Chapter 10

“Nn… I should probably get up soon…”  

Despite everything, they had ended up falling asleep, simply holding each other.  

Satoru slowly opened his heavy eyelids and checked his phone for the time.  

Looks like they had been asleep for about thirty minutes.  

“…she’s really out cold, huh?”  

Reika was still sleeping soundly, her soft breaths steady and calm.  

By now, they had grown so comfortable with each other that even dozing off together like this felt completely natural.  

“Well, considering our relationship, this much is normal, I guess.”  

Muttering to himself, he tried to sit up—only to realize that Reika had wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in her sleep.  

If he wanted to get up, he’d have to use a fair amount of force to pry her off, but…  

“…Even her sleeping face is beautiful.”  

Her features were already well-defined, but even in sleep, she didn’t make any kind of silly or sloppy expression.  

The way she lay there, peacefully dozing, was just another one of the many ways she captivated him.  

“…Guess I’ll wait a little longer.”  

Seeing her like this, he couldn’t bring himself to wake her just yet.  

“But… a little bit of teasing should be fine, right? I am letting her stay like this, after all…”  

Muttering as if to justify himself, Satoru reached out and lightly poked her cheek with his finger.  

Her skin was unbelievably smooth and soft, almost like it was made from something entirely different from his own.  

She had touched his cheek before, but now that he thought about it, he couldn’t recall a time when he had done the same to her.  

“…Nn…”  

Perhaps feeling the poke, Reika let out a small, muffled sound and slowly cracked her eyes open.  

“…You did something, didn’t you?”

“Nah, not at all.”  

“Fufu, you’re a terrible liar. But you know, teasing a sleeping girl like that just proves how much you’re drawn to her, doesn’t it?”  

“Ugh… Running your mouth off first thing after waking up…”  

“Oh my, I was merely making a logical deduction. But judging by your reaction, it seems I hit the mark, didn’t I?”  

What was supposed to be a little payback for all her teasing had completely backfired on him.  

“Don’t pout like that. It’s oddly childish, you know? I wonder if that ties into your natural instinct to be pampered?”  

“Are you trying to make me sulk even more…..?!”  

“Fufu.”  

Reika let out a small chuckle at his reaction and tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer.  

Now, they were practically nose-to-nose.  

“…I love you very much.”   

[TL: just a note she says ‘aishiteru’ not ‘suki’, which is rare and heavier.]

Her voice, whispering those words so sincerely into his ear, sent a shiver down his spine.  

“…That’s… way too heavy.”  

He said it because it was the truth—because that weight was something he could actually feel.  

But at the same time, within that weight was warmth, gentleness, and a deep affection that made it impossible for a guy to resist.  

It squeezed at his chest, but the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.  

And because of that, all he could manage was a weak protest.  

“But doesn’t that just mean our bond is unshakable? We’re nothing like those fleeting high school couples, after all.”  

“Well… maybe not, but… If you really love me, could you stop messing with me and driving me into corners?!”  

Whether she truly understood that or not, Reika simply smiled, completely composed.  

And once again, all Satoru could do was throw out a half-hearted complaint in response.

“That’s impossible.”  

Reika smirked, her tone playful.  

“You know how elementary school boys tend to bully the girls they like? It’s the same thing. When you love someone, you want to see all their different reactions.”  

“…Why are you only pure-hearted about things like this?”  

“Oh my, I’m always pure-hearted. Especially when it comes to my feelings for you.”  

“Yeah, well, that kind of teasing is only acceptable when you’re an ignorant little kid. When a high school girl who knows exactly what she’s doing does it, it’s downright dangerous.”  

“Fufu. But that ‘danger’ leads to some pretty good moments for you, doesn’t it?”  

“…Damn it. I should be denying that, but I really, really can’t…”  

At the end of the day, he had no choice but to admit that he couldn’t fight against his own desires.  

Honestly, if there was a high school guy out there who could completely suppress these feelings, they might as well call themselves an entirely different species.  

“I’m still sleepy. Let’s stay like this a little longer.”  

“Well, it is an awkward time to wake up. But if you sleep any more, you won’t be able to fall asleep tonight.”  

“That won’t be a problem. I can sleep whenever I decide to.”  

“Well, I can’t, so could you let me go?”  

“Nope. You’re the perfect hugging pillow right now. Just accept your fate, alright?”  

“I swear you said ‘just for a little bit’ earlier…”  

Naturally, his words held no sway. Reika simply tightened her embrace, closed her eyes, and drifted off once again.  

***

The Next Day.

As always, Satoru arrived at school and began his day.  

But something felt off. He couldn’t settle down.  

And of course, the reason was clear—  

The hickey he had left on Reika. Would it get noticed? Would it stay hidden?  

She’s not the type to go around showing it off on purpose… which means as long as no one brings it up, there’s a chance this all blows over, right?  

No matter how much he mulled over it, the outcome was completely out of his control.  

But not worrying about it wasn’t an option either.  

Because of that, his eyes kept darting over to Reika far more often than usual.  

Their seating arrangement meant they wouldn’t make eye contact, but the fact that he was this hyper-aware of her already felt like part of her plan.  

And there it was—  

A clearly visible red mark on her neck.  

Even from a distance, it stood out way too much.  

Having never given a hickey before, Satoru had no idea how much force to use… but it was clear that he had gone way overboard.  

“….. it’s clearly visible from here? That’s really bad…”  

The more he stared, the redder it seemed to become.  

But despite his rising panic, surprisingly, no one pointed it out throughout the entire morning.  

Maybe people just don’t bring up stuff about other people’s bodies that easily…? Especially when it comes to girls.  

Even if some of the guys had noticed, it wasn’t exactly something they could casually ask about.  

After all, pointing out a mark on a girl’s neck could make it seem like they were staring at her body. 

Starting that kind of conversation was just dangerous.  

I… I might actually get away with this…!

Just as that hopeful thought crossed his mind—  

“Huh? Reika, your neck is really red. Did you get bitten by a bug or something?”

One of Reika’s friends spoke up during lunch.  

The moment Satoru heard those words, his body jerked as if struck by lightning.  

He had been sitting with Seiya, eating in the classroom, but the sudden shock almost made him choke.  

“Ara, this?” Reika responded casually, touching her neck. “Someone naughty did it to me.”  

“…Wha-what do you mean?”  

“Fufu.”

“…Y-You’re joking, right?! D-Don’t tell me…!”  

Satoru had known this was a risk the moment he left that mark on her.  

But still, he had hoped. He had clung to the sliver of possibility that no one would say anything.  

And yet, just as expected, this blew up into exactly the kind of chaos he was afraid of.  

And there was one thing he desperately wanted to clarify—  

He didn’t put that mark there on his own.  

He had been forced into it.  

…Of course, there was no way he could explain that in this situation.