Chapter 49

“Okay, fine. Let’s say I’m generous enough to accept the hypothetical idea that Amamiya-san might suddenly kiss me out of nowhere. Even then, she wouldn’t go beyond that, right? That’d be taking ‘bold’ to a whole new level.”

“Sorry,” Reika replied sweetly, “but I don’t understand hard words like ‘hypothetical.’”

“…What?”

Of course, if there were a least believable person to play dumb like that, it was Reika.

“Tsk tsk. You shouldn’t speak so harshly to your girlfriend. That’s how men end up becoming abusive or controlling, you know?”

“…Yeah. Right. Got it,” Satoru muttered, instantly backing off. The second Reika said the word “abuse,” it carried a weight he couldn’t ignore, and she knew it.

She smiled, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. Maybe it was just teasing… or maybe she was beginning to let go of some old pain. Either way, it felt like progress.

“So then, Reika-san,” he sighed, “if you were to predict Amamiya-san’s next move, what do you think she’d do?”

“Let’s see,” she said calmly. “She’d catch you off guard with a sudden kiss. You’d flinch, step back, and then… be backed into a corner like this.”

“Hey, anyone would be stunned if they got kissed out of the blue, okay? That’s not just me!”

“And then,” Reika went on, ignoring him entirely, “she’d press her body against yours, use the height difference to her advantage, and gaze up at you with those wide, sparkly eyes…”

“…You’re just acting this whole scenario out now, aren’t you?” he mumbled.

And sure enough, Reika did exactly as she described, sliding in close, pressing her body softly to his, and tilting her head to look up at him.

“I don’t really want to say this,” she murmured, “but… Amamiya-san has a much better figure than I do. And she’d use that, of course—to visually and physically overwhelm you.”

“Okay, okay, yeah, yeah. So basically… she’d press up on me and flash some cleavage to mess with my head.”

“Exactly. You really are a perv, so perceptive,” she said with a smirk.

“Why do I get insulted for accurately predicting your theory…? But yeah, I guess if she’s that bold, that’s not off the table.”

Truth be told, Amamiya had already tried that once and he just hadn’t reacted. She must’ve noticed. So Reika’s prediction wasn’t out of the question.

“See? That’s why I think you should experience it with me first. It’ll build up your tolerance. And you’re the type who learns best from experience, aren’t you?”

“Well, I don’t think it counts as experience if it’s with you…”

“Oh?” Her voice dropped a notch. “You’d better be careful with your words. Say the wrong thing and I’ll cry.”

“I just meant… we’ve already done way more than this. So now, this kind of thing feels pretty tame.”

“Hmph. Not the worst comeback, but still cheeky,” she said. “Fine. Then show me. Stay completely still and prove I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

With that, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling them even closer, and locked eyes with him from below.

“…I love you,” she whispered.

No cleavage. No exaggerated moves. Just her eyes, her warmth, and that gentle, upward glance.

It hit. Hard.

Despite himself, despite everything, they were dating and had been for a while now. The way she said “I love you” in that moment totally wrecked him.

And before he could stop himself, he leaned in and kissed her.

“…Totally failed,” Reika said flatly, even as satisfaction bloomed in her voice. “If this is all it takes, how am I supposed to feel secure?”

“Look, I didn’t react to Amamiya-san flashing cleavage the other day. Stayed totally stone-faced. That’s gotta count for something, right?”