CH 21
The Case of a Childhood Friend That I Haven't Talked to in a Long Time is a Pushover
âSo? How do you usually spend your time?â
âWhat do you mean?â
It was lunchtime, when I was having dinner with Tomohito for the first time in a while.
Since we started dating, Kasumi and I always had lunch together, and we decided to have lunch with each otherâs friends once in a while, as we had done before.
Glancing at me, Kasumi was looking at me from a seat away from her, and every time she did so, Asahina and her friends made fun of her. I smiled at her and was glad that she cared about me.
Now, how do we usually spend our time?â¦â¦
âYou mean with Kasumi right?â
âOf course. So, you do what you do as a lover?ââ
I canât really imagine what it is that we do as lovers, but in this case, thatâs what the question is about, isnât it?
âI donât owe you an answer.â
âWell, Iâm sure youâre right, but â¦â¦ Iâm still curious.â
I understand how you feel, but why do I have to tell you all that?
I mean, Kasumi nor I have been dating for less than two months. So we havenât done that much â¦â¦ yet, of course.
âWell, itâs okay. Iâm going to predict it by looking at you guysâ usual lovey-doveyness. Iâll just have to guess what you guys usually do when I see you lovebirds.â
âWell, itâs okay. Iâm going to predict it by looking at you guysâ usual lovey-doveyness. Iâll just have to guess what you guys usually do when I see you lovebirds.â
ââ¦â¦ Whatâs with lovey-dovey?â
Not only Tomohito, but also Kasumiâs friends had similar things to say.
Kasumi and I get along well, and I think itâs because we are able to say things to each other without hesitation. I think the time we spent together as childhood friends has, in a sense, broken down the barrier of reserve, and we can say whatever we want to say to each other without fear.
ââ¦â¦Something to do huh?â
I blurted.
Just being with Kasumi like this now makes me happy and happy every day. But as Kasumi once said, I am a man. If there was a wonderful woman named Kasumi in front of me in a defenseless state, of course I would be conscious of her.
[â¦.Kazuki?]
Sometimes I look at those soft lips, but thatâs it.
I had a feeling that I wanted to at least try kissing her, though I was not ready for the s*x act. But Iâm not actually able to act on it,â¦â¦, so I guess Iâm a bit of a slacker.
As I was thinking this, Tomohito opened his mouth with an apologetic look on his face.
âHey, donât even think that far ahead. It was my fault for asking.â
ââ¦â¦ Ah no, thereâs nothing to apologize for.â
â¦â¦â¦Itâs not something Tomohito Asked, but I did.
âHey, Tomohitoâ
âWhat?â
âI wonder what itâs like the moment you kiss your lover.â
âWhy would you ask me that if I donât have a girlfriend?â
Yes, Iâm sorry.
But Tomohito is a fun guy to talk to and a very kind friend who is very considerate of his friends. Heâs not afraid to talk to Kasumi and the others, and I think heâd be popular with them if he just kept things normal.
âWell, Iâm sure youâll get a girlfriend eventually.â
âI hope soâ¦â¦. Haaaaâ
No, Iâm pretty sure you can do it.
After tapping Tomohito on the shoulder, I looked at Kasumi again. It seemed that Kasumi had been looking at me too, and our gazes crossed as if we were intertwined. I was a little embarrassed, but Kasumi didnât seem to be.
ââ¦..Hahaâ
I raised my hand a little and Kasumi raised hers in response.
Then Asahina san and the others are grinning and talking to Kasumi about something. Just as I have Tomohito and other friends, I have friends by Kasumiâs side that I can rely onâ¦â¦. What the heck, friends are still essential to student life, as are lovers.
Then time passed and it was after school.
As usual, I left the classroom with Kasumi, headed for the shoe box, changed into my shoes, and went outside. It had been a little while since then, and the senpai had not gotten involved with us since then. And there were no more letters left in Kasumiâs shoe box.
âI think he finally understood that I belonged to Kazuki. Itâs good and quiet.â
âI hope so.â
âYeah. But Iâm worried about whether Kazuki will get confessed to.â
You donât have to worry about that. Iâve never had a confession of love from anyone, and thereâs no way Iâd be attracted to anyone with a wonderful woman like Kasumi by my side. I think Iâve said something similar before, but thatâs how big Kasumi is in my mind.
âKasumiâ
I reached out my arm, placed my hand on Kasumiâs shoulder, and pulled her straight to me.
Kasumi didnât get surprised, but when she looked up to see what was wrong, I told her exactly what I was thinking.
âCan you imagine me leaving Kasumi? I canâtâ
ââ¦.Fufu, Yes, I canât do it. I canât do it at all. Kazuki is crazy about me.â
â¦.Kasumi really doesnât mind saying things like that.
Kasumi chuckled at my quietness, but did not ask me anything in particular. Kasumi and I continued to cuddle as we headed home.
âHere, juice.â
âThanksâ
âYeahâ
The temperatures are getting much warmer as summer approaches.
I put my mouth in the cup I received from Kasumi, and the cool sensation of the poured orange juice down my throat is very soothing.
âAaaa so niceâ
Kasumi looked at me and muttered, âcanât help it,â and drank her juice with a smile.
My eyes were still drawn to the way she gulped down her delicious drink and to the way her lips parted from the cup. It is because we are so close to each other that our shoulders touch each other that I am conscious of her.
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦â
âKazuki?â
Once you start being aware of it, it doesnât leave your head for a long time.
Itâs at times like this that my lack of experience with women becomes apparent. â¦â¦ Well, I canât imagine having any experience with women other than Kasumi in the first place, but still, itâs not good to be aware of it.
âHey Kazuki, whatâs bothering you?â
ââ¦.You noticed?â
âYeah. Of course.â
Sheâs a childhood friend who really notices me a lot.
I moved away from Kasumi, who was moving closer to me as if to say, âI want you to listen to me.â
âAahâ¦.â
And, of course, when I do so, Kasumi lets out a sad sound.
Iâm tempted to complain to myself about what Iâm doing and call out to her, meaning that Iâm not going to reject Kasumi, but â¦â¦ I completely missed the choice.
âI want to kiss you, but I donât know when to do it. â¦â¦ ha?!â
ââ¦â¦â¦.Kiss?â
I stopped in the middle, but itâs like I said it all!
Apart from my panicked reaction, Kasumi was mumbling the word âkissâ. I was wondering what to do about this atmosphere, and then Kasumi said something like this.
âLetâs kiss. Itâs easy, just put our lips on each otherâs.â
âO-Ouuâ¦.â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â¦Hmmmâ
Kasumi closed her eyes and pouted her lips.
This is â¦â¦canât get away now can it? I blackmailed myself for trying to escape at this stage, saying that would not be it. It would be too pathetic to run away after all that Kasumi has done for me.
ââ¦â¦â¦.?â
ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â
But thatâs when I came to my senses.
That Kasumi is also red-faced and shaking with a pull. Kasumi is embarrassed too, but if sheâs done this much â¦â¦, she canât run away now, can she?
ââ¦â¦ really, Iâm being pulled in from everything.â
I chuckled because I felt like my position was reversed from the past.
Well, in a case like this, itâs probably not a good idea to make her wait too long. I slowly approach Kasumiâs face, feeling the noisy beating of her heart.
âTsâ¦â¦..â
ââ¦â¦â¦Hnnnâ
Kissing just to touch each other, I felt Kasumiâs soft lips on the tip of my lips.
Hot â¦â¦ whole body is incredibly hot. But I felt so comfortable in this moment as if time had stopped.
After ten seconds or so, me and Kasumi separated our faces.
ââ¦â¦ we kissedâ
âAh, â¦â¦ wellâ
âWhat is it?â
âI was happy.â
âYes, â¦â¦ I was very happy.â
Then Kasumi would bring her face close again and kiss me.
ââ¦â¦ now Iâm used to it, and I can kiss you anytime I want.â
âI-is that so?â
âYeah. Kazuki, letâs kiss again.â
ââ¦..Yeahâ
We kissed one more time.
Are we both looking away from each other and â¦â¦ Kasumi? Are your eyes rolling?
ââ¦â¦oh â¦â¦ my vision is going numb!!â
âKasumi!?â
â¦.After that, I kept holding Kasumi in my arms until she turned her eyes and regained her tone.