67 Outfits and Glances
“Suzuna, good moooorning…”
On our way to school, we met at a corner in the downtown area and walked together. It had become our usual routine.
Riri-chan, usually energetic, was slumping her shoulders today, her voice lacking its usual pep.
“Riri-chan, good morning. What’s wrong? You seem down.”
“Ugh… it’s too hot. I’m seriously melting.”
By June, the pleasant spring weather had vanished, and the temperature had risen rapidly.
The humidity was also high, making the days hot and sticky.
Riri-chan groaned, her face contorted in a grimace.
“Well, it is hot.”
“And we have the sports festival soon, don’t we? I seriously can’t handle this. I’m thinking of skipping…”
Yes, the sports festival was coming up in mid-June.
It’s a pretty important event, a major one in this dating sim.
I can’t miss this opportunity to raise Shindo Minato’s intimacy level with the heroines.
“I’ll do my best. I’ll definitely see it through.”
“Eh… Suzuna, I didn’t think you were that type.”
Riri-chan’s reaction was a mixture of lethargy and surprise.
It’s a natural reaction, considering I hate sports festivals.
“But there are times when you have to do things you don’t like.”
“…I can’t help but imagine you tripping and falling, Suzuna.”
“Riri-chan, you think I’m clumsy, don’t you?”
“…Aren’t you?”
She’s probably remembering the volleyball incident.
“…Well, just watch.”
I avoided answering directly.
I probably won’t be doing anything impressive at the sports festival anyway.
◇◇◇
“Hey, isn’t it about time for summer to be over?”
Overwhelmed by the heat, Riri-chan said something nonsensical.
I’m still managing, but Riri-chan doesn’t handle the heat well, it seems.
“You’re dressed for summer, though.”
“That’s… true, but…”
It was the season for changing uniforms.
We took off our blazers and wore only the school-designated white vests over our blouses.
Riri-chan rolled up her sleeves, her ribbon loose and her top buttons undone, looking very relaxed. Naturally, her skirt was above the knee.
I, on the other hand, kept my sleeves down and my buttons done up.
“Your slender figure really stands out, Suzuna.”
Riri-chan looked me up and down and made that comment.
“You’re… very… liberated, Riri-chan.”
The thin, soft fabric of the vest emphasized her figure.
Parts that were hidden by the blazer before, especially the fullness of her chest, were now more prominent.
I couldn’t say it directly, so I kept my words vague.
“Aren’t you hot, Suzuna? Why don’t you shorten your skirt or unbutton a few buttons? That’ll cool you down.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
I don’t have the courage to dress like that.
Please don’t take away the comfort I find in being ordinary.
“Ah… it’s the season when boys stare, huh?”
But Riri-chan seemed to interpret my words differently and said that in a disgusted tone.
I’ve never noticed those kinds of stares.
My flat chest doesn’t attract attention; the vest just hangs loosely.
“I guess I wouldn’t want boys staring at you, Suzuna, considering how slender you are.”
“No, they won’t.”
Who would even look at my body?
They might even complain about being subjected to such an unpleasant sight.
“No, girls would be jealous of your slender figure, Suzuna…”
“They won’t.”
That won’t happen either.
No one is looking at me.
Please don’t compare me to you, the glamorous Riri-chan.
“That only happens to you, Riri-chan.”
“Why?”
“Because you attract attention, unlike me.”
“Hmm, that’s not true… but I do feel like… I’m getting stares even though I don’t make eye contact with the boys…”
Well, that’s what happens when you expose your skin, emphasize your figure, and wear a short skirt.
“I think that’s natural, considering how much skin you’re showing.”
“W-Well, I’m not doing it for the boys…”
“I know, but…”
…Hmm.
Now I’m starting to feel uneasy.
“Then button up your blouse and lengthen your skirt.”
“No way. It’s hot, and it’s not cute.”
She’s being contradictory.
“…You know…”
Hearing her say that made me restless.
I haven’t seen everything about Riri-chan, but…
I’ve seen her in her underwear, and I’ve touched her skin.
I know her scent, the coldness of her fingertips, the warmth of her chest, the taste of her skin, and I’ve even heard the beating of her heart.
I know Riri-chan better than other people.
So I don’t like the thought of other people looking at her with lustful eyes.
“Oh? Could it be, Suzuna, that you don’t like other people looking at my body?”
Riri-chan, as cheeky as ever, grinned teasingly.
“Yeah, I don’t like it.”
“Oh… so that’s how it is.”
Riri-chan seemed taken aback by my straightforward answer, which was probably unexpected.
“That means other people want to touch you, Riri-chan.”
“Ah… well, I guess so.”
Riri-chan, tilting her head as if she hadn’t considered it concretely before, agreed.
“I don’t like that. I don’t want them to touch you, Riri-chan.”
I think I’m the only one who’s allowed to touch Riri-chan.
The thought of others wanting to touch her is unpleasant.
“Suzuna… you don’t usually say what you’re thinking, but sometimes you’re surprisingly straightforward.”
Riri-chan chuckled, looking troubled.
“It’s fine. But you should be careful too, Riri-chan. Don’t just… show off your underwear like that.”
“Ah, yes, I’ll be careful…”
Riri-chan scratched her cheek and replied less confidently than usual, as if giving up.
Maybe she’s just a little tired from the heat.
68 Wounds and Scars: Hinase Riri’s Side
In the morning, as I was changing from my pajamas into my uniform, I happened to glance at myself in the full-length mirror.
My eyes fell on my chest.
My skin looked normal; there was nothing unusual.
Yes, nothing.
“It’s healed.”
I ran my hand over my chest, confirming that my skin was back to normal.
Until recently, there was a painful, red mark there.
The mark from where Suzuna bit me.
Suzuna’s bite, without any holding back, was so painful that I thought she might actually tear my skin.
It was natural for a mark to be left after being bitten that hard, and Suzuna seemed satisfied with it.
“Seriously, what was she thinking?”
But remembering it made me laugh.
Suzuna was so earnest when she bit me.
Suzuna is bad with words and doesn’t like talking about herself, so maybe her emotions overflow at times like those.
I thought it was cute how she desperately tried to convey something to me.
“…Well, it really hurt, so I wish she’d be a little more gentle.”
I put on my blouse, hiding my now unmarked chest.
It’s been a while since she bit me in the music room.
Wounds heal with time.
It’s natural, and I’m glad they do.
She’s bitten both sides, so if the marks remained, I wouldn’t know how to explain them to my friends.
I put on my vest and pulled out the strands of hair that had fallen inside.
…But.
I felt a slight pang of regret.
Because it means losing something Suzuna left behind.
◇◇◇
I went to the living room.
I put on an apron, stood in the kitchen, and started preparing breakfast and lunch.
“…Ah, that’s right, Suzuna said she didn’t need lunch today.”
There was a message on my phone.
It was the first time Suzuna had messaged me, and I was happy.
“Sorry, I can’t go to school with you this morning because of sports festival preparations. And I’ll be busy at lunch, so I don’t need a bento.”
But the content of the message wasn’t so happy.
Suzuna is apparently on the sports committee, a fact she herself seems to have only recently realized.
“‘…Ugh, I’m on the sports committee? No way, seriously, Amatsuki Suzuna… No, wait, maybe this is good for route management…?’”
I vaguely remember her muttering something like that.
And now this sudden message.
It stated what she was doing, but without any details.
It’s typical of Suzuna to suddenly be driven to do something, even though she’s usually quiet and reserved.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing alone.
“Sigh…”
I sighed involuntarily.
I realized that I had become reluctant to prepare lunch just for myself.
I thought about just buying something, but I’ve been telling Suzuna to be more mindful of her diet, so I can’t be careless myself.
I decided to make a proper bento.
“Ouch…”
I accidentally cut my fingertip with the knife.
I make these kinds of mistakes when I’m not focused.
I was surprised at how unenthusiastic I felt about making a bento that wasn’t for Suzuna.
It was just a superficial cut, and the bleeding stopped quickly after rinsing it with water.
There was a thin red line, but it wasn’t noticeable.
Relieved that it wasn’t serious, I continued cooking.
◇◇◇
Lunch break.
A boy from another class asked me to meet him behind the school building, so I went.
He told me, “Come alone, Hinase.”
And I did as he said, but honestly, I had a bad feeling about it.
When I arrived at the meeting place, the boy, acting restless, thanked me for coming and started talking about trivial everyday things.
I didn’t really know him, and his strange behavior made the conversation awkward.
I had experienced this kind of situation several times, so I was expecting him to get to the point soon.
“—Hinase, I’ve liked you for a long time. Please go out with me.”
As expected, my bad feeling was right.
The boy bowed his head, a serious expression on his face.
I could tell he was sincere.
But my answer was already decided.
“Sorry, I can’t… go out with you.”
“…”
I’ve had similar conversations several times before.
I know it hurts to be rejected, but it’s also painful for the one doing the rejecting.
Since he has feelings for me, I don’t want to hurt him if I can help it.
But I can’t lie either.
I think romantic feelings are delicate and fragile.
I avoid interacting with boys as much as possible because I don’t like this awkward atmosphere.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
Another person I’ll feel awkward talking to at school, I thought, and turned to leave.
“Wait.”
The boy called out to me, and I stopped.
“What?”
“Is there… a reason?”
“A reason…?”
“Do you… have someone you like?”
…Would he be convinced if I told him?
If it would offer him even a little comfort…
Since he worked up the courage to confess, I thought I should respond honestly.
“I do.”
“…I see.”
The boy sighed heavily.
“Sorry for wasting your time.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
“Are things going well with him?”
…Are things going well with Suzuna?
I think we’re getting along, but…
Are we in that kind of relationship? I’m not sure.
Normal couples probably don’t bite each other’s chests.
And there are no other lesbian couples around me, so I don’t really know what the standard is.
“I don’t know yet.”
My answer was vague.
“I see… Good luck, Hinase.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I waved and left.
The cut on my finger was still red.
◇◇◇
“So, Riri, how did it go?”
Back in the classroom, Kaede asked, looking curious.
Since the rumor would spread anyway, I quickly confessed.
“I rejected him.”
“Ahaha, as always.”
My other female friends gathered around.
“How many is that now?”
“That guy is so popular that even upperclassmen confess to him. Rejecting him is impressive.”
My friends chattered excitedly about my love life.
They said things like, “Riri has high standards,” “There’s someone better out there for you,” “Tell us about your past relationships,” “You’re nationally ranked in your club,” and so on.
I don’t know if they’re genuinely concerned about me or if it’s just an excuse to gossip.
But that’s how I spent my lunch break.
Even though the conversation was centered around me, no one mentioned the cut on my finger.
◇◇◇
After school.
I heard that Suzuna’s sports committee duties would end soon, so I decided to wait.
Come to think of it, I haven’t talked to Suzuna all day.
She was busy with the sports committee, so there was no chance to talk.
I want to be with her after school, at least.
I sat in Suzuna’s seat, looking at the sunset through the window.
I remembered a time when Suzuna was feeling down in this classroom, bathed in the same crimson light.
I patted her head that time.
I still remember the feeling of her smooth, black hair and the warmth of her skin.
Suzuna was more introverted back then, and the distance between us was greater.
“…But have we really gotten closer?”
I tried to close the distance, but how much closer have we actually become?
Are we as close as Kaede and I?
Close or distant?
There’s no standard, so it’s impossible to judge.
—Clatter
The classroom door opened.
“Sorry, Riri-chan. It took longer than I expected.”
It was Suzuna.
She seemed slightly out of breath, as if she had rushed.
That alone made me happy.
“No, it’s fine. Good work, Suzuna.”
“Seriously, they dragged on and on about something trivial… hey, Riri-chan, why are you sitting in my seat?”
“Ah, well, I was killing time. This is the best seat for looking at the scenery, isn’t it?”
I pointed at the window.
“Hmm…”
What would she say if I told her I wanted to feel closer to her while waiting?
I don’t have the courage to ask.
“Hey, Riri-chan, what happened to your finger?”
“My finger…?”
Suzuna was staring at the finger I had pointed with.
“You have a cut.”
“Ah, that… I cut myself this morning while making lunch.”
“Whoa, that’s rough.”
It’s just a small cut, the bleeding stopped right away, it’s nothing…
But Suzuna took my hand and looked at my fingertip.
“I don’t have any band-aids… Does it hurt?”
It’s a superficial wound that will heal naturally, so it doesn’t hurt.
“It hurts a little.”
But my mouth said the opposite.
“Hmm. Should we go to the infirmary? Is this an infirmary-worthy injury?”
“No, it’s just a small cut from this morning…”
“Okay, then…”
Suzuna gently stroked my finger, avoiding the cut.
“Pain, pain, go away…”
She chanted a charm I hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Fufu…”
“Eh, why are you laughing?”
I see.
So Suzuna noticed.
More than the boy who confessed his love, more than my worried friends…
Suzuna is worried about this small cut.
“Nothing. You’re so kind, Suzuna.”
“Well, it’s only natural.”
That’s not true.
I’m happy that Suzuna, who says such kindness is “natural,” is here with me.
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