was a black-based dress with white frilled collars and sleeves, enamel platform shoes, and a tiara—a 100% lolita look.

“It takes courage to wear this, so if you could say something……”

“It’s great. The lily emblem is elegant. The fleur-de-lis, used by the Merovingian dynasty in France, is also seen in Japan’s hip-hop scene—”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Then Hamanami comes out. Since Miyuki-chan was shy, Hamanami decided to dress up too to encourage her. Hamanami’s dress was blue and white.

“How’s it look?”

“Yeah, nice.”

There was a professional photography service, so we headed to the studio.

“Hey, Kirishima-senpai, say something!”

“Hamanami-san, you’re super cute.”

Miyuki-chan says it instead.

“No, Kirishima-senpai too. Oi, Kirishima.”

Hamanami looked like Alice in Wonderland. But saying “cute” is Yoshimi-kun’s role.

We went outside, enjoying food and shopping. Their outfits boosted their mood, and they bought girly things like soaps and perfumes. I carried all their bags.

“Next, let’s go to a theme park in these outfits. They’d stand out during Halloween.”

After having fun, Hamanami says as we walk down the street.

“Weren’t you embarrassed, Kirishima-san?”

Miyuki-chan asks.

“We stood out everywhere.”

“Not at all. You’re wearing what you want, Miyuki-chan. You should be proud, and you’re super cute, so walking beside you made me proud too.”

“Is that so……”

I kind of understand why my sister likes Kirishima-san, Miyuki-chan says softly. And since earlier, her hand has been brushing against mine, almost touching. Eventually, her pinky tries to hook onto mine—

“Miyuki-chan, let’s hold hands~”

Hamanami cuts in, linking hands with Miyuki-chan. They walk together like close friends.

“I really am a girl, aren’t I? Wearing this made it clear.”

Miyuki-chan says.

Hamanami smiles but looks like she’s thinking, You didn’t need the outfit to know that!

“I also realized I can’t go back to how things were with the boys. And…… today, I might’ve understood a little about love……”

Miyuki-chan says, looking down.

For some reason, Hamanami glares at me.

“Time for Kirishima-senpai to head home.”

“Huh? But……”

“It’ll be more fun with just us girls—”

Mid-sentence, Hamanami’s phone buzzes. She says, “Excuse me.” checks the screen, and hesitantly says,

“Um…… sorry, Yoshimi’s done with practice…… Can I step out? I want to give him the sneakers and…… show him this outfit……”

“Go show Yoshimi-kun. By the way, Hamanami, you’re quite—”

“No need to say more. I know I’m a love-struck fool!”

Hamanami says, then adds, “Go straight home, you two! No detours! That’s a warning!” before hurrying off to meet Yoshimi-kun.

“What was that about?”

“Well……”

I start heading back to the shop with a quieter Miyuki-chan. On the way, her face turns bright red as she says,

“Um, would you like to come to my house now?”

Her voice trembles.

“N-No, I mean, my sister’s been really down lately…… I thought maybe you could cheer her up……”

I answer reflexively, “Sure.” Right now, Tachibana-san is Yanagi-senpai’s girlfriend, so this is against the rules. But I wanted to know Tachibana-san’s true intentions.

We return Miyuki-chan’s outfit, take the train, and head to the Tachibana family’s tower condo.

The elevator takes us to a high floor, and Miyuki-chan unlocks the door. I’m invited in and take off my shoes. It’s my second time here. The first was after futsal when Tachibana-san vomited inside my clothes.

“Is Onee-chan in her room?”

Relying on that memory, I start toward Tachibana-san’s room. But—

“Kirishima-san, come to my room.”

Miyuki-chan looks away, tugging my coat sleeve as she speaks.

“My sister’s at piano lessons, so she won’t be back for a while.”