Prologue
After school, we took the long way home so that no one would see us together. We walked along the empty railroad tracks, a narrow lane with fences and brick walls on both sides.
—It is hot.
Hayasaka-san said as she walked beside me. She is wearing an immaculate summer uniform, her hair is short, and she has a shy expression on her face.
—I’m thirsty.
Hayasaka-san said before taking a sip of the tea she had just bought from the vending machine.
—Do you want some Kirishima-kun?
—Are you sure?
—Yes.
She hands me the bottle with the greatest of ease. I already have a drink in my bag, but with the hot weather, I’m in the mood for something cooler. But is this a good idea?
I can’t help but notice Hayasaka-san’s cool lips as she takes a sip. If I drank it, it would be an indirect kiss.
But Hayasaka-san did not think about it at all and had a pure smile on her face. If I hesitate here, I will let her know that I am aware of this situation. So I continued to drink the tea without worrying about anything.
—That is an indirect kiss.
As soon as she said that, I started coughing.
—You’ve got to be kidding me, Hayasaka-san.
—Hehe~.
Hayasaka-san makes a peace sign, though her expression is rather shy and her cheeks are flushed.
—Don’t be ashamed of what you just said.
—I am not ashamed.
Hayasaka-san is clearly embarrassed despite her denial, so she tries to deflect the conversation.
—During the break, you were talking very enthusiastically with your friends.
—Yes, he seems to be in love.
—What? Kirishima-kun gives his friends advice on love situations?
—Yes, although I don’t look like that kind of guy. I’m a little plain and I wear glasses.
—But I like the way Kirishima-kun looks. You’re like a manga character who’s a good student.
—You still don’t get it.
—So what advice did you give this friend?
—I explained the simple contact effect.
When I said that, Hayasaka-san, whose eyes were shining, suddenly became droopy and said, “Ah, yes.”
—Why that name? It sounds like Kirishima-kun made it up.
—That is definitely not a compliment.
The single contact effect is a psychological effect that is explained as follows: “It is easy to form a favorable impression of what you see and hear a lot.
This explains why we buy things we have seen in advertisements, and why we like people who are close to us more than those who are far away.
—People like what they know. So I advised him to see the girl he liked every day. Say hello to her, interact with her every day, do your best to like her.
—I see, so that’s how it works.
Nodding, Hayasaka-san’s expression changed to a mischievous look.
—Well, let’s do it too.
She then gradually puts the back of her hand on the back of mine.
—L—Let’s hold hands.
—I am not talking about that kind of contact. I’m talking about perceptual contact, like seeing and hearing….
—But if the contact is direct, doesn’t that mean it would have more effect?
She shifts the bag on her shoulder to the opposite side of me and moves closer to my side. She’s so close I can’t help but feel nervous.
…Certainly, it can be more effective if direct contact is achieved. Although Hayasaka-san said it very casually, it could carry a lot of weight in the face of this point of view.
Men are weak in front of women. If a girl touches your shoulder, you are bound to get nervous, and if she hugs you in a place where you are alone, you are bound to fall in love with her.
Maybe it is a mechanism of the heart that cannot be controlled by the mind. There is a special power in the act of touching.
What would happen if I shook hands with Hayasaka-san here? I might fall in love with Hayasaka-san more than I think in my head.
Or I might end up liking her more than I think.
—Hey, Kirishima-kun
Hayasaka-san puts the back of her hand on mine again.
She moves closer and closer until my arm almost touches her breasts. Hayasaka-san has the face of a young girl, but her body is quite mature.
I suddenly felt embarrassed and turned my face away.
—Holding hands defies logic. It is inappropriate for studying the psychological effects of…
—It is a bad habit to try to escape by reasoning like that, Kirishima-kun.
Hayasaka-san tried to hold my hand, but I quickly put it in my pocket.
—Hmph, I guess I’ll just link arms with you then.
When Hayasaka-san made a gesture to hug my arm, I quickly moved out of the way.
As I walked away from her, my eyes naturally fell on her white blouse and chest since she said she would link arms.
—Hehehehe, I’m beginning to understand why Kirishima-kun is embarrassed.
—I don’t know what you mean.
—If we touch each other a lot, maybe we can get to know each other better, right?
Hayasaka-san’s expression becomes mischievous and she tries to cling to me. It was inevitable that I would start running, and I ended up being chased by her through an alley.
Hayasaka-san, she looks like a child in both her expressions and her actions, but her arms and legs sticking out of her uniform reflect the high school student that she is. She has beautiful skin, and her cheeks are strangely sexy when she takes a breath and turns red.
I’m still not ready to touch Hayasaka-san’s skin, so I just ran away. I’m not an athletic person, so I tripped over my own feet and fell to the ground, while Hayasaka-san overtook me and stretched out at the end of the path.
—You leave me no choice.
She steps into the middle of the alley, as if to prevent me from leaving. I stood up and walked towards her, trying to break through the wall that is her body.
—You’ve gone too far, Kirishima-kun!
Hayasaka-san collided with me with her body, pushing my shoulder back with great force.
—Stop, it’s too early for us!
—It is time to take the next step.
Wait a minute… What do you mean by the next step? I thought this was just about the simple contact effect. What are you going to do to me?
—What are you doing?
This is quite exciting! But still…
—Hayasaka-san, you’ve never had contact with a man before. You should be ashamed. Don’t pretend to be an experienced woman!
After I said those words, Hayasaka-san’s eyes filled with tears.
—What are you trying to say, Kirishima-kun?
—You’re too shy to want to do something like that.
—It’s… Kirishima-kun’s fault!
And then, as if a malicious thought had begun to germinate in her mind, she continued to speak with a mischievous expression on her face.
—It has been a long time since you shook my hand!
She is too strong a girl. Despite her cute face and innocent good girl attitude, it’s impossible to beat her physically. Even so, I tried to face her and push Hayasaka-san back, but it was impossible. Every time I managed to get rid of her, she would cling to me again.
—Hey, don’t overdo it, your face is too red.
—I’m not overdoing it, this is just a fever I got this morning!
—What does that have to do with anything?
It seems like she was still embarrassed, or maybe she was telling the truth…
***
The next morning, the whole classroom followed Hayasaka-san with their eyes. She unfolded her textbook and began to prepare for class.
She writes something in her notebook and says “Good morning” every time someone greets her.
She has always been a very outgoing person, but today she has a very unusual energy. I think she’s trying too hard.
—Good morning, Hayasaka!
A guy from the other class came in with a rather relaxed attitude and spoke to her in a very casual manner.
—Today we have band practice in the studio. Would you like to come and listen?
—I’m sorry… I can’t go at night. They don’t let me leave the house that late.
—I see. Well, I’ll call you later.
As the guy leaves the classroom, he says to himself, “Damn, I didn’t get it.” The guys in the class who were watching the situation started talking to each other.
—Hayasaka-san is still very sheltered.
—Don’t you get it? That’s the good thing about her. She’s perfect. Her feelings, her purity, the way she treats people. She is the reflection of a girl who is well brought up by her parents.
—According to my own research, rumor has it that her father is the only man in her phone contacts.
The guys are talking right behind me, but I don’t plan to join in. I don’t want to say anything about Hayasaka-san.
—She is so shy that even if you could talk to her, it would be difficult.
—And that makes it even more perfect. I wish Hayasaka would tell me, “Um… I’m embarrassed to walk hand in hand with you.”
—I have heard that Hayasaka-san has received many confessions, but she has never been with anyone. In other words, she is a very naive girl when it comes to relationships.
Their voices are so loud that Hayasaka-san looks at her textbook and buries her head in it in embarrassment.
—Hey, guys, don’t have weird fantasies about Akanechan.
One of the girls nearby shouted. Akane is Hayasaka-san’s given name.
—I have zero tolerance for that kind of talk!
Finally, the bell rings and everyone returns to their seats. The boys look at Hayasaka-san with regret, and the girls cast threatening glances to protect her.
Through all the conflict, I saw her gradually raise her face from the book and rest her curious gaze on the boys.
“Don’t look too much or people will notice.” I said in my mind at the same time as I signaled to her with my eyes.
Her gaze was soft and her cheeks were slightly red. I wished I was with her, but I looked down at the board and focused my attention on the class. The relationship between her and me is a secret to everyone.
And the same pattern of behavior between the two of us is repeated at lunchtime.
I’m eating alone, and Hayasaka-san is talking to a boy sitting next to her. They were talking about the survey on future careers that the teacher explained today.
—Will you study humanities or science, Hayasaka-san?
—Well…
—You would look good in a literature department.
—A literary girl reading a novel on a campus bench!
The other students join in the conversation.
—Why not study English literature? It fits your style and personality better.
—Or even Home Economics!
While everyone was talking very devoutly, Hayasaka-san said in a reserved manner.
—I want to study nursing.
For a moment, everyone stared at each other with confused expressions. This is not the image that Hayasaka-san was conveying to them.
—Oh, I see!
Exclaimed one of the boys who seemed to be a genius at reading the atmosphere of the place.
—So you’re going to be a nurse! I’d really like the angelic Hayasaka-san to take care of me!
Suddenly, the mood of the people around her returned to normal.
Hayasaka-san looked at me slyly and smiled weakly.
These people are disgusting. They see her as a symbol or an object. A fashion icon that can only represent seriousness, innocence and beauty.
Although it is inevitable that they will see it that way.
She takes notes in class, writes notes for classmates who forgot to ask about the scope of the exam, and helps the professor with materials even when he or she is not on duty.
She is a little uncomfortable with physical activity, but she strives to jump over the hurdles and overcome any obstacles.
As for her career, Hayasaka-san wants to go to veterinary school because she wants to spend all her time with furry animals, so she’s not too far from that image.
Everyone loves her. But sometimes that love seems to be the same as love for a pretty doll. They just see her as a symbol.
Because of that, everyone is unaware that Hayasaka-san’s behavior is different than usual. I was so worried that I couldn’t bear to look at her, so I got up and went to her seat.
—Huh?
Hayasaka-san expressed great confusion. It was something normal since we never crossed paths like that during class.
—Hayasaka-san, why is your face red?
It was then that everyone realized that Hayasaka-san had not been feeling well all day.
You’re asking too much of yourself, Hayasaka-san. You said that yourself yesterday.
—You have a fever, don’t you?
***
Just before fifth period started, I slipped out of class.
I saw Hayasaka-san through the window, leaving early to go home. After a while, I caught up with her as she trudged through the school gates.
—Kirishima-kun, what’s wrong?
—Let me walk you home. I’ll hold your bag.
—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.
—Hayasaka-san, you are trying too hard.
—…Yes. But, you know, when I’m in front of everyone, I tend to act like a good girl. Even if the truth is different.
She said as she lowered her head and continued to speak.
—I am worse than people think.
She looked like she was about to collapse, and I couldn’t help but hold her hand.
—Kirishima-kun?
Hayasaka-san’s eyes widen when she sees our hands together.
—Well… I thought I’d try the single contact effect with you.
—Um, so… Did it work?
—I don’t know. I’m starting to feel hot. It’s like I have a fever…
—I think I like it a lot.
Hayasaka-san squeezes my hand even tighter and pulls her body closer to mine.
—Maybe there is an effect.
The weight is supported and the heat is transferred. It makes her presence even stronger than usual.
—People at school would be very surprised to know that I’m doing this with you….
—It would be a scandal.
Hayasaka-san now has a sweet expression that she never shows in the classroom.
—I always wanted to touch Kirishima-kun.
After saying that, she clings to me happily with a flushed face. It’s as if she enjoys being with me.
—I think I’ll try to catch a fever more often.
—Why?
—Because Kirishima-kun is nice to me when I do that.
Hayasaka-san clings to me with her face and body much closer and tighter than necessary.
—You’re doing it on purpose.
—When I feel better, we’ll do more and more pranks!
—Huh
—Yes, I’m not a good girl after all.
I took Hayasaka-san by the arm and walked her home. Her appearance reflected how sick she was, but she smiled contentedly as she said, “Hehehe”.
If someone saw us, they would think that a girl as pretty as her ended up dating a boring looking guy like me out of pity. But in a way, she and I are lovers, so that thought wouldn’t be so wrong.
But we have a secret that we can’t tell anyone. I like someone other than Hayasaka-san.
And Hayasaka-san has someone she likes other than me. In other words…
We are dating even though we have other people we like.
