If someone were to ask me what three things I’d want to rid the world of, I would probably wish for the eradication of war, poverty, and Umezono Komaki.

          Umezono Komaki.

          On the surface, she seemed like the perfect human being.

          She had a great personality, excelled in athletics, and maintained high academic performance. People often dubbed her an “unreachable beauty,” but that didn’t stop a constant stream of guys from trying to catch her attention.

          Yet, none of those people knew of Komaki’s true inner nature. In reality, her personality was a stark contrast to her good looks. She was evil and vicious, and she was always looking down on other people with those beady eyes of hers.

          I mean, even the situation we’re in now should explain it pretty well.

          「Hey, aren’t you going to do it yet?」

          She asked, glancing down at me from the desk she was perched on. Her legs were arrogantly crossed as she nudged my shoulder with her toes. I pressed my lips together tightly, silently conveying my dissatisfaction.

          「What’s with that look on your face? Have you forgotten who lost our little bet?」

          She spoke with a teasing tone, reminiscent of those power-tripping bosses you’d see on TV.

          Well, she wasn’t wrong. I was the one who lost.

          I was the one who started a competition based on our midterm scores, although it was Komaki who included the rule that “the loser must yield their dignity to the winner.”

          「Now hurry up and do it already.」

          Komaki remarked while pressing her index finger against her lips. Her lips, glistening with colored lip gloss, seemed soft. I’d heard that many boys in our class had admitted they’d like to kiss her.

          Admittedly, despite being a girl myself, even I found Komaki’s lips attractive. However, the thought of kissing her had never once crossed my mind before.

          It didn’t matter how beautiful she was – we were both girls. And most importantly, Komaki had a terrible personality.

          「I want you to kiss me out of your own volition, Wakaba… and I won’t let you off the hook by saying you can’t do it.」

          「I know. And don’t just say my name so casually like that.」

          I knew nothing good would come out of our little bet the moment Komaki mentioned the word “dignity,” but I really thought I would be able to win this time, so I accepted the challenge.

          Well, I lost. In fact, it wasn’t even close. There was a whopping ten-point difference between us. The gap in our scores was wider than the entire Mariana Trench – impossible to bridge.

          Even if I chose to escape from fulfilling my end of the bet, showing my face at school tomorrow would be out of the question. Knowing Komaki, she’d definitely make sure of that.

          But come on! It’s my first kiss. I’ve been dreaming of that perfect first kiss for fifteen years now. Admittedly, there has never been an opportunity for it yet, but I sure as hell don’t want to give it to Komaki of all people.

          「Fine, just close your eyes.」

          「What, now the loser gets to order the winner around?」

          I almost scoffed upon hearing her speak so rudely.

          Seriously, how could she be so composed at a time like this? I guess it shouldn’t be surprising since it was Komaki we were talking about. She must’ve had her fair share of experiences with several boys already, so it wasn’t like this was her first kiss or anything.

          Still, I didn’t have the slightest clue why her idea of trampling on my dignity involved asking for my lips.

          The idea of using kissing for a punishment game was something typically reserved for couples. As much as I hated to admit it, we were childhood friends – but we certainly weren’t dating. However, having known Komaki for this long, I was aware that her common sense lacked in many ways.

          Honestly, even if I were a boy, she was probably the only girl out there that I would never date.

          Oh, how I wished I could disclose Umezono Komaki’s unpleasant personality and her delight in witnessing my distress to all the boys in her fan club. Of course, I was aware that nobody would believe me even if I said that, though.

          「Whatever, I’ll just keep my own eyes closed then.」

          I stood up and stretched to reach her. Yet, even as I tried to kiss her, Komaki made no effort to get off the desk she was sitting on. Consequently, I had no choice but to place my hands just below her shoulders, propping myself up to draw closer to her beautiful face.

          Good-bye, my first kiss. You shall be missed. I don’t even care what happens after this anymore.

          I closed my eyes and planted my lips against hers.

          There wasn’t even a sound or anything. Our lips met in silence. It felt soft and jiggly, almost like jelly, yet with the warmth of another living creature.

          It was a bit of a weird sensation. I had fantasized about kissing an upperclassman I used to have a crush on in the past, but I never envisioned his lips to be this soft.

          These lips undoubtedly belonged to a girl, one hundred percent. Yet, despite being a girl myself, her lips felt completely different from mine. I doubted mine ever felt this soft or warm.

          Closing my eyes turned out to be a mistake. Deprived of sight, my other senses seemed to sharpen. Whether I liked it or not, I could distinctly feel Komaki and the sensation of her soft lips. I wasn’t sure if I was catching the scent of her shampoo or perhaps her perfume, but either way, she emitted a fragrant aroma.

          This sucks, this sucks… this seriously sucks!

          I screamed in my mind, but despite that, it felt like there was a voice whispering in my ear, telling me to surrender myself to the pleasant feeling that Komaki was giving me.

          「… Hey.」

          I heard her say in an irritated tone. However, before I could ask what was wrong, I felt her hands holding my head.

          「… Mmn!?」

          While doing so, she forcefully separated my lips with her tongue and slid it into my mouth. Her soft and elastic tongue moved freely, almost like it had become a separate living entity. It traced the roof of my mouth, my gums, and the back of my teeth.

          There’s no way this is happening right now.

          The fact that Komaki would go this far just proved that there was something wrong with her head. I smacked her on the back, but she showed no signs of letting go.

          After realizing that resistance was futile, I lost the strength in my body.

          I had once heard that being able to tie a knot on a cherry stem with your tongue meant you were a good kisser.

          My friends and I had discussed it before, and thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure Komaki would have no trouble tying a knot with her tongue if she wanted to. As I became more absentminded and lost in my thoughts, almost as if displeased with my distraction, Komaki squeezed my nose.

          Was she trying to kill me?!

          I instinctively flailed my body around to resist, but it only worsened the breathlessness, making me suffocate even more. Desperately trying to catch my breath, Komaki’s scent invaded my nose.

          My heart was brimming with resentment towards Komaki while my body absorbed more of her scent. It seemed like my entire being was slowly being tainted by Komaki, making me feel like I was on the brink of losing a hold on myself.

          After a while, our lips finally parted. I quickly turned my head away and took a deep breath.

          「You’re the worst! Is going this far considered normal to you?!」

          That was the end of my first kiss.

          Regardless of whomever or however many dozens of people I may kiss in the future, I doubted I could ever forget about today.

          Well, not that I knew if I’d even get to kiss that many people.

          「I mean, yeah. You agreed to yield your dignity to me, Wakaba. You realize that’s the same as saying you’re not allowed to have any dignity, right? That also means you have no right to object to whatever I do to you.」

          Komaki said as she trapped my neck between her legs. At this point, I wouldn’t even be surprised if she tried strangling me like this. Knowing Komaki, she could definitely do it if she wanted to. I could feel sweat starting to drip down my back.

          「Well, I guess I wouldn’t expect you to remember that, Wakaba.」

          I stared at Komaki, our gazes meeting. Her bright brown eyes had a sadistic gleam to them.

          「How about this? If you can win just one match against me, you get your dignity back. On the flip side, the more you lose, the more important things I’ll take from you. What do you think?」

          It wasn’t like I had a say in any of this.

          What I thought didn’t matter. It was practically an order, and I had no option to refuse. If I rejected her proposal, Komaki would just force me to comply with her whims and subject me to something similar to what she did today. In that case, I had no choice but to try and win.

          For a moment, I pictured myself plummeting endlessly down a bottomless pit. It felt like I would soon discover whether that was just my imagination or not.

          I glared at Komaki.

          「Fine. I accept.」

          Komaki smiled. On the surface, she might’ve looked like an angel, but in my eyes, it was like seeing the grim reaper grin at me.

          「Great. I like it when you’re honest, Wakaba.」

          She called me by my name repeatedly to the point where it felt like she was just trying to harass me. I glared at her each time she did so, but it seemed to have no effect.

          As if satisfied with my answer, her legs let go of their grasp on me. I immediately backed away from her and grabbed my schoolbag from the floor. If I stayed here any longer, something even worse might happen.

          I walked over to the classroom door and placed my hand on the handle.

          「Wakaba.」

          I heard her voice call out from behind me. When I reflexively turned around, I saw Komaki staring at me with a smile on her face.

          The sunset glow pouring through the classroom window seemed to bless her with its light. Seeing this, I felt breathless, as if in the presence of a higher being, and her intense and oppressive aura caused my chest to tighten.

          「So, how did it feel having your first kiss snatched away by someone you don’t even like?」

          Her voice was clear and rang gently like a bell. It made me want to cover my ears.

          「It absolutely sucked. If this were the past, I’d be committing seppuku¹ right now.」

          「You say that, but you had this look on your face that seemed like you were really enjoying it. Do you want me to demonstrate?」

          Without waiting for my response, she wore an enraptured expression. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes unfocused, and she looked intoxicated with pleasure.

          For a moment, I couldn’t help but admire her acting abilities. However, immediately after, I could feel my face heating up with rage and shame.

          「That was not how I looked!」

          「Yeah, it was… Huh, I guess I should take a picture next time to prove it.」

          「There won’t be a next time.」

          I opened the door forcefully. The ill-fitted door rattled, producing a clattering sound, as if mirroring the creaking of my heart.

          「Yes, there will. I mean, you’ve never won in anything against me before.」

          I didn’t have a comeback for that, so I simply left the classroom without another word. I intended to walk away with my back turned to her, but before I knew it, she was standing next to me, holding my hand.

           「You know, if that frustrates you, then why don’t you just try winning for once? Not that you’ll be able to, of course.」

          She said as she pulled me along with her, her steps as graceful as a fairy’s. Since we lived close to each other, even when I tried to go home without her, she would always end up coming with me.

           When I graduate from high school, I’m going to make sure I get into a university in Tokyo and break free from Komaki.

          With newfound determination, I moistened my lips with my tongue.

          The remnants of Komaki’s touch and scent lingered quite a bit, prompting me to unconsciously bite my lip.

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1. Seppuku (also called harakiri) was a way for samurai to voluntarily die with honor instead of falling into the hands of their enemies. This practice was especially prevalent during the Edo period, but was also used as recently as World War II. ↩︎

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