▣ KO-FI ▣ DISCORD ▣

Chapter 1: The Incident of Sharing a Bed with My Friend’s Younger Sister

I suddenly remembered the question, “How did I used to spend my summers?”

Last year, as a student preparing for exams, my days were filled with studying. As for the summers before that… it seems like a distant memory.

It’s not that my memory is poor, nor is it the absence of significant memories — it’s just that this summer has brought about such drastic changes.

And these changes are not a thing of the past, but are happening right now.

“Hmm…”

In a café without other customers, even a faint sigh is clearly audible.

At the “Kizuna” café, the furthest seat has now become her exclusive spot.

“Miyamae Akari, do you want to take a break?”

I asked this as I placed a refill of coffee on the table.

Initially, I thought she was deep in thought, looking at her textbook, so I just watched from the side. But now, I understand that this is merely a sign of her attention fatigue, and I don’t hesitate anymore.

“Ah, thank you, Senpai!”

The girl in front of me — Miyamae Akari — no longer looks worried and gives me a bright smile.

To anyone’s eyes, she must seem like a flawless beauty. I certainly think so.

Our relationship has grown much closer over these two weeks. Although it’s not a long time, she has become a part of my daily life. However, her beauty and charm… are of the kind that’s irresistibly attractive, and I still find myself struggling to adapt.

No, it’s becoming even more intense—

“Senpai, what’s wrong? You’ve been staring at me…”

Akari’s shy voice snaps me back to reality.

Her cheeks are slightly flushed, and her eyes wander aimlessly.

“Wow, sorry!”

A wave of guilt washes over me, and I can’t help but apologize.

“Ah, um… I’m not angry…! If you don’t mind, can we chat for a bit?”

“Chat, chat?”

“Definitely not lecturing you! I know it might feel that way from our previous conversation…!”

Akari quickly adds this clarification. I had momentarily tensed up, thinking she was going to chastise me for not being considerate enough.

But even if that wasn’t her intention, I’m still working.

To sit and chat leisurely with Akari, who comes here as a customer, seems a bit inappropriate—

I glance towards the bar and see the manager nodding at me.

It looks like he wants me to prioritize the customer’s request. After all, there are no other customers right now.

“Sure, if it helps you relax, I’m more than happy to.”

“That’s great! I’m getting serious now!”

“That would be counterproductive!”

I say something silly and sit down opposite her.

The textbook questions on the table, upside down from my perspective, are still somewhat comprehensible to me. After all, I walked this path last year… It would be disheartening if, after more than a year of preparation for exams, I forgot everything in just six months.

“Is your studying going well?”

“Very well, no problems at all!”

True to her reputation as a top student…

Her understanding of these subjects is, of course, far superior to mine on the day of the exam.

“Though, I thought about taking a mock exam.”

“Oh? Really?”

“That way, I can reassure my parents that I’m not just playing around at my brother’s place.”

I remember Akari is supposedly living at her brother Subaru’s house.

But since Subaru is away for driver’s training camp, she’s not staying at his place, but—

“Here, Motomu, your coffee♪”

Another woman’s voice interrupts my thoughts.

This mischievously smiling woman is Shiragi Ruri, who also works at this café.

Though we are both employees, she is the daughter of the manager, so she’s not really a part-timer.

“My dad said you can take a break. But, if any customers come in, you’ll have to come back to work.”

“Okay, got it.”

“Hey, Motomu, why are you so formal with me?”

Ruri nudges me with her elbow, pouting unhappily.

Despite her seemingly sulky demeanor, she’s probably just teasing me.

I’ve learned from experience that if I had started talking informally, she would have playfully reprimanded me for not showing respect to a senior.

“Isn’t there a saying, ‘Politeness is due even to the closest people’?”

“Annoying. Are you saying I’m one of the closest people? You’re such a tease! We are cousins, you know? You’re really a cheeky one～!”

She’s so annoying…

Ruri gets overly excited, and in the end, she’s still teasing me.

Although I can’t deny the fact that we are cousins, she’s always treated me more like a toy—

At that moment, my eyes unintentionally meet with Akari’s across the table.

“…………”

Uh…!

Akari is smiling at me. Even though she’s smiling, I feel an immense pressure…!

“Senpai, you two seem to get along really well.”

“Eh, uh… I wouldn’t say that means we get along well?”

“Then you two continue chatting～♪”

“Ruri! How can you stir up trouble and then just leave irresponsibly!”

Ruri waves lightly at us and heads back to the kitchen.

Left behind are a somewhat unhappy Akari and me, the cause of her displeasure.

“Um… Akari…”

“Senpai.”

As I feel the need to say something and am about to speak, Akari cuts me off.

“I think being too close, even as cousins, is not a good thing.”

“No, Ruri and I aren’t that close—”

“It’s not good.”

“Yes, yes…”

Her firm words make me sit up straight.

“Besides, Ruri was wrong too! She promised to support me—”

“Support you?”

“Ah…! That’s right, it’s about the exam! She was talking about the exam!”

I thought as much.

Even though Ruri is free-spirited and independent, she still possesses this basic level of common sense.

I immediately accepted this explanation, but Akari blushed as if she had said something wrong.

“It makes sense! After all, I am a student preparing for exams! Do you think there’s anything else she needs to cheer me on for? There shouldn’t be, right!”

“I, I don’t think so either…!”

Overwhelmed by her assertiveness, I could only nod repeatedly.

However, her nervousness made me suspect there was more to it—

While I was secretly pondering over the hidden details unknown to Akari, I heard something tapping against the window glass.

“Is it raining…?”

Akari, hearing the same sound, turned to look at the window and muttered softly.

The rain, like a fully-opened tap, quickly became intense.

“What a hassle, is this an afternoon shower?”

Ruri walked out of the kitchen and spoke to the manager.

Rain is the number one enemy of the service industry. Although some customers might come in to take shelter, the number usually decreases.

Especially now, the lunch crowd had left, and we were waiting for regular customers in the evening. Few regulars would make the effort to visit on a rainy day.

“It seems we won’t have customers for a while… I hope it stops raining by the time I go home.”

I murmured softly, partly talking to myself and partly making small talk with Akari.

In contrast, Akari looked unsettled, staring blankly at the rain hitting the window.

“Akari, what’s wrong?”

“What to do… I need to get back quickly…!”

“Eh? You mean now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until the rain stops?”

“Uh… but… but…”

Akari’s face, about to cry, flitted between the window and me, resembling a child afraid of being scolded by her parents for hiding something.

“Could it be that you’re drying laundry?”

“Uh! Ye-yes, that’s it…”

Even if the freshly washed clothes got dirty from the rain, I wouldn’t be angry, but Akari still looked dejected, her shoulders slumped.

“Eh? Akari, are you going back now?”

At that moment, Ruri approached us again. I had a feeling things were about to get more complicated…!

“Hmm… I see, I understand now.”

Ruri looked at Akari and me, nodding as if she had figured something out—

“Decided. Motomu, you should go back too!”

“What!”

“With the rain pouring like this outside. If we let her hurry home alone, she might get into trouble or get hurt, which would be very dangerous. You should take the responsibility to escort her safely!”

Ruri actually said something sensible…!

As I was stunned by her statement, Ruri began to untie my apron and handed us both umbrellas.

“After all, even if Motomu isn’t here, we should manage. Akari wouldn’t mind, right?”

“Yes, yes…!”

Ruri, different from before, gave clear instructions, seemingly a different person… But perhaps this was more in line with her personality.

She has always been a clever and reliable older sister figure—only because I’m often teased by her, I didn’t want to admit this fact.

However, I’m now truly grateful to her.

“Then I’ll take your offer, and thank you for your father’s kindness too!”

With gratitude towards them both, I left the café with Akari in the pouring rain.

◇◇◇

We headed home together.

Just like now, Akari and I shared the same route home—more precisely, we lived in the same house.

She could be considered… a temporary guest staying at my place.

Officially, she was “collateral for her brother’s debt.”

Though it might sound like I’m a terrible person, I never asked her brother to hand over Akari, and I even thought it was okay not to repay that money.

After all, the amount I lent him was a mere 500 yen!

I definitely didn’t underestimate that amount, nor was it a sum that warranted offering one’s younger sister as collateral!

However—

“As instructed by my brother, I’ve come to serve as collateral. Please take care of me from now on, Senpai!”

This girl—Akari—suddenly came to me, stood up straight, and said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and she has been living in my house ever since.

Moreover, she’s living with me, a man living alone in an apartment.

A mere 500 yen is just a day’s… no, an hour’s work.

In fact, while Akari has been living at my place, she also helps with cooking, laundry, and cleaning… practically managing all the household chores.

Yet, Akari found many seemingly reasonable excuses, like interest or living expenses, making that 500 yen debt seemingly never-ending, and she seemed quite happy saying all this.

But honestly, Akari living at home has been a great help. I can feel that my once messy bachelor life has become much more comfortable.

Although she is a third-year high school student and a candidate for exams, adding to her burden makes me feel guilty. But I doubt I could return to my original solitary life if she were gone.

And it’s not just that—

“Ah—!”

“Uh! Akari!”

We had just returned to the apartment when Akari rushed into the room and screamed. Hearing her cry, I also rushed in frantically.

“Motomu-senpai…”

Akari, tears in her eyes, pointed tremblingly at something—

“Ah…”

Seeing the bedding hung out to dry on the balcony, now thoroughly soaked by the rain, I was also struck dumb.

So that’s it… Akari panicked because she was drying the bedding?

“First, let’s bring the bedding inside!”

“But then even the room will get wet…”

“Uh… then let’s move it to the bathroom!”

Since the bedding was already this wet, there was no point in hurrying to bring it in. It would be better to wait until the rain stopped… but seeing Akari’s distressed face, I didn’t want to maintain the status quo for even a second.

I quickly picked up the bedding and rushed to the bathroom, throwing the quilts in.

Even if it might drip some water on the floor, this should minimize the damage…!

“Whimper…”

“Eh!”

Successfully bringing the bedding in was a relief, but the calm didn’t last long.

Akari, for some reason, had tears in her eyes and lowered her head.

“I always seem to be causing trouble for Senpai…”

“No, not at all! You’ve been a huge help to me! Besides, the weather forecast didn’t mention rain today!”

Even though I was used to being with her, it didn’t mean I was accustomed to seeing her cry.

No matter how absurd the reason, I had a responsibility to take care of my friend’s sister. Even though I was only a year older, I was still her senior.

As long as Akari stayed here, I didn’t want her to feel sad. I hoped to keep her smiling as much as possible.

…Subaru probably knew better how to comfort her at times like this. Just for today, I couldn’t help but envy that incredibly cheerful friend of mine.

“Anyway, since it’s already happened, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s dry the bedding again tomorrow. Uh… Should we first use a towel to absorb the moisture?”

I deliberately brought up something I learned from TV to keep the conversation going.

But with such unclear words of comfort, Akari’s expression didn’t brighten.

“Uh… Sorry, did I say something wrong just now?”

“No, not at all! Let’s do as Senpai suggests, but…”

Akari vigorously shook her head in denial, but she seemed to have something on her mind, looking down like a child scolded by her parents.

What was bothering her? After all, we only washed the bedding today and nothing else…

“Ah…”

That’s right. It wasn’t about not washing other things… It was because the bedding couldn’t be used.

“What should we do tonight?”

“Whimper…!”

Akari’s shoulders shook violently. It seemed this was her main concern.

Today, she had taken out her own bedding to dry. It was bought for her stay at my house this summer, so naturally, there was only one set.

Since that bedding couldn’t be used, where she would sleep tonight became a problem…

“No, no problem, I can sleep on the floor…!”

“No, that’s too uncomfortable! My house has wooden floors!”

“But…”

“Right, if we go to a laundromat, we could use the dryer—”

Although I thought I had a perfect solution… the sound of the pouring rain outside gave me a bad feeling.

“Is the rain getting heavier…?”

“…Yes.”

I had originally thought this unexpected shower would stop soon, but instead, it was only getting heavier.

It was impossible to go to the laundromat… Even if we dried the quilt, it would likely get wet again on the way back.

(If we hadn’t rushed back and stayed at ‘Kizuna’ to avoid the rain, maybe we could have stayed at Uncle’s place for the night… No, it’s useless to think about that now.)

Even if I voiced such pointless speculations, it would only sound like blaming Akari.

The question was what we should do tonight… but…

“Anyway, let me sleep on the floor tonight.”

“That’s not possible! Senpai, you are the homeowner, you can’t sleep on the floor!”

Ah, knowing Akari’s personality, I knew she would say that.

But I couldn’t let a guest, especially a girl, sleep on the hard floor.

“Thinking about it, since it’s inconvenient to sleep on the floor, should she sleep in my bed…?”

“Sleep, sleep in Senpai’s bed?”

I spoke softly, almost to myself, but Akari immediately reacted.

“Sleeping in Senpai’s bed…”

She stared at the bed. Though I couldn’t see her face from here, I could vaguely see her ears turning red under her silky hair.

(She must think I’m harassing her…!)

Taken a certain way, that sentence did sound like I was trying to lure her into something bad.

“Wait, Akari, I didn’t mean—”

“Right…! Tonight, I can only sleep in Senpai’s bed…!”

“Akari?”

“I’ve got a good idea!”

Akari suddenly turned around, her eyes shining, and said with conviction:

“We can just sleep in the same bed!”

“…What did you say!”

“Because no matter how you look at it, my quilt won’t be dry tonight, but I can’t let Senpai sleep on the floor! I can sleep on the floor, of course… After all, this situation is my fault, I think that’s more reasonable—”

“I absolutely won’t let you do that!”

“…Of course, I knew Senpai would say that.”

Akari smiled.

Just as I had guessed her response, she had anticipated mine.

But even so, sharing a bed still didn’t seem right.

“Senpai, I’m sorry you have to put up with this tonight…”

“That’s not it, aren’t you reluctant?”

“Not at all. After all, it’s sleeping with Senpai.”

“You say that so easily…”

“I want to ask Senpai… Aren’t you reluctant…? Whimper, I’m just a silly girl who didn’t foresee the rain and hung out the quilt…”

“I never said that!”

“So to Senpai, I’m just a dirty thing not worth sharing a bed with… just a woman not worth sleeping with…”

“I’m sorry! I’ll sleep! I’m willing to share a bed with you!”

Seeing Akari slump her shoulders, emanating a gloomy aura, I quickly conceded.

I didn’t fully understand what ‘not worth sleeping with’ meant, but if I left her alone, it felt like she would dissolve and disappear.

“Thank you, Senpai!”

The gloominess disappeared in an instant, and Akari beamed a bright smile.

This change almost seemed like she was happy about sharing a bed with me…

…No, that couldn’t be.

“Ah, then I’ll go prepare dinner!”

“Uh… do you need any help?”

“No need, please rest well, Senpai. I’ll make sure you have a delicious dinner tonight!”

Akari said energetically and headed to the kitchen.

Although I wanted to do something to distract myself… since Akari was in a good mood, it was better not to disturb her.

“But, are we really going to sleep together tonight…? No, but… Ah, how am I going to face Subaru after this…”

Despite feeling there was no other way, I sat there, holding my head in anguish, listening to Akari humming in the kitchen.

◇◇◇

It took only a few minutes for me to realize I couldn’t come up with a good idea to change the situation, and time swiftly passed—

“So… Senpai, I’ll be intruding on you tonight…!”

“…Yes.”

The night deepened, and the moment finally arrived.

Akari, wearing her usual white pajamas, nervously stepped onto the bed.

The spring bed, usually accommodating only me, creaked.

“Senpai, you just need to lie still!”

“Uh… okay.”

On this narrow single bed, less than a meter in width, our distance was closing.

Although the room was dark, the thought of watching her get into bed was distracting, so I turned my back to her… but this only made her breathing and scent more pronounced.

(Oh no…)

I was so nervous about making any noise and revealing my inner turmoil that even breathing became difficult.

“Sorry for the intrusion…”

After repeating that phrase, Akari fully laid down on the bed.

What should I do? How should I handle this?

Akari was lying right next to me, so close that any slight movement could lead to contact. Just the thought made my heart race.

I was, of course, very nervous.

I am responsible for taking care of my friend’s younger sister.

I want to make her stay as comfortable and happy as possible, especially since she’s an exam candidate this year.

The most crucial reason this cohabitation barely worked was likely because Akari trusted me as her brother’s friend and believed me to be harmless.

So, to avoid even a hint of breaching this trust, I absolutely couldn’t let Akari think I had any ulterior motives towards her.

…Though I saw her in her underwear when she first moved in, which might weaken the credibility of what I say.

“Hmm…”

“Uh…!”

Akari’s breath from behind me caused me to tense up involuntarily.

Even her slightest movements sent noticeable vibrations.

It was too real. These sensations were so vivid, I felt like I was going crazy.

“Um… Senpai, are you asleep?”

“…Not yet, what is it?”

I tried to sound calm and collected as I spoke. I gripped my thigh hard to prevent my voice from trembling.

“I just wanted to check because you’re facing away from me. I was wondering if you were asleep.”

“This, this is because if I stared at you, you would probably feel uncomfortable, right?”

Actually, the one who would feel uncomfortable was me.

Although I’ve never shared a bed with anyone, I thought it was best to face away from each other at times like this. Facing each other would be too nerve-wracking, especially with Akari—

“Uh…”

But Akari let out a dissatisfied grunt.

“… Take that!”

“Whoa!”

She suddenly poked my back.

“Take that! Take that!”

“Wait, hey, what!”

“Hehehe.”

Akari rhythmically poked me a few more times.

Perhaps finding my reaction amusing, she even chuckled softly.

“Actually, Senpai, if you sleep facing away from me, I’d be a bit troubled.”

“Eh? Why is that a problem?”

“Because you usually sleep on your back, right?”

“Yes… but you said ‘usually’…?”

“Ah… Don’t get me wrong, I just occasionally wake up at night and happen to see you sleeping, that’s all! I’m definitely not observing your sleeping posture every night!”

Akari seemed flustered as she spoke, poking me a bit too hard on my back, causing some pain.

“I didn’t suspect you of that! I’m just a bit concerned!”

“That’s, that’s good…”

“Anyway, there’s no reason for you to observe my sleeping habits.”

“That’s right… Indeed, I have no reason to do that.”

Although I couldn’t help but smile wryly, Akari agreed with me.

She stopped poking me, which was a relief.

“Anyway, back to the original topic… About me occasionally seeing you sleep on your back.”

“Ah… okay.”

“If you sleep in that position, wouldn’t you naturally roll backwards if you tried to turn over in your sleep?”

“Ah… that seems likely.”

“So, if you sleep facing away from me, I might suddenly get squished in the middle of the night!”

“That, that can’t happen…!”

Accidentally pressing down on her or pushing her off the bed… these things were quite possible on this narrow bed.

“So I think we should sleep facing each other. This way, if we turn in our sleep, we won’t roll onto each other, and both of us can sleep safely.”

“I see…!”

Akari’s reasoning made perfect sense.

I had been so preoccupied with the thoughts before sleeping that I hadn’t considered the problems that might arise while asleep.

“You’re really smart, Akari.”

“Ehehe, I’m not that great. So, that’s the situation, Senpai. Please turn your body around!”

“I see… I never thought it would come to this…”

Following her instructions, I lay on my back on the bed… and then realized something.

“Although it’s a bit cramped, if I start by lying on my back, wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

“Ah! Right…!”

Realizing why we were seriously discussing sleeping positions, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Um…”

Seeing my reaction, Akari seemed to think I was making fun of her and let out an unhappy grunt—

“Then I’ll just watch Senpai sleep!”

“Eh?”

“Because… sleeping on my back makes me uncomfortable…”

Saying this, Akari grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

I naturally looked over and found myself face-to-face with Akari, who was lying on her side.

“… Uh!”

“Ah…”

Akari widened her eyes. I must have looked the same.

We were lying on the same bed—closer than I had imagined. Even in the pitch-dark room, I could clearly see her face…

(No, no, I need to stay calm…!)

I could even hear her faint breathing.

Every time I became aware of Akari’s presence, my heart seemed to beat louder and louder.

I even worried that she might hear my heartbeat, given how close we were.

“Uh… isn’t it too cramped?”

“No, it’s not…”

This is so embarrassing…!

Once I became aware of her presence, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Even though I am her brother’s friend, and her senior, I am still a man.

After all, Akari is cute and beautiful, and she has a sweet fragrance…

(No, stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking!)

I closed my eyes tightly, desperately trying to calm myself.

Unlike me, who was extremely nervous, Akari seemed unbothered and fell asleep quickly. She often moved around, giving me more stimulation.

Perhaps treating my arm as a pillow, she clung to it tightly, then rubbed her cheek against it… I obviously couldn’t fall asleep in such a situation and spent the whole night fighting my inner turmoil.

I felt it would have been better to give up on sleeping from the start and decided to stay awake all night… but let’s not dwell on that.

Two weeks had passed since Akari and I started living together.

I knew I was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my composure compared to when we first started.

Being a senior and responsible for taking care of a friend’s younger sister, this was clearly not a good thing… but after all, she is Akari.

She’s cute, strong-willed, pure-hearted, and cheerful… a girl with all the best qualities combined.

As I got to know her better and our relationship grew closer, the risk of making a mistake increased.

Can I really hold out until the end? No, I have to.

There’s more than half a month left of Akari’s summer break.

While our cohabitation is comfortable and joyful, with no drawbacks and I am enjoying it immensely, it’s also full of challenges. I’m once again reminded of this fact.

◆◆◆

“We spent a wonderful night together!”

I’m so excited right now, even just typing this makes me want to laugh.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the weather the next day was incredibly sunny, perfect for drying the quilt, preventing me from spending another night with Senpai.

But to think I could cuddle up so close to Senpai’s sleeping face and admire him without any reservations!

When I saw the soaked bedding, I almost fainted in despair, but this outcome might be considered a total victory!

“You seem very happy.”

“Eh? Do I…? Ehehe.”

Senpai, who said this, seemed a bit sleepy.

But he fell asleep so quickly last night… He must be tired from work.

On the other hand, I was too excited, or rather nervous, so I hardly slept at all. My heart was racing, leaving me no mood to sleep.

My heart is still fluttering now. Just thinking about sharing a quilt with Senpai last night makes my cheeks burn.

(But Senpai probably just sees me as a child…)

We’re only a year apart, yet sometimes it feels like there’s an enormous gap between us.

I’ve managed to stay at Senpai’s house and have unprecedented conversations with him… but he’s still the same Senpai as before.

He’s still as kind and caring… but he feels so far away.

Stealing a glance at Senpai, I see him yawning, sleepily scrolling through his phone. I guess he’s probably playing mobile games to pass the time.

Senpai and my brother are close friends. Even though I imposed myself on him, he welcomed me, ‘Miyamae Subaru’s sister’.

(In Senpai’s eyes, I must be just like a ‘younger sister’… That’s why he’s so kind…)

As long as I keep relying on this kindness, our relationship won’t change.

I need to gather the courage to confess to him—but if he can’t accept it, if he rejects my confession… Just thinking about that possibility stops me in my tracks.

Maybe it’s better to keep things as they are now.

Even though I can only live like this with Senpai during this summer.

“… Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah…”

Because I had been staring at the senior, I ended up being noticed.

His gentle, caring look made me happy, but it also caused a pang of pain in my chest.

“It’s nothing, I just noticed your expression seemed a bit serious.”

I quickly came up with an excuse.

Even though my words sounded somewhat unconvincing, the senior didn’t seem to mind and gave me a warm smile.

“Ahaha… I’ve just been making a few mistakes.”

“Do you need help?”

The game that the senior was playing was one I had also played a few times, and it allowed for cooperative challenges.

So, we often played together, which was a really happy time.

We both started playing this game because of my brother’s recommendation. I had to thank my brother again – no, actually, my brother just wanted the reward for inviting friends, so there was no real need for gratitude.

“No need, it’s not anything important. Besides, aren’t you chatting with a friend? The one who said… right, the girl who said smiles don’t cost anything.”

“Yes, her name is Shiragi Ruri.”

“Right, that girl.”

“But she’s been leaving me on read.”

Despite my thorough efforts to vividly tell Shiragi Ruri about how wonderful last night was, she hadn’t replied even after five minutes, despite seeing my message immediately.

I ended up sending a flurry of stickers designed for the annoying situation of being left on read.

“I want to try the challenge again. It’s a bit embarrassing to always ask for your help.”

“I see…”

I felt a bit disappointed. But since the senior said so, it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep insisting… When I looked down at my phone, Shiragi Ruri had just replied.

“These stickers are annoying.”

That’s a blunt way to talk! But that’s just the way she is.

“And there are too many words, it’s tiring to read.”

It turned out that when I thought Shiragi Ruri was ignoring my messages, she was actually spending a lot of time reading my overly long message.

But since Shiragi Ruri often left me on read… With this thought, I re-read the messages I had sent and realized she was right. I did write down everything that came to mind, and the word count was indeed high.

It must have been quite an effort to read all those messages… I silently apologized to Shiragi Ruri.

“Ah, you’ve already been trying pretty hard.”

“Really, really?”

Considering our previous conversation, I was surprised she would compliment me.

But I knew it! I really had been trying hard!

Although I only told Shiragi Ruri that I came to the house of the senior, who is a year older than me, if even a third party thinks we’re doing well, it means our relationship is indeed progressing…

“But still, it’s strange, isn’t it? That you two slept in the same bed, and yet he didn’t make a move on you.”

Ouch…! She hit right where it hurts…!

“Moreover…”

So, Shiragi Ruri launched into a barrage of relentless criticism!

I guess it was because I had been the one giving lengthy monologues before, which must have built up a lot of pressure for her.

“You’re almost graduating high school, why are you still stuck in a childish mindset?” “Does he just see you as a sister, not even as a woman?” “A normal person would have kissed by now… maybe even gone further.” Shiragi Ruri unleashed these ruthless critiques one after another, each word piercing me like an arrow.

The senior was right in front of me, yet I felt like I was about to faint – no, it was precisely because he was there that I managed to stay rational. But still, I was barely maintaining my composure under the onslaught!

Yet, all these criticisms were accurate. As harsh as they were, I had to accept them… because that was the reality… I had to face the reality that –

“Ah! Eh? Why did I fall asleep?”

Startled by my cry, the senior suddenly woke up.

It seemed he had dozed off while sitting. I really wanted to see how the senior looked when he accidentally fell asleep…!

…Now was not the time to think about that!

“Se-senior, I’m sorry! I think I woke you up…”

“I was chatting with Shiragi Ruri…”

“Yes, I know she’s your friend.”

“Then she said she’s coming over.”

“Eh?”

“She seems to be coming here.”

This was so unexpected that both the senior and I were taken aback, our eyes wide open, as we looked at each other in surprise.