Two outcasts who look down on each other share an innocent first kiss. - Chapter 19

Hashiyama peeked out the door, carefully checking both sides of the hallway. Then he turned back to me.

“All clear.”

I gave a small nod and slipped out of the room with him, the two of us sneaking down the hall like we were on a covert mission.

His sister’s room was on the left, apparently, but there was no sign she’d noticed anything.

God, that was close…

Just when we were in the middle of all that kissy-kissy stuff, we suddenly heard a voice from outside the room—“I’m home!”—and the two of us just about jumped out of our skins.

We scrambled apart, and I held my breath, curled up in a corner of the room, while Hashiyama poked his head out and casually greeted his sister with a, “Welcome back.”

It was honestly scarier than that one time Mom almost walked in on me doing… things.

We waited until his sister went into her room, and once things seemed to have cooled down, we made our quiet escape.

Step by step, carefully avoiding any creaky floors, we made our way downstairs.

Once we hit the first floor, I finally started to relax… which unfortunately meant all those memories from just a minute ago started flooding back.

It was supposed to be just a quick little peck. Just once. Just a tiny one.

But… we totally overdid it.

I couldn’t stop.

The second I realized our lips were touching, my head went all floaty and fuzzy, and the craving just kept bubbling up—more, more, more.

Honestly, it was basically s3x at that point.

Emotionally speaking, it didn’t feel that different from losing my virginity.

It felt like I’d just taken my first real step into adulthood.

At the same time, though… I kind of regretted how it played out.

I’d finally worked up the courage to do it, but then I chickened out and hid behind some flimsy excuse.

And to top it off, I blurted out what sounded a lot like a confession… in the heat of the moment.

But it wasn’t a confession… right?

I was just pretending, using that as part of the setup…

If I’d come up with a better lie, something smoother and less… real, then maybe I wouldn’t be regretting it now. But all I could say were those painfully honest words. And if that’s how it was going to be, I should’ve just confessed properly.

I stared at the back of Hashiyama’s head as he walked ahead of me.

What are we now, anyway?

Are we dating?

Or not?

I mean, come on… we kissed that much. There’s no way we don’t like each other, right?

I got so caught up in wanting to kiss him again and again that I completely forgot to clarify anything!

Lost in that spiral of thought, we arrived at the front door.

I slipped on my shoes and looked up at Hashiyama, who stood at the step above me.

“Well… I’ll see you.”

Hashiyama looked away, flustered.

“Yeah. See you…”

Ugh, no good. I wanted to say something, anything, but the fact that I’d just been kissing this guy nonstop totally short-circuited my brain.

I had nothing. All I could do was retreat for now.

I turned to go—
And then—

“Hey, nii-san.”

A voice, from directly behind Hashiyama.

A girl had appeared without a sound.

“Eh—?”

Hashiyama spun around in surprise. I froze like a deer in headlights.

It was the first proper look I’d gotten at his little sister since the day his family moved in.

She peeked out from behind him to look at me and said, with a totally calm face:

“You’re heading home, Sumino-san?”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of surprise in her voice.

Hashiyama blinked a few times, clearly confused.

“W-Wait… you knew?”

“Knew what?”

“That Sumino was here…”

“Well, yeah. I saw her shoes by the door.”

I glanced down.

Oh.

Right.

We hadn’t even thought of that. We’re idiots.

“But how’d you know it was Sumino?”

“I figured she was the only person you’d actually invite into your room.”

“Why?”

At that, Hashiyama’s little sister tilted her head, completely nonchalant.

“’Cause I’ve heard you two talking through the window sometimes.”

“…Eh?”

“Eh?”

We both said it at once—then both turned bright red.

S-She heard us?

Our conversations?

Since… May!?

“And sometimes I can hear you talking when you’re on the phone, too. Mom and Dad probably haven’t noticed, so you don’t have to worry about them.”

“O-Okay…”

“Whatever you guys do in your room isn’t my business, so don’t worry about me. But if you get caught by Mom and Dad, it’ll be a whole thing, so… if you’re heading out, better go now.”

With that, she casually disappeared into the living room.

The two of us stood there, watching her go. And then—silence.

“…Your sister’s not just cool, she’s like… ice cold.”

Trying to break the awkward silence, I tossed that out.

Hashiyama looked off to the side with a sheepish expression.

“I still have no idea who she takes after…”

If it were me, and I thought my big brother was doing stuff in the next room with a girl, I wouldn’t be able to not care.

Then again, if it had to be someone who caught us, I guess we got lucky.

“Well then… again, see you.”

“Ah, yeah.”

I reached for the front door handle and, still facing the door, mumbled quietly.

“Thanks, Hashiyama.”

“…You’re welcome.”

Oh come on, you actually heard that!?

You’re supposed to say, “Huh? What’d you say?”

With that, I stepped out the door, leaving behind this thoroughly unheroic, totally unromantic introvert of a boy.

I passed through the gate and started the short walk back home.

I looked up at the sunset and let out a long sigh, trying to take in everything that had just happened.

For me, I really did try hard today.

Yeah… for now, I should just be proud of that.

I stepped into my own house, took off my shoes, and headed down the hallway toward the stairs to my room.

That’s when it happened—

“Huh? Mikage~? Where’ve you been~?”

Mom’s voice cut through the hall, and my heart jumped so hard I thought it might actually stop.

Right… Hashiyama’s parents weren’t home.
My mom very much was.

She was sitting in the living room, casually watching a drama on TV.

I looked her way, and my brain kicked into overdrive.

“Well…”

But I couldn’t think of a single excuse.

I slipped past the living room like I was fleeing a crime scene, and behind me I heard Mom’s voice, suspicious and drawn-out:

“…Hmmm?”

Sorry, Hashiyama… I think I might’ve screwed this up!

After Kana came home with dinner, the two of us ate together, then I took a bath and finally felt refreshed as I returned to my room.

The cushion Sumino had been sitting on was still right where she’d left it.

It was cold now, with no trace of her warmth, but still… just a few hours ago, she had definitely been right here. And we—she and I—had…

I dropped down onto the bed with a soft thump, then flopped backward, sprawled out on my back.

…We seriously made out like crazy.

Now that everything had calmed down, I could finally start to process the situation—and realize just how insane it was.

I mean, I’d definitely thought about what it might be like to get close to Sumino like that… but for things to escalate that quickly?

That was… something else.

It was like we exploded from all the pent-up frustration of our lives. I remembered that intense blur of a moment, and it felt like I was still dreaming.

But if I started acting like I was her boyfriend now, she’d probably snap at me and say, “Don’t go acting like my man just ‘cause we kissed, gross.”

Even though—between the two of us—she’s the one who came on stronger.

“……………………”

Sumino’s… pretty lewd, huh.

I’d kinda picked up on that before in bits and pieces, but today, I really felt it—like, on a biological level.

If I’d gotten a little handsy while we were kissing—like, say, touched her chest in the heat of the moment—what would’ve happened?

Would she have smacked me and told me off?

Or… would she have gone along with it?

Thinking the answer might’ve been the second one… probably just wishful thinking. The desperate daydreams of a virgin, huh?

…No point obsessing over this.

I sat up and glanced toward the window.

The curtains had been left open since I signaled her earlier. From here, I could see the window to Sumino’s room.

Of course, her curtains were drawn. No chance they’d open again tonight.

I had no idea what kind of face I was supposed to show her the next time we met.

But still… maybe just getting a little closer wouldn’t hurt.

That’s what I told myself, as I got off the bed and stepped over to the window.

Light spilled faintly from the gap in her curtains—but just standing here like this made me feel like she was near.

This kind of rom-com setup… it’s honestly way too much for someone like me.

And yet…

…Man, I’m lucky. Ridiculously lucky.

Feeling just a little bolder, I undid the crescent lock on the window.

Careful not to make any noise, I slowly cracked it open—just a sliver.

Even in summer, the night air is cold.

The breeze that slipped in through the gap helped cool the leftover warmth from our first kiss—

“…Nn… mmm…”

…Huh?

Did I just hear something?

Faint, but…

I instinctively strained my ears.

“…Mmm… nn… mm…”

The sound was soft… maybe a little sultry… but also kind of… happy? Cute?

That voice—

I shut the window.

Closed the curtains.

Turned my back on Sumino’s room and sank to the floor, sliding down slowly.

It was nothing.

Yeah. Just my imagination.

That’s what I’ll tell myself.

Introverts shouldn’t get cocky.

Just because I had my first kiss doesn’t mean I’ve changed.

Not really.

And yet, the shadows remained still— carrying, just faintly, a lingering warmth.