Chapter 51 - The Day of the Decisive Battle
(１)
December 6th
I sit in front of the dressing table.
Hair set: OK
Black dress: OK
Of course, I prepared my best lingerie as well.
I've prepared a change of clothes.
I've taken a shower.
I've applied makeup.
I put on a little perfume too. I wonder if he'll notice this time?
Should I have put on more?
But I've heard some boys hate the smell of perfume.
I'll stop here.
Study tools... alright!
And then... the present.
I place it at the very bottom of my bag.
This way, he shouldn't notice.
Now preparations are complete.
I check the mirror over and over.
Once I'm convinced there are no problems, I take my bag and leave the room.
"I'm off~"
"Yes~, take care."
In front of Toya-kun's house.
For some reason, my fingers are shaking from nervousness.
Calm down, calm down, me.
Telling myself this, I press the doorbell.
"Yes~"
It's Maya-san's voice.
"It's Tosaka"
"Oh, Airi-chan? Just a moment"
The door opens with a click.
"Yes, welcome"
It's finally the decisive battle.
(２)
"Toya—? Airi-chan is here"
It's Mother's voice.
I hear footsteps.
They stop in front of the door, and the door opens with a click.
"Yo... Whoa, what's with that level of intensity?"
Kanna is surprised.
Shifting my gaze up from my notebook, I see Airi wearing a black dress, holding a white coat in her hand.
"What is it? Is she going somewh— Ow!"
Makoto hits me on the head.
Then he whispers in my ear.
"What happened? For now, just praise her appearance"
"A-Airi, you're dressed up quite a bit today. It suits you"
Is this enough?
She seems satisfied.
With a beaming smile, she sits in her usual spot.
"I-I'm just going to the restroom for a bit"
Saying that, Kanna stands up and leaves the room.
A message arrives from that Kanna.
"Keep it a secret from Airi that I told you. Makeup! Perfume!! Also, wake up!"
"What's wrong?"
Airi asks.
"N-nothing. More importantly, you put on perfume again, didn't you? The makeup suits you too"
I forgot what the perfume smelled like, but it's probably the one I gave her as a present before.
It seems I was right.
Airi is in a good mood.
But why the makeup and perfume this late at night...
If anything, the faint scent of shampoo wafting from her hair bothers me more than the perfume...
"Ah..."
Makoto lets out a short sound.
"What is it, Makoto?"
Makoto looks at his smartphone.
"Right, right, today is December 6th! Tosaka-san is staying over at Toya's house!"
"Yeah"
"That's true, but what about it?"
I got smacked by Makoto again.
What on earth is going on?
Kanna returned to the room.
She sits next to Makoto as if nothing happened.
Well, it's her usual spot.
Around 9:30 PM.
"Shall we head home soon, Kanna?"
"Y-yeah. See ya, Toya"
And so, the two of them pack up their tools and hurriedly leave the room.
"W-wait a minute"
I hurriedly chase after the two of them.
I stop them at the entrance.
"What's going on? Today's Airi... she seems kind of strange. You two seem to know something... Ow!"
I was poked by Kanna.
Then she said in a whisper.
"Just how dense are you, you idiot! Tomorrow is your birthday! I don't know exactly what she's plotting, but it's probably a surprise for Toya! Listen!? Act naturally! If she does something, just be honestly happy about it"
Ah, that's right. That's why she came to stay over.
"Ah~ so that's it"
"It's not 'ah~', you complete moron! Get back in there! She'll get suspicious"
"Got it, you two take care"
"Yeah, we'll come a bit later tomorrow"
"Y-you don't have to be that considerate"
"I'm not being considerate of Toya, I'm being considerate of Airi"
Next, Makoto whispers in my ear.
"Toya. While Airi-san is gone, prepare that under the pillow or something. She'll probably make a move tonight"
Thump!
Come to think of it, she did make a move once...
"Calm down, Toya. Be steady"
Saying that, the two of them went home.
Right, she did say it back then.
'That was close. Next opportunity... maybe Toya-kun's birthday? I'm looking forward to it'
Oh no, I'm starting to get nervous.
(３)
"Hmm..."
He noticed the clothes... though he probably only praised them because Makoto-kun told him to.
"Sigh~"
He noticed the makeup and perfume too. Kanna probably let him know.
I lay down right there.
"Do I have no charm~?"
Why did I put in so much effort?
He was about to say... "Are you going somewhere," right...?
No, I intended to seduce him in a way that even the densest Toya-kun could understand.
Your birthday is in just two more hours, you know?
I told you, didn't I? That I was looking forward to it...
As a result, a magnificent swing and a miss for me?
What do I have to do to get you in the mood?
If it were the usual me, I'd be broken and crying here.
But I won't let myself cry!
I'll definitely make it happen tonight!
Even so, Toya-kun is slow.
Is he being fed something by those two again?
Click
The door opened.
I get up immediately.
"Sorry to keep you waiting"
"It's fine"
"Sorry"
I said it's fine...
"Um, well, that..."
What do you want to say?
Looking at him, he's mindful of the clock.
It is currently just past 10 PM.
"Two more hours"
He muttered softly.
I definitely heard that.
You finally noticed.
"Did you take a bath?"
Huh?
Did you not notice the scent of shampoo? Could you not tell because of the perfume?
"I took one"
"I-I see... U-um. Don't you think it's better to take off your makeup before sleeping?"
BAM!!
I slammed the desk and stood up.
To the surprised Toya-kun, I snapped.
"I'm going to take off my makeup"
It were words so cold they surprised even me.
I'm so appalled I can't even speak.
I wash off the makeup in the washroom.
It flows away along with my tears.
I hate this, I want to go home.
Does the makeup not suit me that much?
Do you dislike me dressing up that much?
I'm doing all this for Toya-kun.
Toya-kun, you idiot!!
(４)
"I'm going to take off my makeup"
She was very angry, but for now, I got her out of the room.
While I have the chance, I take out that which I had tucked away in the desk and hide it under the pillow.
Wait...
How do I use this?
I hurriedly touch my smartphone.
The only one I can rely on now is Makoto.
I send a message to Makoto.
"How do you use that thing?"
A reply came back immediately.
"You idiot! Research it in advance! Don't panic now. Give up on tonight. Fudge it with as much skinship as possible"
"What do I do to fudge it..."
"Think of that yourself"
Was Kanna with him too?
A message from Kanna
"You dimwit! Listen, as soon as you see this, put your phone away! After that, just go with the flow! Maybe Airi knows how to use it"
A-Airi... does?
Is that how girls are?
But going with the flow...
Click
She's back.
I hurriedly put away the smartphone.
"What are you doing?"
"No, just charging my phone..."
"I see"
She's very depressed...
Did I hurt Airi again?
Did I make Airi cry?
The two of us studied amidst a heavy atmosphere.
Unable to bear it, I opened my mouth.
"Um... we said we'd try to be able to talk honestly, right?"
"Yeah"
"Can I say it now?"
"Yeah"
"...I really think Airi is cuter when she doesn't wear makeup"
"...Is that your honest opinion?"
"...Eh? Ah, no"
I messed up. I probably messed up. No, I definitely messed up.
"I knew it wouldn't suit me! The makeup, the perfume, the black dress! I'm just a child after all!!"
"Calm down, Airi"
"You've got a lot of nerve saying that after making me angry! What do you mean I suit a bare face better! I know I'm bad at it because I've never worn this much makeup before. But you could have praised me just a little bit!"
"Sorry"
"Fine, I shouldn't have done this! I thought I'd do it all for Toya-kun"
"I'm happy about the feeling"
"It's too late now!"
"That's not it, Airi... I'm the one who's bad"
"Exactly!!"
"That's right, I'm dense, I have no delicacy, and I'm bad at praising women. Unlike Makoto, I haven't dated many women, so I don't really understand. I apologize for the makeup thing"
"Only the makeup!?"
"I noticed the perfume somehow. Ah, that it's the same as before. But I like the scent of the hair shampoo better... ah!"
I realized that the words I just let slip were a mistake.
Just how stupid am I.
"Earlier, when I went downstairs, I only realized for the first time because Kanna and the others told me. That you've done various things for my birthday. I was happy"
"Exactly! And who ruined it!?"
I'll tell her everything.
If that doesn't work, it can't be helped... though I hope it does.
I took out that which I had hidden under the pillow.
"!?"
"I needed to get Airi out of the room to hide this, and so..."
I know I sound like a dimwit even as I say it.
But if I don't explain from here, she's not likely to understand.
"And so you told me to take off my makeup?"
"Yeah"
"Then, the part about the bare face suiting me better"
"Just a cover-up"
"But you apologized earlier"
"I saw it on some TV show that it's better not to wear makeup recklessly while you're young, but I guess that was wrong. Sorry"
"...I'm so appalled I can't even speak"
"Actually, I wanted to say that Airi is cute no matter what she wears. But I thought it wouldn't be good to praise everything without looking properly, and so"
I said it based on my own preference, sorry.
"...Toya-kun is always like that. Avoiding the important things and saying only unnecessary things"
"That's true"
"You said any outfit suits me, right?"
"Yeah, I'm sure you're cute"
...Wait, hold on.
She's starting to take off her dress.
That's dangerous.
"Wait a second, I'll turn off the lights!!"
"It's fine to leave them on... Does it suit me?"
"Yeah, you're beautiful"
To be honest, it's so dazzling that I can't look at her properly.
"It's cold..."
"Ah, I'll raise the heater temperature"
Just as I tried to reach for the remote, Airi hugged me.
"Airi..."
"Toya-kun, take yours off too... It's not fair"
"It's cold, so is inside the futon okay?"
"I'm cold too"
Resigning myself, I take off my clothes.
Even with the heater, a T-shirt on top and trunks on the bottom is cold...
"Shall we get in the futon?"
Unable to hold back, I say it, and she urges me as if to say "please go first."
Excuse me first.
Then, after showing a gesture as if to say "come here," she immediately dives in.
.........
......
...
What should I do after this?
(５)
Toya-kun is always unfair.
A person who makes me angry as much as he can, and then tells me his honest feelings later to make me happy.
...Although this time it was for a very dimwitted reason.
That's the part of him I love.
I tried being a little mean.
"You said any outfit suits me, right?"
Toya-kun said "Yeah."
So I took the plunge and took off my dress.
It's cold!
"I'll turn on the heater!"
There's something to do before that, isn't there?
Am I the only one taking things off?
Isn't Toya-kun taking them off?
"Toya-kun, take yours off too... It's not fair, you know?"
Toya-kun took off his clothes just as I told him.
It's almost like I'm the one stripping him! ...Well, I am.
I hug him and press close, feeling Toya-kun's body heat.
At the same time, I felt his heartbeat.
I wonder if my heartbeat is reaching him too?
We enter the futon.
Usually, Toya-kun falls asleep immediately.
I won't let that happen tonight.
I can tell because we're pressed together.
Toya-kun is reacting firmly.
Thank goodness, it seems it's not that I have no charm.
It's still a bit early, but I'll kiss him and do various things...
Various things?
Toya-kun is frozen stiff.
Can't be helped.
Well, if he's not used to it, it can't be helped.
"Can you take off my bra?"
Toya-kun shook his head.
Since it can't be helped, I take it off myself.
While I'm at it, I'll take off the bottom too.
I don't know if Toya-kun realized or resigned himself, but he started taking things off.
As I thought, he has more muscle than I expected.
"Um..."
"Wha~t is it?"
"That... can I look?"
Why does he ask things like that?
I nod silently.
Then Toya-kun burrows into the futon.
After a while, Toya-kun pokes his face out from the futon.
"Can I... look at Toya-kun's too?"
"Yeah..."
I also dive into the futon.
Yes, it's reacting properly.
When I poke my face out from the futon, Toya-kun hugs me.
"Airi!"
"Yes!"
"...Um, what should I do from here?"
...This man.
"You can do whatever you like, Toya-kun"
"Even if you tell me I can do whatever I like..."
"But wait just a bit, just 30 more minutes"
Toya-kun looked at the clock and seemed to understand the meaning.
Those 30 minutes felt very long.
During that time, Toya-kun clung to me tightly and wouldn't let go.
The clock pointed to 0:00.
I exchange a passionate kiss with Toya-kun.
"Happy Birthday"
"Thank you"
"Ah, I have a present"
"Eh? Isn't this the present?"
There's no way that's it!
I get out of bed for a moment and take a box with blue wrapping paper from my bag.
Toya-kun sits on the bed and opens the box.
Inside were two towels.
A pink towel and a blue towel.
...I wonder if he'll notice?
"Ah, this..."
He noticed.
The towels each have T.K and A.T embroidered on them.
Of course, I did it myself.
"Thank you"
Toya-kun was happy.
"With this, it'll be okay even if things like this happen from now on, right?"
I say and laugh.
The anger was gone.
I enter the futon again.
"Um, about what we were talking about earlier"
"I told you, you can do whatever you like"
"Even if you say that..."
Hmm—he really is cute.
"Toya-kun seemed interested in my chest, you can touch it or whatever"
I say and close my eyes.
I feel a sudden cold sensation.
"Ah..."
A sigh escapes.
"Sorry"
"You don't have to apologize... keep going"
We stayed pressed together for a while.
Well, if it's his first time, it can't be helped.
"U-um... sorry. I'll study up next time"
"You don't have to force it, you'll probably learn naturally eventually"
"Ah, also, there's one thing I want to ask..."
"...Wha~t is it?"
I was floating.
I asked happily.
That turned into disappointment.
Toya-kun takes out the rubber that had been hidden under the pillow.
"You don't know how to use this...?"
Disappointment turned into anger.
"Idiot!!"
(６)
When I woke up the next day, Airi was sleeping next to me.
Of course, in a state without a single thread of clothing.
Yesterday was a failure.
When I asked how to use that, I was dismissed with a single word, "Idiot," and she went to sleep in a huff.
If she was dressed like that...
I had been sleeping while hugging her.
"Toya-kun, wake up, Maya-san is coming"
Being told that, I woke up.
And I realized the situation I was in.
Airi changes into room wear (naturally without hesitation and boldly), and I also put on clothes.
Then we go downstairs and eat breakfast.
"The noise was incredible yesterday, did something happen?"
Ah, did Airi's angry shouting echo?
Just as I was about to say something, Airi answered instead.
"Nothing happened," she said.
It was a very thorny way of speaking... is she still bothered after all?
I'll try asking her when we return to the room later.
"I see, Toya is still a child"
Yes, it's exactly as you say.
It seems it was still too early for me.
I feel depressed.
After finishing breakfast, I return to the room.
There's still time before Makoto and the others arrive.
Just as I thought I'd study first, Airi starts turning on the PC.
"You didn't put in a password. Your guard is loose, Toya-kun"
Saying that, she opens the browser and opens a search site.
"Why don't you look it up with this?"
Look up what?
Perhaps irritated by me not understanding at all, Airi enters the search words.
How to use a condom.
Wait... hold...
"With this, you'll be okay from next time, right? Though in Toya-kun's case, there's a problem before that"
"S-sorry"
I'm truly pathetic.
To the depressed me, Airi spoke kind words.
"I'll match Toya-kun's pace. We have plenty of time. But I'd be happy if we could progress a bit more by Christmas Eve"
I'll look it up.
Eventually, Kanna and Makoto arrived.
While Kanna and Airi are talking about something, Makoto whispers in my ear.
"How was last night?"
"I couldn't do anything"
"By 'nothing,' you did at least kiss, right?"
"Well, yeah... I didn't know what to do beyond that"
"Your problem is before using that thing"
"That's true..."
"Can't be helped, I'll bring some teaching materials next time"
"What do you mean, teaching materials?"
"Wait a minute, Makoto-kun, don't blow strange things into Toya-kun's ear"
Airi is angry.
"N-no. It's just that Toya is too unreliable"
"Even so, Toya-kun did his best in his own way"
"B-baka, saying unnecessary things"
"Heh~ I wonder how he did his best? Toya..."
Kanna asked while grinning.
"How... he wrapped me up... with all his might"
Saying that, Airi begins preparing for study.
"You've gotta be more specific than that"
"Kanna, you're persistent! Let's study quickly!"
"Che, Airi, want to compete to see who's faster, you or me?"
"Kanna!!"
"The next battle is Christmas Eve"
"U... that's impossible"
That's right, it's impossible.
"Kanna, even if you say it suddenly"
For some reason, Makoto is also flustered.
"What is it with every single one of you, you're all so pathetic"
That might be true.
But we are steadily progressing.
Very slowly, though.
The turn for that thing will probably be far off for a while.
The expiration date... will it be okay?
Such worries ended up being unfounded.