Shikime Natsu had no reason whatsoever to refuse Sakura Airi's request. He simply smiled and gave a small nod — his wordless agreement.
With permission granted, the smile on Sakura Airi's face grew even more radiant.
She turned around, crossed the room with light, springy steps, and reached out one slender finger to carefully hook the oversized white T-shirt off its hanger.
She didn't head straight for the bathroom.
Instead, she paused to ask Shikime Natsu whether the towels were clean — and once he confirmed they were, she plucked a fresh white towel from the rack and draped it over her arm.
She made her way to the bathroom door and stopped.
She turned back. One hand resting against the doorframe, the other cradling the borrowed clothes against her chest, she fixed Shikime Natsu — still sitting on the edge of the bed — with a playful, deliberate wink. Her voice carried a teasing lilt she was making absolutely no effort to hide:
"Um... Natsu."
"Even though this is your room..."
"You absolutely, positively cannot peek. Okay~?"
Shikime Natsu let out a helpless laugh and raised both hands in surrender.
"Relax. I promise."
"Hmph~ Good."
Sakura Airi gave a satisfied little hum and finally turned to step inside.
The door clicked shut behind her — and the lock turned.
On the other side, the girl leaned back against the door. She held the T-shirt in both hands, cradling it as though it were something precious, and slowly pressed her cheek into the fabric.
She drew in a long, deep breath — as if quietly confirming whether the cloth still carried the scent that belonged to Shikime Natsu.
A moment later, she lifted her head. Those vivid blue eyes of hers shimmered with something soft and misty, her cheeks dusted a faint pink — and at the corners of her lips, a look of quiet, deeply satisfied contentment.
---
Shikime Natsu remained on the edge of the bed, his gaze drifting without thinking to the spot where the girl had just disappeared.
Just now...
Airi had gone in carrying only the T-shirt, hadn't she?
Her other clothes. Her change of undergarments. Everything else...
She hadn't taken any of it.
Which meant...
Certain images surfaced unbidden in Shikime Natsu's mind.
His gaze drifted, almost on instinct, to the spot on the bed where Sakura Airi had been sitting earlier. He found himself recalling the glimpse of her thighs beneath the hem of her skirt — the way they'd appeared and disappeared with each small movement — and the white ankle socks that had wrapped around her slender calves.
He had to admit.
Sakura Airi's legs were genuinely flawless. Soft in the way only a girl's legs could be, yet never heavy — a kind of perfectly healthy, quietly devastating temptation.
"...Hah."
Shikime Natsu exhaled slowly, shook his head, and made a conscious effort to dispel the thoughts that had wandered slightly too far.
He was fickle, yes. But he wasn't the type who couldn't hold himself together for a few minutes.
Soon enough, the rush of water from the shower head filled the bathroom — a soft, cascading sound that seeped through the frosted glass door.
Through the glass, he could faintly make out the sound of water striking tile — and, occasionally, the sound of it falling against something far softer.
Shikime Natsu picked up a book from beside him, intending to redirect his attention.
It didn't work for long.
Before much time had passed at all, a lilting melody threaded its way through the rush of the water and drifted into his ears.
"Hm-hm-hm~"
Sakura Airi was humming.
The specific tune was too muffled to make out clearly — but the bright, upward lift of every note made it unmistakably obvious: whoever was in that shower was in a spectacularly good mood.
---
About twenty minutes passed.
The sound of running water cut off abruptly.
A moment later, the lock turned. The bathroom door eased open.
A wave of warm, humid air rushed out, carrying the sweet fragrance of body wash, and spread softly through Shikime Natsu's room.
"Natsu... sorry for the wait."
The voice was soft and warm. And then — out of the drifting mist — Sakura Airi stepped into view.
The moment he got a clear look at her, even Shikime Natsu felt his breath catch, just for an instant.
The girl was wearing exactly one thing.
His white T-shirt.
Her school uniform, her skirt, every layer of clothing that had been holding her together before — all of it was gone. In their place, the oversized men's T-shirt hung loose over her small frame, giving off that irresistible, particular charm of a girl wearing her boyfriend's clothes.
The white fabric cascaded down.
The hem fell at precisely the right length — barely, just barely clearing the top of her thighs, leaving the full length of those long, pale, perfectly shaped legs completely exposed.
With every step she took, the hem swayed gently — offering and withholding in equal measure, that tantalizing strip of bare skin at the very top of her thighs inviting all kinds of thoughts best left unexamined.
It was, frankly, an act of visual violence.
That signature pink hair, freshly washed, hung damp and heavy over her shoulders, the ends still beading with droplets. She'd been thoughtful enough to loosely wrap the white towel around it — enough to keep the drips from soaking through the shirt.
Her delicate face, flushed a soft, enticing pink from the steam, practically glowed. Those vivid blue eyes of hers looked luminous and dewy — the kind of eyes that made you feel like they were on the verge of spilling over.
"Um..."
She noticed Shikime Natsu's slightly dazed stare. A trace of shyness crossed her face, and she reached down to fidget with the hem of the shirt, turning her body ever so slightly.
"Natsu..."
"Do I... look good like this?"
Shikime Natsu came back to himself.
He set his book down, let his gaze travel over her with absolutely no attempt to disguise it, and gave her the most unambiguous answer he had:
"Of course."
"You look incredible."
At the praise, Sakura Airi ducked her head with a hint of embarrassment — but the smile that broke across her lips refused to be hidden.
Shikime Natsu stood and stepped to the cabinet nearby, pulling out the hair dryer.
"Your hair is still dripping. If you don't dry it, you'll catch a cold."
He gestured to the chair beside the bed.
"Sit down. I'll dry it for you."
"...Huh?"
Sakura Airi looked up in genuine surprise — and then a flicker of delighted disbelief passed through her eyes.
"You really mean it?"
"Of course."
Shikime Natsu plugged in the dryer and tested the heat setting.
Sakura Airi immediately padded over like an obedient little cat and settled into the chair, her back to him.
He unwound the towel from her hair, and that cascade of pink immediately tumbled free, spilling down in a soft wave.
One hand holding the dryer, his other hand moved gently through her hair — fingers combing through the damp strands, easing them apart with unhurried care.
The warm air flowed and hummed.
His fingertips grazed her warm scalp and the back of her neck as he worked.
Sakura Airi's eyes slowly drifted half-shut. She looked, for all the world, like a small cat being groomed by its favorite person.
"This feels so good..."
She murmured it softly to herself.
The sensation of being treated so gently by Shikime Natsu made her feel like she was melting completely.
But.
Perhaps because it felt a little too good. Perhaps because his technique was a little too practiced.
Sakura Airi suddenly opened her eyes. She puffed her cheeks out, just slightly, and when she spoke, there was an unmistakable undercurrent of vinegary jealousy threading through her voice:
"Speaking of which..."
"You're very good at this, Natsu."
"You really seem like you've had a lot of practice drying a girl's hair."
"Is it Kamuro-san you usually do this for? Or... someone else?"
The question landed like a small, precisely aimed grenade.
Shikime Natsu's hands didn't pause for even a second.
He simply caught the jealous girl's reflection in the mirror, smiled at it mildly, and said nothing.
Because honestly — in moments like this, any explanation was just an excuse. Silence was the better answer.
Seeing that he wasn't going to bite, Sakura Airi decided not to push it further.
She let out a quiet, slightly pouty hum and settled back into the warmth, content to let the pleasant moment carry on.
Before long, the pink hair was fully dry — soft and fluffy, catching the light, smelling faintly of shampoo.
Shikime Natsu switched off the dryer and unplugged it.
"All done."
"Thank you, Natsu~"
Sakura Airi stood from the chair.
When she turned around and came to stand in front of him again, the distance between them had closed considerably.
Shikime Natsu became acutely aware of something.
The girl in front of him was wearing his scent.
His body wash. His soap. The fragrance that belonged to him — now layered over her skin, as though she'd been wrapped in it.
That shared scent created something between them — something warm, and intimate, and faintly charged. As if, in some small and wordless way, she'd been marked as his.
While Shikime Natsu was still half-lost in that thought —
Sakura Airi took a small step backward, creating just a sliver of distance.
And then.
She reached down with both hands and took hold of the hem of the T-shirt. She gave it a gentle downward tug — then caught the fabric at the chest with two fingers and adjusted it, pulling it slightly taut.
The shirt was, in principle, oversized on her small frame.
But for the region in question — the word "oversized" did not quite apply.
With that single motion, what had been hanging loose was now considerably less loose. The fabric stretched — unmistakably, emphatically stretched — and the result left absolutely nothing subtle about the situation.
An impact that hit you somewhere behind the eyes.
Made all the more devastating by the pure, guileless face above it — those wide, innocent eyes blinking up at him with complete and total sincerity.
The contrast between that angelic expression and what was happening below it was the kind of thing that could drive a person quietly insane.
Shikime Natsu found himself thinking, privately:
When it comes to being genuinely, dangerously tempting...
Sakura Airi is, without a doubt, in a class of her own.
Sakura Airi didn't look away.
Those beautiful eyes of hers watched Shikime Natsu steadily, reading every micro-expression on his face with quiet attention.
When she saw his throat move — a barely perceptible swallow —
The corner of her mouth curved up in a small, triumphant arc. She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping into something soft and deliberately sultry:
"Um... Natsu."
"That look in your eyes right now..."
"Are you thinking something you shouldn't be?"
Shikime Natsu looked at her.
If a man could look at Sakura Airi right now — dressed like this, looking like this — and feel absolutely nothing whatsoever...
Then that man was probably not a functional human being.
Shikime Natsu gave a perfectly honest nod.
"Obviously."
Hearing that utterly candid admission, Sakura Airi burst into laughter — bright and clear, like a string of tiny bells.
She laughed so freely that her whole body shook with it — and the view she was already providing shook right along with her.
When the laughter finally wound down, she composed herself. She raised one finger and pressed it lightly against Shikime Natsu's lips, her eyes glinting with mischief:
"If..."
"If I had been Natsu's first girlfriend..."
"Then I'd be willing to just take you straight to bed right now."
"Whatever Natsu wanted to do, no matter how outrageous — I'd say yes."
She let that land for a moment.
Then her tone shifted — a faint, deliberately cute note of grievance and mock-pride creeping in:
"But—"
"As things stand, I'm only Natsu's second girlfriend."
"And on top of that... Natsu made me so sad earlier. I haven't even fully forgiven you yet."
She withdrew her finger, tucked both hands behind her back, and tilted her head with a playful little smirk:
"So..."
"I am not going to make things that easy for you."
"I want to play a game with you, Natsu."
"A game?"
Shikime Natsu raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.
He looked at the girl in front of him and asked:
"What kind of game did you have in mind, Airi?"
He hadn't expected this.
Sweet, well-behaved Sakura Airi — and she had decided to come up with something like this.
Then again.
For Shikime Natsu, this kind of interaction — laced with challenge and delicious unpredictability — was actually quite entertaining. There was something stirring in him. Was he really just someone who could never resist a good quest?
This had considerably more charm than a straightforward advance.
Sakura Airi didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she held up both hands in front of him and counted out the number.
One hand: five fingers spread wide. The other: two fingers raised.
"Seven."
She met his eyes, completely serious.
"Natsu has to pass seven days of trials."
"Only when all seven days are complete... will I give myself to you. Completely. All of me."
As she said it, she leaned a little closer, those eyes fixed on his, making sure every word landed:
"You remember what you promised me just now, right, Natsu?"
"The second person to become physically intimate with you... can only be me."
"During these seven days — absolutely, positively no other girl gets to cut in line."
"Whether it's someone you already know, or someone you meet for the first time — nobody. That's final."
This was her line in the sand.
Non-negotiable. She would not bend on this.
Shikime Natsu looked at her — that adorably earnest, fiercely guarded expression — and smiled, giving a clear nod of agreement:
"Of course."
"If I made a promise to Airi, I'll keep it."
Hearing that, Sakura Airi let out a small breath of relief.
The last thing she wanted was to summon up the courage for this little game — only to have some other girl swoop in and steal the prize while she was busy playing fair.
If that happened...
She'd have paid every price and gained absolutely nothing. There wouldn't even be anywhere to cry.
But if she thought carefully about it — in these seven days, setting aside Kamuro Masumi, who was already a done deal...
For Shikime Natsu to develop that kind of substantial relationship with any other girl, based on Sakura Airi's current read of the situation, would be genuinely difficult. That much she was fairly confident about.
Shikime Natsu watched Sakura Airi, something like amusement glinting in his eyes.
This whole thing — feeling like a quest with objectives to clear — was oddly stirring something in him. Was he really the type who could never resist a challenge laid out in front of him?
He asked:
"So then... what are the actual rules?"
"What exactly are these seven days of trials?"
Seeing that Shikime Natsu wasn't merely going along with it — but actually seemed genuinely interested —
A spark of delighted relief flashed in Sakura Airi's eyes.
Good.
He's actually into it. Thank goodness.
In truth, when she'd first proposed the idea, her heart had been quietly hammering.
Because if Shikime Natsu had shown any impatience — any hint that he found this tedious or unappealing —
Sakura Airi had already prepared herself for what she would do.
Drop it entirely. Give in without conditions.
Because no matter how much pride she had, no matter how much she valued holding her ground —
All of it was nothing compared to the terrifying possibility of losing Shikime Natsu.
She would absolutely never risk that.
He was the person she cared about most in the world. The one she depended on most. If she lost him, she genuinely couldn't imagine how she'd survive the days that followed.
But as it turned out — Shikime Natsu seemed to be genuinely enjoying this.
Which meant everything was fine.
Sakura Airi recovered her confidence fully.
She cleared her throat lightly, raised one finger, and swayed it in front of his face. A crooked little smile pulled at the corner of her lips:
"Day one..."
"Which is to say — tonight."
"The unlocked zone is..."
Her finger drifted slowly through the air — and came to rest, with deliberate precision, against Shikime Natsu's lips.
"Only here."
"Other than kissing — Natsu is not allowed to touch anything else."
"No wandering hands... and definitely not that."
She took a small step back, spread both arms wide, and put herself on display — the white T-shirt, the bare legs, all of it:
"Even though I'm standing here wearing nothing but your T-shirt..."
"Even if the way I look right now is driving Natsu absolutely crazy..."
"You have to hold back."
"That is... the trial for Day One."
She finished speaking and fixed him with a look that was half challenge, half dare. The unspoken message was written all over her face: So. Do you accept?
But.
Before that provocative expression had even fully formed —
Shikime Natsu took one step forward.
Without a word, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers — the same small mouth that had just finished saying "you can't."
"Mm—?!"
Sakura Airi's eyes flew open wide in shock.
But it lasted only a heartbeat.
She let her eyes drift shut. Her arms rose and wound around Shikime Natsu's neck. And she kissed him back — warmly, earnestly, with everything she had.
The rules said kissing was allowed, after all.
So this was entirely within the terms of the agreement.
Long moments passed before they parted.
Sakura Airi's face was flushed a deep, warm pink — the color of a ripe apple. Her eyes were hazy and glittering, luminous with something soft.
"Ha..."
She caught her breath, then shot him a look that was half-reproachful, half-helpless:
"Natsu..."
"Weren't you a little hasty...?"
"I'd literally just finished explaining the rules... and you went straight in."
Shikime Natsu licked the corner of his lips, looking entirely unrepentant — and more than a little pleased with himself.
"The rules allow it. Naturally, I'm going to exercise that right."
"Besides..."
"Airi just now was far too adorable. I couldn't help myself."
Hearing those words, something warm and sweet bloomed in Sakura Airi's chest.
Being ambushed like that — she couldn't exactly say she objected.
If anything... she'd liked it quite a lot.
"Um..."
Shikime Natsu glanced at the single bed — comfortable, but not exactly spacious:
"Since we're keeping things to just kissing tonight..."
"What about sleeping arrangements?"
He pointed toward the floor:
"Should I... just make up a spot down there?"
Keeping their distance seemed like the sensible approach, if following the rules was the goal.
But.
The moment that suggestion left his mouth, Sakura Airi shook her head so fast and so vigorously it looked like she was trying to shake something loose.
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
She grabbed his arm with both hands and pressed herself against his side:
"I came all the way to your dorm..."
"Of course we're sleeping together!"
"If we're not sleeping in the same bed, then what's the point of any of this?!"
She tilted her head up, looking at him with eyes full of pitiful reproach:
"As long as..."
Her voice softened, a touch of shyness creeping into it:
"As long as Natsu doesn't do anything beyond the rules... that's fine."
"We can hold each other while we sleep..."
"And just kissing is okay too."
Seeing how completely determined she was, Shikime Natsu had absolutely no intention of actually sleeping on the floor.
"Alright."
"We'll do it your way, Airi."
---
The night deepened.
Before long, it was time to sleep.
Shikime Natsu switched off the lights.
The two of them slipped under the covers together, settling into the soft warmth of the blankets.
Sakura Airi curled into him like a koala — tucked snugly against his chest, arms wrapped around him, not letting go.
She pressed her cheek to his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
His arm settled around her waist, drawing her close.
In the warmth beneath the blankets, their body heat mingled — slow and quiet and deeply comfortable.
"Natsu..."
Sakura Airi murmured his name softly.
Then she lifted her head, reaching toward his lips in the dark.
In this dim, enclosed space, it seemed like no other language was necessary.
---
Even with his composure, even with his practiced self-control —
Holding a girl like this in his arms — soft, warm, wearing nothing but a single T-shirt, radiating affection from every inch of her — the body's instincts were simply not something that could be reasoned with.
Sakura Airi didn't have any experience to speak of.
But at this distance, pressed this close —
She felt it clearly. Something against her lower abdomen. Something firm and warm.
That was unmistakable proof that Natsu wanted her.
She went still.
Sakura Airi broke off from the kiss.
"Um... Natsu."
"If..."
"If it's uncomfortable for you..."
Under the blanket, her hand moved — drifting slowly, deliberately downward.
"I can take care of it for you. A different way."
"So you don't have to suffer through it..."
____
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