We exchanged heat with each other through our lips and then what happened? I honestly didnât remember anything about how we got home. I felt like I met up with Natsuki and Raimon-san, and I think I was in another pool. I think Natsuki called out to me a few times, but I didnât even remember what I answered.
I found myself going home with Kazemiya.
âŠWhat did we talk about on the way home? I had no memory of it. Maybe we didnât talk about anything. I think we were silent for a long time. I even barely said âIâm homeâ and went back to my room.
Kazemiya was in an empty roomâŠprobably a guest room, or maybe Kotomiâs room.
Which one was she in? I forgot. I canât remember. At least, I couldnât calm down now. If I calmed down even for a moment, I would vividly remember what happened at the pool.
The feeling of Kazemiyaâs heat still lingered on my lips.
It happened not once or twice, butâŠâŠ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.!â
What were you doing? What was I doing?
And it wasnât an accident, or a flow, or anything like that.
It was clearly something I did of my own volition. I was being honest about my feelings, which I had turned away from until now. I had no regrets about that, and I was relieved that Kazemiya did not reject it.
Thank God. Somewhere inside of me, I had feared that I would no longer be friends with Kazemiya, that I would lose her. I was able to protect the time we spent alone at the family restaurant, I didnât lose Kazemiya, and I was able to be with her. I was relieved more than anything to know that.
Although the form had changed from friendâŠâŠ
ââŠâŠHmm?â
âŠHad the form changed from a friend?
So what were we now? What name would be given to our relationship?
Maybe the public would call us lovers, butâŠwe just kissed. Thatâs all.
It was not a verbal agreement like in dramas or comic books, like âI love youâ or âPlease go out with meâ.
After the kiss, we didnât talk much. We just left it ambiguous and went homeâŠ
After allâwhat are we now, Kazemiya Kohaku?
We kissed. That was certain. So, did that make me a lover, or could I call myself Kazemiya Kohakuâs boyfriend? IâŠâŠdonât think so. So, if I was asked why I kissed her, it would be because I like her.
(WaitâŠif I think about it carefullyâŠâŠ)
I still hadnât heard about Kazemiyaâs feelings. Before that, I didnât even tell Kazemiya how I feel, did I?
In this situation, if by any chance Kazemiyaâ
âCan you stop acting like youâre my boyfriend just because we kissed?â
âShe might say thatâŠ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
My head hurts. Or rather, I was shocked by my own imaginationâŠ
What should I do? It would be a littleâŠno, quite awkward.
âWhat kind of face am I supposed to make when I meet Kazemiya from now onâŠ?â
***
I didnât really remember what happened after that. I think maybe Shiori talked to me or something.
To be honest, I wasnât even sure how I got home. My feet moved on their own and I found myself at Narumiâs house. When I first came to myself, I was a bit surprised.
While I was surprised at the passage of time, I heard a knock on the door and someone entered the roomâŠ
ââŠAh, Kotomi-chan.â
âOh, thank God. Youâve come to your senses.â
âŠâŠWhat kind of state was I really in?
âMother and I were worried about you two. Both Brother and Kazemiya-senpai were acting strangeâŠâ
âIâm sorry. Itâs not that weâre sick or unwell or anything like thatâŠâ
âŠâŠNot good. I donât know what kind of face I should be making when I talk to Kotomi-chan.
ââŠUmm.Did I do something that might have bothered you, Kazemiya-senpai?â
âHuh? Itâs not like thatâŠwhy?â
âYou havenât even made eye contact with me since a while agoâŠâ
Thatâs right. Because it was awkward.
I just kissed Narumi at the poolâŠâŠKotomiâs brother.
But how could I say thatâŠâŠ
ââŠâŠItâs as if you canât look at me because you kissed my brother at the pool and you feel awkward.â
âHow do you know!?â
âEhh.â
âAhh.â
Perhaps if a competition were held now to determine the worldâs biggest moron, I would be the winner by a landslide.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.May I have a detailed report?â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..Yes.â
Somehow, with all the momentum, I told her everything.
I told her that we had gone to the pool. I was alone with Narumi there, and we kissed.
I felt like I had said things I didnât need to say. I wonder if I was weak against KotomiâŠMaybe that was part of it, butâŠmaybe I wanted someone to listen to me.
âI seeâŠMy brother took Kazemiya-senpai into the shadows to hide her from a classmate who happened to run into the two of youâŠthen, his hands, unable to control his possessive desire, undid your swimsuit, exposing the white skin that was hidden by the enchanting fabric.â
âYouâre half right, half fictional, so be careful what you say.â
To think, the fantasy that Kotomi-chan had this morning had become half a reality.
âI was surprised that my brother was so aggressive. I canât believe he was the one to approach Kazemiya-senpai.â
âItâs not that he approach meâŠbutâŠâŠwell, itâs true that Narumi was the first one to approach me.â
ââŠâŠâThe first oneâ? Ehh? So itâs not just once?â
âI donât know how many times. I forgotâŠNarumi tried to stop, but halfway through, I started begging for himâŠI was getting more and more out of controlâŠso please donât look at NarumiâŠor your brother, too strangely, okay?â
âRather, I think Iâm going to change the way I look at Kazemiya-senpai.â
âWhy!?â
âThink back to what you said two seconds ago.â
âWhat, I said, I started begging for himâŠâŠâŠAaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhâŠ!!!â
Just then! Absolutely! Why did I say that! Why!!!
âThatâŠeverything I said beforeâŠitâs just a joke!â
âKazemiya-senpai. I received your kindness in trying to cover up for my brother.â
ââŠâŠThen, thatâs good.â
Kotomi-chanâs lukewarm eyes were conversely painful.
âThanks to you, I can make reference books faster (Scratch, Scratch, Scratch).â
âStop. Donât take notes so fast.â
Kotomi-chanâs hand ran over the blank notebook at high speed, and the pages turned black at blinding speed. âŠKotomi-chanâs âreference book,â I should definitely not look at it. But still, I wonder if Kotomi-chan felt okay, really. To me, it looked like the best brain in the school year was dyed a peachy color.
âThen I would like to ask you a question for referenceâŠâ
â⊠you can ask me anything.â
It was already too late for me to reject her for asking any questions, so Iâd better take it as a lodging fee since I felt indebted to Kotomi-chan for her hospitality.
ââŠDid you two do anything other than kissing?â
â? We didnât.â
ââŠwow. My brother is a very patient man. I respect that.â
I didnât quite understand what it was, but it seemed that Kotomi-chanâs opinion of Narumi had risen in her mind.
Kotomi then continued to take notes diligently, and after filling about half of the notebook, she closed it as if satisfied. The page filled with letters was pitch black, but strangely enough, it looked pink to me, which I would like to think was my imagination.
âPhewâŠAnyway, congratulations.â
âHuh? Congratulations? On what?â
âSo, you two are now lovers, right?â
âAh, thatâs rightâŠI see. I and Narumi are already⊠loversâŠ?â
For some reason, I got caught up, twisted my head, and unintentionally asked Kotomi-chan, this time, a question of my own.
ââŠâŠAre me and Narumi dating now?â
âIâd rather ask the question myselfâŠâ
âNow that I think about it, I and NARUMI donât remember ever confessing to each other.â
âTo ask for a kiss even though you two are not even datingâŠisnât that you two just another lewd people?â
âStop. Donât say that.â
Sadly, nothing could be denied.
âBut given the circumstances of the two of you, arenât youâŠnormal lovers already? Even though he hasnât confessed to you, it would be almost like he has confessed to you. Rather, it may be fashionable not to say the words. Though you two are lewd.â
âKotomi-chan? Can you do something with that âlewdâ? Though itâs also my faultâŠWell, letâs just leave it at thatâŠâ
I felt like I was constantly self-destructing today. Maybe I should change my name to âJibaku (+)TLN: Self-destructâ instead of âKohaku.â
âIf Narumi says something like, âCan you stop acting like youâre my girlfriend just because we kissed?ââŠThat would be bad.â
âIn that case, even I would hit my brother in the face if he says thatâŠthough, Itâs understandable that you would feel uneasy if you didnât receive proper verbal assurances.â
Maybe that kiss was proof of our feelings for each other.
Even so, it makes me wonderâŠam I being selfish for thinking like that?
âWhat kind of face should I make when I meet Narumi from now onâŠ?â