CH 40

After finishing the cleanup and preparations for tomorrow, I headed to Suzune’s house after returning home and putting down my belongings.

Come to think of it, although it’s not a big deal, I realized that I haven’t been to Suzune’s house very often.

Usually, we gather at my house, and lately, Suzune has mostly cooked for me at my house.

I only go to Suzune’s house to pick her up or wake her up, and I think the only other time I went inside was the day we reunited… I can’t remember when that was, honestly. Well, at most, I’ve only been there a handful of times.

As I was babbling to myself, I arrived at her apartment. I climbed the stairs and headed for her room on the second floor. I passed by a strange man on the way, and I felt like I’d seen him somewhere before… As I walked, I arrived at room 208.

As a formality, albeit belatedly, I fixed my appearance and pressed the intercom.

Surprisingly the door opened in an instant—

“Senpai! I’ve been waiting for you~”

“Wow…”

“Hmm, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Oh, do you want to hug me because you like me too much?”

“Ugh… I wasn’t thinking about that kind of thing.”

“What were you thinking about then?”

“Well, I just thought that your greeting was quieter than usual…”

As I stumbled over my words, she stared at me with a grin on her face. As I spoke my thoughts. She kept asking me more and more questions and occasionally teasing me.

“I bet you really wanted to, didn’t you?”

“N-no, that’s not it. I just thought about it.”

“Heh~ Is that so?”

“Well, does it really matter?”

“Hmm… I don’t really care about it though… If that’s the case…”

As we stopped in the hallway, Suzune suddenly rushed over to where I was taking off my shoes, placing a finger on her chin as if she had noticed something.

Staring intently at me, I braced myself for whatever she was going to do, and then she whispered in my ear—

“Senpai, do you want to sleep together tonight?”

“What?!?”

“…Hahaha! I knew it! You were secretly hoping for it, weren’t you?”

“Sh-shut up… Seriously, think before you speak.”

“Okay~ But, it’s okay, right? I’ll always be waiting for you to attack me.”

“J-just stop it.”

Despite teasing and bullying, I was a little overwhelmed by the way she was trying to seduce me. But I shook my head and restrained myself.

That was close… and besides I still have to answer her feelings. Tomorrow’s big event is still waiting.

“Phew, now that you are finally under control. Why did you call me here?

“Don’t be so hasty. It’s still early in the evening, you know?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

“Wow! That’s not fair, Senpai!”

“It’s not unfair. If anything, I’m the one who gets teased by Suzune every time.”

“That’s not true. You won’t even give me an answer to my confession, that’s why I have to keep doing it every time.”

“What?!”

Startled by the sudden seriousness in her tone, I involuntarily flinched. Meanwhile, she clung closer to my chest and said,

“You don’t think of me as anything more than a friend, do you?”

“N-No, that’s not true.”

“But, I… Ugh.”

“Ah, come on! Stop that!”

I couldn’t keep up with her sudden influx of intense emotions which suddenly became too much for me to bear. I was clearly at fault here.

As I tried to comfort her, she suddenly looked up at me and said,

“But, I don’t really think that way. After all, you’re my future husband, Senpai.”

“What?!?”

“You’re thinking about tomorrow, right? If you weren’t, I’d have to kill you, or rather, let’s die together…. At least that way you won’t belong to someone else than me.”

“Hey, don’t say such dangerous things all of a sudden.”

“But…”

“Please, I’m begging you… And, you’re right.”

“I know.”

“Oh.”

Suzune stood up with her eyes closed. Then she turned around and changed her tone:

“Anyway, let’s end this farce here. Senpai, here’s your birthday present!”

“What?”

Before entering the living room, Suzune took out a bag from somewhere and put it in front of me.

I timidly took it and made eye contact with her.

“Go ahead, you can open it,”

I untied the ribbon and when I looked inside, I found something unexpected.

“It’s a jinbei!”

“Yes! Since I’m the only one wearing a yukata tomorrow, I thought it would be nice if you could join me,” she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Well, it’s a great opportunity, and I want to have fun!” Suzune smiled ecstatically.

As I watched her, I gulped hard.

Am I going to see something strange again? I felt embarrassed for doubting her. I smiled a little, hiding my embarrassed face a little.

As Shina-san said, she’s the kind of person who thinks about many things, but she’s also a responsible girl.

Suddenly, I decided to speak up.

“Can I put it on now?”

“Right now?” she asked.

“Yeah, just to make sure it fits.”

“Well, um, I think it should fit.”

“Then, can I wear it because I want to?”

“S-sure, go ahead!” she said, and her eyes sparkled with understanding.

After borrowing the bathroom for a few minutes (and trying to forget that Suzune usually undresses there, which made me a little excited), I came back to the living room.

“What do you think?” I asked, feeling a little shy.

“Wow!” Suzune exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

“H-hey,” I said, flustered.

“It looks great on you, Senpai! That outfit really suits you!”

“Thanks.” 

“Japanese-style clothing suits you so well! Just like I thought!” she said while she was grinning ear to ear.

“I… I see.”

“Yes! You look so cool!” she said, with a bright, unclouded smile that made me blush a little.

“Well, thank you.”

“Now you’re all set for tomorrow!” 

“Right. So, the yukata is for tomorrow?”

“Do you want me to wear it?”

“Well, um, maybe a little?”

“Haha. But yeah, I guess we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, like you said.”

“Yeah.”

It was already past 9 PM, and I had to get up early tomorrow. There were also things I needed to check, so I thought it would be best to go home now.

“Well, thanks for everything today. I’ll be heading home now.”

“Right. I wish we could sleep together, but since I have to wear a yukata tomorrow, I’ll be patient for now.”

“Un, yeah.”

“Then, see you tomorrow!” 

And so, I returned home and went to sleep, and before I knew it, the important day had arrived. Time flew by so fast, and I was a little surprised by that fact.