Madoka-san snickered at her reaction. I hadn’t seen her since the cultural festival, but even without us saying anything, she somehow knew that Yume and I were dating. I wasn’t sure if Yume had told her or if she was just that perceptive.
“Well, jokes aside, you two really should be more careful. It’s not too hard to tell when a guy and girl have done the deed.”
“We’re already being careful, though...” Yume said.
“You say that, but I don’t really think so. Especially you, Yume-chan. You’re constantly flashing these horny eyes at him.”
“H-Horny...”
No argument there.
“I know it’s fun and new, but you gotta be more reserved than normal couples.”
“I-It’s not exactly new...”
“Oh? So you’ve been like this for months, then?”
“I’ll shut up now...” Yume’s head dropped.
Yeah, that’s for the best. When it comes to this topic, Madoka-san has a leg or two up on us.
“Man, this feels nostalgic,” she said, putting her elbow on her knee and resting her head in her hand. “When I was in high school, every day was like this, but now, without the power of alcohol, it’s hard to have fun like this. Like last time, I drank so much I woke up at my boyfriend’s place. I couldn’t remember a thing. Hilarious, right?”
I really don’t want to hear about this kind of story from a relative of all people... Wait, I heard a similar story.
“When that happens, do you know that you lost your memories because you drank?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” Madoka-san said. “Usually if you drink that much, you’ll get a hangover—oh, but my friend’s a total lightweight and might black out after a single drink. When they wake up the next day, they don’t remember a thing. Apparently, they find out if they drank too much by asking the friends they drank with or from the aftertaste in their mouth.”
“The aftertaste?” Yume asked.
Just like her, this word caught my attention too because I’d heard something similar recently.
“I wonder what the two of you’ll be like. I can’t even imagine.”
“I think Yume’ll be able to hold her liquor. We had a cake with alcohol in it, and she ate it with no problem. Yuni-san can drink like a fish too.”
“Oh, true. That lady can keep up with the drinkers in our family, so she must have a high tolerance. Going off that, you’ll probably be about the same. Oh, but what if when you drink too much you become real cuddly?”
“Heh heh, that’d be fun.”
Madoka-san and Yume grinned while looking at me. Ugh...
“Well, I’ll stop being a third wheel and go back to the adults’ table,” Madoka-san said, standing up. “Have fun! Oh, but not too much fun.”
She waved goodbye and went back to where the adults were having fun and drinking. The sky eventually turned orange as the sun set, and though I couldn’t look at the time, it was most likely after six. I’d completely forgotten about it until now, but there was something that was bothering me about what I’d heard from Kawanami this morning after speaking with Madoka-san.
“Yume, don’t you think it’s about time we tell Kawanami and Minami-san the truth?”
“Yeah... I’m sure she’s already done flirting with him. Oh, but just make sure you don’t tell Kawanami-kun that Akatsuki-san was acting like that on purpose.”
“I’ll only tell him my conclusion from what he told me: that I don’t think they did anything. That good?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I slipped my phone out of my jacket pocket and called Kawanami.
Akatsuki Minami: The End to a Fleeting Dream
“Bye! See you guys tomorrow!”
“See ya!”
After taking the bus back from Ichijoji, we disbanded for the day. Now, it was just Kawanami and me, and we were going together to the lot where he’d left his bike. After getting it, we walked together to go back home.
“Let me ride on the back,” I said.
“You wanna get stopped by the cops? Besides, don’t you have your own bike?”
Oh? He’s acting quite cold. I was expecting a more heated response from him. Truth be told, I’d left my bike in the same lot as his, so I paid the fee and took it back. It was free for three hours, but after that, it was a hundred yen—which was a steal, especially since getting around Kyoto was best by bike.
I rode my bike next to Kawanami, and gradually, the atmosphere from the Kawaramachi shopping district grew farther and farther away as we entered the calmer business district. Now it’s time for the fun to start! I wasn’t sure whether Kawanami’s place or mine would be better, but either way, I’d find a reason so that we’d be together. I’ve been working up his sexual appetite all day, and I know that the instant we’re behind closed doors, he’ll explode. It means that I’ll be at our class reunion tomorrow fully aware of the dirty deeds Kawanami and I do tonight, but maybe that’s better. I’m so excited!
When we got back to our apartment building, we parked our bikes in the bike lot and took the elevator together. The entire ride was spent in silence, but if anything, it felt like we were in the mood. My heart was beating hard. Cute bra? Check. Cute panties? Check. Yesterday had happened out of the blue so I’d been wearing a very unsexy sports bra, but this time, I was fully prepared. I’m sexy today!
When the elevator doors opened, we silently stepped out and walked down the hallway until we reached our respective doors. This is it! I tugged longingly at his sleeve.
“My parents aren’t home today...” I cooed, making sure that my voice was cute. “Could we...hang out a bit more?”
And that’s game, set, match! There’s no guy out there that could resist after hearing this! I’m sorry for teasing you all day, but now that we’re home you don’t have to hold back anymore! But also, I can’t hold back anymore! I looked up at him as I waited for his nostrils to flare and him to nod, but...
“Heh,” he snorted. “Sorry, but my parents are home today. See ya.”
Then he shut the door behind him. There wasn’t even a chance for me to stop him before he disappeared. Uh...huh? That’s not supposed to happen. What happened? This is definitely the day, isn’t it? Why am I standing out here by myself?
I opened the door to my empty, cold apartment, fully confused. My body was ruthlessly sobered up by the fact that I was alone here. What the heck just happened?! He was definitely reacting to me all day! He was freaking out so much! Why’s he suddenly all calm now?! Did I have to rile him up more? Did I have to tempt him more? Was I not tantalizing enough? Should I have been more direct?! I should make him wanna do it right now!
I used my rage and horniness as fuel to take off my clothes, toss them onto the floor, go into my room, and take a ton of dirty pictures of myself. I look hot in my underwear. I look hot naked. Hmm, or would it actually look more hot if I was in clothes? Where’s my skirt? Let’s put it on and roll it up to make it shorter!
By the time I was done, my phone’s memory was filled with my dirty selfies, and finally, I had calmed down. What am I even doing? If a heap of sex appeal was all I needed to return us to how we used to be, then it wouldn’t have taken this long. It was only because I didn’t try to be the same crazy person I was in middle school that we had been able to get slowly closer.
Sheesh... Now that I was back in my right state of mind, everything just seemed stupid. What was I getting so excited about by myself? There’s no way that our problems got magically solved without me even knowing it. I’m sure that nothing even happened last night, although I am curious why Kawanami suddenly started acting calmly again...
“I should pick up my clothes...”
I left my room and went to the living room where I’d taken off my clothes. As I bent over and reached to get my blouse, I suddenly remembered something. This morning, I picked up clothes on the floor in the living room too...
“Huh?”
And then I remembered everything that happened last night.
Mizuto Irido: The Identity of the Hang-up
Through the darkness of night, I could hear a chorus of frogs in the distance. I’d already taken a bath and was now relaxing—chilling, one might say. As I sat under the light in the old, Japanese-style room, I silently turned the pages of my book. I was sharing a room with my dad, but he and the other adults were all still partying their guts out. As a result, in addition to the frogs, I could hear their raucous laughter. Though it would be unbearably loud if I was there with them, at this distance, it was the perfect amount of background noise. But through all the noise, I heard footsteps approaching.
“Mizuto, you there?”
The moonlight cast Yume’s silhouette onto the sliding door.
“Yeah.”
After hearing my response, she quietly opened the door. She was wearing her usual pajamas, and since she had just gotten out of the bath, there was steam faintly coming off her skin, and her long, sleek black hair was shining.
“Can you help me dry my hair? I would ask mom or Madoka-san, but they’re both...busy.”
“Sure. Come here,” I said, putting the book I was reading down.