When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle. - Chapter 35: Maybe ―3

Maybe ―3

As Shuuji and Chika occasionally glanced back to check on us, Ayame and I continued our climb up the mountain path.

About ten minutes had passed since our restart. We’d likely covered three-fourths of the total distance by now. The goal was definitely getting closer.

But I couldn’t just celebrate. My sanity was being chipped away, bit by bit, like some kind of insidious slip damage.

The reason? Ayame’s pale skin had turned a delicate shade of pink from exertion, glistening with sweat she had worked up. And on top of that—

“Haa… nn… fu… haa…”

Her labored breaths, sounding strained yet strangely sensual, reached my ears.

It was unbearably captivating. To put it crudely, it was downright erotic. Standing next to her, I felt like I was in some sort of torturous purgatory.

As I sensed unclean thoughts bubbling up inside me, I shook my head vigorously to clear them.

No, no, no! Ayame is doing her best here! What the hell am I thinking? Get a grip on yourself!

Caught in the push and pull between reason and desire, I scolded myself internally.

“Phew, it’s hot.”

While I was busy battling my inner demons, Ayame unzipped her jacket.

Glancing over at her—my breath caught in my throat.

Because there it was: her pastel pink bra showing faintly through her sweat-dampened gym shirt.

My heart revved up like a motorcycle engine, and my face burned so hot it felt like I might boil over. If this were a manga, steam would definitely be erupting from my head.

I quickly averted my gaze.

“M-maybe you shouldn’t unzip it that much…”

“Huh? Why not?”

“W-well, um…”

When Ayame innocently questioned me, I found myself at a loss for words.

There was no way I could muster the courage to say, “Because your underwear is showing.” No chance. And I couldn’t come up with a convincing lie to persuade her otherwise.

After racking my brain fruitlessly, I had no choice but to give up.

“…Sorry, forget I said anything weird.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she replied, tilting her head curiously at my awkward behavior.

Having failed to get her to zip her jacket back up, all I could do now was avoid looking at her chest.

Don’t look! Keep your eyes forward! Focus on the path ahead!

I mentally commanded myself and glared at the mountain slope.

But alas, a man’s nature is a cruel master. My gaze was inevitably drawn back toward Ayame’s chest.

Realizing what I was doing, I hastily looked away, overwhelmed by guilt and self-reproach. Yet, spurred on by base instincts, my eyes betrayed me again. And so the cycle repeated.

This blissful yet torturous ordeal dragged on for another fifteen minutes.