Hey, Best Friend. How About A Kiss Today Too? - Chapter 3: “It's Okay To Do This Every Day, Right?"

“It’s Okay To Do This Every Day, Right?”

I was too troubled about my best friend that my memories became hazy. I remember that the lunch break ended, and the chime for the fifth period rang, but…

“Hey, best friend. Good morning.”

Familiar, long white hair was in front of me.

“…Sagiri?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

The source of my worries, my childhood friend, was staring down at me… down?

“Wait, what’s happening now?”

“This is the classroom, cozy pillow~”

A rhythmically incomprehensible reality was thrust upon me. The ceiling of the classroom that I saw behind Sagiri. A warm and soft sensation against the back of my head.

“Did you sleep well?”

“What!?”

A smiling face.

A smile directed only at me, with no escape, descended from directly above.

“The teacher was surprised too. My diligent best friend was dozing off.”

“Wait, hold on! So, I…”

“You slept like a log from the fifth period until homeroom.”

Embarrassment washed over me.

“Your sleeping face was cute.”

I started to get back up rushing.

“No running away, okay?”

As I tried to get up, her slender hand easily pressed my head down.

The position, the situation, the opponent—no element for victory could be found.

“W-Why!?”

“You’re sleep-deprived, right? Get more sleep.”

“I-I can sleep at home!”

“You couldn’t sleep, and that’s why it turned out like this, right?”

“…………”

“We’re best friends, so don’t hold back.”

Best friends.

The words that were currently causing me the most distress attacked. While I think that being able to interact without reservation is a characteristic of best friends, I’m skeptical about whether that extends to becoming a human pillow.

“When you collapsed, I said I’d help you.”

“…Isn’t that too soon?”

“It’s the fault of my best friend who collapsed too quickly.”

It was an argument that left me speechless.

“Uhm, he-hey.”

“Hmm?”

“A-about yesterday… what, uh, happened…”

Attempting to change the topic, I came up with a more hellish escape route. Why am I asking my childhood friend about yesterday’s kiss while being used as a human pillow?

“…The kiss?”

“Y-yeah…”

Intentional or just her natural self, after a short pause, Sagiri once again touched her lips with her index finger, and I couldn’t help but look.

“Because we’re best friends, right?”

“Huh!?”

It was an indirect kiss. The index finger moved from Sagiri’s lips to mine. I never thought someone’s finger could be so soft…

“If we’re best friends, you shouldn’t mind, right?”

“U-uh…”

A pitiful sound escaped me. The index finger, leaving my lips, returned to Sagiri’s. Back and forth, lips to lips, a short but intense adventure.

Maybe the indirect kiss with yesterday’s grape juice was more intense. But ever since experiencing a real kiss, I couldn’t help but be conscious of Sagiri.

“It was you who said that, Renji.”

“Ngh—”

Before I could open my mouth, my childhood friend was already in action. Her slender, soft hands enveloped me. We drew closer, as if I was being cradled.

“Mm.”

“Mmph!?”

Our lips met. It was a gentle kiss, different from yesterday, one that I was consciously aware of. However, Sagiri was still in control. It was a one-way communication from my childhood friend to me.

“So, it’s okay to do this every day, right?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Breaking the connection of our lips and faces, Sagiri smiled contentedly. Even though it was just lips touching, it was potent enough to blur my thoughts—a dramatic elixir. I couldn’t nod. I could only be conscious of it.

I kissed my best friend for the second time.