I went to the front door of my house, having heard the doorbell ring.
When I opened the door, I saw Tachibana-san standing there with a somewhat pouting expression on her face.
—Why aren’t you wearing your uniform?
—I don’t need it to come to your house.
Tachibana-san was wearing an elegant blouse, a light red cardigan, and a cream-colored skirt. Seeing it gave me a strange feeling. It was as if a princess had come to visit a commoner’s house. It had a mixture of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
—So, this is Shiro-kun’s house.
She entered the house and took off her shoes, then looked at my face as if she was embarrassed.
—This is for your family.
She handed me a sophisticated and expensively wrapped gift.
—Thank you. My mother and sister are out, so I’ll give it to them later.
She seemed very interested in taking a closer look at the house I live in. It’s an old single-family house, and it wasn’t very tidy either. So, in my haste, I asked her to come upstairs quickly and took her to my room.
—You didn’t have any trouble finding my house?
—No, I was looking at the map all the time.
—Unlike the district where you live, my house is very well located.
—I like the kind of neighborhood you live in.
Several days have passed since the compatibility test happened in the club room. Since then, Tachibana-san and I have tried not to get closely involved in school again. We want to avoid people seeing us or hearing her call my name.
This morning, I received a message from Tachibana-san saying she wanted help studying for an upcoming exam.
For that reason, she is at my house. Although there might be some ulterior motives.
—I guess you have no intention of studying after all.
When I returned to my room after making a cup of tea in the kitchen, I found Tachibana lying on my bed.
—This is where you sleep every day.
Tachibana-san wraps herself in the comforter.
—I can smell your scent.
—It’s just the fabric softener. I just washed them.
—How boring you are.
She said while hugging my pillow and pressing her face against it, breathing heavily.
This might be the result after her talk with Hayasaka-san, but seeing her lying on my bed, in such a relaxed and unsuspecting manner causes certain unethical thoughts to pop up in my head.
If you think about it, this is like a date at home. We’re alone and with no one to bother us. That gives us a free pass for anything that happens between the two of us.
—What was that noise? —Tachibana-san asked.
A scratching sound is heard at the door from the hallway. I opened it, and a little puppy ran in.
—Huh? How cute!
Exclaimed Tachibana-san as she got up from the bed.
The dog tried to jump on Tachibana-san, so I held it with both hands. It seemed excited to see an unknown visitor, as it kept barking happily and wagging its tail.
—Come on, Hikari, shut up.
When I say this, Tachibana-san looks at me suspiciously.
—Hikari?
—Yes, it’s the name of the dog….
Yes, she has the same first name as Tachibana-san.
—I don’t care… — she said while fiddling with her hair in a confused way. — Even if I don’t do that, I’ll do anything else Shiro-kun asks me to do…
—I think you’re misunderstanding me.
I don’t know if it’s that she’s looking for some excuse to indulge in perverse pleasures, or she’s somehow offended that my dog has her same name and wants me to make it up to her in some way.
—It was my sister who named him and he is a male. She’s always wanted a dog.
—I see.
—Yes, and it’s also my sister who takes care of him.
—So, you don’t like taking care of Hikari, huh Shiro-kun?
—I wouldn’t put it that way.
Tachibana-san also seemed to like dogs, and from that moment on, she and Hikari played with each other.
She seemed to really enjoy playing with my dog. Maybe pets aren’t allowed where she lives, or there might be another reason that I don’t know about. But I was glad that she could distract herself for a while.
As soon as Hikari was satisfied, he left the room. After that, Tachibana-san and I sat on the bed next to each other.
—Is there something you want to tell me, Shiro-kun?
I feel like we’ve now come to the main reason why she came here.
—I guess I can’t hide anything from you, Tachibana-san. Hamanami asked me to talk to you about a specific topic… Are you making a haunted house themed escape game?
—Yes…
—And the prize for the winner will be to participate in the Best Couple contest with you?
—Not exactly with me, but with the ghost I’m playing.
—I know, but could you not do that?
—Why would Hamanami-san ask you to do that?
Faced with that question, I decided to tell her everything that happened before in detail, and the reason why Hamanami made such a request.
—I don’t know that guy.
—He’s a pretty cool guy from the basketball club. He said that you gave him your contact information.
—I don’t remember.
After that, she put on a thoughtful expression for a moment, and replied;
—But I will refuse what you are asking for now.
—Then, are you willing to accept depending on the offer I make you?
—I guess you can look at it that way.
—In that case. I don’t want you to participate in that contest with any other guy than me.
—If you had said so from the beginning I would have, but it’s too late now.
—How cruel… So what do you want?
—I want a game.
—A game?
—Yes, one from the notebook.
That damn notebook… The only game we played was the one where we didn’t use our hands. And thanks to that, I could taste the Pocky directly from Tachibana-san’s mouth.
—I’ll think about it if you do that.
—Are you sure? Every time we do the things in that notebook, we end up feeling worse.
Why can’t we just kiss like a normal couple? We no longer need to use that notebook as an excuse to do boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. We already know how we feel about each other.
But Tachibana-san’s cold stare made the reason clear to me.
She doesn’t want to be left out. She doesn’t want to accept that Hayasaka-san told her that she did something special with me, so she won’t settle for something ordinary.
She’s probably still angry, and it’s most likely directed at me, since if I remember correctly, she kicked me in the back through the door.
—What do you want to do, Shiro-kun?
—I don’t know, these kinds of games are very… Dangerous.
—You do everything with Hayasaka-san, but not with me. It’s really sad… I’m going home. — She replied with a sad tone as she got up from the bed.
She prepared to leave, and even opened the door trying to leave the room. Ordinarily, this would be another act of deception on Tachibana-san’s part, but this time her voice was trembling as she said she was going, and the expression on her face was as if she was about to cry.
I feel a pain in my chest and can’t help myself.
—Wait!
With my hands folded behind me, I close the door with my feet.
—…. Will you do it?
—Yes. And wipe that expression off your face.
—Well…
Tachibana wipes her eyes with her fingers and then laughs coldly as usual.
—In exchange, you’ll give up being a prize.
—That’s fine.
I have no choice but to play this insane game with her.
————————————————————–
The ‘don’t use your hands’ game is one of the most stupid games included in the love notebook. The rule is simple: be with the person you desire for a period of time without using your hands.
Whatever that person asks you to do, you must do it, but, without using your hands. And because of the limited dexterity you have by not using your hands, you are forced to use your mouth.
Things will be different this time, though, and that is that we will have the room temperature as high as possible.
So, I turned up the air conditioning to maximum, and even turned up the heat, making my room feel like a sauna.
—We always end up worse than we started when we do this.
—I know.
—In that case, the first one to quit, loses.
I proceeded to sit on the bed next to Tachibana-san. I couldn’t stop sweating. Sweat is running down my temples and my uniform shirt is starting to stick to my skin.
—Are you feeling hot yet, Shiro-kun?
—A little.
—I want to take off my cardigan.
And here we go. She’s asked me to do something and I have no choice but to comply.
—I understand.
Since I can’t use my hands, I proceeded to bite the collar of the cardigan and pulled it. A soft scent invaded my nose. Tachibana-san had put on perfume, and it’s a slightly sweet one. The fabric of her cardigan is also soft. I feel like I am with a princess.
—What’s wrong?
—No, nothing.
It seems that her shirt is also sticking to her body because of the heat.
—It’s too hot, Shiro-kun.
—Yes. I’d like to take mine off too.
Tachibana-san understood my words, so she approached me to take off my uniform jacket. But instead, he pressed his lips against my throat, at this sudden event, I was surprised, and fell backwards on the bed. Tachibana-san followed me and straddled me.
—Tachibana-san!?
—Don’t move, I want to take off your tie too.
Then she starts to untie the knot with her mouth. Tachibana-san’s breath hits my throat.
Her hair hangs down and tickles my chest. I squirm and twist. But Tachibana-san holds me tightly and I can’t escape.
—I said not to move.
A game where you can’t use your hands is a bit awkward for two people who love each other. The desire to hug is strong. But that’s what makes it more exciting.
—Now it’s my turn.
I proceeded to stand up and turned around so that Tachibana-san ended up lying on the bed with me on top of her.
With a worried look, Tachibana-san crossed her legs behind my waist. Her long skirt was completely lifted up, exposing her legs up to her thighs.
We are both completely horny and stupid things are the order of the day.
—You’re sweaty Tachibana-san, allow me.
I move closer to Tachibana-san’s face.
—Shiro-kun?
A bead of sweat runs down her temple.
—H-Hey, the hand towels are on your desk, what do y…— No no no no!!!!
I run my tongue across Tachibana-sam’s temple, and instantly her eyes widen and her face turns red.
—Are you crazy? I’m all sweaty.
—So what?
—That’s what the-….
—You want me to stop?
When I asked her about it, her eyes glazed over.
—You can go on…
—Are you sure? You look embarrassed.
—Yes, it’s fine. I took a shower before I came. I have no reason to be embarrassed.
At such an answer, I decided to extend to other parts of her body, such as her forehead, cheek and neck. Her skin was very white and soft, and she shivered every time I slid my tongue on it. She continued to pretend to be expressionless, but her breathing was getting louder and louder, her legs were losing strength as she lifted her hips.
I intentionally pushed my body against hers, then slowly rubbed my body against hers. This made us more excited, and we lost what little trace of sanity we had left.
—Ah… Shiro-kun… This is a little-…
—Shall I stop?
—No… Keep going… Please…
Having finished licking her body, Tachibana-san was out of breath. Normally, this would be the end of the story, but I’ve decided to go all the way to the end. I want to take it to the extreme and make her give up.
—Shiro-kun, you should unbutton your shirt too.
And though I had asked her to, she proceeded to unbutton the buttons of my shirt one by one with her mouth. And then, she ran her tongue across my chest.
—Tachibana-san, I haven’t showered.
She continued to lick my neck and chest the same way I did with her.
When she licks my neck, I feel a shiver run down my back. It’s always nice to feel Tachibana-san’s moist breath against my skin. But of course, I feel ashamed to have her lick my sweat.
—Are you embarrassed, Shiro-kun?
—It was my idea to do it in the first place, so I’m prepared for it.
Tachibana looks rather dissatisfied.
—I want to tease Shiro-kun too.
She pressed her lips against my neck and started sucking hard. This is probably something that’s quite difficult for her, I can feel her struggling to breathe, but she still doesn’t want to give up.
—Hey, did you…
After a long time, Tachibana-san pulled her lips away. She looked spent, but was very satisfied.
—Did you enjoy it?
—Yes… At last, I can feel that Shiro-kun is all mine.
I checked my chest, and I could tell I had a mark on it. It was a hickey, a small token of her affection for me.
—I hope it won’t be a problem for you.
I can hide it with a band-aid.
—I don’t want you to do that.
—But…
—I don’t mind.
I love it when her true feelings seep out of that tough personality. And for some reason, she looked a little sad, plus her hair was damp and wet.
—You’re pushing yourself a lot, you should hydrate a bit.
—Same to you, Shiro-kun.
I looked at the table beside the bed. A bottle of water with a straw sat on it. We both exchanged glances and nodded. Nothing more needed to be said. Our intentions were clear.
Tachibana-san proceeded to be the first to take a drink, then lay down on the bed on her back and pressed her thin lips to mine. The water, slightly warmed up in her mouth, poured into mine. When our lips parted, a thin line of saliva was the only thing that still kept us connected.
—You should drink water too, Tachibana-san.
—Yes, hurry up, Shiro-kun. I want to drink water from your mouth.
My conscience was beginning to grow more and more absent. Water spilled out of my mouth, causing it to soak Tachibana-san’s chest. So, I proceeded to bring my lips closer to slurp, and that’s when I saw her underwear through the transparent shirt right in front of me.
—Don’t stop, do it. — Tachibana-san said with a somewhat brittle tone of voice — Or you can just do something else. I’m really embarrassed, but I’m not going to stop you.
—Are you sure?
—Yes.
—So, is it okay if I take off your blouse? If that’s what you want.
—…If that’s what Shiro-kun wants to do, I have no problem. — She replied as she turned to the side and buried her face in the pillow.
Using my mouth, I proceeded to unbutton her blouse. Tachibana-san continued without saying anything, she simply let herself be carried away by my desire without making any excuses.
And on mere impulse on my part, I licked part of her collarbone. Her shoulders were really beautiful. I have my doubts as to whether to continue or stop, but my goal is to make her very embarrassed.
—I want you to stretch up your right arm.
—Huh?
Tachibana-san has good instincts and immediately realizes what I’m trying to do.
—You’re joking, right?
—Do you want me to stop?
After staring at me, she gave in and stretched out her arm. Yes, that’s… That’s the expression of Tachibana-san that I long to see. I want to humiliate her to the max.
—Are you sure you want to do this?
Instead of answering, I licked Tachibana-san’s white, slippery armpits.
—Shiro-kun… You’re stupid.
—I don’t care… I like you a lot.
—I like you too.
After licking her armpit, I proceeded to lick the sides.
—Shiro-kun… ah… ah… That’s not… That’s not what you asked me to do…
Tachibana-san clung even tighter to my body with her legs, she was squirming and lifting her hips at the same time. The girl with a cold and expressionless look on her face had vanished, replaced by a weak and crying girl who was pressing her face against the pillow due to the embarrassment she felt.
—….I was humiliated. — She said quietly after she had finished.
—You give up?
—No… It’s okay, I can still continue.
Tachibana-san is very strong. Perfect, in that case, I plan to continue doing this kind of thing.
—Tachibana-san, your face is red.
—…I’m just a little hot.
—Is there another garment you’d like to take off?
—Yes. Shiro-kun can take off whatever he wants. —She replied with a dejected and childish expression on her face.
After that, I got up from the bed, and knelt down in front of Tachibana-san. We have reached the final stage of this game.
I stood pensively for a moment thinking about what would be the next garment to remove. The first thing I noticed was her black underwear peeking out, but other than that, there was something else that caught my eye…
—Tachibana-san, wouldn’t you feel more comfortable if you took off your socks?
—Hey… Are you serious?
—Will you stop?
—…No
Tachibana-san proceeded to hold out her leg to me in a fearful manner with a sulky expression. I’m quite surprised, she really is doing every single thing I ask her to do. I used my teeth to touch the toe of her white sock.
—Don’t say a word… Make it quick.
I nodded at her words. And I slowly pulled the socks off until her feet were completely bare. This is quite embarrassing.
Tachibana-san turned her head to the side and continued to endure the embarrassment, even her ears were red.
I reached over to the other leg, and slowly pulled her sock again. I looked up a little, and I could see a little bit of her underwear beyond her delicate skirt. She was so sweaty that her legs were damp.
—Hurry up, Shiro-kun…
She’s on the verge of despair. I’ve attacked her to such an extent that she no longer maintains her impenetrable, expressionless mask.
I’d like to see more of her in that state, her weak and clumsy personality is too charming. That’s when I realized that she had completely lowered her guard, and…
—No no no no no no, Shiro-kun….
Distress and nerves invaded Tachibana-san, and this was because I was licking her toes.
—Stop, stop, stop, no more… I feel so ashamed!
I’m not going to stop. I want you to be more distressed, I want to continue to see her behaving like a helpless child. I took her big toe and licked it carefully. Even the skin on her feet is smooth and soft.
—Please, please, please stop, I don’t want you to go on anymore.
Despite her cries for mercy, I continued to lick her toes without paying any attention to her. I want her to be much more ashamed.
Beneath her usual cold expression, I am finally seeing her real face.
I personally think she is someone beautiful, smart and cool. And seeing this side of her makes me have mixed feelings. I never imagined she had this personality, she’s perfect.
—Shiro-kun… I’ll do anything else… Aaah… But please stop…
Tachibana-san hid her face with her hands while desperately shouting for me to stop. And after seeing that I still wasn’t listening to her, the inevitable happened….
—Aaaah~! Shiro-kun is stupid!
Her embarrassment had turned to anger, and she kicked me in the chest as hard as she could.
I think I’ve crossed the line. Tachibana-san furrowed her eyebrows and looked really angry.
—Shiro-kun, I almost died of embarrassment.
—I’m sorry, I’ve gone too far.
We both collapsed at the situation and came to our senses again. We lost our way again.
After a few moments, Tachibana-san catches her breath and approaches me.
—I’m sorry I kicked you.
—It’s okay, I deserved it.
—Do you have any bruises? — She asked, as he lifted my shirt and looked at my chest.
And as expected, we got excited again.
—Hey Shiro-kun, what do you say we play that game again…?
—Well, I could use a change of shirt…
—Shiro-kun…
—Tachibana-san…
Tachibana-san looked very sexy. The expression on her face was somewhat elated and weak. We embraced each other and licked various places on our bodies that our tongues hadn’t reached before.
I took Tachibana-san by the shoulder, and then…—.
—I’m home ~
Suddenly, the door to my room burst open. I turned my head as a mere reflex and saw my sister standing with a shopping bag. At her feet is Hikari, wagging his tail.
—Onii-chan…?
After looking at me and Tachibana-san several times, my sister ducks her head.
—Excuse the interruption. My mother and I are going out again. We won’t be back for another two hours, so please continue.
She bent down and took Hikari in her arms while saying; “Don’t look” and hurried out of the room.
—————————————————————————-
Darkness takes over the sky.
And I was on my way to the train station with Tachibana-san holding hands. We looked like real sweethearts.
—I’m sorry for making your mother and sister feel uncomfortable. — Tachibana-san said as she looked at the paper bag in her hand. — They gave me a lot of gifts.
—I hope you won’t say who gave them to you.
—If it wasn’t for the curfew my mother imposed on me, we could have had dinner together.
—Yes, mom was trying to make sushi… Shame on you.
—You have a good mother.
At the news that Tachibana-san was in my room, she was very excited.
—I don’t think they ever imagined that Shiro-kun could date a girl.
Indeed, especially my sister, who had told Tachibana-san that she imagined herself taking care of me in the future since I was going to be alone… And my mother even endorsed her words.
—Your sister is in high school?
—Yes.
—She asked me to go shopping for clothes with her the next time we see each other.
My sister seemed to immediately miss Tachibana-san as soon as they said goodbye.
—Your mother and sister were very happy that you had a girlfriend.
At those words, she immediately became sad, and lowered her gaze.
—It’s a pity that I couldn’t be your real girlfriend.
We were just walking down a busy shopping street. I couldn’t help but imagine going to a burger shop or a video game center with Tachibana-san if we were boyfriend and girlfriend.
—I’m sorry I lied about being your girlfriend.
—You don’t have to apologize.
—I do. After all, I’m engaged.
—That’s not something you should apologize for either.
—Still, I’d love to be your real girlfriend. Now I can’t help but wish I could spend time with your sister, or be in the kitchen with your mother and cook delicious dishes.
—Tachibana-san…
But after a few moments, she regrets her words, and puts back her usual poker face that makes it impossible to read her emotions.
—Why haven’t you and Hayasaka-san become official boyfriend and girlfriend? I think your mother and sister would be thrilled. Better than having a fake girlfriend…
—Hayasaka-san has someone else she loves.
—You might be right. But even so, she likes you a lot, Shiro-kun. It’s a pity that you can’t stop being a practice couple.
—…And you’re okay with that?
—…Yes.
After all, she’s still holding on to her thought that we’ll only be together until graduation day comes. After that, we won’t see each other again.
—Well, here’s where we say goodbye… See you later.
Tachibana-san turns around and heads for the station. Deep inside her, she wants to get lost in the crowd of people passing around her. But it’s impossible for something like that to happen, because despite being surrounded by many people… She continues to emit an atmosphere of a beautiful flower growing in the middle of a swamp.
But deep inside her, she did not want to be found. She did not want me to follow her with my gaze. The only thing she wanted is to be a lover who fades little by little with time, while enjoying the beautiful moments we share together for now.
