《 Act VI: I Can’t Let This Life Go 》

After the culture festival cleanup was finished, around 5:00 PM, we headed home. We stopped by the mall to buy some cake and then returned to the apartment.

“I’m exhausted…”

“We can finally rest…”

“We’ve been on our feet all day.”

“Especially you, Haru-kun. You were working since before the festival even started.”

“Yeah. I don’t want to see another pancake for a while.”

“What about the cake we just bought?”

“I’m looking forward to that. Don’t think you’re getting my piece of cake.”

“Busted.”

“I can see right through you, Nanami… Anyway, I’m tired today. You want to just have frozen food?”

“Yeah… Frozen food is fine, but how about I cook today?”

“You? If you’re going to cook, I’ll help…”

“No, no, it’s fine. You helped me practice my customer service. I wanted to thank you.”

I had enjoyed feeling like I was at a maid café every day, too, so she didn’t need to thank me, but… including the cake today, I had been the one paying for everything lately. Maybe this was her way of thanking me for that, too.

To be precise, it was the date money from my parents, but if Nanami wanted to thank me, I should probably just accept.

“Thanks. In that case, I’ll leave the cooking to you… For now, let’s get changed.”

“And seal away the trophy.”

“Yeah,” I said with a wry smile, and we went into the bedroom. I took the trophy out of my bag and sealed it away in the back of the closet.

Then I glanced over at Nanami, our eyes met, and she looked at me quizzically.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just wondering if the embarrassment had come back.”

Nanami had been looking down ever since the contest ended.

She seemed dejected during the cleanup, and she looked like she was forcing herself to be cheerful when we were picking out cake.

It was obvious that something was bothering her, but…

“I’m fine. Your positive words helped me get over it.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good.”

If she wasn’t embarrassed, then was she just tired? …Yeah, that must be it.

Ever since it was decided that we would be in the Best Couple Contest, we had been practicing the three events every day, and since getting the maid uniform, we had been practicing customer service every day. And now that the festival was over, the fatigue had probably hit her all at once.

In that case, I wanted her to rest on the sofa, but… Nanami had discovered the joy of cooking, and she would sometimes hum to herself while she was at it. Maybe doing something she enjoyed would blow away her fatigue and cheer her up.

“Alright, time to get changed.”

I took some clothes out of the dresser and moved to the living room.

I changed out of my uniform and into my loungewear, put the cake in the fridge, and was sitting on the sofa watching the news when Nanami came out.

“What do you want to eat, Haru-kun?”

“Let’s see~ We have some leftover rice, so maybe fried rice…”

I turned around as I spoke and my words caught in my throat.

For some reason, Nanami was dressed in her maid uniform. On top of that, her bare legs were exposed, and her semi-long black hair was tied up in a ponytail with a scrunchie.

“Why the maid uniform?”

Nanami shyly twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

“I’ve been wearing my maid uniform at this time lately, so I just don’t feel right in my regular clothes… Do you think I should change into my regular clothes?”

“I don’t really mind either way… You can do whatever you want. But it’s going to get cold tonight, so you should probably put on some tights.”

“Y-Yeah. I’ll put them on later… What do you think of the ponytail?”

“I told you the other day, it looks amazing on you.”

At my praise, Nanami shyly scratched her cheek. She had always hated messing up her hair, even as a kid, but maybe she was trying to change up her image.

“Thanks. Then, I’ll keep it up until I take a bath. Oh, right. You should go take a bath now.”

“Alright, I’ll fill the tub while I’m in there.”

“Take your time and get warm.”

I gave her a grateful smile, took some underwear from the dresser, and went to the washroom. I decided to just wear the loungewear I had just put on as my pajamas, quickly undressed, and moved to the bathroom.

I was washing my hair while the tub was filling and was about to lather up my body when I heard a noise from the washroom. It was probably Nanami, putting away the laundry and leaving a towel for me.

“Haru-kun, what are you doing now?”

“Hm? I’m about to wash my body…”

“Then, how about I wash your back for you?”

Was this part of her thanks, too? The unexpected offer left me speechless for a moment.

“…My back? It’s been a while.”

“When we were kids, we used to wash each other’s backs every time we had a sleepover.”

“We’d make horns with the shampoo foam in our hair, too.”

“We did, we did. And then our parents would get mad at us for taking so long. ‘You two, how long are you going to be in there?’ Speaking of baths, do you remember the one we took the day before you moved?”

“Of course I do. We took a cold bath, thinking that if we caught a cold, the move might be postponed. I told you I could do it alone, but you joined me anyway.”

“And then I was the only one who caught a cold.”

“And yet, you still tried to stop me from moving that day by fighting them off with a plastic bat. I was really happy about that. I’m sorry I made you go through that.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I did it because I wanted to. I really didn’t want to be separated from you, Haru-kun…”

The topic of the move brought a somber mood to the air.

In less than five months, I’d be moving again. And as of now, I still wasn’t prepared. I was in high school now, so I wouldn’t cry and throw a tantrum or barricade myself in my room, but… if I could, I wouldn’t want to move.

But I didn’t want to trouble my parents, now that I was in high school.

And if I transferred, Nanami would be able to get her peaceful school life back. Even though we were best friends, I was still a guy—if we stopped living together, she would be able to live without having to worry about the male gaze. To give her that carefree life, I had to get my act together and accept the move.

“…So, can I wash your back?”

“Hmm, let’s see…”

Nanami was like family to me. If it was any other classmate, even this conversation through the door would be embarrassing, but with Nanami, I could be completely calm.

But having her see me naked was another story. When we were kids, we treated each other like we were the same gender, but now, I saw her as a girl. Even if she was like family, even if I didn’t have romantic feelings for her, having her come into the bathroom was embarrassing.

“I appreciate the thought, but you don’t have to wash my back. I’m naked right now.”

“I know. I won’t stare. I’ll just wash your back.”

Just having her see my back was one thing, but my private parts might be reflected in the mirror. If she saw my transformed manhood after four and a half years, she would probably turn bright red.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to. You might get your maid uniform wet.”

“Oh… okay. I’m going to start cooking now, so take your time.”

“Roger,” I replied, and the door closed. Her footsteps faded away, and I let out a small sigh.

“What was that all of a sudden?”

It had been a month since we started living together, and this was the first time something like this had happened. I was sure Nanami was just as shy as I was, so why did she suddenly offer to wash my back?

Maybe washing my back was just an excuse, and she had some other motive? And maybe that motive was related to why she had been looking so down? But if she didn’t say anything and was trying to get me to figure it out, then… the source of her worries must be something she found hard to talk about.

I had no idea what could be causing her to worry…

For now, I’d just keep an eye on her for the rest of the day, and if it seemed like her worries were going to drag on, I’d try to ask her about it.

With that decided, I washed my body and then soaked in the moderately full tub. After warming myself to the core, I got out of the bath to find a piece of underwear on the floor. A light pink bra.

“—?!”

Why was there a bra here?! It wasn’t here a minute ago! So why… did Nanami drop it? That must be it, it had to be. A bra couldn’t just fly in here on its own. It must have gotten tangled in a bath towel.

If I told Nanami, “Hey, you dropped your bra,” she would probably turn bright red. She’d already had an embarrassing day, and I didn’t want to add to it.

I’d just have to put it back in her dresser without her noticing.

“…”

Trying to ignore the bra at my feet, I got dressed and moisturized my skin. Then I dried my hair and picked up the bra.

It’s huge… It looked like an apple could fit in it comfortably. If I tried to stuff it in my pocket, it would definitely stick out. I had no choice but to hide it under my shirt and head for the living room.

A fragrant aroma wafted through the living room. The sound of sizzling whetted my appetite.

“Smells good. Fried rice?”

“Fried rice, just as you requested.”

Nanami replied without taking her eyes off the frying pan. The rising steam must have been making her hot, because her cheeks looked flushed.

While she’s focused on cooking… I went to the bedroom and quickly opened her dresser. I found the underwear drawer and put the bra inside. There, good.

Mission accomplished. I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to the living room.

“Want me to help?”

“No. I’ve come this far, I want to finish it myself.”

“Okay. Thanks. I’m looking forward to your home cooking, Nanami.”

I said that to her back as she cooked diligently and then sat on the sofa. I turned on the TV and was watching the news when she called out.

“It’s ready.”

She brought the plates of fried rice to the coffee table, prepared two glasses of barley tea and two spoons, and then sat down next to me.

“This looks amazing.”

“I tried some, it’s delicious.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

We said our thanks for the food and dug in at the same time. It was a soy sauce-based fried rice with green onions, carrots, and thick-cut bacon, and the salty, peppery flavor had seeped into every grain of the fluffy rice.

As I was chewing my second bite, Nanami looked at me expectantly.

“Is it good?”

“It is. You’re a great fried rice cook, Nanami. From this day forward, I dub you the Minister of Fried Rice.”

“Then you’re the Minister of Meat Udon, Haru-kun. The beef you cooked was so delicious.”

“Then let’s have meat udon for lunch tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to your meat udon, Haru-kun.”

She said that with anticipation and then started to wolf down her fried rice.

…By the way, isn’t she a little close?

Her thigh had been touching mine for a while now. Usually, there was at least a foot between us, but today, there was zero distance.

“…”

A thought occurred to me.

Had I been making Nanami feel lonely?

Even though we were living together, most of our conversations had been about ‘how to act at school,’ or ‘how to get through the culture festival,’ mostly strategy meetings to prevent our lie from being exposed. As a result, we hadn't had much chance to just talk like normal friends.

Maybe the reason she was so close was because I had unconsciously made her feel that loneliness.

We were best friends. We needed to have some fun, friendly conversations that had nothing to do with our fake relationship once in a while.

“Is there anything you want to do after this, Nanami?”

“Anything I want to do?”

“Yeah. We made it through the culture festival, so I was thinking we could have a proper hang-out session tonight, for the first time in a while.”

“In that case, I guess I’d want to play some video games. I want to play against you, Haru-kun!”

If we played a bunch of games, it should help with her loneliness. She must have been looking forward to it, because she started eating faster. I matched her pace, and after we finished and cleaned up, we brought out the cake.

Cheesecake and mont blanc. I cut them in half, careful not to ruin their shape, and gave the bigger pieces to Nanami.

“Thanks for always giving me the bigger piece.”

“You’re welcome.”

We exchanged smiles and savored the delicious cake. Then Nanami took a bath, and while I was doing my homework, she came into the bedroom in her pajamas. “I’m out. Let’s play games.”

“You’re on,” I said, putting away my homework, and we played against each other for a while…

“Let’s call it a night.”

“Yeah. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

A little after 11:00 PM, we headed to the washroom.

Today was an odd-numbered day, so it was my turn to use the bed. After brushing my teeth, I reached for the bedroom door.

“Well, good night.”

“Yeah. Good night.”

I entered the dimly lit bedroom, closed the door, and slipped into bed.

I hadn’t felt sleepy while we were playing games, but the moment I lay down, a wave of drowsiness washed over me. My consciousness started to fade…

Click.

The door opened, and I heard the soft patter of footsteps approaching. Maybe she was cold and came to get a jacket, or maybe she couldn’t sleep and came to get her homework. Either way, it wasn’t worth calling out to her.

I was about to ignore her and drift off to dreamland when a sudden chill entered the air. The blanket was lifted, and Nanami slipped into bed with me.

“…”

Huh, what is she doing? Is she sleepwalking? Or was the sofa cold? If that’s the case, I can sleep on the sofa.

I considered saying something, but decided against it. She must have come here because she was lonely.

She was facing me, and I could feel her sweet breath on my cheek, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

The bed was a semi-double, originally meant for two people. There wasn’t enough space to roll over, but it wasn’t so small that it felt cramped.

If Nanami wanted to sleep together, then we’d sleep together tonight. And I’d pretend to be asleep until she woke up and quietly slipped out of bed.

And so, feeling the warmth of Nanami beside me, I drifted off to sleep—…

◆

“Achoo.”

The sound of a sneeze woke me up.

I was in the bedroom of our apartment. A faint morning light was streaming in through the small window.

It was probably around 7:00 AM. On a weekday, I’d be getting up, but today was Sunday. I considered going back to sleep, but…

“Achoo.”

Another sneeze. The sound was too close to be coming from the living room… oh, right. Nanami had snuck into my bed last night.

Nanami was a girl my age, but she was also like a little sister to me, someone I had grown up with like family. I had been surprised when she first got into bed with me, but maybe because of our Cuddle Time practice, I was able to remain calm, even with her sleeping next to me.

But… even though I was okay with the situation, it would be embarrassing to react when she woke up.

It was a bold move on her part, but… the fact that she had snuck in meant that she didn’t want me to know she was sleeping with me. She was probably planning on waking up before me and sneaking out without me noticing.

In that case, the easiest thing to do would be to pretend to be asleep until she woke up and then act like I hadn’t noticed anything, but…

“Achoo.”

Her repeated sneezing was starting to worry me. I wanted to keep up the charade, but I was concerned.

If she was sneezing this much, it probably meant she was sticking out from under the covers. If so, I wanted to pull the blanket over her, but… if I moved, I might wake her up.

What should I say when our eyes met…?

Putting myself in her shoes, I knew it would be awkward if I was surprised or embarrassed. The most helpful reaction would be for me to act completely normal.

So, I’d remain calm and react in a composed manner. Of course, it would be best if she didn’t wake up at all, so I’d have to be careful not to make any noise.

“…”

I opened my eyes and slowly turned to my side.

Right next to me was Nanami’s forehead.

Far from sticking out from under the covers, she had the blanket pulled up over her face, leaving only her forehead exposed.

She was completely covered, so why did she seem so cold? It was November now, and she had started wearing a fluffy, warm-looking pajama set.

Or maybe…

“Achoo.”

Maybe she wasn’t sneezing because she was cold, but because she was breathing in dust. In that case, I really should readjust the blanket for her.

With that decided, I lifted the blanket.

“—?!”

And then, I was speechless.

Because Nanami was in her underwear.

The black underwear made her pale skin stand out. Her large breasts were squeezed into her bra, rising and falling with each breath. Her toned yet soft-looking stomach was exposed, and she was rubbing her plump thighs together as if she were cold.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

Confused, I shouted.

Nanami’s eyes shot open in surprise, and she sat up.

“Y-You scared me… Good morning, Haru-kun.”

“Don’t ‘good morning’ me! Why aren’t you wearing your pajamas?!”

I couldn’t see her pajamas anywhere in the room. She hadn’t taken them off in her sleep; she had gotten into bed in her underwear.

She wasn’t sleepy, so why would she do something like that…?

“…Are you mad, Haru-kun?”

Nanami asked, her eyes downcast. Her pupils quivered with anxiety, and I let out a sigh.

“I’m just panicking.”

“I’m sorry for making you panic first thing in the morning…”

“You don’t have to apologize. Just put on some clothes.”

“Y-Yeah. Okay…”

Her shoulders slumped, Nanami got out of bed. I caught a glimpse of her black panties and a belated wave of embarrassment washed over me.

I was sleeping with Nanami in her underwear…

We had slept in our underwear once during a sweltering summer when we were kids, but her body was completely different now.

“What have I done…”

I had, to my shame, looked at the girl I thought of as a little sister with lustful eyes…

As I was feeling a little self-loathing, Nanami returned in her fluffy pajamas. She sat on the edge of the bed with an awkward expression on her face.

I sat cross-legged on the bed and looked at her. She seemed to get even more awkward and looked down.

I smiled faintly.

“Don’t make that face. I’m not really mad.”

Nanami glanced up.

“…Really?”

“Really, really.”

“…You’re not mad at all?”

“Not one bit. We haven’t known each other for just a day or two. I know you’re not the kind of person who would do something like that without a reason. There’s a reason, isn’t there?”

“…Yeah.”

“I thought so. Well then, can you tell me what it is?”

Nanami seemed to be consumed by guilt. I asked her gently, trying to ease her anxiety, but she just looked down and remained silent, as if she found it hard to say.

After a while, she seemed to have made up her mind, and she said quietly, her eyes still downcast.

“…Because I did something bad to you, Haru-kun.”

Another unexpected reason.

I didn’t know why she had gotten into bed in her underwear, but I had thought the reason she had gotten into bed in the first place was to ease her loneliness. But…

“Because you did something bad to me, you got into bed in your underwear?”

“Yeah…”

“Then, what do you mean by ‘did something bad to me’?”

I couldn’t think of anything bad she had done to me.

“Because… I lied and said we were in a long-distance relationship, Haru-kun…”

Huh? Now?

“You’re still worried about that?”

She had apologized for that on my first day of school, and I had forgiven her that same day. So why was she starting to worry about it now?

“Because yesterday, when we went back to the classroom after the contest, Komori-san said that if you were single, she’d want to date you. And Ikeda-san, and Sekine-san, and Makino-san all said you were cool, too…”

I vaguely remembered something like that… I had been bombarded with words yesterday, so I couldn’t remember who had said what. But if Nanami said so, then that’s probably what the girls had said.

“But…” Nanami’s face clouded over even more.

“You have me. Because I lied, you can’t date anyone… So I thought that at the very least, I should do something girlfriend-like to make you happy… That’s what I thought…”

“…Could it be that you offering to wash my back and the bra being on the floor were also part of your ‘girlfriend-like’ act…? As an apology for taking away my opportunity to enjoy romance…”

“…Yeah. I thought that since you’re a boy, you’d be happy if I did something like that…”

“I see…”

Nanami wasn’t feeling lonely.

Changing into her maid uniform, putting her hair in a ponytail, cooking for me, offering to wash my back, leaving her bra on the floor, getting into bed in her underwear—it was all to make me happy.

“You’re an idiot, Nanami.”

I said with a wry smile, and Nanami hung her head.

“B-But I couldn’t think of anything else girlfriend-like to do… And we’re not really dating, so I couldn’t just kiss you…”

It was true that if you asked me if her behavior yesterday was ‘girlfriend-like,’ I would have to tilt my head.

But that wasn’t what I was trying to say.

“It’s not about what you did. It’s because you did something you didn’t have to do that I called you an idiot. I mean, have I ever once said that I wanted a girlfriend?”

“I… don’t think so, but… You’re in high school, too, so you must want a girlfriend or two, right?”

She looked at me anxiously, and I declared, “I don’t want even one.”

“I’m not bragging, but in my sixteen years of life, I’m a rare high school boy who has never once wanted a girlfriend. Do you know why?”

“…Because you’re not good with girls, Haru-kun?”

“Nope. I like girls just as much as the next guy.”

“That’s right. You were all over that cat-eared maid, Haru-kun.”

“I won’t deny it. She was cute.”

“Komori-san, Ikeda-san, Sekine-san, and Makino-san are cute, too, you know?”

“I won’t deny that, either.”

“And I’ve only seen her in pictures, but Natsukawa-san was cute, too.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“Then don’t you ever think about dating one of them?”

“Nope.”

“Why? You don’t have to be considerate of me, you know?”

“I’m not being considerate. I’ve really never wanted to date anyone. Because I have you, Nanami.”

Nanami looked at me quizzically. With a curious expression, she asked, “Why does having me mean you don’t want a girlfriend?”

“Because you’re the most important person to me, and spending time with you is the most fun.”

“Oh, I see…”

She must have been embarrassed, because a blush slowly spread across her cheeks. I had hoped that would put her mind at ease, but she still seemed to have some worries left, and she looked at me anxiously.

“But… I think it would be fun to spend time with a girlfriend, too, you know?”

“Even if it is, the most fun I can have is spending time with you. If I forced myself to get a girlfriend, I would definitely prioritize you. Then she would get jealous or suspect me of cheating, and things would get ugly, right? Knowing that, I don’t want a girlfriend even more.”

“So you’re saying you won’t get a girlfriend because I’m here?”

“Don’t take it the wrong way. I’m choosing to spend time with you of my own free will. So honestly, I’m grateful for the long-distance relationship lie.”

Nanami looked confused.

“Why are you grateful…? Because of me, you have to pretend to be my boyfriend, and we ended up living together…”

“Well, at first, I was panicking about what a mess I’d gotten into, and I couldn’t live a peaceful life anymore, but… thanks to pretending to be your boyfriend, I get to spend time with you at school and at home. I have no complaints about this situation… and I know you’ll probably hate this, but if I could, I’d rather not move and just keep living like this.”

“Huh?” Nanami’s eyes widened in confusion.

“Why do you think I would ‘hate’ it?”

“Because if I move, you won’t have to worry about your lie being exposed, and you’ll get your peaceful life back. So I thought you’d be happy about me moving…”

“Th-That’s not what I think at all!”

Nanami shouted frantically.

“I’ve never once wanted you to move! Of course, pretending to be your boyfriend is embarrassing, but if it means I can be with you, I can put up with it! Because being with you like this, like in the old days, is so much more fun than the four and a half years you were gone! That’s why I wish every day that your father’s transfer would be canceled, even now!”

“Oh… so that’s how you felt…”

I never would have imagined that Nanami, who had been so flustered when I showed up as a transfer student, would want to continue living like this. I was honestly surprised, but more than that, I was happy.

“But if your dad’s transfer is canceled, we’ll have to keep pretending to be a fake couple. And a peaceful school life will be even further away. Are you okay with that?”

“I was just getting tired of a peaceful school life, anyway.”

Nanami said, a defiant smile on her face, like the protagonist of a battle manga.

“Don’t try to act tough. You really want a peaceful life, don’t you?”

“Well, I do want a peaceful life, but…”

Caught in her lie, she retracted her statement sheepishly, but then her voice grew stronger.

“I want peace, but I don’t want to be bored. After reuniting with you, I’ve been having so much fun every day. I don’t want to be separated again. I tried to accept it, but… I can’t. I don’t want you to move anymore…”

“Even if it means we have to keep acting so our lie isn’t exposed?”

“Even so, I want to continue this life.”

Nanami was the kind of girl who would swing a bat to stop a move. She had just been putting on a brave face all this time; her feelings for me hadn’t changed at all. She wanted to be by my side from the bottom of her heart.

Her feelings made me so happy, I felt like I was about to cry. Just like her, I wanted to be by her side, too.

In that case, there was only one thing to do.

“Alright. I’ll go talk to my dad and see if I can stay in this town by myself.”

“Do you think they’ll let you?”

“We won’t know until we ask. But it will at least cause them some trouble.”

I had done the same thing four and a half years ago. My dad hadn’t transferred because he wanted to. There was no way he could have left an elementary schooler behind to move. And yet, at the time, I had resisted the move and troubled my parents.

It was clear that resisting the move would cause them trouble, but unlike last time, there was a possibility that I could avoid it.

“For better or for worse, we’re supposed to be dating. If we really appeal to them that we want to be together, they might let me stay here.”

They had gotten us a new apartment so we could nurture our love in secret. I was sure they wanted us to continue living together if they could.

But there was a limit to how far away from your parents you could be. The only reason they had let us live together was because this apartment and their house were only a thirty-minute train ride apart. It would be a different story if they were moving to a place where they couldn’t easily check on their son.

“But we’re supposed to have been nurturing our love in a long-distance relationship for four and a half years, so they might just tell us to ‘be patient for another two years,’ you know…?”

Nanami’s concern was valid. They would probably try to persuade us to “be patient until you’re in college.”

“…I think they will. And then they’ll probably offer a compromise, like, ‘We’ll give you money, so go see each other on your days off,’ but… you still want to continue this life, right?”

“Yeah. I want to continue my life with you, Haru-kun. I don’t want to be separated from you again.”

“Me neither. So, let’s be serious about this. Let’s tell them I don’t want to go with them when they move. That we want to stay here.”

“…Do you think they’ll listen?”

“I don’t know. But we have to try.”

If there was even a sliver of a chance, I wanted to resist. We might end up being separated again, just like when we were kids, but I couldn’t just accept the move without doing anything.

The month I had spent with Nanami had been that much fun. There was no way I was going to let go of such happy days so easily.

Determination filled Nanami’s eyes.

“If there’s a chance, let’s persuade them! Your parents are so nice, I’m sure they’ll understand in the end—achoo!”

Nanami sneezed. She was wearing warm-looking clothes, but she might have been catching a cold after spending the night in her underwear.

“Honestly, sleeping in your underwear in November is crazy. You must have been cold and couldn’t sleep, right?”

“Yeah. I’m a little sleep-deprived. What about you?”

“I’m a little sleepy, too.”

“Then, shall we sleep together?”

“Together? …Are you trying to force yourself to act like a girlfriend again?”

“No. I’m just being me. It’s getting cold, so why don’t we start sleeping in the same bed from today?”

“Well, the bed is warmer, but… isn’t it embarrassing?”

“It’s a little embarrassing, but… it’s a lot better than sleeping in my underwear.”

“And besides,” Nanami said with a soft smile.

“I love spending time with you, Haru-kun. If we sleep together like in the old days, I think I’ll have fun dreams.”

“Oh, I see…”

It seemed Nanami genuinely wanted to sleep together. It was embarrassing to sleep together now that we were in high school, but like she said, it was a lot better than her sleeping in her underwear.

“Alright, let’s start sleeping together from today.”

“Okay. Let’s.”

She said with a smile and slipped into bed. I lay down next to her, we exchanged smiles and “good nights,” and then we went back to sleep.