It happened as soon as I sat in my usual seat on the school bus.
The girl who always sat next to me reached for my scarf with a laugh.
ãCome on, Iroha-chan. Itâs too hot for this inside the bus. Iâll take it off for you.ã
ãAh, wait!?ã
I tried to stop her, but it was too late.
The scarf was loosened, exposing my neck.
Seeing this, the girl seemed to realize something instantly.
Her face turned bright red, and she mouthed wordlesslyâ¦
ã~~~~!? W-what is this mark!? Iroha-chan, did you⦠on Halloween nightâ¦!?ã
ãAh, no, this is!?ã
ãHey. Whatâs going on with you two?ã
ããGah!ãã
Our shoulders jumped in unison.
Shitennou sitting across the aisle was eyeing us suspiciously.
ãAh, wah!?ã
The girl glanced nervously between me and Shitennou.
Growing impatient, he leaned closerâ¦
ãN-nothing!? Here!ã
ãGuh!?ã
In a panic, the girl rewrapped my scarf around my neck⦠wait, hold on!? Youâre choking me!?
ãHmm? Well, if thatâs all, then fine.ã
The Four Heavenly Kings member tilted his head but returned to his seat.
My secret was safe for now.
But stillâ¦
I tapped the girlâs arm desperately.
ã~~~~! I give⦠help. Iâm dying~!ã
ãEh? Ah! Iroha-chanâs turning white!ã
The girl quickly released me, loosening the scarf.
Finally, she noticed.
ãCough cough!?ã
ãIâm so sorry!? I got surprised andâ¦!ã
ãAh~ that was close⦠I saw both the Sanzu River and the Styx.ã
ãIâm really sorry!?ã
Seriously, Iâd rather not die over something this dumb.
Itâs ridiculous to risk my life over a few kissesâ¦
For a moment, Maiâs face flashed in my mind, but letâs forget that.
And anywayâ¦
ã⦠Stareã
The girl was staring at me intensely.
When I hesitated, she muttered quietly.
ãBut wow⦠Iroha-chan, even though youâre so small, youâve already experienced it. I havenât done anything yet.ã
ãNo, no!? This isnât like that⦠Itâs just a prank from a girl friend!ã
Iâm not lying, right!?
We stared at each other for a moment⦠and she smiled.
ãGeez, donât scare me like that~!ã
ãS-sorry, Iâm glad you believeâã
ãGotcha!ã
ãHyah!?ã
Suddenly, she lifted the hem of my shirt.
For a moment, my bare skin around my waist and belly was exposedâ¦
I hurriedly pulled my shirt down.
Shivering with embarrassment, I asked.
ãDid⦠did you see it?ã
ã⦠It was a hundred times more intense than I expected. How should I say this, eroticââã
ãDonât say it!?ã
ãBut⦠yeah! There were way too many marks on your neck for it to be just a prank! And even down thereâ¦! I never raised you to be this kind of child!ã
ãYou didnât raise me at all!ã
ãBut wow. Iroha-chan⦠no, Iroha-sensei!ã
ãâSenseiâ!?ã
ãSo, Sensei! How do I win over my crush!?ã
ãEh!?ã
ãPlease teach me as a romance master!ã
ãEven if you ask me that!?ã
In her mind, I already had a lover.
But I havenât even mustered the courage to confess yetâ¦!
ãHey, you two. What are you whispering about? âCrushâ and âSenseiâ?ã
ãNo, itâs just!?ã
Now truly suspicious, Shitennou asked.
I racked my brainâ¦
ãY-you misheard! We were just talking about âclassâ and âteacher.âã
Silence filled the air. The engine of the school bus and the surrounding chatter seemed distant.
Seconds felt like an eternityâ¦
ãOh, thatâs it. Sorry, I thought you were skipping studying and talking about weird stuff again.ã
ãN-no way, hahaã
ãReally, we need to be careful about misunderstandings.ã
Speaking of which, that tragic incident happened on Halloween night.
A Japanese exchange student went to a Halloween party in costume.
Unfamiliar with the area, they went to the wrong house.
The homeowner, thinking they were intruders, pulled out a gun and said.
Freeze.
But the student misheard.
In the worst possible wayâ¦
And.
They approached the armed homeownerâ¦
I donât know the truth of the story.
Some say the homeowner had murderous intent from the start.
But if the word had been âstopâ, the outcome might have been different.
Thatâs what I think.
ãI need to be careful too.ã
Not just as a listener, but as a speaker.
Though itâs different from the above story, I once had a terrible misunderstanding myself.
This is a true storyâ¦
In a certain diner, you can never order a "small portion".