My Sex Friend Is My Childhood Friend? - 15-16

Chapter 15: Dating Is Hard

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I left the house with Mahiru and headed to work.

“Haa…”

As soon as I sat at my desk, I let out a sigh. I overdid it this morning, and now I was exhausted.

I get why athletes abstain before a competition. It really saps your energy.

Noticing my state, Scum Senpai spoke up.

“Hey, what’s with you? Coming straight from a hotel again?”

“No, from home.”

Senpai grinned and slapped my shoulder, leaning in.

“You brought her to your place? For someone who said they wanted a convenient, no-strings-attached thing when I introduced you to that app…”

What’s with this guy? How does he know I brought her home? Is it some kind of sixth sense for bedroom matters? Creepy…

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, you say she’s just a sex friend, but you’re treating her like she’s someone super important to you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you said it yourself, didn’t you? Forgot already? You said you wouldn’t bring a girl home until you found someone you really cared about.”

Come to think of it, I did say something like that. Half of it was just bravado, though. Mahiru was trustworthy, but it wasn’t like she was special or anything. 

Ah. There was something I wanted to ask senpai.

“Senpai, my sex friend invited me to ◯◯ Land. What do you think that means?”

Senpai leaned forward, put a hand on my shoulder, and furrowed his brow.

“…Are you paying for the tickets?”

I wasn’t sure. Since Mahiru was the one who invited me, I highly doubt she would expect me to cover the cost of the ticket. As expected from the (self-proclaimed) love guru. His perspective’s totally different from mine.

“I don’t know, but I’d guess we’d split it.”

Senpai scoffed. 

“You’re an idiot, aren’t you? You know how much those park tickets cost, right? You think a university student can just fork that over?”

He’s right. The ticket is pricey, even for a working adult like me.

Senpai continued, a bit smugly.

“And think about it. Would you go to a big event like that with just a sex friend? Even splitting the cost is already a big deal, and if she’s offering to pay, she’s totally into you. You two should just date already.”

I highly doubt Mahiru would pay for my cost of the ticket, that being said, splitting the bill didn’t sound so bad either. 

The next Saturday arrived. Today was the day we were going to the theme park. I picked Mahiru up in front of her place, got on the highway, and headed to the park. Mahiru had brought drinks and snacks, and we ate in the car, chatting about which attractions to hit while driving, enjoying the road trip vibe.

Looking at Mahiru, I noticed she’d put extra effort into her makeup today. She looked even cuter than usual. No, more mature—beautiful, even. Her outfit was practical but not thrown together. You could tell she didn’t have a ton of money to spend, but she’d clearly put time into picking it out, excited for today.

Even though she was just a sex friend, I still considered myself lucky to be able to spend a day off with a girl like her. We arrived earlier than planned, so I parked the car and waited for the park to open.

Oh, I need to talk about the ticket cost.

“As for the tickets… Do you want to split them?”

Mahiru rummaged through her bag and pulled out a paper envelope. Inside were two park tickets. Not just any tickets—special birthday ones. They had exclusive artwork and were rare, only available through a lottery after lining up in advance. I saw it on TV recently. Apparently, they could be resold for several times their value.

Why does she have these?

An uneasy feeling stirred in my chest, and Mahiru’s voice faded like distant cheers. My joy turned into suspicion. What was the deal with those special tickets? No way she’d use them casually. Maybe they were leftovers from a past boyfriend? She probably joined the app because of a breakup, and these tickets were left over from her past relationship, so she invited me to not waste them.

The realization hit me, and a surprising wave of jealousy swelled up. I didn’t know how to handle my feelings and felt an urge to prove, by force, that Mahiru was mine. I roughly reclined the passenger seat where Mahiru was sitting.

Startled, she looked at me. Ignoring her, I kissed her lips, slid my hand under her skirt, pulled down her leggings, and slipped my fingers inside her underwear. Luckily, the surrounding cars were empty, and the front faced a wall.

The chances of being seen were low. I unzipped my pants, grabbed Mahiru’s arm, and pulled her onto me. Maybe because our bodies were so used to each other, I slipped inside her effortlessly.

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Chapter 16: Mahiru’s Plans

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“Ngh, ngh… Ahn…”

Mahiru let out a hoarse voice. Rocking back and forth on top of me, she curled her body like a cat and pressed her lips to mine. Holding my hand as if intertwining our fingers, she narrowed her eyes and gazed at me tenderly.

“…What’s wrong? You look so anxious.”

Unable to suppress my jealousy, I confessed my feelings honestly.

“It’s just… Those tickets aren’t something you just get. I got jealous thinking maybe you were supposed to go with an ex-boyfriend or something… Even though we’re just sex friends and I know I don’t have the right to feel this way.”

Mahiru brushed her bangs back with her right hand. Her large eyes locked onto mine, and she kissed me gently, repeatedly, as if touching something precious.

“…Ngh.”

Her lips parted, leaving the lingering sensation of her tongue. Her breath brushed against my face. The minty scent, so clean and refreshing, pulled me out of the intoxicating haze I was sinking into.

“Dummy… I told you I only do this with you, didn’t I? It’s true. But I’m happy you’re jealous. I’ll make your anxious feelings go away.”

With that, Mahiru began moving gently. Back and forth. As if confirming our connection, our sweaty skin rubbed together. We both moved our bodies roughly and soon, I reached my limit. Mahiru, still in that position, exhaled as if savoring the moment, sank her hips down, and hugged my face tightly. Then she let out a soft murmur.

“Cute…”

Hearing that word, I remembered. Back in middle school, Maya had said the same thing about my chubby figure, with the same tone, the same expression. Could it be that her words back then carried the same feelings as now?

Noticing I had calmed down, Mahiru continued in a sweet voice.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, but I’ll tell you. Happy birthday, Nagi-kun. I got those tickets for you.”

“What?”

“You forgot your own birthday? Today is your birthday.”

Right. I had completely forgotten about it. She invited me here for my birthday. And those tickets—she must have gone through a lot to get them. Yet I got caught up in petty jealousy.

I’m sorry.

Seeing my reaction, Mahiru wrapped her arms around my head again, hugging me tightly. She brought her lips near my bangs and whispered.

“You’re such a crybaby, Nagi-kun.”

“I’m not crying.”

Mahiru patted my head.

“Uh-huh, sure. By the way, your birthday celebration ended up like this. I had planned something a bit more romantic…”

Is today Mahiru’s day to play the big sister?

I leaned into her affection.

“Hey, Mahiru. Let’s do it one more time.”

“Okay. Love me lots.”

Mahiru started moving back and forth again. As I watched her, I recalled what my senpai at work had said.

“Nagi, those tickets… Even splitting the cost is already a big deal, and if she’s offering to pay, she’s totally into you. You two should just date already.”

Senpai. I’ve done so many awful things to her, and I’m still dragging around that old trauma. I’ll probably never keep up with her dazzling future. Plus, our no-love rule means if one of us catches feelings, it’s over.

…That’s why I can’t find the courage to take that step.

Suddenly, Mahiru shouted.

“Onii-chan!! The park is already open!!”

She fixed her shirt and scrambled out of the car.

“Wait a second!”

I slipped on my sneakers, crushing the heels, and let Mahiru pull me by the hand as we ran toward the entrance.

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