"Ahhh! What is wrong with me?"
A high school student was mumbling to himself as he strolled down a road lit by
streetlights. He wasn't anyone suspicious, though. It was Masachika Kuze on his way back
after walking Alisa home.
"'I will be by your side.' 'Just take my hand.' Who do I think I am? Somebody kill me.
Ugh. I'm going to be cringing in the shower for years now… And talking to myself like this
only makes me look even more pathetic."
He vented his frustration and self-loathing aloud into the night air. Masachika had just
shown Alisa that he was a real man for a change, yet he couldn't help but dwell on his
mortifying actions. The words he had said to Alisa played on an endless loop in his mind,
and he was on the verge of dying of embarrassment and regret. Furthermore…
"Alisa said she was in love with me…didn't she?"
…the smile she had shown him as they walked down the boulevard was like a flower in
full bloom. The vivid memory of the soft touch of her lips on his cheek when they said good
night made Masachika jittery. Until now, he'd thought Alisa's Russian whispers of sweet
nothings were merely a game to feel the thrill of being caught since she believed he didn't
understand a word. However, her behavior in front of her apartment obviously went beyond
what could be considered a game. It was almost as if that was how she really felt…
"Nah…"
Masachika hastily shot down the idea forming in the back of his mind.
She was just in a heightened state of emotion like me. I bet she's already returned to her
senses and is cringing at the thought of it, too. Yeah… I'm sure that's what's happening.
But even after persuading himself of that, what Alisa had said and done still made his
heart race…
"I thought I couldn't fall in love anymore, but…"
Ever since that girl disappeared, Masachika had never felt romantically interested in
anyone. He would still think some girls were cute or pretty, but that was pretty much it. He
even felt lust from time to time, like anybody his age would, but he never felt love for anyone,
and they'd never made his heart race like this, either.
Besides, I doubt any girl would fall in love with trash like me anyway.
Masachika despised himself most of all, so it was hard for him to imagine someone
falling in love with him. Moreover, he didn't trust the whole concept to begin with. He
believed that most romantic feelings were temporary states of delusion that would fade away
once certain conditions were met. He especially didn't trust his own romantic feelings.
I can't even remember that girl's name or face…so there's no way I could ever seriously
fall in love with someone else, right?
Dating in high school was nothing more than a game to kill time. It was rare for high
school sweethearts to ever go on and get married after graduation. The only time that ever
happened wasin fiction. Real high school couples were unstable, and the smallest thing could
bring them together or break them apart. Even if Alisa really did have feelingsfor Masachika,
she would most likely break up with him once she took a real hard look at him up close and
spotted all his faults.
And the couples who do get married after dating in high school sometimes get divorced
eventually as well.
He imagined his own parents, then smirked cynically before ultimately letting out a deep
sigh.
"This is annoying…"
Those words fell unbidden off his tongue.
Getting worked up over something as uncertain as love was ridiculous. It was annoying.
It wasn't like he wanted a girlfriend, and it wasn't like Alisa had asked him out, either. So
why could he not stop thinking about it?
Mmm… I'm going to be single for the rest of my life with this mindset.
When he realized that he had become a heretic, he became even more depressed. But
whenever he was feeling down, he would watch anime to feel better, so he picked up the
pace and hurried home. Just when he was ready to escape from reality, he opened the door
to his place…and noticed there was a pair of shoes there that weren't his. Masachika froze.
"What happened to having 'plans'?" he muttered. "Wait. I guess it's not that weird."
If today's events were all part of some plot to get him to join the student council, then of
course Yuki would have been involved. In fact, she might have been behind the whole thing.
"Tsk… I fell right into her trap…or I guess I should say she dragged me out of hiding
and pushed me into the trap."
He sighed deeply while sliding open the door to the bathroom when…
"Huh…?"
"Uh…?"
…their eyes met. Yuki was drying her hair with a towel…completely nude. With her
eyes opened wide and an expression overcome with surprise, she promptly used the towel
to cover her front, but…
"Eeeeeek! My brother's a Peeping Tom!"
"Yeah, yeah. You were waiting for me to open the door so I would see you like this."
"Was it that obvious?"
"You rushed out of the bath the moment I closed the front door."
Masachika glared at Yuki reproachfully as she grinned, revealing no signs of guilt.
"You went way too far this time."
He rolled his eyes and turned to leave the bathroom when…
"Hey, not so fast. Aren't you curious as to why I did all that?"
"Yeah, I'm curious, but put on some clothes first, okay?"
"Hold on, Masachika. I just realized something extremely troubling."
"…Something extremely troubling?" repeated Masachika with a hand on the door he
was facing, even though he knew it wasn't going to be anything worth hearing.
"Hmph." Yuki smugly smirked and covered the right side of her face with her right hand
as if she were an overdramatic emo teen detective who had just solved a mystery. It didn't
help that her towel had come undone, baring all. One could only describe the sight as surreal,
and yet Yuki showed absolutely no concern as she sternly opened her partially hidden eye
wide and shouted:
"We've lived under the same roof for so long, but we still haven't had the scene where
you walk in on me changing!"
"You never cease to surprise me with the garbage that comes out of your mouth!"
"All brothers walk in on their sisters changing at one point! It's inevitable!"
"Yeah, in fiction! You nerd!"
"Takes one to know one!"
"Dammit! That actually hurts more today than it usually would!"
Masachika had been wondering only a few hours earlier if he was about to have an
indirect kissing scene with his beautiful older schoolmate, like he was playing a visual novel.
That's why being called a nerd right now was like having habanero sauce poured into a
wound.
"Gnnng!"
He naturally clutched his chest and groaned, but in spite of his agony, Yuki was already
striking a troubling pose and facing the complete opposite way of him.
"Anyway, I know deep down inside you want to see it, so here I go. Eek! Stop staring
at me like that! ♡"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm talking to the camera that's invisible to idiots."
"More like a camera that only delusional nerds can see!"
"I guess that means you can see it, too, huh?"
"Yeah, I can see it. I can see it clearly. Cheese."
Masachika made a peace sign while facing the same direction as Yuki. Perhaps they'd
both been dropped on their heads as babies.
"Wow! Look at this picture! It's surreal!" exclaimed Yuki with a straight face.
"Yeah, thanks to you!" Masachika immediately added.
Yuki then dropped the act and cheerfully smiled.
"Anyway, this is the least I can do to make it up to you."
"Showing me your naked body isn't making it up to me at all."
"Excuse me? I saw ya checkin' me out with your eyes."
"Yuki, I'm going to be straight with you just this once."
"Oh? What is it, bro? Lookin' a little smug today, aren't we?"
"Showing everything…is kind of a turnoff. It's the brief glimpses from time to time that
we men live for."
"I see… I didn't even consider that."
They smugly conversed forsome reason until they sensed an understanding mysteriously
pass between them. After grinning with evidentsatisfaction, Masachika slowly turned around
and tried to leave again when…
"Stop right there. Did ya really think you could just waltz outta here like that as if I
didn't notice? Ya looked, didn't ya? Your eyes wandered from my head all the way to my
feet, didn't they?"
"I only looked at your chest."
"So you admit it, you boob-loving pervert!"
"Shut up, you voyeuristic creep."
"Hey?! I'd prefer it if you'd just call me a dirty slut!"
"That's where you draw the line?! Anyway, just put on some clothes already!"
Masachika shouted, slamming the door before heading to the living room. After cleaning
himself up a bit, he swiftly returned to his room.
"Whew…"
As he sighed deeply, he tossed his school bag onto the floor and started to feel ridiculous
for worrying so much. He then took off his blazer and collared shirt, leaving him in only a
tank top and pants. But when he reached for his belt buckle_____
"Gotcha!"
"What the…?!"
_____the door flew open with a roar, revealing Yuki, still with wet hair, in only her panties
and a T-shirt. She had once again kicked open the door. The unexpected event caused
Masachika to instantly lose his balance, and with his pants wrapped around his ankles, he
collapsed onto the bed. Yuki slowly traced him with her eyes, and a sleazy smile curled her
lips.
"Heh-heh-heh… Nice body, bro."
"You almost gave me a heart attack! What is wrong with you?!"
"I figured I'd use this opportunity to watch you change, too. Might as well get it out of
the way. Know what I mean?"
"What's so fun about seeing your own brother in his underwear?"
"Your underwear? I'm more interested in…," Yuki started as she lowered her gaze
toward Masachika's nether regions, and her face was suddenly overcome with disgust.
"Oh my gosh… Seriously? You just saw your little sister naked, and you felt nothing?
What is wrong with you?"
"The reason my body didn't react is because there is nothing wrong with me. Who would
even want a brother who gets turned on when he sees his sister naked?"
"Seeing you naked could turn me on!"
"Yeah, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
"Seeing you naked could turn me on! Boi-oi-oing."
"Don't repeat yourself! And what kind of sound effect was that?!"
"Just thinking about what that big, manly student council president would do with your
body…"
"That's what would turn you on?! Since when did you get into Boys Love manga?!"
Masachika hurriedly pulled his pants back up, and Yuki stared into the distance with a
partially sorrowful gaze.
"I was completely against the concept at first, but I thought it wasn't right to knock
something before I tried it…and when I finally tried it, I kind of liked it."
"Great. And now you're obsessed. I don't remember you having any BL books in your
room, though?"
Yuki had her own room here at the Kuze residence as well. It was essentially nothing
more than a hobby room filled with anime merchandise and a bed, though. Masachika often
borrowed light novels and comics from there, which was why he knew exactly what she had,
and to his knowledge, she didn't have a single book from that genre. Yuki nodded at his
dubious gaze as if she completely understood his doubt.
"That's because I keep them in Dad's study."
"What the…?! Seriously?!"
"I've already gotten Dad's permission, just to let you know. He said I could use the free
space on his bookshelves in the study if I ran out of room."
"I'm sure he never expected you to keep smut like that on his bookshelves, though!"
"He said, 'Well, everyone has different tastes…,' and left it at that."
"That's it?! Your daughter is being corrupted, old man!"
"Yeah, when Isaw his exhausted smile and receding hairline, I thought, Maybe I've been
stressing him out? And I felt a little guilty."
"Wow, daughter of the year here. Just don't tell him he's balding, okay? He's genuinely
concerned about losing his hair," pleaded Masachika.
Yuki cackled on her way out of the room, only to return with a hair dryer and brush.
"By the way, my dear brother…," Yuki loudly began as she carefully dried her long
hair, talking over the noise.
"Yeah?"
"…did you finally decide to join the student council after talking to the president and
Masha?"
"About that…"
"Hmm?"
At Masachika's uncomfortable hedging, Yuki turned off the hair dryer and lifted her
head to look at him. Masachika gazed right back into his sister's eyes and firmly continued:
"…I've decided to help Alya become the next president of the student council."
"…"
Yuki's eyes opened wide. She froze. She was, of course, taken aback. Helping Alisa
become the next president meant that he was going to be Yuki's rival, since she was going
to run for president as well. What he was doing could objectively be seen as betrayal.
"My…"
"Your…?"
Masachika was prepared to hear her express her disgust when Yuki all of a sudden dived
onto his bed, shoved her face into his pillow, and screamed:
"My brother cuckolded me with Alyaaaaaa!"
"I'm not sure that means what you think it does."
Yuki looked up in surprise, then grabbed her breasts with each hand.
"Dammit! You boob-loving monster! My C-cup breasts weren't enough for ya, huh?! I
can't believe how easily you were brainwashed by Alya's most likely E-cup tits!"
"Stop being so descriptive about everyone's cup size!"
"Come to your senses, brother! Having C-cup breasts that you can play with are way
better than E-cup ones that you can't even touch!"
"Pretty sure I can't touch anyone's!"
"What?! You want me to throw in Ayano's D-cup titties to sweeten the deal?! You want
a harem?! I had no idea you were a closet pervert!"
"I'm seriously gonna squeeze yours if you don't stop this!"
"Bring it oooooon! But please be gentle!"
"Seriously?!"
Yuki kneeled on Masachika's bed, then suddenly wrapped her arms around herself and
began to squirm.
"So? Are you going to be my first groper?"
"I'd prefer not to be a groper. More importantly, what's up with the weird jokes today?
You sound like a teenage boy."
"I'm kidding. Besides, this wouldn't be my first time anyway. Because you already
touched my boobs in elementary school. ♪"
"I definitely do not remember ever doing that!"
Yuki's annoyingly smug smirk suddenly transformed into a bewildered gaze, causing
Masachika to inwardly panic, worried that he actually had done that.
"Masachika… Did you forget? It was when I was in second grade…"
"Uh…?"
"We were playing hide-and-seek when you suddenly ran right into me. You dove into
my crotch face-first and clutched on to my right boob!"
"That doesn't even sound possible! Stop making up stories that make me sound like the
protagonist of some pervy harem anime! Besides, your asthma in second grade was so bad
that you hardly went outside!"
"And look at the healthy young girl I grew up to be! I haven't caught a cold since middle
school!"
Yuki, still kneeling, proudly puffed out her chest, but Masachika just rolled his eyes
exhaustedly.
"If only you could have grown up to be a little better behaved."
"I am well-behaved! At home, at school, almost everywhere!"
"…Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize! You need to treat me like a princess!" she shouted. She
huffed while holding out her brush and hair dryer to Masachika. He approached her with a
half smile, then took the hair dryer and brush out of her hands as if he knew exactly what
she wanted.
"Heh. Thanks!"
Yuki happily positioned herself on the bed with her back to Masachika.
"Don't expect me to be good at this, okay?" Masachika cautioned before he turned on
the hair dryer and gently brushed her long, black hair. They didn't say anything for a while
after that until he finally pressed the cooling button on the hair dryer.
"So you're going to run with Alya for student council…" Yuki brought it back up.
"Yeah… Sorry about that."
"Hmm? It's nothing to apologize for, though? If anything, it's exciting. I love a classic
sibling-rivalry story."
"Ha-ha-ha…" Masachika laughed bitterly, since his sister was still thinking like a true
anime nerd, even in this situation. "Just in case it isn't obvious, I'm not doing this because
I dislike you or anything."
"I know. Because you love me sooo much, right?"
"…Yeah, I guess."
"Hee-hee. You're blushing."
"Shut up."
Yuki wiggled her body as if she was being tickled, then giggled. Then once she got the
laughter out of her system, she shook her head and stood swiftly.
"Okay. That's enough."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
After he handed her the hair dryer and brush, Yuki started to head toward the door.
"Well, it looks like we're rivals now… Oh yeah."
"Hmm?"
"I'm very lenient, so I can forgive a little cheating. So you're free to come back to me
whenever you get bored with Alya."
"I'm not cheating on anyone, and I'm not going to 'get bored with Alya.'"
"Yeah, yeah. You'll come crawling back to me eventually."
"You must have a really high opinion of yourself."
"Ha-ha-ha! Farewell, my dear brother!" Yuki cackled as she waved good-bye and left
the room. The moment she closed the door, she whispered in a voice so soft, her brother
couldn't hear.
"You finally found someone who motivates you…"
She looked back and faced the door between her and Masachika.
"I'm happy for you," she softly whispered. Her eyes were filled with kindness and
compassion, and her voice was swelling with boundless love. After gazing gently at the
closed door for a few long moments, Yuki turned on her heel and headed for her own room.
"Sigh… I guess I wasn't good enough, huh?" she muttered in a self-deprecating manner
while opening the door to her room and stepping inside. After closing the door, she leaned
against it with her head down for a few moments, then suddenly lifted her chin.
"But…"
There was no longer any compassion or self-deprecation in her eyes. Her expression
was frighteningly serious.
"…I'm not going to lose."
Her determined expression was breathtaking…and it was the exact same expression
Masachika had made when he decided to finally get serious as well.
"Mmm…"
Masachika woke up the following morning to the sound of his alarm blaring. He flailed
around the bed until he managed to turn it off.
"Mmm…"
After sluggishly sitting up, he opened the curtains to welcome in the brilliant morning
sun. He squinted…and then realized that his sister had failed to harass him awake that day.
"…"
Recalling what had happened the night before, he began to think that Yuki had been
acting a little peculiar. Her recent favorite anime aired the previous evening, and usually,
after watching it together, they would excitedly talk about the episode. However, Yuki didn't
say much last night and almost immediately went to bed.
"Sigh…"
Perhaps she'd been in shock because of her brother's betrayal. She'd talked like she
didn't care, but maybe she was actually hurting deep down inside. Masachika ran his hands
through his hair, and his expression darkened as he considered the possibility. Even now,
there was no sign of Yuki coming. In fact, he didn't hear any sounds from outside his room.
Did she leave early because she was too uncomfortable to look at her brother anymore? Or…
while highly unlikely, did she have trouble falling asleep last night and end up oversleeping?
"Sigh…"
He imagined his sister's eyes swollen from crying all night, and although he scoffed that
it wasn't in her nature, he still felt a sharp pain in his heart. Masachika promptly hopped out
of bed. He had to make things right.
And then…
"Eeeeeek?!"
…something suddenly grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall forward as if he was doing
a somersault. He catapulted forward, flying across the room until his hands hit the wall. He
then slowly turned around, his heart hammering against his chest. An arm was dangling out
from underneath the bed…and it was attached to Yuki, who was broadly grinning.
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Did you seriously think the scene would end on a serious note?! You
fool! I'm a woman of my word!"
"Tsk…! You little…!"
Yuki's boastful laugh jogged Masachika's memory of what she had said the other day:
"I'll hide under the bed next time so the moment you step out of bed, I can grab your ankles."
That was when he realized what had really happened last night. While she'd made it look
like she was going to sleep, she had actually been preparing this trap. His face turned red
with rage and embarrassment. The fact that he'd been worried only a few seconds ago that he
might have hurt her feelings made it worse. He should have trusted his gut! His sister wasn't
the kind of person who would let something as insignificant as this depress her!
"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-haaa! Ha…"
Yuki's triumphant cackling slowed, and the hand protruding out from underneath the
bed suddenly drooped. She feebly moved her hand and smiled hopefully.
"Pull me out."
"Huh?"
"I'm stuck. Don't make me explain. It's embarrassing."
It appeared that while she'd managed to fit herself in between the boxes of clothes and
old textbooks under his bed, it was so narrow that she couldn't pull herself out. She waved
her right hand and continued to smile at the pickle she got herself into. Masachika, however,
smirked evily…then pulled the blanket off the bed and shoved it into her face.
"Pfft?! What are you doing?!"
"I'm burying you, you ungovernable little savage! You're gonna pay!"
"Eeeeeek! Boy cooties! The smell…! I'm gonna get pregnant!"
"Have you been sheltered your whole life?! You're not gonna get pregnant!"
"What if I have?! Is there a problem with that?!"
"If it's shelter you want, then feel free to enjoy the new shelter you have under my bed!
Farewell!"
"Gwah?! Noooooo!!"
There was not even a trace of ill feelings or awkwardness during their battle, which
continued until Yuki's ride arrived.
"Good morning!"
"Hey."
"Did you catch that episode last night?"
"Yeah, it was insane."
As her classmates' merry voices filled the air, Alisa opened her textbook and began
preparing for class like she always did, but her eyes traced the same paragraph over and over,
so she was clearly having trouble focusing. Although a hardworking model student, there
was one thing preventing her from concentrating, and it was something obvious if you paid
close enough attention.
Rattle!
"…!"
Every time the classroom door opened, she would look up in surprise, then glance at
the desk next to hers without fail before returning her gaze to her textbook. It was exactly
what it looked like.
What am I so worried about? He's just going to show up all sleepy like he always does.
Worrying isn't going to change anything.
She twirled her hair around her finger and tried to persuade herself, and she had been
repeating that thought ever since she'd arrived at school that day. She even realized this
herself, so she exhaled slowly to shift emotional gears.
I just need to act how I normally do… Yes… Just act natural.
After finally deciding she wasn't going to care anymore, she turned her attention to her
textbook once more…when she suddenly heard the classroom door opening again. But Alisa
didn't look to see who it was this time because she was concentrating solely on her studies.
Nothing could distract her whenever she decided to fully focus her mind on something.
"Oh, Masachika. Hi."
"Hey."
"…?!"
Or at least, that was what she believed until a voice grabbed her attention. She jumped
in her seat, and not subtly, either. Still, she continued to turn the page of her textbook as if
nothing had happened…even though the next page was completely unrelated to what they
were going to study in class that day.
"Hey, Alya."
"Oh. Good morning, Kuze."
Masachika was the one who initiated the conversation. Alisa looked up like she hadn't
noticed him come in and put on a bold face as if to say, "Yesterday? Did something happen?"
Masachika, on the other hand…
"Oh, preparing for class?"
"Y-yes…"
He was wearing a brilliant smile.
Huh? Wait. Hold on. Why is he smiling like that?
She was perplexed, having never seen him so open with his emotions.
"…Is something the matter?"
"Huh? No."
"If you say so."
Masachika didn't pry but instead began to talk to Hikaru, who was in the seat in front
of him. Alisa continued to glance at him out of the corner of her eye while pretending to
prepare for class.
Kuze seems…down, for some reason.
That was the impression she got watching them chat.
They were talking about the same stuff as usual, and yet he seemed kind of sullen that
day. She couldn't help but wonder what was wrong…and why he looked so handsome
today…
What am I thinking?!
Alisa suddenly had a flashback to what had happened the night before and frantically
tried to clear her mind.
It's nothing…! Yeah. He probably just didn't get much sleep. That's all.
He's only a little down because he was sleep-deprived. That's how Alisa pacified herself
until class eventually began.
He's not sleeping…
Not only that, but Masachika also didn't yawn. He was actually paying attention in class
for a change. He didn't forget to bring anything today, and he wasn't rushing to finish his
homework in between periods, either. Alisa, on the other hand, was caught off guard. She'd
totally thought that Masachika was going to come in today and act like his characteristic
unmotivated self, so seeing him taking school so seriously reminded her about what had
happened the previous day.
"You won't be alone anymore. From now on, I will be by your side to support you."
Alisa could feel her cheeks burning as she thought back to the look on his face when
he said those words to her.
Is he seriously trying to change himself…for me?
As the thought popped into her mind, Alisa promptly shook her head in embarrassment.
"Kujou? Is everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm fine."
It was now fourth period—time for gym class.
One of her classmates was looking at her dubiously. They were in the middle of a
volleyball match, so Alisa shook her head to clear her thoughts and viciously spiked the
incoming ball into their opponent's court to avoid being stared at any longer. Volleyball was
easy for someone as tall and athletic as Alisa. Although some of her opponents were on the
volleyball team, she could easily hold her own against them. If anything, they were having a
hard time keeping up with her. And yet despite demonstrating impressive skills on the court,
her head wasn't in the game. Before she realized it, she was suddenly staring in Masachika's
direction, where the boys were having their own match on the other side of the court.
I wonder if Kuze's okay…
Alisa was still worried about him because he had seemed off since that morning. There
was a large net hanging from the ceiling that split the gym in half, separating the boys and
girls. While she may have had 20/15 vision, it was impossible to tell who was who on the
other side of the small-holed net from such a great distance…or at least, there usually would
be no way. Alisa, however, somehow was able to easily pick out Masachika from the bunch.
The reason was extremely simple, but Alisa didn't seem to realize it herself, at the very least.
"Ah…!"
All of a sudden, one of Masachika's teammates served the volleyball directly into the
back of Masachika's head, who then staggered before ultimately collapsing. The boy who
had hit the ball rushed over in concern.
"Alisa!"
"…!"
A voice called out to Alisa from behind, bringing her back to her senses right as her
teammate's toss was rising overhead. She unconsciously squatted in preparation to hit the
ball into their opponent's court when she noticed someone on the other team simultaneously
leaping into the air to block, so she hastily changed plans. She gently bounced the descending
ball back into the air, creating a slight arch that went over her jumping opponent's hands
before falling into their court. Her teammates erupted into cheers, and the teacher, who was
the referee that day, blew his whistle.
"Game, set, match! Team B wins!"
After Alisa briefly thanked the teammates surrounding her, they cleared the court to let
the next two groups play. But only after moving over to stand by the wall did Alisa realize
that Masachika was gone. He had apparently left the gym.
"Is everybody ready? Great! Let the game begin!"
The teacher blew his whistle, and the next match started, drawing everyone's attention.
"…"
Alisa debated the idea for a few moments…then snuck out of the gymnasium as well.
"'The ball is your friend,' my ass," muttered Masachika, sitting on the stairs outside the
gymnasium while rubbing the back of his head. Although he was surprisingly athletic, he had
never been good with ball sports. Put simply, Masachika and balls didn't get along. It always
felt as if he had killed the balls' parents, and they were trying to exact revenge on him. If it
was baseball, he'd get hit by a pitch. Playing basketball meant unavoidable jammed fingers.
And dodgeball? The balls would home in on his face in groups of five, once resulting in the
first doctor stoppage in dodgeball history and making him a legend. He was essentially a
ball magnet, which made him the perfect soccer goalkeeper, but he was never thrilled about
feeling pain every time the other team tried to score.
"Sigh…"
He let out a deep sigh as he lazily hung his head low…when all of a sudden, his stomach
began to roar as well.
"I'm starving…"
Yes, the reason Masachika seemed down all day was because he was hungry, more or
less. Alisa was really worried that something had happened to him, but in reality, it wasn't
a big deal. His exchange with Yuki this morning had exhausted him both mentally and
physically, and not having time to eat breakfast did his body no service, either. Incidentally,
the reason he didn't fall asleep during class today was because he'd gone to bed early, since
he hadn't shared his impressions of last night's episode with anyone, and the reason he didn't
forget to bring anything to classtoday was because Yuki's butler had given him everything he
needed when he came to pick her up. Forsome reason, he knew Masachika's classschedule…
Therefore, most of it was ultimately nothing more than Alisa's imagination. She had no idea
that she was really just overthinking things.
"Are you okay, Kuze?"
"Huh?"
Masachika lifted up his head in surprise when he heard the sudden compassionate voice
and found Alisa's worried gaze looking down at him. Flustered, he immediately sat up
straight.
"Alya? What are you doing out here?"
"I thought you got hurt, so…"
"Oh, you saw that? I didn't get injured or anything. Maybe just a little bump…"
Masachika cringed after realizing how lame he must have looked, but Alisa took a seat
by his side and fussed over him.
"Are you sure you're okay? Want me to take you to the infirmary?"
"I'm fine. Seriously. The gymnasium's really hot today, so I came out here to cool off
for a few minutes."
"…Oh. Hold on a sec."
Alisa suddenly reached toward Masachika'sface,so he reflexively jerked his head away,
but then she pushed back his hair and placed a cool hand on his forehead. Her hand felt good
against his burning head, and his eyes closed in pleasure. Alisa placed her other hand on her
own furrowed brow to compare their temperatures for a few seconds.
"I never really could feel much of a difference just using my hands like this."
"R-really?"
Alisa shrugged, then wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat by his side. She was
being extremely thoughtful today, and yet Masachika…
E cups… Seriously?
His mind was deep in the gutter now. It didn't help that he was staring…at her chest
being squished behind her long, milky-white legs, either. He was reminded of what Yuki had
said the night before. While he had always thought they were big compared with those of
his other classmates, being graphically told exactly how big they were was information far
too stimulating for a boy in puberty.
Hold up… She did say "most likely"…which means they might be even bigger than an
E cup?!
His raging hormone-addled mind broke free from his usual restraint. There was a theory
that appetite and libido were connected,so perhaps his hunger was weakening his composure.
Alisa, oblivious to his thoughts, slowly untied her ponytail, then held the hair tie with her
mouth as she began fixing her ruffled bangs. Masachika caught a glimpse of her bare nape
and then the pale skin of her armpit through the gaping sleeve of her gym shirt.
Wh-what is this?! It's like a nip slip but with her armpit! Is she doing this on purpose?!
Does she want me to look?!
No. Not at all. Alisa probably didn't know that some guys got off on stuff like this, and
Masachika knew that…which was exactly why it was so tantalizing. She was unknowingly
being alluring. He couldn't help taking in a sharp breath as the motion of her tying her hair
back into a ponytail revealed the unexplored frontier between her armpit and chest.
Yuki… This is what I was talking about!
This only further confirmed what Masachika believed: Almost being able to see was
way more exciting than simply seeing a woman completely naked because the brief hints of
skin added an element of mystery. After Alisa finished tying her hair, she lowered her arms
and shook her head.
"…What?"
"Huh? Nothing…"
Alisa had finally realized he wasstaring at her, and she leaned slightly back. Masachika's
eyes wandered as he searched for the right words to say, but Alisa gazed at him dubiously
and said nothing. Instead, she shot up as something occurred to her.
"You should probably drink some water."
"Huh? Oh. Right…"
It's not like I'm dehydrated or having a heatstroke, he thought, but he kept quiet and
followed, racked with guilt, behind his uncharacteristically kind classmate. They walked
around to the other side of the gymnasium, where the handwashing station stood between the
gymnasium and schoolyard. There, he adjusted the faucet until it was facing upward, then
turned the tap on. When Masachika lowered his head toward the arch of flowing water, the
pleasantly cold sensation made him suddenly feel thirsty, and he began to guzzle it down.
His body seemed to have lost far much more water than he'd initially thought.
It looks like Alya made the right call.
After turning off the tap, he wiped his mouth with his arm and casually glanced to the
side.
Oh…
He was struck speechless by the vision of Alisa drinking water as well. However, unlike
Masachika's guzzling, she delicately sipped from the narrow stream with pursed lips. Her
long eyelashes framed her downcast blue eyes. The captivating way she held back her silky
silver hair behind her ears with her fingers and the faint sweat glistening on her milky skin
as she leaned forward, drawing attention to the swell of her breasts—all of it stimulated
Masachika's pubescent impulses. He immediately felt lightheaded but not due to hunger or
the heat.
"Phew…"
After quenching her thirst, turning off the tap, and lifting her head, Alisa heard water
still running and glanced over…
"Wh-what the…?! Kuze?!"
…and found Kuze with his head under the faucet, the water running at full force. After
a few seconds went by, he slowly pulled himself out from under the stream, combed his hair
forward from the back, then flicked his head back to dry off.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Just trying to keep cool…," Masachika replied with an exhausted expression, water
dripping from his chin and the tips of his hair.
"O-oh, okay…"
That was the only way Alisa could respond to such a bizarre situation.
"Oh my. Check out this tall glass of water. What happened, Kuze?"
Masachika's eyes immediately shot toward the sudden yet familiar voice, but he quickly
redirected his gaze up into the sky.
"Hey, Masha. I was just cooling off. That's all."
Maria stood before him in the schoolyard, sporting her gym clothes as well. She wiped
her face with the white towel around her neck and curiously tilted her head at the boy, who
had immediately averted his gaze.
"What's wrong? Is there something in the sky?"
"There are clouds."
"That there are."
"What are you doing?" Alisa barked in frustration, but Masachika still couldn't lower
his head…because the older, mature woman in front of him was…very much matured.
I never realized how much I loved gym clothes until now…
It became evident at that moment why the girls and the boys had separate gym classes.
No healthy young man would be able to concentrate in class otherwise. Masachika considered
this idly and gazed into the vast blue sky.
"You're soaking wet… Do you have a towel?" asked Maria.
"No… I was planning on just letting the sun do its thing…," the brain-dead teenage boy
absentmindedly replied…and because he was so out of it, he was very slow to react.
"Okay, lower your head. ♪"
"Huh? Ah?!"
Before he realized it, Maria was so close that he could almost feel her breath. He
reflexively looked down in surprise at the proximity of her voice, and she immediately threw
a towel over his head, then vigorously rubbed his scalp.
Wh-what's going on?! Nothing like this has ever happened before!
Masachika was utterly confused as he had his hair dried by an older, beautiful maiden.
Never in his wildest dreams had he expected such a thing. Despite his bewilderment, his
instincts were still working as normal. Every time the towel ever so faintly moved, his gaze
would lock right onto Maiden Maria's impressive…maidens.
"All done. ♪"
"Bfft. Th-thanks."
Regardless of whether she noticed, she took the balled-up towel and patted his face dry.
She then nodded as if she was content.
"So? Feel better?"
"Yeah, I guess…I know how dogs feel now."
"Oh my. Are you an Akita?"
"I'm not sure what breed I am… Sorry. It looks like I've been a bad boy."
"…? I think naughty dogs are cute, too."
"Ha-ha-ha…"
Maria's innocent, oblivious response made Masachika feel even guiltier. He felt bad for
wickedly ogling a holy maiden such as Maria and being a creep. Suddenly, someone grabbed
his arm and jerked him away.
"Come on, Kuze. We have to get back. Masha, shouldn't you be heading to class now,
too?" suggested Alisa sharply.
"Whaaat? But I just got here."
"…! Do whatever you want, but we're returning to class."
"Okay. ♪ See you after school! ♪"
"Oh, right. See you later. And thanks for the towel."
Masachika bowed to Maria, who was cheerfully waving him good-bye, as Alisa dragged
him to the gymnasium by the arm.
Sigh… Yep. Here it comes. She's going to call me "gross" and "a creep."
Masachika prepared to suffer Alisa's disdain as he wastugged along. After all, he'd been
looking at Maria's chest like a pervert, so there was no use arguing. Just when they were
about to arrive at the gymnasium, Alisa came to a sudden stop and turned around to face him
as if to confirm his prediction.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Huh?"
"The back of your head where the ball hit you. Are you sure you don't want to ice it?"
"…Ohhh!"
That was when he realized that Alisa thought he had run cold water over his head as
an alternative to icing it.
What the…?! She has no idea what really happened!
While her gaze was somewhat sharp, she was worried about him, so he just felt even
guiltier now. He couldn't look her in the eye.
"Oh, uh… I'm fine now. The ball didn't leave a bump or anything," Masachika assured,
his eyes wandering.
"…Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm positive! Really!" he replied, but when Alisa tried to touch the back of his head
and check, he flinched away with every fiber of his being.
What's going on? Why is she being so nice?! Is she going to be this nice from now on?!
Alisa's perplexingly kind gestures made him think back to her confession (?) to him the
previous day and the kiss (?) on the cheek, but he frantically rid his mind of those images.
No, this is… But… Why don't I just ask her?
He decided to take a risky gamble as he leaned away from the slowly approaching silverhaired girl.
"Hey, Alya? Is it just me, or are you being unusually nice today?"
One of Alisa's eyebrows twitched, and she froze.
Take that! Next, she's going to say, "I'm not. I was just a little worried. That's all," then
she'll turn back to normal! And under no circumstances will she say, "That's because I'm
in **** with you!" …Maybe!
She frowned sourly and looked away.
"I was just a little worried that something was wrong because you seem kind of down
today. That's it," Alisa replied, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger.
"Huh? Oh… Ohhh…"
That was when it finally hit him, and he knew exactly what he had to do now.
"You noticed, huh?"
"Did something happen?"
"Yeah…"
Masachika met her worried gaze with a grave expression on his face, then spoke in a
low tone as if he was about to make an extremely important confession.
"I'm really hungry…so I don't have any energy today."
"…What was that?"
"I'm really hungry…so I don't have any energy today…!"
Thanks to all the water he had gulped down, his stomach chose that exact moment to
growl loudly. Alisa's dumbfounded expression instantly tensed as her brow narrowed.
Everything that had happened between last night and now flashed through her mind, her face
boiling from rage and embarrassment.
"I was wondering why you were paying attention and taking class seriously for a
change… You were too hungry to sleep, huh?" Alisa replied in a deep voice, feeling ashamed
about thinking even for a moment that he'd been doing it for her. Masachika, however, just
tilted his head with an aggravatingly puzzled expression—a really punchable face.
"No, it's just that I got plenty of sleep last night."
"…Hmph. Oh, you did?"
Interesting. He got plenty of sleep last night, huh? And here I was thinking about what
happened last night so much that I could hardly sleep. But look at this carefree guy. He was
snoring like a bear without a care in the world. Interesting… Interesting, indeed…
Alisa turned purple from anger, her entire body trembling.
"Listen, Alya. You know what the Bible says?" Masachika said smugly.
"What does it say? And you better not say, 'Love thy neighbor.'"
"No. It says, 'If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek
also,'" he replied with a brilliant smile before turning his left cheek to her, and Alisa wasted
no time before raising a right hand. "That's the spirit!"
"Thank you, Kuze!"
While thanking him, she mercilessly slapped him across the face, knocking him down.
"Hmph! Just go back to class already!" Alisa huffed as she turned on her heel, leaving
Masachika on the ground.
What a jerk! Unbelievable! There's absolutely no way I'd ever fall in love with a buffoon
like that!
Deciding that she had just been confused the day before, Alisa headed back to the
gymnasium. Masachika watched her go and slowly stood back up.
Finally, she's back to normal. That's the Alya I know.
He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alya? Shall we head to the student council room…together?" Masachika hesitantly
asked after school. Alisa shot him a sharp glare but nodded—she still wasn't over what he
had said during fourth period—so she grabbed her bag without saying a word and briskly
walked out the door. Maybe I went a little too far, he mused and followed close behind her
like a loyal servant. The thought continued to plague him until they approached the open
door to the student council room, and a few male students came out.
"""Thank you very much!!""" the students shouted with somewhat trembling voices
as they bowed toward the room and then hastily walked away. After taking a closer look,
Alisa noticed it was the managers and leaders of the baseball and soccer clubs who had
argued the day before. She immediately stopped, and Masachika stood by her side, but they
soon realized that the male students seemed almost scared for some reason. The boys almost
simultaneously noticed them as well, and after looking momentarily surprised, they rushed
over to the pair. Masachika promptly stood in front of Alisa to protect her, but they never
could have imagined what came next.
"""Please accept our apologies!!"""
They bowed to Alisa at a ninety-degree angle, bending at the waist. The powerful gesture
of the sportsmen was admirable, but their overwhelmingly vigorous display was actually
kind of frightening as well.
"Uh… What's going on?"
Masachika turned to his acquaintance, the captain of the baseball team, who then slowly
lifted his head back up and replied:
"Just… Kujou, I apologize. We got too worked up yesterday and said some terrible
things. We should have cooled off before trying to discuss anything. I'm sorry!"
"We should have given some thought to what you said before arguing with you like that.
I'm really sorry," the captain of the soccer team added before they all lowered their heads in
unison once more. Although awkwardly recoiling in shock, Alisa timidly nodded.
"It's fine. Just please stop bowing."
"""Thank you for your kindness!"""
After properly expressing their gratitude, they finally began to march away like a group
of soldiers.
"What was that all about?" Masachika said in bewilderment as he watched them walk
away.
"Hey, uh… Thank you for trying to protect me like that," Alisa mumbled in a small
voice, even though she was still in a bit of a mood.
"Huh? Oh… Don't worry about it."
Although he shrugged it off like it was nothing, he was actually pretty relieved that she
seemed to be in a better mood.
"<…You were really cool.>"
Masachika was taken by surprise! And it was supereffective! Because he had just let
his guard down!
Uh… Yep. Sh-she's definitely back to normal.
He rushed ahead to the student council room so she couldn't see his face. He imagined
blood trickling out the side of his mouth after an attack like that.
"Hey, uh…? What was all that about?" Masachika called into the room as he opened
the door, when all of a sudden…
"Huh?"
…he saw a stereotypical delinquent with an incredibly menacing aura, and he froze.
She had short black hair and intimidating features that were somehow both masculine and
delicate. She had the statuesque figure and gorgeous face of a model, and yet…she looked
like she belonged in a biker gang. There was no other way to put it. Her glare locked onto
Masachika like a starving beast's would when stalking its prey. Her powerful stance revealed
no openings or weaknesses, and the air around her was dark and eerie. What stood out most
of all, however, was the bamboo sword resting over her shoulder.
She's gonna kill me.
Masachika's instincts instantly chose his best course of action for survival. His tense
cheeks reflexively perked up into a smile, showing that he meant no harm. He even spoke in
a gentle voice as if to avoid provoking her in any way.
"My apologies. I must have the wrong room."
And he gently closed the door.
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