Prologue

“Ahh…”

In a room with just me, I let out a quiet sound, zoning out.

“…Ah.”

It’s a pointless action, but for some reason, I keep making these noises.

Anyone who saw me would probably tilt their head in confusion, but this is how I’ve been for the past few days. It gets especially bad at night, when I’m lying in bed, waiting to drift off.

“…Ahh… ah…”

This is bad… This might be really bad.

Summer break’s not over yet, so there’s no need to worry for now. But if I’m still like this when the second semester starts, I’m screwed.

“…Phew.”

But, as usual, I snap back to reality pretty quick.

I sit up in bed and glance at the window. There, reflected in the glass, is my face, unable to hide the goofy grin spreading across my cheeks.

“…This ain’t good, man. Really ain’t good.”

Even as I mutter that it’s no good, the me in the window looks downright cheerful.

And yeah, that’s the truth—I’ve been in a ridiculously good mood lately. More like I’m floating on cloud nine, to be honest.

I’m grinning like an idiot, but lucky for me, there’s no one else here to see it.

The only other thing in the room is Jack, the pumpkin sitting on my desk, and that guy’s smirking even harder than I am, so no problem there.

“Am I… gonna die or something?”

Hell no, I ain’t dying!

I crack a mental joke at myself, then shift my gaze to a photo propped up on the shelf.

There’s Arisa and Aina, standing on either side of me. Next to Aina is Sakuna-san, all smiles. Just one look at this picture and you can tell we were having the time of our lives on that trip, soaked in happiness.

And more than anything, it’s a certain memory from that trip that’s got me acting all kinds of crazy now.

“I… really went and did it, huh.”

Did it—that’s right, I got physical with both Arisa and Aina… I’d been holding back for so long, but I finally told them about the change in how I felt, and that’s how we ended up crossing that line.

“…”

I close my eyes, letting the memory wash over me again.

For both me and the girls, it was the first time we'd had sex with someone, so we were feeling our way around everything.

“Mmm… feels good…”

“It’s so different from… doing it alone…!”

Even without experience, I had some sense of what it was supposed to be like.

I was careful, watching their reactions, but they never pushed me away. They welcomed it, looking happy the whole time.

And of course, they did plenty for me too… The three of us, faces burning red, gave in to the pleasure we were sharing.

“Ah…! ♪”

“It’s… it’s coming…! ♪”

The way Arisa and Aina looked, completely melted with bliss, is burned into my mind.

Not just their expressions—their cute, way too sexy reactions, the softness of their skin no matter where I touched, every single thing from that moment—I can’t forget it, not even for a second.

“Anyone would end up like this… Can’t help it, right?”

Yeah, I tell myself it’s only natural.

Even if I keep replaying those moments with them and grinning like a fool, it’s not hurting anyone. No need to worry about it.

“Right… no need to worry. I’m alone here. Well, except for you, smirking over there like always, huh?”

I say that and give Jack’s head a light tap.

This smug-faced pumpkin’s the one who tied our fates together, a precious part of our story. Arisa, Aina, and even Sakuna-san still treat Jack like some kind of deity, offering little prayers to him.

“Well, it never hurts to say thanks, right? Thanks, Jack—buying you back then is what led me to where I am now.”

I give Jack’s head a pat and glance out the window at the sky.

Staring at his face calmed me down, but I know I’ll probably get all worked up again soon, thinking about it. I let out a wry chuckle.

“…Hm?”

Just then, my phone buzzes with an incoming call.

Could it be Arisa or Aina…?

I grab the phone and check—sure enough, it’s Arisa.

“Hey, Arisa?”

“Evening, Hayato-kun.”

Hearing Arisa’s voice over the phone makes my cheeks loosen up again.

And it’s not just that—her voice sends a rush of heat through me, my face burning in an instant.

“W-What’s up…?”

“Hm… you sound a little off. You feeling okay?”

“No, it’s not that… uh, it’s just…”

Maybe it’s the surge of emotions or just plain nerves, but it’s obvious in my voice.

I can easily picture Arisa tilting her head on the other end, wondering what’s up, but I decide there’s no point hiding it. Might as well come clean.

“It’s not like I’m sick or anything… I’m just, uh, still kinda high on everything with you guys.”

“Oh, that’s what it is…”

I didn’t spell it out, but Arisa seems to get it just fine.

There’s rarely any awkwardness between me, Arisa, and Aina, but for a brief moment, I feel a tiny bit of it.

Then, Arisa lets out a soft giggle.

“Fufu♪ It’s been a few days since that day, and you’re still like this, Hayato-kun… Not that I’m one to talk. Aina and I are thinking about it too, you know.”

“…”

“Thinking about it… Yeah, like you said, we’re all floating.”

Her voice is light, almost bubbly, and I can tell she’s just as caught up as I am.

“So we’re all on the same page, huh?”

“Yup… we’re all pretty naughty, aren’t we?”

“Gah… but, like, can you blame us? We held back for so long, so it’s like… the rebound hit hard.”

“It really did. Aina and I, and you too, Hayato-kun—it was our first time, but it was so intense… You completely won us over with that manly side of yours.”

The way she says won has this sultry edge to it.

It’s not like getting physical means I conquered them or anything—we were already head over heels for each other. I chose to drown in their love, and looking back, it’s wild how far we’ve come since we first started going out.

“Thinking back… even before we made it official, you two came on strong. Honestly, I was always on the verge of losing it and just pouncing on you.”

“That was kinda the plan, you know. Whatever you did to us, Hayato-kun, we’d be happy with it. Anything from you would make us happy.”

“…Man, I really held it together, didn’t I?”

“Your self-control was like steel, wasn’t it?”

I really think I had a heart of steel back then.

We laugh, reminiscing about everything from then to now, when a sudden question pops into my head.

“By the way, has Aina already gone to bed?”

“…Uh, well…”

“?”

When I ask about Aina, Arisa hesitates.

I start to worry something’s up with Aina, but if it was serious, there’s no way Arisa would keep it from me. So it’s probably not a big deal.

“It’s… kinda embarrassing to say.”

“…Huh?”

Embarrassing? I tilt my head, confused.

I was asking about Aina, so why’s Arisa embarrassed and dodging the question? I rack my brain but come up blank.

“Curious, huh…?”

“Well… yeah.”

When I admit it, Arisa takes a deep breath.

I’m not gonna push if it’s not a big deal, but since I said I’m curious, it seems she’s ready to spill.

“So… we can’t forget it either. The, uh, stuff with you, Hayato-kun… We keep thinking about it, and every time we do, we end up… comforting ourselves. You get it, right!?”

“Oh… OH!?”

Her voice is so loud it practically rings in my ears, and I pull the phone away for a second. I’m not that dense—I get what she means.

Thinking back to what we did, “comforting themselves” means that… and tying it to what Aina’s up to right now, it all clicks into place.

“Uh, so…”

“It’s so embarrassing… Do you think we’re, like, super naughty?”

“Nah, that’s not exactly news, is it?”

Arisa and Aina being a little naughty? That’s old hat by now.

“So… got it.”

“That’s why I said it’s embarrassing…!”

I can hear her flailing, probably kicking her bed in embarrassment, but she’s not the only one feeling the heat—my face is burning too.

“Don’t worry, Arisa. I’m just as embarrassed.”

“Really?”

“For real.”

I mean, come on.

My amazing girlfriends thinking about me while… comforting themselves? It’s flattering as hell, and I’m happy, but I’m also glad no one can see my beet-red face right now.

Lost in that thought, I’m caught off guard by her next question.

“So… what about you, Hayato-kun?”

“Wha!?”

I let out a ridiculous yelp, glancing around nervously even though I’m alone.

“Pfft! You’re freaking out too much, Hayato-kun!”

“…”

Now I’m really embarrassed…

Arisa’s laughing, and I figure I could dodge the question if I wanted, but after making them spill something so personal, it’s only fair I fess up too. Alright, time to own it!

“Well… not all the time, but… yeah, same here.”

“Oh… r-really…?”

Gaaah!

It’s mortifying, but part of me—a stupid part—is thrilled we can even have this kind of conversation.

Yeah… yeah, that’s right.

Being able to talk like this is proof our relationship’s leveled up.

“…Phew, let’s both chill for a sec.”

“Y-Yeah! I’m gonna take a deep breath too.”

We both take a moment to breathe and calm down.

But even now, the image of Aina doing… that won’t leave my head. And I swear Jack, who’s always grinning, is looking at me like he’s fed up, but that’s probably just my imagination.

“Anyway, Hayato-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“You haven’t forgotten about tomorrow night, right?”

“’Course not.”

Tomorrow night’s the annual summer festival Arisa’s talking about.

Up until last year, I’d go with Sota and Kaito, hitting up food stalls and stuffing our faces. But this year, I’ve got Arisa and Aina, so it’s gonna be a full-on festival date.

“I actually look forward to it every year. Going with Sota and the guys, pigging out at the stalls, you know.”

“Fufu, really? But… doesn’t that mean you’ll miss hanging with them this year?”

“Haha, kinda hard to answer that one. But I wanna make the most of my time with you two. Sota and the guys told me to have fun, so it’s all good.”

“Oh…? Well, that’s a relief then.”

Though they did grumble something about me “exploding” afterward…

But even without me, those guys’ll probably hit up the festival too. Who knows, we might even run into them.

We talk for another half hour before hanging up.

Partway through, I forgot about Aina’s situation and just enjoyed the chat, but now that it’s quiet again, it all comes rushing back, and so does the excitement.

“…Phew.”

What’s with the phew? I mutter to myself as I lie back on the bed and turn off the light.

Thinking about my talk with Arisa… and Aina too, I drift off to sleep.