The sky was filled with the orange hues of the setting sun.
In the blink of an eye, it was time to leave school, and the three of them headed out onto the town street.
"So, can we play until around five?"
"Sure, let's have fun for this short time."
It was already close to four o'clock, so their time was quite limited. However, for Kondo Yuuichi, just being with Amamiya Iori made him incredibly happy.
Even though Shimizu Ken knew Amamiya Iori was lying and that there was nothing special going on, he felt a bit sorry for Kondo Yuuichi. Still, he also thought it was reasonable for Amamiya Iori to have some personal time.
"Then let's go right away, Yuuichi."
"Yeah."
Even so, with only an hour, there was only so much they could do. In the end, the three of them simply walked and chatted. And, Kondo Yuuichi seemed very happy.
"Ah, they're selling ice cream."
As they passed by, Amamiya Iori spotted an ice cream cart. Shimizu Ken followed the two of them over.
Each of them bought a different flavor of ice cream and sat on a nearby bench, leisurely enjoying the rest of their time.
Shimizu Ken bought the chocolate flavor, Kondo Yuuichi chose the milk flavor, and Amamiya Iori got the vanilla mango flavor.
"Oh!"
Amamiya Iori suddenly looked at Kondo Yuuichi, noticing the ice cream under his nose. "...Pfft!" Shimizu Ken, following her gaze, couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
Yuuichi, completely bewildered, had no idea what was happening.
There was mango ice cream smeared under his nose, making it look like he had grown a yellow mustache.
"Yuuichi, don't move," Amamiya Iori said.
"Huh? Okay."
Amamiya Iori took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped under Yuuichi's nose.
"All done."
"Th-thanks..." Kondo Yuuichi lowered his head shyly, realizing from Amamiya Iori's actions that he had gotten ice cream on his face. He thanked her.
Not only that, but he felt embarrassed by how close Amamiya Iori's face had been.
For him, this level of stimulation seemed to be too intense.
"I... I'm going to go look at other things!"
Kondo Yuuichi couldn't help but get up and walk away.
Amamiya Iori watched his retreating figure, then slowly turned to Shimizu Ken, a deep smile spreading across her face, as if she had been waiting for the moment Kondo Yuuichi left.
"Shimizu-kun... oh my!"
"What is it?"
Amamiya Iori gave Shimizu Ken the same look she had given Kondo Yuuichi earlier.
Could it be that I also have ice cream on my nose?
Shimizu Ken thought this and was about to reach up and wipe it, but Amamiya Iori stopped him.
"Please wait a moment."
"Uh, okay..."
Amamiya Iori slowly leaned closer to Shimizu Ken's face and, with a quick lick, tasted his cheek.
"You had ice cream on you, Shimizu-kun."
Amamiya Iori wasn't lying, but Shimizu Ken never expected her to do that after normally wiping ice cream off Kondo Yuuichi.
Facing Amamiya Iori's smile, Shimizu Ken turned his face away, his expression unnatural. The moist sensation of Amamiya Iori's tongue was still clearly on his cheek.
Good thing he didn't see that...
Shimizu Ken glanced at Kondo Yuuichi, who was still completely absorbed in choosing his next ice cream.
If he had seen that moment, what would he have said?
Even though he wanted to create a HE for Kondo Yuuichi, a strange sense of superiority inexplicably arose in his heart.
Shimizu Ken felt like a detestable person because of it.
"Amamiya, can you please not do that suddenly again?"
"Hmm... so it's okay if it's not sudden?"
"No, I didn't mean—"
Amamiya Iori leaned close to Shimizu Ken again, her expression playful yet intense.
Shimizu Ken stared at her face, at her lips, unable to look away as if he were about to be drawn in.
If they continued to stare at each other like this, he didn't know what would happen.
To distract himself, Shimizu Ken casually said, "Eating ice cream in this weather, be careful you don't freeze your front teeth off."
"That won't happen, they're not dentures."
Amamiya Iori deliberately tapped her two front teeth with her index finger. The clear sound confirmed they were indeed real. A bit of white milk ice cream was on her pink lips...
Just as Shimizu Ken was thinking this, Kondo Yuuichi finally returned.
"Sorry, I bought one more."
"...I see. If you eat too much, you'll get fat," Amamiya Iori said, her voice completely devoid of inflection.
Shimizu Ken was extremely grateful for his timely return. To calm himself down, he walked towards the nearby restroom.
From yesterday to today, too many things had happened involving Amamiya Iori.
Shaking himself, Shimizu Ken was forced to go to the adjacent washing area to clean his shoes. As he gazed into the mirror, he saw a woman next to him.
Strangely, the figure was wearing a black cloak with a hood, obscuring their face. Shimizu Ken blinked, and the figure vanished, leaving him questioning his sanity.
Is this a female pervert?!
However, it was clearly just Shimizu Ken's eyes playing tricks on him.
The next second, the woman's figure vanished, leaving only a dejected Shimizu Ken in the mirror.
He pinched his own cheek, felt the pain, and muttered to himself, "What am I even hoping for?"
When he returned to where the other two were, the situation seemed to be in some trouble.
Notes:
• Amamiya Iori - JK heroine; targeted; her mother is the hostage. Long-haired and busty.
• Kondo Yuuichi - Original main protagonist; timid; Iori’s childhood friend; freezes despite push.