The place Sumire brought me to was the restroom in the annex, just like yesterday.
It’s so empty it feels like nobody else uses it except for us.
Sumire walked all the way to the back of the restroom like she owned the place, then turned around to face me.
With her face pushed right up close, I planted my feet and resisted the urge to back away. I spoke while looking away.
“Come on, you’re gonna do it, right? If you’re gonna do it, hurry up.”
Sumire didn’t say anything and just observed my expression.
I mean, her face is close. Sumire’s scent drifts over, enough to wash out the smell of the restroom.
She still smells nice. I’ll admit that much.
I wonder if she uses some expensive shampoo. Isn’t that kind of unfair?
Sumire’s hand touched my shoulder.
It was just barely touching, really, but my body reflexively tensed up with a start. The lips close to me relaxed into a grin.
“Nfh, you jumped. Is Aoi nervous?”
I am.
If I know I’m going to get kissed, of course I am.
Plus, being in this place makes me remember yesterday whether I like it or not. I mean, what is she stalling for this whole time?
“Just hurry up and do it.”
“Mmm.”
Sumire let out a small purr instead of replying.
Her face comes closer.
Ah, it’s coming.
Thinking that, I closed my eyes.
Once my vision went dark, the pounding of my heart sounded extra noisy. Maybe this moment is the most nerve-wracking of all.
The sensation bumping against my lips.
Tap, tap-tap, tap.
Around the third time, I opened my eyes.
Sumire’s index finger was poking my lips.
“…What? Was that it?”
“Aoi, your expression just now was good.”
“G-Good, my foot! What are you messing around for!”
“Why are you mad? It wouldn’t be fun if it ended right away.”
“No way, Sumire’s turn is over now! Since you kissed with your finger.”
「”Whoa, kissing with a finger, that’s so lewd.”」
“W-Wha? How is that lewd!”
“I haven’t done it yet, you knowー?”
Sumire kept repeating the motion of bringing her face close and pulling back, close and pulling back.
It feels like she saw right through my thought that the moment right before a kiss is the most nerve-wracking, and is teasing me.
“If you’re going to mess around like that, then this rule is off. Over. Done.”
“Eh? You’re breaking the rule already? Then does that mean Aoi’s loss?”
“What’s that? Why is this turning into a winning-and-losing thing?”
“Because that’s how it is. Losing heroine Aoi-chan, go buy yakisoba bread for me starting tomorrow.”
「”That’s a different meaning, you know.”」
Even though she never usually eats stuff like that.
Still, the phrase “Aoi’s loss” really bothers me. If I run away here, she might tease me about it for the rest of my life.
I puffed out my chest and put both hands on my hips.
“Fine then, come on.”
“Nobody kisses with that kind of fighting stance.”
“You’re the one who egged me on.”
I brushed away Sumire’s hand as she tried to poke me in the ribs.
Sumire took a step back and looked around the inside of the restroom again.
“I mean, why is it always a restroom kiss every time?”
She complains even though she’s the one who brought me here.
“It’s like restroom kisses don’t quite get you hyped up enough… hey, let’s look for somewhere else. Like a secret spot just for the two of us.”
“No, there’s no place like that.”
“We’ll go find it. Come on, let’s go?”
Sumire took my arm and smiled.
This time it’s an honest smile. She looks genuinely excited. She has a strange charm that almost makes me smile along with her.
So, it’s hard to just push her away and say no.
This isn’t just me; I’m sure it’s like that for everyone.
Led by Sumire, I wandered around the school building during lunch break.
Even though I say wandered, Sumire seemed to have a destination in mind.
We walked straight down the stairs to the first floor.
We entered the covered walkway leading outside. Beyond this connects to the gymnasium.
Instead of heading toward the entrance, Sumire dashed off the walkway midway.
A narrow path sandwiched between the school fence and the gymnasium wall.
She smoothly made her way deep inside it.
“…Oh no, oh no!”
At the corner behind the gymnasium, Sumire suddenly turned back.
She whispered secretly to me.
“They’re there, they’re here!”
“Huh?”
Sumire pointed at the corner with a little gesture.
As told, I slowly poked my head out from the corner.
A bit in the distance, I could see a pair of students in uniform, a boy and a girl.
The boy was standing against the wall, and the girl was sitting on a low concrete step. They seemed to be chatting away.
“Honestly, flaunting their lovey-dovey stuff right out in the open…”
Sumire muttered behind me.
We aren’t being flaunted at all. If anything, we’re the ones peeking.
“Enjoying youth in a place like this… what should we do? Should we go say ‘Excuse us, we want to kiss here so please move’?”
“No, stop?”
The other side looks like upperclassmen. Well, not that it matters.
Sumire pressed herself against the wall like a stealth game and secretly spied on them.
“Man, suddenly my heart is racing too. Hey, I wonder how far they’re gonna go.”
「”They’re just talking, aren’t they? Why is Sumire getting so hyped?”」
“You never know. They might start doing it all of a sudden…”
She slowly started trying to go peek again. What’s with that expectant look in her eyes?
I grabbed Sumire’s upper arm and pulled her back.
“Come on, we’re going.”
「”Aah~, and I had my eyes on this spot too~~.”」
“Give it up.”
I pulled Sumire’s hand and headed back the way we came.