Chapter 259

“...Tsuda-kun.”

A faint voice reached my ears. Dead to the world, I opened my eyes at that gentle tone.

“Matsuda-kun, wake up.”

Wearing an exasperated smile, Miyuki shook my arm to wake me.

She wore a white T-shirt tucked neatly into a long denim skirt, with a black cardigan draped over it. Looking at her was a feast for the eyes. It was a gorgeous outfit, perfectly suited to her innocent image.

“It’s past nine. You have to get up now.”

Rubbing my eyes at her gentle voice, I mumbled weakly.

“It’s only nine. Let me sleep a little longer...”

“No. Get up right now.”

Instead of answering her gentle nagging, I pulled the blanket all the way over my head. Miyuki immediately snatched it aside and yanked my arm. But lacking the strength, she couldn’t pull me up from where I lay glued to the floor.

“Are you flexing right now...?”

She asked the question with a hint of exasperation as she struggled. Pretending to be completely limp while actually tensing my entire body, I answered.

“No.”

“Don’t lie. Your arm is rock hard—what do you mean, ‘no’...!”

“I’m telling you, I’m not.”

“If you keep acting lazy like this... ah!?”

Miyuki’s grumbling gave way to a short shriek as she lost her balance. I had grabbed her arm and pulled her down. She collapsed on top of me like cotton candy blown over by a puff of wind. Wrapping my arms and legs around her body, which radiated a strong plum scent, I spoke.

“Let’s just stay like this for a minute.”

“...Then let me go first so I can take off my cardigan.”

“I don’t want to. You’re going to run away if I let go.”

“Ah, hurry... I can’t let it get dusty...”

“Then hold still. I’ll take it off for you.”

“...”

“You just need the cardigan off, right?”

“For now, yes...”

“Got it.”

With a soft rustle, the cardigan began to slip off Miyuki’s body. Carefully peeling it off for fear she might run, I set it on the tatami and pulled her into another embrace. Resting my chin on the crown of her head, I asked.

“Aren’t you cold, though? How did you get here dressed like this?”

“I put my padded jacket in the closet...”

“When?”

“Just now.”

“While I was sleeping?”

“Yeah. But my head hurts, so could you move your chin?”

“No.”

When I voiced my refusal in a robotic tone just to tease her, she mumbled to herself, pressed her lips to my chest, and blew a puff of air.

The warmth spreading through my chest wasn’t entirely bad. As I stroked Miyuki’s body while she whined adorably, I pondered how to explain my relationship with Renka to her.

I should have given her a heads-up beforehand... I had been thinking about it, but wasted time hesitating. Then, when the opportunity to sleep with Renka arose, I just went straight to the Hotel with her. It was my blunder. How should I fix this?

Should I just carry on the affair behind Miyuki’s back, capture Hiyori too, and then drop the bomb all at once? No, if I did that, the shock to Miyuki would be indescribably huge. I had already decided not to do things that way, so let’s find another method.

Trying to solve this with my less-than-stellar brain felt like my brain cells were being destroyed one by one. Enduring the throbbing ache already forming in my head, I patted Miyuki’s back. When she lifted her head, I spoke to her.

“What are you going to do today?”

“Are you seriously asking? We agreed to study.”

“Right... got it.”

When I gave her a drained, despairing look, Miyuki giggled and tickled my ribs. But since I showed no reaction at all, she quickly lost interest and snuggled tightly into my arms.

“Where are we studying, though? Did you say we were doing it at Miura’s house?”

“That was the original plan, but I changed it to here.”

“Here? Why did you change the location on your own?”

“We both agreed to it.”

“When?”

“I asked you three nights ago. Don’t you remember?”

Judging by her expression, she wasn’t lying. She had probably brought it up right as I was falling asleep, and I might have just mumbled some lazy agreement.

There was also a good chance she had guided me into agreeing while I was half-asleep. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the smart, shrewd Miyuki had set this up on purpose.

“Together with Miura?”

“Yeah. With Tetsuya-kun.”

I didn’t like that a piece of trash like Tetsuya was coming to my house again, but I decided to let it slide. I couldn’t refuse Miyuki’s wish. After all, she and Tetsuya were close childhood friends.

Slipping my hand into her long hair, I stroked the nape of her neck and asked.

“When did Miura say he was coming?”

“He said he’ll be here at 1 PM.”

“Then we have about four hours left. Should we pop out to eat and come back?”

“Yeah. Let’s go there.”

“Where is ‘there’?”

“There. The ramen shop.”

She was talking about the place where she and I had left our sticky notes. If the weather had been ordinary today, Miyuki wouldn’t have suggested going there. Seeing her bring it up first, it seemed like it was about to rain outside. Glancing at the tightly shut window, I shook my head.

“Let’s go there at dawn. The atmosphere is better then.”

“Is that so...? Then where should we go? Should we just make something here?”

“Let’s just wait an hour and think about it again.”

“Why exactly an hour? Are you planning to sleep again?”

“No.”

“Then why... hm...?”

A confused Miyuki gave a small flinch. It seemed she had felt something growing harder from my lower half, which was pinned beneath her crotch.

My lips curled into a smile as I watched her flush red in an instant, letting out an awkward cough as if embarrassed.

“It ended up like this, so what should we do?”

“...What do you mean, what should we do... you have to settle it down yourself...”

“I don’t like the word ‘yourself’.”

“Then what are you going to do...”

It was sly of her to ask when she already knew. Chuckling, I answered by pulling her T-shirt out from her skirt, and traded places with her as she gradually relaxed her body.

Creaaak...

“Hey, Matsuda.”

As soon as I opened the Main Gate, Tetsuya’s dim-witted face greeted me. Suppressing the urge to vomit, I jerked my chin with a bored expression, gesturing for him to come in. Smiling like an idiot, Tetsuya stepped inside the gate.

“Excuse me. But this place is exactly the same. It feels like almost nothing has changed since vacation.”

What did he mean nothing had changed? The difference was obvious starting with the once-neglected flowerbed that was now neatly arranged. So this was how he had managed to stick by Miyuki’s side all this time—by being completely clueless. What an amazing guy, truly.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. But what about Miyuki? I texted her earlier, and she said she was already here.”

“She’s inside.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Accepting my answer, Tetsuya followed me into the house, only to run right into Miyuki coming out of the bathroom. He froze in his tracks at the sight of her towel-drying her hair while wearing an oversized T-shirt and shorts. Spotting him, Miyuki offered a beaming smile and a greeting.

“Hi, Tetsuya-kun.”

Unable to hide his bewilderment at Miyuki’s attitude—showering in another man’s house and shamelessly saying hello—Tetsuya blinked and awkwardly raised a hand.

“Ah, well... hi, Miyuki.”

“You ate before you came, right?”

“Yeah. You told me to eat first, so I did, but...”

“Good job. Hurry up, sit down, and open your book. We’re starting right away.”

“Okay... bu-but, did you just take a shower?”

“I did. Why?”

“Nothing...”

His face had hardened considerably. At a glance, it was obvious he felt bitter because she had never even showered when visiting his house, yet she had washed up in mine without any hesitation. I wondered if he would faint if he knew that up until thirty minutes before he arrived, we’d been sucking and licking each other.

“Your clothes are a bit big...?”

At Tetsuya’s remark, Miyuki looked down at the T-shirt she was wearing and smiled innocently.

“Oh, this...? It’s Matsuda-kun’s.”

“M-Matsuda’s...?”

“Yeah.”

Miyuki wasn’t particularly trying to hide her relationship with me. In the past, she used to pull back out of embarrassment, but she had gradually improved, and after the school trip, that hesitance completely vanished.

Proudly declaring that she was wearing my clothes was also part of that change. Since Miyuki had gone this far, wasn’t it about time he noticed our relationship? He had been sensing something strange all along, hadn’t he? He really ought to catch on already.

No, on second thought, it felt like Tetsuya was acting this way despite already knowing that Miyuki and I were seeing each other. That was just the kind of guy he was. The human being known as Tetsuya.

Honestly, it didn’t really matter if Tetsuya stuck by Miyuki’s side. I could use him as a prop to make myself stand out even more, which was actually a plus.

Tossing her towel into the laundry basket as if she owned the place, Miyuki sat at the table, opened her book, and patted the spots on either side of her.

“Both of you, sit.”

Tetsuya hesitated before approaching and taking a seat next to her. Planting my butt on her opposite side, I caught Tetsuya secretly sniffing the air behind Miyuki’s back.

He must have caught a whiff of the sweet plum scent, identical to the shampoo Miyuki always used. Seeing him contort his face, I was certain of it.

I was glad he maintained his pathetic attitude from start to finish. If he kept groaning internally until his inferiority complex blew up and he said something unforgivable to Miyuki, that would be the day their relationship ended. And looking at his shit-eating expression right now, I felt that day wasn’t far off.

Moving a little closer to Miyuki to get on Tetsuya’s nerves, I asked.

“What are the subjects for today?”

“Math and English.”

“Can we skip math? We did that last time too.”

“Math is the most important subject. Absolutely not.”

“You have to spark an interest in studying. If you force it, you’ll only breed resentment.”

“Don’t you think you’re past the age of needing your interest sparked? Whining is useless, so open your book already.”

Our Miyuki truly had no room for compromise when it came to studying. Just a little while ago she had been moaning beneath me in a tone dripping with shyness... yet now she was speaking in a voice so cold she might as well be a dictator.

Would it get worse when we got married? Probably. Thinking that, I quietly opened my book and, together with a Tetsuya whose mental state seemed slightly shattered, listened to Miyuki’s lesson.