This chapter contains suggestive content intended for readers 18+. You have been advised.

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         I pushed Miyagi’s shoulder gently, barely applying any force.

         Yet her back sank into the bed with such ease, it felt like all the resistance she’d shown earlier had been a lie.

         「… What are you going to do?」

         Miyagi asked, looking up at me, her gaze searching for an answer.

         「Will you let me get away with what I’m about to do if I tell you the truth?」

         I asked, combing my fingers through her hair.

         As I picked up a strand and brought it toward my lips, she pushed me away by the forehead.

         「Of course not.」

         「I know. That’s why I’m begging you.」

         「… Sendai-san. You and I are just roommates, right?」

         「Yeah, we are. That’s what we’ve been, and that’s what we’ll be from now on, too.」

         「Liar. What you’re trying to do isn’t something roommates usually do.」

         「Isn’t it fine for roommates to do stuff like this?」

         The word roommate just meant we lived under the same roof. It didn’t define what we could or couldn’t do together. No matter what I was about to do, that label wouldn’t change.

         I knew it was a weak excuse. But if the word “roommate” was something Miyagi still needed to hold onto, then I wanted to let her keep it.

         「― What would you do if I said I wasn’t going to let you?」

         The truth was, I still wanted to keep going, even if she said she wouldn’t let me.

         But if she were really, truly against it, I’d probably stop.

         I could deal with her being angry or cold toward me, but I didn’t want her to hate me or reject me.

         「Then I’ll never try anything like this again. Not while we’re living together, and not even after we stop living together. Never.」

         「You say that, but you always break your promises, don’t you?」

         Miyagi said, staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

         「I won’t. I swear on your earrings.」

         I said, touching one of her small silver earrings—piercings I had made in her earlobes myself with these very hands.

         I pressed my lips to that special and important accessory and whispered into her ear.

         「I promise.」

         「You’re making another half-hearted promise again, aren’t you? You’re always so quick to come up with lies, Sendai-san.」

         「Did it sound half-hearted? Besides, isn’t this exactly what you got those piercings for? I swear I’ll never break this promise.」

         I kissed the earring again and gently bit her earlobe.

         Miyagi brushed a hand through my hair, then traced along my ear with her fingertips.

         She touched my earlobe, as if feeling for an earring that wasn’t there.

         Then, gently, she pushed me away by the shoulders.

         I took that as a sign she wouldn’t allow me to do I was about to do—and pulled back.

         「… The lights.」

         Her voice was so quiet, I almost didn’t catch it.

         「Huh?」

         「Turn off the lights.」

         Just as I was about to give up, she said something I never would’ve expected.

         I was at a loss for words as I got off the bed. I turned off the lights with the remote on the table, leaving only the night light on—but Miyagi angrily told me to turn that off too, so I did. The room was plunged into complete darkness, and I quietly returned to her.

         「Miyagi.」

         In that darkness, where even her outline seemed to melt away, I reached out to touch her. She didn’t respond as I slowly inched closer. When I stroked her hair with my fingers and kissed a few strands, Miyagi grabbed the front of my clothes.

         I kissed her forehead, her cheek, and her ear, one after another.

         Being in this complete darkness made it feel like we were cut off from the world.

         But I knew that, outside this apartment, there were countless people still going about their lives.

         We weren’t alone in the world.

         Still, right now, this moment, this space—we had it to ourselves.

         There was nothing to interrupt us like last summer.

         And even if something like that were to happen again, I had no plans to stop this time.

         That was how I truly felt, but hearing how quiet Miyagi was beneath me made me uneasy.

         「Hey, even if someone rings the doorbell or calls us, I’m not going to answer—and I won’t let you answer either. But if you want me to stop right now… I still can. Miyagi, can I keep going?」

         I asked her one more time, before the last of my sense of reason melted away.

         「Sendai-san, shut up. If you’re going to do it, then be quiet and do it already.」

         She answered coldly, then bit into my neck. Pain ran through my shoulder, but she seemed to be holding back. It didn’t hurt enough for me to complain like I usually did. Her teeth sank deeper into my skin briefly before letting go. In return, I bit her lower jaw, but she pushed me away by the shoulder, and I dug my teeth into her neck instead. She pushed again, like she didn’t want me doing that.

         When I moved away, I felt a little dizzy—the sweet scent of her shampoo was different than usual, and unusually intoxicating.

         I ran my fingers through her hair, dark enough to blend into the night, then traced the curve of her ear. My tongue touched the piercing on her lobe, then slowly slid upward, following the shape of the bone. The moment I slipped my tongue into her ear, Miyagi grabbed a fistful of my hair. Her grip was rough, as always, but there was no real strength behind it.

         「That tickles.」

         She said, sounding annoyed.

         「Just deal with it.」

         I said, continuing to lick her ear, but she kicked me in return.

         「Hey, that hurt.」

         「It’s because you wouldn’t stop.」

         「Of course I’m not going to stop. Just be quiet for a bit and accept it.」

         I softly stroked her ear with my tongue, then bit it gently.

         「I told you, that tickl—」

         Miyagi gasped mid-sentence as I bit down harder.

         I kissed just below her ear and licked her neck.

         We’d been walking outside earlier, and my room was hot. Even though we’d been sweating, her skin tasted like nectar. Maybe it was because of her shampoo, but my senses were starting to go haywire.

         As if savoring Miyagi’s taste, I ran my tongue along the hollow of her neck and gently bit down. I stroked her side over her clothes, slowly sliding my hand downward.

         Slipping my hand under the hem of her sweatshirt, I touched her side directly. My palm clung to her sweaty skin; I could feel both her breath and her body heat.

         Wanting to feel even more of her, I pressed my hand against her more firmly. Just as I tried to roll up her clothes and reached her ribs, she grabbed my hand.

         「I’ll get mad if you take off my clothes.」

         「Don’t worry. I won’t.」

         I replied, and she let go of my hand.

         I stroked the soft skin just below her ribs.

         Even as my hand moved slowly, Miyagi said nothing. But the darkness made it impossible to see her expression.

         I wanted to believe she was just embarrassed because her clothes had been shifted, that it was nothing more than that.

         I ran my fingers over her belly button, then moved upward, careful not to lift her sweatshirt any further.

         When my hand reached her bra, she grabbed my arm again.

         「What is it?」

         「I told you I don’t want you to take anything off.」

         「I’m not going to. I just want to touch you.」

         I whispered, then kissed her cheek.

         I did want to take it off. But more than that, I wanted to respect Miyagi’s wishes.

         「… I don’t want you to.」

         She said quietly.

         「Even if I don’t take anything off?」

         「You’re not allowed to. Even if you don’t take anything off.」

         Her voice wasn’t cold or sharp, so I couldn’t tell how serious she was.

         Truthfully, I wanted to touch her and kiss her everywhere.

         Her chest, her back, her waist.

         Just… everything.

         And I wanted her to let me.

         But just because I wanted that didn’t mean Miyagi did.

         My desire and her boundaries were at odds, and when weighed against each other, hers came out on top.

         「… I understand.」

         I replied quietly, and her grip on my arm relaxed. I pulled my hand out from under her clothes.

         But thinking I might get away with it if I touched her over her clothes, I placed my hand on her chest, over her sweatshirt.

         She grabbed my hand tightly again.

         Even though her grip was firm, it didn’t feel like she hated it.

         Still, I didn’t want to be rejected again.

         I let out a small sigh, then pressed my lips to her neck and sucked hard. She immediately smacked my back.

         「I don’t want you to leave any marks either.」

         I wanted to ask her—who was full of complaints—why she was even letting me do this.

         But I knew that the moment I asked that, everything would end.

         「Are you okay with kissing?」

         I asked, wanting to make sure.

         There was no answer.

         Taking her silence as permission, I pressed my lips to hers and slipped my tongue into her mouth.

         Her soft lips, her firm teeth, and the faint brush of her tongue—I could feel them all. When I nudged her tongue gently, Miyagi responded, just slightly.

         Soft, warm, a little stiff—her tongue moved against mine, and I almost forgot how to breathe.

         I didn’t know why Miyagi was the only one who could melt my reason like this.

         I didn’t know why I wanted to kiss her so badly.

         But still, my body moved on its own—biting, licking, kissing her again and again.

         Miyagi’s breathing turned uneven, and mine grew shallow too. But it wasn’t from being out of breath. It was the pleasure of our body heat blending together.

         Her breaths came in broken intervals, and she was starting to make small, unintelligible sounds.

         Hearing her gasp like that only made me more impatient. I wanted to touch her more.

         Our lips parted, and I intertwined my fingers with hers.

         Maybe because I couldn’t see her clearly in the dark, but the sensation of holding her hand felt more intense than usual.

         Just touching her like this felt good.

         I kissed her cheek, then her ear.

         Our fingers untangled, and I rolled her sweatshirt up slightly, placing my lips on her soft stomach.

         I kissed every place she would allow, so that the next time we kissed, she’d remember all the places I touched today.

         Soft as a whisper, gentle as a breeze, I left no marks behind.

         I stroked her hipbone over her skirt, then slid my hand down to pull the skirt up.

         Her body flinched, and she pushed me back by the shoulders.

         I stopped and looked at her, though I could barely see her in the dark.

         But she didn’t say no.

         「Miyagi.」

         I quietly called her name, and her fingers dug into my shoulder.

         But she didn’t say anything. It didn’t feel like she was trying to push me away, either.

         I could tell she already knew what was going to happen, but she was hesitating.

         I understood why she was hesitating. But last summer should’ve already planted the thought that something like this might happen.

         「You’ll let me do this, right?」

         I asked as gently as I could, and she pulled her hand away from my shoulder.

         「You’re such a pervert, Sendai-san.」

         「I’m okay with that.」

         Her skirt was already half-lifted, so I raised it further and ran my fingers along her thigh.

         I knew it was too soon to be touching her there.

         But she wasn’t letting me touch her anywhere else, so I didn’t have any other option.

         I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breathing.

         As I reached for her underwear, I suddenly started worrying about my nails.

         I hadn’t expected anything like this to happen, so I wasn’t sure what state they were in. They weren’t long, but I was afraid I might hurt her.

         I paused for a moment, and Miyagi’s body shifted slightly.

         Worried she might run away, I slipped my hand into her underwear. I had never touched someone else in a place like this before—of course I hadn’t—and naturally, I was nervous. My body, which had been moving on its own until now, suddenly slowed down, like it had run out of battery. I gently moved my hand lower and found a place on Miyagi that felt warmer than anywhere else I’d touched.

         My fingertips met something wet and slick.

         My heart was beating so hard it felt like it might burst.

         My head was just as hot as the place I was touching.

         I hesitantly moved my fingers, just a little.

         「Mm—」

         A small, quiet whimper slipped from her mouth, and I froze. It didn’t sound like her usual voice. It startled me so much, it felt like my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

         「… I don’t think I want this… after all…」

         Miyagi spoke in a voice so soft I could barely hear it.

         But the response I felt beneath my fingertips said otherwise. Her body was simply reacting to being touched, and maybe she’d respond the same way if someone else did it, but right now, it was me she was letting touch her.

         Miyagi would never understand just how much that meant to me.

         Even if she were to say no now, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.

         「― Just tell me when you really can’t take it anymore.」

         I traced my damp fingers along Miyagi’s most sensitive spot, stroking it slowly.

         She didn’t make another sound, but her breathing grew heavier, syncing with the movement of my fingers.

         I was feeling the heat of her body in a way I hadn’t before. It was hotter than anywhere else I’d touched today—so hot it felt like my fingers might melt. Even my own breath was starting to burn, catching in my throat.

         I pressed down with the pad of my finger. Miyagi’s body shifted slightly. Something slick clung to me—something that felt like the mingling of our emotions—and it made me want to explore her further, in places untouched by anyone else.

         If I just slid my finger a little lower, I knew I’d reach a part of her I’d never known before.

         Her ragged breath brushed against my cheek, my ear.

         Feelings I didn’t even know I had started to surface, threatening to spill over, and I forced my hand to stop.

         「Sen…dai-san…?」

         Miyagi called out in a hoarse voice.

         That unfamiliar tone pulled at me. It made me want to slip my fingers into the place that would lead deeper into her, but I was scared.

         If I did that, I felt like Miyagi might run away.

         「Are you okay?」

         I asked quietly, and she tugged at my clothes in response.

         I still couldn’t see her face clearly.

         I didn’t want my hands to be pushed away just because I wanted to know everything there was to know.

         I started moving my hand again, but only touched her in the places I was allowed to.

         I at least wanted her to call me “Hazuki” at times like this.

         I knew that was a wish that would never come true, but I wanted to hear her say “Hazuki” in that rare, sweet tone I almost never got to hear, and I wanted her to let me call her “Shiori.”

         And if she didn’t want that, then I wanted to pry open her tightly closed lips and clenched teeth, just to hear the voice she was holding back.

         But I knew none of that would happen or be allowed.

         And if that was the case, then I should’ve just been happy with what I was given.

         I understood that.

         But I still wanted more.

         I wanted to see Miyagi change under my touch.

         I wanted to hear the sounds she’d make just for me, to mess her up—to keep messing her up, from now on, forever.

         I wanted her to forgive me for thinking things like that.

         The part of me that was aroused by Miyagi and the part of me that was trying to hold back were starting to blur together.

         The room was hot. Miyagi’s body was hot. And all I could feel anymore was the sensation at my fingertips.

         Not knowing what else to do, I whispered “Miyagi,” instead of “Shiori,” into her ear.

         She didn’t answer with “Hazuki.”

         Even so, I called her name over and over again.

         My voice was hoarse—raspy to the point I could barely recognize it as mine.

         But as I kept saying her name, she tugged hard on my clothes.

         「Shut… up… Be quiet… already…」

         Her voice was broken and breathy in my ear, and her body pressed close against mine.

         She had probably just pulled me in so I’d stop talking. Nothing more.

         Even so, her body was so hot I could feel it even through our clothes. It felt like she wanted me, and that alone made me happy.

         「Let me hear more of your voice.」

         I said out loud, hoping that at least one of my wishes could come true.

         「… Don’t… want… to…」

         Her voice was so quiet, like she was trying to suppress her emotions, that I had to concentrate just to catch every word.

         「That’s fine. Just keep saying that.」

         「Shut… up…」

         That whisper, soft enough to melt into the darkness, made my ears tingle.

         Just hearing Miyagi’s voice like that made me feel like I was going insane.

         「… I’ll stop talking. So call me “Hazuki.”」

         「Don’t… want to…」

         「Then it’s fine if you don’t want to say anything. Just kiss me.」

         As I leaned in closer, Miyagi pressed her hand to my shoulder. But there wasn’t any strength behind it. Then, as if giving in, she pressed her lips to mine.

         I don’t think she kissed me because she wanted to. She probably just didn’t want me to see her face, even if she knew I couldn’t really see it in the dark anyway. Still, the second her lips touched mine, my breath nearly stopped.

         Our lips brushed several times, and then she grabbed my shoulder.

         Her breathing grew heavier, and I could hear sounds from her that she could no longer keep down.

         I thought I remembered everything from last summer clearly. But with time, even those details had started to blur. Now, they were being overwritten by Miyagi’s voice, her scent, her warmth.

         One by one, the missing pieces were falling into place.

         That vague dream I kept having was being completed.

         And I knew I’d dream about this Miyagi again and again from now on.

         Each time, I’d probably regret it.

         Each time, the Miyagi from today would replace the fuzzy memories from the past.

         But I couldn’t stop myself because I’d always wanted to know how she’d sound, how she’d respond in a moment like this.

         As I pressed more firmly with my fingers, Miyagi bit down on my neck.

         Her teeth sank into my skin, and it hurt.

         But I figured this pain was her way of showing how good she was feeling. When I thought of it that way, it took my breath away, and I almost wished it would hurt even more.

         Her teeth dug in, without holding back, and I felt like I could faint. I was the one touching her, and Miyagi was the one who was supposed to feel good. But somehow, it felt good to me too.

         I wished this moment would last forever.

         But then, the pain faded, and I heard her strained voice.

         「S-Sen…dai…san…」

         Just from that broken voice, I could tell that Miyagi was nearing her limit.

         I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more. I wanted to keep going.

         But I stopped my hand, trying to shake off the urge to draw it out even longer. Then, I changed the rhythm of my fingers.

         Miyagi grabbed my shoulders.

         Her grip was tighter than anything I’d felt from her before.

         But before it could turn painful, her body loosened.

         All that remained in the room were our ragged breaths, echoing quietly.

         The sound of her breathing, the warmth radiating from her, and everything else I could feel from her body felt so good that I kissed her. I pressed a soft kiss to her lips, brushed her lower lip with my tongue, and she accepted me without resistance. But the moment the tip of my tongue touched hers, she pushed me away.

         「It’s too hot.」

         She muttered, her breathing still uneven. As I pulled my fingers back, she pushed me aside and stood up.

         「Miyagi—」

         Before I could ask where she was going, I heard her mutter, “Ouch,” after bumping into the table.

         「Do you want me to turn on the lights?」

         I asked, but realized immediately that I didn’t have the remote with me.

         「I can do it myself.」

         「Okay. The remote’s on the table.」

         I turned on the night-light, and Miyagi came back with the platypus-shaped tissue box in her arms. I sat back down on the bed as she pulled out some tissues and gently wiped my hand.

         She was erasing the traces of herself from me.

         She wiped my fingers down, more carefully than usual, with her head lowered so I couldn’t see her face clearly.

         「I’m going to take a bath… I need to wash myself.」

         Miyagi said, standing up and turning her back to me.

         I wanted to stop her. But I didn’t know what to say.

         Having skipped not just one, but two or three bases before touching Miyagi the way I did made me feel uneasy about the way things progressed.

         「Miyagi.」

         I called her name, and she stopped in front of the door.

         I still didn’t know what to say. But I felt like I had to say something.

         「Are you okay?」

         I asked her the same question I’d already asked several times today.

         She quietly answered with, “Yes,” before shutting the door behind her. Just like that, Miyagi was gone.

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