*****
If only this were a dream...
Kouno Kazuki gazed at the dazzling horizon in the distance, silently repeating the same thought over and over since last night.
It was the second day of the trip—the final day.
The group woke up slowly that morning, had breakfast, checked out of the inn, and headed to the beach for their second swim of the trip.
Everyone had hung their swimsuits to dry indoors last night, and they seemed mostly dry. But Kazuki hadn't been thinking about that, so the swimsuit he was wearing now was still soaking wet and uncomfortable.
He wasn't in the mood to go in the water, so he sat on a stone step a little ways from his friends, watching them play in a daze.
"Kirie..."
He sighed heavily as he watched his childhood friend play beach ball with the others. She was wearing a bright swimsuit just like yesterday, her smile a stark contrast to his gloomy mood.
Apparently, Kirie had told her friends about her relationship as well.
Last night, while Kazuki was curled up alone on his futon, various events must have unfolded—but his stunned mind couldn't process any of it.
The only certainty was this:
The childhood friend he'd thought was in love with him was now dating another classmate—a guy who couldn't be more different from Kazuki.
"Traitor..."
As Kazuki cursed under his breath, venting his frustration, a white shadow suddenly fluttered into his vision.
"Kazuki-kun..."
"Startled, he tensed up instinctively as the "nightmare" settled down beside him.
"Don't you want to play with everyone?"
"U-ah..."
It was Aika, her hair down.
The slightly hesitant, fragile expression she'd worn until yesterday was gone, replaced by a radiant smile brighter than the sky above.
Today, she's wearing a white parka over her swimsuit, cinched at the front, and she has on shorts. It's as if she's making a statement: I won't show any skin to Kazuki anymore.
But—
"...Ngh!"
"Huh? What's wrong, Kazuki-kun? Did it start swelling up again?"
Aika's casual remark makes Kazuki turn even paler.
Then, she leans in close and whispers,
"Hey... what were you doing last night? Were you touching yourself and getting off by yourself?"
"Ah...!"
She hit the nail on the head.
Embarrassed and frustrated, Kazuki had been masturbating under his futon while his friends were having a lively party in the next room.
"You shouldn't do that."
Aika speaks with the same tone she might use for casual conversation.
"Stop imagining me having sex. If you keep doing this without my permission, I won't forgive you."
Her angelic smile carried a stern warning.
But Kazuki couldn't suppress his physical reaction. And Aika's "partner" was among those friends of hers—
"Ugh... Ugh..."
"...Excited again? Hehe. I can understand how you feel, a little."
"...Huh?"
"Yeah, it's nothing to do with you, Kazuki-kun."
Aika turned her gaze toward the beach.
"Speaking of which, have you heard about Kirizaki-san and Shito-kun?"
"..."
The topic was one he wanted to avoid. Yet Aika continued cheerfully:
"They're so well-suited! Both of them looked incredibly happy."
She whispered in a dreamy tone, then added with delight, "I can't wait to show this to Marin-chan soon."
Kazuki didn't recognize the name.
"Kirizaki-san seems different, doesn't she?"
Aika was unusually talkative today.
She must be in an awfully good mood... Kazuki thought, baffled by her behavior.
"I bet they had sex," she said casually.
"W-what?!"
"Connecting with someone you love is such a special thing, especially for girls... No, wait. I'm sure it's special for boys too. I think those two share that kind of 'specialness'."
"Ah... uh... ah...!"
Imagining the scene sent Kazuki's mind into a chaotic whirl. At the same time, his lower abdomen swelled against his will, threatening to spill its contents.
If they're 'special,' what does that make me? he wondered. Trapped by something so bizarre, so horrifying, there's no other word for it but 'special.'
Kazuki's despair deepened further.
*****
Meanwhile...
Kazuki had no way of knowing it, but while he was comforting himself last night, Kirie had been connected to Ryosuke, engaging in something truly special.
Eventually, the beach volleyball game wound down, and the group of friends joined Kazuki and Kirie.
Their carefree smiles were infuriating.
And when he remembered that among them was the man who could freely touch Aika... once again, his lower back began to ache.
"Kazuki, are you alright?"
This time, Kirie asked.
Please, enough already!
Kazuki couldn't stop his face from contorting.
But it lasted only a moment.
"Kirie, let's go for a walk."
Ryosuke called from across the beach. Kirie, his childhood friend, answered:
"U-um, okay..."
Her expression changed completely, one she'd never shown Kazuki before, and she quickly turned away. Her friends cheered her on.
"Kiri-chan, have fun! Take your time!"
"S-Stop it, Moe! Ugh..."
As she spoke, Kirie leaned close to Ryosuke and walked away with him, not sparing Kazuki even a glance.
Her expression, her gestures, even her bearing... everything about her had changed. She was no longer the Kirie he knew.
"Ahh..."
Kazuki sighed again, the reality of what he'd lost hitting him hard. There was no turning back now.
*****
The trip had turned out to be unexpectedly eventful.
On the train ride home, Kirie let out a soft sigh.
"What's wrong? Tired?" Ryosuke asked gently from the seat beside her.
"N-no," she replied.
Even now, his whisper made her heart skip a beat.
No, spending time with him had only made it worse. Yesterday, his mere presence had been enough to make her heart flutter, but now he loomed even larger in her heart.
His own transformation must be having an effect.
The way Ryosuke looks at Kirie, it's as if he can see right through her, his gaze piercing and somewhat terrifying—
And that hasn't changed.
But there's something else in his eyes now, a tender, affectionate quality.
When he looks at her like that...
H-h-how embarrassing...
She can't help but avert her face.
"I'm not tired... Just a little sleep-deprived."
That's all she can manage to say.
Ryosuke chuckles softly and leans in close to her ear.
"What a coincidence. Me too."
"...! I-impossible! Idiot!"
She glares at him, worried someone might hear, but her friends, worn out from playing, are mostly asleep in the well-airconditioned car.
We're on our way back after a short beach trip.
It was noon.
The suburban scenery flowed past the windows of the express train, bright and vivid. Inside the car, it was quiet. The gentle rocking of the train was like a cradle, soothing to my weary body.
Kirie and I were the only ones awake.
Across the aisle, Aika and Kazuki were dozing.
Aika's profile was the picture of angelic repose. Behind her, Kazuki... he occasionally let out a soft snore. He must be exhausted.
...Good. It seems Kazuki worked things out.
They'd been threatening to break up, but they must have reconciled.
Kazuki still looked somewhat glum, but Aika appeared refreshed, as if she'd shed a burden.
Just yesterday, our friends had been teasing the couple relentlessly. Today, though, their attention was entirely focused on Kirie and Ryosuke.
The chorus of well-wishes was so embarrassingly effusive that I couldn't sit still.
Yet, Kirie found herself accepting it far more readily than she'd imagined.
She was delighted to have their relationship blessed.
He was a little scary, a little mysterious, and sometimes a bit forceful.
He was also fragile, sensitive, and seemed so lonely at times.
"..."
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, it's just—"
"Just?"
"...That this person is my boyfriend. It makes me so happy."
She blurted out her thoughts without thinking.
"J-just now—"
Kirie flailed her hands, scrambling to explain. But Ryosuke replied with perfect seriousness.
"Yeah. I'm really happy to be Kirie's boyfriend."
"R-Ryo-kun, you're always so blunt...!"
"Lately, I've been especially prone to letting my true feelings slip around you, Kirie."
"Ugh..."
As Kirie shrank away, embarrassed, he gently touched her cheek and pulled her closer.
"R-Ryo-kun..."
Their lips barely touched in a fleeting kiss, but Kirie's shoulder shuddered.
"Hmm, nnn..."
As the kisses grew more passionate, she seemed barely able to suppress her moans.
Ryosuke's left hand slipped beneath Kirie's skirt, stroking her soft thigh and moving deeper. He rubbed her through the fabric.
"Ah, ngh... But everyone's here—"
Friends sat in both the front and back rows. Though they were currently snoring, any of them could wake up and glance over at any moment.
"I know. But Kirie, too..."
Kirie's hand was on him as well, sliding against him as if confirming his arousal.
"You'll let me touch you?"
"B-but..."
"You're excited, aren't you? You love it here."
"Aah... This is all your fault, Ryo-kun... Nngh, nngh..."
Ryosuke probed her with his fingertips, searching for Kirie's most sensitive spots. When he found her clitoris, Kirie seemed to reach her limit. She buried her face in his left shoulder, stifling her heated breaths.
"Mmm...fuu...fuh...uuh—!"
He could feel her entire body tense up. Kirie's spine stiffened, and she gave a single violent thrust of her hips.
"Ngh?! Hn—...ah, ah, ugh..."
After enduring the spasms of climax, she raised her flushed face, her large eyes brimming with tears.
Though her expression was resentful, when Ryosuke gently stroked her hair, her face crumpled even more pitifully.
"Ah...uuh... You'll...you'll do it, won't you?" she whispered hoarsely, her voice raw. She bent over and buried her face in his lower body. Drawing out his erection, she took the glans into her mouth, her breath still hot and steamy.
"Mmm...mmph...mmu...uuh...guph..."
It was hard to believe that just moments earlier, a single word from Ryosuke had made her blush so fiercely. Now, she kissed him with boldness and tender affection.
Of course, Ryosuke remained vigilant, keeping watch in all directions, but there were no signs of his friends waking, nor any passengers passing through the aisle.
Eventually, amidst the slight sway of the train and the bright scenery outside the window, he came. A tingling pleasure coursed through him as his seed spurted into his lover's mouth.
"Ugh?! Hnn, bnngh... Nngh, nnn... Jju, jju, puh...!"
Kirie carefully pursed her lips to avoid spilling the thick fluid, milking him from base to tip as she wiped him clean.
"Ahh, nnn... Ah, ugh... My mouth is so sticky..."
"Really? Let me see."
"Mmm, ah..."
She looked up at him, her shameless yet adorable face, filled with absolute trust, parting her lips in a wide, gaping smile.
"Ah... is that enough?"
When Ryosuke nodded, she swallowed with a soft gurgle, her eyes glazed and glistening.
With modest gestures, she straightened Ryosuke's clothes, smoothed her hair, and leaned back against the seat.
Her ears were now even redder than they had been during the fellatio—was she finally embarrassed about her boldness? The lips that had been wrapped around his penis moments ago were now pursed tightly, as if concentrating all her shame into that small space—
She was utterly unbalanced, forever a mystery and an alluring lover to Ryosuke.
He took her hand and asked, "Did you enjoy the trip?"
"...Yes. It was amazing. It felt like it ended too soon..."
As her glistening eyes met his, he felt dizzy. Once again, Ryosuke was struck by how deeply he was in love with this girl.
For Kirie, Ryosuke wasn't a substitute for anyone else.
And for Ryosuke, it was the same.
Nothing made him happier than being able to feel that certainty just by looking into her eyes.
"...Ryo-kun, let's keep in touch."
"Likewise."
Smiling at each other, the two of them gently closed their eyes as the train rocked back and forth.
And so, this story comes to an end, at least for now.
In the future, I'll probably be updating with occasional side stories or past events.
Thank you so much for sticking with me for so long.
I was also thrilled by all the support. At one point, the number of comments became overwhelming, and I couldn't keep up with replying... but I read and appreciated every single one. Thank you again!
(I'd love to write a side story about Ryosuke and Kirie's sweet moments together, or a past event about how he first met his Older Sister-in-law...)