A high school life that I thought would be sparkling and bright started to show its ending within just a month.
Normal? Ordinary? Boring?
It didn’t seem to be any of those, yet it felt like all of them.
There were no manga-like meetings, events, or incidents. Even with some shaking things up, I realized I probably wouldn’t drift too far off the rails I had been sliding down.
Before I knew it, the May holiday was over.
We were actually supposed to go on a trip, but it got canceled because of my dad’s work.
It was the absolute worst. I had been looking forward to it the whole time.
While I was spending my days in a bad mood like that, school was already starting tomorrow.
Just thinking about it made me go, “Ugh, what a drag.”
So, this is what they call the May blues.
I’d had moments before where I didn’t want to go to school, to varying degrees, but this was the biggest one yet.
I can actually understand how people who suddenly start saying “Life is an adventure” feel.
To take my mind off things, I decided to hang out with Aoi.
When I texted, “Do you want to go somewhere?” she replied, “Hmm, too lazy,” which made me feel lazy, so I ended up calling her over to my house. We watched a boring teenage romance movie in my room.
At first, Aoi complained, saying things like, “I can’t watch stuff like this~,” but she soon got totally hooked. She actually likes this kind of stuff. The Tsukimori Sumire that Aoi pictures in her head also likes movies like this.
I grinned because my choice hit the target so well.
Teasing Aoi is fun. It cleared my head a little bit.
But when the movie ended, that weird feeling I always get on Sunday evenings suddenly attacked me… kind of like a strange emptiness. Or loneliness. I don’t know what to call it, but something like that just rushed over me.
Oh no, if I stay like this, I might actually go out on an adventure tomorrow.
“You really love this kind of stuff, don’t you~?”
Plus, Aoi had to go and provoke me.
No, no, which one of us was the one staring at it so seriously?
In the movie, the heroine was confessing with an unusually serious face.
So, it suddenly crossed my mind to tease her a little bit.
“I like you, Aoi-chan. That’s why I want to go out with you. Let’s date, okay?”
But I expected her to immediately snap back with, “Huh? Are you stupid?” or “Hey, that’s just the line from the movie you were watching earlier.”
Instead, what came back was, “Whatever… I guess so.”
…Huh? Wait? It’s fine?
And what’s with that reply of “Whatever, I guess so”?
If I had been confessing with all my heart and absolute seriousness, that reply wouldn’t cut it. Sumire-chan would end up crying, you know?
“What does that actually mean, what are we supposed to do?”
Well, I have no idea.
If anything, I’m the one who wants to ask what she means by that.
Still, revealing the joke right away wouldn’t be fun either… Well, normally speaking, after a confession comes a kiss.
They did it in the movie just a minute ago, too.
Kissing her had less resistance than I thought.
After all, it was just a quick, light touch on the tips of our lips. Since Aoi smells good, I often get close to sniff her scent anyway.
More than that, Aoi’s face turned red in a matter of seconds, and that was much more surprising.
Watching her made me feel embarrassed too, and my heart started beating fast.
Uh oh, this might actually be fun.
“Keep it a secret from everyone, okay?”
Keep it a secret from everyone…? Wait, is Aoi actually serious about this?
There was never any sign of that until now, though…
Honestly, when it comes to whether I like Aoi or dislike her, what is it really?
Today she looked a bit sluggish, so does that mean I dislike her? But making chocolates together on Valentine’s Day was fun.
Ah, but the other day when we went to the movies, she told me, “What is that anime T-shirt? Isn’t that embarrassing?” so maybe it’s still complicated.
I mean, Aoi always acts like she’s looking down on people, trying to look cool with her “oh well” attitude, yet she likes me?
Saying it’s fine to date means that, right?
Thinking about it like that, she started looking cuter and cuter. I was really getting into the mood.
Plus, dating in secret felt like a rom-com was starting, and it seemed interesting.
I’m glad.
At this rate, I can go to school tomorrow.
There was a cool sensation against my back through my blouse.
I was cornered against the wall, my hands held tightly as if I were pinned down.
“Hah… Phew… Ha…”
I was just being kissed over and over.
Even though they called it a kiss, it wasn’t that cute little “chu” sound, but a deep, pressing “chuuu” kind of kiss.
Huh? Why…?
I was supposed to just be teasing and playing around with Aoi.
“Phew, ha… phew…”
My right hand, which should have been able to move freely, was frozen in place gripping Aoi’s side.
Whether I tried to push her away or tried to support my own body, I couldn’t tell anymore.
With my vision unfocused, before I knew it, I was staring fixedly at the ceiling slightly above us.
I kept going back and forth across the boundary between the light and shadow coming from outside.
What are you supposed to do in times like this?
What kind of reaction is the right answer?
Close my eyes?
Glare back with a rebellious look?
Or maybe,
–Aoi-chan, you’re good at kissing, aren’t you?
Saying that with a look up from under my lashes and a smile.
Yeah, that’s it. That has to be Tsukimori Sumire’s reaction.
But Sumire just stayed completely passive, letting it happen.
Changing angles, her lips were pressed against mine over and over. My lips were caught between hers. Just the upper lip, just the lower lip.
While being played with however she liked, Sumire vaguely listened to her own ragged breathing.
…Huh? But wait, isn’t Sumire supposed to be me?
Who even am I again?
My head felt fuzzy, and I couldn’t think straight anymore.
It felt like my brain was soaking in warm water.
My heartbeat was so loud, my breathing so tight, I couldn’t even make a proper voice.
Even when I was finally released from the long kiss, my nose kept panting with a soft phew phew sound.
“I’ll go back to the classroom first.”
Aoi slowly lowered my hand that she had been holding.
My arm hung limply down as if its battery had died. My body, losing its support, felt like it was about to collapse from the knees down. Straining my legs, I somehow leaned against the wall.
Aoi’s lingering scent faded away, and I heard the door close.
The inside of the restroom became quiet. The commotion of the lunch break could be heard far away.
I didn’t chase after her. More than that, I thought it would be bad if someone walked in.
With unsteady footsteps, I entered a stall. I closed the door and locked it.
Even after hiding, what I had to do was the same.
Leaning my back against the wall, placing a hand on my chest, I tried to steady my breathing.
My palpitations still hadn’t calmed down.
But this wasn’t that kind of pounding from fear or being scared.
I swallowed hard, gulping down the saliva that had pooled in my mouth.
It wasn’t watery, it was thick. Most of it was my own, but a little bit of what I had received mouth-to-mouth was definitely mixed in there too.
Soft lips. Scent. Breathing.
The moment I became aware of it, my body grew hot again. I felt a sensation slowly, gradually oozing from deep inside my stomach. It was as if what I had swallowed was overflowing right back out.
No way, what is this.
This has turned into an outrageous situation.
…Ah, oh no.
Next period is PE.