Chapter 564

'W-What is this...?'

She was so completely overwhelmed she couldn't even react.

Even now, after regaining her senses a little, nothing had changed. She couldn't see any way out of this insane situation.

As if to prove what he had just said, Matsuda kept pressing his lips to Miyuki's.

The same went for his tongue. Not content with a simple kiss, he gently swept it over her teeth and gums.

Of course, she didn't hate it at all.

She had wished for this every single day.

But the timing was completely off. Given the circumstances, she hadn't expected this in the slightest.

The taste of blood lingered in her mouth.

It was a little salty, with the faint, distinct metallic tang of iron.

And the funniest part?

It felt amazing, yet her mind kept wandering to the strangest things.

Like, if she swallowed too much of Matsuda's blood, would she overdose on iron? It was an absurd, impossible thought.

Between the tension and excitement, her breathing grew heavier.

Did the sensation of her heavy panting tickle him?

Matsuda finally broke off the heavy physical contact—was that the second time? No, the third, or maybe the fourth? She'd lost count—and pulled his face away.

"Since we're here, let's just study."

He tossed the words out casually, but she had no idea what he actually meant.

What kind of studying was he suggesting?

Math? English? Geography? Or... a study of the body?

In her current situation, overanalyzing it was practically inevitable.

"Hey."

"..."

Matsuda called out to Miyuki, but her mind was racing so fast that she just stared back blankly, mouth hanging open.

Matsuda chuckled at her reaction. He stood up, gently massaging the arm she had hit as if it still hurt, and headed for the refrigerator.

He pulled out some plum-flavored juice—which hadn't been there the day before yesterday—poured it into a cup, and offered it to Miyuki.

"Drink."

"..."

Looking down at a still-dazed Miyuki, Matsuda clicked his tongue in good humor and reached out.

Ruffle, ruffle.

His hand swept somewhat roughly over the crown of her head.

Blinking rapidly three or four times at the sensation, Miyuki swallowed the remnants of Matsuda's saliva still lingering in her mouth.

It wasn't intentional. It was just an instinctive attempt to relieve her tension; she didn't even realize she had done it.

"Not gonna drink? I'll drink it then."

Matsuda gulped down the juice, left the cup in the sink, and came back to slide his hands under Miyuki's arms.

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he shifted her to the edge of the mattress, lay down beside her, and turned on the TV.

Dragged along and repositioned by Matsuda, Miyuki finally snapped back to her senses.

"W-What did you just do...?"

"What."

"I asked what you just did...!"

"I didn't do anything."

"D-Don't lie...! Anyone could see..."

Miyuki couldn't bring herself to say what Matsuda had just done to her out loud.

There was only one reason: she was overwhelmingly embarrassed.

She had always been like this.

When it came to physical intimacy, she might initiate it, but she could never say the words aloud.

She was well aware of that fact.

"Anyone could see what."

"You did that...!"

"That?"

He was intentionally playing dumb.

His former romantic demeanor was completely gone, making him incredibly exasperating.

She felt like smacking him. Was this how a teacher felt watching a student chatter away in class?

"...Ah, jeez... you messed up my hair..."

She belatedly tried to act coy, but it was pointless.

Matsuda didn't even spare Miyuki a glance as she fixed her hair, keeping his eyes glued to the TV.

The feeling of floating gently on clouds still hadn't faded from Miyuki's mind.

That was how surprising Matsuda's sudden move had been.

But was it really okay to just let it slide like this?

Shouldn't she ask him why he did it?

No, she had already downplayed the kiss by complaining about her hair... Didn't that make it a bit awkward to ask now?

As Miyuki spiraled through all sorts of scenarios, completely lost on what to do...

"Hey."

She snapped back to reality at Matsuda's call.

"Huh? Yeah...?"

"I called you a bunch of times. Why didn't you answer?"

"Ah... Really? You called?"

"Yeah. You lie down, too."

Lie down? What did that mean?

She couldn't tell if he just wanted her to lie down and watch TV, or if he wanted her to get ready for that kind of thing.

Normally, she would have at least picked up on the mood, but right now her mind was so blurry she couldn't grasp it at all.

"I-I'm going to head out...!"

In the end, Miyuki's only option was to flee.

She needed to escape home and take some time to gather her thoughts.

In truth, there wasn't much to sort out; she simply needed to calm her wildly pounding heart.

Because after something like that, it would never settle down if she stayed by Matsuda's side.

That was a fact she knew better than anyone.

"Huh? You're leaving?"

"See you tomorrow...!"

"No, wait..."

Matsuda was visibly flustered by her words, but Miyuki stood up without noticing his reaction at all.

"Hey, hey...!"

"See you tomorrow...!"

Repeating her farewell, she hurried out of the house as if fleeing.

And as a bonus, because she desperately wanted to see him tomorrow no matter what, she deliberately avoided saying "see you later."

Thump—! Smack!

"Huaaaaaghh!!"

Miyuki buried her face into her pillow and screamed, kicking her legs and pounding the bedsheets.

It wasn't because she was embarrassed by what she'd done with Matsuda, but because she was dumbfounded that she had run away.

Why on earth had she bolted? She had fully expected things to turn out this way.

Perhaps experiencing it firsthand had made her more excited—no, more flustered—than she had imagined. It brought back memories of their early dating days, leaving her incapable of making a rational judgment.

Clack.

"Why are you suddenly putting on a show?"

Evidently disturbed by the incessant screaming, Kanna swung the door open and snapped at her sister.

It was a slightly filtered way of asking, "Why the fuck are you acting crazy?"

"Mind your own business...!"

Miyuki turned her head in irritation, while Kanna stared back in dumbfounded silence.

"Have you finally lost your mind?"

"Get out...!"

"Lend me a book, will you?"

"Take it yourself. And please put it back properly. Don't just shove it in randomly."

"I put it in properly, you know."

Put it in properly?

That sounded somehow erotic.

No, she couldn't do this. She was starting to take after Matsuda too much; she needed to rein it in.

"Got it. Just take it and get out."

Clicking her tongue at her sister's grumbling, Kanna took the book and left.

In the meantime, a message had arrived on Miyuki's Cell Phone.

[Hey.]

It was from Matsuda.

Agonizing over whether to reply or not, Miyuki eventually picked up her Cell Phone.

She was already filled with immense regret over running away. If she had just stayed at his place, they could have done even heavier things. She wanted to cure her own cowardice immediately.

[What.]

She had made a mistake.

She had replied in a way that gave off a blunt, sullen vibe, which might needlessly make Matsuda feel guilty.

If only she had replied normally with a 'Yeah.' ...Nothing was going her way.

[Let's meet up and talk a bit.]

[Now?]

[Yeah. I'll come to your house.]

[You know where I live?]

[Isn't it near the Shrine? Send me the exact address.]

[Wait, you can't just ask to meet up out of the blue!]

[I'm leaving now.]

[Matsuda-kun.]

He must have actually set off immediately, because no further texts came from Matsuda.

He was a man with truly amazing drive. She needed to be more like that too, but she seemed to have grown timid lately after a string of setbacks.

In reality, this was simply her natural personality.

'Right.'

Lying there lost in thought, Miyuki suddenly remembered she had to give Matsuda her address and quickly sent a message.

Then she shot up from the bed and dashed to the bathroom.

Even if a shower was out of the question, she could at least wash her face and put on some makeup.

Instead of her usual look, she should aim for a somewhat frail, sickly vibe.

If she pretended to have suffered severe emotional distress, yet acted as though his actions hadn't been entirely unwelcome, wouldn't things progress smoothly?

After all, Matsuda likely had the exact same goal in mind.

Miyuki sprinted wildly down the hallway, darting back and forth between her room and the bathroom.

Coming out of her own room as if heading for the restroom, Kanna spotted her sister and muttered.

"What are you doing, seriously..."

How could Kanna, who had never even had a boyfriend, possibly understand how she felt right now?

Once Kanna experienced love herself, she would know. She would understand why Miyuki was acting like a total lunatic.

Having your mood fluctuate wildly every single day was something you had to experience firsthand to understand.

[There's a playground here. Come out this way.]

After rushing around and finishing her preparations, she checked her Cell Phone and saw that a message from Matsuda had arrived two minutes ago.

The neighborhood playground was a place where she had built quiet, subtle memories with Matsuda.

She had been a little disappointed not having any of that since she came back, but it seemed tonight would make up for it.

The sky had already grown dark and the weather was quite cool, so perhaps something more might happen.

She definitely wouldn't run away this time.

If Matsuda approached first, she would respond enthusiastically.

Making that resolution, Miyuki pulled her hat down low one last time and left the house.

All while trying to savor the taste of Matsuda's blood, which—though impossible—still felt like it lingered in her mouth.