Chapter 570

"Does it taste bad?"

"No. It's good."

"Then why are you picking at it? You said you were hungry."

"Mind your business."

"Alright. The atmosphere here is nice, though."

While Matsuda looked around the shop, Miyuki opened her mouth wide and took a huge bite of pizza.

Pretending to be demure was exhausting. She would have eaten normally any other time, but since she had a big event ahead of her today, she figured she ought to act with some dignity.

"Hey, are you even listening..."

Matsuda's words trailed off when he finished glancing around the shop and looked back at Miyuki.

He had just caught sight of her cheeks bulging with a massive bite of pizza.

Startled, Miyuki quickly chewed and swallowed, getting ready to agree with whatever he had been saying, but Matsuda burst into a chuckle and changed the subject.

"Should we order something else?"

Anyone could tell he was teasing her.

But she couldn't find a way to retort.

It was painfully embarrassing to be caught red-handed pretending to be a proper lady.

Her face turning bright red, Miyuki buried those thoughts deep inside and enthusiastically began to inhale the pizza.

At that, one corner of Matsuda's mouth curled up.

The fact that she was putting on airs in front of him was proof of her feelings, and that seemed to please him.

'So smug...!'

Mentally repeating the exact words Kanna had said earlier, Miyuki finished her meal with Matsuda and stepped outside to stroll along the shore.

A stone wall ran between the Beach and the road. Miyuki hopped onto it and stepped forward energetically, and Matsuda climbed up after her.

"You look like you're having fun."

The stone wall was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side.

Walking close enough for their arms to brush, Miyuki answered Matsuda's question with a bright smile.

"Yeah. The breeze feels nice."

"It's a shame. It would have been better if the weather was sunny."

"Not really? I like rainy days too."

"Why do you like rainy days?"

That was because of Matsuda-kun.

Swallowing those words, Miyuki grabbed Matsuda's arm and pretended to struggle with her balance like someone being pushed by a strong headwind.

"Get down if it feels dangerous."

Ignoring Matsuda's grumbling, Miyuki took another step—and felt a horrifying sensation on the top of her foot.

It felt like something lightly brushing over her skin. She glanced down and screamed upon seeing a few hideous sea roaches scattering from her feet at incredible speed.

"Aaahhh!! Cockroaches...! Roaches...!"

For Miyuki, the number one place to find peace of mind during moments of panic was in Matsuda's arms.

That instinct made her hop around wildly to throw herself at him. Bursting into laughter at the sight, Matsuda caught her by the bottom right as she jumped into his arms.

"Calm down. They're running away."

"No...! Why is it only me..."

"What do you mean, 'only me'? Are you saying they should have crawled on me too?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Just like with the centipede at the bookstore, a lot of bugs were drawn to her in this life.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but she certainly didn't like bugs. Whenever they popped out of nowhere like this, her heart would race in the worst way possible.

There were plenty of other events that could end with them clinging to each other without bugs being involved. She had no idea why she was being subjected to such trials.

Still, it felt good to be held like this.

Maybe it would be okay to pretend there were bugs around from time to time, even when there weren't any.

"Get down already. It's really dangerous."

Perhaps because they were standing on top of the stone wall, Matsuda set Miyuki down with a stern voice and pointed to the sidewalk next to them.

Miyuki obediently stepped down from the wall and patted her chest in relief.

"Haa... That startled me..."

"Do you go around hugging other people like this too?"

"No. It's just that I can rely on you, Matsuda-kun..."

"You can rely on me?"

"You just have a reliable build... I'm not complimenting you, so don't get cocky."

"I wasn't."

"Then..."

Did something else get hard?

No, perverted thoughts were popping up at every turn.

Being with Matsuda was slowly driving her crazy.

Maybe she was already crazy. After all, things she would never normally say were constantly on the tip of her tongue.

Forcing down the words that had reached her throat, Miyuki spoke.

"Don't get full of yourself."

"I told you I wasn't."

"Just don't."

"You're being stubborn about the weirdest things."

Anyway, she figured that was enough of a hint.

If he still didn't catch on after this, Matsuda was an idiot.

Should she buy beer?

She didn't mind having sex completely sober, but unlike before, a part of her wanted to experience her first time with a bit of a buzz.

Her original first time had been while she was perfectly lucid, so she wanted a different experience now.

Who in the world got to have their first time twice?

Putting a number on a first time was bizarre to begin with, but that bizarre thing had happened to her.

Whenever she went to the Shrine with Matsuda, she would always give a shrine offering and pray sincerely, so the gods must have answered her.

She had never prayed to be sent back to the past, but a good thing was a good thing.

"That will be 880 yen."

After buying some light snacks and beer at the Convenience Store inside the Hotel, Miyuki checked the time.

8:30 PM. She figured it was a decent hour.

Since Kanna was out meeting a high school friend who lived nearby, it seemed like the perfect time to make her move.

Without even returning to her own room, Miyuki called Matsuda from the lobby elevator.

[Yeah.]

Matsuda answered the phone before it even rang once.

She wondered if it was just her imagination that he had been waiting for her call.

"What are you doing?"

[Watching TV.]

"You're watching TV even on vacation?"

[There's nothing else to do in the room.]

Was that just a normal response?

Or was it a roundabout way of suggesting they do something naughty?

It was probably the former, but there was certainly a chance it could be the latter.

'No...'

She needed to stop overthinking things.

It felt like her mind had been in the gutter since yesterday. She would find out once she got to his room anyway.

"Should I come watch with you?"

[If you want.]

"I'll come up, then."

[Alright.]

Listening to Matsuda's blunt reply, Miyuki grabbed the neckline of her t-shirt and stretched it out to peek inside.

Her best underwear was ready to go. With her short shorts, she had also secured the bare thighs that Matsuda loved so much.

She had just finished showering, so she could head up exactly as she was.

Did she need a toothbrush?

Things would probably get started after they ate something, so...

No. It would ruin the mood to suddenly say she wanted to brush her teeth just as things were heating up, so she decided to avoid eating as much as possible.

Why had she even bought beer, then?

Should she just drop it off in her room?

Stepping off the elevator with her mind full of worries, Miyuki realized she was already standing in front of Matsuda's door.

'Whatever...!'

She would just go with the flow naturally.

That was what she had promised herself, after all.

Taking a deep breath to relax, Miyuki pressed the doorbell.

Ding-dong!

The sound of the chime leaked out into the hallway.

Was the soundproofing bad? The reviews had definitely said it was good... That was worrying.

Click!

The doorknob turned with a ticklish clack, and Matsuda appeared.

He furrowed his brow when he saw the long white t-shirt covering her pelvis and her short shorts.

"Your outfit is pretty suggestive."

"How is it suggestive? It's just comfortable clothes. Stop having such perverted thoughts. This is why you get criticized, Matsuda-kun."

"By who?"

"By me."

She was trying hard to hide her nervousness, but Matsuda probably saw right through her.

As if to prove it, Matsuda was smiling like he found her amusing.

Slightly irked by his expression, Miyuki stepped inside before he could even invite her in.

Slide.

He pressed his back against the door to get out of her way.

As she brushed past him, it felt like he was sneaking a peek at her backside. Was she just imagining things? Or not?

Click!

The sound of the door closing somehow felt a bit erotic.

It was probably because she was right on the verge of the main event.

"What's in your hands?"

"This? Beer and snacks."

"You're going to drink?"

"I brought them in case we get bored..."

"Put them in the fridge for now."

"Got it."

Obediently following his orders, Miyuki climbed onto the bed.

She wedged a thick pillow against the headboard and rested her head against it.

A variety show was playing on the TV.

It was a program Matsuda used to enjoy watching in the past... well, not exactly enjoy, but watch whenever he had nothing else to do. However, she couldn't focus on it at all.

It was obvious why. She was anticipating that special event.

Up until a moment ago, she thought she'd be less nervous since she had already gone through this once, but she was trembling far more than she had back then.

She pulled the blanket up to her neck and rested her folded hands on her stomach just as Matsuda comfortably lay down beside her.

What was he thinking as he watched her act like she owned the place?

She was incredibly curious.

She wanted to ask, but since it seemed like things were about to start, she decided to stay quiet.

With those thoughts in mind, Miyuki stared at the TV. But as a long time passed without Matsuda making a move, she began to grow anxious.

When she sneaked a glance at him, he was just chuckling along with the comedian's jokes.

He didn't look like he had any intention of doing anything with her, but she had fallen for this exact pattern before.

Acting completely disinterested until she started to look disappointed, and then suddenly swooping in...

Matsuda loved surprising people like that.

He was definitely doing it now too.

There was no way Matsuda didn't know what was supposed to happen today, so there was no way he'd just innocently watch TV.

At just the right moment, he would surely slide a hand behind her back, or shift closer to her... That was how he'd initiate things.

But a short while later, those expectations were completely shattered.

'...What?'

It was because Matsuda, who had been quietly focusing on the TV, suddenly stopped laughing and soon let out a steady rhythm of breathing.

'I-Is he asleep right now...?'

Dumbfounded, she whipped her head around to look at him, and he really was fast asleep.

In an incredibly comfortable posture, as if he had completely forgotten she was right there next to him.

'Are you kidding me...?'