Chapter 197 - Unaccounted Feelings
(1)
August.
I don't know if there's any charm to a wind chime ringing in the breeze from the air conditioner, but anyway, I woke up to the sound of the wind chime.
Airi is still asleep. It seems like Airi is the one who's more tired this year. Trying to balance exams and housework would wear anyone out.
I want to let her sleep as long as possible, but unfortunately, Airi's arms are clinging to me, and I can't do anything.
If I try to move even a little, Airi will notice.
It's a shame, but I'll have to wake her up and have her untangle me.
"Airi, it's morning."
When I gently whisper in Airi's ear, her body twitches and she wakes up.
"Huh? Toya-kun? What time is it?"
When I look at the clock, it's still just before 5.
"Isn't it a little early~?"
"Yeah, I just woke up. You can keep sleeping, Airi."
As I say that and try to get out of bed, she grabs my body.
"I'm going to do a little exam studying."
"Does waking up early mean you have some leeway?"
Yeah, I guess so. I wonder why she suddenly said that.
"Then that means we have time for some fun, right!"
"Airi!?"
Airi sits up and whispers in my ear.
"There's something I've wanted to try once. Is that okay?"
"Sure."
I wonder what I'm going to be made to do?
I was lying down on Airi's lap.
Airi carefully puts the ear pick into my ear.
"It's pretty nerve-wracking."
Airi, who seems to be cleaning someone else's ears for the first time, cleans my ears carefully.
I was nervous. I've had Airi give me a lap pillow a few times, but having someone else clean my ears is a first for me.
"You can't move, okay~"
Airi says that, but with the faint scent of a woman, Airi's body heat, and the situation of having my ears played with by Airi, it's hard to stay still. I feel like flipping over right now and hugging Airi.
When Airi blows breath into my ear, a shiver runs down my spine.
"Next is the other side~"
There was no need to go out of my way to flip over. What spreads out before my eyes is Airi's lower abdomen. Airi is concentrating on the ear cleaning without a care, but I'm in no state for that.
If I shift my gaze just a little, Airi's crotch is nearby. The scent of a woman is clearer than before. If I look up, I can see a bit of Airi's lower chest. It's a sight I rarely get to see.
Makoto said, "Lower chest is more precious than upper chest!" I feel like I understand the reason for that now. Airi's something, peeking through the gaps in her pajama buttons. Well, I can't actually see it. Airi is the type to wear a bra even while sleeping.
The rumbling sound I was wondering where it was coming from earlier is now coming from Airi's lower abdomen.
"Airi, are you hungry?"
"Huh?"
"No, your stomach is growling..."
Thump
"You idiot, Toya-kun. Do you say that to your wife? Normally?"
"Isn't being able to say what you think what being a husband and wife is about?"
"There is courtesy even among intimates!"
"...Sorry."
But I thought the same thing in middle school. Could Airi have a bad stomach or something?
"Ugh... it's hard to see..."
When I shift my gaze, Airi's face, which was hidden by her chest until a moment ago, is now right in front of me.
As I thought, Airi without makeup is also beautiful.
This isn't the time to be saying that. The true nature of Airi's stomach sounds. Will she get mad if I ask? I'm pretty sure the uterus is in the lower abdomen, right? Could it be she's pregnant!?
There's no way, we've been using protection. But I've heard it's not 100%. Airi's mom said Airi isn't pregnant... but it's not like we've been doing it that often since then.
"...It's the sound of intestines, you know."
"Huh?"
"They say you can hear the sound of the intestines and internal organs moving."
"I see."
It's not like I have an internal organ fetish or anything that perverted, but when I'm reminded again that Airi, a living being, is active, I get excited. When I think that the woman named Airi is here right now, I get excited. Maybe I do have an internal organ fetish after all...
I was lost in such fantasies, but when Airi blows breath into my ear, I'm pulled back to the real world.
"There, all done♪"
"How was it?"
"Yeah, it felt like we were really lovey-dovey, it wasn't bad."
Well, in a way, it was a lovey-dovey space.
"Next is your turn, Toya-kun."
"Huh?"
"Do it for me too♪"
I put Airi's head on my lap and look into her ear. It's not that dirty, is it?
For now, I'll take out the earwax carefully so I don't hurt the inside of her ear.
"It feels kind of nice... ah!"
A breath leaks from Airi's mouth.
"What's wrong? Did it hurt?"
"N-no, nothing."
I try my best not to look at anything other than Airi's ear. If our eyes meet, she gets embarrassed, if I look at her lips, I get mesmerized, and below that, I can see Airi's upper chest through the gap in her pajama buttons...
Airi herself has become an object of temptation.
When I finish cleaning her ear, I blow on it. Airi lets out a sound.
"...Next is the other side."
Airi's attitude had clearly changed. The innocent smiling face was gone, replaced by a woman's unique shyness? Embarrassment? Or did I arouse her?
The problem was next. When she turns her body over, in front of Airi's eyes is my something. It is currently at its peak. I'm a young man, it can't be helped, right? There's no way I wouldn't react after being tempted so much by Airi.
Airi sees it and her face turns red. Then she furrows her brow and glares at my face. Ah, looks like I'm going to get hit again.
But Airi doesn't say anything and turns her ear towards me.
It's extremely awkward. I never imagined a situation where I'd be cleaning someone's ears while my own peak was being stared at.
In those kinds of videos, this would lead to... well, maybe. I was kind of hoping for it, but it didn't happen.
I concentrate on Airi's ear without thinking about unnecessary things. This is the time for it to activate, right? That so-called Zone.
"Toya-kun is surprisingly perverted, you know."
Airi breaks the silence.
"Do you remember back in our first year of middle school? When I said you could see my underwear through my uniform, and I took off my uniform and was in a tank top."
"I remember."
I was pretty shocked back then.
"Your eyes changed when you looked at me from back then. But back then, your appetite took priority, and you didn't notice my feelings."
"Sorry."
"I felt your perverted gaze back then too, but the target of that gaze was always me. It was like you had no interest in anyone else at all."
"Well, with my dream girlfriend right in front of me, there's no way I'd look at anyone else."
I've always been crazy about Airi.
"It's not like I hate that side of you, Toya-kun? If anything, I think it makes me happy."
After that, I silently continued cleaning her ear, and finally blew on it.
Airi lets out a sound. Her body trembles.
"I'm done."
I signal the end to Airi, but Airi is staring intently at my hardened something. Airi's face has a sensual, lustful expression as she stares at it.
Soon, she starts poking my something, grips it with her right hand. And then, just as she's about to pull down my pants.
Beep beep beep...
When the alarm goes off, Airi snaps back to reality. She looks at me with an embarrassed face and sticks out her tongue.
"I'm sorry, it looks like we ran out of time."
"Let's continue tonight, okay♪" Airi said as she left the room.
That was really close.
I was staring at my lower half.
(2)
"I'm sorry, you're in the middle of final exams, right?"
"It's fine. It's not like panicking now would change anything. If I have to repeat a year or drop out, please hire me here."
"You'll have to tell the president that."
"...Are you okay? Is it not affecting your exams?"
Harada-san's expression is stern.
"I'm really fine."
I replied to Harada-san while neatly folding the A1 paper.
I had taken this week and next week off from my part-time job, but they asked me to help out because they absolutely didn't have enough hands.
There were some documents that absolutely had to be submitted by the end of this week, and I joined in to create them.
When it comes to public works projects, submissions inevitably concentrate around this time.
I agreed on the condition that it would only be at night.
It seems Chief Tomosaka, Kondo-san, and Shiina-san have been sleeping at the office for the past few days.
It looks like that will be mostly wrapped up today as well.
"We were saved thanks to you, Manabe-kun."
Harada-san thanked me.
"Don't worry about it. Even if I'm a part-timer, I'm still an employee."
"I'm thinking of having a little celebration party this weekend or so. How about it, Manabe-kun?"
Chief Tomosaka invites me to the party.
But I have plans for the weekend.
"Sorry, I have plans for the weekend."
"The president is coming too, you know."
She's a mischievous person.
"I'm really sorry, I have a promise with a friend."
"I see... what a shame. Well, I'll look forward to the next time."
Harada-san said regretfully. Was that regret just for show? Or was it my imagination?
"President, we're almost done here. Please go home first today."
Shiina-san said that.
"But I'm in charge of this work..."
"I'll get it to the point where you just need to check it tomorrow, so it's fine. I'll check for any omissions."
When Chief Tomosaka said that, she said, "Alright... well, good work today," and left the office.
After Shiina-san and Chief Tomosaka saw her off, they turned to me.
"Well then, shall we hear it?"
Chief Tomosaka said with a grin.
"Hear what?"
"The real reason you turned down the celebration party even though the president was coming..."
"So I have a gathering with my group of friends..."
"Is there a girl you're interested in among them?"
"It's not like I'm particularly interested."
"So you're not saying there isn't one."
The two of them grinned.
"What, what! Is this an interesting story!?"
Even Kondo-san joined in.
"It's nothing like that. More importantly, let's hurry up and finish the work."
"It's nothing like that, but what is it?"
"They're just seniors and friends. Please stop with the weird suspicions."
"Where are you going?"
"A fireworks display?"
"Fireworks? You went last week too, didn't you. Is your group into festivals?"
"Something like that? Also, we get together sometimes?"
"A mixer-type circle?"
Well, it might be close to that.
"Something like that."
"No way, introduce me too!"
Kondo-senpai asks me. You're interested in Chief Tomosaka, aren't you?
"You'd better not. Everyone already has partners."
"What the hell, you should've said that first."
"So, does that mean Manabe-kun has a partner too?"
Shiina-san cut in.
"I don't."
I said it firmly.
"Don't you feel out of place? In a situation like that."
"They're all good people, so it doesn't bother me at all."
"I see~"
"That's enough, right? Let's just finish this quickly."
I went back to work.
I missed the three of them whispering to each other.
(3)
When I arrived in front of the apartment where she lives, she, Saki-san, was waiting in a yukata.
When Saki-san sat in the passenger seat, I started the car.
After parking the car in a city parking lot, we strolled around the city.
The meeting point was the municipal athletics stadium.
We were scheduled to meet a little after 7 PM.
We arrived in the city a little after 4 PM.
We went to the arcade and took purikura. We ate dinner, looked at the tanzaku strips.
When I looked at the clock, it was past 6:30 PM.
We'd better get moving soon or we won't make it.
I took Saki-san's hand and started moving.
I walked in time with her stride.
Saki-san didn't seem used to the yukata either. We walked at a somewhat slow pace and arrived at the meeting place 30 minutes late.
"You're late, Takemoto!"
We got scolded by Otonashi-san and Mika-san.
"It's my fault~. It seems my attempt to please him by wearing a yukata backfired~"
When Saki-san apologized, I stopped her.
"I was happy to see you in a yukata, Saki-san. It's my miscalculation, so don't worry about it."
"I'm happy. So this is how happy it makes you to be appreciated by someone you love."
That smile wasn't fake, was it.
"Well, if that's the case, it can't be helped."
"You lucky bastard," Otonashi-san said, nudging me.
The members here are Katagiri-kun, Tosaka-san, Otonashi-san, Tada-kun, the Watanabes. Manabe-kun, Umi-chan, Niina-san, and... who's that? There are about three people I don't know.
"Nice to meet you, we're Manabe-kun's colleagues."
A slightly older woman introduced herself.
Tomosaka-san, Kondo-san, and Shiina-san. Shiina-san is a bit of a handsome guy.
"But all the women here are beautiful~. Now I understand why Manabe-kun doesn't have a girlfriend. They don't give him the time of day."
Tomosaka-san said.
"W-what are you saying, Chief!"
Manabe-kun flustered.
"What's this? Manabe, do you want a girlfriend?"
When Watanabe-kun said that, Niina-san tried to say something, but Manabe-kun spoke first.
"I have someone I like right now."
"Ah, right, that's true."
Watanabe-kun probably didn't mean any harm. But Niina-san seemed hurt.
She bit her lip tightly.
Shiina-san was staring intently at that Niina-san.
Niina-san, noticing his gaze, spoke to Shiina-san.
"Shiina-san, you're cool. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Ehh, no way~. Or do you have someone you like?"
"No."
"Ehh, is that so. Then maybe I'll make you my candidate~"
Then Shiina-san grabbed Niina-san's hand.
"Well then, wanna come?"
"Huh?"
Shiina-san led Niina-san away into the darkness.
"Please wait, Shiina-san!"
Tomosaka-san and Kondo-kun stopped Manabe-kun as he tried to call them back.
"You don't understand a woman's heart at all~. Unlike you, Shiina-kun understands, so leave it to him."
Tomosaka-san said.
"If you run after two hares, you will catch neither, Manabe."
Kondo-san said with a laugh.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden event.
Fireworks were being launched vainly into the sky.
(4)
"Well then, wanna come?"
"Huh?"
I was led by Shiina-san and put into a car.
"Do you have feelings for him?"
Shiina-san said that.
"You wanted to catch his attention, right? Are you satisfied?"
I had a bad feeling.
"Um, I'm going back."
As I said that and tried to get out of the car, his left hand grabbed my arm.
"We're moving. Buckle your seatbelt."
"Where are we going?"
"Secret."
Saying that, he started the car.
The car entered the expressway and exited at Beppu.
Then it went deep into the mountains.
"Um, where are we heading?"
My voice was trembling.
Shiina-san remained silent.
My phone kept ringing.
When I looked at my phone, it was from Manabe-kun.
"You can answer it if you want."
I answered the phone.
"Where are you now?"
"I don't know, we're going through the mountains."
"What are you thinking? You shouldn't follow a man you don't know!"
"...It's none of your business."
"Huh?"
"It's none of your business, Manabe-kun!"
Saying that, I hung up.
"Was that okay?"
"It's fine."
Next, Shiina-san's phone rang.
He answered the phone on speaker.
"What are you thinking!? Come back right now!"
"I'll get her home safely."
"What do you mean by taking her out?"
"I don't intend to eat her alive."
Saying that, Shiina-san hung up the phone.
Shiina-san turned off his phone. Then he urged me, and I also turned off my phone.
The car left the road and drove onto a gravel path, arriving at an open space.
"We're here. Let's get out."
When I got out of the car as told, a beautiful night view spread out before me.
I've never seen such a beautiful night view.
I was mesmerized.
"Did you want to see it with Manabe?"
Shiina-san called out to me.
"...No, it's not like that."
"When my heart is restless, I come here. Alone."
Huh?
"When I look at this night view, my worries start to seem silly. They become trivial."
"...That's certainly true."
Saying that, we watched the night view together for a while.
Before midnight, I was taken home.
I stared at Shiina-san, who was being scolded harshly by my father.
He bowed deeply, got into his car, and drove away.
On the way home, I exchanged contact information with him.
And a while after I got home, a message arrived.
"Whenever things get tough, feel free to call me."
That kindness sinks into my heart.
Like a dried sponge absorbing love.
(5)
Airi and I were looking at our phones.
The TV was on.
But we weren't in a state to watch TV.
Everyone called out to Niina-san.
Around the time the message arrived relative to the flight, a message arrived.
"I'm safe. I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you."
Airi and I breathed a sigh of relief.
We were worried something might have happened.
We could track her using GPS.
I told Toya-kun we should go after her.
But Toya-kun smiled.
"It's probably fine," he said.
But since there was no reply at all, it seemed he was getting anxious too.
"That's strange," he said.
Why did he think it was fine?
"Toya-kun, why didn't you chase after her back then?"
Toya-kun answered.
"Because his heart isn't that kind of jaded person."
At least, he's not the kind of person who would do something so foolish.
"Toya-kun, you really understand people's hearts, don't you."
"There are things I don't understand too."
"Like what?"
"I don't understand Airi's heart sometimes?"
Thump
"Not understanding the feelings of the person you love is a problem, isn't it?"
"Maybe I'm afraid to look."
"Why?"
"What if she hates me? I think."
Thump thump
"There you go being mean again, Toya-kun. There's no way I would ever hate you!"
"I'm human too, I have things I'm afraid of. I'm terribly afraid of you hating me, Airi. ...But."
"But?"
"Even if it means being hated, there are things I feel I have to protect."
Thump thump thump
I hugged Toya-kun.
I pressed my chest against Toya-kun's chest.
"Now you understand, right? Feel my feelings with your heart."
Inevitably, Toya-kun's eyes met mine.
He looked at me without blinking.
It was a little embarrassing, but I appealed with my eyes.
No matter what happens, I love you.
"Airi."
"What?"
"Is today a special day?"
Huh?
"No, it's just rare to see you in black underwear..."
He's really so mean. Then I'll be mean too.
I pulled away from Toya-kun, turned off the TV. I dimmed the lights and got into bed.
"Airi?"
I didn't answer.
If you're going to read my heart, now's the time, right?
I strongly prayed.
Toya-kun got into bed and called my name.
When I turned around, Toya-kun's lips were waiting.
I closed my eyes and accepted it.
It was a sweet, sweet summer night.