Part-2 Ch-08 Ep-01

The day after the sports festival was a holiday.

Even before I opened my eyes, I could hear footsteps somewhere in the distance, followed by the sound of a frying pan being set on the stove as breakfast preparations began. What came next was probably the familiar sizzle of fried eggs and bacon being cooked by one of my parents.

The cool air from the air conditioner brushed gently against my skin, while the sheets beneath me felt pleasantly cold.

And then there was the dull ache spreading through various parts of my body.

“Nn…”

I had clearly pushed myself too hard yesterday.

During that rare all-out sprint, my heart, lungs, and leg muscles had screamed in protest. Now, even my back and sides were sore.

“Nn, nnn…”

Maybe I should just stay in bed like this all day.

That seemed like the best possible plan.

My body did not feel like moving anyway.

And I was still half asleep.

As I lay there lazily deciding how to spend the day without even opening my eyes, it happened.

Chu.

A faint breath brushed against my ear, and something soft and warm touched my cheek.

Startled, I opened my eyes.

“…Maki, did you just kiss my cheek?”

“Nfufu, I did~?”

Maki was sitting beside the bed, her arms resting on the mattress and her head propped on them, wearing an enormous smile.

Ah, she is cute. No, wait.

It seemed she had come to wake me up again today. When I greeted her with good morning, she returned the greeting in kind.

On holiday mornings, she always helped my mother prepare breakfast before coming to wake me up and fuss over me.

Thinking back on it now, I realized that this was Maki’s way of showing affection.

To be honest, I had not really noticed it before.

Though people often described me as eccentric or standing out, from my perspective, Maki herself had always been quite a peculiar girl, unbeknownst to most people around us.

“Aren’t you getting up?”

“I’m sore from muscle pain today, so my plan is to laze around like this.”

Flustered by the sudden surprise and not wanting her to see my just-woken face, I covered it with my hand. As I hid my face, I rolled over to the opposite side, turning my back to Maki.

“I see. Then maybe I’ll do the same.”

Eh? Before I could even process that thought, the side of my back exposed to the air was suddenly enveloped in warmth.

Maki had slipped into my bed.

“M-Maki, um, uh…”

“What is it?”

“Isn’t this kind of bad?”

“Hm, well, yes. Mari’s mom asked me to come wake you up, so if I end up sleeping here too, I might actually get scolded.”

“Might” was not the issue.

My heart could not handle this. But my body had stiffened from the shock, and I could not move.

“Ah, Mari, sorry. Could you lift your head a little?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Thanks. I see, when snuggling up to someone’s back to sleep, it is hard to know where to put one arm. I learned something new.”

As she said that, Maki slid her right arm into the gap between my neck and the pillow, using it as an arm pillow.

Her other arm rested on my stomach, wrapping around me completely from behind.

Why did I just respond with “Ah, yes”? And Maki did not need to learn that right now.

All kinds of retorts raced through my mind, but I had only woken up minutes ago. My brain was not functioning properly yet.

On top of that, I could not face Maki with my unwashed morning face, so I was thoroughly flustered.

“I-If you don’t get up soon, Mom might come in.”

“Oh my. It’s still fine. I always wait a little longer before waking you anyway.”

“Huh?”

Maki spoke with her face buried in the back of my head. Please do not say things like that, and if possible, please do not breathe either. The thought that she might be smelling my scent made me feel strangely conflicted.

“Whenever Mari’s mom asks me to wake you, I come to this room, right? Then, for about fifteen minutes, I just gaze at your sleeping face without waking you.”

“Even I am shocked by that.”

“It’s fine. We’re dating after all.”

“But that was before we started dating, right!?”

I blurted it out and immediately clamped both hands over my mouth. It would be bad if my parents heard.

“In the end, we did start dating, so it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine…”

Maki giggled happily.

Each time she laughed, the vibration traveled through my hair, making it oddly ticklish.

“But you’re right. Come to think of it, you really pushed yourself hard yesterday, so resting your body would be better.”

Saying that, she slipped smoothly out of the bed.

Thinking she had finally understood, I turned around, only to notice something.

“Maki, you’re all dressed up today.”

“Hm? Am I?”

She definitely was.

This was not her usual casual outfit for visiting on a holiday. She was wearing a skirt, and the blouse was unmistakably her favorite one.

She had even put on a bit of makeup.

Most of all, her long hair was braided and pinned up, and her bangs had clearly been styled.

I said “had” because her hairstyle was slightly messed up now from lying in bed with me.

It must have taken time to prepare.

Maybe she had wanted to go out together today.

“Then I’ll head to the living room first. Hurry and get up, okay?”

“Wait, Maki.”

“Hm? What?”

With her hand on the doorknob, Maki turned back to look at me. If I did not say anything now, she really would go home after breakfast.

“While I’m eating and getting ready, fix your hair and makeup too, Maki. Let’s go on our first date since we started going out.”

The moment I sat up straight to say that, pain shot through my body, but seeing Maki smile with pure, unrestrained joy filled my heart with warmth.