Chapter 573

A squirming sensation crept up from her thighs.

Completely drained and dead to the world, Miyuki forced her heavy eyelids open.

"Mmm..."

The blanket near her abdomen was shifting.

Wondering what was going on, she glanced to the side and saw Matsuda sitting by her waist, massaging her thighs.

At first, Miyuki was pleased, assuming he was giving her a post-coital massage just like he had after their first time in the past. But as the seconds ticked by, her brow began to furrow.

It was obvious to anyone that his touch was driven purely by his own desires.

"What are you doing...? Are you messing around?"

Despite her somewhat agitated tone, Matsuda replied casually.

"You're awake?"

"Who wouldn't wake up when you're grabbing me that hard?"

"I wasn't grabbing you that hard."

"You're too much, really..."

As she grumbled, his touch softened a bit.

It was exactly the pressure Miyuki wanted. Sensing the change, she clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes.

He occasionally squeezed harder and his hands grazed her groin, but because it actually felt good, Miyuki silently parted her legs a fraction to accept his touch.

As she did, she found herself reflecting on her first time with Matsuda earlier today.

First of all, it hurt. Whether because it was her first experience, or because Matsuda thrust a bit more forcefully than in the past, the pain had been significant.

But that only lasted a moment. Once she was finally intimate with the Matsuda she had longed for, the pain quickly vanished, and only pleasure coursed through her body.

The physical pleasure of the sexual act, combined with the pleasure of intimately connecting—both physically and emotionally—with the person she loved.

Swept away by those two different kinds of pleasure, time seemed to fly by in a blur.

Matsuda, in particular, had been far more excited than during their original first time.

She wasn't sure why. Perhaps he had experienced a change of heart because her attitude was different from back then?

Before he entered her, she had instinctively placed her hands on his waist, but thankfully, he didn't seem to have noticed.

Who knew how Matsuda would have reacted if she had acted skillfully during her supposed first time... She had sweated bullets trying to feign awkwardness.

Poke.

Lost in these lingering thoughts, Miyuki squirmed as the middle joint of Matsuda's middle finger prodded the space between her legs, sending a jolt of stimulation through her.

"What are you doing?"

"What."

He was playing dumb. He had definitely done it on purpose...

He was probably doing this because he wanted to go again.

Since Miyuki secretly wanted the same thing, she decided not to beat around the bush and interrogated him directly.

"Why are you touching me?"

"Where?"

"There."

"Where is there? Here?"

Acting sly, he prodded her lower half once more.

Chuckling at his transparent motives, Miyuki tried to roll onto her side, but when Matsuda pressed down firmly on her lower abdomen, she let her muscles go slack.

"Nooo...! Not there..."

A coquettish whine naturally seeped into her voice.

Just like in the past, her urge to rely on him grew tremendously after their first time.

It felt as if he would indulge her every whim if she acted spoiled.

That had been true back when he was gentle, and it remained true now after he had been forceful.

Her feelings translated directly into action.

Miyuki stretched both arms out toward Matsuda, as if asking for a hug.

Seeing her reaction, Matsuda chuckled and shook his head helplessly as he gathered her into his arms.

Then, he began to gently pat her back.

Pat, pat.

His large hand tapped her back in a steady rhythm. Feeling a deep sense of security from it, Miyuki completely relaxed her already limp body.

At the same time, his hand drifted down to the small of her back.

As his touch trailed further down to gently stroke the top of her buttocks, Miyuki let out a languid moan and slid her hands beneath his arms.

"And what exactly are you doing?"

Matsuda playfully scolded her as she began to heat up again.

Instead of answering, Miyuki hugged his waist tightly. When he slowly laid her back down, she giggled inwardly.

It was an incredibly satisfying day, and it seemed it would only continue to be so.

She felt she had achieved everything she set out to accomplish upon returning.

Tonight, she would probably fall into a very deep sleep.

Not because she was exhausted from their physical intimacy, but out of sheer contentment.

That was what she thought. Matsuda likely felt the exact same way.

Chirr—! Chirr—!

At the ear-piercing drone of cicadas, Miyuki fought to drag her eyes open.

"Ah..."

She had slept on a high floor, and there were no trees around the Hotel. Where were the cicadas coming from?

Perhaps the cicadas had tried to move up to the cooler sky to escape the heat, only to cling to the side of the Hotel for a brief rest.

Come to think of it, the cicadas had chirred just like this when she and Matsuda shared their first kiss.

It was a very intense sound, and such a sweet moment, that she remembered it clearly.

They had been organizing the desk when the mood had suddenly intensified.

"Mmm..."

Smiling brightly at the past memory, Miyuki reached out with her eyes closed.

Her hand found Matsuda's hard abdomen.

But as she moved her hand higher, the texture felt a bit strange.

It felt slightly folded, as though Matsuda was already awake and sitting upright.

'Huh...?'

Still pretending to be asleep, Miyuki kept groping his body. However, when she felt a somewhat dull sensation spanning from his chest down to his abdomen and even his legs, she tilted her head in confusion.

For lying on a bed, the surface beneath her was incredibly hard.

Opening her eyes with a puzzled expression, her jaw dropped when she caught a whiff of an incredibly nostalgic scent and found the room incredibly familiar.

"Wh-What...?"

This was Matsuda's room.

As far as she knew, it definitely was.

Why was she here when she should have been at the Hotel?

And what about Matsuda?

Just as she tried to forcefully untangle her chaotic thoughts, Matsuda picked up his Cell Phone.

Struck by a sudden thought, Miyuki asked in a heavily raspy voice.

"What time... no, what day is it? Wait, no... what year is it?"

Matsuda threw a glance at her rambling form, and the words that left his lips were enough to send her into a state of shock.

Because the year he stated was the exact same year it had been before she traveled back to the past.

"Th-That's impossible...!"

Miyuki snatched the Cell Phone from his hand at lightning speed.

Looking at the screen, the exact same year he had just spoken was clearly displayed.

Did that mean she had returned from the past to the future... no, the present?

"Are you kidding me!?"

Unable to contain her agitation, Miyuki screamed right in front of him.

She had built memories with Matsuda with great difficulty... well, maybe not great difficulty, but it still hadn't been easy. And now they were supposed to have plenty of time alone together, but all of that had come to nothing?

She couldn't understand it. It was devastating.

If she went back to sleep, would she return to the past?

They could have at least given her a warning instead of pulling this so suddenly...

If a drama or novel were written like this, the author would be cursed out.

This was completely unacceptable.

"This is ridiculous, really... you stupid... awful..."

Pouring out weak curses at whoever had sent her to the past and back to the present, Miyuki checked her own Cell Phone with a sliver of hope that perhaps she or Matsuda had misread the date.

"Haa..."

But it was the same. Nothing had changed.

When she checked her reflection in the bathroom, she had the hairstyle she wore before going back to the past.

Her memory was a bit fuzzy, but it was at least not her hairstyle from the past.

Besides, she vividly remembered getting her hair done just a few days before returning, so Miyuki trudged out of the bathroom looking entirely deflated.

Meanwhile, Matsuda was looking up something on his Cell Phone.

Since he usually scrolled the internet when he had nothing to do, Miyuki didn't suspect a thing. She simply returned to the futon and flopped down.

She had heard that men experience a period of post-coital clarity—was this what that felt like?

She had absolutely zero motivation.

Pulling the blanket completely over her head, Miyuki threw a tantrum while lying limply, and replied to Matsuda's call in a faint voice.

"Hey."

"What..."

"Let's go somewhere together for a bit today."

He must have seen her acting crazy just moments ago, yet he didn't seem to have a single question.

She wondered if he just assumed it was her time of the month and was letting it slide.

"I don't want to go..."

She wasn't joking; she truly didn't want to go.

She was so angry that she felt it would be better to just stay holed up in here, stewing in this disappointing feeling.

She didn't know why. It was just what she wanted to do.

But Matsuda didn't seem to want to accommodate her feelings.

"You don't even know where we're going, so why are you saying no? Get up, hurry."

He urged her, ruthlessly patting her butt.

Pouting her lips out as far as they could go, Miyuki slowly dragged her upper body upright and shook her head.

"...I'm not in the mood to go out right now."

"Me neither."

"Then why are you asking to go out?"

"Because there's somewhere I really want to go."

"Where?"

"The band academy."

"Ah, what band academy... Matsuda-kun, you seem pretty down too, so let's just res—"

Miyuki, who had been about to let out a hollow laugh and reject his proposal, flinched.

It happened the moment she processed the words 'band academy' that had just slipped from Matsuda's mouth.

"...What?"

"I said let's go to the band academy. Let's start going today."

The band academy had absolutely zero connection to the 'present' Matsuda or herself...

It was a location known only to their 'past' selves.

Staring blankly at Matsuda for a moment, Miyuki's eyes doubled in size.

"Th-Then..."

As she sat there, rendered entirely speechless by the unbelievable situation with only her lips parting silently, Matsuda flashed a white-toothed smile.

"Looks like it."

His answer was vague, but what Matsuda was saying was clear.

Matsuda had experienced the past, just like her.

That fact perfectly explained all the dissonance between them.

Matsuda had also traveled back in time and tried to win her over again.

Then, when she acted differently from the flow he knew from the start, he had panicked.

Now she understood. Everything from why Matsuda had been so panicked on the train to why their destinies had warped slightly.

It was because they had each used completely different approaches on the other.

"....."

While she simply stared at Matsuda, not even thinking to blink her widened eyes, he spoke in a gentle tone.

"You're going, right?"

"Uh...? Yeah...?"

"The band club. Are you going or not?"

"Ah... um... yeah, I have to go..."

"Then go wash up. It's already lunchtime."

"I-It's already that late...?"

"Go, hurry."

Matsuda pointed toward the large bathroom with the tub that Miyuki liked.

Swept along by him, Miyuki stood up, went into the bathroom, and took a shower with a foolishly blank look on her face.

She didn't know if she washed properly.

Because she was so absorbed in reflecting on the past, she simply washed on instinct.

Rattle—!

When she slid the bathroom door open without even properly drying her hair, Matsuda let out a chuckle and approached her.

Then, taking out a clean towel, he dried her hair.

"You must have had a good dream."

"...Huh?"

"I'm asking because you look so well."

What did he mean by looking well...

Was he talking about her current dumb expression?

Was he teasing her? Like typical Matsuda?

No. The look in his eyes as he gazed down at her was incredibly warm.

He was asking sincerely. Asking how her time in the past had been.

Grasping his true intentions, Miyuki glanced around, worried that someone else might be there even though there were only the two of them in the house.

Then, relieved that no one was there, she gave a single nod.

"Yeah."

"Even though you were just grumbling and complaining a minute ago."

"When did I..."

"You did."

"N-No I wasn't...? What about you, Matsuda-kun? Did you have a good dream?"

"Yeah."

An unhesitating, firm reply.

It was a brief word, but sensing the sincerity radiating from it, the corners of Miyuki's lips curled up brightly.

"Really?"

"I think I was happy."

She felt the same way.

"Me too...!"

She had been truly happy. And knowing the truth seemed to only add to that feeling.

Neither had known the other's situation, yet they had felt a strong attraction just like before, and built unique memories together.

It would be strange not to be happy.

'Wait a minute...'

However, there was one questionable point.

That was how Matsuda had behaved in the past.

Could it be... rather than neither knowing the other's situation, hadn't Matsuda actually figured out what happened to her?

If so, that perfectly explained why the gears had turned so strangely out of sync, and why Matsuda had often stared at her with those meaningful looks.

"Um... Matsuda-kun."

"Go ahead."

"By any chance..."

Did he realize what Miyuki meant to say?

Matsuda grinned and shook his head.

'I was right...!'

She had her answer.

She could instantly tell by looking at Matsuda's face. He had figured out her situation perfectly.

The moment she realized that fact, Miyuki's cheeks rapidly turned red.

Because she was incredibly embarrassed.

Because she had been putting on a cute act in front of a Matsuda who knew everything.

"Y-You could have at least given me a hint...!"

"I threw out a few, but you just didn't understand."

"Really...? You did...?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"You can chew on that and figure it out yourself."

"Ah, whatever...! Tell me...!"

Miyuki subconsciously drummed her fists against Matsuda's chest in a coquettish way.

Chuckling at her actions, Matsuda shifted the topic.

"And I'm still going to the Kendo Club."

This was his answer to what Miyuki herself had said in the past, asking how the Disciplinary Committee sounded.

While she was grateful that Matsuda remembered everything, Miyuki was just as embarrassed of herself and bit down on her lower lip.

To think she had told him not to go to the Kendo Club, when he wasn't completely ignorant, but already knew everything...

What had Matsuda thought when he heard her say that?

Perhaps it was from then that Matsuda had realized she had returned.

"Aren't you already in the Kendo Club?"

"True."

In truth, even if Miyuki threw a tantrum, Matsuda would inevitably find a way to reach out to Inoo-sunbae, Senior Nanase, and Asahina.

Hadn't he said so in the past? That his ultimate dream and greatest happiness was to live together with all four of them.

Well, technically he hadn't said he wanted to live with them, but sleep with them—but regardless, that was Matsuda's goal.

Destiny could have its minor currents changed, but the main flow was impossible to change.

Miyuki herself knew that best. She had thoroughly realized that all her struggling had been useless.

No matter how much of a fuss she made, Matsuda would end up meeting those three.

If she said she hated it under those circumstances, it would only make him more stubborn.

Whether Matsuda had regressed or not, those destinies would remain the same.

"Instead, I'll spend more time with you."

At Matsuda's subsequent words as he took her hand, Miyuki, who had been reflecting on her own little performance, smiled bashfully.

It was an incredibly satisfying answer. This must be why couples and spouses grew more affectionate after having some time alone together.

Suddenly returning as if riding a time machine had been extremely disappointing.

But on the other hand, she thought it was a relief.

If Matsuda had stayed in that timeline while retaining his present memories, they might have eventually fallen into a rut.

"Are you going to learn the piano?"

Matsuda asked as he opened the sliding door and led Miyuki out.

Giving a cryptic smile, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I'll see when we get there. It's my first time trying band music, so..."

"For someone saying that, you sound very used to it."

'Let's just be satisfied that our relationship has grown deeper, and that we now have a secret known only to the two of us,' Miyuki thought.

That was more than enough. It was an outcome beyond her wildest dreams.

Maybe she could even use this to tease Asahina.

Of course, she wouldn't believe a delusional story like this at all.

But she would probably still get jealous... She definitely needed to test that out.

"It's just your imagination."

With that final answer, Miyuki vigorously thrust their joined hands forward.

- Side Story IF End -