I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 30: In Bed.

In Bed.

With light, rhythmic steps, she walked down the hallway. In contrast, my steps weren’t exactly heavy… but I couldn’t help feeling tense.

The reason? Because I was about to sleep with her.

…Not in that way, of course. We were just going to sleep, literally.

—No, wait. A high school boy and girl sharing a bed isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence, is it?

“Hey, Shigure-kun.”

“Y-Yeah?”

Hearing Tsubame call my name, I instinctively panicked. But she continued, unfazed.

“You’re not feeling too awake, are you? Our sleep schedules are pretty different, after all.”

“Hmm? No, I should be fine. I woke up early today, so while I’m not super sleepy yet, I think I’ll doze off once I lie down. …And for the record, I woke up naturally this morning.”

It was just before ten o’clock. Probably an early bedtime for a high schooler. At least for me, since I usually slept around midnight.

That said, I had woken up before five today. I wasn’t too tired, but I’d have no trouble falling asleep. Besides, tomorrow was another early start.

I had also brought a change of clothes from home. The manager had given me permission to accompany Tsubame tomorrow. I wouldn’t be entering the studio, but I still needed to dress somewhat appropriately. The manager even suggested that I meet them once beforehand.

Our departure wasn’t as early as today, but we’d be leaving around eight. I wanted to be up by seven at the latest, so this timing worked well.

“Got it. …But let’s chat a little in bed first, okay?”

“O-Oh. Yeah, I guess it’s not like we’ll fall asleep instantly.”

As we talked, we soon arrived at her room. …Even now, I couldn’t shake off the nervousness.

But for Tsubame, this was her own room, a familiar space. Without hesitation, she opened the door and stepped inside.

“Oh, by the way, this room… or rather, this whole apartment has pretty good soundproofing.”

“H-Huh? Where’d that come from?”

“You don’t have to worry about my mom overhearing us. She might catch bits of our conversation if we’re right by the door, but between rooms, you’d have to be practically yelling for anything to be heard.”

“…I see.”

That would explain why she heard the sound of the cup shattering earlier. That was pretty loud, after all.

Still… my mind was beginning to wander in the wrong direction.

“Sorry, I need a moment.”

“Huh? Sure.”

I let go of Tsubame’s hand and closed my eyes, pressing my fingers into my cheeks.

I had been overanalyzing her words too much. Calm down, me.

Taking a deep breath, I gave my cheek a light slap.

“Alright, I’m good—whoa!?”

The moment I opened my eyes, I found myself face-to-face with a beautiful girl, and I instinctively recoiled.

“You okay, Shigure-kun?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.”

She leaned in, peering at me with concern. …Getting a sudden close-up view of a gorgeous girl was seriously bad for my heart.

“Really? Don’t push yourself, okay?”

“I’m good. Yeah… I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

I gave her a firm nod. I had been startled, but I was okay. Probably.

Satisfied, Tsubame moved towards the bed. She climbed onto it first, sitting down near the headboard.

“Come here.”

“…Alright.”

Her bed was fairly large. Apparently, she had chosen a bigger one because she liked rolling around. I also vaguely recalled that her sleeping posture wasn’t exactly the best. That might have played a part in her choice too.

I sat down on the edge of the bed. Tsubame adjusted the blanket so I wouldn’t sit on it and pulled it over her head as she sat there. …That was incredibly—no, ridiculously—cute.

“A little closer.”

“…Here?”

“Yeah, just about.”

At her request, I moved slightly from the edge towards the center.

For a brief moment, I thought I saw the corners of her lips curl into a small smile.

I wasn’t entirely sure, so I tried to take a better look—

And in the next instant, I felt a sudden impact.

—I had been pushed down by Tsubame.

“Got you.”

Her silky hair brushed against my cheek. I froze on the spot.

The cold blankets gradually warmed with our combined body heat. At the same time, a memory surfaced.

Come to think of it… Tsubame used to love doing this—pulling the covers over us and trapping me inside.

“It’s nostalgic, isn’t it, Shigure-kun?”

She murmured softly. So I was right.

“I used to love doing this,” she said.

“…Yeah. I remember.”

“Did you like it when I did this to you?”

Her hand reached out, gently cupping my cheek. Just like I had done earlier, she softly pinched and kneaded it.

I parted my lips, but no words came out. I cleared my throat and tried again.

“…Yeah, I did.”

It was barely more than a whisper, squeezed out from my lungs. But at this distance, she wouldn’t have missed it.

And sure enough—Tsubame’s lips curved just a little.

I found myself staring at her.

“We’re the same, then.”

She was straddling me, closing the distance just like she had back then.

I had anticipated it. Yet, I didn’t run.

—Because I had already accepted all of her.

And I had no intention of escaping.

“You’re even closer than yesterday.”

“…W-Well, yeah.”

“I can sense your scent more strongly than yesterday, Shigure-kun.”

Tsubame brought her face close to my neck… and pressed her nose against my skin.

“T-Tsubame. This is a little embarrassing.”

“Then you can smell me too, Shigure-kun. If we both do it, it won’t be embarrassing.”

“…That’s not really the issue here. But… I guess this much is fine.”

She was closer than yesterday. Even more pressed against me than when we hugged—probably because of gravity. Not that she felt heavy at all, but… I couldn’t help but be aware of certain feminine aspects.

More importantly, the position we were in was a serious problem. If this were just a hug, I could adjust to avoid contact, but like this… there was nowhere to escape.

“Tsubame, um… this position is…”

“Do you not like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… well…”

I averted my gaze, struggling to find the right words. But there was no way out of this situation except through a temporary excuse.

Maybe… it was time to be honest.

“If I keep this up… I won’t be able to hold myself back.”

A brief silence followed.

But this was an issue that we would have to face eventually. There was no running away from it.

I opened my mouth, searching for something to say, but before I could find the words, Tsubame spoke first.

“I’m glad.”

“…What?”

For a moment, I doubted my own ears. When I turned back to her, my gaze met her dark eyes.

“You know, I sometimes hear things when I’m walking around. I guess you could call it… harassment?”

“What do you mean?”

“Things like, ‘I can’t believe that’s a woman’s body,’ or ‘She has an amazing figure, but she’s not exciting at all.’ And even, ‘She’s got big breasts, but she’s too perfect—it’s almost off-putting.’”

Her words struck me.

Now that I thought about it, I had seen similar comments on social media.

“I hear ‘a living work of art’ quite often too. That’s why I was a little worried that you might see me the same way, Shigure-kun.”

“…”

I closed my eyes, carefully choosing my next words.

“You don’t actually want to be seen that way, do you?”

“If it’s coming from just anyone, then no. That’s why I turn down modeling jobs that require a lot of skin exposure.”

She confirmed it once more.

The world is full of different people, so I couldn’t assume her feelings without asking.

That being said… being called a ‘living work of art’ wasn’t necessarily a compliment. And on top of that, being told she wasn’t seen as a woman—it wasn’t just once or twice.

It was only natural that she might fear even those close to her felt the same way.

I tried to put myself in her shoes. If Tsubame told me, “You don’t have a masculine body at all,”… Yeah, that would hit hard.

And to make matters worse, Tsubame had an incredible figure. Being told she lacked feminine appeal made no sense. Even I didn’t understand it. To me, she was incredibly attractive.

“…Some things just have to be said outright, don’t they?”

I muttered under my breath.

Saying this out loud made me feel awkward, but… I had already gone this far. I might as well finish it.

“I think you’re incredibly attractive as a woman, Tsubame. You always make my heart race… especially when you’re this close.”

“I see. That makes me happy.”

“H-Hearing you say that makes this… even more difficult for me, though.”

Flustered, I barely managed to respond.

Tsubame let out a small breath.

“Hey, Shigure-kun.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t have to hold back.”

Her hand reached out, gently stroking my cheek. I found myself holding my breath.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? You don’t have to restrain yourself.”

“Wha—”

“I’m not holding back either. So you don’t have to, Shigure-kun.”

Her slender, pale fingers traced along my cheek.

She didn’t avert her gaze for even a second, looking straight at me.

“As long as you’re happy, Shigure-kun… then I’m happy too.”

“…”

The reason I hesitated for a moment was—because, naturally, my emotions were in turmoil. To not waver after hearing something like that from the person you love… that would take the kind of restraint only an ascetic might possess.

But still.

“No, I can’t.”

“…Why not?”

“…Just to be clear, it’s not that I dislike it. I don’t hate being physically close to you, Tsubame… In fact, I like it.”

I carefully put my thoughts into words, making sure not to say anything misleading.

“But—this is something I can’t allow.”

“Why?”

“…This is just my personal perspective, but…”

With that preface, I continued.

“Crossing that line would be a mistake. It’s completely different from the kind of affection shared within a family, or even from the innocent closeness we used to have when we were younger.”

“…You have a point.”

“Yeah. And besides, that kind of intimacy is meant for people who are in a romantic relationship.”

Tsubame and I… we weren’t a couple. No, even if someone asked me to define our relationship in a single word, I wouldn’t be able to.

“If we were to cross that line, things would inevitably become messy. If this is okay, then that would be too, and before we know it, we’d justify anything. And when that happens… I think we’d regret it.”

“I see.”

I’m a man, after all. If I allow too much, I might lose my self-control entirely.

And if that happened, I knew I’d regret it in the future—not just me, but Tsubame too.

There’s… another reason as well. One I won’t tell her.

I did everything I could to help Tsubame regain her sense of taste and see her smile again. Of course, a big part of that was my own self-satisfaction. I never did it expecting anything in return.

But—I couldn’t shake the thought that, from Tsubame’s perspective, she might feel indebted to me. And in this moment… I felt as if I were taking advantage of that.

“Then—”

“…?”

“—No, never mind. Not right now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I understand what you’re trying to say, Shigure-kun.”

Tsubame nodded slightly and leaned in. As I supported her, she settled beside me, just like last night.

“In that case, we should set some boundaries, shouldn’t we?”

“Well, as long as it’s something you genuinely want to do, I think it should be fine.”

“Then if I say I want to take a bath together, would you?”

“T-That’s…”

“I’m joking.”

Her unexpected remark made my voice waver, and she let out a quiet chuckle.

…Now that I think about it, she’s always enjoyed teasing me like this.

“So, being this close—like earlier—isn’t allowed, right?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s completely forbidden, but… I am a guy, you know. CertainCh 3- things might, well… make contact.”

“…We learned about that in health class.”

“Exactly.”

I figured she’d be fine, but I was relieved to see that she had been paying attention in class.

“Understood. I’ll try not to think about it. But I’ll also do my best to make sure you don’t have to suppress yourself too much.”

“…I appreciate that.”

The first part of her statement was a little concerning, but if she was making an effort, I had no complaints.

“Can I hug you?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I nodded and opened my arms, and Tsubame immediately threw herself into them.

“I’m glad. I always liked it when you hugged me, Shigure-kun.”

“Me too. …But Tsubame, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

I was happy that she still wanted to be close even after everything we talked about. That aside…

“Doesn’t it… make you uncomfortable? I mean, I said some pretty bold things earlier. About how you’re attractive, how being close to you makes my heart race…”

“I already told you—I’m happy. I’ve never once thought you were disgusting, Shigure-kun, and I never will.”

Her voice was direct, unwavering. It was almost overwhelming.

“I like it when you compliment me. So, keep doing it, okay?”

“…Alright.”

Then, she fell silent—but she didn’t look away. She was waiting for me to say something.

“You’re beauti… no, um. You’re cute.”

I had originally intended to say “beautiful,” but at the last moment, I changed my wording.

It seemed like that was the right choice.

“…Heh.”

A soft breath escaped her lips, and the corners of her mouth lifted more clearly than before.

“I’m happy.”

With her cheeks faintly flushed, she buried her face against my chest.

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Yeah. You have to wake up early, after all. Goodnight, Tsubame.”

“Goodnight, Shigure-kun. See you tomorrow.”

She shifted slightly, moving her head onto the pillow. Before long, I heard the sound of her breathing as she drifted into sleep.

…Even after our conversation, she was completely defenseless.

It wasn’t just a matter of trust—no, even if something were to happen, she probably wouldn’t get angry.

I had to make sure I upheld the words I had spoken.

But—what I didn’t yet realize was just how difficult that resolve would be to maintain.

Nor did I have any idea that, because of our conversation, a part of Tsubame that had remained dormant until now was finally beginning to awaken.