Chapter 2: Cohabitation Life
“Wake up, Tatsuya-kun. Breakfast is ready~”
“...Morning.”
It was the third day since Yura-chan had moved into my apartment, and I was already well on my way to becoming a hopelessly spoiled human being.
Every morning she woke me up gently with breakfast already on the table and my uniform neatly ironed. Everything I needed for class was packed in my bag ahead of time; all I had to do was get up, eat breakfast, and head off to campus.
When I came home after classes, she cooked dinner and cleaned the bath and the room while I lounged around, and while I was in the bath, she even made the bed for me.
It was so comfortable it was downright dangerous.
Having a gorgeous girl pamper me to this extent was heaven on earth, except for one fatal drawback.
“Since there’s no class today, do you want to study here at home or head to the library?”
“Let’s just study here today. Other than that, I only really need to go out for groceries. Thanks to your tutoring, Yura-chan, I’ve pretty much covered all the material for finals, so maybe we can wrap up studying in the morning and go out somewhere in the afternoon for a change of pace.”
“Ooh, great idea! Where should we go~?”
Even though I hadn’t actually said a word about going out together, Yura-chan immediately started looking up outing spots on her phone on the assumption that we were going as a pair.
Yes—Yura-chan never left my side for a single moment.
Now, you might wonder what complaint a guy could possibly have about being doted on twenty-four seven by a beauty like her.
“The weather’s nice and sunny today, so I’ll air out your futon quilt on the balcony, okay?”
“Ah, w-wait! Since it’s a day off, I kinda want to laze around under the covers a little longer!”
As Yura-chan reached for my quilt, I clutched the edge tightly with both hands like my life depended on it.
“Jeez, Tatsuya-kun. Your breakfast is going to get cold, so hurry up and get dressed, okay?”
Watching Yura-chan head back to the kitchen with a wry smile, I let out a quiet breath of relief.
Underneath the covers, thanks to days of pent-up frustration combined with the usual morning phenomenon, I was in no state to stand up in front of her.
Simply put, I had zero privacy for any Solo Play (alone time).
I’d considered taking care of things quietly in the bath or the restroom, but I was terrified she’d notice, and with Yura-chan’s presence right outside the door, there was no way I could focus anyway.
After desperately willing myself to calm down, I finally climbed out of bed.
I washed my face, savored the delicious breakfast she’d set out for me, and spent the morning reviewing with Yura-chan until the clock struck eleven.
Flipping on the TV for a quick break, I saw a daytime variety show running a segment titled ‘Top Five Summer Date Spots!’
“Have you ever had a girlfriend before, Tatsuya-kun?”
Yura-chan asked the question casually out of the blue.
“Nope, never. Since I hide my EXP count at school, it’s not like I’m popular with girls, and even if I did date someone, we wouldn’t be able to have a normal relationship anyway. I mean, with me as a partner, we couldn’t even hold hands in public, right? Back in the day, I used to daydream about stuff like holding hands on a date if I ever got a girlfriend, too—though that dream went up in smoke a long time ago.”
And the girl in those daydreams of mine had always been Yura-chan.
“Ah... I-I see. Sorry for asking something so insensitive.”
At my words, Yura-chan lowered her gaze with an apologetic look.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a fact of life for me. Besides, I gave up on romance ages ago.”
Saying that, I stared down at my own open palms. Ever since that day four years ago when I accidentally touched Yura-chan in the library, I had sworn off romance altogether—convinced that my touch alone could cost a woman her life. Though thankfully, in the end, Yura-chan had survived.
“...Tatsuya-kun.”
“Hm? What is it?”
When I looked up at the sound of her voice, Yura-chan was staring straight at me with fierce, solemn resolve in her eyes—like a samurai bracing for a duel.
“Anything you want to do, Tatsuya-kun, I want to make it come true for you.”
“Um, yeah. Thank you.”
“So let’s do it.”
“Do what?”
“Go on a hand-holding date.”
“...Wait, seriously?”
And just like that, our impromptu date was officially on.
“Ready to head out, then?”
“Yep! I can’t wait!”
When I spoke to the demure-looking bookish girl standing beside me, she answered in a bright, cheerful voice. Naturally, this demure bookish girl was none other than Yura-chan in disguise.
From a distance, her gray one-piece dress looked almost like a plain school uniform, yet a closer look revealed a delicate pattern of tiny polka dots, and the cuffs of the blouse underneath were trimmed with fine lace.
The cute beret perched atop her head wasn’t something a genuinely plain bookworm would ever wear, either—and at the very least, no real wallflower would pick a dress hem short enough to show off her knees.
Rather than a plain bookish girl, she was unmistakably a gorgeous girl cosplaying as a bookish beauty.
Incidentally, we weren’t holding hands yet; Yura-chan’s right hand was merely pinching the cuff of my sleeve.
“Whenever you feel like holding hands, you can take my hand anytime, okay? Don’t hold back on my account!”
Leaning slightly forward, Yura-chan peered up into my face. She looked so absurdly cute that I lightly brushed my fingertips against the back of her hand before pulling back right away.
“♡♡♡...See? I’m totally fine, right? Come on, let’s go!”
Although her shoulders gave a tiny twitch, Yura-chan didn’t show any major reaction and beamed up at me. Our fun afternoon date was officially underway.
Our hastily decided plan for the day was simply to visit the aquarium; beyond that, we hadn’t settled on any specific itinerary.
Walking side by side, Yura-chan and I headed down into the subway station.
Thanks to her understated outfit and the Phantom Parfum, none of the passersby realized she was Yurarin—though plenty of people still did a double take at what a knockout beauty she was.
“Let’s see... Since the aquarium is right near the seaside park...”
Standing near the ticket gates, Yura-chan gazed up at the transit map. With a finger resting thoughtfully against her chin and her head tilted slightly to the side, she looked so picturesque I couldn’t help staring.
Seeing her dressed in such a quiet, modest style briefly overlapped in my mind with how she used to look four years ago.
When I stop and think about it calmly, I’m literally on a date with my first love right now.
“...Hm? Is something wrong?”
“Ah, no. Sorry!”
“Ahaha, what’s with that? Why are you apologizing? I have no idea what you’re sorry for, so I won’t forgive you~”
Amused by my flustered stammering, Yura-chan teased me with a bright grin. Apparently, I wasn’t forgiven.
I had been getting all flustered over old memories on my own, but once we arrived at the aquarium, that nervousness vanished right away.
To recreate the ambiance of the ocean depths, the lighting inside the aquarium was dimmed to a cool, tranquil blue. Suspended from the soaring ceiling high overhead was a life-sized model of a blue whale so massive it barely fit into my field of view, looking ready to swim off at any moment.
In the center of the entrance hall stood a towering cylindrical tank where a school of silver sardines swirled in an endless vortex, occasionally scattering in a flash of light before flowing seamlessly back into a single formation.
“Whoa... That’s incredible...”
“Isn’t it?! This is so exciting! Where should we start?”
Still awestruck by the entrance hall, I unfolded the floor guide we’d received at the ticket counter.
The main ocean tank, the underwater tunnel, the deep-sea gallery, the penguin cove, the dolphin pool—there were so many exhibits it looked impossible to see everything in half a day.
Just as Yura-chan and I were debating which route to take first, an announcement chimed over the PA system.
‘Attention, visitors. Shortly, we will be holding a hands-on marine life interaction event at the first-floor touch pool area. Admission is free of charge, so please feel free to drop by.’
Hearing the announcement, Yura-chan and I exchanged a glance. Our first stop was decided: the touch pool area.
“Visitors joining the hands-on interaction event, please gather right over here~!”
We walked over toward the smiling female aquarium attendant waving her hand. The touch pool area was much larger than I had pictured; shallow tanks were lined up like a long counter, forming a miniature paradise of marine life filled with starfish and sea slugs of all sizes, and even rays gliding through the wider basin.
Since summer vacation hadn’t started yet, the crowd around the touch pool was fairly small—aside from us, there were only two college-aged couples, a group of students on a trip, and about four parents with young kids.
After checking that everyone had gathered around, the attendant gave a brief explanation.
“All of these little guys breathe underwater, so please keep them submerged when you touch them. Also, the warmth of human hands can actually give them a burn, so please dip your hands in the water first to cool them down before touching the animals. Once you’re finished, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap at the sinks beside the tanks. Can everyone promise to follow those rules~?”
‘Yeees!’ the kids chorused energetically—and right alongside them, Yura-chan raised her hand with a cute little ‘Yes!’ of her own.
“Then please enjoy meeting our ocean friends!”
As the children eagerly plunged their hands into the water, Yura-chan and I gingerly dipped ours into the tank as well.
“F-for starters, let’s try something beginner-friendly like a starfish...”
I reached toward a starfish that didn’t look squishy and barely moved at all.
“Oh... whoa.”
It felt much firmer and smoother than I had expected. Beside me, Yura-chan touched a small starfish too and gently scooped it onto her palm.
“Wah, look! Amazing! You can really feel that it’s alive!”
Well, it is a living creature, so that kind of goes without saying.
Emboldened after touching the starfish, Yura-chan reached out to pet the sea slugs and hermit crabs next. When she gingerly reached for a sea urchin and let it rest on her palm, a young boy standing next to her gasped in wide-eyed admiration.
“Whoa, big sis, that’s awesome! Doesn’t it hurt?!”
“Fueh? Nope, it doesn’t hurt at all! It tickles a little when its spines wiggle, but as long as you touch it gently, it’s totally fine. Want to try holding it?”
Though blinking in surprise for a second at being spoken to out of the blue, Yura-chan immediately beamed with a warm, gentle smile.
Guiding the little boy’s hand over the water, she carefully transferred the sea urchin onto his palm.
“Whoa! It’s wiggling on my hand! It really doesn’t hurt!”
“See? Told you it’s fine!”
“Yeah! Thanks, big sis! Oh, look, there’s a stingray over there! Come on, big sis, let’s go pet it together!”
“Ah, w-wait a second...”
Having taken an instant liking to Yura-chan, the boy tugged her by the hand toward the neighboring tank. Looking half-flustered and half-amused, Yura-chan glanced back over her shoulder at me.
“Go right ahead, I don’t mind,” I said.
“Okay! Thank you, Tatsuya-kun.”
Watching the two of them together was as heartwarming as watching a real older sister and little brother. Feeling a faint pang of envy toward the kid who could hold Yura-chan’s hand so innocently without a care in the world, I glanced down at my own palm.
Back when we were kids, I used to grab Yura-chan’s hand without thinking twice about it, too. Now, I could barely even remember what that felt like.
“I am so terribly sorry for interrupting your date...”
“Huh? Ah, no, not at all! Please don’t worry about it—she looks like she’s having a great time, too.”
A woman standing nearby had spoken up apologetically; judging by her sheepish smile, she was the little boy’s mother.
When I answered as cheerfully as I could, the woman let out a relieved breath.
“Thank you so much. You have such a sweet, lovely girlfriend.”
“Huh? Ah... yes, thank you. She’s way out of my league, honestly.”
“Not at all, I think the two of you make a wonderful couple.”
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t actually my girlfriend, though going out of my way to correct a stranger here would only make things awkward.
“As a special bonus for today’s session, you can also interact with our octopuses! We only have a few octopuses available for touching, so please take turns!”
At the attendant’s announcement, the little boy’s eyes lit up like stars.
“Big sis, she said they have octopuses! Let’s go touch one! Come on!”
“A-an octopus...?”
Watching the two of them head eagerly toward the octopus basin, I reached into the tank in front of me and picked up a sea cucumber.
“Huh, it’s firmer than I thought... Oh, now it went squishy.”
With nothing particular to say to the boy’s mother beside me, I murmured to myself to keep the silence from getting awkward as I rested the black sea cucumber on my palm.
“Whoa! Cool, cool! W-wah! It sucked onto my hand!”
Startled by the unexpected strength of the suckers, the boy touching the octopus yanked his arm back—accidentally hauling the octopus right out of the tank and dropping it with a wet splat at Yura-chan’s feet.
“Kyah! Eh, ah, w-what do I do?! I have to put it back in the water—!”
As Yura-chan flailed in panic, the octopus slithered across the floor at shocking speed, heading straight for her shoes and crawling up her leg as if seeking out a dark, narrow hiding spot...
“Hyaah! Aaaah! W-wait, stop! No, don’t go up there! I-it’s all slimy!”
Aiming for the shadow beneath Yura-chan’s skirt, the octopus began clambering rapidly up her leg. Unsure whether she might hurt the creature if she grabbed it too hard, Yura-chan hesitated, her frantic brushing motions only agitating it further.
Before anyone could stop it, the octopus slipped right up under the hem of Yura-chan’s dress—territory even I had never set foot in.
“Nhaaaaah! N-no, no, stop! W-wait a second! Hyaaaaah!”
With the slimy, eight-armed creature wriggling wildly underneath her dress, Yura-chan doubled over and tried desperately to shoo it out, to no avail.
“Y-Yura-chan!”
Knowing I had to help her right away, I lunged forward and reached out both hands toward Yura-chan.
...Completely forgetting that I was still holding a sea cucumber in my left hand.
“Ah!”
Slipping from my fingers, the black sea cucumber traced a gentle arc through the air and plopped halfway down the front collar of Yura-chan’s blouse as she leaned forward.
“Hyaaaaaaah! What is that?! Why?! Something slimy and squishy just slipped in... Nnh, wait, it just got stiff! S-something dark and firm is sliding around in my blouse!”
Hearing the commotion, the female attendant came rushing over, only to hesitate in dismay—apparently she had been in the middle of prepping fish feed, and her hands were covered in fish scales and blood. Looking thoroughly flustered, she turned pleading eyes on me.
“B-boyfriend-san! Please pull them off her! You can grab them firmly—they’re tougher than they look, so you won’t hurt them!”
“G-got it!”
“T-Tatsuya-kuuun...!”
There was no time to hesitate. I reached my right hand after the octopus by her hem and my left hand toward the sea cucumber at her collar; rather than dragging this out awkwardly, getting them off in one quick grab was the only way.
“Hyan! Aaaah! Nnnnnnh♡♡♡♡♡♡”
A distinctly sweet, breathless note mixed into Yura-chan’s voice. Avoiding any contact with her skin in a scramble like this was flat-out impossible.
“Hang in there for just a second, Yura-chan! I’ll get them both at once!”
“W-waitsh! N-not there♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Don’tsh♡♡♡♡♡”
As I grabbed hold of the creatures, my hands brushed against Yura-chan more than I’d intended, causing her knees to buckle as she lost her balance.
“Kyaaaaah♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Whoa!”
Tumbling down right along with her, I bumped my head against the side of the tank—and at the exact same moment, squeezed too tightly in my left hand, the startled sea cucumber ejected a defensive jet of sticky white threads.
—Thud! Splash!
“N-noooooo♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Y-Yura-chaaaaan!”
Streaks of sticky sea-cucumber fluid splattered across Yura-chan’s cheek and collar. It was an unmitigated disaster.
“J-just hold still for one more second!”
After tossing the now-limp sea cucumber back into the water tank, I finally pried the runaway octopus off her leg.
“I cannot apologize enough for what my son caused...”
“I’m really sorry, big sis...”
Having waited anxiously the entire time Yura-chan was washing up at the sink, the little boy and his mother bowed their heads deeply to us.
“Please don’t worry about it—we know it was an accident,” I said.
“Thank you so much for being so kind about it. Please, take this to cover the dry-cleaning.”
With that, the boy’s mother held out a cute envelope printed with little dolphins. While Yura-chan was washing her face, she must have hurried over to the gift shop to buy an envelope for cash.
“Oh, no, we really can’t accept money for this!”
“But your girlfriend’s dress and face got so messy because of us...”
“That part was entirely the sea cucumber’s fault, ma’am! Your son wasn’t responsible for that at all!”
...Yes, ma’am. The sea cucumber disaster was one hundred percent my fault.
“Even so...”
Seeing the mother hesitate to put the envelope away out of lingering guilt, Yura-chan crouched down in front of the boy and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice.
“Getting to touch the octopus together was super fun, wasn’t it?”
“Y-yeah...”
Resting a gentle hand atop the teary-eyed boy’s head, Yura-chan gave him a warm smile.
“Thanks to you, I had a lot of fun too! Since you came all the way to the aquarium today, you have to enjoy the rest of it! If you look that sad, your mom who brought you here will feel sad too, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“All right, future Doctor Fish! Go see lots and lots of cool fish out there!”
“Okay!”
Yura-chan gave the boy an encouraging pat on the back.
“Thank you—thank you so very much.”
With a smile back on his face, the boy trotted off, while his mother bowed to us again and again before hurrying after him.
“...I’m really sorry, Yura-chan.”
Even if the boy dropping the octopus had started it, I was undeniably the one who had upgraded a minor mishap into a full-blown catastrophe.
At my apology, Yura-chan offered a slightly troubled smile.
“Jeez, why are you apologizing, Tatsuya-kun? Thank you for rescuing me back there!”
“...Yeah.”
“More importantly, come on.”
Leaning in close, Yura-chan whispered softly into my ear.
“Let’s enjoy the rest of our aquarium date, okay?”
She was right—our aquarium date had only just begun.
Shaking off the mishap, we set off through the exhibits, and before long my dampened spirits had completely bounced back.
After walking through gallery after gallery, we sat down on a bench in the rest area to give our feet a break. Thrilled to be visiting an aquarium for the first time in years—maybe even a decade—I chattered away to Yura-chan a mile a minute.
“I haven’t been to an aquarium since my family took me back in grade school, but this is seriously fun! There are so many colorful fish and weird sea creatures you never get tired of looking at them! Seeing that giant manta ray glide right overhead from the tunnel was breathtaking! Oh, and the bullhead shark was adorable, wasn’t it?! Plus, I had no idea until today that sturgeons aren’t actually sharks even though their Japanese name has ‘shark’ in it! Talk about false advertising!”
“Y-yeah, totally...”
“Oh, right! Did you know that Japanese people are pretty much the only ones who get a craving for sushi right after visiting an aquarium? Do you know why that is?”
“H-huh~ Really? W-why is that?”
“It’s actually a trick question—the answer is that Japanese people are pretty much the only ones who eat sushi on an everyday basis in the first place! Ahaha, kind of a mean riddle, right?”
“H-hey... Tatsuya-kun?”
Hardly reacting to my little riddle at all, Yura-chan gazed up at me with dewy eyes, fidgeting restlessly on the bench with a strangely wistful air.
“Are you... doing this on purpose...?”
“Um, doing what on purpose?”
“Not holding my hand! You said you wanted to go on a hand-holding date, so I’ve been bracing myself and waiting this whole time, and yet you haven’t reached for my hand once... Hey, are you teasing me on purpose?”
“Ah. No, I wasn’t trying to tease you...”
Truth be told, holding hands with a girl in public felt like such an alien concept to me that I hadn’t been able to work up the nerve on the way here, and once we stepped inside the aquarium, I’d gotten so caught up in the exhibits that it had completely slipped my mind. Meanwhile, Yura-chan must have been steeling herself the entire time, waiting for the moment I’d take her hand.
“I was having so much fun on our date that I completely forgot. Ahahaha, I’m really sorry!”
When I apologized honestly, Yura-chan let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
“Siiigh~~~~. Jeez, I guess that’s classic you, Tatsuya-kun, but all the tension just went right out of me~ I’m gonna go use the restroom real quick, okay?”
Saying that, Yura-chan stood up from the bench. Feeling bad for having let her down, I reached out and gently took her hand just as she turned to head for the restroom.
“...Ohhh♡”
With a sharp full-body shiver, Yura-chan froze in her tracks.
Slowly, she looked back over her shoulder at me—her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes hazy with bliss, and a tiny drop of drool threatening to slip from the corner of her lips.
“A-are you okay?”
“...Th-that was so unfair just now. Teasing me for hours, and then grabbing my hand at the exact moment my guard was completely down... Hey, don’t tell me you’re actually a total sadist, Tatsuya-kun?”
Evidently, my timing couldn’t have been worse.
“I’m sorry! I swear I didn’t mean to ambush you like that!”
Wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, Yura-chan looked at me with an alluring smile.
“It’s fine. My resolve was just a little too soft, that’s all. Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready. If you want to, Tatsuya-kun, we can hold hands the entire way home. I’ll prove to you that I can handle it.”
“Yura-chan...”
When I tried to let go of her hand so she could excuse herself, she squeezed mine right back.
“Nnh♡... Would you rather I didn’t go to the restroom yet, either?”
“Go, please go right now! I don’t want to put you through anything that hazardous to your health!”
“Hehe, thanks. You really are sweet, Tatsuya-kun.”
After giving my hand one last squeeze hard enough to nearly crack my knuckles, Yura-chan finally let go and hurried off to the restroom.
Somehow, it seemed I had lit a competitive fire inside her.
“Look, Tatsuya-kun! Amazing! They’re so pretty!”
Inside the aquarium’s jellyfish gallery, Yura-chan whispered in delight. Over a dozen cylindrical tanks stretched from floor to ceiling across the room, with translucent jellyfish drifting lazily through the water inside.
To showcase the bioluminescent jellyfish, the gallery was kept dimly lit, bathed in soft, shifting hues of colorful light that gave the space an otherworldly, dreamlike atmosphere. Since the room doubled as a lounge area with plenty of plush benches, several couples were sitting quietly around us.
Taking a particular shine to the moon jellies, Yura-chan stopped in front of a wide tank and gazed fixedly at the gently pulsing creatures.
“Did you know, Tatsuya-kun? They say that when a jellyfish dies, its body simply dissolves into the sea and disappears.”
Her cheerful expression from a moment ago gave way to a wistful, fragile look as she watched the jellyfish drift by.
“People are the same way. Someday, we all fade away and disappear, too. How happy I felt going on this date with you today, Tatsuya-kun, and how much I wished we could stay together even longer—once I’m gone, all of it will vanish. Every memory, every feeling, everything. Thinking about that makes my chest ache a little.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Still, I think the fact that things eventually fade is the exact reason we can cherish them right now.”
Standing beside her, I reached out with my left hand and gently took Yura-chan’s right hand, which had been swaying slightly at her side as if searching for mine.
“Ah♡”
“If our lives lasted forever and our bodies never faded away, I have a feeling nothing would feel truly precious to us anymore. It’s precisely because we know deep down that everything ends someday that we want to treasure what we have right now.”
“...Do you really think so?”
“Yeah. That’s why I think the best we can do is live each moment to the fullest—so that when the day comes for us to fade away, we can look back and say we lived a full, happy life with no regrets. Besides, even after we’re gone, there’s still something we can leave behind.”
“Something we can leave behind?”
“Children—living proof of the love between two people who cared for each other. Our kids carry on our wishes and our feelings into the future, don’t they? So not everything disappears without a trace. Ah, though...”
“Though?”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have kids of my own. Because if I tried, my partner probably wouldn’t survive it.”
“...”
Simply touching a woman with these hands of mine was enough to make almost anyone pass out cold. Going any further than that would almost certainly put her life in mortal danger. Which meant my story would end with me; no child would ever be born to carry on my wishes or feelings.
“...Nnh♡”
As I stood there lost in thought, Yura-chan wrapped both of her hands tightly around my left hand.
“Yura-chan?”
“It’ll be okay—I’m sure it’ll be okay. Someday, we’ll find a way to make it work. Look, even holding your hand with both of mine right now, I-I can handle it♡”
Despite her brave words, Yura-chan’s shoulders were trembling with tiny shivers as she visibly strained to endure the rush.
“I’ll prove that I can take it. No matter what you do to me, Tatsuya-kun, I refuse to die on you. I won’t let your story end alone. So—so if you ever want a family someday, Tatsuya-kun, I’ll be the one who...♡”
“Yura-chan...”
Yura-chan gazed up at me with shimmering, dewy eyes. Drawn in by that gaze, I found myself leaning closer without even realizing it. Up close, I could see her long eyelashes fluttering faintly.
Catching sight of my own reflection in her eyes, a sliver of rationality snapped back into my head.
If I kissed her in a place like this, there was no way Yura-chan would stay standing. I knew that, and yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from hers.
Sensing me hesitate and try to pull back an inch, Yura-chan tightened her grip on my hand as if pleading with me not to run away.
“...Nobody’s looking right now.”
From between Yura-chan’s slightly parted lips, a breathless whisper slipped out.
Piece by piece, my self-restraint began to melt away. Surrounded by the glowing jellyfish tanks in that hushed, otherworldly space, Yura-chan and I gazed into each other’s eyes...
‘Attention, visitors. The dolphin show will be starting shortly at the main pool. Come enjoy an energetic performance by our adorable dolphins!’
“—Whoa, Yura-chan, she said the dolphin show is starting!”
“Ah, y-yeah! Let’s go, let’s go!”
The facility announcement shattered the charged atmosphere between us in an instant. Saved by the bell. Holding hands was one thing, but if we’d actually kissed in a public gallery like this, Yura-chan would have collapsed on the spot.
Taking Yura-chan by the hand, I hurried toward the main pool.
“Visitors seated in the front rows may get splashed during the performance! If you don’t have a change of clothes, we highly recommend picking up a vinyl rain poncho for two hundred yen each~!”
“Excuse me, two ponchos, please,” I said.
“Here you go! Thank you very much~!”
Buying two vinyl ponchos from the attendant by the bleachers, I handed one to Yura-chan.
“Thank you! Do you really think we need to put them on?”
“I doubt we’ll get completely drenched, but better safe than sorry.”
Right after we slipped the ponchos on over our clothes, the dolphin show began. Watching two different species of dolphins play with balls, carry trainers across the water on their backs, and soar high into the air left me thoroughly amazed by my first live dolphin performance.
“Waaah! That’s amazing!”
Beside me, Yura-chan was just as thrilled, letting out delighted cheers every time a dolphin launched itself out of the water.
“Well, everyone, it is just about time to wrap up our fun-filled dolphin show for today!”
“Aww, it’s over already~?”
At the trainer’s announcement, Yura-chan let out a disappointed sigh.
“Before we say goodbye, however, our adorable dolphins have one last special present for all of you!”
“A present?! I wonder what it is!”
Her eyes immediately lit right back up with excitement. Watching Yura-chan’s expressions change from one second to the next never got old.
“Here comes your special present from our dolphins—enjoy!!”
Three dolphins torpedoed across the pool at top speed, leaped high into the air, and slammed back into the water right at the very edge of the front-row bleachers.
A massive sheet of water erupted into the air, eliciting a chorus of shrieks and laughter from the front rows.
“Kyaaaah!”
Yura-chan let out a delighted shriek of her own.
“Ahahaha! That was awesome! A huge wave of spray came flying right at us!”
“I got a little splashed~”
“Quite the present they gave us, huh?”
“Yeah! Though maybe we didn’t really need the ponchos for a splash that size~?”
Beads of water glistening on her cheeks, Yura-chan laughed brightly.
Thinking the show was over, I reached up to take off my poncho—when suddenly:
“We’re not done yet—here comes the real encore!”
The trainer’s cheerful voice rang out over the speakers.
“Huh?”
The very next instant, my entire field of vision turned pure white.
Lining up right along the lip of the pool, the dolphins began thrashing their powerful tail flukes with everything they had, unleashing an unbelievable wall of water straight into the bleachers.
“GYAAAAAAH!”
Yura-chan’s cute little shriek from a moment ago turned into a genuine scream for survival.
“And that concludes today’s dolphin show! Visitors who got splashed, please dry off well so you don’t catch a cold! Exclusive aquarium face towels are also available for purchase at our first-floor gift shop~!”
With the trainer’s chipper closing announcement, the dolphins’ relentless one-minute water barrage finally came to an end.
“...”
“...”
Thanks to the vinyl ponchos, our torsos had been spared, but our faces and lower legs were dripping wet. Water trickling down our chins, Yura-chan and I stared wordlessly at each other—and then burst out laughing at the exact same time.
“...Pfft, ahaha, ahahahahaha! Do dolphin shows normally dump that much water on the audience?! I felt like we were getting hosed down by a fire truck!”
“...Hehe, ahahahaha! For real! I couldn’t even breathe under all that spray!”
“You’re soaked, Yura-chan. Hold still for a second.”
It would be awful if she caught a cold in the middle of our date. Pulling a clean handkerchief from my pocket, I gently patted the water from Yura-chan’s face.
“Mm♡ Thanks♡ Could you wipe dry my legs, too?”
“Roger that.”
“...Nnh♡”
Taking care not to touch her bare skin directly with my fingers, I used the handkerchief in my right hand to dab the water droplets off her calf.
“Fah♡ W-whoa♡♡♡♡♡♡ Nnh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Even though my fingers weren’t touching her skin directly, Yura-chan let out a sweet, shaky breath.
“Almost done, hang in there.”
I moved on to dry her other leg.
“Nnnnnnh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ T-Tatsuya-kun♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ You’re being pretty bold today, aren’t you? ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Huh?”
Wondering why Yura-chan was trembling so violently when I was only using a handkerchief, I glanced up in confusion.
“Ah.”
I had been concentrating so hard on keeping my right hand from touching her skin through the handkerchief that I had completely forgotten what my left hand was doing.
To keep the damp hem of her dress out of the way while I wiped her calves, my left hand was lightly holding her skirt up—and resting squarely against the warm, soft skin just above her knee.
“S-sorry—!”
“I-it’s okay, don’t stop. We’re on a date, after all, so stuff like this happens♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Nhaaaah♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Before I could pull my left hand back, Yura-chan clamped both of her hands over mine, holding it firmly in place against her leg.
“Yura-chan?!”
“Dry me off♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ all the way to the end♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ okay? ♡♡♡♡♡”
“O-okay! I’ll finish up super fast!”
I wiped the rest of the water off her legs in record time.
Even with my hand pressed against such a sensitive spot the entire time, Yura-chan gritted her teeth and managed to endure it all the way through without letting out another loud cry.
Since we’d gotten thoroughly splashed at the dolphin show despite our ponchos, Yura-chan and I decided to head home for the day. She had wanted to keep our date going a little longer, but walking around in damp shoes and clothes was asking for trouble.
When I persuaded her that we should head back early and warm up in the shower before we caught a chill, Yura-chan puffed out her cheeks in a tiny pout.
“Then you have to hold my hand the entire way back until we get home.”
“I don’t mind, if you’re sure...”
Before I even finished speaking, Yura-chan slipped her right hand into mine, lacing her fingers tightly with mine lovers’ style.
“I’m not letting go until we’re back at the apartment♡”
“Yura-chan... Thank you.”
“Oh, but before we leave, I want to make one quick stop at the gift shop! I want to get matching keychains or something with you♡”
Keeping a low profile so we wouldn’t draw attention, we ducked into the aquarium gift shop. Since there was still plenty of time before closing, the aisles weren’t too crowded.
“Hey, Tatsuya-kun, I want you to pick something out for me♡”
Yura-chan looked up at me expectantly. Unfortunately, I had zero fashion sense when it came to gifts—in fact, I had never bought a present for a girl in my entire life. Agonizing over the display racks, I picked up a small accessory and held it up beside Yura-chan’s face to compare.
“Um, I feel like this one looks best on you... What do you think?”
“Jeez, why do you sound so unsure of yourself?”
Putting on a mock-scolding pout that couldn’t hide her delight, Yura-chan accepted the tiny dolphin-shaped earrings I had chosen.
A top idol like Yura-chan could easily afford whatever designer jewelry she wanted, and she probably received luxury pieces from brand sponsors all the time.
Yet she held the two-thousand-yen souvenir earrings up to her ears as happily as if they were priceless treasures.
“How do they look?”
“Yeah. I think they’re really cute.”
“The little dolphins? Or me?”
“...”
“...Ehehe♡”
Even though I merely averted my gaze without answering, Yura-chan giggled happily as if she could read my mind like an open book.
Seeing how much she liked them, I picked up a bracelet featuring a matching little dolphin charm for myself. I wasn’t the type to wear earrings, and a cute dolphin dangling by my ear wouldn’t do the design any justice anyway; it belonged much better around my wrist.
Even while paying at the register, I kept my hand laced firmly with Yura-chan’s, and we walked out of the aquarium and boarded the subway train hand in hand.
Seeing Yura-chan try this hard just to fulfill my wish of going on a hand-holding date filled me with pure gratitude.
“Next time♡ l-let’s go to a movie theater or something together, okay~? ♡”
“That sounds fun! Or we could hit an arcade, too!”
“An arcade sounds great too♡♡ Do you ever go watch live sports, Tatsuya-kun? ♡♡”
“Hmm, I don’t watch much sports, honestly. My dad took me to a baseball stadium once when I was a kid, but our seats were so far back I could barely see the ball. I think I prefer watching games on TV where they have commentary.”
“I see♡♡♡ Yeah, having commentary and play-by-play definitely makes it easier to follow even if you don’t know all the rules♡♡♡”
Even as we chatted casually on the subway ride back, our hands remained tightly intertwined. With so many passengers around us, I’d been nervous at first, but Yura-chan carried on our conversation far more naturally than I had expected. Aside from her voice catching slightly every now and then, no one around us suspected a thing.
Except for her eyes—which were gazing up at me in a completely melted haze.
Just as Yura-chan’s palm was starting to grow damp with sweat against mine, our train pulled into the station nearest my apartment.
“Are you holding up okay, Yura-chan?”
“Of course♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I’m toootally fine♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Even while visibly straining against the overwhelming rush of EXP, Yura-chan flashed me a dazzling smile. Having a girl this cute devote herself to me so wholeheartedly made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
Hand in hand, we walked down the street toward my apartment building. No matter how tough a front she put on, however, Yura-chan was clearly nearing her limit; her steps were starting to wobble.
“Ah.”
“Whoa, careful!”
Catching her toe on a slight rise in the pavement, Yura-chan stumbled forward. On reflex, I pulled her arm toward me to catch her before she could fall.
As she tumbled against my chest, Yura-chan’s face buried itself right against the side of my neck.
“Nnh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Ohhh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Yura-chan, are you okay?! Yura-chan?!”
“I-I don’t think♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I can take any more♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
I tried to ease her back a step, but Yura-chan’s arms locked around my torso with tremendous strength, refusing to let go.
“I’m sorry♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Tatsuya-kun♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I’m sorry, I’m sorry♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Akyuuuuuuuh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
With one final, trembling gasp, all the strength drained out of Yura-chan’s body at once. Taking care not to touch her bare skin directly, I scooped her up into my arms bridal-style over her clothes.
“H-hey, hold on! Yura-chan? Yura-chan?!”
“...Mm. Zzz... zzz...”
“Thank goodness. Looks like she just conked out.”
Thankfully, my apartment building was already right in front of us.
Since being spotted carrying an unconscious white-haired beauty down the street would cause a massive scene, I hurried straight inside.
“All right, that should do it... Phew.”
Even in early summer, I couldn’t just leave Yura-chan sleeping in clothes soaked from the dolphin show, so I had no choice but to help her out of her wet dress. Putting on a pair of gloves to make sure I didn’t touch her skin directly, I slipped off her damp outer clothes and tucked a soft towel blanket securely around her.
Of course, catching a glimpse of my first love—who also happened to be a stunningly cute top idol—in just her camisole and innerwear was more than enough to set any guy’s pulse racing.
Combined with having had zero personal privacy over the past few days, my pent-up frustration had already reached a boiling point.
“Right now... I should be in the clear, right?”
I honestly didn’t think my willpower could hold out much longer if this monk-like lifestyle dragged on.
Thankfully, Yura-chan was breathing deeply in a sound sleep, making this my one chance to take care of things in peace.
Slipping quietly into the bathroom, I shed my clothes, pulled up a favorite video on my phone, and hit play...
“Huh? There’s no sound coming out.”
Thinking I might have turned the volume down too low out of caution, I held the phone closer to my ear.
Even as I tapped the volume button up notch by notch, however, the phone speaker stayed dead silent.
“Come on, give me a break... I don’t have much time here before she wakes up.”
Halfway through turning the volume all the way up in my haste, I suddenly spotted it.
Right next to the volume bar on my screen sat the little Bluetooth icon—and from just beyond the closed bathroom door came the unmistakable audio of the video echoing from the bedroom.
The instant that registered, the blood in my veins turned to ice.
My phone was still paired.
To the wireless speaker sitting right beside the bed.
“Oh crap?!”
Frantically smashing the pause button, I strained my ears toward the door. For the moment, I didn’t hear any movement from the bedroom.
“...Let’s just take a cold shower.”
After a heart-stopping scare like that, there was no way I was getting back in the mood; my enthusiasm had completely deflated along with my nerves.
Sorry, buddy. You’re just gonna have to hang in there a little longer.
After taking a quick shower to cool my head, I threw my clothes back on and stepped out into the bedroom—only to find Yura-chan already wide awake and sitting up on the bed.
She had the towel blanket wrapped snugly around her shoulders to cover herself.
“Ah, Tatsuya-ku—”
“M-man, ocean water really leaves your skin feeling all sticky, doesn’t it?! Sorry about that, Yura-chan! Since your dress was soaked too, I went ahead and took it off so you wouldn’t catch a cold!”
“No, thank you, I don’t mind that at all. More importantly, just a minute ago...”
Cutting off whatever Yura-chan was about to say, I raised my voice a notch louder.
“Since you got splashed too, Yura-chan, you should go hop in the shower! You’ll feel way more refreshed! You know how sticky sea spray gets—”
“Tatsuya-kun!”
“—right? Um... w-what is it?”
Interrupting my rambling, Yura-chan looked down at her lap and spoke in a quiet, sorrowful voice.
“...You were taking care of it by yourself in there, weren’t you?”
“U-umm. Taking care of what, exactly?”
I tried playing dumb, though what Yura-chan meant was painfully obvious.
“While I was asleep, you went into the bathroom to do it on your own, didn’t you?”
“S-sorry, I’m not sure I follow what you’re talking about...”
A sharp girl like Yura-chan had to know I was desperately trying to change the subject, yet she pressed right on anyway.
“Just a minute ago, I heard it playing from the bedside speaker. Um... a rather spicy voice...”
“...”
“So you were taking care of things in the bathroom while I wasn’t around, right?”
Yep, it’s over. I’m completely busted. There is zero talking my way out of this one.
At this point, my only option was to come clean and apologize.
“I’m really sorry, Yura-chan. The truth is... in the bathroom just now, I was trying to do some solo pl—”
“I’m so sorry!”
“—ay... Wait, huh?”
Just as I was about to apologize to her, Yura-chan blurted out an apology of her own.
As I blinked in stunned silence at her unexpected reaction, Yura-chan slowly lifted her bowed head. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, looking as if she were desperately holding back sobs.
“I’ve been so selfish, only thinking about myself and soaking up your EXP... without realizing how much you’ve been holding back this whole time, Tatsuya-kun...”
“Ah, no, wait—it’s really not a big deal, I’m fine!”
“If only I were strong enough to help you with that myself...”
“W-wait, what do you mean by ‘help me with that’...?”
“Hey, Tatsuya-kun. You don’t have to hold back on my account, okay?”
Slowly, Yura-chan rose from the bed, letting the towel blanket wrapped around her shoulders slip to the floor—revealing her slender figure in her innerwear right before my eyes.
“Yura-chan?!”
“You really don’t have to hold back. Bottling everything up like that isn’t healthy for a guy, right? Um, I might not be able to handle direct contact yet, but... if you want to, Tatsuya-kun, I don’t mind if you look at me at all. If that helps you even a little bit...”
“N-no, seriously, you don’t have to do that!”
“Am I... not appealing enough for you?”
Yura-chan asked in a small, crestfallen voice.
No, you’re more than appealing enough! That’s not the problem here!
“Do you prefer girls who are more glamorous than me? B-but I’m still growing, you know...?”
Wait, that’s not the issue either! Besides, your figure is already plenty glamorous as it is!
“...Oh, I see. Right, of course. This still isn’t enough, is it?”
Misinterpreting my speechless panic in the worst way possible, Yura-chan blushed crimson and reached both hands behind her back.
“You’d rather I unhooked this too, right...?”
“W-wait—!”
Click.
The instant that tiny clasp unfastened, my body moved on pure reflex.
Scooping the towel blanket up off the floor, I wrapped it around Yura-chan’s shoulders and gently pushed her back down onto the mattress.
“Kyah! ...T-Tatsuya-kun...?”
“You can’t do that... Seriously, you really can’t do that...”
My throat felt parched enough to burn.
Feeling her soft warmth even through the layer of the towel blanket made me crave holding her closer.
The feelings I had kept locked away for four long years surged up from deep inside me like a feverish wave.
What’s the harm in going just a little further? After all, nobody has actually died from touching me.
In fact, everyone I’ve shared my EXP with so far has ended up happier for it.
Surely a little bit of affection wouldn’t hurt—as long as I don’t cross the final line. Probably.
“Tatsuya-kun...”
Gazing up at me with dewy eyes, Yura-chan slowly let her eyelids flutter shut.
We were so close our breaths mingled. If I leaned down just an inch further, my lips would meet hers.
Just a little bit couldn’t hurt, right?
I’m a healthy guy, after all. There’s only so much temptation a guy can resist when the girl he likes is right in front of him...
“Yura-chan...”
Trembling slightly, I reached my fingertips toward the delicate curve of Yura-chan’s ear.
It’ll be fine. Probably fine. Just a tiny touch...
Ever so lightly, my fingertip brushed against Yura-chan’s ear.
“Ah...♡ Tatsuya-ku...”
“Yura-chan...”
“A-ah, aaaaaah♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Ohhh♡♡♡♡♡ Aaaah─────────♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Yura-chan?”
“Oooooh!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ S-sorry♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Aaaah♡♡♡♡♡♡ W-wait a second!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Yura-chan?! Are you okay?!”
The sweet, romantic mood vanished in a heartbeat.
Even though my fingertip had barely grazed her ear, Yura-chan’s reaction was off the charts.
I yanked my hand back in a panic, yet Yura-chan kept writhing on the mattress all on her own.
“Eeeek──────Ghh────kyuuuuuh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Nhaaaaaah! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Th-this is bad♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ This might be really baaaaad!!!!!!!! I’m sorry!!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ I’m sorry, Tatsuya-kuuun!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Nhaaaaaaaah!!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
“Yura-chan! Hang in there, Yura-chan!”
“Hgyuuuuh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡ Kuuuh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
Unable to even lay a hand on her to steady her, all I could do was hover beside the bed in a frantic panic.
It took a full five minutes before Yura-chan’s trembling finally subsided.
“...I’m really sorry, Yura-chan.”
“...No, I’m the one who should apologize. I’m truly sorry.”
Sitting side by side on the edge of the bed, the two of us were weighed down by a solemn, contrite silence that made it hard to believe we had nearly crossed the line only minutes ago.
“I thought I could at least help you out a little bit, Tatsuya-kun, but I couldn’t handle it at all... ...Nnnnnh♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡”
With the aftershocks still lingering in her system, Yura-chan’s shoulders gave an occasional shiver as a tiny sigh slipped past her lips.
“I’d heard that the amount of EXP transferred changes depending on how worked up both people are, but I had no idea it made this much of a difference...”
The flow of EXP scaled directly with how emotionally and physically worked up both partners were; the higher the tension, the greater the surge.
And back there on the bed, both Yura-chan and I had been completely caught up in the heat of the moment.
The mental brakes I always kept locked down tight had slipped off, and for a second, I had stopped caring about the consequences.
Looking back on it now sent a cold shudder down my spine.
My EXP—this power inside me—was enough to utterly overwhelm a woman’s body. Giving in to a few days of pent-up frustration and the sweet temptation of having Yura-chan in my room, I had nearly forgotten that terrifying truth.
What would have happened if I had lost my head completely back there?
By now, an irreversible tragedy might have unfolded right here on my bed.
“...Phew. I’ve calmed down now. Sorry about that just now, okay? I overreacted a little bit. Next time, I’ll hold myself together properly...”
Saying that, Yura-chan shifted closer to close the gap between us on the mattress. Right away, I scooted even further back to put safe distance between us.
“Um... Tatsuya-kun?”
A hurt look crossed Yura-chan’s face.
“I’m sorry, Yura-chan. Your feelings make me really happy, truly. But right now, I need you to keep a little distance from me.”
“Ah... O-okay. I’m sorry.”
Wilting visibly, she lowered her eyes.
“I let myself get carried away. Even though I knew full well how dangerous my EXP is if I’m not careful, I still let it go to my head.”
I stared down at my palms—hands carrying an absurd power that kept me from even living an ordinary life.
“Because you went on a date with me today, Yura-chan, I started entertaining the foolish hope that maybe I could live like a normal guy after all. Even though that’s impossible. Having a girl as cute as you—the girl I used to have a crush on—devote herself to me made me lose sight of reality.”
“The girl... you used to have a crush on...”
At my phrasing, Yura-chan’s voice sank even lower.
“Yeah. I’ve already decided that I’m never going to fall in love with anyone again. You were my first love, Yura-chan, and my last. I made that promise to myself four years ago. Back there, my resolve wavered for a moment. I’m sorry.”
“—! Y-you have nothing to apologize for, Tatsuya-kun! It’s all my fault—I’m the one who pushed too far! I’ll be more careful from now on! As long as we’re both careful together, everything will be fine!”
As if sensing the exact words I was about to say next—and desperate to stop me from saying them—Yura-chan rushed to pile on excuse after excuse.
“I can build up my tolerance little by little! Look, I’ll do my part too! So please...”
“Let’s put an end to you staying over at my apartment.”
I forced myself to speak the exact words Yura-chan least wanted to hear.
“...!”
“Honestly, I was thrilled these past few days. Having a rising star Idol Diver treat me so warmly, acting just like we did back when we were kids—it even stroked my ego a little. But we have to end this here.”
“W-wait, please, Tatsuya-kun! I’m fine, I swear I’m fine!”
With a desperate, pleading cry, Yura-chan leaned toward me, her hand clutching tightly at the front of her shirt as her voice trembled.
“I’ll do anything you say! P-please! I don’t care what happens to me, just don’t send me away!”
Why was she clinging so desperately to staying in my apartment? Despite the heartbreaking anguish in her voice, I shook my head firmly.
“No, Yura-chan. We have to stop. Because the last thing I ever want is to put my first love’s life in danger.”
“No... please, don’t say that... ugh...”
Overcome with despair, Yura-chan began to tremble like a leaf.
Up until now, I had let myself get swept along whenever she looked at me with tears in her eyes, but I couldn’t afford to cave this time. Living under the same roof was too dangerous for both of us.
“Yura-chan, I’ll go stay at a hotel tonight. So while I’m gone, please pack up your things and... Yura-chan?”
“No... please, no...”
Yura-chan’s reaction was beyond ordinary distress—something was seriously wrong.
Her complexion was ghostly pale.
Every drop of color had drained from her naturally fair skin, leaving her face so ashen it made my heart lurch in alarm.
“Yura-chan?”
“Hah... hah...”
Clutching the fabric over her chest in a white-knuckled grip, her slender shoulders heaved up and down with shallow, rapid gasps.
She couldn’t seem to draw a proper breath. Although her eyes were turned toward me, they weren’t focusing on me at all.
“Yura-chan! Yura-chan, what’s wrong?!”
She wasn’t acting out or throwing a tantrum—she was having a genuine medical episode right in front of me.
“Hhh... I’m sor... I’m sorry...”
Even while struggling just to get air into her lungs, she was still trying to force out an apology between gasps.
“Yura-chan! It’s okay, everything’s okay, so just calm down first! Try to breathe slowly!”
“I’m sor... ry...”
“Don’t apologize, just focus on breathing!”
Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped the towel blanket snugly around Yura-chan’s trembling body so I wouldn’t trigger my EXP, and pulled her into a firm, protective embrace.
Even though I was holding her through the blanket just like a few minutes ago, there wasn’t a shred of romantic tension left in my mind.
“Yura-chan! Nice and slow, okay?! Look right at me and breathe nice and slow!”
“...O-okay. Okay...”
Fighting down the panic rising in my own chest, I forced myself to stay calm. If I lost my head too, I wouldn’t be able to help her.
As gently as soothing a frightened child, I rubbed slow, steady circles across her back over the towel blanket.
“Breathe out slowly. And now breathe in slowly. You’re safe, I’m right here.”
“Hah... haaah... Hhh... ssshhh...”
“That’s it, you’re doing great. Everything’s okay.”
Little by little, her ragged hyperventilation began to ease, and a faint trace of warmth returned to her pale cheeks.
“Ha...nd...”
“My hand?”
Weakly, Yura-chan lifted her hand from beneath the blanket.
“Just a little... is fine, so... please hold my hand...”
“...”
After how badly things had gone off the rails only minutes ago, I hesitated. Right now, however, neither of us was in an agitated state of mind—we couldn’t have been further from it.
Carefully, I touched just the tips of my fingers to hers.
“...Mm♡ ...Ssshhh... haaah...”
As if a wave of relief had washed through her, Yura-chan’s breathing settled into a steady, peaceful rhythm.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“...Yeah. I’ve calmed down now. Thank you, Tatsuya-kun.”
After keeping our fingertips linked for a few quiet minutes, I gently let go. Her normal complexion had fully returned.
“Do you have a medical condition, Yura-chan? Is it asthma?”
What had just happened was unmistakably some kind of attack, though without any medical knowledge, I couldn’t tell what had triggered it.
“Not an illness, exactly... um...”
After a brief pause, Yura-chan began speaking in a quiet, halting voice.
“...Every now and then, I get an attack like that. My chest tightens up... and all of a sudden I can’t breathe properly, and my mind goes completely blank... Most of the time I’m fine, but when exhaustion, lack of sleep, and... well, anxiety all pile up at once...”
“Have you seen a doctor about it?”
“Yeah. They told me it’s stress-induced panic attacks. I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I just didn’t want to make you worry or look pathetic in front of you...”
“You don’t need to apologize for that. How long have you been getting them?”
At the very least, back when I knew her four years ago, Yura-chan had never suffered from anything like that.
“Wait... don’t tell me it started because of the shock when I touched you in the library four years ago...?”
“No! It has nothing to do with that at all! Really!”
Yura-chan shook her head frantically to dispel my fear.
“Then when did it start?”
“Um... the truth is, I was kicked out of my parents’ house...”
“Huh?”
I pictured the faces of Yura-chan’s parents, whom I had met several times back when we were kids. Her mother had always been warm and gentle, and while her father was a bit strict, both of them had treasured Yura-chan dearly. Neither of them seemed like the kind of parent who would ever throw their own daughter out.
“W-why on earth did that happen?”
“...My dad was fiercely opposed to me becoming an idol. This isn’t your fault at all, Tatsuya-kun, okay? Remember how I told you that when my hair turned white and my level shot up four years ago, my parents misunderstood and assumed some man had forced himself on me?”
“...Yeah.”
Ever since dungeons had appeared in the world and the concept of levels had made women superhumanly strong,
violent crimes committed by men against women—which had been all too common before the dawn of dungeons—had plummeted drastically.
Even so, such crimes hadn’t vanished completely; cowardly offenders still occasionally targeted young girls before they had a chance to raise their levels.
Yura-chan’s father had evidently been convinced that his daughter had fallen victim to a crime like that.
“No matter how many times I told them nothing like that had happened, they wouldn’t believe me, and for a long time they kept me sheltered at home. So when I told my dad I wanted to become an Idol Diver, he flew into a rage—asking why on earth I would choose a career flattering men after what a man had supposedly done to me. Pretty unfair prejudice on his part, right?”
Yura-chan offered a faint, weary smile.
“When I refused to back down and insisted on becoming an Idol Diver anyway, my dad told me that if I was going to do it, I could pack my bags and leave his house.”
“No way... Even though your dad cared about you so much...”
“He was just worried about me at first, too. But because I stubbornly refused to give up on becoming an Idol Diver, things between us grew more and more strained until we had a falling-out. It started right around then—every now and then I’d suddenly feel dizzy, or a wave of anxiety would make my chest seize up so badly I couldn’t breathe. Ah, but ever since I reunited with you, Tatsuya-kun, it’s gotten way, way better, you know?”
Reaching out, Yura-chan lightly rested her hand over my sleeve.
“Whenever I’m with you, Tatsuya-kun, and whenever I hold your hand, I feel so safe and grounded. All the anxiety inside my chest just melts away.”
“...Oh. So that’s why you wanted to hold my hand.”
I remembered what Yura-chan had said the night she moved her things into my room: ‘Holding your hand makes me feel so safe and calm, Tatsuya-kun, or um, well...’ I remembered the anxious, vulnerable look in her eyes when she’d asked, and the pure relief on her face when I’d said yes.
I had assumed she was only after the pleasurable rush of my EXP—what a shallow, idiotic misunderstanding on my part.
All along, she had simply been trying to quiet the anxiety weighing on her heart.
“I’m sorry for barging into your life and forcing my way into your apartment. I’ll pack up all my things properly and go back to my own place.”
Yura-chan tried to put on a brave smile, though her expression looked painfully forced.
“And I’m sorry for giving you such a scare just now. I’ll be fine on my own, really. If you ever run into anything you don’t understand while studying, you can still message me anytime—”
“I want to do naughty things with a girl.”
“Huh?”
Cutting right across Yura-chan’s farewell, I blurted out the most shameless confession imaginable.
“I just told you that I swore never to fall in love or date anyone, right? Well, if I’m being completely honest with you, if I actually could do it without hurting anyone, I’d love to. I have plenty of shameless, red-blooded desires of my own.”
“U-um, Tatsuya-kun, what are you saying all of a sudden...?”
“Having a girl as cute as you living in my room drives me crazy, Yura-chan. When you’re in the bath, part of me is tempted to peek, and honestly, just having you hold my hand is enough to get me all worked up. In fact, half the time it does.”
“W-worked up...”
“Even so, I can keep my self-control in check. So until your anxiety is completely gone, you can stay right here with me.”
Compared to what Yura-chan had been carrying all by herself, my own pent-up frustrations were trivial. In the first place, the whole reason she had been estranged from her parents traced directly back to that day with me four years ago. Turning my back on her now when she needed me was out of the question.
“...Are you really sure?”
“Yeah. Oh, just promise me one thing: please don’t tease me or try to seduce me like earlier, okay? Because when a girl as gorgeous as you tempts me like that, my willpower doesn’t stand a chance.”
“O-okay. I’m sorry—and thank you! You really are so kind, Tatsuya-kun. You haven’t changed a bit since we were kids.”
“You think so? Pretty sure I just said some blatantly shameless stuff.”
“You really are kind. And that kindness of yours is the exact reason I’ve always...”
Stopping herself short of finishing that sentence, Yura-chan lifted her gaze and looked straight at me with newfound determination shining in her eyes.
“Tatsuya-kun! I’m going to work even harder at dungeon diving from now on!”
She declared it right out of the blue.
“I’ll dive deeper into the dungeons, raise my level higher and higher, and search for all kinds of artifacts. Because who knows—maybe I’ll find an artifact out there that lets us be together all the way without holding back...”
“Do you really think an artifact like that... exists?”
“I don’t know yet. But there are artifacts out there that reduce physical damage or calm the mind, right? So I’m sure—no, I’m positive there has to be an artifact out there that’ll let me take everything you have, Tatsuya-kun...”
A shy blush crept across her cheeks.
“And once I find it... let’s do lots and lots of romantic things together, okay?”
“...Didn’t I literally just ask you not to tempt me like that?”
Reaching out lightly, I gave the top of Yura-chan’s head a gentle pat.
By all appearances, my life under the same roof with this gorgeous childhood friend of mine was going to continue for a good while longer.
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