To be honest, this seemed too good to be real.

         I hadn’t expected things to come this far.

         I gently ran my fingers through Miyagi’s hair as she stayed nestled in my arms.

         The sweet scent of her shampoo made the already warm room feel even hotter.

         「I kissed you properly, didn’t I?」

         Miyagi spoke softly, tugging at my blouse. As I loosened our embrace, she looked up at me, her head still tucked into my shoulder.

         It seemed only right for Miyagi to be the one to say she wanted to see me over winter break, but I never imagined she’d offer me a kiss in exchange for tutoring her. At most, I thought she’d ask me, with her usual deadpan expression, to help her study over winter break. That was about all I’d expected from her.

         「I wouldn’t call that a proper kiss.」

         I shrugged off Miyagi’s words, pulling away slightly.

         「Then what is?」

         「If you’re not sure what counts as a proper kiss, why don’t I show you?」

         I traced her lips with my fingertips, gently pressing my thumb into her mouth. My fingers just barely touched her teeth, and Miyagi reacted by pushing me away by the shoulders. As I pulled back, she seemed to understand my point and frowned.

         「… Just so we’re clear – this is all part of the trade, right?」

         She asked, as if to double-check.

         It always felt like I was the one putting in all the effort, leaning toward Miyagi.

         Sometimes, I wondered if I should take a step back to sort out my own feelings. But I realized I was wrong. If things were already so unbalanced, why not let them tip even further? If I could get Miyagi to lean toward me just as much—or even more—then who cared about “balance” anyway?

         「Yeah, it is.」

         I replied curtly, and Miyagi sighed softly before taking hold of my arm. She moved her face closer, but when she noticed I hadn’t closed my eyes, she shot me a sharp look, silently urging me to close them.

         Not wanting to risk making her angry, I shut my eyes, and soon, something soft brushed against my lips, and the grip on my arm tightened.

         After a moment, Miyagi’s tongue hesitantly entered my mouth, grazing mine gently. It tasted sweet, like the snack I’d been eating earlier—or maybe that sweetness was just in my imagination, and I was the only one who tasted it.

         I’d never thought I’d see the day where Miyagi would ever kiss me like this without a single complaint, nor did I think she’d actually agree to do more than she originally offered. All of this was messing with my emotions.

         I extended my tongue a little further, letting it gently brush against hers.

         I wanted to feel even more of her.

         But before anything could happen, Miyagi pulled away, as if retreating.

         「Was that good enough?」

         Miyagi asked, her eyes avoiding mine.

         Honestly, I didn’t think it was bad.

         Miyagi had kissed me earnestly, and she usually didn’t enjoy kissing with tongue unless she could bite me too. Given all that, I figured I could let her off the hook this time.

         Yet, I didn’t want it to end here.

         「Hmm, I don’t think so.」

         It felt like today, I could get away with a little more.

         「But I did exactly as you asked.」

         「Maybe, but I still wouldn’t call that a proper kiss.」

         I knew I was just nitpicking and making up excuses.

         Miyagi frowned, clearly unhappy, and I couldn’t blame her for it.

         「That’s just based on your standards, isn’t it?」

         「If it’s something you’re offering to me, shouldn’t it meet my standards?」

         「… I guess so.」

         Normally, Miyagi would complain that I was being unfair or adding extra conditions, but today, she seemed uncharacteristically compliant.

         “Come tutor me over winter break.”

         It seemed like she was holding back from arguing, as if afraid that even the smallest pushback might ruin the chances of it happening.

         「You’re fine with this, right?」

         I wasn’t going to give her a chance to object. Before she could answer, I pressed my lips against hers, pulling her closer by wrapping an arm around her waist. Her lips, usually pressed firmly shut, were slightly parted, allowing me to enter her mouth with barely any resistance. She didn’t bite down on my tongue, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

         Honestly, her first kiss would have been enough to fulfill the trade, but since she was giving me the chance to go further, I couldn’t help but take it.

         I entwined my tongue with hers, gently guiding her. This time, Miyagi didn’t pull away; instead, she matched my movements. Her tongue was soft, elastic, and—just as I’d imagined—sweet. When I drew my tongue back a little, Miyagi followed, and I bit down on her tongue, even more gently than I’d bitten into the fudge square earlier.

         Our lips felt almost unbearably hot, as if they might melt together. It was almost as if I’d forgotten how to breathe, and dizziness started to cloud my mind.

         I pulled away from Miyagi, then pushed her down onto the bed. I was surprised at how easily she sank back, her body yielding to me.

         I leaned in again, closing my eyes, and kissed her deeply once more.

         Perhaps Miyagi was still taking this “proper kiss” thing seriously, because when I slid my tongue into her mouth, she responded. Our tongues met and parted, over and over, and soon our breathing became more ragged.

         I started undoing the buttons of Miyagi’s blazer and loosened her necktie, only to be shoved away. I expected her to say something, but instead, she simply met my gaze in silence. It wasn’t until I had unfastened all the buttons on her blouse and was caressing her side that she finally spoke up.

         「This is going way beyond kissing now.」

         Miyagi said, trying to steady her breathing, as she grabbed my hand, which had been resting at her side.

         「Since you didn’t kiss me properly the first time, I thought it was only fair to include this as part of the deal.」

         「Stop deciding things on your own.」

         She muttered, pulling my hand away from her side.

         But today, I had a few magic words to get her to listen to me.

         「You want me to come tutor you over winter break, don’t you?」

         I whispered in her ear as she started buttoning up her blouse. She paused, and when I slid my hand back to her side, this time she didn’t pull away.

         This little spell I had just for today was proving very effective.

         「… Adding all these extra conditions isn’t fair.」

         「You’ve done it before yourself, haven’t you, Miyagi?」

         「Maybe, but you’re asking for too much.」

         「You’re right. I am pushing things a bit too far.」

         Miyagi’s voice sounded displeased, but she hadn’t bit or kicked me, so I was pretty sure she wasn’t truly against it. If she really wanted me to back off, she’d make it clear.

         So even though I knew I was overstepping, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

         「I’ll stop if you really hate this—just say the word. So, what’s it going to be? How far are you willing to let me go today?」

         During summer break, she had let me push just a little further than this. So, what about now? I slowly slid my hand down her side. As my fingers trailed over her ribs, feeling each one, Miyagi’s body gave a slight tremor. She reached out and gripped my shoulder, as if trying to cover herself up, but her hold was so gentle, I knew she wasn’t actually stopping me.

         I looked at Miyagi, her cheeks faintly flushed. I wanted to kiss her, but I worried that might cause her to change her mind about all this, so I held back.

         This was different from what had happened over the summer, when we’d simply gotten carried away in the moment. Now, with this impure trade-off between us, we couldn’t just lose ourselves; it felt like we were both searching for some kind of middle ground.

         Without intending to, I touched her slowly, gently, as though looking for something on her body. My fingertips moved along her soft, smooth skin and paused just shy of her chest. I let out a breath.

         When I finally rested my hand on her chest, over her undergarments, Miyagi’s body trembled again. But that was all—she hadn’t told me to stop.

         My heart was pounding so loudly, I could barely hear my own thoughts.

         My palms felt hot, almost feverish.

         Miyagi didn’t grab my hand or try to stop me, so I undid the clasp of her bra and gently moved it aside. As her chest slowly came into view, her body tensed.

         I wanted to see her expression, to know what she was feeling, but I couldn’t bring myself to look, afraid it might make her reconsider what we were doing. I eased her bra away, revealing her small, delicately shaped breasts.

         I’d seen other girls’ chests before—at hot springs or during school trips—but I’d never thought anything of them.

         But right now, it was different.

         I wanted to touch Miyagi’s chest.

         I wanted it more than anything.

         I moved my hands closer, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips—at least, I think I did. But before I could fully take in the sensation, Miyagi pulled me toward her, wrapping me in an embrace.

         I lost my balance, and instead of touching her chest, I had to brace myself by placing my hands on the bed. With Miyagi pressed so closely against me, there was barely any space between us, and it was hard to move.

         This room was always unbearably warm, and today was no exception—I had already taken off my blazer. I could feel Miyagi’s warmth and the sensation of her body through my blouse, but even that thin fabric was starting to feel like an obstacle. If only we weren’t wearing any clothes—then I could feel her so much more clearly.

         Wanting to feel her more directly, I poked her sides. Suddenly, something warm pressed against my neck, and a moment later, a sharp pain sank into it.

         「Ouch.」

         I didn’t need to look—I knew it was her teeth. Miyagi was biting me hard, and the sting was proof she wasn’t holding back.

         「Hey, Miyagi, if you bite too hard, you’ll leave a mark.」

         I lightly tapped her side, and finally, she let go.

         「You’re an erotic demon, Sendai-san. A lecher. A total pervert.」

         「Wh— An erotic demon?」

         「What, are you saying you’re not? I never said you could look at me or touch me like that.」

         She punctuated her words by digging her nails into my back.

         「Ouch, that actually hurts.」

         「You deserve it, Sendai-san. I’m never going to forgive you for today.」

         「But—」

         I wanted to say, “You didn’t resist,” but I knew that would only make her even angrier.

         「But what?」

         「Uh, nothing. I won’t do anything else, so… could you let go?」

         「… Really?」

         「Really. I swear I won’t.」

         As I promised, her arms loosened around me, giving me back my freedom to move. I pulled back a bit, my gaze naturally drifting down to her chest, but before I could get much of a look, Miyagi’s hands blocked my vision.

         「Don’t look over here. Keep your eyes closed for once.」

         Miyagi said in a sulky voice, her hands covering my eyes.

         「Okay, they’re closed.」

         I did as I was told, and she quickly pulled her hands away.

         「Now turn around.」

         I had a feeling that if I opened my eyes now, I’d get kicked out of the room, so I sat up, turned around, and kept my eyes shut. I couldn’t see what Miyagi was doing, but I could tell she was getting dressed again.

         「Are you done yet?」

         I waited for about three minutes before asking.

         「No. Just stay like that for the rest of your life.」

         She replied, her voice cold and annoyed. Then she hit me in the back with what felt like a pillow.

         「You’re not going to tell me that wasn’t good enough again, are you? You’d better keep your promise.」

         Miyagi said, her tone the sulkiest it had been all day.

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