Chapter 1: The Cutest Beautiful Girl in School Got a Male Friend, But No One Knows That Person is Me

Monday, six in the morning.

I crawl out of bed and stand in the first-floor dining kitchen as usual.

I wash the rice, set it in the rice cooker, and light the gas stove.

Tamagoyaki, kinpira gobo, wieners, and yakisoba, I stir-fry them in the pan.

In the pot next to it, I boil water for miso soup. Today's ingredients are eggplant and aburaage.

Finally, I broiled the Saikyo-zuke cod and salted salmon on the grill.

Lured by the smell of food, my middle-schooler younger sister pokes her head into the dining kitchen.

「...Good morning, Onii.」

「Morning, Nanoka. Breakfast will be ready soon, so go watch some TV while you wait.」

My younger sister in her pajamas let out a "kuaa" like a duck, then immediately flopped down on the sofa. Her medium auburn bob with its natural wave sways over the armrest.

『Today, Leo is in 9th place! You're likely to get excited with friends over an unexpected topic!』

「9th place, huh, that's so-so...」

While still half-asleep, she makes sure to watch the horoscope.

Nanoka let out a heavy sigh right in the morning over her zodiac sign's rank.

『11th place is Pisces! Doing something for your family will bring good luck today. Convey your gratitude from the morning.』

「.........Good morning. Kimito, Nanoka.」

At the same time as the ranking is announced, the Pisces man of our house shows his face.

Unlike his daughter, he's in a crisp suit. A clean-looking short hairstyle. His clothes and hair are that of a perfect salaryman, but the goatee he's growing for some reason instantly increases his shadiness.

My father, Hajime, showed off a huge, dopey yawn while stroking his goatee.

「Otou-san, you have to do something for the family today, apparently?」

「......Something for the family, huh.」

「Come on, try saying some words of gratitude to Onii and Nanoka.」

「...Kimito, Nanoka. Papa loves you two more than anyone in the world.」

「...Sorry, Otou-san. That's a little creepy.」

This is the usual Shibuya family morning.

I work with Nanoka to carry breakfast to the table, and we put our hands together as a family.

「「「Itadakimasu.」」」

The time is just past seven. It was about when the news program switches from the local station to the key station.

A Tokyo trading company is getting into the tourism DX business, building a large-scale glamping facility in a regional area. I vaguely watch such news.

「Glamping, huh...」

「Tou-san, you're not thinking of some weird business venture, are you?」

「No, I was just thinking that money really does exist in some places...」

「Don't say things that make me anxious.」

The net cafe's management isn't going smoothly, so I wish he wouldn't get involved in other businesses.

As the chief staff, I gave a warning to the fickle manager.

But, this company from Tokyo...

「It's Kurahashi-san's family's place, isn't it?」

I see Tou-san off to the net cafe and Nanoka to middle school.

After setting the dishes in the dishwasher, I too quickly headed off to school.

「Maybe I'll play some BEX when I get back today.」

Today is my day off from my part-time job.

My heart leaped at the thought of how to spend my afternoon as I pedaled my cross bike.

The prefectural Shiragami School I attend is one of the top college-prep schools in the prefecture.

It produces students who go on to Todai and Kyodai every year, and smart kids from all over southern Aomori Prefecture gather here.

The school's culture is relatively free. Casual clothes and part-time jobs are also permitted.

The Sakurazaka hill in front of the school building. A heart-breaking slope that boys pedal up standing, while girls walk, pushing their bikes. Amidst that──a beautiful girl with a black short bob and swaying skirt rushes up on her bicycle.

She's Arisugawa Kaori, Kurahashi-san's childhood friend and best friend.

A toned body and a tall stature not so different from the male students. It's no wonder, given she belongs to the badminton club, known as a powerhouse, and is active as the ace despite being only a second-year.

And on top of that, a beautiful girl on par with Kurahashi-san. Sporty and cool, she was said by the boys in class to be the cutest after Kurahashi-san.

「Kyah...!」

At that moment, a sudden spring gyarue raged.

Her skirt, its hem slightly raised, flips up, revealing her thighs and light-blue panties. Carefully tailored from silk fabric. They aren't exactly "showdown underwear", but a lot of effort went into them.

「......Hey?」

「...Ah, sorry.」

Holding down her skirt, Arisugawa-san was looking back.

I silently turn my face away from her as she narrows her slender eyes and glares sharply at me.

It would have been good if I could have smoothed it over with small talk, but unfortunately, we don't have that kind of relationship. The world a beautiful girl at the center of the class lives in was different from that of an introvert whose fixed position is in the corner of the class.

If Kurahashi-san had been here, she might have mediated for us.

However, she commutes from home by car. As expected of a young lady.

In the end, we reached the top of the hill without exchanging a single word.

As I parked my bike at the bicycle parking area, Arisugawa-san started running. The school entrance where students come and go. She threw her arms around a beautiful girl standing a little away from the door as if seeking help.

Wavy golden long hair and healthy-toned skin.

A gyaru in a pink cardigan, her uniform worn just casually enough.

Surprised by her friend clinging to her from behind, her rumored K-cup breasts swayed.

「Listen to this, Takane~ ! Someone saw my underwear~!」

「Eh? What what, what's this about?」

That's Hozumi Takane, a member of Kurahashi-san's group of girls.

Their group was formed when Hozumi-san joined Kurahashi-san and Arisugawa-san, who were longtime best friends and childhood friends, through some mysterious circumstances.

A Western-style beautiful girl, a cool-type sporty beautiful girl, a fluffy-and-loose gyaru beautiful girl.

They have no common points other than being beautiful girls. I always think so, but they're a strange group.

「...That guy! On the hill in front of the school just now, he peeked up my skirt from behind!」

The leader of that group points at me and accuses me.

However──

「Ehh!? Are you okay!? Were you wearing something you could show!?」

「That's what you're worried about!?」

To her tearful appeal, her best friend replied with an unexpected remark.

Hozumi-san, ever the gyaru, has the most knowledge and experience in that sort of thing in our class.

That's a very her-like reaction. Arisugawa-san often falls prey to her erotic talk in daily conversation, but she didn't have to do it at this time.

「If you want your butt to look nice, it's a T-back. If you're not confident, then lace, Kaorin!」

「That's not it! I don't want to be seen!」

「The choice to not wear any... I think that's an option too!」

「That's what a pervert would do!」

At Shiragami School, we have about 15 minutes of homeroom before classes start. It's basically a time to share information about event schedules and class changes. If there's nothing, it ends quickly with just attendance confirmation.

But it looked like today's would be a little long.

「Alright, next, about the school trip, Kurahashi-san has an announcement.」

Our homeroom teacher and Japanese language teacher, Nakano-sensei, gives Kurahashi-san a look.

The silver-haired maiden stood in front of the teacher's desk and bowed deeply to her classmates.

「Good morning, everyone. As you know, the school trip was up in the air due to the Youth Sports Center being under renovation. So, I consulted with my grandfather, and he has allowed us to use the glamping facility that the Kurahashi Group is currently building.」

Every year at our school, the second-year classes have a joint camp at the Youth Sports Center before Golden Week. But, just as Kurahashi-san said, this year's was in jeopardy.

To think she would actually solve it.

And what's more, isn't that the glamping facility that was on the news this morning?

In a flash, the class was in an uproar. Seeing them take their neighbors' hands and stand up to hug each other, I was a little taken aback in my corner of the classroom.

Nakano-sensei claps her hands.

「And that's that. Once again, a round of applause for Kurahashi-san.」

Applause swirls through the classroom. In the middle of that swirl, I quietly observed Kurahashi-san.

「That's amazing, Mai! I can't believe you managed to do something about the school trip!」

「For real~! I'd given up, but Maa-chan solved it!」

As soon as homeroom ended and the teacher left, the silver-haired beautiful girl was caught by her two best friends and, like a doll held by small children, was petted, hugged, and jostled about.

Her complexion is already completely fine. It seems there's nothing to worry about.

「Ehehe...♪ I really wanted to go on the school trip with everyone, so I did my best.」

Suddenly, her slender eyelashes flutter, and her moon-like yellow eyes stare this way, looking puzzled.

When I wave my hand──

「......?」

She blinked, looking even more puzzled.

That's strange. We had so much fun yesterday.

「...Mm? What's wrong, Mai? You're making a blank face?」

「...Ah! Kaorin, look over there! It's Panty-Peeping-san!」

A name that's hard to tell if it's rude or polite echoes. The class freezes. And under the piercing gazes of Hozumi-san and Arisugawa-san, I pretended to be asleep, not even caring if my glasses got smudged.

「Ah, and by the way, I'm asking Kurahashi-san to be on the school trip executive committee.」

Thanks to Nakano-sensei returning and saying that without reading the room, I somehow managed to avoid further pursuit.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Time passes to lunch break.

While my classmates gather in their groups of close friends to pick at their bentos──I was a loner.

In the corner of the classroom, I lonesomely picked at the bento I made myself. Once I'm done eating, I check for new videos from my favorite WeTuber, "Onomichi Lion", which I've downloaded onto my smartphone. There was a new ranked match video for a fighting game, and I was thinking of watching it, but──

「Hey, Shibuya. Wanna give me a hand with BEX?」

The extroverted baseball club member in the seat next to me invited me to a game.

I have no obligation to answer, but I have no grudge to refuse either. I reluctantly started up BEX.

The extroverted boy, a casual gamer, was defeated before even reaching the mid-game.

I also got myself killed at an appropriate point and ended the game.

「Ahh! This game is so hard...!」

Glancing at my grumbling classmate, I check on Kurahashi-san.

Her group is chattering away excitedly in front of the teacher's desk again today.

They're mainly a group of three, but there's no exclusive atmosphere, and other groups often mix in.

Today too, they were discussing the weekend's drama with the quieter girls in the class.

「The last scene was so good. Getting hugged tightly from behind...!」

「Kaorin, you really like that stuff, don't you?」

「Isn't being hugged from behind great?」

「Hmm♪ If I'm going to be loved, I think I'd prefer it from the front♪」

「Hey! What are you imagining, Takane!」

Arisugawa-san is once again at the mercy of Hozumi-san's suggestive remarks.

And incidentally, so were the boys who were eavesdropping.

Only Kurahashi-san ignored her friend's suggestive comment and wore a composed expression. She sips the tea poured into her water bottle's cup with a "kupi kupi" sound and exhales happily.

I was relieved for a moment at that innocent reaction──

「Maa-chan, which do you prefer? Being done from the front, or from the back?」

「Hey, Takane!?」

The class's number one adult-topic girl suddenly threw the topic to her, and the classroom buzzed with excitement.

And so, with the class watching──

「...From the front, I guess?」

Kurahashi-san replied with a face that understood nothing.

「Right♪ You wanna be done from the front, right♪」

「Takane! That's enough!」

Arisugawa-san puts the smirking Hozumi-san in a full nelson.

With both her arms stretched and restrained, she shouts "Stooop iit~" and joyfully shakes her shoulders. Each time, the large fruits swayed voluptuously.

「Still, I'd be happier from the front.」

「......Eh?」

「I want to be able to properly see if the other person is happy♪」

And then, a completely unexpected major accident occurred.

The young lady, blushing, hiding her mouth with her uniform sleeve, spoke of her preference.

At her strangely specific answer, the classmates gasps.

Furthermore, she continues.

「But, being held tight from behind... is nice too, right♪」

「...R-Right! From behind is more romantic, isn't it!」

「Yes. Being considerate, touching tentatively, gently escorting... that feeling, no matter how many times I remember it, my heart goes kyun kyun...」

「...M-Mai? Could it be, you have experience?」

Her childhood friend threw a direct question on behalf of the class, and she finally came to her senses.

The young lady's face turns as red as an apple, and she hides it with both hands in a flurry.

「It's general knowledge! Just general knowledge!」

「Is that so? It sounded kind of like a real experience, though?」

「F-Fu…funyaaaaaaaah!」

Screaming like a cat, Kurahashi-san dashes out of the classroom.

「Wait, Mai! Tell me the details!」

「Now, now, Kaorin♪ It just means Maa-chan's at that age...♪」

This time Hozumi-san stops Arisugawa-san, who was about to chase after her.

The fluffy gyaru holds back the sporty beautiful girl. Amidst that──feeling responsible for Kurahashi-san's remark, I quietly left the classroom to follow her.

The silver-haired beautiful girl walks briskly down the hallway.

I follow her as she hurries on her way, her ears red, muffling my footsteps.

Before long, she disappears into the staircase in the middle of the school building.

Did she go up, or down?

If I listen closely, I could hear hurried footsteps from above me.

「Wait, Kurahashi-san!」

I call out to her from between the railings of the staircase.

Then, the footsteps stop with a patter, and Kurahashi-san pokes her head out from the railing above.

「...Panty-Peeping-san!?」

「I'm not!?」

Kurahashi-san holds down the hem of her skirt to hide her panties.

Honestly, I was hurt... but in this situation, I guess I couldn't blame her for being suspicious.

Having caught up to Kurahashi-san, I invited the girl, who looked on the verge of tears, to the rooftop.

The rooftop of Shiragami School is open, and it's bustling with students during lunch break──if that were the case, it would be a very youth-drama-like scene, but unfortunately, it is not.

Like many schools, students were prohibited from entering the rooftop.

Wire-reinforced glass fitted into the door.

A "No Entry" sign pasted on it.

We sit side-by-side on the landing before the rooftop, with our backs to the wall.

A silver door leading to the blue sky.

We looked up at that narrow window.

「It's a nice day. It's not hot like yesterday, and it's pleasant. I wonder why the temperature is so different when it's just as sunny?」

「Y-Yeah, that's right... I had a hard time yesterday, too.」

「Yeah, me too.」

I steal a glance at Kurahashi-san.

The fair-skinned maiden didn't hide her cheeks, but she still seemed to have a slight fever. When she buried her face between her knees and let out a shallow sigh, the stray silver hair by her ear swayed.

I averted my eyes from the faint glisten of sweat on the nape of her neck.

「I'm sorry. I got a little carried away.」

「......Mm?」

Her words were somehow distant.

「Kaori-chan is so reliable. Takane-chan is so mature. I think I wanted to show off to the two of them, who always treat me like a child, that I was more grown-up.」

「That's not a bad thing, is it?」

「No. To show off to my precious friends, I'm truly so shallow.」

「I don't think you need to worry about it...」

「Thank you. But, it's me who's no good.」

With each word we exchange, anxiety overflows in my chest.

Why is she hiding what happened yesterday?

Why does she stubbornly refuse to close the distance between us?

And above all──

「Shibuya-kun, you're kind, aren't you?」

「......That's not, true.」

Why does she call me "Shibuya-kun"?

When did I stop being "Kimito-san"?

It's an anxious way of calling me, as if addressing a classmate she doesn't know well.

The same yellow eyes that looked at me yesterday. I can feel the trust deep within them. However, something that was there at the net cafe had disappeared from her.

「That is true. To worry about a classmate you've never even spoken to and chase after them. A normal person wouldn't go that far. Shibuya-kun, you are... kind...」

Her polite words were the final proof.

She hasn't noticed.

That the net cafe staff member "Kimito-san" is her classmate "Shibuya-kun".

I don't know why, but it seems certain that I'm the cause of her not noticing.

「But, well...」

「Well?」

Fidgeting, Kurahashi-san curls up beside me, hugging her knees.

The most beautiful girl in the class hides her blushing face cutely between her knees, and still somewhat distantly, yet unable to suppress her emotions, she told me in a sweet tone.

「Your voice sounds a little like someone I know... it made my heart skip a beat, you know?」

「I-I see. Uh, sorry about that...」

At that moment, I made a decision.

I must not let Kurahashi-san realize that I'm "Kimito-san".

In order not to startle her, I'll continue to pretend to be a stranger.

Beyond the window with the "No Entry" sign, a bracingly blue sky spread out.

「W-Will you keep this a secret? This story, I don't want you to tell it to anyone...!」

「Yeah, I get it. I won't tell anyone.」

To avoid hurting her, I'll play the parts of "Kimito-san" and "Shibuya-kun".

My double life at school and the net cafe began.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Kurahashi-san, upon returning to the classroom, safely made up with Arisugawa-san and the others.

The precious best friends of the innocent, silver-haired maiden decided to act as if they hadn't heard the feverish lines that came from her mouth. And Kurahashi-san herself accepted her friends' consideration with her usual smile.

「Haa, but, I want to have a wonderful romance too.」

「Kaori-chan, I'm sure you'll get a prince-like boyfriend.」

「......Thanks.」

The slightly awkward exchange between the beautiful girls.

As I watch them with concern, the chime signaling the start of class rings.

Geometry, modern Japanese, English conversation. The afternoon classes end in a flash──and it's after school.

The final school bell echoes through the classroom at 3:30. The students, without getting too carried away, begin to move on to their clubs, committees, cram schools, and lessons. I, too, stood up from my seat while thinking about the menu for dinner.

「Well then, Mai. I have badminton club practice.」

「Okay. Bye-bye, Kaori-chan.」

Arisugawa-san stands up, slinging a shoulder bag with her racket and a Boston bag over her shoulder.

Waving to her best friends, the badminton club's ace left the classroom.

「Maa-chan, I have a full rehearsal for the drama club, so I'm going, okay~?」

「Okay. The performance is soon, isn't it? Good luck.」

「If Maa-chan says so, I feel like I have the strength of a hundred people.」

Hozumi-san also heads to her drama club practice, leaving only Kurahashi-san in the classroom.

Even though she was just moving her textbooks into her school-designated bag, for some reason, her figure looked lonely.

The chime signaling the eighth period rings.

Her silver hair sways, and her yellow eyes open with a start. Snatching her school bag in a hurry, she turned her back to her desk──and her eyes met with the introvert guy staring at her from the corner of the room.

Kurahashi-san smiled and waved "bye-bye" to me.

On the way home, I stopped by the supermarket on the school route, bought ingredients for dinner, and then returned home.

Nanoka hasn't come back from her club activities yet.

I put the ingredients from the shopping bag into the refrigerator.

Leaving only half a cabbage and some ground meat, I went ahead and made rolled cabbage.

I move the consommé-scented pot to a thermal cooker, and next, head to the bathroom.

Taking off my uniform, I wash the bathtub in my trunk-and-shirt, and polish the floor of the washing area. Turning on the ventilation fan to air out the smell of the detergent, I quickly filled the bath with hot water.

Ever since starting middle school and joining a club, Nanoka started taking a bath as soon as she got home.

Girls at that age have a lot to deal with.

「...I wonder if Arisugawa-san and the others are like that too.」

The image of the sporty girl in my class crosses my mind.

The ace, despite being a second-year, goes to club practice almost every day. She also participates in morning self-practice, and I sometimes saw her spraying deodorant on her neck in the classroom before class started.

In my mind's-eye changing room, a classmate takes off her uniform. I imagined it to the point where the light-blue lace underwear fell from her toned body, and then I shook my head.

In the mirror of the washing area, a dull-looking student with a beet-red face is reflected.

Nanoka often says "you're not so bad", but well, that's just family bias.

There aren't many people who would fall for a guy like this──

『Kimito-san. Is it okay if I come again?』

Even if they aren't in love, there aren't many people who would look up to me a lot, either.

That's exactly why I wanted to treat Kurahashi-san with care.

「But why doesn't she realize it's me?」

Have I mastered being an introvert so much that my face has become a mob-face, unrecognizable unless I'm wearing a uniform?

Staring at the mirror, I try poking and prodding my own cheeks. However, it didn't seem like the mystery would be solved.

「I'm home~! Onii~ is the bath ready~?」

「Aha, welcome back, Nanoka...」

As I was doing something stupid, my sister came home in a flurry.

Stomping down the hallway, Nanoka came to the bathroom and stared, wide-eyed, at me, who had taken off my glasses and was holding my cheeks in front of the mirror.

「Hey, Nanoka? Is my face really that plain?」

「...What's up, Onii?」

And so, to my suspicion, my sister──

「I think you have a charming face.」

──gave me her usual flattery.

「Well, if you take proper care of your appearance, I think you'd do pretty well...」

As if to interrupt our trivial sibling conversation, my strewn-about pants begin to vibrate.

Beethoven's 9th. This only rings when the net cafe is in a pinch.

「Sorry, Nanoka. Seems like a bit of an emergency.」

Lightly wiping my arms and legs with a towel, I grab my uniform and leave the changing room.

Fiddling with my smartphone, I answer the phone feigning slight annoyance.

「Hello, You-san? Is there some kind of trouble?」

「Yeah, it's an emergency. Come at once, Kimito.」

It was just after 19:00 when I arrived at the net cafe "Three Freaks". I entered through the back and was changing in the men's locker room when a female staff member, a year younger than me, rushed in.

「I-It's terrible, Chief! Our cafe might go out of business!」

「What happened? And where's Tou-san?」

「The manager said he'd leave the rest to you, Chief...」

He calls me out here, and this is what he does.

Giving up, thinking there was no point in getting angry, I quickly put on my work uniform.

「What on earth happened? A crime? Or a fire?」

「Something way scarier!」

「...Like a namahage?」

「Even a namahage would run away barefoot from this!」

The junior staff member a year younger than me is genuinely frightened. It seems this is no joke.

「Anyway, this way! Please hurry!」

As soon as I finished changing, my junior pulled me by the hand out of the locker room.

We passed through the back yard, went past the private room where I had nursed Kurahashi-san, cut across the semi-private room space, and slipped between the drink bar and manga corner, to the cafe space in front of the counter.

Usually, this place would be milling with salarymen on their way home from work, but for some reason, there was no one there today.

Just one person, sitting primly──was a classmate I knew very well.

Silver hair and clear white skin. A petite body with large, bountiful breasts. The beautiful girl, wearing the uniform of Prefectural Shiragami School, had her hands placed on her lap with a very listless expression.

「Huh? Kurahashi-san? You came again today?」

「Ah! No! You can't say that name...!」

I finally understood. The city's power figure, scarier than a namahage──is what she meant.

「It was about an hour ago, I think. Ku... That young lady just appeared in the cafe out of nowhere.」

「Appeared?」

「The salarymen who were relaxing suddenly let out strange cries... "Ojou-sama, you look lovely as always today! What brings you to a place like this?" and bowed so low their backs looked like they would break!」

「That certainly is horror.」

「From there, people disappeared from the cafe space in a flash... and now, this is the result!」

「...I see, so that's where I come in.」

Shrugging, I turn a fed-up gaze to my junior staff member.

「Of course, we did what we could. But...」

「But?」

「She said "Isn't Kimito-san here...?" looking so sad!」

Ahh. That can't be helped.

I hurried toward the cafe space where Kurahashi-san was.

「Sorry I'm late, Kurahashi-san. It's not my work day today.」

「Ah, Kimito-san...!」

As I apologized, Kurahashi-san immediately jumped on me.

Just like she'd met an amusement park mascot character.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

To get straight to the point, Kurahashi-san had simply come to the net cafe to hang out.

While the customers and staff watch us, we remove the partition in the cafe space and sit side-by-side.

As the chair legs scraped the floor, Kurahashi-san rested her head on my arm.

She looks somehow so happy that I can't bring myself to move away.

It seems she really likes the net cafe's "Kimito-san".

「Kimito-san, why didn't you come right away today?」

「Sorry, I wasn't on the schedule today.」

「...Schedule? What's that?」

「Ahh, since you're a young lady, you wouldn't know, would you?」

When I explained, "It's my part-time work day", Kurahashi-san jumped up on the spot.

「I-I'm so sorry! You were on your day off!」

「Ah, no, it's fine, don't worry about it.」

It wasn't fine at all, but I couldn't blame her when she was bowing her head and apologizing so sincerely.

I tell the distracted girl, "It's okay". To which the young lady shakes her head and looks down, saying "N-No, it's not okay!"

I felt like I was doing something wrong.

「Anyway, it's a bother to be loud in the open space, so shall we move to a private room?」

「...Y-Yes, let's.」

Kurahashi-san finally lifts her face.

I was concerned that her face turned feverish the moment she heard "private room", but right now, having a long talk in such a conspicuous place is more terrifying. Let's hurry up and escape to a private room.

I take her hand and leave the cafe space.

「Ah, but before that. Let's get some drinks.」

Stopping at the drink bar and turning around, I noticed her face was bright red.

「Kurahashi-san?」

「U-U-Um...! K-Kimito...-san!」

The maiden calls my name timidly. Her yellow eyes darted about, telling the story of her confusion.

「I-Isn't it... a-a bit improper... to suddenly take a woman's hand?」

「Ah... s-sorry.」

Only after she said it did I realize I had done something bold to a girl.

When I quickly let go of her hand, she presses it to her chest and clasps it with her other hand.

My heart pounded like a fool at the sight of her holding her hand wistfully before her chest, looking down, a mix of resentment, embarrassment, and confusion.

「Well then, please follow me.」

「Ah, but... if you tell me beforehand, it's okay, you know?」

Timidly, her fingertips are offered. I entwined my own fingers with them, and this time, with Kurahashi-san's permission, we headed to the private room holding hands.

A little of my hand's warmth still lingered on her fingertips.

We pass between the semi-private rooms and head to the one where I had nursed her yesterday.

Was it lucky that it was available? Or bad luck?

We sat down side-by-side in front of the table.

「Fufu... we're alone together again, aren't we?」

Although she's quiet at school, she's very forward at the net cafe.

Or rather, it feels more like she's being innocent.

Today too, I teach Kurahashi-san how to play games.

Just like yesterday, from behind her.

But, before that...

「Kurahashi-san. If you don't mind, could you lend me your smartphone?」

「My smartphone? Why?」

「You can play Nanagami on your smartphone, too. So you don't have to go out of your way to come here.」

Kurahashi-san's smile clouds over, like a tragic victim in a horror movie.

「Was I a bother after all? You're right. You seem busy, Kimito-san...」

「I-I was thinking that, but a computer is probably better for a beginner. Please feel free to come here from now on.」

「......Yes!」

A tear rolled from the corner of her eye, and a brave smile returned to Kurahashi-san's face.

I, who had vaguely admired her un-Japanese appearance, learned firsthand just how much a man's reason can be driven mad by a beautiful girl approaching him with her full affection and innocence.

「Now then, it's getting late, so let's move along briskly.」

「Yes, Kimito-sensei.」

「Stop with the "sensei". We're the same age.」

「Is that so? I totally thought you were older.」

So that's where the misunderstanding started.

「Huh, but, did I tell Kimito-san my age...?」

And now I'd opened a can of worms──

Pressing her bountiful chest against my back, she looks up at me with upturned eyes, puzzled.

「How do you know my age? Kimito-san?」

「I saw your student ID when I was carrying you in here.」

「You looked without permission? That's not okay!」

「You're right. I'm really sorry. I'm a terrible person...」

「In exchange, show me your student ID, Kimito-san. That'll make us even.」

What a skilled negotiator.

As expected of a company president's daughter.

The maiden in love with love grabbed my shoulder and pleaded, "Hurry up, show me".

「Sorry, please forgive me for just that one thing...!」

「Why? That's not fair, Kimito-san!」

I had just resolved not to let her find out I'm her classmate, and I'm already in a pinch.

Thus, with my student ID as leverage, I was once again made to give Kurahashi-san a hands-on lecture, sometimes being hugged, sometimes having her lean on me, and being worked to the bone.

Incidentally, the game's tutorial progressed at a snail's pace.

「That was fun! Kimito-san, can I come again tomorrow?」

「As you'd expect, I'd like a break too...」

「Ah, you're right. But, with lessons, if you skip a day, you forget everything right away...」

「I see. Then, let's cram it all in over a week.」

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

As the days went by, Kurahashi-san's gaming skills improved.

She was serious. Repetitive practice, a cleverness that allowed her to understand explanations, and toughness.

She was equipped with the sense necessary for a gamer.

It was probably thanks to the lessons she's been taking since she was a child.

「Kimito-san, I beat the big enemy!」

「Congratulations. Large monsters are a piece of cake for you now.」

She became able to fight against high-level mob monster bosses without issue.

「Here, I apply wind... ei!」

「Right, right, you fly up to the treasure chest.」

She became able to solve the game's gimmicks on her own.

「The ingredients for this dish are... on a cliff, I think.」

「You remember well.」

「Ehehe... I'm taking proper notes.」

It didn't even take a week for her to become able to collect necessary items on her own.

And so, on Thursday. The young lady had become a respectable open-world traveler.

「Now, Benedict-san, activate your special move! Let's get 'em, everyone~!」

Nanagami is a game where it's better to have characters that synergize well with your attacker rather than just stacking the highest rarity characters. It's a strength that in such a game, she was able to pull a character that could be paired with any attacker.

「All that's left is an attacker. If we have Gekkou, we can aim for Gekkou Nationals.」

「Gekkou Nationals?」

It's faster to show than to explain. Since her adventure rank had just reached the point where multiplayer was unlocked, I sent Kurahashi-san a friend request.

「Wah! Wawa! A mail!」

「That's me. In Nanagami, up to four people can play together.」

「I-Is that so...」

We went to hunt the Oceanid with my Gekkou Shogun added to the party.

The Oceanid is a high-difficulty boss, but with Gekkou, it's an instant kill.

It was the overwhelming power of a fully enhanced attacker with min-maxed equipment, at max constellation, and with a dedicated support character.

Kurahashi-san completely stops her hands on the keyboard and stares blankly.

I placed a hand on her shoulder and urged her, "Hurry up and claim the subjugation reward".

「Kimito-san, you're amazing after all. You're on a different level.」

「Well, we are actually on different levels. But, Kurahashi-san, you'll catch up soon if you practice.」

「...An enemy this strong? Me?」

「If you couldn't beat it, this game wouldn't be this popular.」

Nanagami is a game that doesn't betray the player's efforts. Steady stat increases and improvement of player skill are what matter most. It's a good match for Kurahashi-san's serious personality.

I was worried about how it would turn out at first, but perhaps I was right to choose this game.

I use level-up items to immediately level up Kurahashi-san's attacker.

「Waah! My damage has increased!」

The swordswoman charges into an encampment of small fry enemies and mows them down.

Seeing Kurahashi-san's satisfied smile, I felt the lectures I had been giving since Monday had paid off.

And at the same time, the fatigue from working consecutive days.

「Now, you can adventure on your own with this, right...?」

「Kimito-san, let's advance the story on the weekend! Are you free on Saturday?」

「......tohoho.」

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

While I was getting along with Kurahashi-san at the net cafe, at school──nothing in particular happened.

We remained just classmates, as always.

「Mai, you seem to be having a lot of fun lately, don't you?」

「Right~? Could it be, you got a boyfriend~?」

Teased by her friends, Kurahashi-san gets flustered.

I spend my days watching her from the edge of the classroom.

「That's not it. It's just a lesson.」

「A lesson, huh...」

Muttering that, I collapsed onto my desk. The surface of the desk felt cool against my cheek.

「Putting that aside, how are the preparations for the school trip? Is it going smoothly?」

「Ah, yeah. Nakano-sensei talked to the other classes, and the committee members have finally been decided.」

I wonder why. Her voice at that time sounded strangely down.

「Mai, you're not overdoing it, are you?」

To my puzzled ears, Arisugawa-san's slightly serious voice reaches me.

It seems her childhood friend also felt something was off.

「I-I'm fine, Kaori-chan, don't worry. I'll make sure the school trip is a success.」

「I don't care about that. Mai, I'm always telling you...」

「Don't try to handle it all by yourself... right? I know, I'm fine! I can do it by myself now, without Kaori-chan's help.」

I wonder if Arisugawa-san used to take care of her when she was a child.

From their interactions in class now, I could somehow imagine it.

But, the anxiety in my chest doesn't disappear.

「If Mai says so, then I'll trust you.」

「Thanks, Kaori-chan.」

Though her way of speaking was suggestive, Arisugawa-san backed down.

When I secretly raised my head──the black-haired maiden was flicking the forehead of the downcast, silver-haired maiden with her finger. The sporty girl, who always has a cool and calm air about her, was smiling with the corner of her mouth turned up. What a strange look in his eyes.

「Well, it's not like Mai could lie to me, anyway.」

「...K-Kaori-chan!」

「I can kinda tell when Maa-chan is lying too!」

「...E-Even Takane-chan!」

「Don't push yourself, rely on us. We're best friends, okay…?」

It seems there's no need for me to worry.

Having witnessed their friendship, I nonchalantly took out my smartphone.

Ever since I started playing Nanagami with Kurahashi-san, my lunch breaks have gotten busier. That's because I can get the Nanagami comeback bonus.

「Kaori~! Sorry, I have a quick club meeting!」

「Hozumin. I need your advice about love~!」

Such voices reach my ears as I'm starting up Nanagami, waiting for it to load.

Arisugawa-san and Hozumi-san are good friends with many different girls.

It's common for them to be called out like this during lunch break. Each time, Kurahashi-san, who has few friends──or rather, only has them, looked a little lonely.

「Um, Shibuya-kun?」

But why is she talking to me?

As soon as she parted with her best friends, Kurahashi-san for some reason approached the classroom loner.

When I look up, the graceful young lady is staring at me. Charmed by her modest expression, so different from at the net cafe, my throat instantly went dry.

「U-Um. Sorry about before, for making you worry.」

It seems she's thanking me for comforting her at the beginning of the week.

It's just like the scrupulous Kurahashi-san.

But she didn't have to do it at this timing.

I nod in response to her words. In order to hide the fact that "Shibuya-kun = Kimito-san" from Kurahashi-san, I couldn't afford to speak carelessly.

「You see, after that, I... huh?」

However, the smartphone was a careless move.

Of all things, to be playing the game she's currently obsessed with.

「Shibuya-kun, you play... Nanagami, too?」

This is going to be difficult to evade. Is this a checkmate perhaps?

「Sh… Shibuya-kun? C-Can you hear me... right?」

To my lack of response, Kurahashi-san turns a troubled face toward me. She probably thought I was ignoring her, and her eyes getting slightly teary as her expression clouds with anxiety──is just too unfair.

My heart stops from guilt.

I flicked my smartphone and shut down Nanagami.

Instead, I launched the photo gyarulery app──

「Eh... Kyaa!」

──and displayed my treasured collection of "Nanagami lewd cosplay images" that I'd found on the net.

A festival maiden with her cleavage wide open. A sorceress Onee-san turning her tights-clad rear towards you. Sister-disciples embracing suspiciously. And for some reason, a female samurai in a school swimsuit.

In this SNS era, if you search, you can get as many lewd images of your favorite characters as you want.

「Ah, that's the character I use♪ They look so alike~!」

But it had no effect. Or rather, she peered at them with great interest.

「Ah! Gekkou Shogun! Ah, there she is again! Could it be... Shibuya-kun, you like Gekkou Shogun too?」

I do. I love her. About half of my treasured images are cosplay photos of Gekkou Shogun.

I have her at max constellation and use her as my main attacker, so you can guess, right?

「...Haa, I wonder if he'd be happy if I dressed up like Gekkou Shogun.」

I didn't ask who "he" was.

Imagining a slightly small, silver-haired Gekkou Shogun──I was so overwhelmed by her preciousness that I collapsed onto my desk.

「W-What's wrong, Shibuya-kun!」

My class oshi cosplaying as my game oshi is just more than I can take.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The weekend. I entered the net cafe at six in the morning.

Seven days straight of work since last Saturday. After finishing the paperwork I couldn't get to because I was dealing with Kurahashi-san, I had the kitchen staff make me a meal and ate it.

While I was doing that, the appointed time of seven o'clock came.

「Good morning, Kimito-san.」

The young lady appeared at the net cafe exactly at the promised time.

But──

「...Why are you in a kimono?」

「W-Why do you think?」

For some reason, Kurahashi-san was in a kimono.

Wrapped in an outfit like a pure white wedding kimono, she came to the net cafe.

Combined with her silver hair, she looks just like a snow fairy.

No... is this even a kimono in the first place?

The length is strangely short and the obi is long in the back. With its sparkling glitter, it has a strong cosplay feel.

On top of that, knee-high socks extend from the hem. At the sight of Kurahashi-san's thin white legs and the contrasting black thigh-highs, I almost let out a strange sound.

As I stared, Kurahashi-san's cheeks suddenly flush red.

「L-Let's hurry to the private room...!」

「Ah, yeah. You're right.」

Leaving the rest to the staff, I head to the private room with Kurahashi-san.

I get a cola and a white peach frozen drink at the drink bar.

Placing the two drinks on a tray, we head to our usual private room. First, Kurahashi-san sat in front of the computer, and then I sat down as if to embrace her.

And then──the hem of the short kimono flips up with a "perori", and her bare white bottom touches the synthetic leather mat. Kurahashi-san's soft-looking skin glittered in the light reflected off the glossy black leather.

「Kimito-san. I'll be in your care all day today.」

「Yeah. For now, let's do our best to get to the point where we defeat the prologue boss──the Wind Dragon.」

「Yes! With Kimito-san here, we have the strength of a hundred people!」

「Ah, you can't do multiplayer for the boss fight.」

「Ehh!? I-Is, is that, so...!?」

Kurahashi-san turns around in surprise. Her silver hair, her long sleeves, and her obi struck my body.

Kurahashi-san flusters at the full-body slap she delivered as a surprise attack. If this continues, it wouldn't be strange if a second one exploded at any time. I don't want to get too clingy, but──

「Sorry, Kurahashi-san. I'm going to get a little closer, okay?」

「Fueh... Fueeh!?」

I close the distance between us, which I usually consciously keep open.

To keep her from moving, I press my chest firmly against her back and wrap my hands around her waist.

I normally wouldn't be able to do this but──today she had a thick obi wrapped around her waist.

「K-Kimito-san... this is... maybe too close?」

「You think so?」

The ears hidden by her silver hair turn red.

It seems it's okay for her to close the distance, but not for the other person to.

Taking the hand of the maiden bashfully shrinking in my arms, I opened the door to the open world.

「Ah, Kimito, san, you're so intense...!」

「Eh, what's with that voice?」

「Ngh, no...!」

「K-Kurahashi-san... are you okay?」

「T-that's not it! U-Um...」

And with that, the door to a dizzying world of eros also opened.

A strangely sensual and wistful voice. Just by moving my arm a little, she lets out a sweet breath and her eyes well up with tears. And then, my arm touched her bountiful breasts.

Instantly, the silver hair before my eyes jumped with a start. From the gap in her hair, her chest──inside the kimono, her two mounds writhed with great seductiveness.

Even if they're big, would they sway this much?

Could it be...

「Kurahashi-san, could it be that you're not wearing anything under your kimono?」

「T-That's right...」

I had let my guard down because of the thick fabric. I hurriedly move away from Kurahashi-san. I jumped back with such force that I slammed my back hard against the room's wall. But I don't care about the pain.

「Why... aren't you wearing a bra!?」

「T-that's not it! There's a reason!」

「I see, it's that thing where you don't wear anything under a kimono!」

「T-That's a superstition! I normally wear a bra and panties!」

「Then why even more!?」

「Because...」

Kurahashi-san laments in a tearful voice.

Limp on the mat, she fiddles with the obi of her kimono and takes out her smartphone.

Tapping away at the device in its brown leather case, what she displayed was──

「...Eh, Gekkou Shogun?」

A black-haired female general wrapped in a white kimono.

She was the main attacker I used in Nanagami, and my favorite character.

「You like Gekkou Shogun, don't you, Kimito-san...?」

「Well, it's not that I like her, it's more that I have a special attachment...」

「You like her, don't you!」

「...I do! Honestly, she's right in the middle of my strike zone!」

A desperate Kurahashi-san cornered me as I tried to dodge the question.

Defeated by the pressure, I reflexively confessed my true feelings.

The most beautiful girl in the class twists her face into an ennui expression. For a moment I was captivated by that face, which was somewhere between happy and sad, before she pinched the hem of her kimono with her fingertips, revealing her white thighs.

No, can that even be described as a thigh anymore...

「I thought that... if I cosplayed as Gekkou Shogun, Kimito-san'd be happy.」

「T-Thank you. But how does that lead to not wearing underwear...?」

「Because! No matter how you look at it... she's not wearing any, right!」

I see, the mystery is solved.

The perfectionist Kurahashi-san tried to imitate not just Gekkou Shogun's outside, but her inside as well.

However, that's a misunderstanding. Gekkou Shogun does wear underwear.

That said, it's true that it's not unreasonable to misunderstand from this illustration.

「Gekkou Shogun wears underwear, you know?」

「That's a lie! With her thighs showing so much... Gekkou Shogun-san isn't wearing any!」

「How can I explain it to make you believe me...!」

「Besides, if that's the case... I'm a pervert!」

「It's an accident! This is an accident! Don't corner yourself, Kurahashi-san!」

「Funyaaaaaaah!」

Careless consideration will only hurt her more.

It's better to be direct, so we won't hurt each other more than necessary.

That's what I thought, but the silver-haired beautiful girl, as if nothing mattered anymore, lay down in a spread-eagle on the spot. And, hiding her flushed cheeks──

「...Put them on me.」

「...Heh?」

「Take responsibility, Kimito-san... and put my underwear on me!」

「How did it come to this!?」

She blurted out something absurd.

Snapping back to her senses, Kurahashi-san hurriedly raises her face.

「T-That's not it! A kimono... it's hard to put on by myself... that's why, okay?」

「I've never heard that before!?」

「It's true! Believe me, a member of the tea ceremony club at school!」

Kurahashi-san is so embarrassed she can't make rational judgments anymore.

「Come on, hurry! Take it off, take it off, take off the kimonooooo~!」

「Ahh! If you flail around like that, from the hem of the kimono...!」

「I won't stop until you say you'll do it!」

「...Fine! I'll do it, I'll do it! I'll do it, so stop!」

I gave in to Kurahashi-san as she thrashed her legs, her hem, which could rival a miniskirt, fluttering.

She finally stops moving and glares at me, her silver hair spread out on the mat.

I don't mind if you resent me, but I think you'll be the one in trouble when you come to your senses.

Still, I'll follow her words for now.

At the very least, if I'm careful, I can keep the erotic developments to a minimum.

But, before that...

「Would it be no good... to put on the underwear while you're still in the kimono?」

I made one last-ditch effort.

「Ehh...!? Y-You... prefer it that way...?」

「Got it. I will take responsibility and take off the kimono, and then, Kurahashi-san will quickly put on her underwear.」

「What are you talking about! You're putting on the underwear too!」

「The scope of responsibility is too wide...!」

In the end, it became even worse.

Man up, Shibuya Kimito. You are now going to strip the most beautiful girl in class naked and put her underwear on her. That is your responsibility for making her misunderstand.

「I'm doing it, Kurahashi-san...!」

「O-Okay... please!」

Pushing myself off the wall I was leaning against, I look around the private room.

And then, I reached for Kurahashi-san's bag, placed on the table.

Getting consent to examine its contents from her tear-filled yellow eyes, I peek into the bag──

「There's no underwear, though...?」

However, I can't find any panties or a bra.

「That's right. Why would I carry underwear around?」

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Recently, many customers use net cafes as a substitute for business hotels.

Driven by this demand, we had also been trying to enhance our services as an accommodation facility. Things like introducing fully private rooms, offering blankets, and a breakfast service.

And, to differentiate ourselves from other net cafes, what Tou-san is focusing on is──

「To think the day would come when I'm saved by a business specialized in underwear...!」

Underwear.

No one feels good when they hear about second-day pants or shirts.

Wanting to wear clean underwear the next day. That was a natural desire, and a natural demand.

However, there's no need to stock a wide variety of types. There's no need to sell women's underwear in a specialized booth. That's where Tou-san's lack of business sense was plainly apparent.

To think that Tou-san's blunder would be useful to someone for the first time.

「T-they're... cute, underwear... aren't they?」

「I just picked randomly. It's not my taste or anything.」

Leaving the room and heading to the women-only space, I selected some lingerie for the school's most beautiful girl. I would have preferred something not so lewd, but...

「Lemon yellow, with embroidery...」

「Don't narrate the details.」

「The panties are low-rise. It's lewd...」

「This was the only one. Well, the color combination of the top and bottom, I mean.」

The young lady, though blushing shyly, is somehow restless.

From the responsibility of putting on her underwear, the responsibility of choosing it arose far too quickly. For Kurahashi-san's sake, I was naturally roped into selecting her underwear.

「It's lewd, but if Kimito-san like this one...!」

「I told you, that's not it!」

「Then, why this one?」

「This was the only design... size-wise!」

When I explain that, Kurahashi-san places a hand on her cheek and a happy smile loosens the corner of her mouth.

The sight of her sitting in a seiza-like pose on the mat, wriggling her body, was honestly cute. Despite this situation.

「Then... Kimito-san, please, if you will?」

「Do I really have to do this?」

「You do...!」

Kurahashi-san's expectant expression. It seems she's serious.

The young lady lies down on the mat with a soft thud.

Slightly loosening the collar of her white kimono, she ran a hand over her chest, and with a blush, she sent me an urging gaze. Every time her thin, black-stocking-clad legs moved impatiently, the hem of her kimono swayed and her sacred parts flickered into view.

She touched the tip of her little finger to her wet lips and moved it as if applying rouge.

「Now, it's okay...」

「I'm just putting them on, okay? That's all I'm going to do.」

「...Yeah. I believe in Kimito-san.」

I reach for the obi wrapped around her waist.

But, the primrose green thing wrapped tightly around her waist is surprisingly stiff.

As I fumbled, having no experience with kimonos──Kurahashi-san's white fingers entwined with mine.

「First, you undo the obijime.」

The reverse of usual. Guided by Kurahashi-san's hand, I began to undress her.

「Next, turn the obi. Bring the knot to the front.」

Without time to calm my racing heart, her hand urges me on.

Making me put my hands on the obi, she smiled as if to say, "Now, try it..."

As invited, I slide the obi──counter-clockwise.

「Nn... Ahh! N-No, that's wrong...!」

What was wrong with it? Before I could get an explanation, the collar of her kimono fell into disarray, and from within, a white mound tumbles out. A thick, pink-colored bud sways with her breathing.

Perhaps from the stimulus of being exposed to the open air, the vivid tip puckered.

「If you turn it the opposite way, the kimono gets messed up like this...」

Despite my terrible blunder, Kurahashi-san doesn't blame me.

Even now, as I'm staring intently at her cherry-blossom bud.

When I finally raise my gaze, my eyes meet with a sweat-dampened Kurahashi-san. For a moment, she closed her eyes bashfully, but then she immediately opened her eyelids and smiled to reassure me.

Her slightly brave smile, wet with sweat.

It was so dazzling...

「...Kurahashi-san.」

「What is it, Kimito-san?」

「Can I kiss you?」

I had blurted out a ridiculous request.

「To do it without even kissing... that's no good. Let's follow the proper steps.」

I wanted to at least begin the act beautifully.

Just get on with it and hold her.

And yet, I say something like this.

With a trembling hand, I caress Kurahashi-san's cheek. When I tickle her silver side-locks with my fingertips, her yellow eyes close as if tickled.

「...So like Kimito-san.」

「It's an important thing, isn't it? For me, and for you... since it's our first time.」

「......I see, it's Kimito-san first time too.」

Is that something to be happy about? As I'm perplexed, Kurahashi-san wraps her arms around my neck, and──

「I'm happy. To be Kimito-san first...♥♥♥」

──saying so, she pressed herself against me.

The taste of a girl spreads in my mouth.

Timidly, our tongues entwine. Our breathing overlaps.

Right there, her glistening eyes.

And her bouncing, pale breasts.

Repeating our clumsy kisses over and over, we sought each other.

Transparent threads were spun between us many times, bursting and falling.

I trace my tongue over the saliva that wet Kurahashi-san's neck. As my tongue gradually rises up her neck, she lifts her hips and spins a sweet moan.

When I swallowed that voice, at last──we were able to share a satisfying, adult kiss.

From there, we couldn't stop anymore.

I untie the obi, open the collar, and remove the undergarment worn beneath.

Each time I peeled off a layer of her clothing, the white breasts that had emerged earlier danced.

A voice of pained pleasure leaks from her mouth as she bites her finger. When it abruptly stops, before my eyes was Kurahashi-san in her birthday suit.

A translucent skin like white snow, and a body so delicate it's worrisome.

Breasts that are mismatched for such a body. The fruit at their tips is getting ever redder.

When I trace my finger over the swollen things, a sweet, out-of-tune cry leaks from her lips. When I teased the firm, knot-like part at the base, she writhed with a choked breath.

I slide my free hand along her smooth thigh.

As I caressed that thigh, so thin it looked like it might break, with the pad of my finger, Kurahashi-san writhed her lower body as if ticklish and hid it by closing her legs.

「K-Kimito-sa...n♥ Don't tease me...♥♥」

「You're the one teasing, Kurahashi-san. Look, it's okay, so relax...」

「O...kay♥」

Her clinging inner thighs part to the left and right. Kurahashi-san pulls her hips back and thrusts the startling pink, which had been hidden by her white thighs, towards me.

That thing writhing with her breathing.

Wistfully wet, flushed red, and occasionally spasming faintly, it was so incredibly bewitching that I wanted to gaze at it forever if permitted.

「Nn, ah...♥ Kimito-san's... finger...♥♥」

「I'll try to be gentle, but if it hurts, tell me right away, okay?」

「O-Okay...♥」

It was a strange sensation. Frighteningly soft, yet I couldn't pull my fingertips away. And then, my consciousness and fingertips are drawn more to its center──to the hole from which a sweet-scented nectar drips.

I feel dizzy, as if I have heatstroke.

「Nn, uh...♥♥ Ah, ah, inside me...♥♥」

Letting out a sensual scream, the silver-haired maiden sways her hips and hair, and I hurriedly pulled my finger out.

「S-Sorry, did it hurt?」

「...Nn♥ It's okay...♥ Do as you... please, Kimito-san♥♥」

I move the kimono I'd taken off to the side, and lie down on the black synthetic leather mat.

Kurahashi-san, now in her birthday suit, was already drenched in sweat as if after a workout.

The black of the mat and the white of her skin create a stark contrast, making the lines of her body stand out. I once again gasped at her form, beautiful and well-proportioned no matter where I looked.

I once again insert my fingertips into her vagina.

「Ah, fu... aah...♥♥」

「Kurahashi-san, want to... kiss?」

「Nn...♥ Please...♥♥ I want to...♥♥」

While stirring her lower abdomen, I cover her and press my lips to hers.

Our breathing grows more and more ragged. Her silver hair, scattering the fragrance of sweat and shampoo each time it's tousled.

An excitement I've never felt before, a fervor, a passion, runs rampant and aimlessly through me.

The on-the-verge-of-exploding impulse gathered in the most sensitive part──and I rubbed her through my uniform.

I can't take it anymore.

Finishing the kiss, with my wet fingertips, I pull out my swollen member from my pants.

「...Kimito-san thing is, kind of, amazing♥」

「That's right. It's because Kurahashi-san... is a wonderful woman,.」

「...Say you love me♥」

I kissed her again as if to dodge the question.

While doing so, I rubbed my raging passion against her thigh.

Just from that, it feels like lust is about to overflow from the depths of my body.

I loosen my belt, take off my pants──and pull a condom out of my bifold wallet.

Wrapped in green rubber, it was a part of me, and yet I had the strange feeling it wasn't. Kurahashi-san's anxious gaze pierces my restless mind and body.

「Kurahashi-san, are you sure? To do it with me.」

And so, the beautiful girl who is like a western doll, dyed her well-proportioned face red──

「Ye...s...♥♥ Take... my first time...♥♥」

──and pleaded with me in a timid voice.

To the flesh my fingertips had loosened, I bring the thing covered in green rubber closer.

「Here I come, Kurahashi-san...!」

「Yeah, it's okay... Kimito-san♥」

I pry open the narrow, small hole with my member. Tearing the flesh, I head toward her depths.

The groan, at first pained, gradually takes on a sweetness. Before I knew it, Kurahashi-san was exhaling a breath filled with elation and giving me a sweat-drenched smile.

My tip thrusts against Kurahashi-san's depths.

The moment I felt that we had become one with her without any gaps, a sense of bliss filled my chest.

「Ehehe...♥♥ We've become, one... haven't we♥♥」

「......Yes.」

「But, it's not... over, yet♥♥」

「If it's painful for Kurahashi-san, I don't mind ending it here.」

「......Kimito-san, let's kiss♥♥」

As she asked, I kissed her again.

Cries turn into sweet moans, and pain turns into pleasure. Infinitely swelling excitement, and a sense of closeness where the boundary between us becomes blurred. We were intoxicated by the bliss of becoming one.

On that day, Kurahashi-san and I had sex.