“Hee-hee. How cute…”

I was lying on my bed, playing with my handheld console, with Fushimi sprawled beside me, giggling. She held one of my manga volumes.

“Are you having fun?”

“Yes, it’s very fun!”

Cool.

Once she found out I liked manga, Fushimi asked me for recommendations, one of which she was now reading. It was a rom-com for boys, so I wasn’t sure she’d like it, but apparently I was wrong.

I could occasionally hear her reacting with a little “Ooh” or “Wow!” while she read, leisurely fluttering her legs.

I gave her a sidelong glance, and all I could see was her pure-white thighs. I hurriedly looked away, lifted my hips, and distanced myself a bit.

“Who do you think is the cutest?” she asked.

“I think that’d be Karin.”

“Oh, very understandable.”

“She’s cute.”

Karin was one of the heroines: the one who liked the protagonist from the beginning.

There were barely any serious moments in the story, which was one of its selling points—it was an easy read.

“Next, next!” Fushimi demanded. She had already finished the fourth volume and was rushing right into the fifth. Now she was twisting and turning, flopping from faceup to facedown to faceup again, restlessly trying to find the optimal posture.

“I think it’s best to just use a chair and desk,” I commented. A fact a manga newbie like her wouldn’t know.

“Hmm… Let’s see… Like this…” She moved, still lying faceup. “Oh, this feels right.”

I was sitting cross-legged, and she took the chance to rest her head on my knee.

“Oh… Please don’t let me interfere with your gaming. Enjoy yourself,” she said while glancing back at the manga.

What kind of enjoyment am I supposed to get out of this?

“Your head is too heavy.”

“C’mon—just for a bit.”

Geez, fine… Oh? Her skirt’s hemline was farther up her leg than usual, most likely because she was bending her knees. This part of her thighs was not used to seeing the light of day.

Gulp.

Considering her lazy posture, the slightest breeze would flip it up.

“Fushimi… Um, your skirt… I can almost see…y’know.”

She rested the open manga on her slim chest, then swiftly pulled her skirt down, returning it to its position six inches above her knees.

Her face was slightly red.

“Ryou…you pervert.”

“I’m not— I just warned you…”

Fushimi stared at me with a serious look on her face. “Ryou, have you ever wanted to see a girl’s panties, too?”

There was a scene like that in that manga. Nothing too excessive, though—the kind of just slightly naughty scene that’s still firmly PG.

“Never.” Yes, I would die for it.

“I see… What about if I offered?”

For real?

“…No.”

“Hee-hee. I only asked because I knew you’d say that.”

I can’t tell if she really trusts me or thinks I’m just that pathetic.

Fushimi grabbed the manga again and went back to reading. Soon enough, her hemline was drifting north again.

For heaven’s sake…

Her thighs were taking attention away from my gaming.

“I’ll go get some juice.”

“Huh? No, don’t worry about that.”

“I said I’m going.” I took her pillow away as I moved my knee and stood up, then left the room.

“Haaah…”

When did my bedroom turn into an endurance test chamber?

I could feel the MP fading away from my body.

When I got to the kitchen, I took a good breath of fresh air and poured the juice. Then I went back to my room.

“I brought apple juice again. That okay?”

“Whaaa…?! A-ahhh, yes!”

Fushimi was no longer holding my manga; as soon as I entered the room, she rocketed over to the bed and sat on her knees.

“?”

“…”

Our eyes met, and she immediately turned away. She cleared her throat, then took a more relaxed sitting posture.

Her face is…a little stiff?

She hid her lips in her mouth, then took her tongue out ever so slightly to moisten them.

“Are you thirsty? You should’ve said so, geez,” I said, giving her one of the glasses I’d brought.

“Th-thanks…”

Our fingers touched when she took it, making my heart skip a beat.

“S-sorry…”

“N-no, don’t worry…”

Well, this is awkward.

Fushimi gulped down the whole glass of juice.

I felt too awkward sitting with her on the bed again, so I decided to game from my chair.

I put my glass down on the desk and noticed something unusual—a thin, square packet the size of my palm. A circle was jutting out from within the square.

Is this a…a love glove?! Where did this come from?!

I doubt this is something for school, asking me to measure the circle’s area or something.

The wrapping had Do it right, Bubby written in Mana’s handwriting.

That damn gyaru! Get out of my business! When did this thing even get here…?

Has it…been here from the beginning and I didn’t notice…?

And Fushimi saw it after I left…?

“…I’ll get back to reading…” She sat upright with the manga in her hands.

It’s upside down!

I can tell that thing has you flustered! You’re redder than the reddest tomato!

She didn’t point it out and call me a pervert like just a few minutes before. Now she was simply too embarrassed to even crack a joke. This wasn’t light, silly lewdness like panties or whatever—this was serious business.

Her breathing was heavy as she tried to fan her redness away with her hand.

“F-Fushimi.”

“Huh?! Yeah?!”

I could hear her gulping all the way from where I was.

“I-I’ll lend you the manga. I—I just remembered I have something to do.”

“I—I—I see.”

“Y-y-yeah.”

“O-okay then, I-I’ll go home!”

I packed all the volumes up to the latest one in a bag.

It was already dark outside, so I decided to walk her home.

We stepped outside in silence, with a palpable air of tension around us.

Awkward…

Yeah, who wouldn’t panic after seeing that without any warning? Hell, I’m panicking right now.

Once her house entered our sights, she said she’d go the rest of the way alone and took the bag of manga.

“Sure. Okay, see you tomorrow.”

I turned my back to her and started away, when I heard her yell, “R-Ryou!”

She was peeking out of her house’s door, as if it was some sort of shield.

“What is it?”

“…I-I’m not okay with doing that kind of thing without going through the proper procedures first! Y-you idiot!” She fled into her house and shut the door.

“I—I didn’t even ask for it…!” I tried explaining, but she was already gone.

“Dammit, Mana…” I aggressively scratched my head in frustration before going back home.

…Although, she didn’t call me a pig or a jerk or disgusting.

I thought back on what she’d just said, and I turned around to her house.

The lights in Fushimi’s room on the second floor were on. Her curtains were open, and a figure appeared in the window, waving a hand.

I waved back.

Fushimi…

The way you said that makes it sound as if you would be okay with doing it if we did go through the proper procedures first, you know?

Nah… I’m overthinking it.