43 It Would Be Nice If We Felt the Same
“Hey, Suzuna, wait up!”
Riri-chan’s voice called out from behind me.
I was walking ahead, and Riri-chan was following.
“I won’t.”
“Why not?”
It’s obvious, isn’t it?
Because she suddenly licked my neck.
How am I supposed to face Riri-chan after that?
“Why don’t you put your hand on your chest and think about it?”
“It’s because you’re embarrassed, right?”
She answered instantly.
She definitely didn’t even put her hand on her chest.
She’s giving off a strong “I know what you’re thinking, Suzuna” vibe.
“…No, I’m not embarrassed.”
“There was a pause before you answered.”
“No one gets embarrassed from being licked.”
That would make it sound like I enjoyed it.
Normally, you’d be uncomfortable being licked.
That’s the correct reaction.
That’s why I’m angry.
What else could it be?
“I think I’m looking at one right now.”
“No, that’s just you, the perverted Riri-chan.”
A kiss on the cheek is still somewhat understandable.
But licking my neck has a different meaning.
It’s clearly not normal behavior.
“I think you’re the pervert, Suzuna, getting embarrassed from being licked.”
This person…
I’m denying it, so why is she so convinced that I’m embarrassed?
And it’s Riri-chan who’s the pervert, so it’s strange that she’s projecting it onto me.
“I am not a pervert.”
I stopped walking and turned around.
I actually wanted to go home alone, but if I ran away now, she’d probably label me a pervert, so I wanted to make it clear.
But Riri-chan just grinned.
“But, Suzuna, you didn’t tell me to stop, and you didn’t seem to hate it, even though you were surprised.”
“…W-Well, I wouldn’t say I hated it when you did it, Riri-chan.”
“Fufu, that means you accepted it, right?”
“But I wasn’t embarrassed. So I’m not a pervert. You’re the pervert for licking me.”
Yes, that’s sound logic.
I’m not saying anything strange.
But Riri-chan’s confident smile didn’t falter.
“And you seem to be forgetting, but this was a punishment game, remember? It’s only natural that you’d be subjected to something slightly unpleasant.”
“Wh-What…?”
That’s such a sneaky way of putting it.
Riri-chan was the one who suggested the punishment game and decided on the content.
She’s trying to justify her actions by using the punishment game as a shield.
“So it can’t be helped, can it?”
“That’s not fair, Riri-chan, that’s not a valid excuse.”
“It’s your fault for being embarrassed, Suzuna.”
“I’m telling you, I wasn’t embarrassed! Anyone would react that way! You don’t understand how I feel because you haven’t been on the receiving end.”
That’s right.
Anyone would be flustered if they were suddenly licked like that.
Riri-chan doesn’t understand because it’s never happened to her.
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s why you don’t understand, Riri-chan.”
Only the victim understands the victim’s feelings.
It’s common sense.
Even if the perpetrator tries to explain it, it’s just conjecture.
“Then tell me, Suzuna.”
“…Yes?”
“Why don’t you do the same to me? Then I’ll admit that I’m not a pervert if I react the same way.”
“…D-Don’t say such ridiculous things.”
Does she even understand what she’s saying?
“So you are a pervert, Suzuna.”
“W-Wait a minute! Why would you think that?!”
“Because there’s no way to verify it. I even gave you an idea to find out, but you refused, so it can’t be helped if I call you a pervert, right?”
How much does she want to call me a pervert…?
She’s probably assuming that I won’t do it.
W-Well, I won’t lose…
“Fine, I’ll show you.”
“Eh? You don’t have to force yourself. You can just admit that you’re a pervert.”
“I’m not forcing myself! I’m just going to teach you, the clueless Riri-chan, the truth.”
That’s right, this is an educational experience for the ignorant Riri-chan.
It’s a friend’s duty to correct them when they’re doing something strange.
So this is a necessary act.
“Come on, now.”
“Hmm, you’re serious. Then, here you go.”
Riri-chan closed her eyes.
Why is she so readily accepting this…?
Anyway, I have to do it.
To recreate the situation, I approached silently.
I moved my face closer to Riri-chan’s fair neck.
Just as I was about to stick out my tongue and touch her skin, I stopped.
…Wait, if I do exactly the same thing, it won’t be a true recreation, will it?
I was completely unaware of what was about to happen when she suddenly licked my neck.
But Riri-chan knows what’s about to happen.
Then she won’t truly understand how I felt.
So I should choose a different spot.
But where?
I already kissed her cheek, so there’s no element of surprise.
Her forehead is too cliché.
Her lips are… no, no way.
My gaze naturally drifted downwards.
Below her neck, her exposed chest.
I could see her collarbone.
…This is it.
Unexpected, yet within reasonable bounds.
Riri-chan should be able to understand my feelings if I do this.
I moved my face closer to her chest, my cheek brushing against the collar of her shirt.
Ignoring that, I stuck out my tongue again.
My tongue touched the hollow of her collarbone.
“Eh, ah…?”
A surprised gasp escaped Riri-chan’s lips.
As expected. I continued without hesitation.
The softness of her skin and flesh, the hardness of her bone, transmitted through my tongue.
I moved my tongue upwards, tracing the line of her collarbone.
As I licked her skin, Riri-chan’s sweet scent filled my nostrils.
A faint hint of sweat mixed with her fragrance.
“Nn… mm…”
Riri-chan let out another sound.
It sounded like a mixture of surprise and… something else, perhaps a ticklish sensation.
See? Now you understand how I felt.
I continued to extend my tongue—
“W-Wait, stop, Suzuna! Wh-Where are you licking?! That’s not my neck!”
Riri-chan’s flustered voice stopped me.
Satisfied, I pulled away.
“Surprised?”
“O-Of course I am! Why isn’t it my neck?!”
“Because if you knew where I was going to lick, you wouldn’t truly understand how I felt.”
“Th-That’s the reason…?”
Fufu, even Riri-chan seems quite surprised.
Her blushing face is proof of that.
Now she should understand my feelings a little better.
“See? Anyone would react that way if they were licked like that. Now you’ll admit that I’m not a pervert, right?”
“No, you’re definitely the pervert, Suzuna! That’s confirmed now!”
Riri-chan grabbed the collar of her shirt and clutched it tightly.
It was an unusual gesture for Riri-chan, who usually has her chest exposed, a gesture of self-protection.
“…Why? Riri-chan, just because you lost the argument doesn’t mean you can resort to such nonsense.”
“Licking my collarbone is way too advanced! I wasn’t expecting something that sophisticated!”
“Eh…”
Riri-chan’s flustered and blushing face was cute, but apparently, I did something strange.
It seems like it’s better not to do things I’m not used to.
44 Wanting to Know More
“…”
“…”
Silence between the two of us.
The usual walk home was filled with an awkward silence.
Or rather, it was because Riri-chan stopped talking.
Riri-chan usually talks to me about various things, but without that, the silence became unbearable.
“…Riri-chan.”
“Wh-What?”
“This silence is killing me…”
“You have the courage to say that, but not the courage to start a conversation yourself…”
Riri-chan scratched her cheek, looking troubled.
“Sorry, are you… angry…?”
Apparently, I did something strange.
And Riri-chan seems to have fallen silent because of it.
Maybe I upset her.
“No, I’m not angry. I wouldn’t be angry about something like this.”
“I-I see. Then say something.”
The silence made me feel like I had upset her, and I was restless.
“Well… don’t worry too much about what happened with Kaede. We’ve just known each other for a long time, that’s all.”
“Ah, okay…”
“I didn’t mean to neglect you, Suzuna.”
“O-Of course not.”
Being told that directly made me blush…
We walked in silence for a while, and before I knew it, we arrived at the downtown area.
This is where Riri-chan and I part ways.
“See you tomorrow, Suzuna.”
“Yeah, bye-bye.”
We waved goodbye.
I walked home alone.
Riri-chan said I was jealous of Tachibana-san.
Jealousy means envy.
One type of jealousy is “the feeling of resentment towards someone who is superior to you.”
Tachibana-san is beautiful, glamorous, and good at sports.
She’s far superior to me.
But am I envious? Honestly, I’m not sure.
There are countless people who are better than me.
There’s no end to envy if I keep comparing myself to others.
Then it must be the other meaning of jealousy: “the feeling you have when someone you care about shows affection towards someone else.”
But that’s also strange.
Because that would mean I like Riri-chan.
The affection that jealousy refers to is “romantic love,” not “friendship.”
So that’s impossible.
…But why does my chest ache every time I deny it?
An intangible emotion continues to wander within my heart.
◇◇◇
“Suzuna, you’ve changed a lot, haven’t you?”
Shindo-kun said the next morning at school.
“I-Is that so…?”
“Yeah, you suddenly started hanging out with Hinase Riri, and you’ve become friendly with Kokona, even though you used to be at odds with her. And lately, you seem to be close with Kanaori Reika too.”
“…Well, yeah.”
“What’s with your flashy social circle? Has the quiet, unassuming Suzuna who was only nice to me disappeared?”
It can’t be helped since I’m no longer the Amatsuki Suzuna you know.
Though I’m still quiet and unassuming.
“You don’t come to pick me up in the morning anymore, you don’t make me lunch, you don’t help me with my studies, and you don’t introduce me to your girlfriends. What’s up with that, as my childhood friend?”
No, what’s up with your demands, as my childhood friend?
Those are all things you should take care of yourself.
…Well, I do feel responsible for the “girlfriend” part.
“But you haven’t been in the classroom during lunch break lately, Shindo-kun. Where are you eating?”
I’m curious about his whereabouts.
“Lately, I’ve been buying lunch at the school store and eating in the hall or the courtyard. Today, I’m thinking of changing things up and eating on the rooftop.”
“…Excuse me?”
This protagonist… I thought he’d been absent lately, but he’s been wandering around all these places?
And his “girlfriend” should be on the rooftop.
The timing is perfect.
“I’m going too.”
“Huh…? It’s fine, but why?”
“There should be a senpai there, Shindo-kun. Talk to her.”
“What are you talking about? Talking to a senpai I don’t even know is impossible.”
“No, you have to talk to her!”
Otherwise, the event won’t happen.
“I’m telling you, it’s crazy to talk to a senpai I don’t know.”
“It’s not crazy. If you don’t talk to her now, you’ll never get a girlfriend, Shindo-kun.”
“…Huh?”
“She’s a potential girlfriend for you.”
The girl on the rooftop is the final heroine.
But Shindo-kun froze.
…He doesn’t believe me, huh?
“Wait for me, my future wife!”
Ah, well, that was unexpectedly simpleminded.
◇◇◇
This is how Shindo Minato meets the final heroine.
◇◇◇
A girl with a melancholic expression gazed at the sky on the rooftop.
She sighed, weary of her boring, repetitive daily life.
“I wish something interesting would happen…”
—BAM
As if in answer to her words, the door opened with a bang.
The girl turned around in surprise. Students rarely came to the rooftop at this time of year.
“Damn it… every single day… being chased by a gal, my little sister, and the student council president… what is this life?!”
The words uttered by the seemingly innocent boy were strangely out of place.
The girl became interested in him.
“Hmm? You’re being chased?”
“Eh, ah, I didn’t know anyone was here… Sorry, I’ll leave.”
The shy boy, realizing she was his senpai, tried to retreat.
“Wait, keep me company.”
“…Um, are you talking to me?”
“Yeah, I’m talking to you.”
“Excuse me, but I don’t understand why.”
The girl smiled.
“Because you seem interesting.”
◇◇◇
…Well, that’s how it’s supposed to go.
The previous heroines’ encounters were altered by my influence, but this encounter is a simple meeting between two people.
So if I recreate this scene, the heroine should be interested.
“…So, Shindo-kun, let’s put our plan into action.”
“O-Okay.”
During lunch break, Shindo-kun and I arrived at the rooftop entrance.
I managed to slip away from Riri-chan with a convincing excuse.
She might be angry if she finds out, but it can’t be helped this time.
Because this is our last chance.
I can’t miss this opportunity.
I carefully opened the door and peeked through the gap.
…There she was.
A girl with short blue hair, looking at the sky.
She’s definitely the final heroine.
“Okay, Shindo-kun, do exactly as I said.”
“…I understand, but… are you sure this will work?”
“I’m sure. I can see the future.”
“…Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
I’ve played the original game, after all.
And there have been no irregularities this time.
I stood by the door and listened.
“I wish something interesting would happen…”
Yes, the heroine’s introductory line.
“Go, Shindo-kun.”
“O-Okay!”
—BAM
Shindo-kun, urged by me, opened the door.
He took a deep breath and…
“DAMN IT… EVERY SINGLE DAY… BEING CHASED BY A GAL… MY LITTLE SISTER… AND THE STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT… WHAT IS THIS LIFE?!”
He delivered an incredibly over-the-top performance…
What is he doing?
“…?”
The heroine, turning around, stared at the suddenly appearing ham actor.
“…”
“…”
A few seconds of heavy silence.
—Click
Unable to bear it, Shindo-kun closed the door and crouched down.
“Shindo-kun, what are you doing?! You ruined it!”
“That’s my line! That’s not how it’s supposed to go at all! She gave me the coldest stare!”
“That’s because your acting was so bad!”
“Of course it was! Saying such nonsensical lies to a senpai is so embarrassing! I deserve praise for even attempting it!”
Damn it…
That was the problem.
The altered facts made Shindo-kun’s line lose its impact.
That’s why the heroine wasn’t interested.
“Ah, seriously! It would have worked if you had just played the part properly, Shindo-kun! You should have trusted me!”
“No, that was too much. Saying those light novel protagonist-like lines convincingly is crazy.”
“That’s his line, though!”
“Huh? I would never say that. Suzuna, are you glitching?”
—Glitch.
That word gave me pause.
But this isn’t the time for that.
“I know it would have worked if Shindo-kun had just said it properly. That senpai would have fallen for him.”
And yet, this guy…
No, there’s still a chance if I can attract her attention another way.
“Hmm? I would have fallen for him?”
…Eh?
A calm, low-pitched girl’s voice.
I looked up, and a girl with blue hair was looking down at us.
“I’d like to hear more about that.”
…This is bad.
She definitely overheard us.
I have no choice but to run…
“Wait, keep me company.”
The heroine called out to me.
I have a bad feeling about this.
“…Um, are you talking to me?”
“Yeah, I’m talking to you.”
“I don’t understand why.”
The girl smiled.
“Because you seem interesting.”
Her name is Futaba Yuu.
The last one, the senpai heroine.
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