Warning: Please Have Some Black Coffee Ready Before Reading

Afterward.

When I came to, everything was over. The only ones left in the bathroom were Mari, looking satisfied with her glowing cheeks, and me, having regained my senses after letting out.

We arrived at class about twenty minutes late (I told the teacher we were delayed because I was taking care of Mari, who wasn’t feeling well. That wasn’t a lie). Even after sitting down, I couldn’t focus on the lesson at all. The only thing occupying my mind, now clear and rational again, was an overwhelming sense of regret, thinking, “I really messed up!”

It felt like I’d really screwed up.

I knew I had a pretty high s*x drive, but I never imagined I’d have the guts to do something like that in a public place like a school.

I mean, I had managed to keep my rationality in check for a while. That is, until Mari started using all sorts of seductive tricks on me. In the first place, I’m not to blame. Mari is entirely to blame for sneaking into the boy’s bathroom and grabbing my d*ck.

On top of that, I had no choice but to take her into a cubicle, and it wasn’t because I wanted to f*ck her that I put it in her. It’s just that Mari had slowly chipped out my reason, long story short, It’s Mari’s fault!

That’s right, I’m not to blame! Sure, I had some responsibility given the circumstances, but there were extenuating factors. It can’t all be my fault!

As I filled my mind with excuses to justify myself, I barely listened to Mr. Ban Ban’s lecture (our Japanese teacher, a 42-year-old single man). Before I knew it, the class was over, and it was lunchtime.

***

“Alright, time for lunch! Sei, let’s go eat—”

“Sei-kun♡, let’s have lunch together.”

Just as the fourth period ended and lunchtime began, Mari rushed over, interrupting DT mid-sentence with her eager invitation. 

“Uh… well, shall we eat together, the three of us?” I suggested, looking back and forth between DT and Mari. Mari had a predatory look in her eyes, and despite having just done it, she seemed ravenous. Why did her gaze make me feel like prey? What exactly was she planning to eat for lunch?

Unaware of my growing sense of danger, DT responded enthusiastically, “Sounds good!”

“I heard from Sei earlier that you two started dating. I haven’t really interacted much with Mari-san before, but over lunch, I’d love to hear how you guys got together!” 

DT said, his tone almost annoyingly cheerful.

Mari’s expression instantly went cold as she looked at DT.

“Oh, no. I want to have lunch with Sei-kun alone. Also, please don’t casually call me by my first name.”

“Don’t be so cold~ Come on, I’m kinda interested in how my friend acts in front of his girlfriend. “

“And what exactly would you do with that information?”

“Uh, well, j-just out of curiosity?”

“So you’re saying you’re very interested in Sei-kun? Could it be that you’re after him…?”

“N-no way! How did you even come to that conclusion!? We’re both guys, and there’s no way I’d be into Sei!”

“No way? Are you implying something negative about Sei-kun?”

“Why does it always end up like this!? I just wanted to celebrate my friend’s relationship—”

“That’s unnecessary. Please leave.” (TL: damn…. even i feel hurt)

Mari responded to DT with a completely emotionless tone and expression.

…For some reason, Mari has always been extremely cold towards other guys. Considering her high looks and skills, plenty of guys better than me must have hit on her before. But she consistently responds with a harsh, cold demeanor.

“Wow, that’s even colder than I expected…”

DT muttered, his expression turning sour from the unexpected chilliness.

“And so—Sei-kun♡ Lunch~ Lunch~ Let’s have lunch and fill up our bellies♡”

Mari, having done a complete 180 from her attitude towards DT, now turned to me with an overly sweet demeanor. The sudden change was almost a performance in itself. Look, DT’s frozen in shock… In his mind, the ‘pure and innocent’ image is probably crumbling to pieces.

“Come on, hurry up~ Let’s go together♡”

Ah, stop clinging to me, stop linking arms, and stop saying suggestive things in that seductive tone. Half the guys left in the classroom are leaning forward.

…But seriously, considering Mari’s job and her public image, is it really okay for her to be all over me like this in public? This won’t turn into a problem later, right? Please tell me it’s going to be fine…

Trying to calm her down, I suggested again, “Look, it would be great if my girlfriend and best friend got along. Just for today, why not have lunch with DT too?”

Mari’s face immediately turned expressionless as she replied bluntly, “Huh? No, thanks.”

“Come on, please!”

“…Are you cheating on me?”

“No!”

“But, you know, there’s a theory that says men know best how to hit a man’s sweet spots…”

“Let’s not turn everything into something dirty!”

“I’m being serious here, Sei-kun!”

“That makes it worse!”

Her words made me instinctively go “ugh” at the thought!

No matter how good-looking DT might be, he’s still a guy. I’d rather not even imagine such things.

“Anyway, just listen to me, Mari. I think this is a good opportunity.”

“A good opportunity?”

“Yeah. You have a bit of a fear of men, right? But you can’t stay like that forever, can you? So, if DT’s my best friend and not a bad guy, he might be the perfect person to help you get used to other guys.”

Even though she’s established herself as a ‘multimedia creator,’ it’s unrealistic to think she can avoid interacting with other men entirely. That’s why I proposed this to her. Mari made a face like she was chewing something bitter and furrowed her brow.

Still, she seemed to seriously consider my suggestion. Reluctantly, she nodded and said, “…Okay.”

“Then, hug me tight?”

“Huh?”

“Hug me tight.”

“But we’re in the middle of the classroom…”

“Hug me tiiiight.”

“Everyone’s looking at us…”

“Hug meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”

“If someone takes a picture and it ends up in a magazine, you might get into trouble—”

“Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuug.”

“Oh, come on!”

Mari clung to my neck as if she couldn’t take it anymore. With no choice but to hold her, I couldn’t hide my exasperation.

In my arms, Mari looked up at me and flashed a grin.

“We hugged, didn’t we?”

“You forced it.”

“But you accepted it.”

“Let me ask you instead, would you have let me avoid it?”

“That would be impossible.”

Of course.

With a sigh, I felt relieved, thinking that thanks to DT, I might be safe from the predator’s clutches for the rest of lunch. 

As a side note, everyone ended up drinking a lot of black coffee after that.