Chapter 9
Miyuki, Tetsuya, and I had been studying together for three days.
We were more comfortable than when we'd first started, so we could focus on studying and make small talk during breaks.
After what happened at the playground, Miyuki seemed to have opened her heart to me even more.
Sometimes, when our eyes met, she'd smile first or teasingly ask what I was looking at.
As if she were imitating the way I usually acted.
I was happy. Miyuki and I were growing closer.
But I still had a long way to go before I could become as close to Miyuki as Tetsuya was, so I wasn't happy enough to feel like I could fly.
I was content simply to see our relationship develop a little more each day.
“Let's take a twenty-minute... No, a thirty-minute break. I'll go check on the plants.”
After finishing the study session, Miyuki said that and stood up.
Watering the plants as soon as she arrived and checking on them during breaks had become part of what she did whenever she came to my house.
It was a good sign.
If this behavior solidified into a habit, she'd have a reason to come to my house even on days when we didn't have lessons.
After roughly cutting up the watermelon, I approached Miura, who was sitting on the raised platform adjoining the living room and watching Miyuki's back.
I plopped down beside him and placed the tray between us, prompting Miura to say,
“I'll enjoy this, Matsuda.”
“Eat as much as you want, or don't.”
At that, Miyuki turned around and teased me in a playful tone.
“Matsuda-kun, are you a tsundere?”
Damn it, I might act all tsun with you, but would I do that to that bastard Tetsuya?
I'll remember this.
Pay me back with a cowgirl ride later.
As I stared at Miyuki with an incredulous expression, she slowly approached and took a bite of watermelon.
Her expression melted when she tasted its intense sweetness.
“It's so sweet...! Did you pick this out yourself, Matsuda-kun?”
“I picked the one I saw right at the entrance of the traditional market.”
“Really...? I guess you got lucky.”
When I told the market lady I wanted a sweet one to eat with my girlfriend, she picked out a good one for me.
She was very generous.
I took a bite of watermelon, chewed and swallowed, then shrugged at Tetsuya's question.
“Matsuda, it's the weekend tomorrow. What are you doing?”
“I don't know. Nothing planned. You?”
“Hmm...? We haven't decided yet, either.”
“Judging by the way you say ‘we,’ I guess you two are always stuck together like one person?”
“Ah, not really... We've just spent so much time together that I naturally put it that way. I don't have anything planned.”
Is this bastard trying to provoke me?
I glanced at Miyuki, and she was nodding.
Meaning Tetsuya was telling the truth.
I already knew that, but getting confirmation face-to-face still irritated me.
I suppressed the urge to smack the back of Tetsuya's head and looked up at Miyuki.
“So, you don't have anything to do either?”
“No. I haven't really thought about it.”
“Then do you want to go pick out some books with me?”
“Books?”
“Yeah. I'm going to buy some manga.”
Miyuki's surprised expression quickly faded.
She muttered with an expression that said, Of course.
“I was stupid to think we were going to buy books for studying...”
“I was planning to buy those too. Why else would I ask you to come with me? We'll just go pick out a few interesting manga and call it a day.”
For now, I had to use an excuse like this.
If I openly asked her on a date in our current situation, she'd obviously reject me.
It was better for both Miyuki and me if she thought she was merely helping a classmate... no, a friend.
“Hmm... I guess you're right... I was actually planning to buy some books for class too... All right, let's go together. But I'll show you where the bookstore is. They have manga there too, so don't worry.”
Miyuki accepted my offer without even hesitating.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to throw my hands up in celebration.
From beside me, I could feel Tetsuya staring in surprise.
Are you annoyed? Then you should've worked up the courage.
You're too passive to do what I did, so you just sit around waiting for Miyuki to invite you out first every time.
I'll make sure to handle the bookstore event properly. Watch and learn.
Just don't have some kind of awakening.
“Okay. I'll send you the location on LINE. Let's meet at noon tomorrow.”
“Noon? Won't it be too hot?”
“We're going to be indoors anyway. What's the difference?”
“Is that so...? Okay. Then I guess I'll get there around one. Right?”
She's teasing me again.
I'll play along.
“Noon was one o'clock?”
At my utterly serious question, Miyuki's eyes went round.
She stared at me blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.
After laughing merrily, even shedding a few tears, she wiped beneath her eyes and said,
“No, I meant you'll definitely oversleep and be late, Matsuda-kun, so I'd arrive around then...”
“.... Don't tease me. And it's not nearly funny enough to make you cry, is it?”
“It's... because I'm sad... Yeah, those were tears of sadness... Pffft...!”
“Eat your watermelon before I throw it at you.”
“Yeah... Watermelon is good... I'll eat it... But, Matsuda-kun... your face looks red...”
Irritated by Miyuki's relentless teasing, I looked at Tetsuya and threatened him.
“Wipe that smirk off your face.”
“Huh...? Wh-what? I wasn't laughing...”
I know. I'm just taking my frustration out on you.
I mustn't ask Tetsuya if he wants to come along.
He'd definitely come.
And Tetsuya was too spineless to say that he wanted to come along with me, either.
So for now, I just had to steer the conversation elsewhere by playing up my stupidity and trust Miyuki.
Please, don't let her ask Tetsuya to come with us.
**
The blazing sun was fucking vicious.
I was waiting for Miyuki with a deep frown when—
“Matsuda-kun!”
When Miyuki's lively voice came from right behind me, I flinched.
“Aw, shit... You startled me...”
Miyuki then stood in front of me with a beaming smile.
Today's Miyuki was wearing the white T-shirt I'd seen on the first day of studying, along with a black skirt that reached her ankles.
Her defensive stats looked incredibly high. Someday, I'd dress her in a miniskirt and a crop top.
“You're more easily scared than you look, Matsuda-kun.”
“What do you mean, easily scared? Anyone would've been startled in a situation like this.”
Grumbling, I looked around.
Tetsuya was...
‘Not here.’
My Miyuki hadn't said anything to Tetsuya.
Good job. I'll pay you back for this debt with a creampie.
“What are you doing?”
At Miyuki's question, I turned my gaze back to her and answered.
“I thought I saw someone familiar. Never mind. Anyway, aren't you hot?”
“I'm hot. I feel like I'm going to die from the heat.”
Looking as though she might stick out her tongue from the heat, Miyuki glanced over my shoulder.
There was a kakigori shop there, specializing in Japanese shaved ice.
She must have been craving something cold.
I pointed behind me with my thumb.
Then I casually suggested,
“Want some kakigori? There's a shop over there.”
“Huh...? I was just thinking that!”
“Great, then. Let's eat. I'm dying in this heat.”
“Matsuda-kun. Use a nicer expression.”
“Do you have to butt in even on a day like this? Will it kill you if I just say it?”
“You keep slipping into profanity out of habit. You need to fix that.”
“It's really hot. Happy now?”
Only then did Miyuki nod with a satisfied expression.
“Yeah. Let's go now.”
We headed to the shop, enjoyed shaved ice mixed with several syrups and topped with ice cream, paid separately, and then made our way to the bookstore.
The place had a slightly vintage atmosphere.
It had the distinctive smell of paper books, and the books weren't properly organized.
After entering the bookstore, I waited for Miyuki to greet the owner.
When she came over to me, I quietly voiced my complaint.
“Is this a used bookstore?”
“They do have used books, but they mainly sell new ones. The manga section is over there.”
“I don't think they'll have any new releases...”
“The owner likes manga too. I'm sure there are some, so go look.”
“.... Where did you say the manga section was?”
“Over there. Behind you. You said the reference book you need for studying is math, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I'll pick out your math book too, Matsuda-kun. I know your level well.”
I said I understood and headed toward the manga section.
Honestly, I didn't even want to buy any new manga.
I only wanted to raise Miyuki's affection through the event.
I pretended to browse the manga while watching Miyuki's every move.
Miyuki slowly walked around the bookstore, looking at various books.
When she was nearing a corner spot, I prepared to make my move.
Then, the moment Miyuki rose onto her tiptoes and touched the middle of a stack of books, I charged at her with all my strength.
Patter-patter-!
Footsteps rang through the quiet bookstore.
Miyuki turned her head, and her eyes landed on me.
“Matsuda-kun...? What are you...”
Perhaps frightened by me charging toward her, fear filled Miyuki's eyes.
Ignoring the look in her eyes, I got close enough for my arm to reach her,
I placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her waist, then spun my body and fell to the floor.
“Kyaaah!”
Rrrrrumble-!
Along with Miyuki's scream, a pile of books came crashing down on top of us.
A dull impact struck my head and back.
I even felt a sharp sting at the crown of my head.
“Ghk...!”
After shielding Miyuki's entire body with mine, I didn't let out a sigh of relief until all the books had fallen.
Then I asked Miyuki, who was visibly flustered beneath me,
“Are you okay?”
Having grasped what had happened, Miyuki swallowed hard and answered.
“Ah... yeah... Are you okay, Matsuda-kun...?”
“You're short, so why were you trying to get that out? You could've just called the owner or me.”
“S-sorry... But... ow...! It hurts...! Matsuda-kun... wait...”
Miyuki suddenly squeezed one eye shut in pain, then slightly raised her head and looked down at her chest.
My hand was there.
Clutching one of Miyuki's breasts very tightly.
One of the classic love-comedy clichés.
A situation in which some incident or accident occurs, and a man happens to touch an intimate part of a woman unintentionally.
This was called a lucky sukebe, and it had happened to me.
I had deliberately touched Miyuki's breast as I fell, but... let's just say it was accidental.
“.....”
“.....”
I held Miyuki's gaze in silence for a moment, then sprang up and sat a little distance away from her.
Then I scratched the back of my head vigorously and apologized in a small voice.
“I'm sorry... I was trying to catch myself on the floor...”
Miyuki groaned as she pushed her upper body up and shook her head.
“N-no... It's okay... You were trying to save me...”
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Miyuki's startled voice broke the silence.
“Matsuda-kun...! Your hand is bleeding...!”
I know.
It had been scraped by the edge of a thick, sturdy book, which was why I'd deliberately scratched the back of my head.
I wanted to make the awkwardness disappear quickly by showing her the blood.
Of course, the atmosphere would cool down again on the way home, but I should at least avoid that for now.
I looked at the blood on the first knuckle of my finger and stared at Miyuki with a blank expression.
“Is this your blood?”
“D-do you think it could be? I don't have a scratch on me...! J-just wait a moment...! Owner! Owner!”
Miyuki made a fuss and went to look for the owner, who had ‘just happened’ to go to the bathroom.
After confirming that she had disappeared outside, I looked down at my hand.
More precisely, I was looking at the hand opposite the one that had touched Miyuki's breast.
Miyuki's breast felt soft and yielding when I touched it for the first time.
More than anything, the way it gave beneath my hand, soft as jelly, had been incredible.
It was perfection itself. No further embellishment was necessary.
It would've been even more heavenly if Miyuki hadn't been wearing a bra...
But I could touch her bare breasts as much as I wanted later, once we grew closer, so I'd be satisfied with this much.
Smirking unconsciously as I recalled the feel of Miyuki's breast, a thought flashed through my mind, and I raised my bloodied hand and waved it.
Whack-!
A book that had been falling was stopped by my hand and bounced off to the side.
The event was already over, and I couldn't let my body get hurt any further.
Having dealt with the final cliché as well, I got back up, feeling refreshed.