Chapter 464

"Haa..."

Her sigh bounced off the bathroom walls and struck my ears.

Looking across at Hiyori, who sat facing me in the full tub with her arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees, I asked,

"What is it now?"

"...It's uncomfortable."

"Am I?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"This."

Hiyori's gaze slid downward.

She was talking about the red bra she was still wearing.

I'd gotten the wrong idea for nothing.

"Just take it off."

"I can't do that!"

"Because you're embarrassed?"

"Who said I'm embarrassed...?! I have nothing to be ashamed of!"

Her expression said the exact opposite, but I decided to let it slide.

"All right."

"What's with that look?"

"What about my look?"

"You clearly don't believe me...!"

"I believe you."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"Was it the way I said it?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you just taking it the wrong way?"

"Ugh... bring it on."

A chuckle escaped me at the sight of Hiyori thrusting out two clenched fists with a thoroughly sulky pout. She let out a sharp huff through her nose and changed the subject.

"Hanazawa-sunbae is... never mind. Forget it."

Why did a sudden chill wash over me whenever Hiyori brought up Miyuki?

My heart shrank just thinking about everything she had done.

"Why'd you stop mid-sentence?"

"Because it hurts down there."

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Yes."

She was lying.

Even though I had only used my hands while showering, Hiyori had definitely felt every bit of it.

I didn't even need to ask to know. Just as her face always gave away when she was lying, this was no exception.

Right now, she was trying hard to act nonchalant.

It was obvious she was pretending to be composed despite being mortified enough to die.

Normally, the right move would be giving her time alone to process things... but she could do that once she went home, so I didn't see any need for it right now.

Splash.

I splashed a bit of the steaming water onto Hiyori's face, and she glared at me fiercely.

"What are you doing...!"

"Because I like you."

"..."

Her flare of temper vanished without a trace, replaced entirely by girlish shyness.

It was equally amusing how she kept her eyes fixed upward, terrified of catching a glimpse of my naked body through the clear water.

After gauging Hiyori's reaction for a moment, I comfortably stretched my legs out along either side of her hips.

Watching her flinch and curl up even tighter, I spoke.

"Come closer."

"W-why... No."

She seemed to realize what I was trying to do.

Quick on the uptake, as always... tsk, tsk.

I wanted to push a little further, but seeing how genuinely she refused, I had to give it up.

Today wasn't our only chance anyway, and considering Hiyori's condition after losing her virginity, stopping here was for the best.

"Understood."

"Yeah..."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I am."

"What is there to eat that's sweet?"

"I'm craving pasta."

"Isn't that salty?"

"That depends on what you order."

"Really? Then let's grab some when we head out."

"I'd like that."

"I like you too."

"Ah, what are you even saying...!"

A smile spread across her lips at the subtle confession tucked into my wordplay.

Her tension completely melting away and her mood brightened, she splashed some water at me before pointing at the bathroom door.

"Please get out now. I'm going to wash up."

"I told you we should wash together."

"I told you I don't want to. I'll cover my eyes, so please leave."

With that, Hiyori covered her eyes with both palms.

Her antics were remarkably innocent today; put her in a room with Chinami, and they'd probably get along wonderfully.

With that thought, I obediently got up, stepped out, and headed to the other bathroom to wash up.

*

Hiyori had always been talkative.

Today, though, her mouth ran without a moment's rest.

It was her own way of cutting through the tender awkwardness lingering in the wake of our first time together.

The pasta was delicious, I should try some, pass the parsley flakes from over there...

After chattering endlessly about everything under the sun, she eventually fell quiet, perhaps feeling self-conscious under my steady gaze, and began picking at her food with her fork.

"Annoying..."

Muttering that low complaint was just an added bonus to how she vented her shyness.

"You sure find a lot of things annoying. Just hurry up and eat."

"I'm going to eat slowly, though."

"Then do that."

As I watched her talk back with an amused smile, a vibration in my pocket buzzed against my thigh, prompting me to check my Cell Phone.

[What are you doing?]

It was a text from Renka. Had she gotten bored before bed and decided to message me?

Simply ignoring her messages wasn't satisfying enough anymore... Was there another way to tease her?

Telling her not to contact me would be too cold, and Renka would probably get hurt...

I'd have to put some thought into how to discipline her properly.

[I'm eating out.]

After sending the reply, I lifted my head to find Hiyori staring a hole through me.

"You'll wear a hole in my face. Stop staring so hard."

"Is it Hanazawa-sunbae?"

"No. Inoo-sunbae."

"The senior who's the Kendo Club President?"

"Yeah."

"You must be pretty close with her too, huh?"

"We're not distant. But didn't you ask the exact same thing last time?"

"Did I? I don't remember."

"You forget so often because you're constantly babbling about useless things left and right."

"What useless things? Everything I said was important!"

"Let's just say it was."

"You're picking a fight again. So, how close are you with that Inoo-sunbae? Have you two gone to a love hotel together too?"

Did being out in public give her courage?

She was tossing out such a bold question even though an actual answer would definitely make her panic.

"This is exactly what I mean by useless things. Just eat your food."

"It's not rice, though? It's pasta."

"Do you want a spanking?"

"D-Don't say things like that...!"

Normally, she would have scoffed or pushed back even harder, but she instantly tucked her tail and glanced around self-consciously.

Having just crossed into physical intimacy, she was hyper-sensitive to any words touching on physical contact.

It was the same even after we finished the meal. Hiyori refrained from doing what had become a frequent habit of hers lately.

Namely, rolling up her T-shirt and claiming she was full.

Looking at her like this, she really was an honest, innocent girl—this person named Hiyori.

From the moment we walked to the public parking lot, got into the car, and headed home, she stared quietly out the window without a single word, in stark contrast to her chatter at the restaurant.

Every now and then, she would flinch and snap her head around to glare at me, likely thinking about our intimacy at the love hotel.

It was hard to pretend I didn't notice.

Her reactions right now would have been priceless... I really wanted to tease her.

Suppressing that urge, I eventually pulled up to Hiyori's house. I unlocked the doors and turned to look at her.

"See you."

"Yep..."

"Message me before you go to sleep."

"Why? I don't wanna... I'm going straight to sleep."

"Then do that."

"I will, you know."

Sticking her tongue out at me, Hiyori gave a half-hearted wave and quickly climbed out of the car.

Then, as if being chased by someone, she hurried to open the Main Gate and scurried inside the house.

For a moment there, I felt like I'd caught a glimpse of Renka.

Usually, she took after Miyuki, but earlier she'd been as innocent as Chinami, and just now she was acting like a tsundere like Renka... She truly had a colorful range of sides.

Chuckling softly as I replayed Hiyori's cute antics in my mind, I returned home and washed up.

Then I sprawled out spread-eagled across my bedding.

Everything was working out smoothly.

It seemed the time had finally come to seriously picture my future with the four heroines.

Of course, there was plenty I needed to do before that.

Threesomes, foursomes, and going even further, a five-way...

And bringing all four of them into harmony would be the most crucial task of all.

For the next few days, I would simply lose myself in sweet moments with the heroines without overthinking things.

I'd sprinted full tilt to get here, so I deserved at least that much.

Letting out a sigh of pure relief, I spent the late hours chatting with Renka before drifting off to sleep.

*

Bzzzt-! Bzzzt-!

The jarring buzz of vibration pierced my ears.

Opening my eyes to the noise, a smile touched my lips as the faint, familiar scent of damp earth wafted in.

Rainy days were always nice.

[Matsumatsu.]

I'd assumed it was Renka, but the message was from Hiyori.

What was this about so early in the morning?

Had she stayed up all night, lost in the lingering afterglow of our first time?

If so, I'd have to give her a lap pillow today and let her sleep soundly.

[Yeah.]

[My body feels weird.]

[What feels weird about it?]

[Ah, seriously, you're driving me crazy. Why are you like this?]

Throwing a tantrum right out of the gate—what was her deal?

Hiyori threw unreasonable fits like this from time to time.

However, today's text felt different. It carried a hint of... lingering arousal, as if she couldn't get our first time out of her head.

[You have to tell me what's wrong so I can do something about it.]

[I don't know.]

She was acting spoiled. It seemed like she wanted something, too...

Deciding I needed to hear her voice, I called Hiyori right away.

-Hello.

Her sullen voice came through before the phone had even rung twice.

Tucked beneath it seemed to be a strange undercurrent of pleasure.

Had yesterday's encounter felt even better to her than I'd realized?

Getting so overwhelmed by lust after losing your virginity that you don't know what to do with yourself was something that happened from time to time.

Still, I hadn't expected this kind of reaction from Hiyori.

"What's wrong?"

-I told you I don't know.

Over the line, a soft rustling accompanied Hiyori's blunt voice.

It wasn't the crinkle of plastic. It was much softer... more like someone rubbing against a blanket or bedsheets.

-.... Ooh...

"What did you say?"

-Ah, no... It's nothing.

It sounded like she had let out a breath... and right after, that soft rustling grew louder.

"What are you doing?"

-I dunno...

"Did you eat?"

-Eat... No... Did I...? I don't know.

Her voice had pitched higher than when she first answered, and she was having trouble focusing.

Don't tell me she's masturbating right now?

"Are you going to speak clearly or what?"

-.... What? I can't hear you well.

It seemed I'd hit the nail on the head.

Hiyori was getting herself off using my voice as fuel... Unbelievable.

At the same time, it turned me on.

-But Matsumatsu.

Snapping out of it when Hiyori called my name again, I answered.

"Tell me."

-When are we going to do that again?

"The 'that' I'm thinking of?"

-Yeah.

Bringing that up out of nowhere, she had clearly worked herself into a thoroughly aroused state.

Hiyori was an even bigger pervert than I'd imagined.

After hearing so many stories from her friends, actually experiencing the real thing must have sent her desires boiling over.

"Well..."

-Why are you trailing off?

"Because it caught me off guard coming out of nowhere."

-Is that so?

"That's how it is."

-Then that's fine... I'm going to hang up now.

"Why are you hanging up already?"

-I'm hanging u-up...!

Unlike before, she made the declaration in a coquettish voice that sounded as if she were desperately holding something back, then abruptly hung up the phone.

Staring blankly at the red text indicating the call had ended, I let out a sharp huff of air.

Had she deliberately made me picture what she was doing?

If so, it had worked perfectly.

What a little vixen... I'll teach her a lesson later.