Chapter 4: Let's Go to the School Trip

We promised to gather at the net cafe on Sunday as well, and then we went our separate ways.

Mai-chan and Kaori went in the Kurahashi family's private car, while I rode my bicycle down the dark night road.

The uniforms we had soiled... were brand-new ones that Mai-chan had prepared in the first place.

So there was no need to wash them. And I ended up taking them with me for some reason.

And well, after a night like that──

「Eh? You can't come because of an urgent matter?」

『Yes. I'm sorry. Nakano-sensei came for a preliminary inspection of the school trip...』

We ended up missing each other again.

The holiday that Mai-chan had finally obtained was crushed all too easily.

『I'm sorry, Otou-sama told me to handle it properly.』

After saying so, the doll-like girl hung up the phone with a lonely tone.

「Why is it always Mai who draws the short straw!」

「Calm down, Kaori.」

「I can't calm down! Why should our youth be exploited for the convenience of adults!」

Naturally, Kaori was furious.

It was a righteous anger so characteristic of her that I found it dazzling.

「If things are going to be like this, we should just not do the school trip at all!」

「There must be work that other committee members can do. Why doesn't anyone help?」

「That's it! They think if they ask Mai, she'll do anything... as if that's okay!」

In the private room of the net cafe without Mai-chan, we vented our indignation.

The reconstituted orange juice tastes unusually sour. In the midst of that, Kaori placed her oolong tea-mixed sports drink on the table and plopped down onto the mat.

Pressing her finger into the synthetic leather mat, Kaori contorts her face with ennui.

「Mai-chan was still holding in a lot of stress...」

「It felt like she hadn't been pampered enough by Kimito. Because at school, no one is kind to her.」

「Kaori is there, aren't you?」

Kaori turned only her gaze toward me──

「A friend and a boyfriend are different.」

she mutters with a lonely face.

As I struggled with how to react, she let out a "good grief" sigh.

「Here, try stroking my head. You'll get it if you do.」

「But, I'm Kaori's...」

「Just do it!」

She forcefully pulls my hand and presses it to her own head.

Does she want to be coddled or does she want to be angry? While being toyed with by her complex and mysterious maiden's heart, I stroked Kaori's head, and like a friendly large dog, she rolled over on the mat.

「Ahh, so soothing~♪」

I should have pampered Mai-chan more, just like this.

Time passes without an answer.

Eventually, Kaori said, "I'm going to join the afternoon club practice", and left the net cafe. I too returned to my duties, earning a salary befitting a student while chatting with my junior colleague who's one year younger....

Monday.

I went to school by bike as usual, and entered the classroom quietly as usual.

Then I sit at my desk in a daze, watching the clamor of my classmates as my interest dictates.

The members of the winter sports clubs complain about the basic training that starts this week.

The girls from the literature club make a fuss about being on the verge of dissolution because they can't gather new members.

The otaku boys get excited over a mobile game.

The slightly risqué conversation of the gyaru group makes the people around them stir.

The usual morning. A perfectly ordinary Monday.

And it's the same for Mai-chan and the others. Kaori, dishing out lively talk. Takane-san, making lewd jokes. Mai-chan, watching their exchange with a smile.

The warning bell for homeroom rings and Nakano-sensei enters the classroom. With an unchanged expression, she distributed the prints in her hand──the guidebooks for the school trip──to the students.

「Everyone, be quiet. Emm, regarding this year's school trip, it has been officially decided that it will be held. As I've told you, this year it will be held at the glamping facility of Kurahashi-san's company.」

The classmates burst out in a wave of excitement. Even though it's still the middle of homeroom, they express their gratitude to Mai-chan, and in the end, even give her a round of applause.

The silver-haired maiden, smiling and bowing her head to her classmates.

That sight fuels my anxiety.

However, all I can do is watch her.

The same goes for Kaori and Takane-san.

We were far too powerless, just tiny children.

「I'm sorry, Kaori-chan. I feel a little sick, so I'm going to rest in the nurse's office.」

Lunch break. Having finished her meal, Mai-chan stood up from her seat with those words.

「Are you okay? Can you go by yourself?」

「Should I go with you~? Or rather, you shouldn't push yourself, why don't you go home early~?」

Kaori and Takane-san stop eating their bento and worry about their friend.

In fact, Mai-chan's complexion is dark and heavy.

But the silver-haired maiden──

「I'm aiming for a perfect attendance award.」

she brushed it off with an uncharacteristic forced smile.

Mai-chan leaves the classroom. Seeing her back, I felt a sense of déjà vu.

When was it?

While I'm thinking, the classroom returns to its usual clamor.

「Mai is pushing herself after all. I'll talk to Yoshiko-chan and get her to quit the executive committee!」

「I think that's for the best too. But Maa-chan is stubborn, so...」

The two left behind worry about Mai-chan. Just as I wished I could enter their circle of conversation──

「Shibuya, wanna help me with BEX?」

the outgoing guy next to me suddenly spoke to me.

Having no reason to refuse, I accepted his invitation.

「You know, Shibuya, you'll do anything if you're asked. Like you're easygoing or something.」

「Well, yeah. I won't do it unless I'm asked, though.」

「Why? Don't you have things you want to do yourself?」

「......Well, I'm happy enough as it is. And most of the time, things don't work out even if you wish for them.」

「You're so detached. Well, but you're right, Shibuya.」

He, the central figure of the class, the ace of the baseball team, who has a gyaru girlfriend and a junior fuck-buddy, affirmed my words as if it were a matter of course.

I wonder if a guy who's living life on easy mode can understand how I feel.

It was a relief that his gaming skills were mediocre and he was eliminated quickly. I have no obligation to keep fighting solo. The moment he died, I also let myself get killed on purpose and looked away from my smartphone.

「Kurahashi, isn't she kinda in a bad way?」

Again, the outgoing guy suddenly said something like that.

「Bad way? What do you mean?」

「Like, she's gonna have a breakdown. I've seen a few people who got like that. Like, she's being cornered...」

「If you know that much, why don't you help her?」

「...And you're not going to help her?」

If only I could do that.

I want to help Mai-chan right this instant too.

「Shibuya, you're kinda scary today.」

「Sorry. The truth is, I want to help her too. But as you can see, I'm a gloomy loner.」

「Doesn't matter if you're a loner or popular, does it? Why don't just do what you want?」

「...That response is what makes you a popular kid.」

「Oi, Shibuya. Your smartphone, isn't it vibrating?」

「......Eh?」

Now that he mentioned it, I noticed my smartphone was vibrating.

Judging by the length, it's an incoming call. Mysteriously, I knew who was calling.

『...And you're not going to help her?』

His words from just now race through my head.

『Doesn't matter if you're a loner or popular, does it? Why don't just do what you want?』

There's no way I can. Even though I think that, I had stood up and dashed out of the classroom. I run down the hallway, and after confirming I'm far enough from the classroom, I press the receive call button.

The sound of a woman's sobbing echoes in my ear.

I could see the expression of the person on the other end, her yellow eyes, her wet eyelids, her fine eyelashes, her flushed cheeks, her doll-like white skin, and──her beautiful silver hair.

「Hello, Mai-chan? What's wrong? Did something happen?」

『...Kimito-san. Thank you.』

The call ended right away.

I ran as if shot from a cannon.

Mai-chan said, "I'm going to the nurse's office".

Wishing that nothing was wrong, I burst into the nurse's office. The window is wide open, and the bed curtains are swaying in the gentle breeze. I saw a figure behind the tightly closed curtain.

「Mai-chan!」

I don't care if my identity is exposed. As I wished that, my eyes──

「Kya... kyaaaaah!」

「W-What the hell, you! Don't just barge in!」

What burst into my sight was a couple of students from another class, naked and embracing.

「What the hell are you doing at school!」

As if to take out my frustration, I slammed the door to the nurse's office shut. Mai-chan is timid. It must be because these guys were doing it in a place like this that she couldn't enter the nurse's office.

「Damn it! Where the hell are you...!」

Dashing out of the nurse's office, I came to the front of the staircase where I had found her once before.

At the same time, I understood the sense of déjà vu I had about her dark back.

Ahh, that's right, that was──the day my relationship with her began.

It was just like her back as she walked unsteadily on that unseasonably hot summer day.

From the top of the stairs, I heard the sound of hard-soled shoes.

It's Mai-chan. Convinced, I ran up the stairs. From the first floor to the second, the second to the third, and then as I stepped onto the landing before the rooftop──

「Shibuya-kun?」

Sure enough, there was a girl, hunched over and sobbing.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

「Shibuya-kun... please, just for a little while... stay with me.」

As her classmate Shibuya-kun, I stayed by Mai-chan's side.

Even after the lunch break ended and the warning bell for the start of class rang.

「I'm sorry, Shibuya-kun. For making you keep me company.」

「It's fine. More importantly, have you calmed down?」

「...I still, want to, stay like this, a little longer.」

In the dimly lit landing before the rooftop, I held Mai-chan's hand and just let time pass. I glanced at her profile and waited for the swirling feelings inside her to calm down.

I don't care if she finds out I'm Kimito anymore. I thought so and spoke, but──

「Shibuya-kun, so that's what your voice sounds like. You never talked to me, so I didn't know.」

「......Y-Yeah.」

「You sound a little like someone very precious to me.」

As I thought, Mai-chan did not realize that I was Kimito-san.

「I went to the nurse's office.」

Suddenly, Mai-chan said that.

「And then, the students from the school trip executive committee were there...」

The idiots in the nurse's office were executive committee members from the class next door.

「I overheard them bad-mouthing me. They said it was just for two days, so it was weird to be working so hard. When I heard that, I was like, huh, what was it that I've been doing...」

「......Alright, I'm going to go punch them.」

「P-Please don't! Violence is, not good.」

I was being serious. If anything, I wanted to punch every single member of the school trip executive committee.

If she's surrounded by people like this, it's only natural that Mai-chan would get exhausted.

「You should quit the school trip executive committee.」

「...Yeah. I'm not cut out for it, am I.」

As she lifts her downcast face, tears stream down Mai-chan's cheeks.

I wish the landing were so dark that I couldn't see that expression.

With a brave smile that made me sad too, Mai-chan──

「But this is something I started.」

Declared that she would continue the battle that was still so painful and harsh for her.

「It's okay. All that's left now is just to greet the people involved...」

The next day, Mai-chan was absent from school.

Without contacting Kaori or Takane-san, or of course, our homeroom teacher Nakano-sensei.

The class was temporarily in an uproar, and some even appeared who were about to skip school to go look for her. However, they were admonished by the guidance counselor that Nakano-sensei brought with her, and they reluctantly gave up.

And so we returned to our daily lives.

While feeling a dull, throbbing pain in my chest.

「It's okay. We will surely find Kurahashi-san. So please, everyone, concentrate on your studies with peace of mind.」

Nakano-sensei's promise was not fulfilled.

At the homeroom held in the evening, she told the students with an anxious face, "I have confirmed with her home, and it seems Kurahashi-san went to school by car as usual".

Then why isn't she here──

「Mai, where on earth did you go?」

「Maa-chan. I hope she's just skipping school...」

Even though it's time for club activities to start, Kaori and Takane-san remain in the classroom, worrying about Mai-chan.

With my back to the two of them, I hurry out of the classroom.

Walking briskly down the school hallway, I pull my smartphone out of my pants and make a call.

There is only one place to call.

『...What is it, Kimito? You're not on the shift today.』

「Tou-san, has Kurahashi-san come to the store?」

It's "Three Freaks", the net cafe where I work part-time.

I'm still not that familiar with Kurahashi-san's circle of friends. But from her behavior these past few weeks, it was easy to imagine that she would head to Kimito-san's place.

Stomping down the stairs, I wait for Tou-san's answer.

The net cafe manager, after a somewhat meaningful silence──

『Your friend came to our place. I think it was around noon.』

「I knew it!」

『But I'm sorry, Kimito. I can't let someone who is clearly wearing a school uniform into the store on a weekday afternoon. This is... a standard response for a net cafe.』

He said so, and apologized to me over the call again.

I could understand what Tou-san was saying and what he was doing. I'm a chief staff member too. If the person had been a complete stranger and not Mai-chan, I would have had the exact same response.

Even though I understood, I hung up on him as if taking out my frustration.

「Damn it! And that was my only lead!」

It might be an overreaction over just one day's absence. But she was being cornered.

She was huddled over on the landing before the rooftop, trying to hide.

Thinking it was a long shot, I headed to the landing before the rooftop, but the maiden I was looking for was not there. Through the wire-meshed window fitted into the silver door, I could see the somewhat lonely sky of Hirosaki.

「Mai-chan, where on earth are you?」

I took out my smartphone and called her.

Just like with her best friends, she ignored my call.

Clinging to my only lead, I immediately headed to the net cafe where I work.

The staff were surprised by the sudden appearance of the chief who was supposed to be off shift.

In the midst of that, Tou-san beckons me into the break room.

「Tou-san, about Kurahashi-san, is there anything else you know?」

「First, drink some coffee and calm down. From the looks of you, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?」

My father hands me a cold coffee and instructs the staff to make a staff meal. Then, he hung a "Meeting in Progress" sign on the break room door.

When he comes back to me, he makes me, who is standing stock-still, sit on the break room sofa.

He too sat down on the sofa opposite me, with the low table between us.

「Tou-san, I don't have time for this!」

「I've changed your shift. You're working from the evening today. You'll be taking care of the backed-up paperwork. Kimito... it's good to care for your friends, but don't forget your responsibilities.」

「What are you doing, deciding things on your own!」

「I told your friend, "Our establishment refuses entry to customers who appear to be students during weekday daytime hours". A smart person like you should understand what I'm saying.」

The strength drained from my body.

Sinking deep into the sofa, I was in a daze for a while.

Tou-san takes off his sunglasses and presses the bridge of his nose.

The owner-manager who rarely comes in to work, leaned forward on the sofa and shook his head.

「Sorry, Tou-san. Thank you.」

「I haven't done anything to be thanked for. I just gave a regular customer the usual service, and showed a little consideration for a reliable chief staff member. This is just part of the normal duties of a manager.」

「Still, thank you.」

My father's expression did not change, but he looked away with a somewhat chagrined look. Then, he was about to say something──when my junior colleague, who is one year younger, burst into the room and he hurriedly composed his face.

「Chief! Kurahashi-ojousan is at the counter asking if you're here!」

「Kimito. Prioritize customer service. I'll take care of the paperwork.」

After tidying up my appearance to the minimum required of a store employee, I headed to the store's counter.

「Ah... Kimito-san.」

Kurahashi-san, whose whereabouts I had been searching for so desperately, was standing there.

The familiar Shirakami School uniform. The same atmosphere as in the classroom. And a calm smile. Her pretense of having just stopped by on the way home from school made my chest ache fiercely.

「Mai-chan, welcome. What will you do, go to the usual private room?」

「Y...Yes.」

Kurahashi-san said so, pretending that nothing had changed.

I, too, treated her as Kimito-san, who didn't know the situation at school.

At my invitation, the young lady proceeds down the hallway of the net cafe. I don't know how she spent her day, but she looks extremely exhausted, and I had unknowingly lent her my shoulder.

We enter the usual private room. Then, Mai-chan immediately clung to me and pushed me down onto the floor mat. It's the complete opposite composition of that time I held her in her uniform.

While straddling my body──

「...Mai-chan, why are you crying?」

Kurahashi-san let tears stream from her eyes.

Everything was different from that time. What lay between us was not excitement but bewilderment, and I didn't feel any thrill from the situation before my eyes. Still, Mai-chan tries to force herself on my body, but the strength gradually leaves her fingertips.

The tears that spill from her eyes strike my body in place of her hands.

Just that alone made my heart feel like it would shatter into pieces.

「Kimito-san, I... I did something I can't take back.」

「There's nothing you can't take back.」

「But, but... I don't have a place anymore. I'm all alone in the world.」

I was hesitant to even say "that's not true". Why did she have to be cornered like this? She was just working for everyone's sake.

I frantically thought about what Mai-chan needed right now, but──

「I'll become your place. So, don't worry.」

I was only able to say such a cliché, stopgap phrase.

Lying on my back on the floor mat, Mai-chan clings to me. She peeks at my face, and asks for a kiss while crying. The strong, fierce, and yet sad kiss that seemed to be asking for help, wounded my heart and body──and it wounded her as well.

Cold saliva trickles between us.

I inadvertently held my breath at the look in Mai-chan's eyes, as if she had left her heart somewhere else.

「I'm sorry, Kimito-san. I can't give you anything.」

「...Mai-chan.」

「I can't make you feel good, or make you happy... and yet, is it okay for me to be here?」

「Of course it is!」

That much, I was able to say. I could barely say it. Without caring that my voice echoed through the cramped net cafe, I responded to Mai-chan's tear-streaked wail.

However, those words of mine did not reach the depths of her heart.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

『Kimito. I want to ask you something about Mai.』

「What's wrong with Mai-chan?」

『......Hasn't she come to your net cafe? During the weekday daytime?』

「...What do you mean? Did something happen to Mai-chan?」

I told two lies to Kaori on the other side of the smartphone.

One was the lie that I didn't know Mai-chan had started skipping school.

And the other──was that Mai-chan was sleeping right next to me.

Having neatly folded her uniform and placed it on the net cafe's shelf, she was lying on her back on the sheets I had laid out, wearing a casual one-piece dress. Gazing at the ceiling with vacant eyes.

『...I see, if that's the case. Sorry for the weird question.』

「More importantly, did something happen to Mai-chan?」

『...I'll tell you when I come over on the weekend.』

Since Mai-chan had stopped coming to school, they had tried every means to contact her.

However, Mai-chan ignored their efforts.

「Kaori-chan and Takane-chan are worried about me. Even though I'm skipping school...」

「Isn't that obvious? That's what friends are.」

「...You're, right. It's obvious, isn't it.」

It was only after she broke down in tears that I understood that was precisely why she couldn't go back.

Soon, it turned into sobs, which she poured out onto my chest.

It was only one day she had missed.

To sort out her own feelings. If she slept well, she'd probably be back to normal when she woke up the next day. Our expectations were spectacularly betrayed.

The next day, the place she headed after leaving home was the net cafe.

Colluding with the white-haired driver, she entered a private room by swapping places with him, and killed time at the net cafe until school classes were over. All by herself.

This was the only place she had.

Ending the call with Kaori, I move to Mai-chan's side.

Then, I combed the silver-haired maiden's hair with my hand as she silently blamed herself.

「...I'm sorry, Kimito-san.」

「It's okay, don't worry about it. More importantly, aren't you thirsty? I'll bring you something.」

「...Ehehe, then, a white peach frozen drink.」

「Okay.」

I nibbled her lips and moistened them slightly with my tongue.

A weekday night at the net cafe.

It was also a gathering place for those who had no place to belong.

「Chief. Is Kurahashi-ojousan doing okay?」

As I was pouring the requested drink, my junior colleague, who is one year younger, spoke to me.

「She's fine. She's cheered up a lot.」

My junior colleague leaned against the counter of the drink bar and showed a slightly troubled face.

「I kept it from everyone. But in middle school, I was a truant too.」

「......Eh?」

That was the first I'd heard of it.

「It's a stupid story, though. The group I was close with suddenly got interested in boys and stuff. Everyone started wearing makeup. But my family is poor, so I couldn't buy any.」

「...It's tough when you can't keep up with those around you, isn't it?」

「Yes. It's not like I was bullied or ostracized because of it. But, my best friend... she said, "If you'd like, I'll give you this", and handed me brand-new makeup.」

「That's rough.」

「Something inside me just snapped then. I just felt like none of it mattered anymore.」

After that, my junior colleague said she was absent from school for about six months, and in the end, transferred schools.

Unlike the big cities, there aren't that many schools at the northern tip of Honshu. Transferring in middle school involved a lot of difficult procedures. She even considered things like correspondence courses and free schools.

Still, she returned to school. And this time, she didn't stumble again.

「I think I probably could have gone back to my first school. It wasn't like anyone was at fault, and if I had just gotten along with my friends, maybe that would have been the end of it.」

「You started going to school properly, that alone is amazing...」

「That's not true. It's just that everyone around me was considerate.」

A voice calls my junior colleague's name. It seems they're short-handed in the kitchen.

She replied to the call in her usual light tone, and then looked at my face one last time.

With pleading eyes, just like Mai-chan's.

「Chief. Please, help Kurahashi-ojousan. I'm begging you.」

「I wonder if someone like me can do it...」

「Don't say such pathetic things. If she's your woman, you have to take responsibility and make her happy, Chief.」

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

「I tried going to Mai's house, but they said she's going to school every day. It seems the school has been inquiring too, but they haven't been able to get in touch properly.」

「Maa-chan, what could have happened to her. She's not answering our calls either.」

「Just pick up the phone, Mai. We're friends, aren't we...!」

Friday morning. The fourth day's homeroom since Kurahashi Mai vanished from school.

Kaori and the others, gathered in front of the teacher's podium, were fretting over the well-being of their best friend in a situation that had become critical. From their backs, exhaustion and disappointment seeped out along with their anger.

「Alright, everyone take your seats. I have an important announcement today.」

The homeroom that began amidst this was a truly dispassionate affair.

That another executive committee member had explained the situation to the board of education in Mai-chan's place.

That it was successfully approved and the school trip could be held.

And finally──

「As for Kurahashi-san, we are currently confirming the situation with her parents. I know you are all worried, but please trust the school. We're sure she will be back by the time of the school trip. Kurahashi-san has worked so hard for this... we will not abandon her.」

Nakano-sensei said, with a statement that felt all too little, too late.

The first period on Friday is PE. The girls are playing volleyball in the gym. The boys are playing baseball on the field.

The game played by splitting the boys in the class in two, had its strength lopsidedly concentrated on one side after the members were divided randomly, and it had become a one-sided game where the offense and defense never changed.

Sitting on the concrete bench, I wait for my turn to come around.

「Shibuya. Apparently, Hozumi has something to ask you.」

Then, Takane-san summoned me.

It must be about Mai-chan.

As the male student who relayed the message said, I head to the back of the gym.

Sitting on the gym's entryway step, Takane-san gazes blankly at the sky. She's wearing a white shirt and ultramarine half-pants. They're just ordinary gym clothes, but when worn by the well-developed her, they look a little erotic.

「KimiKi... Shibuya-kun! I'm sorry, but can you let me hear what's going on with Maa-chan?」

「Well, I don't know anything though...」

「Doubt it~! I can tell just by looking at your face! Shibuya-kun, you're hiding Maa-chan, aren't you?」

She took my arm and held me in place using her ample chest so that I definitely couldn't escape.

The eyes that saw through me being Kimito now glared sharply at me.

「...I guess I can't keep secrets from Hozumi-san.」

「It's fine. But this time is special.」

Now that I've been found out, there's no helping it, so I confessed everything to Takane-san.

That Mai-chan is pretending to go to school and killing time at the net cafe.

That she's ignoring the calls from the two of them.

And that as she kept doing such things, she was gradually backing herself into a corner.

The beautiful girl with the most erotic and somewhat fluffy impression in class listened intently to me with a serious expression that completely overturned that impression.

Cheers echo in the gym, and the sound of the white ball flying reverberates in the schoolyard.

In the midst of that, we talked about how to save the wounded and exhausted maiden──

「In any case, if we can't get Maa-chan to come to school, there's no way to care for her.」

「What if we all just go to her place?」

「That's no good. Absolutely not, Shibuya-kun.」

Grabbing my shoulder, Takane-san shakes her head.

Honestly, I didn't know the logic behind it, but I trusted the words of the most experienced gyaru in class and her sincere feelings for her best friend.

「Okay, so that's out. But what do we do?」

「...Shibuya-kun, for Maa-chan's sake, can you do anything?」

Suddenly, Takane-san questioned my resolve.

A wind blows behind the school building.

The trees in the hedge sway, the gym door sways, and Takane-san's abundant golden hair sways. While tidying her messy hair, her green eyes still gaze straight at me──

「I can. Mai-chan is my precious... friend!」

I declared my resolve.

And for some reason, she let out a sigh, as if to say, "You just don't get it".

「...Well, whatever. In that case, there's only one thing for Shibuya-kun to do.」

「What? What should I do?」

「Shibuya-kun... no, KimiKimi! The time has come to tell Maa-chan the truth! You have to tell Maa-chan that you are the classmate, Shibuya Kimito!」

「...Eh!? Isn't that a bad idea!? Won't that make it even harder for her to come!?」

「The opposite! Geez, you blockhead! It's fine precisely because KimiKimi is there!」

「Because I'm there...?」

Can I be a pillar of support for Mai-chan's heart?

No, it's not a matter of "can I". I will.

But, there's one big problem with that...

「Hozumi-san, let me ask you one thing?」

「What is it, KimiKimi~? Surely you're not going to ask a stupid question so late in the game like, "I wonder if Mai-chan likes me", are you?」

That part doesn't matter. Because I like Mai-chan.

More than that, it's a more realistic and pressing problem.

There was a very important problem related to the success of this great Shibuya Kimito coming-out operation.

「Mai-chan, do you think she'll realize I'm Kimito? I mean, she doesn't even notice I'm her classmate no matter what.」

Yes, whether Mai-chan will believe me even if I reveal my identity.

To me, gripped by anxiety, Takane-san──

「Ahh, is that it? If that's the case, I know exactly what the cause is♪」

she said nonchalantly and stuck out her tongue.

Lunch break. Yellow shrieks from female students echoed in the hallway lined with second-year classrooms.

「What, what, who's that handsome guy! Which class is he from!」

「He's not wearing a uniform, so he's not a student here! For real though, he's freaking amazing!」

Feeling bad for just ignoring them, I turn back, and the cheers thunder through the hallway.

Yes, the girls are making a fuss over me.

Yesterday, today, and even this morning, I walked down this hallway with a straight face.

I, Shibuya Kimito──was confused by the gazes of the female students.

And I was made to realize that what Takane-san had taught me "If you do this, you'll understand why no one found out that Shibuya-kun is Kimito-san" was not a lie.

Takane-san walks ahead of me, leading the way.

As for why I'm doing this, there are two reasons.

One is to check if I can really become Kimito-san with the method Takane-san mentioned.

The other is──

「Kimito!? No way, what are you doing here!?」

「Kaori. Sorry, I just got worried. I came to check on things.」

to meet Kaori as Kimito-san.

「See, just like I told you, right? Kaorin also realized you were Kimito-san.」

「Yeah. With this, Mai-chan will also realize it.」

I wanted to test the effect of Takane-san's "method for Shibuya-kun to become Kimito" on Kaori.

If she recognizes me as Kimito-san, then Mai-chan should be the same.

And so, it was proven that what Takane-san said was correct.

All that's left is to persuade Mai-chan in this form.

But, before that.

I approached Kaori, who was anxiously pressing a hand to her chest, and gently clasped her hand with both of mine.

「Sorry. I didn't know anything about Mai-chan. I just heard from Hozumi-san.」

「S-Stupid! What are you saying in a place like this! If anyone finds out, what will we...」

「I can't just pretend I don't know when my girlfriend's best friend is in trouble! Kaori, let me help as your boyfriend! I'll definitely be of help...!」

「G-Girlfrieeeend!?」

Kaori's face turns bright red as she lets out an outlandish voice. I gently catch her as she immediately becomes dizzy and nearly faints on the spot.

This was all part of the plan.

「Sorry, let's just go with that for now. It would be bad if everyone found out about Mai-chan, right? So, let's pretend you and I are lovers to cover it up.」

I explained the intention behind my sudden "lover" declaration in Kaori's ear.

Her face turns red, then blue, then she smirks, then she puts on a deadpan face, Kaori's expression changes dizzily.

Finally regaining her composure, she said nothing and just nodded.

「Kaori. Tell me, you want to go on the school trip with Mai-chan, right?」

「If Mai's going to suffer so much, then I don't really...」

「Never mind Mai-chan's feelings. What do you want to do?」

It was both an act to convince the people here, and something I wanted to confirm with Kaori.

What did she want to do?

That was what was important.

And so, the maiden who cherished her best friend took a breath and──

「...I want to go on the school trip with Mai. I don't want it to end in such a sad way.」

「Me too~♪ I want all of us to make precious memories together~♪」

Takane-san jumps on the words of resolve that Kaori timidly spoke.

「I get it. In that case, leave the rest to me...!」

There was nothing left to hesitate about.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Having returned to being Shibuya-kun in the restroom, I attended the afternoon classes with a nonchalant face.

With the appearance of her mystery boyfriend, Kaori was bombarded with questions from her classmates. It looked like a handful, but for the first time in a while, she seemed like her usual self.

The last class ends.

Kaori and Takane-san, surrounded by the girls in class, telling fake stories about her love life.

Leaving them to their predicament, I hurried to the net cafe where Mai-chan was waiting.

Although it was past mid-April, Hirosaki, surrounded by mountains, is quickly enveloped in the curtain of night.

I illuminate the faded asphalt with my light and aim for the city center while being overtaken by cars.

Suddenly, the question of whether this was the right thing to do crossed my mind.

The light turns red. I slowly applied the brakes and stopped, then got off the hard saddle. The light here where it intersects with the main road is quite long once it changes.

Cars run like shooting stars on the two-lane road in front of me.

「The gloomy loner who watches the popular kids from the corner of the classroom──that's what I was, though.」

That kind of youth was enough for me.

Noisy things are tiring.

I have no intention of pretending to be a man of letters.

My life is fine with me as a mob.

But, before I knew it──

「It's not just my youth anymore.」

Mai-chan, Kaori, and Takane-san had become a part of my youth.

If they aren't smiling, it doesn't seem like I can enjoy my youth.

The light turns green.

Shaking off my hesitation, I raced through the night streets of Hirosaki.

Kurahashi Mai was holed up in a private room at the net cafe again today.

Fine pure-white sheets. Fluffy cushions. A citrus aroma reed diffuser. And in a pink one-piece dress, the maiden was waiting for my return.

「Welcome back, Kimito-san...」

「...Yeah, I'm back.」

It wasn't her house, nor was it my house. It was a strange greeting.

As I close the door behind me, Mai-chan jumps on me.

「Were you a good girl while you waited?」

「Yeah.... But, I was lonely...」

Fluidly, she asks me for a kiss.

After we kissed, I held her shoulder and finally resolved to reveal my identity.

However, I want to add just a little twist.

「Mai-chan, can you put on your school uniform?」

「Okay, but? What are you planning, Kimito-san?」

「There's something I really want you to see in your uniform.」

She has her Shirakami School uniform, as she left home pretending to go to school.

It was easy to grant my wish.

However, Mai-chan's hands were trembling.

「It's fine. I'm with you, okay?」

「...Yeah. I know.」

Mai-chan, so scared she's even afraid to put on her uniform. I gently squeeze her small hand.

After waiting for Mai-chan to calm down, I leave her in the room and go out into the hallway. Then, I entered the shower room, removed my contact lenses, and lightly dampened my hair. This is twist number 1.

Before adding the next twist, I was a little thirsty, so I stopped by the drink bar. There, I happened to run into my junior colleague, who is one year younger, who was doing the regular cleaning of the drain plate.

「Morning. Sorry, I've been leaving all the work to you lately.」

「...Ah, yes. This is part of the job, so.」

My strangely curt junior colleague quickly retreats into the kitchen.

After seeing her off, I poured a glass of carbonated water and poured it down my stomach.

「Alright, it's time to start Operation Get Mai-chan Back...!」

Placing the empty cup in the return slot, I hurry to the back yard. I passed by the shelves stacked with supplies and entered the men's locker room for staff.

There──I put on my school uniform. This is twist number 2.

『Mai-chan, have you finished changing?』

Leaning my back against a locker in the changing room, I send a LIKE message to Mai-chan.

It was read immediately, and she replied with an "OK" sticker.

I leave the back yard in my uniform.

On the way, I passed Tou-san, but he looked down and said nothing to me.

That clumsy kindness made me a little happy.

The private room where Mai-chan is.

I put my hand on the doorknob, take a deep breath, and calm my heart.

And then, twist number 3──

Putting on my glasses, I pulled the door towards me.

「...H-Huh? S-Shibuya-kun?」

Kurahashi Mai was waiting in her school uniform.

Like a doll, she sits with her knees folded on the sheet, her silver hair flowing down her back, her round yellow eyes darting about. To her, who stares at me with surprised eyes, I──Shibuya-kun, smile.

My Shirakami School uniform. And──

「As I thought, you can tell who I am with this hairstyle, can't you?」

I let down my hair, which I always style with wax at the net cafe, and switched from contact lenses to glasses.

I walk towards the bewildered Mai-chan.

I kissed her to make her understand that I was one and the same as Kimito.

「Nn... Ah! N-No, you can't!」

At the same time, I run my fingers through my hair and take off my glasses.

The me reflected in her eyes switched from Shibuya-kun to Kimito-san.

That's all it was. But, that was what was important.

「Eh, ah... Kimito-san? Eh, Shibuya-kun was Kimito-san?」

When working at the net cafe, it would be shameful to look as plain as I do at school.

The cause of the misunderstanding was that I styled my hair with wax and took off my glasses.

When I met Kaori at school, just by doing that, she recognized me not as the panty-peeking pervert Shibuya-kun, but as Kimito-san from the net cafe. And Mai-chan too.

「That's right, I'm Shibuya Kimito. I'm your classmate, and a staff member at this net cafe.」

「Eh, ehh!? I-I had no idea at all...!?」

「It's fine. It's my fault for dressing like this. Sorry for being confusing.」

「T-That's not true... at all! Shibuya-kun at school is cute and wonderful! And Kimito-san at the net cafe is so cool! I-I like them both!」

「Thank you. I also like Kurahashi-san at school and Mai-chan at the net cafe, I like them both.」

Mai-chan's cheeks instantly flush red.

「I-I see... W-Wait! Then, even me at school?」

「I know everything.」

「A-And you were always, helping me...!?」

「I couldn't just leave you alone.」

Turning as red as an apple, Mai-chan covers her face with both hands.

That shy figure, which she doesn't even show when we're having sex, is so endearing──I make her move her hands away and seal her lips with my own again.

Not as Kimito-san, but as Shibuya-kun. No, as Shibuya Kimito.

A childish kiss, with just our lips touching quietly. However, there was something there that was not in the kisses we had exchanged over the past few days to distract ourselves from our sadness.

「...Ahh! K-Kimito-san!?」

「Mai-chan. I'm in love with you. The honor student Kurahashi-san at school. And the Mai-chan who lets me spoil her at the net cafe... I love them both.」

「I... I'm not a lewd girl!?」

Mai-chan denies it in a panic. After we've sought each other out so intensely that there's nothing we don't know about each other's bodies, saying something like that has no persuasive power at all.

But, that's precisely why I want to tell her──

「Mai-chan, believe me. I will accept you no matter who you are.」

「...K-Kimito-san.」

「That's why I revealed my identity to you.」

The luster vanishes from her tearful voice. And the redness from her cheeks too.

Her shyness changes color to sadness, and she once again confronts the harsh reality.

As if to encourage her, I embraced her slender body.

「Don't give up on yourself thinking it's hopeless. You ran away from the school trip, you ran away from school, you ran away from your friends and your home. You're thinking that there's no way you can return to your old life... right?」

And so, Mai-chan quietly nodded.

She pleaded for help with eyes that looked like they were about to burst into tears.

In that case, I will face it together with her. The reality that she fears.

And, her herself.

「Mai-chan, let's go to school. Let's go on the school trip too. I came here to say that.」

「...Shibuya, kun.」

「It's okay, I'll protect you. Not just at the net cafe. At school too, I'll support you. And not just me. Kaori and Takane-san will surely help you too...」

Those words might have hurt Mai-chan.

But I'm not afraid anymore. If it's necessary to understand Kurahashi Mai, I won't hesitate to say it. So that we can all spend our youth laughing from the bottom of our hearts.

「Mai-chan, I want to be with you. Not just at the net cafe, but at school too...!」

「M-Me too! I want to be with Kimito-san! And with Kaori-chan, and Takane-chan too...!」

「...You finally told me your true feelings.」

My feelings got through.

Kurahashi Mai revealed to me not a lie for the sake of escape, but her true feelings that she desired and sought.

「It's okay. If it's the two of us... no, Kaori and Takane-san are with us too. If we're all together, we should be able to have a wonderful youth.」

「With everyone, together... I see. You're right, Shibuya-kun.」

「Yeah, I'm sure of it.」

As Mai-chan's shoulders tremble anxiously, I kiss her again. Again and again.

And so she finally decided to step outside from this dark, narrow private room.

To the other side of the door, where the reality that hurts her awaits.

「Kimito-san, I'm still scared. What kind of face should I make when I see everyone...」

Her small, fragile shoulders tremble.

But, fortunately, I had the answer to that──

「It's okay, Mai-chan. What kind of face should you make... that's, you see.」

Her yellow eyes gaze at me.

The smile of the gloomy loner bastard reflected in them was the answer.

「Exactly, a face like this.」

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Once she decided to return to school, Mai-chan's actions were swift.

She immediately called her friends and apologized for ignoring them until now.

「You idiot! As if I'd start hating you over something like that!」

「...Kaori-chan!」

「Really, you're such an idiot, Mai! Just how many years do you think we've been childhood friends!」

「Yeah, you're right... I'm sorry, Kaori-chan! I'm so sorry...!」

Kaori easily forgave her childhood friend.

「I'm so glad, Ma-chaan~! You're coming back to school, right~!」

「I'm sorry for making you worry... No, thank you for worrying about me, Takane-chan.」

「Of course~ It's 'cause you're my precious best friend!」

Takane-san also forgave Mai-chan.

After she finished contacting her friends, she next tried to explain things to her family and the school.

However, that's where I stopped her.

There is no need to get hurt more than necessary by confessing every single thing.

In this world, there are some things that are best left unsaid.

「Somehow, this feels like we're doing something... bad, doesn't it?」

「Aren't you enjoying this a little?」

「...Maybe I am ♪ Fufufu ♪」

That smile was like that of a small child playing a prank.

And so, since it was just about time for Mai-chan to check out, we returned to our respective homes. We decided to take it easy at home for the rest of today.

「Well then, Mai-chan, see you at school.」

「Yeah. I'm looking forward to, seeing you at school ♥」

Mai-chan tugs on the hem of my jacket and looks down.

It's a weekday night.

The foot traffic on Sakura Oodori is sparse.

Even so, passersby stare at us as Mai-chan acts spoiled with me. This, too, is probably something I have to accept along with her.

「Um, Kimito-san. Can I get some courage, from you, before I go…?」

「...Courage?」

While a white-haired driver glared at us, Mai-chan kissed me.

As one would expect, it was different from the kind we had in the private room, but being kissed under the moonlight while being watched by a crowd of people was so embarrassing it felt like my brain was on fire.

A black Benz drives down Sakura Oodori. After passing the statue of Anju, Zushiou, and their mother, it turned onto Prefectural Road 28 and disappeared into the old townscape of Hirosaki.

I turn back, a sense of accomplishment, relief, and a little pride in my chest.

Then, for some reason, the net cafe manager wearing sunglasses was standing there.

「Kimito, you're going home, aren't you? I'll give you a ride.」

「Is that okay, Tou-san?」

「Paying a special bonus to a hard-working employee is also part of the manager's job.」

「Isn't that a bit shabby?」

Give me days off and overtime pay instead.

Just for today, I swallowed those complaints.

「For the rest, get some rest. You did well...」

Dropping me off at my front door, Tou-san returned to the net cafe again.

It seems he has to work hard from now on to fill the hole left by the chief staff.

I see my father off and go through the entrance. Surprising Nanoka, who was relaxing in the living room, I ate a slightly late dinner──cup yakisoba and scrambled eggs──and quickly holed up in my room.

Without changing into my loungewear, I dive onto my bed. As I threw myself face down onto the spring mattress covered with blue sheets, I fell into a light sleep just like that.

It has been a very hard week. When I wake up, it might be Sunday.

But, strangely, my heart as I drifted off to sleep was filled with a warm feeling.

The next day. I was at work at the net cafe.

Of course, in the private room that had more or less become Mai-chan's exclusive room.

Next to me is Mai-chan. Changed into a pink one-piece dress, her silver hair braided and neatly gathered──she was hunched over, her shoulders trembling, completely stiff with tension.

Last night, I woke up thirsty, and my eyes widened at the barrage of calls from Mai-chan that had come in while I was asleep. Then, I immediately contacted her.

『I'm scared to go to school after all! Kimito-san, come with me!』

After parting with me, Mai-chan had suddenly become anxious and had immediately asked for help.

I understand how she feels, but──

「But is that okay? If we do that, our relationship will be exposed, you know?」

『You said you'd help me, Kimito-san!』

「I did, but... there's no need to be brutally honest and tell everyone, right?」

『What do you mean? Say it so I can understand!』

Mai-chan is completely panicking.

It seems a roundabout way of saying things won't get through to her.

And so, as requested, I clearly conveyed my concerns.

「Mai-chan... do you think we need to publicly announce that we're dating?」

『...Eh? Huh? Maybe, we don't...?』

「Most people keep it quiet and are all lovey-dovey, right? Because they don't want to be teased...」

Kurahashi Mai gasped at this truth of the world.

After what felt like ten minutes of deep thought on the other end of the phone, she──

『Let's keep it a secret from everyone at school...!』

She had made the wise decision that many couples in the world make.

『So, from now on, you and I are secret erotic friends.』

「I don't think the "erotic" part is necessary?」

『......Should we be sex friends?』

「Stop it. My heart is pounding right now.」

『Fufufu. Then, erotic friends it is...♥』

Reaffirming our relationship with words is somehow embarrassing.

So, we arrived at the conclusion that she should "ask friends other than me to support her return to school on Monday", and to explain the situation to them, I have prepared a spot here.

The above is the sequence of events that has led to us waiting at the net cafe now.

Mai-chan and I are about to ask Kaori and Takane-san for their support with her return to school, but──

「They're late, aren't they, those two.」

「Ah, I got a message from Kaori-chan, she said she'll be late because of club activities.」

「...Seriously?」

「Takane-chan too. She said her drama club activities are running long...」

「......Seriously?」

Those two are being strangely considerate.

I wanted to say that I'm not in that kind of mood after what happened yesterday──but we're so close that our shoulders touch if we move even a little. It's impossible not to be conscious of it.

Mai-chan rested her face against my chest.

With her cheeks now completely flushed red, she studies my expression. As if wanting something, or as if tempting me, or as if asking me, "Aren't you going to do anything?".

「U-Um... Mai-chan. We're going to see Kaori and Takane-san soon, you know?」

「They contacted us and said they'd be late...?」

「...B-Besides, I don't have any condoms.」

「...Ah, me neither.」

Thank goodness. At the last second, I managed to avoid having pre-friend-arrival sex.

「Um, this is a little psychology test.」

「W-What is it?」

「...How many children do you want in the future?」

What kind of test is this!?

「I guess a good balance of boys and girls!」

「Right, that's what I think...♥ I want both a boy and a girl... about five of them♥」

「Oh no, my erotic friend has maternal instincts that are too strong...!」

As I am surprised, Mai-chan's hand reaches for my crotch.

She grabbed the scruff of the neck of my member, which had lost a bit of its vigor.

「It's okay ♥ My family's rich, so about ten kids is fine...♥」

「Wasn't this a psychology test!?」

「Kimito-san, let's make a baby, together...♥♥」

Before I knew it, I was pinning Mai-chan down.

Her silver hair billows softly and spreads out on the mattress along with her pink one-piece dress.

Licking the fingertips that had gotten me in the mood, Mai-chan uses her free hand to lift the hem of her skirt and push her lemon-yellow panties to the side.

To that now fully aroused place, I press my member, which had been coaxed into becoming fully aroused. Each time that thing, harder than usual, scraped against her red flesh, her body jumped.

At her unprecedented level of sensitivity, my own brakes were finally starting to fail.

The meat rod, nibbled and toyed with by the pink flesh, lets a drop of juice fall. When I smeared it on her desperately peaked clitoris, Mai-chan covered her mouth and writhed her hips.

The real juices overflow from her vaginal opening.

Her reaction is completely different from when we use a condom.

「K-Kimito-saan...♥♥♥ Let's make a cute baby, together...♥♥♥」

「Let's do it! Let's make lots of babies with Mai-chan!」

「Ah, nn... nhaahhh♥♥♥ That hot thing is... inside my vagina...♥♥♥」

In sex unhindered by a condom, my hips give way and my thoughts melt.

Just as I thought my meat rod had dissolved into mush, it suddenly regained its hardness and thrust at her deepest part.

When Mai-chan, thrust into her womb, thrashes as if in agony, a strong climactic spasm enveloped my meat rod. Her vaginal walls squeeze my meat rod, and in an instant, her seed is filled up.

However, I haven't ejaculated yet.

I still hadn't had enough of this unbearable feeling of happiness and this adorable erotic friend.

「M-Mai-chan! I-I love you...!」

「Yeah, me too...♥♥♥」

「With a face like a doll, you lure me into doing erotic things...!」

「I-I'm sorrryyy...♥♥♥ But, Kimito-san's babies...♥♥♥ I really, really want a lot of them...♥♥♥」

「If you say that...!」

The one I've lewdly raised──the most beautiful girl in class.

The white, silver-haired maiden looks up at me with a bewitching smile and gently wraps her hands around my neck.

I immediately respond to her plea for a kiss and plug her two openings myself.

Mai-chan really loves to kiss during sex. To the maiden starved for love, I offered my love just as she demanded. Even while knowing that this wasn't something that could be forgiven as a youthful indiscretion.

As long as it makes her happy, it's fine.

Because I'm this happy, too.

「Ah, ah, noo... it's coming deep♥♥ While making a baby...♥♥ My, naughty womb, is aching...♥♥♥」

「I'm at my limit! Mai-chan!?」

「Yeah♥♥ Give me your baby, Kimito-san...♥♥♥」

She wraps her legs around my waist and pulls my stand-in deeper into her body.

The head of my penis parting her hot flesh. The meatus is caressed by the back of her vagina, and my rod is squeezed by her twitching flesh in the throes of climax. My mouth is filled with her breath and saliva, my entire being dyed by her.

「Mai-chan, get pregnant with my child...!」

「Nhaaahhh♥♥♥ Kimito-san's is...♥ inside my womb...♥♥♥ H-Happiness, right now, I'm so happy...♥♥♥」

「Me too, Mai-chan...! Ah, oh no, that clenching...!」

「Ah, aah♥♥ I'm so happy, I can't stop coming...♥ I'm gonna cum... I'm gonna cum while making a baby...♥♥♥」

She lifts her hips, her eyes roll back, and she scatters drool and love juice.

To ensure that the beloved maiden before me──the silver-haired beauty, becomes a mother, I poured every last drop of semen in my body into her vaginal opening and the womb beyond.

There's nothing left. Finishing an ejaculation so complete my testicles felt empty, I pull it out of her vagina.

Instantly, the thick, viscous juice overflowed from the unplugged opening.

Her female organ is smeared with the semen I produced. As the savage emotion inherent to men was stirred, I moved my gaze from the lewdly wet pink slit to Mai-chan's flushed face.

「...A lot came out ♥♥」

「...Yeah. I'm sure we probably made about five.」

「Fufufu ♥♥♥ It'll be hard to raise quintuplets...♥♥♥」

But, Mai-chan says, looking up at me with a sweat-beaded face.

「If they're Kimito-san's babies, I'll give birth to as many as you want... ♥♥」

I wanted Mai-chan to give birth to as many as she wanted too.

「Sorry, sorry! Kimito, Mai! A junior at my club got injured...!」

「We're late~! Sorry, Kimikimi, Maa-chan!」

「「Ah.」」

There's no time to bask in the afterglow of baby-making, no time for a second round, and certainly no time to cover things up.

Suddenly, Kaori and Takane-san burst into the private room.

Mai-chan's crotch is wide open, facing the room's entrance.

This is──

「......Kimito? What do you think you're doing?」

「That's no good, Kimikimi! NO SKIN! NO SEX!」

It doesn't seem like any excuse will work.

「You're wrong, Kaori! This was with her consent!」

「Kaori-chan... I'm sorry ♥♥ I... received a baby from Kimito-san...♥♥」

Mai-chan says something that exquisitely tickles a man's heart again. But before my rod had time to stand up at such words, my head was smashed by the silver-haired maiden's childhood friend.