"You really got into it with Kotoha, didn't you?"
"Mmph!"
Her sudden comment nearly made me spit out the green tea I'd just taken a sip of. Couldn't you have chosen a better time? I thought. If I can't hold it in, I'll end up splattering it on your face across the table. Is that what you want, Tsurugi Shino? Come to think of it, I've never actually done a spit take before. Well, whatever.
Today is a day off. Early morning.
When I woke up, Shino was standing beside the bed, dressed in civilian clothes—a black collared shirt dress cinched at the waist with a white ribbon belt that accentuated her full bust and slender waist. Her chest was so perky that it would probably draw the gaze of nearly every man. The black tights she wore were probably for warmth, but they were fetish-worthy. Her hair, tied back in a single ponytail, was also fetish-worthy. (Though now that I think about it, her hair has grown out quite a bit.) Anyway, there she was, Shino in civilian clothes, looking down at me beside the bed.
There was something familiar about Shino's appearance, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. As I dressed, I tried to recall where I'd seen it before. Meanwhile, Shino had prepared breakfast, and that's how we ended up here.
"Did you hear about it? From her personally?"
"Yes, she gave me a detailed report. I wondered what kind of spiteful gesture that was, but I suspect she was just in a high-spirited mood."
Well, I doubt Kotoha is the type to report her gameplay as a form of retaliation... Besides, it turned out Shino hadn't even asked for the information; she'd been told outright. That was unexpected.
It made more sense to me that Shino might have panicked after being alone and remembering her embarrassing behavior. Perhaps she wanted someone to talk to about it?
"I was planning to wait until I'd built up more courage before trying public play, but someone beat me to it."
"Wasn't your first time not even public play?"
"It's just..."
"...What?"
"...The mood of the moment?"
You're the one who invited me, though.
Shino smirked, tilting her head in a deliberately playful yet sly manner. This uncharacteristic gesture was likely the result of her rare attempt at a joke that involved both words and body language.
"There are so many things I want to say—like 'I'm jealous,' or 'I shouldn't have left,' or 'What a horrible child,' or 'You've grown up so much'—but let's put those aside."
"You've put aside quite a lot."
"I said there were many things, didn't I? More importantly, let's get to the main topic, Gouji-kun."
"If you start talking about morning nudity scenes this early, you'll lose me."
"Listen."
"I'm listening."
Shino's unusually firm response made me obediently quiet.
Shino seemed eager to advance the conversation, her jokes today less frequent and milder than usual.
So, I decided to stir things up by throwing out a provocative question. For the first time, I saw Shino look troubled and bitter. It was probably the same expression she usually saw me wear.
Shino lowered her gaze slightly, sighed, and then looked at me with her usual composed expression.
"Let's go on a date, Gouji-kun."
"...Outdoor play?"
"No, I'll ask you for that soon enough."
So she is going to ask. And soon, too.
"A normal date. No games—at least not until we get back. A wholesome student date. Not like that flirty banter we shared before, but a proper date for a couple or those just a step or two away from being one."
Wholesome. I never expected to hear that word from Shino.
Seeing her in casual clothes, her ponytail swinging in a way that suggested ease of movement, I'd already guessed she was planning to go out somewhere. And if she invited me, I figured I'd go along.
But this blunt declaration of a date, like a fastball thrown right down the middle, was completely unexpected.
Even professional baseball players strike out when they misread a pitch. My initial shock quickly gave way to a deeper astonishment: Is this for real? Of course, when it comes to relationships between men and women, I'm far from a pro—I'm more like a complete novice.
"Well, that's quite an honor. But why?"
"Today, I'm in the mood for pure love."
She rested her chin in her hand, smiling. Her long lashes framed her big eyes. I thought I'd grown somewhat accustomed to her, but the moment I saw her picture-perfect pose, my heart skipped a beat, reminding me just how stunningly beautiful Tsurugi Shino is.
"I see. By the way, what mood were you in yesterday?"
"Getting my man stolen."
So that's why she left so early yesterday.
*****
Now that it's officially a date... I should probably get a little pumped, right? I mean, I should.
"This feels like déjà vu."
"Never mind that. These crepes are delicious, though."
Unfortunately, this town doesn't seem to have any casual dating spots students can easily visit.
Shino ate her crepe with obvious enjoyment.
I remember arriving at the shopping mall on my way home from school one day. It was a weekend, so there were quite a few people around.
Securing the same inconspicuous corner seat as before only added to the sense of déjà vu.
If only I knew of a trendy café... But honestly, I've never been to one because they make me nervous. My dating skills are practically zero. A bitter smile crept across my face as I realized I should have at least done a little preparation.
"It's delicious, but... we checked out the clothing and shoe stores recently, right? So there wasn't anything you needed to buy, was there?"
"Not for me. But you did buy something, didn't you? So it wasn't a complete waste, at least."
"True."
We strolled around window shopping, but Shino didn't put anything through the register.
As for me, I did make a purchase, but only a small accessory while Shino was browsing clothes. And that was an impulse buy, so it's debatable whether we even needed to come to the mall in the first place.
"The clothes you're wearing today are the ones you bought back then, right?"
"Oh, you noticed?"
"Every time you tried something on, you asked if it looked good."
I swallowed the words "That's why it took you so long" and bit into my crepe. The sweetness of the cream and the tartness of the strawberries mingled in my mouth, neither overpowering the other—a perfect balance.
"Whoa!"
When I looked up from my crepe, Shino was staring at me with an unnervingly moist, intense gaze... and to my shame, I flinched.
Shino isn't actually a difficult person. Her cool, aloof demeanor comes from her tendency to avoid initiating contact with others, but in reality, she's a bit scatterbrained and loose-lipped, with a cheerful personality who loves teasing people with jokes. For Shino to suddenly wear such a look, there must be a clear reason—and the cause was obvious.
"...I'm sorry. I was too embarrassed to say it earlier, but... you look beautiful. I can confidently say there's no other girl who can look so dazzling with just black and white. You're lovely."
"Really? Oh, really? Hehehe, so you do think so."
Her expression instantly softened into an almost too-relaxed smile. She's surprisingly easy to read. I'm amazed she's managed to maintain her cool persona all this time.
"Oh, really? Well, of course. You do seem to like this kind of clothing."
"...How did you know? Are you a psychic?"
"A psychic, indeed."
"...Oh, right. It's from the novel, isn't it?"
"Exactly."
The sense of déjà vu I felt looking at Shino's outfit.
I thought it was because I'd seen her buying clothes before. That was half-right; the other half was that I'd described similar outfits in my writing.
And since I went to the trouble of describing it that way, it naturally reflects my preferences.
In short... Shino was deliberately choosing and buying clothes that suited my taste on the very second day we met? Back when she was trying on clothes on the street, every outfit she picked seemed to match my style.
"...Do you know anything else about me? From your writing?"
"That you like women like me."
She said it so casually, as if it were obvious.
"Don't make me blush by being so self-conscious. Besides, there's no way you wouldn't like my appearance—it's the basis for the heroine of that obscene novel."
"Well... I guess so..."
Against Shino's rapid-fire delivery, my mouth felt leaden, barely managing that half-hearted response.
How careless of me. It's easy to forget, since she never actually threatened or intimidated me, but Shino found out ages ago that I used her as the uncredited model for an erotic novel heroine.
This was such a weakness that it could have ended her student life, depending on who found out. So, it was truly fortunate that Shino herself was this way.
"So? What exactly do you like about my appearance? My eyes, nose, lips, facial structure, hair... My height is on the tall side for a girl, isn't it? And my chest—well, it's definitely on the larger side. Though it's a bit presumptuous of me to say so, I do think I look quite good."
Shino ran her slender fingers over her skin, touching each part she mentioned as if to emphasize her words.
Well, she was right. Tsurugi Shino was the most beautiful girl I knew—on TV and in real life.
"...Should I tell you honestly?"
"Of course. Even if you lied, the worst that would happen is you'd avoid feeling embarrassed right now. To be honest... well, my style, the kind of play I propose... those might change."
"...Everything."
"Everything."
"Huh?"
"Everything about Tsurugi Shino's appearance... it's exactly my type."
As far as I know, she's the most beautiful girl in the world.
Yes, out of billions of people, Tsurugi Shino is the ideal beauty who perfectly matches my taste and preferences. Even if you break it down part by part, it's still the same.
Naturally, expressing such thoughts honestly would be embarrassing. Would you ever tell someone you barely know, "You're my ideal beauty"? I've never even been asked about my preferences.
That's why blurting it out now can make Shino blush and fluster her. It's a little payback.
"...H-heh, really? 'Everything' is a bit unexpected. I can't believe you fell for someone like that at first glance, Gouji-kun."
"I did."
"...Huh?"
Oh no, I thought, but it was already too late. Shino, who had been resting her cheek in her hand, suddenly straightened up. Her eyes widened, blinking rapidly.
It was an emotion I'd always been vaguely aware of, locked deep within my chest. When it was touched, my mouth moved before I could think. Or... maybe I just didn't want people to think I wasn't in love with Tsurugi Shino. Even I don't know what made me say that.
Sigh. What's done is done. Let me drive the point home.
"Besides, there's no way I'd do it with someone I don't even like."
If that weren't the case, if someone I'd barely even spoken to suddenly stripped me and tried to get me to have sex, I'd be so disgusted that even the parts that usually get hard wouldn't budge.
I agreed to the sudden invitation because I liked Tsurugi Shino.
I went out with her and even invited her home because I liked Tsurugi Shino.
Everything I did was because I wanted to be with Shino.
"Kotoha, you really pulled a fast one on me during our first meeting."
"Well, you know..."
"What do you mean?"
"It was just the flow of the moment."
"You look like you'd be driven to cheat if someone pushed you too hard."
"Stop it."
I put up a token protest, but since I'm already sleeping with Kotoha, I can't really complain.
This phrasing makes it sound like Kotoha and I are cheating on each other, but... Shino was the one who encouraged me to approach Kotoha in the first place, so I don't want her to get too upset.
"...If only you'd told me," Shino murmured softly.
"So... did you just confess to me?"
"You can just ignore it. We both know our relationship isn't some refreshing, wholesome thing; it's just a rotten, physical connection."
That's why I didn't say anything.
I don't believe Gouji Takatsuki is a man worthy of Tsurugi Shino. He's not that extraordinary, and I have no confidence he'll ever become that kind of person.
A sheltered young lady, a flower beyond reach. That's the image I had of Shino before I learned her true nature. Since she was unattainable in reality, I vented my sexual frustration through fantasies. Even now, having seen her true self, Shino remains a flower beyond my grasp, an unattainable existence.
By some stroke of luck, we discovered we shared a hobby. Being able to exchange just two or three words with her felt like more than enough luck. To actually develop a relationship with her was like catching a falling dumpling from a shelf—pure, unadulterated fortune.
...I didn't want to lose what I'd gained through sheer luck. I wanted to keep it. That's all.
"Gouji-kun."
When Shino called my name, she was looking down. Unlike usual, she wasn't staring at me with that bold, defiant smile.
"...What is it?"
"Could you give me two or three minutes to answer?"
So she's going to answer. A reply.
If I hear that answer, we can't stay like this anymore.
The thought makes my mood sink. Ever since I met Shino, she's teased me and toyed with me, but those were still fun days. When it ends... well, things will just go back to normal. I might not even write erotic novels anymore.