Chapter 34 - Year End, Year Beginning
(1)Since Christmas, the intimacy between Airi and me had increased.
Or rather, Airi had started acting spoiled without holding back.
Even with Kanna around, Airi would seek physical contact.
Was she trying to show off?
But I couldn't blatantly be considerate of Kanna either.
Because I didn't want to fight with Airi again.
The only option was to respond curtly.
Apparently she took issue with that, and it soured Airi's mood.
"Am I in the way? Am I a burden to you, Toya-kun?"
She'd ask me that occasionally.
"Of course not."
I'd reply gently, but...
...Sometimes I'd think, Was she always this kind of character?
The incident happened on December 29th.
"Good morning~"
"Good morning... wait, what's with that luggage?"
Airi showed up with a sports bag stuffed full of belongings.
"Oh my, Airi-chan, good morning. I'll be in your care from today."
"Thank you for having me, Maya-san~"
Mom was saying something.
Huh?
"Huh? You haven't heard, Toya-kun~?"
Airi asked me, looking dumbfounded.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot to tell you."
Mom said it as if she'd just remembered.
And then she dropped a shocking statement.
"Airi-chan will be staying with us for a week starting today."
Huh?
"Wha... hold on..."
I panicked.
To which Mom said,
"What are you getting flustered about? You slept together on Christmas, didn't you?"
Stop using such misleading phrasing.
"So that's how it is. Nice to be with you, Toya-kun."
Saying that, Airi walked briskly toward my room.
"Where's she going to sleep?"
I asked Mom.
"Can't she just sleep with you? What are you so worked up about?"
"I'm a guy, you know. Don't you think about accidents happening?"
"I heard from Rie-san. Nothing happened, right?"
Was Airi's mom loose-lipped, or was Airi herself...?
"She probably thought you'd be fine, Toya."
Honestly, it felt like she almost wanted something to happen.
"Well, enjoy your week."
Both Airi's mom and my mom were out of their minds.
When I returned to my room, Airi had already finished preparing her study materials.
"We've got to finish our homework quickly and study for the tests."
I asked Airi.
"...What the hell is going on?"
"What happened?"
"Didn't I tell you? Rie-chan and Dad won't be home during the New Year's holidays."
"I heard that."
"So, I thought, leaving me alone at home is worrying, so why not stay at your place? I called last night about it."
"Didn't you think it'd be more dangerous? You could have stayed at a girl friend's house, like Kanna's."
"Does something dangerous happen when I'm with you, Toya-kun?"
Airi's eyes were sparkling.
In fact, they looked like they were hoping something would happen.
Ding-dong.
Oh no! Well, not that it's bad, but... it seemed Kanna had arrived.
"Don't tell Kanna."
"What's wrong with it?"
No, it's bad! She might say she wants to stay over too.
"Morning— wait, what's with that luggage!?"
She noticed right away.
"Well, um..."
"Since my parents aren't home, I'm staying at Toya-kun's house."
Airi answered bluntly.
"Hmm."
"If you want, Kanna, you could—"
Again, deciding on her own...
"Can't, my parents are home."
Huh?
"Aren't you busy during the New Year's holidays?"
"Customers are back home too, right? I don't really get it."
"I see. But we're spending New Year's Eve together, right?"
When Airi confirmed with Kanna, she answered, "You bet."
"But don't say we're studying until New Year's Eve."
"I won't. What should we do for fun~?"
Airi was already in high spirits.
I liked that she had a clear sense of when to work and when to play.
"Toya... want me to give you something good?"
What Kanna said and pulled out was...
...It seemed to have a fruity scent.
Wait, that's not the issue!
"What are you thinking!?"
"Huh? Well, just in case, right?"
"We're still in middle school, second year!"
"Some kids do it even in elementary school."
"...Was it you, Kanna, who put that idea in Airi's head?"
"Did Airi ask you about it too?"
"W-well, yeah."
"Hmm, I see."
Kanna stared at me intently.
"Well, whatever. Should we get started?"
"Yeah!"
I felt like she'd convinced herself and was moving the conversation along on her own.
When I sat down, Kanna said,
"I'll say this now, it wasn't me."
So it wasn't her.
Come to think of it, if it were Kanna, she'd say "Kanna did it," wouldn't she?
Who was it then?
(2)
New Year's Eve.
Kanna said she'd come around evening.
Meaning we'd be alone during the day...
It wasn't a big deal anymore.
After what happened.
Familiarity is a scary thing.
Airi helped clean my room, saying she wanted to repay me for always looking after her.
Well, when I say clean, I meant wiping the floor, cleaning the windows, and organizing things we didn't need.
"Oh, I still use that."
"I've never seen you use it."
Toss
"That's still here... will I use it?"
"It's past its expiration date."
Toss
It was like that—Airi was throwing away things she deemed unnecessary.
But when she tried to throw away my manga, saying "You don't need this many, right?" I desperately stopped her.
She stared intently, looking for books I didn't need, and found something.
A photo album.
"Wow, you were this small too."
Well, of course I was.
Wait, why are you looking at it without permission?
"It's fine, it's fine," Airi said, sitting down and flipping through the album.
Come to think of it, I read in some manga that...
"Women are defenseless when looking at albums."
...I should say this.
I'm a healthy guy too.
There's no way I can stay calm after sleeping pressed against a girl for two days.
Even if I wanted to relieve myself, a girl was in my room all day.
...To be blunt, I was pent up.
Unconsciously, I sat next to Airi, saying, "Huh, they took a picture of this too."
But that was a mistake.
I'd forgotten that Airi was my girlfriend, and that we were close enough for her to sleep in my bed in my room.
She immediately sensed my actions and made her move.
She leaned against my shoulder.
I'd done it.
It was too late.
Honestly, I'd only thought about lightly touching her butt.
I was curious.
Why the butt and not the chest?
In the manga, the guy touched the butt, so I thought I'd try it, and this was the result.
Should I touch it now?
No, if I did that, there'd be no going back.
I tried to pull away in a panic, but she grabbed my arm.
"Don't run~. You're the one who invited me, Toya-kun!"
"I-I wasn't inviting you, I just..."
"Just?"
I'd said something unnecessary.
She caught me perfectly.
I glanced at the clock.
It was past 3.
I wondered if Kanna would come soon.
"Don't change the subject! Just what?"
...Did I have to say it?
"Kanna's not coming, huh."
"Kanna won't be here for another two hours!"
She was starting to get upset.
This was bad.
What should I do?
Should I tell her honestly?
I thought she'd get angry, but she was crying.
"Am I weird? When we're alone, I get strangely restless. You don't do anything, Toya-kun. You look like you're avoiding me. And then, when I think you've finally made a move, you avoid me again. What? Am I not good enough? Do you really like someone like Kanna after all...?"
Airi said that, half-crying.
That's not it, Airi.
Ah, whatever. I'll say it and feel better. If she hates me for it, then so be it.
"That's not it. Airi, you're really beautiful and attractive. Honestly, it's almost a miracle I'm holding back—I want to hold you tight... and go further. But it's too early. When the time is right, I will. I might not be able to hold back, but just now, I only wanted to touch your butt a little."
I'd said it.
Airi listened silently.
Then her face turned red.
"...It's okay."
Huh?
"If you want to touch, you can."
Ah, I knew she'd say that.
"I might not be able to stop once I start."
"Then we'll deal with it then."
Would I be called a chicken if I didn't touch her now?
Would I hurt Airi again?
I made up my mind and put my hand on Airi's butt.
...
It was nothing special?
I was a bit let down.
"How is it?"
She asked, her face buried in my chest.
"It was nothing special."
I said, laughing.
Apparently, that was a mistake.
"Nothing special!? I was so embarrassed over here!!"
Airi puffed out her cheeks and pounded my chest. Damn, she was so cute.
"Th-then, next time, let me touch your chest..."
Airi made a face like "Huh!?" and thought for a moment.
I guess that was too much.
"It's okay..."
"Huh?"
"You're the one who said it, Toya-kun!"
Yes, that's right.
She really would do anything I said.
Maybe I should ask for something even more outrageous.
But she said something outrageous first.
"In bed."
"Excuse me?"
"That's what I said! In bed, so Maya-san won't catch us!"
Saying that, Airi was fidgeting under the covers.
"It's okay."
Was that a signal for me to come in?
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Kanna?
We looked at each other, and I said, "Yes?"
"I brought tea, I'm coming in."
It was Mom.
From Mom's perspective, she saw Airi lying in bed and me standing beside her.
"Oh? Is Airi-chan feeling unwell?"
"Yes, I felt a little sick, so I was lying down."
Airi said, sitting up.
She was just in her room clothes.
Well, I was a bit disappointed.
"Is that so? Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
Saying that, she put the tea and snacks on my desk and left.
Hearing the door click shut, Airi and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close."
"Yeah, really."
Airi said, laughing.
But reality was harsh.
"Go ahead."
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me! ...You said you wanted to touch, Toya-kun."
Ah, the promise was still valid.
Urged on, I slipped into the bed.
"Be gentle... I don't like it hurting."
"Got it."
Saying that, I gently touched Airi's chest.
Huh? Wasn't I supposed to do it from under her bra?
I tried to touch based on knowledge from some book, but all I felt was a soft sensation.
"...I took it off."
Huh?
"Don't ask me to repeat it every time! I'm embarrassed enough saying it!"
She really seemed embarrassed.
She hadn't looked at me at all since a while ago...
It seemed human nature to want to reach the next peak once you've conquered one.
"Can I ask for one more thing?"
"...Wha~t."
"I want to see your chest."
Even I thought it was a straightforward request.
I thought she'd definitely refuse... but.
"That old lady's not coming, right?"
"I don't think she'll come."
When I said that, she turned around.
"...Go ahead."
Understanding what she meant, I slipped under the covers.
It was dark and I couldn't see well, but two beautiful breasts were neatly arranged.
The magnificent curves I'd seen on a family trip were now right in front of me, without a swimsuit.
After staring for a while, she suddenly put her clothes back on.
"That's enough... I get embarrassed when you stare that long."
"S-sorry."
"'Sorry' isn't the right word, Toya-kun. You didn't do anything wrong!"
"Then what should I say?"
"...Don't say anything, just kiss me."
I kissed her as told.
Then Airi told me to get out of bed first.
When I got out, she was fidgeting under the covers again.
When she finished, she got out of bed.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Yeah, thanks."
I had a feeling she was going to ask for something in return.
But Airi didn't say anything.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I checked the clock; it was past 4.
We'd been fooling around for quite a while.
Kanna came into the room.
"Yo~. Did something happen?"
Kanna asked, perhaps sensing the strange atmosphere.
"Nothing. Make yourself at home."
"The room's clean. Did you clean it? Ah, that's an old album."
Saying that, Kanna sat down.
Unnoticed, Airi and I held hands.
Maybe because of that, Airi was smiling the whole time.
(3)
After that, we relaxed in the room, ate dinner. Airi and I took a bath, changed clothes, and watched comedy shows.
Even if the local station didn't air them, we could watch because we had cable.
Around 11 PM, we ate New Year's soba.
And then the year turned.
"Happy New Year."
After we three finished our New Year's greetings, we watched more comedy shows.
Then we went by bicycle to the local shrine for the first visit of the year.
The line was incredibly long.
The three of us moved forward while sending New Year's greetings on our phones.
We also ran into friends.
When we finally entered the shrine grounds, there were stalls set up.
A sharp smell hit my nose.
This smell...
Drawn by the smell, I started to wander, but Airi grabbed my arm.
"And where do you think you're going~? Toya-kun?"
Her smile was scary.
"Well, it's rare to see a ramen stall at a festival."
"We just ate soba!"
"Where does it all go with you?"
Kanna said, exasperated.
"I've got a metabolism that doesn't gain weight."
"That's not an excuse!"
"I'm just going for a bit."
"You can do it later!"
"It might sell out!"
"A lovers' quarrel right at the start of the year, huh."
It was Makoto who said that.
"It's nothing like that."
"Happy New Year, Tada-kun."
"Happy New Year, Tosaka-san."
Saying that, Makoto cut into the line as if it were the most natural thing.
"Hey, get in line properly."
"Don't be so stiff."
After that, the four of us talked as we moved forward.
We finally saw the main hall.
"I wonder if I can reach the offering box from here."
Well, I don't think it's impossible, but what if it misses and hits someone's head?
"Besides, you can't ring the bell."
"That's true too..."
After that, I kept moving, bothered by the smell of ramen.
I was going to eat ramen after I finished praying...
There was some jerk who cut in from the side and threw in an offering, but he was warned by a security guard.
I was talking with Makoto about how if a warning was enough, that was fine, but Airi scolded us.
Kanna had been silent for a while.
I didn't know if she was bothered that Airi was firmly gripping my left arm... was that it?
"...I'm..."
"Huh?"
"I'm bored!! Let's just go from the side!"
Apparently, she was irritated by the slow-moving line.
"Kanna, we've come this far, let's line up properly. We'll be punished."
Airi had a point.
I didn't know if she was convinced or not, but Kanna endured it silently.
Finally, our turn came.
I put in my offering, rang the bell, and prayed.
...
Please let me get along with Airi this year too.
After finishing my prayer, I dashed like a rabbit to the ramen stall.
"He never changes."
"Honestly."
"Wanna draw a fortune slip while we're at it?"
The three of them drew fortune slips.
The results didn't seem to say anything major, but only Airi looked uneasy.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, seems like there was something about her love life."
"Huh?"
"Something like 'Great difficulty at the start of the year, endure it.'"
"Whoa..."
"Toya-kun, you draw one too."
Airi said.
Come to think of it, she was the type to care about fortune-telling and slips.
I decided to draw one.
The result was Great Fortune.
"What about your love life?"
"...It says 'Trust, a year of patience.'"
"I see..."
The meaning of that would become clear a little later.