Vol. 2 Chapter 25 – Second Night (1)

“I-Is something wrong…?” (Reiya)
“Mm… Just thinking… what a lovely story this is…” (Hikaru)

…She murmured, tangling her fingers even tighter with mine.

She fidgeted, squirming as if overcome with embarrassment, her bare inner thighs rubbing together where they peeked out from her shorts.

She’s… there’s no doubt about it, she’s turned on…

There’s no other way to put it…

True, that kiss scene just now was the kind where you wouldn’t be surprised if a caption popped up saying, ‘And then they had crazy S*X.’

But still, people don’t normally get this worked up over sexual content in anime, do they…?

I never dreamed that the one thing she lacked—this girl who seemed to have perfect resistance to every other attribute—was ‘resistance to lewdness’…

My mind is thinking calmly, but my body is frozen stiff.

Her fingers intertwined further with mine, reversing the hand-holding situation from our date earlier.

Were her hands sweating? They felt slightly damper than before.

Her excitement radiated through her skin, along with her high body temperature.

“Y-Yeah… it’s a good story…” (Reiya)

On screen, the previous episode’s ending finished, and the next episode automatically began playing.

“Th-The next episode is starting…” (Reiya)
“R-Right… We should watch it…” (Hikaru)

Perhaps sensing her own unusual state, she hastily turned her gaze back to the screen.

But her fingers were still tangled with mine.

And she wasn’t just holding my hand; consciously or unconsciously, she was rubbing the pads of her fingers against mine, pinching them lightly.

What on earth kind of psychological state does this represent…?

Help me, Go*gle-sensei!!

Positioning my phone so Hikaru couldn’t see, I sought aid from modern omniscience.

Q. Girl body touch reason

A. When a woman intertwines her fingers with yours or holds your hand, it indicates she holds considerably strong affection or sexual interest towards you.

Are you serious!? Sensei!!

Keeping my face pointed towards the screen, I shifted only my eyes to check on her.

At the exact same moment, Hikaru turned to look at me too.

“It’s… kinda hot in here, huh?” (Hikaru)
“Sh-Should I turn the AC down a bit…?” (Reiya)
“…Yeah, please.” (Hikaru)

With hands that couldn’t quite hide my agitation, I picked up the remote and lowered the temperature setting.

I shifted my position and turned back to the screen again.

My heart was pounding so loudly it felt noisy.

What was even happening in the story right now…?

The audio went in one ear and out the other, and while I was looking at the screen, my brain wasn’t processing any of the visual information.

And so, once again, the interval between chapters arrived.

“H-Hikaru, which character do you like best so far…?” (Reiya)

I threw out a mundane topic to try and change this strangely humid atmosphere.

“Hmm… Probably Beretta, I guess. She seems rough around the edges but is actually delicate, and she seems like the type who’d be devoted in love but likely unrewarded, which makes me want to cheer her on, like, ‘You can do it!’ How about you, Reiya?” (Hikaru)
“Me…? Well, Beretta’s good too, but I think the main heroine, Ruti, is just as great a character, don’t you think?” (Reiya)

Since she seemed receptive, I answered honestly, but—

“Eh? Wh-What…?” (Reiya)

For some reason, she gave me a fixed, suspicious look.

“…You’re such a perv, Reiya.” (Hikaru)

She followed up in a hushed tone, tinged with slight anger.

“N-No, no, no… That’s not what I meant! I mean, yeah, she’s certainly designed that way, but that’s not the part I liked!” (Reiya)
“Then what part do you like…?” (Hikaru)
“Uh, umm… How she acts like the mature older sister around the protagonist, but you can totally tell she’s actually super timid… Like, remember that car chase scene early on? She was sweating buckets and totally freaking out.” (Reiya)
“Hmm… Are you sure about that…?” (Hikaru)
“I-I’m sure…” (Reiya)

I tried to explain myself, but she still looked skeptical.

My attempt to clear the weird air had only managed to plant a different, unfavorable suspicion.

And so, we watched the story together again for a while, just as the seventh episode ended—

“Fyaa…” (Hikaru)

Beside me, Hikaru let out a small yawn.

“Getting sleepy?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, just a little…” (Hikaru)

I checked the clock; it was exactly 11:00 PM.

“You have practice tomorrow, so you have to get up early, right?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, I need to get back to my usual practice schedule soon.” (Hikaru)
“Okay, let’s save the rest for next time and get ready for bed.” (Reiya)
“Let’s do that~…” (Hikaru)

With that, Hikaru flopped backward onto the bed with a thump.

“Just a shower again today? If you want to soak in the tub, I can go run the bath.” (Reiya)
“Hmm… I kinda feel like taking a bath today.” (Hikaru)
“Alright, I’ll go get it ready—” (Reiya)

Glancing at her lying there, I started to stand up, but—

“Woah… Wh-What?” (Reiya)

My hand was yanked hard, pulling me down onto the bed in a similar fashion.

We ended up lying side-by-side, facing each other.

“Before that, I thought I’d get a little energy boost.” (Hikaru)
“Energy boost…? Do you need one? You look like you’re overflowing with energy.” (Reiya)
“I do, I do. There are nutrients I can only get from you, Reiya.” (Hikaru)

As she spoke, she started fiddling with my hands, this time using both of hers.

Kneading, pinching, rubbing, pulling.

Knowing she wouldn’t stop no matter what I said, I let her have her fill.

“Your hands are pretty big, Reiya.” (Hikaru)
“You think?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, look, they’re way bigger than mine.” (Hikaru)

She pressed our palms together, flat, with no gaps.

Looking at them like this, mine were obviously a size larger.

“Well yeah, compared to a girl’s.” (Reiya)
“That’s kinda unfair…” (Hikaru)

She said this with a pouting tone.

“Unfair…? Wouldn’t girls prefer smaller hands?” (Reiya)
“Why?” (Hikaru)
“Because… smaller is cuter?” (Reiya)

As soon as I said that, her expression instantly switched to a smile.

“Ehehe… Are my hands cute?” (Hikaru)
“Mm… Yeah, I guess they’re cute…” (Reiya)
“Specifically, what parts?” (Hikaru)

Did I hit some kind of nerve? Questions came flying at me rapid-fire.

“They’re small… and soft… and your skin is pale…?” (Reiya)
“Is that all?” (Hikaru)
“Also… your fingers are slender, and overall they’re really smooth…?” (Reiya)
“Hmm… So that’s what you were thinking while holding my hand… You lech…” (Hikaru)

Now her lips curled upwards into a sly grin.

“Have you been trying to paint me as that kind of guy this whole time…?” (Reiya)
“Have I? Well, even if I was, it’s okay. I love you no matter what kind of guy you are, Reiya.” (Hikaru)
“What’s that supposed to mean… But fine, any guy would think about that stuff, not just me.” (Reiya)

Resigning myself to her zero-distance ‘love attack,’ I answered honestly.

“Is that so?” (Hikaru)
“Generally speaking, yeah. Unless you’ve achieved Buddhist enlightenment or something.” (Reiya)
“Hmm… So, what were you thinking just now, looking at my face?” (Hikaru)
“I was thinking it’s interesting how your expressions change so much.” (Reiya)
“Anything else?” (Hikaru)
“Your face is so small it’s hard to believe we’re the same species.” (Reiya)
“Does that mean it’s cute?” (Hikaru)
“Mm… Well… Generally speaking…” (Reiya)
“Anything else?” (Hikaru)
“Other than that… your eyes are big and round… and that’s nice too.” (Reiya)
“So small hands and face are cute, but big eyes are cute?” (Hikaru)

She giggled softly as she said this.

What on earth is happening right now?

Even as I wondered, I found myself drawn into this endless, idle conversation.

I even wished this moment could last forever.

Maybe… this is what it means to be ‘in love.’

“Okay, then, can you guess what I’m thinking right now?” (Hikaru)

Suddenly, she switched roles, turning the tables.

Or perhaps, it’s better to say she took a counter stance.

“Hmm… You want to soak leisurely in the bathtub up to your shoulders.” (Reiya)
“Boo, incorrect.” (Hikaru)

She pouted, looking dissatisfied.

“Tomorrow’s practice is gonna be a pain.” (Reiya)
“Buh-bye~, actually I’m super excited because it’s the first real practice in a while.” (Hikaru)
“You’re incredibly anxious about the upcoming final exams.” (Reiya)
“Isn’t that you, Reiya?” (Hikaru)
“You saw through me… Okay, then what is it…?” (Reiya)

While wondering what I was even doing, I thought seriously…

Right before my eyes, Hikaru deliberately traced her own lips with her index finger.

“I was just so happy… I couldn’t help myself…”

That gesture brought back her words and the sensation from that time.

“…You want to kiss again… maybe?” (Reiya)

There was no verbal confirmation or denial of my answer. Instead, she gave a small, embarrassed nod.