There are total three short stories in this!

Special Feature ① IF Story: What If Middle School Asuka Mustered Her Courage

There’s only one Christmas in your third year of middle school. That’s obvious, of course.

For Renjō Toru, however, December 24th was shaping up to be just like last year—completely uneventful.

No close friends. No family to speak of.

And, naturally, no girlfriend. Just a few years ago, he’d spent Christmases with his childhood friend and former fiancée, but now…

(Sigh…)

The classroom during lunch break buzzed with festive cheer. At Kobunkan Middle School, a combined middle and high school, most students would move on to Kobunkan High without the pressure of entrance exams. With no tests looming and the coed environment, plenty of students had boyfriends or girlfriends.

Those who didn’t were busy planning parties with friends.

Toru had no such plans.

He was sprawled over his desk, daydreaming about going home to watch some classic old movies, when a sharp slap landed on his back.

Lifting his head and turning around, he found a girl giggling softly.

Her hair was dyed a bright brown, but her youthful features gave off the vibe of a girl trying to act more mature than she was. Her skirt was short, and she had a bit of a gyaru flair, but she was undeniably cute.

“Sakurai-san…”

“Renjō-kun, why the long face on Christmas of all days? What’s up?”

“It’s because it’s Christmas,” Toru replied with a shrug.

“Oh?” Asuka raised an eyebrow.

This girl, Asuka Sakurai, was his classmate. Hardworking, serious, beautiful, and friendly to boot. She was popular, high up in the school’s social hierarchy, and for some reason, she often paid attention to Toru.

The reason was clear: Asuka was interested in his childhood friend, Chika Kōnoe. Whether it was academics, sports, or student council elections, Asuka was always trailing just behind Chika, eating her dust. Burning with rivalry, Asuka had declared her intent to defeat Chika, but victory remained elusive.

And so, under the guise of “defeating Chika Kōnoe,” Asuka often tried to pry secrets about her rival from Toru, Chika’s childhood friend.

(Though lately, it feels like she’s forgotten her original goal…)

Their conversations had started in the spring when they ended up in the same class. Over time, Toru found himself less focused on Chika and more on listening to Asuka’s complaints. He’d become her confidant, cheering her on when she felt defeated by Chika’s perfection.

Surprisingly, Toru didn’t mind the role. Not just because Asuka was cute—though she was—but because of her straightforward, earnest nature. Her relentless effort was inspiring, and watching her strive was, frankly, kind of fun.

Tilting her head slightly, Asuka asked, “What’s that supposed to mean, looking all gloomy because it’s Christmas?”

“It means a lonely guy like me is secretly cursing all the happy couples out there,” Toru said, half-joking.

Asuka didn’t laugh. “You’re not popular with girls, Renjō-kun?”

“Please don’t rub salt in the wound.”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant! I just thought… you seem like the kind of guy who’d be popular with girls, so it’s surprising…”

“Me? No way. No girl’s eccentric enough to be interested in me.”

At that, Asuka’s expression turned complicated. She fidgeted, her cheeks tinged pink.

“S-So… you’re saying you don’t have anyone to spend Christmas with, right?”

“Uh, yeah, pretty much.”

“Same here.”

Toru’s eyes widened at her unexpected words. Asuka gave him a half-glare.

“What? Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all. I just figured someone as popular as you, Sakurai-san, would have a boyfriend or something…”

“B-Boyfriend? I’ve never had one!” Asuka declared with sudden intensity.

What was up with her? She was acting a little strange today.

“Forget boyfriends—don’t you have a party with friends or something?”

“Well, I could probably find one if I wanted… but I’ve got something more important to do.”

“More important?”

Asuka’s face turned scarlet as she dropped the bombshell. “Renjō-kun… w-wanna go on a date with me?”

☆

After school, they met up and headed to a restaurant near Takayoshi Station at six o’clock. It was the kind of chic place middle schoolers wouldn’t normally step foot in.

Seated across from each other at a small table for two, Toru and Asuka, still in their school uniforms, faced one another. Asuka’s expression was stiff with nerves—probably the same as Toru’s.

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? My older sister just happened to have some extra restaurant vouchers she wasn’t using!”

“You’ve said that, like, three times already…”

“I-It’s not like I wanted to go on a date with you or anything! This is all to beat Kōnoe Chika!”

According to Asuka, Chika didn’t have a boyfriend and never had. Strictly speaking, Toru had been her fiancée years ago, but that wasn’t common knowledge at school. Asuka’s logic was that if she could go on a Christmas date before Chika, she’d score a win against her rival.

“I’ll beat Kōnoe Chika at love, at least!”

“I think you’re barking up the wrong tree with that one.”

“What? Got a problem with it?”

“Not really. It’s just… rushing into a relationship with someone you don’t even like seems like a waste. Especially since you’re so cute, Sakurai-san.”

Toru said it casually, but Asuka’s cheeks flushed, and she looked flustered. She glanced up at him shyly.

“You think I’m cute?”

“Of course. Ask any guy in class, and they’d say the same.”

“N-No, I mean… do you think I’m cute, Renjō-kun?”

Toru nodded. Asuka was, without a doubt, one of the cutest girls he knew.

“Even more than Kōnoe Chika?”

“For me, yeah. I think you’re cuter than Kōnoe-san.”

Toru answered without hesitation. Objectively, some might say Chika’s beauty was superior. But to Toru, Chika was now just a distant childhood friend who despised him. Asuka, on the other hand, was a friend whose personality—serious yet clumsy, hardworking yet prone to spinning her wheels—made her adorable in his eyes.

Asuka’s face turned beet red, and she broke into a delighted smile.

“Really? That makes me so happy… Look, I’m not just playing at love with someone I don’t care about.”

“Oh? That’s a relief.”

“Because… I have someone I like.”

That was news to Toru. Asuka had a crush?

(Who could it be…?)

Whoever it was, going on a date with Toru seemed like a waste of her time.

“Then why not ask that guy out today?”

“…I did.”

Asuka puffed out her cheeks, looking sulky. Had she been rejected? Toru fell into thought.

A waiter brought two wine glasses to their table. Naturally, being minors, they were filled with sparkling white grape juice, not champagne.

“W-Well, let’s toast!” Asuka said quickly.

They raised their glasses and froze.

“What do you say during a toast like this? Any ideas, Renjō-kun?”

“No clue. Maybe, ‘To your eyes’ or something?”

“That’s from a tragic romance movie. Bad luck, maybe,” Asuka teased, surprising Toru with her knowledge of Casablanca.

She brushed her short hair back, looking a little embarrassed. “You like old movies and mysteries, right, Renjō-kun? I studied up on them.”

“Studied? It’s not like you need to learn that stuff.”

“I like studying. You know that, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah. But studying for school or to beat Kōnoe-san makes sense—it’s for your own sake. Studying my hobbies, though… what’s the point?”

The only reason Toru could think of was if Asuka wanted to win his affection. She giggled, her expression more mature than any girl her age he’d ever seen.

“I think a toast should be simpler.”

“Like what?”

“Like… ‘I love you.’”

Her face burning red, Asuka tilted her glass and downed the juice in one gulp, clearly nervous.

Toru’s mind scrambled to process her words.

Before he could, Asuka spoke again. “I told you, didn’t I? I asked the person I like out on this date.”

“W-Wait, that makes it sound like you like me or something.”

“Exactly. I like you, Renjō-kun.”

Asuka’s words were clear and direct. Then she giggled nervously. “There, I said it.”

“W-Why me?”

“Because you’re always on my side. Even when I said I wanted to beat Kōnoe Chika, you never told me it was impossible—you cheered me on. You listened to me. That made me so happy.”

It was true—they’d spent over half a year together. To Toru, Asuka was a dear friend, but to her, he was clearly something more. He hadn’t realized.

And yet, the realization filled him with pure joy. After being abandoned by the Kōnoe family and Chika, he’d thought no one needed him. But this hardworking girl was saying she liked him.

“If… if you’re okay with it, Renjō-kun, would you… would you go out with me? Is that a no?”

Toru took a deep breath and smiled. “If you’re okay with someone like me, I’d be thrilled.”

Asuka froze, then tears began to spill from her eyes.

Toru panicked. Had he said something wrong?

She shook her head. “N-No, it’s not that… I’m just so happy… I thought you might reject me. I mean, I’ve never been able to beat Kōnoe Chika…”

“Well, at the very least, I like you way more than Kōnoe-san. Always have.”

Those were his honest feelings. To Toru, this friend—now his girlfriend—was far more important.

Asuka wiped her tears with her finger and nodded with a radiant smile. “Thank you. I beat Kōnoe Chika, didn’t I… Toru?”

Hearing her call him by his first name felt new and special.

When Toru replied, “Uh, Asuka-san?” she giggled and said, “No need for the -san.”

And so, the two middle schoolers became a couple.

The story of Asuka’s love rivals—a perfect childhood friend and the school’s most beautiful Nordic girl—would come later.

Special Feature ② IF Story: Chika’s Ending?

Pinned beneath him on the mat, the black-haired beauty gazed up at Toru with frightened eyes.

His childhood friend, cousin, and former fiancée. She’d grown into a stunning young woman, and now she was entirely at Toru’s mercy.

Her upper body was bare, her skirt flipped up to reveal her underwear. She’d told him he could do whatever he wanted with her body. That it would lead to the dissolution of their engagement and save her in the process.

“T-Toru…?” Chika squeaked as he grabbed her ample chest.

Her face flushed bright red as she squirmed to escape, but Toru was stronger.

“N-No…!”

“You said I could do anything, didn’t you, Chika?”

“Y-Yes, but… I’m not ready… ahh!”

Toru pinched her nipple, and Chika’s eyes teared up with embarrassment. Her usual confident demeanor only fueled his sadistic urges.

As he toyed with her cherry-pink peaks, Chika writhed and let out a high-pitched moan.

“Your nipples are sensitive, huh?”

“I-I don’t know…! No one’s ever done this to me except you… ahh, no!”

That’s right. This girl, admired by everyone, was allowing Toru—and only Toru—to do things that could lead to a child.

The thought drove him wild, eroding his restraint.

Chika glared at him with wet eyes. “And you? You’re doing all sorts of naughty things with Aino-san, aren’t you?”

“Not all the way.”

“Hmm. So if I become a ‘woman’ here, that means I win, right?”

Chika smirked seductively, and Toru’s self-control shattered.

He tore off her skirt and pressed his hardened length against her through his pants. Only her thin underwear separated him from her most precious place.

Chika panicked, flustered despite her earlier provocation. It was almost cute. “W-Wait! Kiss me first… That’s the proper order, right?”

“That’s…”

He realized he hadn’t kissed Aino yet, despite all the intimate things they’d done. Kissing, the hallmark of lovers, was still undone.

That hesitation brought a flicker of rationality back. Chika seemed to notice.

“I-It doesn’t have to be on the lips!”

“Not the lips?”

“Like… my cheek… or…” Her gaze flicked to his bulging groin, her cheeks reddening.

Toru was stunned. (Chika’s… kind of a secret pervert, isn’t she?)

At school, she was the epitome of the pure, perfect honor student. But she was a teenage girl with… interests.

He couldn’t resist teasing her. “If it’s where you’re imagining, I wouldn’t mind kissing there.”

“W-Where I’m imagining…?”

“Be honest.”

“…I-I imagined kissing your… your thing…” Chika mumbled, stumbling over her words.

Toru stripped off his pants and underwear. Chika’s eyes widened, and she let out a cute “Kyaa!”

“It’s… so big…?”

“Is it? I thought it was normal.”

“No way it’s normal!” she insisted, though neither of them, virgin and chaste, really knew.

Chika sat up, kneeling before him. With determination, she leaned in and gave his length a tentative lick.

“Like… this?”

Toru didn’t know either, but admitting that felt uncool, so he nodded.

Encouraged, Chika licked eagerly, her large chest swaying with the motion.

“T-Toru…?” she murmured between licks. “This is what you wanted, right? You pervert…”

Despite her words, she seemed into it, her expression heated as she took him into her mouth, her hand stimulating him further.

For years, Chika had been an unattainable dream—his childhood friend turned distant star. Yet here she was, a fifteen-year-old beauty fervently servicing him.

Her lips worked him over, and his arousal grew uncontrollably.

“W-Wait, Chika…!”

She paused, pulling back, a thread of saliva and fluid connecting her lips to him. She giggled. “Getting all worked up, Toru? So cute.”

“You’re the one being all sexy.”

Chika blushed but nodded. “Fine. I don’t care if I’m sexy or shameless, as long as you need me. But… after all this, you’re still holding back? Coward.”

Her taunting gaze snapped his last thread of restraint.

Pushing her shoulders, he pinned her down again, roughly kneading her full breasts. Chika yelped, “Kyaa!”

“W-Wait, Toru…! I-I’m not ready…!”

“You told me to do it.”

“Y-Yes, but… ahh!”

His hardness pressed against her secret place. Chika squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself.

“I-It’s okay… Come on.”

“Y-Yeah.”

His length entered her, and Chika screamed, “Aahhh! It hurts!”

Toru’s intrusion claimed her virginity in an instant. Her pained cries echoed, too loud even for the secluded gym storage room.

He covered her mouth with his hand. Chika’s muffled moans vibrated against it as her naked body trembled.

Gripping her slender waist, he thrust, and her reactions grew less pained, more pleasurable. When he removed his hand, she gasped, “Hahh!” in a sweet, needy voice.

“N-No… ahh, ahhh!”

“Feels that good?”

“You’re just as excited, aren’t you? Ahh, no! This is too much… ♡”

Her sugary moans drove him to thrust harder, caressing her shapely hips and teasing her sensitive nipples. Chika surrendered completely.

“Cousins and childhood friends… and it’s this exciting,” Toru said.

“No, it’s because we’re cousins and childhood friends that it’s this exciting… Ahh, I’m… I’m gonna…! ♡”

Toru was nearing his limit. Releasing inside could mean a child.

He hesitated, but Chika’s hands gripped his waist, holding him in place.

“I told you, didn’t I? A child would be perfect.”

“But… are you sure?”

“Yes. If it’s your child… my beloved’s child… I want to have it… Ahhh!”

“Then… here I go.”

“Come! I want all of you… Ohhh, it’s so hot! ♡”

Chika’s high-pitched cry mixed with Toru’s release, painting her insides with his desire.

Exhausted, she accepted it in a daze, murmuring, “…We did it, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Toru’s mind raced to Aino. How would he explain this? Even if Chika said he didn’t need to take responsibility, if she got pregnant…

But Chika smiled softly. “Thanks to you, my engagement’s off. This is just the first step.”

“Huh?”

“I know I jumped the gun, but I haven’t given up on a life with you and Aino-san.”

Toru had assumed she’d want him to herself after this. Sure, she’d said a child was enough, not that he had to be exclusive, but still…

Chika giggled. “I like Aino-san, you know.”

“You’re really okay with me being with her? Even doing… this?”

“Not okay. I’d be insanely jealous. But I think you need her by your side.”

She was right—Aino was essential to him. He’d always thought she’d be his first.

But reality made Chika his first instead.

She grinned mischievously. “You can love Aino-san, but don’t forget—I got your first.”

Still naked, she leaned into him, clinging sweetly.

Special Feature ③ IF Story: What If Aino Got Serious After the Sauna

Alone in a private sauna.

The heat had left Toru feeling calm… until he glanced at Aino.

Her stunning figure was on full display, her chest prominent, her hips alluring. He quickly averted his eyes. This was dangerous.

Closing his eyes, he regained his composure. Maybe saunas suppressed those kinds of feelings.

But minutes later, a poke to his side startled him. Opening his eyes, he froze—Aino was straddling his lap.

Her face was inches from his, her large chest swaying tantalizingly.

“Tooru-kun~” she cooed, rubbing her cheek against his.

“W-Wait, stop! Aino-san?!”

“They say saunas make girls release oxytocin… makes us feel, you know, naughty.”

“I didn’t need that trivia.”

“Did you know oxytocin’s also for breastfeeding…?” she whispered longingly.

Her words drew his attention to her chest. Their lower bodies pressed together, her curves bouncing before his eyes.

(Is her bikini too small…?)

He tried to distract himself, but the desire he’d suppressed roared back. Aino rocked her hips against him.

“Just a little, okay? I want to do something naughty… I can’t hold back.”

“Let’s… try to hold back.”

“Can you hold back, Tooru-kun?”

“If you weren’t teasing me, yeah.”

“So you can’t hold back?” Aino’s eyes sparkled mischievously, her hips grinding against him, her chest jiggling.

She giggled. “Your eyes are glued to my chest…”

“Well, with you doing this…”

“You can touch, you know. It’s what I want.”

Blushing, she lifted her bikini, emphasizing her curves. Toru’s restraint crumbled.

(This is just a massage…)

Making excuses to himself, he gently placed his hands on her chest. Aino yelped, then smiled happily.

“You’re finally into it, Tooru-kun…”

“Just a massage, okay?”

“Right, right. You’d be happy if my chest got bigger, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s not what I—”

“Then what’s this hand doing? Ahh!”

His hands kneaded her, and she moaned softly. “You breast-obsessed perv…”

“You told me to do it!”

“But deep down, you want to ravish me, don’t you?”

“Maybe I do.”

“Then do it. Ahh!”

He yanked off her bikini, exposing her pale chest. She covered herself shyly, but he pushed her arms away. Her pink nipples stood erect, and when he pinched them, she moaned sweetly, “Ohh, no…!”

Her reactions were different now, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glossy. As he massaged her chest, it molded to his hands, overwhelming him with desire.

Aino’s breathing grew ragged. “Your… hard thing’s pressing against me…”

“Physiological reaction.”

“It’s okay. Just… do it?”

She lowered her hips, rubbing against his sensitive spot. His rationality gone, her teasing drove him to the edge.

“I’d be okay having your baby, Tooru-kun… I want it…”

Her hips worked him relentlessly, shattering the sauna’s calm.

But she went too far.

“Aino-san, stop, or I…”

“No way! Not until you’re ready!”

“I’m too ready…”

“Then just take me! Ohh!”

His arousal peaked, and he released, staining her bikini and lower body. Aino’s face turned crimson.