Chapter 51 It's So Warm

It’s So Warm

The orange glow of the reading lamp softly spills into the room.

Sitting on the futon, I face Irara, who occasionally glances at me with an embarrassed smile as she talks.

“I mean, sorry, okay? My mom totally lost control… She probably said a bunch of weird things too.”

“Ahaha… She’s definitely got a strong personality.”

“If only I could just laugh it off like that and move on… She looks so composed most of the time, but when she gets excited, she turns into that. It’s such a problem… I wish she’d think about how her daughter feels. Geez…!”

Irara puffs out her cheeks in frustration.

But she doesn’t actually seem all that mad.

“Still, she’s a good mother.”

When I say that, Irara widens her eyes in surprise.

Then, after a moment, she smiles innocently and says—

“Yeah! She really is!!”

In the dim light, her smile shines just as brightly as the lamp—maybe even more.

…Honestly, both inside and out, she has so many good qualities that I could never list them all.

“S-So, um, uh… well…”

Irara starts fidgeting.

“There’s… something I want to ask you, Kyogoku-kun… Um, you see…”

Blushing deep red, Irara summons all her courage and asks—

“D-Do you… um, do you like… that kind of… e-e-ecchi bodies, or, um… or…?”

“…E-Eh!?”

The question is so far beyond my expectations that I make a weird sound without thinking.

By “that kind,” she probably means Akiko-san, right?

Wait, hold on—why is Irara asking me something this embarrassing out loud!?

What’s she trying to get at…?

As I sit there, completely lost, Irara falls silent and looks away.

In other words, she’s waiting for my answer.

…No, seriously, how am I supposed to respond to this?

If I pick the wrong answer, she’s definitely going to hate me.

That’s the one thing I absolutely have to avoid.

We finally became friends… and yet—I have no idea what the right answer is!

No matter how I think about it, every possible response feels like a trap…

—And so, I push my brain into overdrive like never before in my life.

All for the sake of finding the perfect answer.

All to make sure Irara won’t hate me.

With zero social skills and no experience answering a question like this, the conclusion I reach in just three seconds is—

“I-I don’t hate it…”

…What the hell did I just sayyyyy!?

Saying it out loud makes me sound like the creepiest guy ever, doesn’t it!?

She’s definitely going to hate me now—

“H-Hmm… I see. Well, you are a boy, Kyogoku-kun… Ehehe.”

…Wait, what?

She doesn’t look disgusted, but knowing Irara, she could just be putting on a front.

I have no idea what’s happening anymore.

Seriously, what was I supposed to say…?

Staying silent felt like the worst option, so I panicked and tried to explain.

“That said, well, to be honest, I don’t really know? I mean, in Akiko-san’s case, it’s not just about one thing—it’s her whole vibe, the way she talks, all these different factors stacking up and multiplying into what makes her, well, her, so it’s hard to evaluate just one part of it, or like, um…”

…Oh. Yeah. That was definitely something I shouldn’t have said.

Just as I start drowning in regret, Irara suddenly speaks up.

“Hey, Kyogoku-kun… You call my mom Akiko-san, right?”

“Yeah… She told me to.”

“Hmm… But you call me by my surname.”

“Eh?”

She mumbles something too quietly to hear, so I ask her to repeat it.

Irara pouts, looking up at me with a sulky expression.

“Kyogoku-kun, I-I… I want you to…”

Her serious expression makes my heart skip a beat.

What’s she about to say? I brace myself—when suddenly.

—Flash!

The dim room is instantly bathed in a white glow.

A moment later, deep, rumbling thunder shakes the ground, pounding against my eardrums.

“…!!!!!”

“Whoa!!”

Irara quickly scoots closer and pulls my futon over herself.

The distance between us shrinks.

We’re now sharing the same futon.

Silky strands of Irara’s hair brush against my hand.

“I-I’m really bad with thunder… S-So, um, sorry, but… can I stay like this… just a little longer?”

Her hands are trembling.

Her expression is stiff with fear, making her look like a small, frightened child.

With her asking me like this, no matter how much my self-control is being tested, there’s no way I could refuse.

“O-Oh… yeah, sure.”

“Ehehe… Thanks.”

Irara snuggles deeper under the futon.

I bite my lip and turn away, doing my best not to look at her.

Because if I let my eyes linger…

It’ll get harder to hold myself back, and in some ways, I’ll just end up feeling miserable.

As I listen to the storm outside, I desperately try to distract myself.

Akari’s PoV

I’ve been afraid of thunder ever since I was little.

On stormy nights, I would always go to my parents’ room and fall asleep in their arms.

The sense of security they gave me—the feeling that no matter what, I’d be okay—was overwhelming.

My mom’s soft, warm hands. My dad’s rough, strong ones.

As long as I was with them, I felt completely safe.

…And right now, I feel that same security with Kyogoku-kun beside me.

Maybe because he was just sleeping,

The futon is still warm, and it smells like Kyogoku-kun.

It makes me feel at ease.

Like no matter what happens, I’ll be okay.

Just a little while ago, I was wide awake and couldn’t sleep at all, but now, my eyelids feel heavy.

“Kyogoku…kun…”

I let myself sink into the warmth and comfort.

A nostalgic kind of happiness.

Ah, I—

I feel nostalgic, happy, just a little lonely… and so incredibly at peace.

I feel like I might cry.

Pulling the futon over my head, I close my eyes, holding onto the moment.

How much time has passed? Maybe ten minutes?

As I continue staring off to the side, trying to distract myself, I hear the sound of steady breathing.

Of course, it’s coming from the girl curled up beside me.

“…Wait, is she… asleep?”

No response.

…So she really is.

“…What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

The sound of rain and wind gradually fades.

I sigh quietly to myself, letting out a deep breath.