Part-3 Ch-05 Ep-04

On Saturday of the following week, Maki came over to my place, just like she usually did.

I was sitting on the floor, practicing by spreading tarot cards out across the table, while Maki sat on my bed making the bracelets we were planning to sell at the school festival. Of course, we also had to study for our entrance exams, so we made sure to set specific times to switch between each task.

Now that I thought about it, even though we already spent so much time together at school, we still took it for granted that we’d spend our days off together like this. Lately, it had become completely natural for us to spend entire days together preparing for the festival or studying, and maybe that was one of the reasons why Haruno-san had called us “couple-like.”

Just remembering that exchange from the other day made me start to feel embarrassed all over again. Even Kagami-kun and Todoroki-kun would sometimes make comments about it, and looking back on it now, it really did feel like we’d been getting lost in our own little world quite often lately.

I mean, even during an ordinary conversation at school, Maki would suddenly catch me with such a gentle gaze out of nowhere, and once I noticed and looked back at her, that kind of atmosphere would just naturally take over. It finally and truly hit me, far too late, that the people around us had been seeing that side of us on a daily basis.

"Ugh, this really is embarrassing..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it’s nothing..."

I’d reflexively covered my face with both hands and let out a groan, which made Maki look at me suspiciously as she asked. When I brushed it off like it was nothing, she just gave a vague "Hmm," not seeming all that concerned about it.

"Hey, is your fortune-telling practice going well?"

Maybe she’d gotten bored of making bracelets, because Maki started rolling around on the bed where she’d been lying.

Moving like some kind of boneless mollusk, she slipped off the bed and landed right behind me. Then she squeezed her way in, forcing herself into the narrow space against my back.

“I can’t concentrate like this...”

I complained about the position, since she was basically hugging me from behind, only for Maki to flash a mischievous smirk. “Is your heart racing?” she teased. I could only let out a weary sigh.

Of course it is, you idiot, I thought, but I kept it to myself. Actually admitting it would just make things even more frustrating.

Doing my best to ignore her body heat and the faint scent drifting from her, I shuffled the deck, limited to just the twenty-two Major Arcana, and started laying the cards out across the table.

“Is that really all there is to a tarot deck? I thought there were way more cards than that.”

“Apparently, there are seventy-eight in total. But since memorizing all of them would take forever, they told us we’re only using the twenty-two basic cards this time.”

As I explained and showed her the illustrations printed on each card, Maki’s eyes lit up with interest. It seemed like I’d successfully caught her attention.

“Hey, give me a reading,” Maki whispered softly into my ear, leaning her full weight against my back.

Her breath brushed past my ear, tickling it and making me squirm a little.

“...I don’t know. I haven’t fully memorized all the meanings yet.”

“But you were giving Haruno-san a reading earlier.”

“That was just practice... Wait, were you watching us?”

“Of course I was. And if you need practice, then I’m the perfect subject, right? Anything’s fine, just tell me if it’ll rain tomorrow or something.”

I could tell from the lively bounce in her voice that she was genuinely excited. At the same time, she leaned even farther forward, pressing me firmly against the table. I was stuck, squeezed between her and the edge of the wood, and it was starting to feel uncomfortably cramped.

“Let’s just leave that to the weather forecast. Also, could you back off a little? It’s getting hard to breathe.”

The moment I said that, Maki pulled away right away. My girl really does listen well once I actually say things out loud.

She’s like an overly energetic puppy, I thought, picturing her with floppy dog ears and a wagging tail.

Actually, that might be a pretty cute look.

“Um, is there anything else?”

Now that I’d imagined her looking that adorable, I found myself wanting to go along with her request after all. Maki hummed softly as she thought for a bit, then murmured, “How about… our future together?”

“Ehh… that suddenly got serious. What are we supposed to do if we pull a card with a bad meaning? I mean, I guess it depends on how you interpret it, but still…”

“I’ll crush it.”

“That’s terrifying. If that’s your plan, then you didn’t even need fortune-telling in the first place.”

“…Hmph.”

Maybe she didn’t like my response, because Maki suddenly wrapped both arms tightly around my waist, pulling me into a proper hug. She rested her chin on my shoulder and leaned her full weight against me; she felt a little heavy. Though, I’ve got a feeling she’d get mad if I actually said the word “heavy” out loud.

Still, it definitely felt like she was craving way more physical affection than usual today.

“Maki, aren’t you being a bit more clingy than usual?”

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are.”

The hands wrapped around my stomach tightened even more as she squeezed me.

“The other day… what were you two talking about?”

“The other day?”

“With Haruno-san, at the school entrance.”

“…You were listening in?”

“No. By the time I noticed, Haruno-san was already running off. But she looked pretty flustered.”

Oh, right. I recalled the moment as I replied, “It was nothing.”

Then, after thinking about it for a second, I added, “…She just said you and I are really close. That’s all.”

I kept my tone as casual as possible, like it really wasn’t a big deal. After all, I’d been talking to Haruno-san completely normally ever since then.

“Hmm. And when she said that, Mari… how did you respond?” Maki asked.

“Huh?”

“When she said we were close, what did you tell her?”

“Oh, you know… just that it’s because we’re childhood friends.”

“Is that all?”

“And… that Maki and I are basically best friends, or something.”

“I see.”

That clearly displeased “I see” made me want to run for it. Can someone really get that moody over being called a best friend? I tried to get up and make my escape, but she held me down firmly, leaving me no room to move.

“Childhood friends and best friends, huh? I suppose that isn’t wrong.”

Maki casually gathered a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. Her fingertips didn’t stop there, tracing along the curve of my ear. A sweet, jolting shiver shot down my spine.

“…Ngh, I mean, it couldn’t be helped.”

“You’re right. It couldn’t be helped.”

Maki’s hand kept stroking around my ear. Every time she spoke, her breath brushed against my skin, making me squirm. It felt strange, sending uncontrollable shivers through me. Then Maki pressed her forehead against the back of my neck and spoke again.

“Even though you told Kagami-kun and Inuino-kun that we’re dating?”

“…That was just to warn them off. With Haruno-san, it felt like she was just curious. It wasn’t like that.”

I wasn’t lying. Besides, Maki talks to her often enough that she should’ve already known that.

“Oh, I see.”

Maki’s voice shifted, sounding a little more relieved.

“In that case, I’m glad.”

“Yeah, so… can you let go for a bit?”

“Ehh, I don’t want to,” Maki giggled.

Her breath brushed across my neck. From that alone, I already knew what she was about to do.

“…Ah, Maki.”

Chu. Her lips pressed softly against the back of my neck.

“Ugh…”

A small sound slipped from my lips, my face flushing hot with embarrassment. Chu, chu. She kissed the back of my neck gently, slowly pressing her lips against my skin again and again.

It was warm. Maki’s lips were so soft, and the sensation sent such intense shivers through me that my back arched on instinct. But with her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, there was no way to get away.

“Just as a reminder… who is it that Mari is dating again?”

“…Ugh, it’s… it’s Maki, obviously.”

“Make sure you tell the next person who comes onto you that, okay?”

“Wait, like I said, about the other day—”

“I haven’t completely forgiven you for what happened with Inuino-kun yet.”

Along with those words, spoken with unmistakable displeasure, she ran her tongue, warm and wet, along the nape of my neck before sinking her teeth into my skin.

“Ah……!”

A numbing sensation, like a sharp surge of electricity, shot straight through my back.

It felt good. It hurt. It felt good.

Unable to pull myself away from the sensation, I could only let her do as she pleased for a while, as she bit into me and pressed her lips against my skin.

“…If you tie your hair up, people will see.”

Her words made me realize she’d left a mark, a bite, or something close to it. Through involuntary tears and a haze creeping over my mind, I gathered the last scraps of my composure, knowing there was one thing I had to say to her.

“Maki.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s only you.”

“...”

“You’re the only one I love, Maki.”

“…I know. I understand that in my head. But my head and my heart are two different things.”

Maki pressed her forehead gently against the back of my neck once more.

Sensing that she was lowering her head in quiet shame, I answered almost reflexively, “…It’s okay. It’s fine.”

I could tell she was struggling to deal with her own emotions.

She’s so heavy, I thought.

I knew that this childhood friend of mine, who would get jealous over even something as small as a classmate, always spent time alone reflecting on her actions after lashing out at me like this.

She’s so heavy.

And yet, that weight felt so precious, so irreplaceable to me, that I couldn’t help but love it.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be right here.”

There was no verbal reply, but the hand Maki had clutching my clothes tightened its grip just a little more.