One evening, when only a glimmer of light remained in the sky. 

 

I found myself in the presence of an exquisitely beautiful girl. With stunningly gorgeous blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, she resembled a fairy come to life.

 

Both of us were sitting in our nightgowns on my bed, with her back against mine. Due to my nervousness, my shoulders were as tense as a rock.

 

“...Let’s do it.”

 

“...Yeah.”

 

I gently removed her clothes, revealing her smooth, porcelain-like back. My hands stopped at her barely exposed shoulders. Ahead, a small bra hook caught my gaze.

 

“Hurry up and take it off,” she said, her shoulders shaking with embarrassment. 

 

She abruptly turned around. Her face was a deep red, yet the corners of her mouth slowly revealed a smug, shit-eating grin.

 

“Shoot, my bad. Since you’re a virgin, you don’t know how to take it off, right?” 

 

An obvious provocation. Unfortunately for me, it worked.

 

** 

 

“...Huh”

 

I slowly woke up. 

 

“I dreamt about her again,” I muttered. Slowly, I rose up and shifted my position to sit on the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, I gently rested my head in my hands as I sat there quietly. I suddenly found my fingers gently caressing the edge of my mouth. Her luscious lips' soft, smooth texture replayed in my head like a broken record. It was strangely vivid, as if it wasn’t a dream. We had kissed before, after all. Maybe that was why it was so realistic.

 

“Crap, gotta change my pants.”

 

I stood up and began walking when suddenly…

 

“The hell…?”

 

I began to waver slightly. It was a real struggle to keep myself upright as my legs turned into jelly, feeling wobbly and unstable under my weight. My mouth was incredibly parched and felt like sandpaper. Not to mention an overwhelming sense of fatigue, which abruptly hit me like a train. 

 

I knew I probably had a bad cold, so I reached for the thermometer and sat back down. After a minute of waiting, it beeped slowly. 37.5°C.

 

“Called it.”

 

I just gave a nonchalant shrug, but as I sat, my state began to deteriorate.

 

I knew then and there that I wouldn’t be able to make it to school. Thankfully, my condition allowed me to skip without feeling guilty.

 

There was just one minor issue.

 

“Mom and Dad aren’t here…”

 

Today was their wedding anniversary, so they had to leave earlier that week. In other words, I was entirely alone. 

 

“...Should I let Airi know?”

 

I reached for my phone and started calling her. I wasn’t presumptuous enough to ask her to care for me, but I figured I should at least let her know I’d be absent.

 

In any case, I didn’t feel like dealing with her antics, and I undoubtedly didn’t want her to nurse me back to health. I had already relied on her too much.

 

“Ah.. hello. Airi?”

 

“...Ibuki-kun? What’s up?”

 

Airi suddenly answered the phone, her voice noticeably scratchy. I paused for a moment out of confusion. Perhaps it was because it was still early in the morning? Or maybe she also felt sick? Even though it seemed strange, I ignored it and moved on.

 

“Actually, I have a pretty bad cold. Could you let the teacher know I’ll be absent today?”

 

“Eh..? You have one too?”

 

“Too…?”

 

“Yeah, I got a pretty bad one as well… Cough”

 

I could hear Airi coughing on the other end. We both seemed to have a cold. When I realized this, my mind suddenly raced back to two days prior, when we tenderly kissed in the cold, wet rain.

 

That had to be the reason.

 

“Ibuki-kun, you’re alone, right? Will you be alright…?”

 

“Yeah, I mean, I have some medicine and stuff…”

 

As I continued my conversation, however, I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker by the minute. To make matters worse, my childhood friend, whom I had continuously relied on, was also down with a cold and was forced to stay home.

 

Secretly, I had wanted her to visit me at least, even if I didn’t want her to nurse me back to health, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

 

Suddenly, Airi started speaking again.

 

“...Hey, if you’re okay with it, do you wanna come over to my house?

 

“...”

 

…You’re damn right I do.

 

**

 

I made my way to the Kamishiro household, where I ran into Airi’s father in the living room. 

 

“I mean... It’s just a cold.” I said.

 

“Looks that way to me.” Mr. Kamishiro agreed.

 

I gave a wry smile as Mr. Kamishiro turned to his daughter.

 

“Airi, make sure to take your medication, drink some water, and get some sleep. Well… I suppose it goes without saying for you, Ibuki-kun.” 

 

I nodded to Mr. Kamishiro’s suggestions, but I felt like he was slightly overestimating me. It was better than being looked down on, but shouldn’t he view his daughter more positively than that?

 

I didn’t say this, of course. I wasn’t crazy.

 

“I didn’t think we would catch a cold at the same time... quite the coincidence,” I said sheepishly.

 

“You know why? The two of you got absolutely soaked just a few days ago!”

 

Airi’s parents both looked at us and scowled. Naturally, Airi and I darted our gazes away immediately. Typically, I would have fought back, as getting a little wet usually doesn’t get a person sick. But I had no comeback this time.

 

“...Did you two maybe kiss?”

 

I instantly went beet red and felt my face get fiery hot at Mrs. Kamishiro’s taunts.

 

“So what if we did? Why do you guys care?!” Airi suddenly protested, her face equally as red as mine.

 

“Oi! Airi…!”

 

I hurriedly reprimanded her, trying to avoid an inevitable escalation, but of course, I was too late. Seemingly realizing that she dug her own grave, Airi instantly tried to save herself.

 

“I-I... we didn’t. There's no reason for us to do that.” She said, her head downcast in embarrassment. 

 

Surprised, Mrs. Kamishiro’s eyes widened.

 

“Oh my. I was just kidding, Airi. Hehe. Nice to be young, isn’t it?”

 

Airi's hostile gaze bore into her mother, her fury and embarrassment palpable.

 

“Ahem.” Clearing his throat as if to change the subject quickly, Mr. Kamishiro began speaking. 

 

“Ibuki-kun, I assume you’ll be staying here with Airi?”

 

“You guys are high school students after all, and you both know we can’t just skip work without a real emergency, right?” Mrs. Kamishiro added.

 

The Kamishiro family were both doctors and ran their own practice, so they couldn’t just skip work on a whim. We knew this, so we simply nodded in agreement. Besides, being alone with a cold can suck, but if two people have a cold, they can keep each other company and not have to worry about spreading it.

 

“I’ll go ahead and grab a futon for Ibuki-kun to sleep on!” Mrs. Kamishiro exclaimed excitedly. 

 

“Ah, no worries, you don’t need to…” I replied hurriedly. 

 

“Nope, you need to sleep after all” She quipped, quickly cutting me off before I could argue more. Then, suddenly, she broke out into a massive, mocking grin.

 

“...Or maybe you want to sleep together?”

 

“Huh?!”

 

“Absolutely not!” Airi chimed in. 

 

Mrs. Kamishiro giggled like a little girl. I tried to protest as well, but my fatigue was catching up with me. At this point, I couldn’t care less where I rested.

 

“Yeah, that’s fine then,” I murmured. 

 

“Mom?! What the hell are you thinking?!” Airi shrieked.

 

Even though we were childhood friends, I felt incredibly awkward and a bit guilty for not saying anything and allowing a boundary to be crossed.

 

“Well, where else is Ibuki-kun supposed to sleep?”

 

“I can sleep in the living or dining room, ma’am!” I exclaimed.

 

“That’ll just worsen your symptoms, and you’ll just spread it everywhere,” Mrs. Kamishiro retorted.

 

I didn’t want to make Airi even more uncomfortable. It was already awkward enough as it was. But she had a good point. Containing it to one room would prevent others from getting sick. 

 

I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was doing this to tease us, though.

 

“But Ibuki-kun’s a guy…?”

 

“Ah, it’s fine, right Ibuki-kun?”

 

“Eh, well… I don’t know if it makes a difference or not…”

 

At this point, the fatigue was really kicking in. I didn’t have the strength to continue arguing, but that didn’t stop Airi from staring daggers. I looked up at her and shrugged. 

 

Just give up at this point. I communicated to her. 

 

“Airi probably doesn’t care about it that much anyway~~”  Mrs. Kamishiro exclaimed jovially.

 

That was total bullshit. What do you mean she doesn’t care?! Of course she does!

 I screamed internally.

 

“You two used to take baths together, oh how time flies~~” she continued.

 

“MOM?! Cough cough”

 

“Careful, Airi. Don’t overexert yourself like that.”

 

“And whose fault is that?”

 

Airi glared at her mother again. It seemed like a running gag at this point. Mrs. Kamishiro simply shrugged, as if it was no big deal.

 

“You kissed, yet you’re worried about this?”

 

“We didn’t…” She muttered.

 

She denied it of course, but she lowered her head as if signaling that she lost the battle. Her face was scrunched up and red like a tomato, and that wasn’t just because of her cold.

 

Taking advantage of her silence, Mrs. Kamishiro hurriedly left the room and quickly returned with the futon in hand.

 

I laid it out, then was startled by a sudden hand gripping my shoulder tightly. 

 

“We’ll be off. Get some rest.”

 

Mr. Kamishiro’s hand continued to grip my shoulder tightly. As I looked up at him, he gave a troubled smile. He had been watching silently the entire time. 

 

“Oh and Ibuki-kun, please watch over Airi.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“I trust you’ll take care of her.” He released his grip.

 

“Y-yes, of course.” I nodded repeatedly. 

 

**

 

“I can’t believe we’re in the same room. What the hell were you thinking, Ibuki-kun?!”

 

“Oh well.”

 

I gave a lazy reply in return. I felt incredibly drained and didn’t feel like putting up much of a fight. I noticed she scrunched up her nose in response. I had definitely pissed her off.

 

“Now that I think about it, you didn’t really fight them, did you? Seems like they were right after all~~” she snickered with a smirk.

 

“It’s not like that.” I objected, suppressing a weird feeling in my chest. 

 

“You forced this on me, you know.”

 

“Again, it’s not like that, so quit it. You’ll just wear yourself out. Plus, I don’t know why you’re worrying so much about it.”

 

We were just sleeping in the same room. I understood what she was saying, but she knew I didn’t have the energy to try anything. She also couldn’t spare any energy either.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m too concerned about it, but I’m obviously sick. And I don’t want a closet-pervert like you trying anything funny.” Airi retaliated.

 

“Ah…”

 

She seemed like the pervert to me for even thinking something like that, but I didn’t have the energy to respond directly to her. Airi’s expression contorted again, as if she was expecting a comeback. 

 

“What’s with you…?” she muttered in confusion.

 

“I’m fine. I’m not feeling great so I’m gonna get some rest.”

 

I turned over and flipped on the blanket. I could hear Airi trying to talk to me in the background but I ignored her. Eventually, she became quiet, and we both slipped into unconsciousness. 

 

**

 

“I’m cold…”

 

I was mind-numbingly bored. It had felt like an eternity since Ibuki-kun last spoke, so I aimlessly vented my thoughts to see if he was awake. I waited restlessly for a response, but my voice went unanswered. 

 

I rolled over to face the Ibuki-kun and tried again, this time, a little louder.

 

“I’m really cold…”

 

Silence.

 

No ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Shut up.’  Nothing. Only his gentle and steady breath which rose and fell, barely audible in the stillness of the room.

 

“Ibuki-kun..?”

 

No reaction. Not even a stir.

 

“...Are you asleep?”

 

Not a single movement. 

 

“It wouldn’t kill you to be a bit more tolerant of me, you know…”

 

At this point, the silence was deafening. I felt awful. I had been in a terrible mood since the morning from the cold, and Ibkui-kun didn’t even bother defending me from my parents.

 

He was just lazy.

 

Idle. 

 

He had barely even talked to me, let alone stood up for me.

 

Even though he’s right next to me, and even though he’s aware of it, he acts like he’s not interested.

 

He doesn’t even care about my feelings.

 

With each new complaint, I felt myself getting angrier and angrier by the moment. 

 

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was excited when Ibuki-kun agreed to come over. I had imagined all sorts of things we could’ve done together, but he just fell asleep, right then and there.

 

…I know it’s my fault for feeling this way…

 

“But you don’t have to treat me… like I don’t exist...”

 

It was my fault for having unrealistic expectations. I glanced over at him, and his complexion looked awful from the cold, while I was still in good spirits, somehow.

 

I knew I was selfish, I knew he was sick, and I knew I was in the wrong, but it hurt—hurt so badly.

 

“I’m so cold…”

 

Before I knew it, I was feeling even more ill. A strong shiver shot through my spine like lightning. I tried raising the heating within the room, but even after it kicked in, it didn’t help one bit. 

 

That was when I realized–I wasn’t cold on the outside, I was cold on the inside. 

 

“...Cold…”

 

Then suddenly, as if I had been jumpscared by a fever dream, my thoughts immediately shot back to that moment.

 

The warmth of Ibuki-kun’s body, and the softness of his sinful lips.

 

I abruptly stood up.

 

“It’s fine… right? I don’t think he’ll wake up anyway…”

 

I slowly crept over to where Ibuki-kun lay and gradually lifted his blanket. Then, I crawled in and snuggled next to him. 

 

“So warm…”

 

Seeking his pleasurable warmth, I closed the distance between us. At this point, I had completely engulfed Ibuki-kun with my body. Even then, he laid as still as a rock.

 

I felt disappointed for a moment, but his gentle and peaceful warmth quickly comforted me. 

 

I gently closed my eyelids, letting myself slip out of consciousness.

 

**

 

“Hot…”

 

The damp air was suffocating. I was drenched in sweat. I wiped my forehead, but to no avail, as my temple was soaked entirely within a couple of seconds. I felt like I was in a sauna.

 

Wait, I was in a sauna. 

 

“The hell is going on…?”

 

I turned to my left and a cute girl with blonde hair and stunning blue eyes peered back at me. She was completely bare except for a thin bath towel covering her sensitive areas. 

 

♪ “I-bu-ki-kun~~! You can do it!” ♪

 

Airi.

 

I suddenly noticed that she was tightly gripping my arm. I yelped and jumped back, but she quickly closed the distance. 

 

“Wh- what are you doing?!”

 

Airi grinned that cheeky, arrogant smirk I had the unfortunate pleasure of witnessing so many times before. 

 

“What’s wrong, Ibuki-kun?” She teased.

 

Airi once again closed the distance between us and tightly gripped my arm. Her softness and warmth enveloped me, shocking me at how stimulating it was.

 

“H-hey! Get away from me!”

 

“What’s gotten into you? Is hugging your childhood friend upsetting you~~?”

 

“It’s hot! Get away! And don’t you have a cold?!”

 

Why are you in the sauna?! I wondered.

 

Wait, to begin with, why am I in a sauna?

 

I had a cold, too, and last I checked, I was incredibly sick. Something wasn’t right. 

 

Just as I said this, it hit me. 

 

“Ah.. a dream.”

 

And everything went dark.

 

**

 

“Hot.”

 

I woke up, my eyelids opening slightly. I blinked a few times to take in my surroundings. As my vision cleared, I recognized Airi's ceiling. However, I was surprised to find myself completely drenched.

 

And…

 

“Mnn… Ibuki-kun…”

 

I had also found my childhood friend clinging tightly to my right arm. The unbelievable softness I had felt in my dream was completely real. 

 

No wonder why it was so damn hot. She snuck into my futon!

 

“Airi, time to wake up!”

 

“Ah, n-no, it’s no good…”

 

“Airi, it’s a dream. Wake up, come on.”

 

I attempted to free my arm from her firm grip, yet she swiftly enveloped my body, gripping me tightly, akin to a python wrapping its prey in itself.

 

“Mnn…”

 

Suddenly, her eyes shot open. Our eyes locked onto each other.

 

Then they widened. 

 

“I-IBUKI-KUN?! W-Why are you in my bed?!” She yelped.

 

“That’s my line,” I said, shocked by the sudden yelling. 

 

She quickly shot up at world-record speeds, quickly surveying her surroundings in the process. After a moment,  she relaxed with a satisfied look on her face.

 

“Ah, good point.”

 

Airi seemed satisfied with this conclusion, but I surely wasn’t. The question of how she ended up in my futon hadn’t been answered. 

 

“Why were you in my futon?” I asked cautiously. 

 

As I said that, I found the corners of my mouth curling upwards into a smirk. I knew the answer. Airi can get lonely super easily. She pretends to be strong on the outside, but the truth is that her mentality is anything but that. 

 

Airi blushed furiously.

 

“I-I was cold, obviously, but I’m hot now…”

 

She quickly grabbed the ends of her pajamas and started fanning herself. I averted my gaze, as she had unknowingly exposed the fringes of her undergarments. 

 

She’s completely defenseless, I thought.

 

I found it funny how she couldn't stop talking about being around me, treating me like the devil incarnate. And yet, she was so clumsy and unaware in exposing herself, and even went as far as climbing into my futon.

 

“Oh, so you’re hot now. And whose fault is that?! I’m beyond drenched because of you.” I jeered, my smug grin still valiantly showing. 

 

As I tugged at my clothes to unstick them, I caught a faint whiff of an indescribable sweetness mixed with shampoo. Undoubtedly Airi’s scent. 

 

“Y-yeah, I’m sweating too. It sucks.”

 

Airi then tugged at her own clothes, before quickly pausing, sniffing herself, and finally blushing.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

The atmosphere had suddenly become unbearably awkward. Looking to diffuse it, I stood up and pointed to the window. 

 

“Mind if I open this?”

 

“G-go for it…”

 

I walked over to her window and opened it. Cool, refreshing air instantly hit my chest. 

 

“Ibuki-kun, you should go dry yourself off, or your cold will get worse.”

 

“Right.”

 

I nodded at Airi’s suggestion. The cold air was rejuvenating, but being wet and cold was how we got sick in the first place. I knew better than to repeat my mistakes. Plus, I could still catch occasional traces of Airi’s scent, and it was embarrassingly stimulating.

 

I’ll get cleaned up, but then it’s time to talk. I thought to myself.

 

We dipped some face towels into the water before microwaving them to warm up. I wiped myself off, but I could still faintly smell Airi’s scent. 

 

At this point, it was driving me insane. What was it? Shampoo? Perfume? Sweat? Was it some sort of pheromone?

 

I glanced at Airi. 

 

She went about her routine, much like I did. Her pajamas hung casually, a few buttons undone, sleeves pushed up for comfort. A towel draped casually between her clothes and skin. Her smooth, pale skin peeked out with each movement, catching my eye in passing moments.

 

The color of her undergarments was white. 

 

“Mmmh?!”

 

Shit!

 

Just as I was looking, Airi made eye contact with me. Suddenly, she started creeping forward, closing the distance between us. But she didn’t seem angry, rather, she broke into a huge grin. 

 

“Hey… Ibuki-kun? Whatcha lookin’ at?”

 

“...Nothing in particular,” I said, trying to brush it off. 

 

“I’m just cleaning up, there’s nothing special about it… what were you looking at?” Airi questioned, giving a slight tug at my clothes.

 

I avoided eye contact with her, refusing to answer her question. Seemingly taken aback, Airi started rambling. 

 

“Ah, I get it now. You were checking me out, right? I don’t blame you, I know I'm cute. If I were a guy, I'd probably stare too, especially if I were wiping myself off like this. It's alright if it's you though, Ibuki-kun...”

 

“It’s not that…” I responded sheepishly

 

“Then what gives? C’mon’, answer me.”

 

“Jesus Airi, I wasn’t staring at you! Just keep doing what you’re doing and go back to bed.”

 

She flinched. 

 

I hadn’t meant to yell. But my guilty conscience and her relentless teasing caused me to lash out.

 

“So that’s how you’re gonna act, huh…?”

 

Despite flinching, she had quickly recovered, perhaps sensing my guilt. Her usual, provocative grin revealed itself once again.

 

“Ibuki-kun, can you help me with something?”

 

“Hm? What’s up?”

 

Wanting to make it up to her for lashing out, I responded with sincerity. Airi reacted with a grin and pointed to her back. 

 

“I can’t reach my back, can you get it for me?”

 

“Huh?!”

 

“I mean, it doesn’t bother you, right? I just need a little bit of help.” 

 

“A-Airi, do you even realize what you’re asking?”

 

I could feel my voice tremble a bit.

 

“Oh, guess you can’t do it after all…” She snickered. Her teasing grin quickly turned into a prideful one. My previous guilt turned into anger. I was pissed. 

 

“Ah, my sweet, sweet childhood friend can’t even help me wipe my back. It’s not a problem, though, as you’re in your peak puberty stages after all. A woman’s back may be too stimulating for you~~!”

 

This brat…! Fine. I’ll show you.

 

“Alright. Sure.”

 

“…huh?”

 

“I said sure. I’ll wipe it.”

 

Airi’s eyes widened in surprise. I took a step forward. Airi flinched and retreated a step herself. 

 

“N-no, it’s fine… You don’t need to force yourself.”

 

“I said I’ll do it. It’s just wiping your back. Or what, are you scared all of a sudden?”

 

As I expected, it was her just trying to provoke me. I had flipped the tables on her. Airi seemed taken aback for a moment, but then she pulled herself together with a small smile.

 

“...Alright, works for me.”

 

I was a bit stunned, as I didn’t think she would go through with it. But now it was up to me. Airi handed me a towel and turned around.

 

“C'mon’, hurry up.” She said, the back of her neck slowly turning pink. 

 

“Ah, right. Sorry.”

 

It was just a matter of wiping her off. Not a big deal.

 

I couldn't help but notice Airi's slender figure right before me, almost like it was perfectly sculpted. Her pajamas were soaked, a stark contrast to the dry surroundings. Despite my efforts to stay composed, my mind couldn't help but imagine what her smooth, fair skin looked like beneath.

 

I was going crazy.

 

“Hey! Hurry up. What are you waiting for?”

 

When I inevitably froze, I accidentally left Airi waiting. I came back to my senses and recovered.

 

“H-hey, quit rushing me. I can’t do it if you don’t pull it up.”

 

“I won’t go all the way up; I guess I’ll just take it off…” she responded, quickly unbuttoning herself. 

 

I panicked. 

 

“Woah woah woah! You don’t have to go that far-”

 

I was too late.

 

“I’ve already undone it, so hurry up already.” Airi jabbed, her posture quickly straightening as the air hit her exposed torso.

 

It was too late to turn back. It was all or nothing. 

 

“Alright, I’m starting…”

 

“Okay…”

 

I grabbed her top and moved it to the side. Her delicate, tiny shoulders revealed themselves, emphasizing her slender yet curvy figure. Even though I tried to picture it in my mind previously, I still couldn't do it justice. It seemed to glow, with every little water droplet catching the light and shimmering. Despite this, my eyes were instantly drawn to a tiny piece of fabric being held together by an even smaller metal clasp.

 

A bra hook. 

 

I had imagined them before, and had even envisioned them in my dreams, but I had never seen it in person. 

 

My brain malfunctioned. 

 

“Hurry up and take it off,” Airi murmured. 

 

Despite giving me permission, I was stuck in place. Perhaps I was being lame, but I had completely short-circuited. I was teetering on the edge between rationality and what lay beyond rationality, and the person in question, my childhood friend, was someone I treasured deeply. I didn’t know what to do. 

 

Is this okay? Is this really okay? How do I even take it off?

 

I was completely frozen. I couldn’t do anything but sit there, completely helpless as I saw Airi slowly turning with a mischievous yet troubled grin on her face.

 

I knew where this was going instantly. 

 

“M-my bad. Since you’re a virgin, you don’t know how to take it off, right?” she jeered. 

 

I’m at my limit.

 

**

 

Oh god, I definitely reek of sweat! And someone’s looking at my back! I don’t have any weird bumps or pimples, right?! And my underwear… what should I do?! Do I have to take it off?! That means the front would be completely invisible! He can’t see it! I won’t let him see it! 

 

And why is Ibuki-kun taking so long?! Is something weird?! Do I look weird?!

 

“Hurry up and take it off…!” I said.

 

Don’t stare.

 

Please don’t stare.

 

I’m at my limit; this is so embarrassing. 

 

I turned around and let out a small chuckle.

 

“M-my bad. Since you’re a virgin, you don’t know how to take it off, right?”

 

I tried to play it cool,  but my body wouldn't stop shaking. There was no way he didn't see right through me right then and there. I felt my face heating up in the worst way possible. My stomach was in knots from the mortification of it all. 

 

“Huh?! T-there’s no need to take it off, though?!” 

 

He was looking right at my back. Sweat and bareness included. I felt prickly, like his gaze was piercing a hole straight through me. 

 

But he had reacted as I expected. His voice was also shaking… No, his voice wasn’t just shaking; his hand was also shaking. He was definitely nervous. 

 

Phew. 

 

“Yeah, maybe, b-but it’ll be easier without it, y’know? Plus, e-everyone is like this at first, but you get used to it. And you never know, this may be your only chance to experience this!”

 

I felt a lot better. In fact, I felt proud. I had won. 

 

“Alright! Fine! I get it. I’ll take it off.”

 

Eh?

 

…?!

 

Ibuki-kun sounded incredibly pissed, yet a hint of nervousness was still present. I was shocked; I thought he would tap out. 

 

I felt Ibuki-kun’s hands clumsily grab the hook. My heart was racing at a million miles per minute. 

 

There’s no way he’ll be able to take it off easily. He’s going to fumble, or at the very least take a while. 

 

Click.

 

“...Eek!”

 

I yelped.

 

He then removed it from my back. Even though it was unhooked, I was not expecting him to take it. 

 

My brain shut down. 

 

**

 

Click

 

A small sound escaped from the hook, and then it slid off. 

 

Okay, that was easier than I expected. 

 

I pulled it completely off. 

 

“There. I took it off.” I said proudly. 

 

I gave myself a metaphorical pat on the back. For as much teasing as I was getting, that went much smoother than I thought. 

 

Airi remained quiet. Was it because she was bitter about losing? Perhaps regretful that she taunted me?

 

“...Give it back…” 

 

A soft murmur escaped from Airi as she turned towards me, her cheeks flushed a burning crimson. It was clear from her glistening eyes that she was barely holding back tears. 

 

“P-please…”

 

Holy shit.

 

I realized the gravity of the situation. In my hands were Airi’s underwear. I felt my cheeks turn red hot. So hot, they might as well have been on fire. 

 

“Ah..?!”

 

In a daze, I clumsily shoved Airi’s underwear towards her general direction. Airi quickly snatched it and held it up, her only line of defense now a thin piece of soft, white fabric pressed tightly against her chest. 

 

“Ibuki-kun…”

 

“W-what..?”

 

Didn’t she ask me to take it off?! Before I could say anything, she slowly continued. 

 

“...H-hurry up and wipe it already…”

 

“Huh? O-oh, my bad...”

 

I haphazardly pressed the damp towel to her porcelain-like back, making sure to be as gentle as possible. 

 

Looking to fill in the awkward silence that now loomed over us, I began speaking. 

 

“Am I doing it right…?” I asked quietly.

 

“Yeah…” she replied meekly, tightly holding her bra against herself. After another awkward silence, she once again spoke.