Two outcasts who look down on each other share an innocent first kiss. - Chapter 15

“I’m home!”

I called out to Mom as I peeked into the living room after finally getting back from the retreat.

She was watching TV, but turned around and smiled.

“Oh, welcome back, Mikage. How was the retreat?”

“Mm… it was okay, I guess.”

I thought I’d brushed her off like usual, but for some reason, she gave me a curious “Oh?” and raised her eyebrows with interest.

That weirdly ticked me off, so I glared at her.

“…What?”

“Well, usually you wouldn’t even give me a real answer. Saying ‘okay’ already sounds kinda positive.”

Wait, that counts as being positive?

Yikes—guess that says a lot about how I’ve acted before. She’s not wrong, though. Normally I’d just wave her off without saying anything and head straight to my room.

But this time… something had changed.

“Did something good happen?”

Mom grinned mischievously.

“Oh, I know! You talked to a boy you like, didn’t you~?”

“…Shut up.”

That’s all I said before leaving the living room.

Still wearing my heavy backpack and dragging my exhausted legs up the stairs, I heard her call out again.

“There’s cream puffs in the fridge! Want one?”

“Later!”

I shouted back before slipping into my room.

I turned on the light, tossed my backpack down, peeled off my socks, and collapsed onto my bed.

“Haaaaah…”

The familiar softness and smell of my bed made it finally feel like I was home.

Man, sleepover-type events are seriously exhausting. And next year—or the year after—we’ve got the class trip to deal with? Ughhh…

I flopped around on my bed for a while.

What should I do tomorrow?

Usually, I hate going to school, but now that I don’t have to go, I’m kinda lost.

I mean, I’ve got nothing to do except play games…

Maybe I should finally take fighting games seriously this summer—and wreck Hashiyama.

That campy little camper needs to get humbled at least once.

And now that we’re on speaking terms again, I could actually ask him to hang out—like at the movies or a ramen place or something I wouldn’t go to alone…

“…Hmm.”

Rolling back and forth across the bed while thinking about summer break plans, I realized something.

I rolled over onto my stomach—and it hit me even more clearly.

…I’m seriously turned on right now.

Maybe my body just remembers that this bed is where I usually… do that kind of thing, like some Pavlovian reflex.

Also, it’s been almost two full days—kinda rare for me to go that long without.

I glanced toward the window, its curtains drawn shut.

And well… I mean, let’s be honest… I’ve got plenty of material now.

This… this is gonna be intense.

Alright. Time for tonight’s… festivities.

shuffles under the blanket

“…Nn… nn… nn… nnnnnn~?”

I poked my head out of the covers.

Okay, what the hell.

I’m… totally not in the mood.

It’s like—no matter how much I try to inflate the balloon of desire, it just keeps leaking air and flopping over.

Why?? I’m clearly restless enough!

Maybe I’m just tired.

When you’re sleepy or exhausted, even if you’re backed up, you just don’t feel like doing anything.

I was up early this morning… and last night—

I stayed up late talking to him…

He was all flustered.

Was he thinking about me?

No, he was thinking about me. That much I’ve known for a while.

But… I dunno. He was kinda cute, actually.

Come to think of it… I did promise to go to his place.

He said he’d “get ready”… but what exactly is he planning to prep?

Probably just tidying up his room or something. That’s gotta be it.

But if—if it weren’t just that…

Knowing that wimp, there’s no way he’d suddenly push me down or anything.

But what if, like… I dunno… he went for a kiss or something?

And it was super awkward and clumsy…

“…Hn.”

Oh.

It’s happening.

A rush of emotion—like a crashing wave—welled up inside me, and I quickly shoved my face back under the covers.

And then———

“—Bwah!”

Like I’d been holding my breath underwater for too long, I popped my head out from the blanket.

The rush was gone. My head cooled down, and finally, I could look reality in the eye.

Oh no…

I’ve…

…I’ve completely lost the ability to fantasize unless it’s some pure, wholesome romance with him.

◆ ◆ ◆

After getting back to my room, I ended up taking a nap without realizing it.

When the sun had already set, my little sister Kana came to wake me up for dinner. After eating, I went back to my room and realized—

I hadn’t opened the curtains once today.

Everything’s… fine now, right?

We kind of made up, didn’t we?

Hesitantly, and for the first time in a while, I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

The opposite window—hers, of course—was covered, but the light was on. So she was home.

Should I call out?

Nah, I’ve never really initiated it before. We always just ended up chatting whenever the timing felt right.

Besides, ever since we started messaging each other, we hadn’t really used the window much. Makes sense—why freeze your butt off when you can text?

But still, it might be kinda nice to see her face through here again.

Not like I… want to see her face or anything…

…Whatever.

I’ll just hang around for a bit. If she pops up, I’ll say hi.

But just as I was about to walk away from the window—I saw it.

A narrow slit in her curtain.

And from that slit…

Sumino’s left eye was peeking through.

Jesus.

It’s always terrifying. Every time.

I slid open my window and spoke to the creepy eyeball that might’ve been either a stalker or a ghost.

“Could you not do that? It freaks me out every single time.”

Whether my protest registered or not, her eyeball remained in place as her right hand slithered out through the gap… and opened her window.

Then, in a voice like something whispering across a graveyard, she spoke:

“Shut up… You ruined my collection…”

“…Huh?”

“I’m gonna destroy you, you hear me? Get ready for a beatdown in custom matches tomorrow!”

Clack! Her window slammed shut, and the eye disappeared behind the curtain.

I have no idea what that was about.

But one thing I was sure of—this summer break, I was probably going to be spending a whole lot of it with Sumino.

I stared at the light glowing from her room for a while, then finally closed my own window.

I was a little surprised at myself.

I never thought I’d actually look forward to summer break.