I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 65: In Bed with Sakakibara Tsubame.

In Bed with Sakakibara Tsubame.

I somehow—somehow managed to survive taking a bath with her. We were so close in the bathtub… and it was tough making sure her towel didn’t slip into the water.

After finishing our bath, we headed to Tsubame’s room. There was still some time before bed, but since we had brushed our teeth and done all the preparations for sleeping, I thought we could just relax together for a while.

In her room, the two of us read various books.

“This photo here… I used it as a reference earlier.”

“O-oh, really…”

By “books,” it was mostly magazines and photobooks. Right now, she was flipping through a gravure idol photobook she owned. The photo she pointed to showed a woman in a swimsuit, sitting with her knees pulled up, looking at the camera with an upward gaze.

“There’s a lot to learn from these. I never really paid attention before, but I’ve come to understand that certain poses are considered sexy. Like showing the armpits or the stomach—apparently there are quite a lot of people who like that.”

“I see. Well, yeah, I guess there are people who are into that.”

Feeling awkward, I tried to avert my eyes, but just then, Tsubame’s gaze locked onto mine.

“By the way, do you like it, Shigure-kun?”

“……”

I had been about to brush it off with a vague answer about everyone having their own preferences, but she hit me with the question I had felt coming for a while. For a moment, I considered pretending I hadn’t heard it, but with her looking straight at me, there was no escape. I had no choice but to answer honestly.

“…I suppose seeing something usually hidden suddenly revealed can make my heart race.”

“Like your reaction to my back during the bath?”

“………………Yes.”

She saw right through me. When I gave a small nod, Tsubame smiled with clear satisfaction.

“I see. Then, I’m glad I kept my towel on. There are still plenty of parts of me that Shigure-kun hasn’t seen yet.”

I couldn’t escape that smile. I felt my cheeks burning hotter and hotter, unable to even look away.

—Her back in the bath was burned into my mind.

Her nape, usually hidden by her hair, looked so pale and delicate. Her body was slender yet carried supple strength. And… the sight of her back, along with the slight swell peeking out to the side, made my heart pound violently.

“But you know… rather than showing it all the time, isn’t it better to reveal it only occasionally?”

“…I guess people might say that.”

“That’s good to know. Still, if you ever want to see something, just tell me, okay? We’re lovers now.”

“If I don’t like it, I’ll tell you then.”

“That’s fine. It might be a bit embarrassing, but if it’s for you, Shigure-kun, I don’t mind at all.”

Her words left my throat tight, making it hard to speak. I cleared my throat awkwardly.

…She really wasn’t hiding it anymore. Her feelings for me.

Trying to calm my racing heart, I placed a hand on my chest as she kept flipping through the photobook. Many of the photos emphasized the models’ large chests with poses highlighting them.

“Don’t you read these kinds of magazines, Shigure-kun?”

“Me? No, I don’t. I only buy the magazines that you appear in.”

“Really? I always heard boys like these.”

“I’m sure there are plenty who do, but it’s not something they talk about. Even if they buy them, they probably use e-books so no one finds out. …And besides, these photobooks are expensive. If I’m keeping up with all the magazines you appear in, I can’t afford to buy anything else.”

“That’s true.”

Apparently, because of Tsubame, sales of fashion and gravure magazines had been rising recently… but even so, it was hard for a middle schooler to buy many of them. In reality, even buying only her magazines strained my allowance… but when I consulted my parents, they helped me out, saying I had never really asked for anything before. I was grateful.

“Since I have so many, do you want to read some? There aren’t any with age restrictions, but some are still pretty risqué.”

“No, it’s fine. I mean… you’re here.”

“I see. Fufu.”

As I struggled to form words, Tsubame simply deepened her smile… though her ears had turned red too. Knowing I wasn’t the only one embarrassed brought me some relief, and I watched her continue flipping pages.

Finally, seeming satisfied, Tsubame closed the photobook.

“All done. I was going to find out what kind of poses you liked, but I’ve decided to confirm it myself.”

“…Please go easy on me.”

“I’ll try.”

She returned the photobook to the shelf and, instead of just sitting on her bed, she lay down under her blanket.

“Come here, Shigure-kun.”

She lifted the edge of her blanket slightly and beckoned me in with a small wave. It was a bit early for sleep, but since we weren’t going to fall asleep right away anyway—

With that thought, I climbed into her futon. As I slid in, a sweet scent enveloped me, almost as if Tsubame herself was wrapping around my entire body.

But— it wasn’t just an illusion.

“Got you, Shigure-kun.”

She pressed herself against me, grabbing both edges of the blanket to hug me tight, and even wrapped her legs around mine. Her face came close until our foreheads and noses lightly touched.

“Tsubame?”

“What is it?”

“Um… what’s this about?”

“I just wanted to cuddle with you.”

Then— her soft lips pressed against mine. A small, sweet kiss echoed with a faint chu.

My brain tingled with a pleasant numbness, freezing for a moment.

“I wanted to kiss you, so I kissed you. I wanted to hold you, so I’m holding you. There’s no particular reason.”

“I see…”

“Yeah. So you can do what you want too. Anything you do makes me happy, Shigure-kun.”

Her eyes sparkled like the night sky, drawing me in deeper the longer I gazed. Without thinking, I brought my face closer again. Another tingling kiss sent sweet electric shocks through my mind.

“Kissing you makes me feel all fluffy inside. My head fills up with thoughts of you, Shigure-kun.”

“Me too. It’s the same for me.”

My mind was full of Tsubame. My heart beat wildly, forcing my breath to quicken. I had to consciously control my breathing to keep calm.

She shifted her face to rub her cheek against mine, then moved to my ear and kissed it lightly. Her hand reached for mine, intertwining our fingers tightly.

“Don’t you wonder what would happen if we went further?”

Her whisper sent a shiver down my spine.

I heard the sound of myself swallowing painfully clearly, and before I knew it, I was aware of the significant softness pressing against me from above.

“I’m curious. I’m already so happy, but I wonder if going further would make me even happier… if it would make you happier too.”

Her words, heavy with warm breath, skipped my eardrums and caressed my brain directly, sending chills of happiness down my body.

“Shigure-kun, I know you’re gentle with me… but don’t you want to touch me? All over… like my breasts, or… even further?”

A strange sound escaped my throat. Even trying to clear it didn’t help; I could barely breathe.

I felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen, but the soft sensation pressing down on me was vivid and real.

“Don’t you want to do all the things that only lovers can do? Tomorrow’s a day off anyway.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. This was something… we needed to talk about properly.

Things like this could even cause breakups if not handled right. I had been asked for advice on similar situations before, about boyfriends hinting at things their girlfriends weren’t comfortable with.

It’s an issue that can even affect marriages later.

Once I regained enough composure to speak, I began.

“…Honestly, I’m barely holding onto my reason right now.”

“…Want to just let it go?”

“That would be easy, but…”

It would be easier, and with Tsubame, I knew neither of us would end up hurt… probably.

But still, I couldn’t let go of my reason without thinking it through.

“I just… feel like it would be wasteful to do everything all at once.”

“What do you mean?”

She asked softly, yet her voice held a firm will. I opened my eyes, organizing my words carefully.

“I’m really happy to be your boyfriend, Tsubame.”

“I’m really happy too.”

Her straightforward reply made me smile. My happiness doubled, softening my heart even more.

“But this happiness… I can only feel it now. I mean, I would’ve been happy even if we started dating earlier, of course.”

“Yeah. If you’d confessed to me on the day we reunited, I would have said yes.”

“…That makes me incredibly happy to hear. But if we had started dating back then… I think I would’ve carried a lingering unease in my heart.”

“Because of Kizuki-san?”

I nodded at her words. Back then, I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it. I already couldn’t face Tsubame, and telling her about that incident would’ve meant confessing just how much I loved her.

“I always intended to tell you. Whether before or after we started dating… I was definitely going to. …It just ended up happening before.”

“And now, there’s nothing left weighing on your heart.”

“Yeah… though I’m not sure if I can say there’s nothing. I still think about it.”

“But at least there are no secrets between us anymore.”

I nodded again. …It felt strange to have such a serious conversation while wrapped up in a futon like this. But with just the two of us here, there was no need to worry about appearances.

“It’s because we’ve slowly gotten closer that I could talk to you about it.”

“I think I get what you’re trying to say.”

She nodded, her hand squeezing mine tighter in a cute, comforting way.

“We’ve only been lovers for less than a day… not even half a day. Considering how much time we’ve spent together until now, it might not be too fast, but… I just want to take things slowly. It’s our first time, and it’s important to me.”

“That’s so like you, Shigure-kun.”

To be honest, I was completely elated about becoming her boyfriend. …So elated that I could clearly recognize it myself.

Would I really not regret giving in to this mood? My inner voice asked quietly.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

“And also—”

“You’re still thinking about Kizuki-san, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah. You knew?”

“I thought you might be.”

In a corner of my heart, her presence still lingered.

It wasn’t about still loving her. If she had forgotten about me entirely and was living happily, that would have been fine with me.

“Se-chan told me once.”

“That she wanted to meet whoever became my girlfriend, right?”

“That’s it.”

I didn’t know what I was to Kizuki-san now. Tsubame once said that if she were in Kizuki-san’s place, she’d be curious about the person her beloved loved.

I wanted her to have forgotten me entirely. That was my true wish.

But I understood that was difficult. Forgetting me would also mean forgetting that entire incident.

“Telling you about it has made me feel lighter… but it doesn’t mean it’s over.”

“That’s true… if you suddenly thought of another girl in the middle of it, I’d probably get really jealous.”

“I was going to comment on your phrasing… but you’re right.”

She closed her eyes for a moment in thought, then nodded.

“Okay. I was curious about it too. Let’s wait until that’s resolved.”

“…Thank you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. Thank you for telling me. Besides… I’ve come to accept it. A delicious meal is best savored slowly rather than gobbled up all at once, after all.”

Her words made me smile. That analogy wouldn’t have come out if her sense of taste hadn’t returned. She enjoyed dinner so much today… it really made me happy too.

“I think we can still grow even closer, Shigure-kun. There are still so many things you don’t know about me.”

“And I think there’s still a lot you don’t know about me too.”

“Yeah. There are also so many parts of me you haven’t touched yet.”

She giggled softly, hugging me tighter.

“I understand what you’re saying, and I agree. But that aside… I’m still going to do all the things I couldn’t do before we became lovers.”

“Of course. I don’t want you to hold back, and I’ll try not to hold back either.”

I didn’t want her to hold back, and I wouldn’t either. Well, I still planned to keep that final line… but basically—

Hang in there, my self-control.

“You said it, Shigure-kun.”

Hearing my words, her smile changed. There was a hint of mischief in it—mixed with something else.

“I don’t intend to let you hold back, either.”

She pressed her lips against mine again, then rolled away to the side.

“First… a hug.”

“…? Didn’t we just do that?”

“This is a different kind of hug.”

She poked her chest lightly with her finger.

“You know, like that expression… ‘Come, dive into my chest.’”

Faced with her sudden challenge, my mind froze once again.