So apparently by “tomorrow,” I actually meant “3 months.” My bad, folks. Explanation in the postscript, but you can skip over it if you don’t care or if you read the chapter release announcement on Discord (they’re the same).
With the moon taking its turn to watch over us as the evening came in, we made our way through the neighborhood.
“You really took me by surprise there.”
“Sorry about that. I should have said beforehand that my dad would be home since it’s his day off. I just wanted us to chat in my room since it’d be a bit more private.”
We’d taken the train to my usual stop and were walking the rest of the way back. And right before that, Meguru-chan had been in a state of utter shock after I’d caused a misunderstanding by the ticket gates. Although she eventually accepted my explanation, the awkward atmosphere took a little time to disperse.
“Honestly, Senpai, you need to be more careful about these things! If you let your guard down like that, somebody bad’s gonna chomp at the opportunity!”
“Y-yeah… I’ll be more careful…”
Truth be told, I felt like the only one I had to worry about having the guts to do any “chomping” was Meguru-chan. I hadn’t pressed the issue, though, because I felt like that’d just make the atmosphere even weirder. I wanted to have a serious conversation, okay? Just because we were going to be alone didn’t mean we were gonna be all over each other or getting hot and heavy.
“We’re at that apartment over there.”
I pointed to the building I was leading us toward, and I heard an audible gulp.
“…Why so nervous?”
“Well… Your dad is there, right? That’s pretty nerve-wracking in its own way. Like, I have to introduce myself and everything…”
“Just don’t say anything like ‘Please let me have your daughter!’ and you should be fine. Or rather, please don’t. I think he’d probably pass out in shock if you did…”
As we had our usual back and forth, we made it up to my floor. Then, as we made our way to the door, I noticed something off.
“…Huh?”
“Senpai? Something wrong?”
“…The lights. …I don’t think they’re on.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right…. Wai—”
Realizing what that might imply, her face flushed red once again.
“O-okay, wait! It might not be what you’re thinking!”
I fumbled a bit as I unlocked the door.
“I’m back…”
I stepped inside to announce my return, and like I saw, no lights were on. And neither did I receive a response.
“Oh, right! The car! Be right back!”
I walked out to the balcony and looked over to the parking lot. His car wasn’t there, which meant he was actually out.
“Ｏｈ．．．”
I awkwardly turned my gaze upwards as I went to report back.
“I think Dad’s gone out somewhere…”
“T-that’s what I assumed…”
“…”
An air of uncertainty, neither warm nor cold, began to build up between us. This was even more awkward than it was when we were at the station. W-what do I do? I desperately tried to figure out the next course of action, which actually came surprisingly quickly.
“For now, wanna come inside?”
“Y-you sure?”
“Yeah. I mean, you’re already here. So as long as you’re fine with it.”
After our long day of fun, there was something I wanted to say to her as soon as possible. The thought of sending her home now, after she’d already come all the way back with me, was out of the question. The only thing I could do was invite her in. As for after that… I’d sort that out later.
“A-alright, then. …Thanks for having me.”
“Make yourself at home. Come here, I’ll show you my room.”
“Kay…”
I led Meguru-chan, who had turned quiet and subdued, to my room. We were somehow both treading softly.
“Here we are.”
“Ooh… so this is your room…”
Upon getting there, she looked around with curiosity. It was the same room as always — quite empty and sterile. Should I have left the clothes I’d strewn all over the place as they were instead of cleaning them up? Nah, no way.
“Sorry. Pretty boring, right?
“No way! It smells so much like you, Senpai!”
“Hey! Don’t just go sniffing around!”
“I’m not. I’m just breathing.”
She walked through the room as if to say it wasn’t her fault. Honestly, how was her sense of smell even this good?
“…I don’t think we’ll be taking too much time, but let me get us something to drink.”
“Okay!”
I made my way to the kitchen… or at least, I made it look like I was doing that and turned right back into my room to hear exactly what I expected.
“That’s a pretty deep breath you’re taking.”
“Eek!? I’m so sorry!”
She had spread her limbs wide, as if using her entire body to take in the air in my room.
We now sat across from each other with cold drinks in hand. I’d been flustered by this unexpected turn of events, but now, I was finally calm. Time to get to business.
“You know, Meguru-chan… I’ve always thought of myself as the ‘cool’ type of person.”
“…Yeah.”
“And I mean both on the inside and outside.”
“Yeah.”
Just like when I told her about my mother, she listened gently and intently.
“That’s how I was brought up.”
I’d never once doubted that fact, like how I was raised to learn that a red traffic light meant “stop”.
“So… honestly, once I started dating you, it confused me a lot.”
“…Mhm. That’s what I assumed too.”
“Yeah, figures… Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. This all started because of my confession.”
Indeed it did. It was all because of that confession on that day. Meguru-chan’s personality was something completely at odds with her appearance. Her existence systematically shattered the truths I grew up with. She had taught me to stop thinking about the gazes of others and turn my attention toward myself. To put it another way, people always drew their sense of self from the things around them. It was fundamentally impossible to see your true self on your own. There was always some obstacle that obscured your sight, be it the gazes of others, mirrors, lenses, or even your own self. And yet, amidst all that, within Meguru-chan’s eyes was reflected my my heart.
“We haven’t been together for very long, but every day with you has been so important. So… even though I was so perplexed at first, I’ve finally found my answer.”
“….Yeah.”
We’d already experienced so much together. Those experiences could be, broadly speaking, divided into two categories. First, times like when she pressed herself on me with seductive allure, or when I snuggled up to her with my head in my lap: moments that we shared in complete privacy. Second, times like when she introduced me to everyone she knew as her girlfriend: things that occurred entirely in the public eye. And then there was today, during which the boundary between those two had begun to blur. That is where I had found my answer.
“You know, I’’m still not really sure about all that ‘becoming your female’ stuff. Especially in public.”
“Ah, is that so…”
“But when it’s just the two of us… I do like being spoiled by you.”
“…Hm?”
Meguru-chan had suddenly begun to look like she wanted to cry, but as I swatted away my embarrassment and kept speaking, the tension drained from her face and her expression relaxed again.
“C-could you say that again?”
“F-Fine! I-I’m still not sure about how I’d feel about this stuff in public, but when we’re alone, I’d like you to spoil me! I want to do the stuff you want to do too! Even though you’re smaller and younger than me! In fact, I kinda like that! Get it now?!”
At this point, I was just riding the momentum, blurting out whatever came to mind as bluntly as possible so there was no chance of a misunderstanding.
“……”
“M-Meguru-chan?”
Before I realized what was happening, she had closed the distance between us and I suddenly felt a pleasantly soft sensation on my lips.
“Mmph…?!”
I lost all the strength in my body for a moment simply from the sheer pleasure of the feeling, but once I realized what was going on, I hurriedly pulled my face away — away from her lips.
“W-wait, Meguru-chan, did you just k-kiss m—”
“Stop moving.”
“Oh…”
I found my gaze drawn by her voice up to her eyes, now unable to look away. Her hair, flowing down from her lowered head, blocked out everything but her from my field of vision. It was almost as if in this world now composed only of us, that gaze meant to declare one thing:
“I’m going to devour you.”
Now, I knew. That was what I had sensed from her the very first time I saw her, something that was plain to see now that her resolve had been laid bare for me to understand. She wanted me in entirety — body and soul — all for herself.
“Senpai…”
She was coming closer. If I didn’t run away right this moment, I was surely going to be devoured… And yet, I closed my eyes and let my strength fade once more.
“Mm…”
As our lips met once again, that soft sensation pushed further against me. It pulled back, and then pushed, over and over, as if to imprint itself into my body.
“Mmph?!”
Just as we parted once more, her teeth suddenly clamped down, sandwiching my lips in between hers and sending a shock through my whole body.
“Oh! I’m sorry! Did… did you not like that?”
Well, it’s not like I didn’t; I was just taken by surprise. I’d never felt something like that before. I wanted to tell her that it was fine, but…
But what? Can’t I just say it? I already spilled it all to her, so… nothing left to hide, right?
I looked up into her eyes — hazy, yet tinged with uncertainty.
“Meguru-chan… More…”
There it was.
She’d finally coaxed a moment of vulnerability out of me. Her eyes widened in surprise for a split second before her expression turned into that of a wolf that had cornered its prey. She claimed my lips again, with an intensity that almost seemed as if she were venting her frustrations. I was crushed, sucked, bitten, again and again, until the boundary between one person and the other began to blur.
“Mm…!”
Suddenly, I felt something different — softer than her lips, slick and warm — slide mercilessly into my mouth. My body jolted at this new sensation before my mind could process what was going on. But this time, she had me pinned down with her weight. The wet, sticky noise of our tongues entwining echoed both inside and outside my ears. As she continued to ravish me, eventually her lips made their way past mine as well. They enveloped my tongue, aggressively sucking and biting on it. Although, she lacked experience, so the pleasure was accompanied by a touch of pain.
I was under her, and she was above me. Even the one dynamic I’d striven to maintain — the one we had when she confessed — had now been flipped on its head. All that was precious to me was being devoured by her, bit by bit.
Was I strange for enjoying this? It was as if I’d truly become hers.
…No, “strange” wasn’t a word that mattered anymore. Thinking on it now, when we arrived and my father wasn’t home — when I realized that I’d be home alone with my girlfriend and felt no reluctance at all — I’d been thinking it all along.
That it’d be okay if it was Meguru-chan.
Our lips parted.
“Haah… Haah…”
As our lips parted, a thin transparent thread lingered between us, as if urging us back together. We simply gazed at each other, breaths ragged.
“Senpai…”
“Meguru-chan…”
Her hand began to slide down my wrist, toward my waist—
Click.
“I’m home!”
At the sound of a voice from the front door, we pulled apart like magnets that had suddenly flipped to match poles.
“W-Was that…” Meguru-chan nervously mumbled.
“I think my dad’s back.”
“Y-Yeah, sounds like it…”
Right. In the first place, the fact that he wasn’t here to begin with was out of the ordinary. Of course he’d come home sooner rather than later.
…
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward. The feeling of her still lingered on my lips. When I reached up to touch them, I felt saliva all over my mouth; whether it was hers or mine, I had no clue.
“Ah… Yeah, same…” Meguru-chan remarked. “Should we clean up?”
“Y-Yeah.”
We both got busy wiping ourselves off with tissues.
“Haha. …Ahahahaha!”
The sight of it struck us both as so absurd that we suddenly burst into laughter. Maybe it was the only thing that we could do, especially considering what we were just doing.
“Should we leave it at that, for today?” She asked.
“I guess so.”
“Then thanks for the meal!”
“What are you even saying?!” I retorted. She’d pressed her palms in a gesture of formality, the same as one would do after finishing their food.
“I suppose you have a point,” she replied. “There’s still plenty left uneaten.”
“You… you pervert.”
She laughed, clearly enjoying the exchange. I didn’t bother to deny it either, instead playing along.
“Hey, Sakoto? I don’t recognize these shoes. Do you have someone over?” My dad yelled from the living room.
“Oh, yeah! A friend!”
“Senpai, before I leave, can I say hi to your dad?”
“Do you really want to? I mean, sure, but… please just don’t say anything weird.”
“So I can’t ask him for his daughter’s hand in marriage? How about telling him how delicious you were?”
“Is this what people mean when they talk about ‘post-game commentary’? …Seriously though, no!”
We hurried to fix up our hair and clothes before leaving the room.
We walked to the station, our silhouettes blending into the indigo sky as if to hide from the rest of the world. The cold evening breeze felt pleasant against my flushed skin.
“Sorry to make you walk me home.”
“No, not at all. It’s getting dark out.”
I’d briefly introduced Meguru-chan to my dad, who had been missing because he had gone out to do some shopping. She’d seemed a bit nervous, but other than that, was perfectly well-mannered. Nothing weird, no slips of tongue.
…Dad, on the other hand, was incredibly surprised to hear that I had a friend over. But come to think of it, it’d been years since I’d had anyone over. So not only was he surprised, he was genuinely happy in a way that I hadn’t seen in a very long time… Had he always been this worried about me?
“Ahhh!”
Meguru-chan suddenly raised her arms in a stretch.
“Ahaha. Are you tired?” I asked.
“Well, not exactly. I’m more relieved that I can head home feeling good about all this.”
“Relieved?”
“Mhm, that I didn’t get dumped.”
“D-Dumped?! You thought I might dump you?!”
“I mean, yeah! I was so anxious because I knew you had a hard time being honest! When you started talking about how hard it was to express yourself, I thought I might have to prepare myself for the worst!”
“Well… Actually, okay, that’s fair. Sorry.”
It seemed that because of the trouble I had understanding and accepting myself, I ended up making her worry, too. I needed to be better about that…
“I’ll try to be more open and honest with you from now on,” I said apologetically.
“Oh! But I don’t want you to do something you’re uncomfortable with, okay? Just hearing you say that you didn’t mind being a little spoiled when we’re alone made me really happy. We can figure out the rest together!”
“…Yeah. Thank you.”
I think I’ve found a wonderful partner.
“It almost feels like I’m dreaming,” Meguru-chan mused. “I never thought I’d find a relationship so fulfilling.”
“Hm?”
Just as I thought to myself that she might be too good for me, she spoke up. Her tone of voice was quiet and contemplative, lacking her usual upbeat energy.
“Romance has never been a part of my life.”
I thought back to what Nico-san had said at the boutique. She’d said the same thing about Meguru-chan; since both she herself and the people around her saw it that way, I figured it must be true. I, myself, had always been self-conscious about my lack of romantic experience, but I’d also always prioritized looking cool and making the people around me happy over pursuing love.
To put it another way, what she’d wanted was something “special”, and what I’d wanted was something “equal”. Maybe that was why our paths eventually crossed.
“Love is all fun and games in elementary school, but once I got older and nothing changed… I almost gave up. I thought that maybe I just wasn’t capable of falling in love. But then I met you, Sakoto-senpai. You made me realize that it wasn’t that I wasn’t capable of romantic love; it’s just that my romantic love was meant for you.”
“I-I see.”
“So thank you.”
“Mhm… You know, I’m happy we found each other too. …I love you.”
I answered her straightforwardness with the same resolve. I was pretty embarrassed, honestly. But even if I wasn’t being particularly cool, I felt an overwhelming desire to let my feelings out. She meant so much to me. I’d do anything for her.
I never thought that someone like me, someone that was always so preoccupied with pleasing the crowd, would ever have such special feelings for someone else.
“Ahaha…”
We shared a bashful giggle.
Still, though, when I reflect on everything that’s happened between us…
“You know, maybe we’re actually pretty similar,” Meguru-chan remarked.
“Woah, I was actually just thinking the same thing!”
“Wait, really?!”
Maybe that, itself, was proof of our similarity. Indeed, we were alike in certain ways. It was difficult to pin down exactly how, though…
“Our looks and personalities are pretty different, but… like…” I pondered.
“Maybe it’s because we’re so opposite that we feel so alike.”
“Hm?”
My voice was tinged with doubt, feeling like that statement was contradictory. But unperturbed, she continued speaking.
“You’ve got the cool looks, and I’m the cute one — oh, but I don’t mean that in a braggy way — and you’re the one that likes being pampered, while I’m the one that does the pampering. We’re always opposites. So that means we fit together perfectly!
“…Like front and back.” I mumbled.
“What was that?”
I suddenly remembered something I’d asked myself a while back.
“Basically, we both have gaps in the way we present ourself to others and how we act in private. And that’s why we work so well together,” I explained.
“…Oh!”
She nodded, seeming to understand what I was getting at.
“You’re so right! My front and back are like your back and front! A perfect match!”
“Okay, I don’t think it’s that deep, but… yeah, pretty much.”
Because my exterior matched her interior, and vice versa, we were able to bridge the gaps. We never would have gotten to know each other if it was just our looks that fit each other. It was because of what was beneath that we were now walking side by side. Maybe “perfect match” wasn’t even a strong enough descriptor for us.
When I thought about it that way, it felt like I’d been saved.
“…Well, here’s the station.”
“Oh, you’re right…”
We were so deep in conversation that we’d barely even noticed. It was already time to say goodbye for the day. It wasn’t a sad goodbye; we still had plenty of days ahead of us. But even so, I couldn’t help but feel down after having spent the whole day together.
“Senpai.”
“Hm?”
When I turned around in response to her calling for me, her face suddenly came incredibly close. And then, just for a fleeting moment, I felt that soft sensation one last time.
“Wha—W-Wait, Meguru-chan?!”
It was an incredibly gentle, chaste kiss. But we were in public, and I worriedly scanned the surroundings for would-be onlookers.
“It’s okay. Nobody’s watching. And even if they were, they’d probably just think we’re girl best friends. Or maybe just a run-of-the-mill couple. Our secret’s safe.”
“I guess you’re right.”
She did come at me from below, this time. It wasn’t like she was pinning me to the floor like before. So it wasn’t actually that big a deal if we were seen. Right?
Still, though…
“Senpai, I’ve said this before, but you really should have some more confidence.”
“…I see what you mean.”
Seeing the mischievous, teasing expression on her face told me everything I needed to know — not just about why that kiss was fine, but also about what was in our future.
“How about I come with you to the ticket gate?”
“Really?! Yay!!”
Acting as if nothing had happened, I walked through the station with her to the ticket gates. Once she passed through, it’d really be goodbye for today.
“Senpai.”
A step before she reached the gate, she spun around, speaking in a whisper meant just for me.
“Having some secrets to keep while we’re in public is pretty thrilling, isn’t it?”
She looked like a puppy proudly showing off its fangs.
“Anyway, I had a lot of fun today, Senpai! See you at school!”
This time, she called out clear and loud, dashing off toward the platform. I stood perfectly still, watching her until she left my sight.
…Haha. Yeah, I think I’ve ended up with an extraordinary partner. But I was certain she felt the same about me. We were two sides of the same coin, after all.
Our short time together so far had already been filled with so much. But it was still only the beginning for us. That thought made the days ahead of me feel almost alarming, but at the very least, I no longer had that suffocating weight on my shoulders.
“I guess I should head home too.”
I turned, taking my time on my walk back. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of my own reflection against a store inside the station.
What I saw was the most charming version of myself I’d ever been.
Full disclosure: While I did have some stuff suddenly come up, half the reason why this took three months to release is because I spontaneously lost interest while working on it, and then the file sat buried in my work laptop for a very long time. Blame the ADHD. Not that I think this series is bad in any way, but the way Nanato Nana writes can definitely wear a girl down. That being said, I will be doing the volume extras (probably after finishing up ManoSaba vol. 1, which requires a massive host of script corrections due to the official terms for most things in that work now being publicly available through the current burst pre-English release marketing). At this point I also have an obligation to do volume 2 of this series as well, which released a week or so ago! That’ll come when it comes, but I think I’d like to take a break from the crazier sort of comedy before returning to the likes of Nanato Nana and Inukai Anzu.
As for what the aforementioned stuff is, I won’t be mentioning it here; if you know, you know. But it certainly isn’t anything bad, so if you were worried, don’t be.
If you enjoyed this translation and would like to send some support my way, feel free to tip me here.
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