Chapter 440

Miyuki picked at her food with her chopsticks, looking as though she’d lost her appetite.

Then again, of course she wouldn't. Not after hearing such a shocking statement.

I picked up a piece of chashu from my portion and dropped it into Miyuki's bowl.

At that, Miyuki furrowed her pretty brow and shot me a look.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, sorry.”

“I just asked what you were doing. Why are you apologizing?”

“Because you looked angry?”

“I’m not.”

“Then why the scowl?”

“To tease you.”

“Then it worked.”

A breath slipped past my lips, carrying a sigh of relief.

It was pure instinct. I’d been trying to play it cool, but I was actually wound tight, terrified she might take it badly.

At the same time, a soft laugh burst from Miyuki.

She must have found this rare, flustered side of me funny.

Maybe seeing that brief flash of humanity amused her. She kept giggling between bites of her ramen, and a profound wave of relief washed over me.

More than that, my reaction would prove to her that my earlier confession hadn't been a joke. It was the truth.

“Stop laughing and eat.”

“I will. Idiot.”

In that comfortably quiet atmosphere, Miyuki and I finished our ramen and headed home.

By the time I finished showering in the small bathroom and stepped out, the shower in the main bathroom was running in full swing.

The water kept running for a long time, suggesting Miyuki was lost in thought under the hot spray.

Feeling relaxed, I laid out the futon, dropped the air conditioner to its lowest setting, and cranked the fan to max.

My reasoning was simple: if either of us tossed and turned in our sleep and drifted apart, the freezing air would force us right back together.

Taking it a step further, I pulled out a heavy blanket—the kind you’d normally save for autumn or early winter.

It was still early for bed, but we didn't necessarily have to lie down just to sleep.

We could cuddle up and watch TV, or play a game together.

From now until tomorrow, I wasn't going to separate from Miyuki at all.

Before long, Miyuki emerged from the bathroom wearing a white T-shirt and shorts.

With a towel wrapped tightly around her head, she patted her cheeks—which were still slightly flushed from the hot water—glanced at me, and began applying moisturizer and lotion.

After finishing her skincare routine in silence, Miyuki padded over to me.

I lifted the blanket beside me, and she slipped underneath.

Wiggling closer, she latched onto my waist like a leech and pulled the towel from her head.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“No.”

“Then why did you lie down?”

“Why did you follow me and lie down?”

“Just because.”

“Me too. Just because.”

“What... Stop copying me.”

Her affectionate grumbling brought an automatic smile to my face.

“Got it.”

“Why is the air conditioner on so high?”

“It’s hot today.”

“It’s not really that hot, though?”

“It will be, since we’re sticking so close together.”

“Then you should’ve just said so... By the way, Matsuda-kun.”

“What is it?”

“What did you say earlier?”

“Earlier?”

“In the car.”

“When I said there was nothing I could do if you didn’t like it?”

“No... I mean, I want to talk about that too, but not that part.”

In complete contrast to Hiyori, Miyuki had a habit of softening the ends of her sentences in a cute way.

I’d always liked it, but hearing it now, with her voice lowered like this, made it even better.

“That I love you?”

“Yeah. That.”

It was funny how she couldn't bring herself to say the word ‘love,’ even if it killed her.

Right now, Miyuki gave off a vibe somewhat like Renka, fumbling to express her feelings.

Judging by her anxious expression, she had probably already told me she loved me a dozen times over in her head.

“What about it?”

“Just... it felt nice to hear.”

I could tell her again. But not today.

A confession like that shouldn't be thrown around too often.

Rather than coming from someone who constantly spouted the word ‘love,’ it meant more coming from someone stingy with it. That way, the impact wouldn't dull.

I planned to treat it like a special move.

“Did it?”

“It did. And those four people... what did that mean?”

“Could wanting to do it with four people mean anything else?”

“No... did you mean four people including you, Matsuda-kun? Or...”

“Four people, excluding me.”

“...R-Really...?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that makes five in total...? Who are the four?”

“You, Asahina, Senior Nanase, and Inoo-sunbae.”

“Ah... those four...?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm... It seems like all of their personalities are so different...?”

“They are.”

“So doing it with those four is your fantasy, Matsuda-kun?”

“Correct.”

“And swapping someone out for another person isn’t allowed?”

Swapping was out of the question. Adding someone, maybe.

“For now, my dream is to do it with those four.”

“I-I see... If it’s four people, how is that even supposed to work? Do two of them go toward your face...?”

She seemed genuinely curious about the positions and where everyone would be placed.

Pulling her deeply curious head closer to my chest, I answered.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done it.”

“You must have roughly pictured it in your head. Tell me...”

“Well... you’d be riding on top, two others near my chest, and the last one...”

“S-Stop...! I don’t want to hear anymore.”

Miyuki hurriedly cut me off.

She had undoubtedly pictured something both cute and scandalous while listening to my explanation.

I gently stroked her head and asked.

“Why ask about something like that all of a sudden? Are you interested by any chance?”

“Oh, whatever...! I’m not, okay? I was just curious... I don’t really know either. Right now, I just want to sleep without thinking about anything.”

“You’re going to sleep already?”

“A lot happened today. I need to clear my head.”

“By sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“Got it.”

A sharp, stinging sensation flared on my chest.

Miyuki had bitten me.

She seemed upset that I was eyeing other girls despite having her... A normal person would have thrown a massive fit.

In that sense, a reaction like this was practically endearing.

As long as I didn't completely drop the ball here like Tetsuya, it felt like it was right in front of me. The path to a harem.

The next day, I woke up early.

I was roused by a heavy weight spanning from my chest down to my waist.

Wondering what it was, I looked down with groggy eyes. Miyuki was holding onto my torso for dear life, like a castaway clinging to a log at sea.

She was sleeping with her mouth slightly open. Was she having a good dream?

Or a dirty one? As long as I was in it, I didn't care either way.

I carefully checked my Cell Phone; it was 9 o'clock.

And there was a message from Renka.

Glancing only at the notification so as not to trigger the read receipt, I saw the message: [Trash].

She always called me that. Granted, it was an accurate description.

Knowing Renka's personality, she probably wanted to ask what I was doing, but I figured it would be fine not to reply for a day.

She needed to learn to express herself clearly. Calling me Trash right out of the gate was basically just picking a fight.

Quietly turning off my phone screen, I gently stroked Miyuki's soft hair and the back of her head, even though it hadn't been dried properly yesterday.

At that, Miyuki's body gave a little twitch.

“...What time is it...?”

She asked, one eye squeezed shut and the other blearily half-open.

Thinking that her heavily raspy morning voice was incredibly pretty, I answered.

“Nine o'clock.”

“I slept in...?”

“Guess so. Are you going somewhere today?”

“Home...”

“Why home?”

“It’s a big cleaning day...”

“Should I go with you?”

“With me...?”

“Yeah. It’ll get done faster if I help.”

Miyuki's gaze didn't leave my face.

After staring at me for a while as if trying to read my mind, one corner of her mouth twitched upward.

“Matsuda-kun, are you walking on eggshells around me right now...?”

She could have just pretended not to notice. Asking so bluntly made me feel awkward.

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re not...? Never mind, then.”

That completely shut me up. Miyuki felt even more sly than usual today.

I knew she was starting to take after me, but the process seemed to be accelerating.

“By what time do you have to be there?”

“They told me to come by noon.”

“Then let’s eat, wash up, and go.”

“But you don't have to clean, Matsuda-kun?”

“Even if I don't help, I can still give you a ride.”

“Why have you gotten so nice?”

“Don't say weird things. Dropping you off at home is something I've always done.”

I casually showed off my kind side.

I didn't think this would help build a harem, but wouldn't it be good to remind Miyuki to be thankful?

Even with just this much, the thoughtful and affectionate Miyuki would definitely recall the past.

She would remember how I, a former delinquent, had been changing to match her wishes.

Leaving the delinquent gang, studying hard to raise my grades, and even making my personality somewhat milder...

Thinking back on those old memories, she'd surely remember how much I had been catering to her all this time.

It felt a bit opportunistic, but right now was the time to use whatever I could.

“That’s true, but... your tone is super nice today?”

“It’s not.”

“It is, though...?”

“I said it’s not. Don't force your own feelings onto me.”

“I’m not forcing anything.”

“Whatever, then.”

As I engaged in this pointless banter with Miyuki, I felt her body shiver.

She was feeling the cold.

Since people were more sensitive to temperature in the morning, the strong air conditioning seemed to be getting to her.

Even so, I didn't turn off the air conditioner.

That was because I could see Miyuki clinging to me even tighter, as if trying to steal my body heat.

“Should we rest a little longer before eating?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll get everything ready today.”

“Why?”

“So you can rest more. I'm definitely not walking on eggshells around you.”

Miyuki let out a soft chuckle at my blatant admission that I was, in fact, walking on eggshells around her, and pressed her lips near the pit of my stomach.

Then, she sucked in a hard breath, like drawing a drink through a straw.

Watching her leave a mark on me was like looking at a jealous child.

It felt as if she were branding me with a mark that said, ‘You’re mine, so keep that in mind’...

Judging by that action, Miyuki was undoubtedly just as preoccupied with what happened yesterday as I was.

A suction sound began echoing near my ribs, accompanied by a stinging sensation.

My body flinched at the feeling, and I spoke quietly.

“Could you do it a little gentler?”

“No.”

It didn't sound bad at all.

I felt certain that I would hear a positive answer sooner or later.

“Got it.”