Chapter 34
“Mom asked whether it was true that Matsuda-kun used to be a delinquent...”
It was Miyuki, sitting on the edge of the bed, who said that.
“What are you talking about?”
“She said you were incredibly polite today, and that it was nice to see you eating well... She told you to come visit often...”
I nodded and rose from the chair, then sat down beside her.
Miyuki seemed extremely flustered by what I had done.
She started fussing with her clothes for no reason.
The way her pretty toes wriggled was amusing.
Looking at her with a grin, I asked,
“Really? What do you think?”
“I mean, I... think so too...”
“That’s a relief.”
When I said that as if I were relieved by Miyuki’s good opinion, she flinched and looked at me.
“A relief...?”
“Yeah.”
Was my slightly different behavior unfamiliar to her?
Miyuki’s throat bobbed.
I could faintly hear her swallow.
What are you thinking right now?
“.... Yeah, it is a relief. Even my family has to acknowledge Matsuda-kun, or you won’t keep working hard from here on out... Right?”
It was admirable how she deliberately acted upbeat, trying to lift the subdued mood again.
But what a shame. I didn’t feel like going along with her.
I let out a small chuckle and shrugged lightly.
“I guess so.”
“.....”
Miyuki had gone mute again.
She looked a little uncomfortable, but since she wasn’t moving away from me, I figured she was merely nervous.
I looked at Miyuki and said,
“Hey.”
“.... Yeah?”
“What’s that attached to the ceiling?”
“Ah... That... Um... Tetsuya-kun and I put it up when we were kids...”
“You put it up when you were kids? Then this must be a pretty old house, right? I thought it had been built recently because the inside and outside are so clean.”
“That’s because we take good care of it... You should pay more attention to your house too, Matsuda-kun... And take care of your plants...”
Flinch.
Miyuki’s whole body visibly jerked.
That was because, pretending to adjust my posture, I had casually placed my hand over hers.
If this situation occurred in an ordinary romantic comedy, the protagonist and heroine would be so startled they’d nearly faint, then blush and apologize to each other.
But not me.
I had no intention of becoming an oblivious protagonist.
“.....”
Miyuki had only instinctively flinched when our skin touched the back of her hand; she showed no sign of trying to pull away.
But she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
I had abruptly sat beside her, then initiated physical contact after barely speaking to her, so it was only natural.
I remained still with my hand resting on the back of Miyuki’s.
Then, timing it for the moment Miyuki could no longer bear the awkwardness and was about to say something, I began poking her slender fingers with my fingernail.
“Matsu... Ahem...”
She started to call my name, then cleared her throat.
As tension entered Miyuki’s hand, I could see the bedsheet around the palm she had pressed down sink under the pressure.
I think I can take this further.
After making up my mind, I spread Miyuki’s fingers and was about to slip one of mine between them when—
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door of Miyuki’s room.
“Eek...!”
Miyuki sprang to her feet, expressing her surprise with her whole body as if she’d nearly had a fit.
-Miyuki! Matsuda-kun! There’s still plenty of fruit left, so how can you go upstairs without taking any? Take this with you.
It was Midori’s voice.
She must have brought up the plate we’d left in the living room.
“Oh...! I’ll be right out...!”
Miyuki staggered several times on her way to the door, then pulled the handle and went to greet Midori.
“The fruit... Is that it?”
“Yes. Aren’t you hot?”
Midori asked as if she had no idea what was going on.
Miyuki gave an awkward smile and said,
“We left the window open. It’s fine...”
“Really...? Matsuda-kun is studying, I see?”
At those words, Miyuki whipped around.
She stared at me, now standing in front of the desk, with a blank expression, then turned back to Midori.
“Yeah... The midterms aren’t far off, so of course he has to study...”
“Midterms...? Aren’t they still quite a while away?”
“From Matsuda-kun’s perspective, they’re right around the corner.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s bad at studying, so you can look at it that way...”
“She really doesn’t hold back, even to someone’s face, does she?”
“Y-yeah, anyway, thanks. I’ll enjoy the fruit...!”
“All right, come downstairs if you get bored. And Matsuda-kun, study hard... Good luck.”
At Midori’s gentle words, I smiled brightly and answered,
“Yes, ma’am.”
I had expected Midori to come up.
Why? Because Dokiaka was a romantic comedy.
One of the defining features of a romantic comedy is an unexpected interrupter.
At some point in the early or middle part of the story, the protagonist and heroine get an opportunity for intimate physical contact.
But the moment they begin touching—or when the atmosphere for it has formed—they are interrupted by a friend, teacher, or family member, completely shattering the delicate mood.
After that, they either put on an air of nonchalance and get through the situation with one excuse or another,
or they get caught and teased.
Supporting characters innocently asking, ‘What were you doing?’
Or noticing the protagonist and heroine’s flushed faces and saying, ‘Ooooooh...! What’s going on with you two?’ is one of the classic romantic-comedy clichés.
That’s why I deliberately initiated some light physical contact.
I knew this cliché would happen to me and wanted to get past it somehow so I could get started in earnest afterward.
If I’d tried to kiss her right away, Miyuki wouldn’t even have been able to put on that calm act.
Click.
Once Midori left, Miyuki carefully closed the door and set the plate on the desk.
Then she gave my shoulder a light smack.
“When did you get that far...?”
“When you stood up and went to the door.”
“You’re seriously ridiculous... Eat some fruit...”
The interruption event shouldn’t happen again now.
I speared a neatly cut strawberry with a fork and held it out toward Miyuki, who was munching on melon.
“It’s your favorite.”
“You should eat it, Matsuda-kun...”
“I’ll eat if you do.”
Miyuki hesitantly reached out to take the fork.
Taking advantage of the opening, I grabbed her wrist with my free hand.
“Ghk!”
Miyuki immediately let out a hiccup.
My sudden action must have startled her.
I let out a soft laugh and stared intently at her.
“.... Hic! Hup...!”
It was cute how she covered her mouth with her hand.
It would be best to wait until her hiccups stopped, but I felt like it would be all right to go ahead as things were.
But... I was uneasy.
We were close enough for me to hold her hand, but she might not allow me to kiss her.
I’d made up my mind to go further than a peck today, but now that I thought about it, maybe I was being too impatient...
I could just let her go for now and wait until the Cultural Festival event. That wouldn’t be so bad.
‘Fuck it.’
I cursed myself for hesitating.
We’d spent nearly three months seeing each other’s faces almost every day, filled her affection gauge by properly taking care of the events, and gone on plenty of dates alone together.
She had even anticipated that something would happen today in the flower bed before we entered her room.
And yet, what was I afraid of?
If I kept trying to gauge the timing like this, I’d become timid like Tetsuya.
I’d promised myself I’d do things my way.
Trying to kiss her after three months was already late.
So I should just go for it.
I rose from the chair and, still holding Miyuki’s wrist, began inching forward.
Every time I slowly approached, she backed away at the same pace as me.
“Hic...! Hic...!”
The increasing frequency of her hiccups made it clear just how tense she was.
But do you know something?
If you go back any farther, you’ll hit something.
Thud.
“Ghk!”
The backs of Miyuki’s knees caught on the edge of the bed, forcing her to plop down, and a somewhat high-pitched... almost moan-like voice escaped her lips.
Her eyes were stretched as wide as they could go, glistening with tears, while her pupils darted in every direction.
Tap.
I felt Miyuki’s knee touch my leg.
Slowly, very slowly, I bent my upper body and brought my face close to Miyuki’s.
This time, Miyuki’s body was tilting backward.
As her back descended at an angle, it landed on the bed with a thump.
There’s nowhere left for you to run. What are you going to do?
I released Miyuki’s wrist and placed both hands on either side of her rib cage.
“.... Hic...!”
Miyuki’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and two emotions shone in them after she made that strange sound.
Anticipation, and fear.
The latter was stronger.
If I kept going here, the kiss would take on an element of coercion.
I wanted Miyuki to fully savor the sweetness of her first kiss.
I couldn’t just charge ahead for my own pleasure... I needed to dispel that fear.
As I stared straight into Miyuki’s eyes,
“I’m sorry, Miyuki.”
I sincerely apologized to her in a gentle tone completely unlike my usual manner of speaking.
Then much of the fear disappeared from Miyuki’s eyes.
Good. That should be enough.
It might have been better to tell her I liked her, but I’d save that for the next opportunity.
I examined Miyuki’s face closely.
“Hic!”
The tension was leaving her rigid muscles.
Her hiccups had become less frequent than before, and her trembling body had calmed down.
I slowly reached out and moved Miyuki’s hand away from her mouth.
Her arm fell limply to the side.
It had no strength in it whatsoever.
“.....”
“.....”
Maybe Miyuki was embarrassed; she couldn’t keep her eyes still.
Her tightly pressed lips were incredibly enticing.
I wanted to pounce on her right away, but I should give her a moment to finish preparing herself.
I soothed my burning impatience and kept my eyes on Miyuki. Once her body stopped trembling, I brought my face close and tilted my head slightly.
Miyuki’s eyes slowly closed.
A perfect indication that it was okay.
I silently celebrated, then calmed my racing heart and pressed my lips against her plump ones.
“Hup!”
At the same time, Miyuki hiccupped, causing her head to jerk slightly upward.
As our lips pressed tightly together, their soft texture became firm.
Amused by Miyuki’s involuntary action, I let out a short breath through my nose.
At that, all the strength drained from her body.
I could feel the lips pressed against mine parting as well.
Should I put my tongue in? Or should I hold back?
Let’s do it. After coming all this way with such difficulty, I’d regret it forever if I ended it here.
But instead of thinking only about myself, let’s go a little further while considering what Miyuki would feel, too.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I peeked my tongue out while our lips remained pressed together and gently slipped it into Miyuki’s mouth.
Then I softly licked across her teeth as though painting them.
“.... Mmph!”
Miyuki’s startled body jolted, and her parted teeth snapped shut.
If I’d given in to my desire and pushed my tongue between them, it would have been disastrous.
Good thing I held back.
She must have opened her eyes wide by now.
Although she must have been startled enough to fall over, the fact that she wasn’t pushing me away suggested she didn’t particularly want me to stop.
Had she learned it from dramas or movies?
Or because she’d heard about kissing from female friends who had boyfriends?
If neither of those, had she watched porn by herself?
Whatever the reason, it could only work in my favor.
Keeping my eyelids closed and gently moving my tongue over Miyuki’s teeth, I inwardly rejoiced when a long breath escaped her nose, tickling her nostrils and philtrum.
That breath through her nose was proof that she had completely relaxed.
Relieved, I didn’t go any further, touching only Miyuki’s outer teeth as if to signal that next time I’d give her a deeper kiss.
I slowly wiped away the melon flavor remaining in her mouth from what she’d just eaten with the tip of my tongue,
and ended our first kiss by very lightly catching and tugging at Miyuki’s lower lip with my teeth.