Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka? Volume 12 Chapter 2

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The Love in my Heart

Around the time Keiki was wrapped up in the battlefield that was the calligraphy club, inside a room in the Akiyama Household, Yuuhi was sitting in her favorite chair, facing the desk as she grinned at her smartphone screen.

“What’cha looking at?”

“Gyaaaaah!?”

A voice suddenly called out to her, which made her jump in shock, her hair standing on end like a cat’s.

“A-Asahi-chan!?”

The one who had scared the living hell out of Yuuhi was none other than her twin older sister, Akiyama Asahi, with her trademark short hair.

“I have to say that was a great reaction.”

“D-Don’t surprise me like that.”

“Should I have checked your panties, then?”

“That wouldn’t make it any better…”

Yuuhi’s heart was still racing. Of course, the reason her heart almost leaped out of her chest was easily because of the picture she was looking at on her phone.

D-Did she see? She probably did, right?

Yuuhi asked herself these questions as she tightly embraced the phone. Depending on the answer to her question, she might have to take countermeasures.

“That picture is from the event at the aquarium, right? When did you even take that?”

“Ah, so you did see…”

In reality, Yuuhi was looking at a picture that showed the boy she held one-sided feelings for. During Christmas Eve last year, he participated in a princess-carry contest, and this was a picture of him during that.

“I see~ So you were grinning because you were looking at Kei-kun’s picture.”

“W-What about it…?”

As expected, her sister teased her about it.

“Say, you’re still not over him at all, right?”

“Y-You’re wrong!”

“You’re finding yourself unable to forget the boy you had one-sided feelings for. You’re probably one the purest bitches I’ve ever seen.”

“I was never a bitch to begin with, okay…?”

“Ahaha, you received that title because you bragged about your experience, didn’t you?”

“Hmph, Asahi-chan is a bully and I hate it.”

“Sorry, sorry. You’re just so cute that I couldn’t help myself.”

“For crying out loud…” Yuuhi found herself unable to do anything but forgive her older sister when she clapped her hands together with a cute gesture. “Anyway, you’re totally wrong. Kei-chan just healed my heart… and I’m satisfied just looking at him… He’s like my favorite character from an anime, I guess?”

“Kei-kun’s some kind of idol now?”

“Not to mention that Kei-chan has a girl he likes.”

“That’s it!”

“That’s what?”

“You still haven’t spilled the beans. Who’s the girl he likes? The one he went on a date with on Christmas Eve?”

“Ahhh…” Yuuhi thought about it for a second, putting her index finger to her lips. “I’ll keep it a secret for now.”

“Ehhh? Don’t leave me hanging like this…”

“Sheesh. Alright then, I’ll give you a hint.” Yuuhi let out a sigh and continued. “That girl loves Kei-chan the most in the entire world.”

“…Huh? That’s it?”

“I don’t think I’m wrong.”

“That doesn’t help me at all, though!”

“This is your punishment for teasing your cute little sister.”

“No way!”

No more bonus hints came from Yuuhi. She made a wry smile and looked at the picture on her phone.

“I wonder what Kei-chan is doing right now…”

*

Kei-chan, also known as Kiryuu Keiki, was currently in a predicament.

“That was unnecessary, okay? How can you tie me up like this?”

After Yuika let loose that bombshell of an announcement, Keiki was immediately tied to his chair. While he was unable to move, the four female club members stood around him, fixing him with intense glares. This treatment was practically criminal, but nobody was around to report it.

“Fufu, how unsightly. It looks great on you, Keiki-senpai~”

“Why thank you.” Keiki glared at the sadistic girl.

If possible, he wanted to break free of this bondage and spank the girl in retaliation. However, it was impossible for him to break free.

“So, who’s the girl you like, Kiryuu? Depending on your answer, I might not be able to forgive you.”

“Now now, if you don’t spit it out soon, we’ll be forced to tease you some.”

“Eeeeeeek!?” Mao and Yuika approached him, and Keiki let out a shriek.

Both of their eyes were bloodshot. They were breathing like wild beasts that had found prey. At this rate, Keiki would be tortured beyond his ability to endure. He would be stripped of his clothes, be forced to gulp down freshly-worn panties, and be suffocated by breasts. These freaks would be willing to do all kinds of things like that. When he remembered all the situations he had gone through thus far, Keiki’s entire body started quivering in fear.

“M-Mizuha…!”

If they gag me, it’s all over.

Realizing this, Keiki sought help from his little sister.

She’ll definitely help me, right!?

Just like how Keiki was a siscon, Mizuha was quite a brocon herself. She surely wouldn’t cast aside her beloved big brother.

“I’m sorry. I want to know, too.”

“Mizuhaaaaaaaaa?!”

Even the bonds of siblings were not strong enough to win against curiosity. Keiki was forced to realize that there was no ally to be found in this room.

“Now then, Keiki-senpai.”

“Resign yourself.”

“It’ll be much easier if you just tell us, right?”

Yuika, Mao, and now even Mizuha were steadily moving in on Keiki. At this rate, his chastity will be in grave danger.

“H-Hey, why don’t we stop this? Keiki-kun doesn’t look like he likes this…”

“Sayuki-senpai?”

In the midst of this precarious situation, the person who put a stop to things was Sayuki, who had been watching this all unfold from a safe distance.

“It’s quite rare for you to act like this, Witch-senpai. Normally you’d be leading the charge.”

“T-That might be true, but…” When Yuika pointed that out, Sayuki started fumbling over her words.

Truth be told, even Keiki had expected her to join the fray.

Is it because I still haven’t given her a response to her confession?

Whatever the response may be, maybe she didn’t want Keiki to confess his beloved one right here. However, Yuika had no way of knowing these feelings, thus she remained wary.

“Something is off.”

“N-Not at all.”

“Hmmm?” She gave Sayuki a dubious gaze.

Finally, she just muttered “Well, that doesn’t matter.” to herself and once again looked over at Keiki.

“Then let Yuika change the question.”

“Eh?”

“Keiki-senpai, is the girl you like one of the people present right now?”

“Wha!?”

That question was seriously bad. No matter his response, he wouldn’t get out of here safely.

“Keiki-kun…”

Sayuki must have caught on to this. She shot an apologetic glance Keiki’s way.

Damn you, Yuika-chan…!

“Ahaha~” Yuika merely made a joyful smile as she watched her helpless senior.

As always, tormenting someone else brought her nothing but joy. When he saw this reaction, Keiki was unsure if she should feel glad that she was back to high spirits or not.

Seriously, what do I do about this?

The situation seemed helpless. If he were to keep silent about that question, he’d be tortured until he eventually spit it out, but his pride as a man made him want to avoid doing so.

I don’t want them to find out. I want to confess when it’s just the two of us. In a romantic situation!

That meant that telling them his feelings here was no good. He needed some way to escape from this predicament.

But what can I do?

Running away while restrained like this was obviously impossible. Giving in would create a battlefield, and keeping quiet would mean torture.

It’s all over, huh?

He was forced to accept his fate.

“—Excuse me.”

“Fujimoto-san!?”

Right when Keiki had resigned himself to being sullied by these perverts, the current student council president Fujimoto Ayano walked into the room. She looked at the girls, and then at the boy restrained in the chair in the center of them, tilting her head in confusion.

“Some kind of torture roleplay?”

“Pretty much.” Keiki sighed.

“I mean, I could charge up as much as I want right now, but maybe I should save you instead?”

“Please do! …Wait, Fujimoto-san, what do you mean by ‘charge up’?”

“It’s great that you all get along, but tying him up like this is taking things too far, I think.”

Indeed, it is. However, the calligraphy club girls weren’t so kind as to let common sense rule their lives. Of course, they didn’t back down at all, and the main criminals Mao and Yuika moved in to block Ayano.

“Sorry about this, but this is a problem between Kiryuu and us.”

“That’s right! Outsiders should stay out of this!”

“If you don’t let me through, I’ll use my authority as the student council president to decrease the club’s budget.”

““We’re very sorry!””

The battle was over in mere seconds. Since the club owed a great debt to the student council because of previous circumstances, they couldn’t afford to rebel against Ayano. Thanks to this, and everyone’s help, Keiki was freed shortly thereafter.

“Thanks a lot, Fujimoto-san. You really saved my bacon.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I came here because I had some business.”

“What kind of business?”

“It’s about the club president. I didn’t get any notification of change, so I came to check. The other clubs have already sent theirs in.”

“…Sayuki-senpai?”

“I’m sorry. I completely forgot.”

“Is that so?”

Well, it couldn’t be helped if she forgot.

“If possible, I’d like you to decide on a new club president soon.”

“A new club president, huh?”

“I think Keiki-kun would be fine.” Sayuki said.

“Huh? Me?”

After Sayuki, the other club members joined in.

“Yuika also thinks that Keiki-senpai would be the best choice.”

“I’m not cut out to be the club president, anyway.”

“I feel the same as Mao-chan.”

“I mean, if you all say so, then I guess I can do it…”

It wasn’t like he had any reason to decline. He had been part of the club the second longest, after Sayuki, so it would make sense.

“Then could I ask you to come with me to the student council office for some paperwork?”

“Wait… F-Fujimoto-san!?”

She had barely finished speaking when she suddenly clung to Keiki’s arm.

““““!?””””

When the student council president did this, the other girls immediately started emitting killing intent. Or, in more simpler terms, they all started glaring at Ayano.

“Now then, let’s go~”

“Fujimoto-san, wait a moment! This is a bit too embarrassing, don’t you think?!”

However, Ayano didn’t bother to listen. She just walked away, dragging Keiki outside the clubroom.

The other members of the student council seemed to be out, so it was just the two of them. Keiki waited on the sofa for a moment, and Ayano joined him with a paper and pen in hand. She sat next to him.

“Please write your class and name on here.”

“Gotcha.”

It wasn’t anything complicated. He followed Ayano’s simple instructions, and the paperwork was quickly finished.

“Great work. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Sorry about Sayuki-senpai. I think it just slipped her mind.”

“No problem. If anything, that was just a convenient excuse.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“……”

Not even answering the question, Ayano just pressed her body against Keiki’s, talking about something completely unrelated.

“So, Kiryuu-kun. It’s just the two of us right now.”

“Sure seems like it.”

“They won’t be coming back for some time.”

“R-Right…”

“So nobody will bother us now.” Ayano said, gently resting her hand on Keiki’s arm.

Before Keiki could even react to this sudden development, he was gently pushed over, and he fell down on the sofa.

“Woah, Fujimoto-san!? What are you—?”

“Please, Kiryuu-kun…” She gently whispered into Keiki’s ear.

Sitting on top of him, she continued speaking, like she was pleading with him.

“Don’t say anything. Just listen to me, okay?”

“Listen to you…?”

“I can’t hold back any longer… My desire for you keeps growing day by day, Kiryuu-kun…”

“Fujimoto-san!?”

“Kiryuu-kun…” Her eyes were damp, like they were filled with expectation.

Her cheeks were red, like heat filled them. The girl, who looked like she was in heat, grabbed Keiki’s necktie, and he found himself embraced in an intense hug.

“Kyaaaa!?” He let out a shriek like a maiden.

At this rate, the chastity he had held dear for so long would be stolen from him. Right when he finally gave up on this chastity, Ayano drew even closer to Keiki, burying her face in his chest.

“Sniff sniff sniff… Haaah… Kiryuu-kun’s scent is the best!”

“…Well, I figured this would happen.”

Of course, Keiki yet again didn’t get to taste a sweet and romantic first experience. Instead, his body was sniffed by the smell fetishist. It appears as if she had been targeting Keiki’s bodily scent from the very beginning.

“Aaah… I’m so happy. Now I can focus on my work again.”

“I’m glad to hear it…”

Keiki felt like a fish stranded on a beach, but Ayano sighed in satisfaction.

“If you’ve finished recharging, I’d appreciate it if you could get away from me.”

“I decline.”

“So bluntly!?”

“I decided that today I would get spoiled lots by Kiryuu-kun.”

“You sound like a cat that’s doing whatever suits its whimsy, you know.”

“Can you rub my head?”

“No coherence whatsoever, I see. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“If you do it, then I’ll let you stay here. Or would you rather go back to the calligraphy club?”

“I will rub your head with all of my heart!”

Keiki didn’t possess enough courage to return. After all, if he did, he’d probably just be tied up again, so he decided to stay here with Ayano.

“Lady Ayano, how do you enjoy my head rubbing?”

“It’s great. Continue to praise Ayano-san for her hard work as the student council president.”

“Understood.”

Since he had received her permission, Keiki rubbed Ayano’s head some more.

I know I’m the one doing this, but isn’t this situation pretty bad?

Keiki was but a normal boy. There was no way his heart wouldn’t race from being this close to a cute girl like Ayano.

Fujimoto-san smells really nice as well. Her hair is so silky, and her happy snickering voice is way too cute. How do I put this…?

An odd sensation started to fill Keiki’s body.

“Now that I have you here, I need to store as much of your scent as possible. Sniff sniff sniff.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard the term ‘store your scent.”

Then again, being sniffed like this was nothing out of the ordinary for Keiki, and he didn’t even get his hopes up that something else would happen.

“…I really like it.”

“Is my scent really that great?”

“That’s great too, but…”

“Hm?”

Keiki’s hand stopped rubbing Ayano’s head, and he directed his gaze downwards. His eyes met Ayano’s, but she shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. Kiryuu-kun, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Just now, in the clubroom, they talked about you having someone you like…”

“Ahhh…”

Apparently, she had heard their voices from the hallway.

“That surprised me. I thought you were going for a harem ending, Kiryuu-kun.”

“Do people really think I’m that much of a bastard?”

“I mean, we do have reasons for that. You get along with everyone really well after all.”

“How did me being tied up look like that…?”

She should probably get her eyes checked.

“Can I ask one more thing?”

“W-What is it?”

“Is the girl you like from the calligraphy club?”

“Ahhh…”

For a second, he hesitated, wondering if he shouldn tell her. She probably wouldn’t go around telling others. He put his index finger on his lips, emphasizing secrecy.

“Keep it a secret, okay?”

“…I see.” After a bit of a lag, Ayano gave a faint mutter.

Then, her smile suddenly had a more saddened feel to it.

“So, about this person you like, Kiryuu-kun—”

Still clinging to Keiki like before, the moment she opened her mouth to say something…

“—Keiki-kun!!”

…The door to the student council room swung wide open, and Sayuki barged inside. Of course, the other club members were right behind her.

“I was wondering why it was taking you so long! So this is what you were doing!”

“We found Nii-san cheating again…”

“Kiryuu, you really are…”

“Keiki-senpai, you’re the worst…”

“This isn’t what you think it is, okay?!”

Keiki pleaded innocence, but the fact that Ayano was still hugging him didn’t exactly work in his favor. It’s like an evil politician saying ‘I have no memories’ to dodge an accusation. There’s no credibility in that whatsoever.

“Um, Fujimoto-san…”

“What is it?”

“Could you please help me clear up this misunderstanding?”

“Hmph, I don’t care about Kiryuu-kun.”

“Even though you saved me just now!?”

Just what happened in these few minutes that would cause her to change her mind?

Also, how long is she going to cling to me like this?

Although Keiki currently wasn’t going out with anyone, and thus this was not cheating, these excuses didn’t work at all, and he was pressured by a full portion of rage from the perverted girls around him.

That night, Keiki sat in his room, on a phone call with Shouma.

‘Ahaha, that sounds like a catastrophe.’

“You can say that again. Thanks to Yuika-chan, I went through hell today.”

He leaned back in his chair, reporting the events of the day to Shouma. The reason Keiki had called him like this was simply because too many things had happened, and he needed someone to listen.

‘Well, that just shows how much Koga-san loves you, I guess. It makes her want to tease the boy she likes’.

“I wonder if that’s really what it is.”

‘I really liked Koharu-chan’s troubled expression when I teased her.’

“Ahh, I get that. I bet she must be really cute.”

Setting Shouma’s current relationship status aside, Yuika’s bombshell of an announcement created a hellstorm of problems for Keiki. He somehow made it home alive from the battlefield, but there was no way the others would be satisfied after all that. As a side note, when Keiki sent her a message asking ‘Why would you say something like that?, the message that came back was:

‘Since you rejected Yuika, she wanted to cause you a bit of trouble~’

That sentence was both cute and yet terrifying at the same time. But it barely showed any ill intent on Yuika’s part.

“Well, there’s nothing gained from complaining about what has already happened. I’ll just forget about what Yuika said and think about the future.”

‘Ohh, how straightforward of you.’

“Either way, if I want to end everything, I’ll need to tell them eventually.”

‘Hmm…’

From across the call, Keiki could hear Shouma letting out a sigh like he had figured something out.

‘I see. So you’ve decided as well, Keiki.’

“Well, I can’t keep things as they are forever.”

‘Even though you always complained about them being perverts just a while ago.’

“That opinion hasn’t changed. When I became aware of my feelings, weird hobbies or interests like that aren’t that big of a problem after all.”

It’s the same with Shouma and Koharu. Shouma had accepted the fact that Koharu could be a bit of a stalker, and Koharu had accepted the fact that Shouma was a lolicon. Yet they got along so well. Being in love means accepting both the good and bad parts of a person.

‘I hope everything works out.’

“Yeah.”

At first, Keiki wanted to avoid getting together with a pervert, but now he had found someone he wanted to be with no matter what. Through better or worse, he wanted to hold onto this love. In order to get there, there was one thing he had left to do.

“I’ll confess eventually—And I’ll be the one to do it.”

After Keiki ended his call with Shouma, he headed over to the bathroom to prepare for a bath. He rested his exhausted body in the hot water for a while, and after changing into some clean clothes, he quickly brushed his teeth and stepped outside again. Now he only had to get some good rest, and then he would be ready. Forget the problems of today, and focus on tomorrow.

Filling himself with determination, he went up to the second floor, and when he opened his bedroom door, he spotted his little sister sitting on the bed.

“Mizuha?”

“Nii-san…” A pillow was in her arms, and she was looking at Keiki with a serious expression on her face. “This might be a bit sudden, but your bed has been occupied.”

“That really is sudden…”

“I have the right to use your bed, of course. However, as I am a generous person, I will offer you half.”

“So basically…?”

“I want to sleep next to Nii-san today.”

“Well, I figured as much, seeing as you’re ready to go with pillow in hand.”

“…I can’t?”

“We might be brother and sister, but sleeping in the same bed at our age is a bit odd.”

“Haven’t we slept together a lot of times so far?”

“Well, I guess.”

Keiki couldn’t exactly argue against that.

“Alright, fine. But don’t attack me in my sleep, or I’ll throw you out.”

“Yay~”

Having received permission, the infiltrator dived under the covers.

“You’ll stir up dust if you jump around like that.”

“Okaaaay… Nii-san, are you going to sleep for the day?”

“I was thinking about doing that, yeah.”

“Then come here, Nii-san.”

“There’s no need to tell me. This is my bed.”

Keiki turned off the lights and laid down next to his little sister.

“Fufu, Nii-san is so warm.”

“Of course. I just got out of the bath.”

His entire body felt like it was steaming. As the two lay next to each other, Mizuha moved her arm, clinging to Keiki beneath the blanket.

“…I’m making sure that Nii-san doesn’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not going to get stranded again, so don’t worry.”

Ever since Keiki and Sayuki got lost during their trip in the mountains, Mizuha would try to stay with Keiki as much as possible. Even when he was just watching TV in the living room, she would silently lean against his shoulder, and she oftentimes would read manga on top of his bed as well. Of course, that happened before the ski trip, too, but it seemed to be drastically more common now.

There were even times when he found her on standby next to the bathroom, making sure that Keiki safely came out of the bath. At first, these actions seemed to be a result of this incident as well, but…

“That’s not it…”

“Hm?”

“About what Yuika-chan said today…”

“Again with that?”

He should have seen that one coming. Mizuha had never brought it up once after they got back, but there was no way she hadn’t been bothered by it.

“Do you have someone you like?”

“I will leave that to your imagination.”

“Then I’ll just assume you have one.” She continued. “Are you going to even keep it a secret from me?”

“Well, I’ll tell you eventually.”

“I see…”

He was willing to tell her, but there were some things he needed to do first. Things were progressing a bit faster because of what Yuika had done, but Keiki needed to take care of one thing, and also mentally prepare himself.

“Then I won’t ask you anymore. Instead… let me just say one thing.”

“What?”

“I’m the only one who’s allowed to show her panties to Nii-san, okay?”

“What kind of confession is that?”

“You’re only allowed to get excited because of my panties.”

“What kind of request is that?!”

“There’s no deeper meaning to it. It’s just a declaration of my resolve.”

“Why?!”

Keiki was even more lost. However, the girl herself seemed satisfied, and she flashed him a smile.

“That’s all I wanted to say. Goodnight, Nii-san.”

“Y-Yeah… Night…”

“I love you.”

“Uh…” That sneak attack took Keiki by surprise.

Mizuha let go of Keiki and turned her back towards him, but she showed no signs of leaving the bed.

“…Goodnight, Mizuha.”

He told his jealous and cute little sister a goodnight one last time, and then closed his eyes as well.

*

The following day, after classes had ended, Keiki stood in front of the clubroom, smartphone in hand.

“No response from Sayuki-senpai, huh?”

He sent her a message early in the morning, but nothing came back from her. Every call he made was unanswered. Did her phone run out of battery, or did she forget it altogether? Since she could be a bit clumsy at times, that was definitely possible, but it was rare to not be able to reach her like this.

“Even though I had something important to talk about…”

Keiki came to school determined to respond to her confession. Yet now she was nowhere to be found. Just staying at the clubroom wouldn’t do him any good, so—

“I guess I’ll go look for her.”

It’s not like he had any particular time limit, but after what Yuika said the day prior, he wanted to take care of it that day. He put his bag down inside the clubroom and started walking around the school. Since this was a fairly large school, he first made his way from the clubroom building to classroom building.

“Oh right, I feel like this has happened before.”

Back when Keiki assumed that Sayuki was Cinderella, but she was under the impression that he had figured out her fetish, she started avoiding him for quite some time. In the end, Sayuki wasn’t Cinderella, just a pervert with a peculiar fetish.

“………”

As he made his way around school, many things caught his attention. The shoe box where he always greeted Sayuki, the hallway he first did a wall-slam on her, the classroom where she made omurice for him during the culture festival, the hallway where she showed him her panties. All these nostalgic memories came rushing back to mind.

“This second year went by in a flash, for sure.”

His first year at this school couldn’t have been calmer. He started showing up at the calligraphy club, worked as a library committee member, studied for his exams, and spent a normal and average school life.

Once the second year rolled around, he found himself busy with the whole Cinderella incident, then he started uncovering more and more perverts. Yuika and Mao joined the calligraphy club, and even Mizuha. Thanks to that, the calligraphy club grew more noisy, and Sayuki started smiling more. To Keiki, that was something wonderful. In the midst of these changes, he only realized at the very end how his eyes were always following her.

“…Not here.”

Sayuki couldn’t be found at the third-year classrooms either. Since her outdoor shoes were still in the shoe locker, she should still be somewhere in school.

“Hm? Isn’t that…?”

While he was wondering if he should return to the clubroom, he spotted a girl holding a camera down the hallway. It was a small girl with braided hair and a hood over her head. Just like Sayuki, her blue skirt showed that she was a third-year.

“Hello, Koharu-senpai.”

“Ah, Kiryuu-kun. Hey there.”

When Keiki called out to her, Koharu returned an angelic smile.

“Did you finish your photoshoot with Shouma?”

“Yes, I was on my way back to look at them in the astronomy clubroom. Would you like to join me, Kiryuu-kun?”

“I’ll pass. I’m actually looking for Sayuki-senpai.”

“She isn’t in the clubroom?”

“No, and I can’t get in touch with her, either.”

“Sorry, I haven’t seen her.”

“Is that so…?”

“Ah, but—” Koharu spoke up like she had remembered something. “I might have an idea as to where she could have gone.”

Following Koharu’s advice, Keiki headed to the library room, and he soon spotted the girl at a table beside the window.

“She was studying, huh?”

When he approached the table, he spotted several math workbooks in front of her. She was completely focused on her work, not even noticing her junior. Indeed, Tokihara Sayuki was quite a hard worker. She acted like she barely studied, but her grades were only as high as they were because she worked so hard. She didn’t brag about it, she just felt embarrassed to show her efforts in front of the others. But at the same time she never hesitated to show her underwear. That’s probably why she was studying here in the library, and not in the clubroom.

“She isn’t even noticing that I’m here…”

It was true that Keiki had some urgent business to talk to her about, but bothering her during her studies was something he wanted to avoid. He sat down in the seat next to her. Looking at the math formulae wasn’t fun at all, so his gaze naturally drifted towards her.

She sure is beautiful…

Her gaze was as determined as it was when she worked on her calligraphy.

“………”

The serious expression on her face was like how she looked in the clubroom. He would sit in the room, filled with the scent of tatami mats and ink, until she noticed his presence. He could watch her forever.

“Phew…” Sayuki stopped writing. She probably had made it to a good stopping point.

After that, she stretched both of her arms, letting out a rather stimulating groan. Naturally, that caused her two mountains to shake violently.

“Ohhh…”

Keiki took a mental picture, and the girl directed her gaze sideways, noticing her junior sitting next to her.

“Ah, Keiki-kun.”

“Good work, Sayuki-senpai.”

“How long have you been there?”

“I got here around ten minutes ago.”

“You should have called out to me.”

“Well, I didn’t want to bother you during your studies.”

“I can always make time for you, Keiki-kun.”

“Then could I have some right now?”

“Eh?”

“It’s something very important.”

“Something very important, you say?”

She must have guessed what he meant. She audibly gulped, then nodded.

“I understand…”

They both made their way to the courtyard. It was a small space surrounded by school buildings around. That being said, since it was still fairly early in February, nobody was around. Keiki had considered bringing a jacket with him, but since he wanted to get things over quickly, he decided it shouldn’t be necessary.

In fact, this was the place the two had first met. When Keiki had just started attending this school, he spotted her here as he walked down the path to go home. Sometimes he thought about what would have happened if he didn’t call out to her here. If he hadn’t seen the crying upperclassman, if he hadn’t called out to her, if he didn’t join the calligraphy club… Surely, these joyful and exciting, though sometimes a bit exhausting, days with the other club members would never have happened.

In that sense, Keiki’s high school life began here. That’s why he had to respond to Sayuki’s confession in this very spot.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come up with my answer.”

“I don’t mind.”

The two stood in front of the bench where they first met, facing each other.

“Can I hear the reply to my confession?”

“Of course.”

Keiki took a deep breath and said what was at the forefront of his mind.

“I think that you’re a very charming person¹, Sayuki-senpai.”

“Eh…?”

“I’ve always admired you as a senior. You’re beautiful and kind, and although you might be not that great at cleaning or sports, that part of you is cute as well—”

Keiki always thought that she was a kind person. She acted considerate even towards Yuika, who she always fought with. There was even the fact how she secretly worked hard, and more than anything, how she possessed beauty that wasn’t rivalled by many.

“I was really happy to hear you felt that way, Sayuki-senpai.”

“Keiki-kun…”

During the first shrine visit that day, he heard the girl’s feelings. A lot of things happened after that, and even after some time had passed after Sayuki voiced her wish for the two of them to go out, his heart continued to race.

“I’ve been conscious of you ever since, and when we got stranded during that mountain trip, my heart beated painfully fast when I had you next to me.”

Thinking back on it, that was quite the dangerous situation, in a lot of ways.

“Your face was as red as a tomato back then, Keiki-kun. It was so cute.”

“The same goes for you, Senpai.”

They jested a bit, and then returned to the topic at hand.

“Back then, I was really happy that I could help you. It made me realize that you saw me as a man as well.”

When he realized that, the girl looked even more lovable than before. The sight of her leaning against his shoulder was unbearably cute. Being relied on by a beautiful upperclassman would make any boy happy. It was pretty embarrassing to admit, but that was one of the most important things that led Keiki to realize his feelings.

“I never once thought you were a girl, Keiki-kun.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

“I do think you have some feminine sides to you.”

“Just for reference, what might you be talking about?”

“Do you really want to hear it?”

“Actually, I think I’m good.” It would probably hurt his pride as a man if he did.

“From what I’ve heard, you were acting quite clingy with me.”

“You’re not wrong. Though sometimes I just wanted to run away because you were too much of a pervert.”

“That was your moment where you were supposed to say ‘A perverted Senpai is still wonderful and cute’, okay?” Sayuki smiled while sulking.

That gesture was so cute that it made Keiki want to tease her some more.

Being with her is really fun…

He never once felt bored when he was with her. Going out with her would surely be fun every day. They could talk with each other, love each other, fight over the stupidest things, but make up right away. Keep loving each other all the time. Hold hands, walk towards a happy future. This was the first time he had such feelings towards a member of the opposite sex.

“I’ve only realized it now, but…”

It took him quite some time to realize, but…

“I’ve always liked you, Sayuki-senpai.”

1 Original word here is Woman