“Mitsuya. This was in your blazer pocket, what is this?”

In the student council room after school, what Shino held out to me was Lilia’s erotic instant photo I’d received before.

I had forgotten about it!

Though I had been thinking about how to dispose of this dangerous item, I had felt relieved after putting it in my pocket and ended up leaving it there and forgetting about it completely. While confused about what to tell Shino, I tried to deflect with a makeshift answer.

“You went through my blazer pockets?”

“It fell from your pocket to the floor. I just picked it up.”

“…”

Shino bore no fault, and the result clearly showed my negligence.

“This person is covering their face with their hand, but it’s Lilia, isn’t it? Mitsuya, do you masturbate to things like this? Even though I’m right here, flesh and blood?”

“…I don’t.”

“Then why do you have something like this? Don’t tell me you threatened Lilia…”

“That’s not it! Lilia gave it to me! This is definitely not an ‘officer, this man here’ situation!”

“Well, fine. I’ll believe you. You’re not breaking any laws. You’re only violating me.”

“…”

Saying this, Shino put the photo in her skirt pocket.

“I’m confiscating this. Having something like this won’t lead to anything good. Like cheating on me with a photo and wasting shots.”

“I told you that I really never used it, not even once! I just forgot about it after putting it away!”

“That seems to be true. But… somehow I’m irritated. I’ve been selling photos to Lilia out of gratitude for her joining the student council, but maybe I should stop.”

Shino had a displeased expression on her face and was tapping the floor with her toes in small, rapid movements.

“How should I deal with this irritation, hmm, Mitsuya?”

“I’m sorry. I should have given it back to Lilia.”

“Actually, you’re not really at fault, Mitsuya.”

Shino changed her expression to one of confusion.

“I’m not really your… official girlfriend, so I don’t have the authority to restrain you, at least not right now. You’re my contract partner who helps me relieve stress. It’s just that, somehow, I got irritated.”

“I see… But I do feel sorry about it.”

“Then why don’t we just go ahead and become a real couple…?”

“You and me, as a couple…”

At those words, we both stared at each other.

“…”

“…”

My gaze and thoughts crossed with Shino’s. The first to look away was her.

“Well, whatever. We can think about that gradually. I’ve ended up carrying unnecessary stress though.”

Shino turned her back to me with an awkward expression.

“It’s time to go home, so let’s leave and walk together until the station, just like usual.”

“Got it. It’s getting dark too, so let’s quickly forget about this unpleasant topic.”

Neither of us spoke any more about this matter, and we left the school building as usual, went down the slope, proceeded along the national highway, and parted at Kohoku Central Station.

Our conversation was sporadic. The talk didn’t flow well, and an uncomfortable atmosphere lingered between us on the way home.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

The next day after school, back in the student council room once again, Shino held out several instant photos to me, saying, “Here.”

They were uncensored photos of a naked woman. A high school-aged black-haired girl with particularly large breasts. They were Shino’s… erotic photos.

Shino’s smile seemed to have brightened after a night’s sleep, a stark difference from the day before.

“Since I took away what was yours, I have to give you a replacement. Use these. It’ll give you peace of mind when you get horny at home.”

“…Aren’t these way too dangerous? If I get caught with something like this, what would happen to me?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Think of them as good luck charms and carry them. No masturbating with anything else.”

“No masturbating with anything else…”

“Just kidding. Since I’m not your girlfriend yet, I won’t restrict you that much. You can use erotic manga or videos or whatever, but I’d be happy if you’d use these too.”

Shino changed her smile to a slightly bashful one and continued.

“And one more thing. Give me your erotic photos too, Mitsuya. Dangerous pictures showing your fully erect cock and your face.”

“You really…”

“I’d feel bad putting only you in danger, so I’ll share the same fate. If we get caught, we’ll be arrested together.”

“Heh… Haha!”

“Hehehe!”

We both burst out laughing. After laughing together while holding our stomachs, I received Shino’s erotic photos, and the next day, I gave her mine.

What? Did I use them?

I did sometimes. I casually asked Shino what she did with my own erotic photos, but she mischievously deflected it with an “I won’t tell you ♡” and that was the end of it.