I wake up alone.
After everything last night, I'd waited for Natsuki-san to stir, but she never did. I couldn't just leave her there, so I ended up lying beside her in bed. My plan was to head home as soon as she woke up, but I must've dozed off myself.
"Eight already? I probably fell asleep around seven or eight last night… Didn't wake up once, huh."
Guess the stamina drain from that ero-cheat "Relentless Ejaculation" hit me harder than I thought—I slept like a log. Pretty impressive, considering it was someone else's bed and an unfamiliar pillow.
"So… where'd Natsuki-san go?"
As I start to climb out of bed, the bedroom door swings open. Natsuki-san steps in, holding a silver tray.
"Oh, you're up. I tried calling you and shaking you, but you wouldn't budge. I was getting a little worried."
Whoops, guess I overdid it yesterday.
"…Natsuki-san, what's that?"
"This? Breakfast. Veggie toast sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and…"
No, not that.
"No, not that."
My inner voice slips out.
"Huh? What then?"
"Your outfit."
"Oh… this?"
Natsuki-san lifts the hem of the apron she's wearing.
Yep.
She's in an apron right now. Not a naked apron, mind you—just a casual shirt and jeans underneath it. Still, seeing her in everyday clothes for the first time, topped off with an apron?
Her cuteness just went into overdrive.
If last night had been four rounds instead of three, I might've pinned her down again right here.
Oblivious to my less-than-innocent gaze, Natsuki-san blushes slightly and says, "It's one we use at the shop."
"Wait, you help out at your shop?"
"Mostly just taking orders. I handle stuff like parfaits and dessert plating, but Mom does all the real cooking."
"Wow, that's cool."
"It's not a big deal. Plus, feeding a guy my home cooking was kind of a dream of mine. Never thought it'd happen this soon, though."
She sets the tray on the bed. The warm toast wafts with a faint buttery aroma.
"You said a while back you'd do me a favor if you could, right? So eat this. Make my dream come true."
True, I did say something like that not long ago—that I'd help if it was within my power.
But this?
"Natsuki-san."
"W-What?"
For a split second, she sounds nervous, like she's bracing for rejection. I quickly put that to rest.
"Are you kidding? I should be the one begging for this. Save your favor for something else. Let's eat!"
Before she can say anything more, I dive into the sandwich. The mustard gives it a nice kick—delicious. The scrambled eggs have a seasoned, diner-like flavor too.
"Don't choke eating so fast," she warns, handing me a glass of iced coffee with floating cubes.
I take it and savor another bite of the sandwich.
So good.
Natsuki-san's amazing—she can whip up stuff like this?
"Is… is it good?"
She asks, but I ignore her and reach for the next sandwich.
"Ah… hehe."
She lets out a relieved laugh.
Later, I end up eating her share too and get scolded for it, but she keeps smiling the whole time.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Don't be dumb."
"Then I'll pay you back with my body."
"…Idiot."
Even after finishing, we lounge lazily on the bed for a while.
---
"See you Monday at school, then."
"Yeah, sorry it feels like I'm kicking you out."
"No worries. And thanks for the food—it was delicious."
Around noon, Natsuki-san walks me to the door for a goodbye. She's got a busy life—apparently, she visits her mom every day with essentials. Plus, she bragged about needing to wash yesterday's sheets. She didn't seem embarrassed about the bloodstains. She seemed rather proud, actually—which left me at a loss for how to react.
I slip on my shoes at the entrance and reach for the door.
"Natsuki-san."
"Hm?"
"Here."
"What's that?"
I lean in close and close my eyes—a classic kiss-me pose. It's a privilege usually reserved for beautiful girls… but I figure I can pull it off now too.
Peeking through slit eyes, I see Natsuki-san catch on after a moment. She hesitates, then—
"…Mm."
Her lips brush mine, light as a feather.
"K-Kinda embarrassing," she mumbles, her pale cheeks flushing red again as she smiles shyly.
"Thanks for having me."
"Yeah. See ya."
With that, I step out of the doorway and into the dazzling sunlight.
"Natsuki-san's so cute," I mutter to myself.
It hasn't even been a minute since we parted, and I'm already itching for Monday.
"Obviously, I'll keep getting closer to Natsuki-san," I think, but another woman pops into my mind.
"Fuyuhara-sensei, huh."
My homeroom teacher—a grown woman, always in a tracksuit as the PE coach.
"Now, how do I get close to her?"
Feeling giddy, I head home, scarf down a huge meal to replenish my energy, and crash hard.
---
Monday rolls around.
"Morning, Natsuki-san."
As usual, she's already at school, slumped over her desk, napping. She used to kick her feet up on it, but lately, she's toned it down a bit.
…My influence, maybe? If so, that'd make me kinda happy. I think the cool vibe suits her better than the prickly one.
"Hey. Mornin'," she mumbles, cracking one eye open to greet me as I take my seat.
Her voice is low, just for me—standing out too much in class would draw attention.
Same old routine.
It's almost hard to believe that just two days ago, we were melting into each other.
She's all passion in the heat of the moment, but otherwise, she's got that dry edge. And me? I can't help wanting to peel back that mask and tease her a little.
"Today too, right?"
"…Yeah."
We set up our usual after-school meetup behind the school building.
Once classes end, I head out first and wait. Natsuki-san shows up, glancing around as always, and I rush over, too eager to hold back. She greets me with a happy look.
"Sorry, keep you waiting?"
"Nah. But hey—"
"What? Coming over again today?"
I jump in a bit too fast, and she's already in full welcome mode. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I've got something else in mind first.
"So… ever thought about trying it in the back?"
She's given me that "you pervert" stare plenty of times before. When I asked her to use her breasts, she looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
But this time?
"…N-No way. Even if it's you asking, that's a hard no!"
She bursts into tears.
This is the same Natsuki-san who refused to let a single tear slip even when she was pierced by the pain of her first time—and now she's bawling.
The air's too heavy to brush it off with "just kidding." I backtrack immediately and apologize profusely.
(A/N: Sharing is caring people! Let's get those powerstones up!)