Act II: Secretly Getting Ahead – Part 1

The next morning.

“Good morning, Touma-kun.”

I opened the front door to find Kohaku standing there.

“UWAA?!”

That surprised me… I didn’t expect Kohaku to be here. Even though she promised she wouldn’t ‘try to get ahead’ to Akari yesterday…

No, I can’t be sure of this yet. There might be a good reason.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d give you a good-bye kiss.”

ISN’T SHE REALLY TRYING TO GET AHEAD?!

“We shouldn’t kiss.”

I’m tempted to kiss Kohaku, but… I don’t think we should kiss. That kind of thing is what you do between lovers.

“Y-Yeah. I know. I was just kidding.”

Really? I’m pretty sure you were seriously going to kiss me if I accepted.

“Then what are you doing here? …If you’re planning to go to school with me, that’s impossible.”

Kohaku is the center of attention. Whether we commute to school by train or by car, if I go to school with Kohaku, students will see us and ask, “Do those two have a special relationship?” They will look at us with suspicion.

“I know. It’s not right for a teacher and a student to go to school together. As I promised yesterday, I’ll try not to be too close to Touma-kun in public.”

But then Kohaku grabbed my hand. Her soft hand is holding mine and I can feel my heart pound.

I don’t remember Kohaku being this aggressive. Kohaku was shy and never said she wanted to kiss me, even jokingly. And I was always the one asking to hold hands…

Maybe she’s become a bit naughty in the time I haven’t seen her.

“Now that it’s just the two of us, it’s okay if we get along a little bit, right?”

Perhaps this ‘get along’ has an erotic meaning. I get nervous when I think so.

“Yes, it’s just the two of us, but it’s not a good idea to get along outside, is it? Look, Akari might come here too, you know?”

Kohaku’s here, so it’s not surprising if Akari is thinking the same thing. If she saw Kohaku wooing me, they would start arguing again.

“It’s fine. Let’s go somewhere where no one will see. …Will you follow me?”

Kohaku asked me anxiously, as if she was afraid that I would reject her.

How can I say no to a woman I like when she’s making a face like this? Besides, Kohaku had come to see me even at the risk of being discovered by Akari. I can feel that she really loves me.

“Okay. I want to talk to Kohaku too.”

When I said this, Kohaku’s face lit up with happiness.

I got into the elevator with Kohaku and we were taken to the underground parking lot where we stopped in front of a minivan.

The black-painted minivan is quite intimidating. It looks as if a scary older guy might come out of it at any moment, and there is no image of a petite, pretty woman like Kohaku driving it.

“Is this Kohaku’s car?”

“Yeah. I really wanted a minicar. But my father told me to buy a bigger car so that I wouldn’t feel cramped.”

When we were dating, I was told that Kohaku’s father was a very cautious man.

She had a strict curfew, so we couldn’t go out on long-distance dates. Also, he would often call Kohaku during our dates, and I would hold my breath every time he called.

If the anxious and restrictive uncle found out that Kohaku was dating a guy, he might even sneak up on him. And if he found out that the guy was five years younger than her, he would surely object to her relationship–Amber thought so and decided to keep our relationship a secret.

Perhaps Kohaku’s decision to go to a university far away from here was to get away from her father..

In her early years of college, she would sneak back home and go on overnight dates with me, but… We spent more time not seeing each other than we did when we lived in our local area, and as a result, we broke up.

“How could that Uncle allow you to live alone?”

It’s a reasonable distance from Kohaku’s parents’ house, but it’s not impossible to get there. In fact, Kohaku’s sister goes there every day.

“He was against it at first, but in the end he allowed it. If it had been any other school, I don’t think he would have allowed me to.”

“Any other school?”

Yeah, she nodded,

“My father, he’s our principal.”

…Seriously?

The principal, who has a reputation for being strict and once expelled a student, who was crying and apologizing, without question, is Kohaku’s father?

If that’s the case, if my relationship with Kohaku comes to light, won’t I be sentenced to death and expelled from school?

N-No, let’s think positively here! Kohaku knows more than anyone how scary her father can be. Under his supervision, she will behave as a normal teacher. He will never find out about the relationship!

So I reassured myself and got into the back seat of the minivan. The interior of the minivan was quite spacious with the aroma of sweet aromatic herbicides wafting through the air.

“It’s so spacious!”

“It’s going to get cramped sooner or later.”

Kohaku sat down next to me and said.

“What do you mean?”

“It means I’m going to have a lot of Touma-kun’s babies. Let’s make a volleyball team!”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Would you have preferred a soccer team?”

“That’s not what I meant! And a soccer team would be over-capacity!”

“You’re right. How about we buy a bus?”

“Don’t?!”

“Well I guess buses are expensive after all.”

“I’m not worried about the price! I’m just puzzled by this sudden talk about future planning!”

“It’s better to decide on these things early.”

“That’s true, but… I hate to say this, but I haven’t decided to get back together with Kohaku…”

Squeezing me, Kohaku wrapped her arms around mine.

I could feel something soft pressed against my arm.

I was thrilled by the sensation of the touch for the first time in a while, and Kohaku smiled at me.

“I love you, Touma-kun.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“What about you, Touma-kun? Do you like me?”

“Yes. I like you.”

“More than Akamine-sensei?”

“…I like you two just as much.”

I told her honestly. I don’t feel comfortable saying this to her face, but I don’t want to give her any satisfaction from lying.

Kohaku gave me a glimpse of a sad face, but soon her face became beaming.

“Thank you.”

“…Why are you thanking me?”

“You still like me even after I rejected you so horribly. I’m happy just to be able to chat with you like this.”

But, she said with a determined look,

“I won’t lose to Akamine-sensei for sure. By the time you graduate, I’ll make you like me even more than you like Akamine-sensei. Will you get back together with me then?”

“Yes. I’ll get back together with Kohaku then without hesitation.”

When I promised, Kohaku beamed happily.

“I can’t wait to get back together with you, Touma-kun–Ah, that’s right!”

Kohaku clapped her hands as if she remembered something and took out a bento box from her bag.

“I was going to give this to you, Touma-kun.”

“You went to the trouble of making this for me?”

“Yeah. I put a lot of your favorite dishes in it, so I hope you won’t leave any leftovers…”

“I wouldn’t leave any. I really like Kohaku’s cooking.”

If I were asked what I would like to eat on the last day of my life, I would answer ‘Kohaku’s home-cooked meal’ without hesitation.

After all, I’ve been eating convenience store lunches all my life. My father and mother were both workaholics and carefree, and on top of that, they were lazy cooks.

I still cannot forget the shock and awe I felt when I met Kohaku in the spring of my first year in junior high school and had a home-cooked meal with her.

I fell in love with Kohaku not only because of the delicious taste, but also because of the way she cooked for me.

She cooked for me at my house on weekdays, and on weekends, she would bring bentos with her to our dates.

Since she went off to college, I haven’t had as many opportunities to eat home-cooked meals as I used to, but for me, Kohaku’s cooking is the taste of home.

“I’m glad. I’ll cook for you every day.”

“Oh. Please!”

The thought of being able to eat Kohaku’s home-cooked meal every day like in the past filled me with joy.

“What should I do with the box?”

“I’ll pick it up after school.”

“Okay. Call me before you do just in case.”

I had Kohaku and Akari unblock my number yesterday.

I put my lunch bag in my bag,

“Well, I’d better get to school.”

“Before that… Can I give you a good-bye kiss?”

Kohaku joked again. But… The mood is different from before. Her eyes are feverish and moist, her cheeks are flushed, and even her voice is seductive.

My ex-girlfriend, who exudes a mature sexiness, is making me nervous.

“N-No, we shouldn’t kiss. We’re student and teacher.”

“It’s just the two of us now.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Honestly, I’d like to kiss her too. But once I do, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself. If kissing becomes a routine, we’ll run the risk of someone seeing us. Even though we are in love with each other, we are not back together, and we should avoid doing things lovers would do.

Kohaku seemed to understand and,

“Then… What about fondling my b***s?”

She didn’t understand at all!

I want to fondle it, though! I really want to! But no! I can’t! We’re not lovers!

But–I can’t say, ‘No way am I going to fondle them,’ because Kohaku’s face was bright red.

She suddenly held my hand, begged me to kiss her, and even tried to make me fondle her b***s… I thought she had become erotic after not seeing her for a while, but that’s not the case.

Kohaku is just holding back her embarrassment. She’s just trying to act brave and aggressive to get back together with me, whom she loves.

I can’t say no to a woman I like after she has done so much for me.

Fortunately, it’s just the two of us. I can’t fondle her b***s every day, but I have to fondle her at least once for the sake of Kohaku who mustered her courage.

“…Are you really okay with that?”

“Y-Yeah. I want you to touch me like you used to. Ah, but… It’s been a while since last time, so don’t hurt me, okay?”

Kohaku bit her lower lip as if to suppress her embarrassment, and her body became stiff with nervousness. To such ex-girlfriend, I reached out to her chest and–

Pockpock, a knock came from the window.

…Akari was staring at us through the window.

“UWAAAA!!!?”

I quickly pulled my hand away. “What’s wrong?” Kohaku said and followed my gaze, before noticing Akari. Beckoned by Akari, we got out of the car.

Akari glared at Kohaku and,

“Shirasawa-sensei… You’re trying to get ahead?”

“I wasn’t trying to get ahead. I was just handing Touma-kun his bento.”

“In that case, I will start making him a bento tomorrow. It’s the duty of a school nurse to take care of the students’ health.”

“No, please leave the bento making to me, the home economics teacher.”

Neither party is willing to compromise. It’s unlikely that this argument will ever be settled.

“You don’t have to decide who’s in charge of cooking. I’ll be happy to eat it if you both cook for me.”

“But… Won’t you get a stomach ache if you eat that much food?”

“I can’t let Touma push himself too hard…”

“Don’t worry. I have confidence in the size of my stomach. I can eat as much as I want, so don’t hesitate to cook for me.”

Kohaku looked happy at my words. Akari, on the other hand, looked somewhat uneasy, but still nodded her head.

After quelling the argument, I left the parking lot with the two of them seeing me off.

◆ ◆ ◆

Fourth period that day.

We were supposed to have a physical fitness test on the field, but due to rain, we had to play volleyball in the gymnasium.

The team we are playing now has the ace and captain of the volleyball team, and the boys are excited to see the high-level game.

In the midst of all this, I’m sitting on the corner, thinking about something.

My problem is my ex-girlfriends.

Kohaku and Akari are ready to get back together with me, and I love them both. But I can’t go out with them because I love them both equally. And since I can’t have a two-timing relationship, I have to choose either one of them…

Should I get back together with Kohaku, my first girlfriend?

Or should I get back together with Akari, the last person I dated?

“What should I do…”

“–Watch out!”

Bang! Suddenly, a powerful blow was delivered to my face, and a sharp pain shot up to my nose.

“Ugh!”

“I-I’m sorry, Nijino-kun! My serve went off the rails…”

The boy who hit me with the ball apologized to me. The girls who were playing on the other court are looking at me with concern.

“N-No, don’t worry about it. It was my fault for being absent minded…”

My classmate, who had been scared by my intimidating demeanor and hitting me with a ball, looked relieved when I forgave him.

If I can use this as an opportunity to dispel the scary image of myself, it would be a great success.

“Whoa! Nijino-kun, blood! Blood!”

“What–Ah!”

Liquid spilled from my nose. When I rubbed it with the back of my hand, I found that it was covered with blood. While I was holding the nosebleed with my hand, the gym teacher came to me,

“Nijino, are you okay?”

“Yes. It’s only a nosebleed. Can I go to the bathroom?”

If I stuff toilet paper up my nose, it will eventually stop.

“I don’t mind if you go to the bathroom, but why don’t you have Akamine-sensei check it out?”

I’m pretty nervous having close contact with Akari on school grounds, but… She will surely behave as a teacher when she’s at school, right? 

Deciding to follow his words, I left the gym.

“Excuse me…”

When I visited the infirmary, I found only Akari in the room. Akari was sitting on the chair at the desk, looking over some papers. When she turned around and looked at me,

“Ara, what’s wrong?”

She said with a dignified face.

Thank God. She seems to act as a teacher properly. It’s just the two of us now, but I have to act as a student too.

“I got hit in the face with a ball and my nose started bleeding. Do you have a tissue?”

“Yes. Use as many as you like.”

I received a box of tissues and sat down in a pipe chair. I roll up the tissue, stuff it up my nose, and wash my hands to remove the blood.

“Have you finished stopping the bleeding?”

“Yes, I’m done.”

“I see. Then come here.”

Akari stood by the bed and beckoned to me.

“…Why?”

I have a bad feeling about this. She’s not going to start doing something erotic in bed, is she?

“We’re going to do a procedure.”

“If it’s a procedure, I’ve already done it…”

“That’s not enough. Come here quickly. If you can’t move, I’ll move the bed over there.”

Akari is strong. And she’s not the joking type. She’s already grabbing the foot of the bed, and can really carry the bed.

As expected, she would refrain from doing anything erotic at school. Here, I decided to follow Akari’s instructions quietly.

As I was heading to the bed, Akari opened the futon.

“Go to bed.”

“But it’s just a nosebleed…”

“Don’t underestimate it just because it’s a nosebleed. You need to rest until the bleeding stops.”

“…I understand.”

Deciding to abide by the school nurse’s decision, I took off my jacket and lay down on the bed. Then, Akari closed the partition curtain and came to bed with me.

She’s doing something erotic!

“What are you doing?!”

“I’m sleeping with you.”

“I can see that!”

“And here’s a hug.”

“Why the hug?!”

“Hugging promotes a sense of security. Anxiety can make a disease worse.”

“Rather, you’re making me nervous! I really think you should get away now!”

When I told her with an informal tone, Akari lowered her well-shaped eyebrows and her eyes shook with sadness.

“You don’t like sleeping with me anymore?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

I love sleeping with Akari.

When I look back on my memories of our relationship, I remember sleeping with her at every opportunity.

One of the most memorable moments is when we went to a hot spring resort during the winter holiday in our first year of dating.

We went to an outdoor hot spring, I saw Akari naked for the first time, and we made out in the futon after a hot bath. We didn’t just sleep together, but embraced each other like we were just born. I still clearly remember the softness and warmth of Akari’s skin at that time.

“Then, how about the hug? Do you like hugs too?”

“…Yeah. I love it.”

The first time Akari hugged me was on the day of the funeral of a distant relative.

I was in a corner of the funeral hall, fretting because I couldn’t get over the sorrow of my lost love, when Akari hugged me anxiously and comforted me.

At that time, I was in the third year of junior high school and Akari was in her second year of college. Even if someone was crying, I wouldn’t hug a junior high school boy whom I’ve only met for the first time. But Akari couldn’t leave me alone and comforted me with hugs.

When I explained that the reason for my fretting was not because I had lost a relative, but because I was heartbroken, she invited me out to play as a distraction.

At that time, I thought to myself. I wondered what if I had a sister like this. From that day on, I came to adore Akari as my older sister, and she took care of me like a younger brother.

We played together often, she took me to the aquarium and the zoo, and I fell in love with her the moment she, who was always so dignified, showed me her smiling face.

Then, after the day we became lovers, Akari began to show me her different face.

I became the only person she could talk to honestly about her problems, as she had been raised by two respected parents, a doctor and a teacher, and she didn’t want to disappoint them. Whenever Akari had a problem, she would hug me and ask to be pampered.

So maybe–

“…Something on your mind?”

When I probed her, she shivered and trembled.

“…How could you tell?”

“It’s because I like Akari. I can tell when there’s something wrong with a girl I like. If you’re having troubles, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“…Is that okay? Even though I’m not Touma’s girlfriend… I won’t bother you?”

“You’re not a bother. Even though Akari’s my ex-girlfriend, there’s no lie or falsehood in my feelings for her. If a girl I like is in trouble, it’s natural to want to help her, isn’t it?”

Besides, Akari saved me when I was depressed because of my broken heart. I don’t mean to thank her for what she did back then, but I have no intention of abandoning Akari.

Akari gazed at me with slitted eyes and confided in a faint voice,

“…The home-cooked meal I had yesterday from Shirasawa-sensei was delicious. It’s hard not to like someone who cooks such delicious food… Compared to that, I can’t cook.”

Indeed, Akari is a terrible cook.

I was treated to a home-cooked meal while we were dating, but it was undercooked, smelled fishy, seasoned uniquely, and served in a messy manner.

I ate it all in front of Akari, but I had to fight a stomach ache afterwards–Akari then apologized to me profusely.

In addition to cooking, Akari has a lot of other things she isn’t good at, such as cleaning, washing, and sewing. She is the complete opposite of Kohaku, who is extremely skilled in housework.

She even has a complex about it, and she was depressed when I praised Kohaku’s cooking.

“I’m not going to make lunch for Touma. It’s obvious that Touma will get a stomach ache and I won’t be able to beat Shirasawa-sensei…”

“Don’t be discouraged. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

“But I’m not good at anything…”

“That’s not true. Akari is a good driver and a good singer.”

“But I’m not as good as Shirasawa-sensei. Now that you and Shirasawa-sensei have found out that you two still like each other, I won’t be a choice, won’t I…”

“No, that’s not true.”

“…Will you get back together with me?”

“That’s… I can’t say anything yet… But I love Akari as much as I love Kohaku. The moment I saw her smile, I fell in love with her. So don’t look so sad.”

When I consoled her with sincere feelings, Akari beamed with happiness.

“Thank you, Touma… I love you too. That rotten thieving ca–… I won’t let her have you.”

You almost said rotten thieving cat, didn’t you?! You blended ‘rotten’ and ‘thieving cat,’ didn’t you?!

I’m worried about her hostility towards Kohaku and that they’ll argue every time they see each other…

“–Excuse me.”

My heart immediately tightened.

Who’s here?! If they see me here like this, they’ll misunderstand!

“W-What do we do?”

“C-C-Calm down. I-I-I’ll do something about this.”

She looks really shaken up and doesn’t look like she can manage it…

“If you’re going to fret, don’t even ask me to sleep with you in the first place…”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. I don’t blame you.”

“The truth is, you shouldn’t lie down when your nose is bleeding.”

It’s not something you should apologize for now, is it? Is that how distraught you are? I wonder if she can respond calmly in such a situation…

“Excuse me, Akamine-sensei? Are you here?”

Hmm? This voice, could it be…

“Is that Kohaku?”

“You’re right. If it’s Shirasawa-sensei, I will be able to handle it no problem.”

Akari suddenly became very confident.

What a steel mentality. And of course, even if Kohaku finds out about this, Akari won’t be exempted from the job, but there’s nothing good about being found out, is there?

But I have no choice but to leave this situation to Akari. If Kohaku finds out that Akari and I are together, she’ll think we’ve been seeing each other. I have to hide in here and erase my presence.

Leaving me on the bed, Akari stepped out from behind the curtains.

“Akamine-sensei, so you’re here. Why were you in bed?”

“I wasn’t feeling very well, so I was having a nap.”

“Were you two sleeping together?”

“…I was sleeping alone.”

“Alone? …Then what’s this smell?”

“It’s perfume.”

“It smells like Touma-kun.”

Kohaku’s sense of smell is scary!

“I don’t smell anything like that.”

“I can tell. Don’t underestimate the sense of smell of a home economics teacher. …Sniff sniff. I knew it, I can smell Touma-kun. Akamine-sensei… You slept with Touma-kun, didn’t you?”

“Is that wrong?”

Why did you admit that?!

With a whoosh, the curtains were thrown open and Kohaku appeared.

“Did you do naughty things with Akamine-sensei?”

“T-There’s no way I’d do that!”

“But, Touma-kun, your nose is bleeding…”

“I didn’t get excited and got a nosebleed. I just got hit in the face by a volleyball.”

Kohaku withdrew her suspicious eyes and looked worried.

“A-Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. The pain is gone now.”

Kohaku exhaled reassuringly, looked at Akari, and said in an accusing tone,

“Sleeping together is not fair. Aren’t you trying to get ahead of me?”

“I’m not trying to get ahead. Me sleeping with him was for the purpose of ‘taking care of an injured person.’ If I am to be blamed for this, then Shirasawa-sensei’s case with the bento should be blamed as well.”

“T-That may be so, but… Sleeping together is not fair. I also want to sleep with Touma-kun, so…”

Kohaku stared at me.

“Touma-kun… Will you sleep with me today?”

“Instead of sleeping with Shirasawa-sensei, you should sleep with me. I’m a better snuggler than her.”

“That’s not true. I’m a better snuggler than you. When we were dating, I even slept naked with Touma-kun. At that time, he looked so comfortable.”

“Touma slept with me too. We held each other naked, and Touma looked really comfortable.”

Kohaku and Akari reminisced about their naughty memories with me.

I don’t think there’s anything superior about the two of us sleeping together, but if I don’t let them sleep with me for now, they’re likely to continue arguing.

“Well, how about the three of us sleep together next Saturday?”

At my suggestion, the two of them suddenly stopped arguing.

“Eh? Sleep together?”

“Touma. Are you serious?”

“I am. Just the three of us. Is that okay with you two?”

“Of course~.”

“That’s fine with me.”

They both said with happy faces. Then, as the conversation came to a close, Akari recalled,

“By the way, why is Shirasawa-sensei in the infirmary?”

“I’m here to get some bandages.”

“Kohaku, are you hurt?”

“Mhmm. I have a cooking class in the fifth period, so I decided to have it ready in case one of the students got hurt by a knife.”

“Why couldn’t you wait until lunchtime?”

Akari, who was interrupted, sounded unhappy.

“I thought lunch break would be a busy time to get ready for class. Now that I think about it, my sixth sense may have kicked in.”

Kohaku seemed somewhat proud that she was able to stop Akari from sleeping with me. Akari looked frustrated, but took a bandage from the cupboard and handed it to Kohaku.

Kohaku received the bandage, and,

“How long are you going to stay in the infirmary, Touma-kun?”

“It’s time I go back to the gym.”

I’ve stayed a little too long. When I pulled out the tissue stuffed in my nose, the nosebleed had completely stopped.

So I left the two of them and went back to the gym.