Episode One Hundred and Twenty-One
“Spoil me?”
“Yeah. Because Shigure-san’s been working so hard.”
“Well, I’m touched, but—”
“You don’t need to be shy about it, you know?”
“It’s not about being shy—”
“You don’t need to be shy about it, you know?”
Ah, no good. She’s not backing down.
“Guh, specifically, what exactly… how…?”
“Hmm, let’s see…”
Ibara placed her index finger on her chin and gazed towards the kitchen.
“Well, first off, probably a meal, I suppose.”
Her innocent words made me breathe a sigh of relief.
Good. Seems to be heading in a healthier direction than I feared.
…Than I feared? What on earth was I imagining?
“I’ll make lunch, then.”
“Yeah, thanks… Huh?”
“What?”
“Ibara, are you sure you’re alright on your own? Can you really manage it?”
“Shigure-san, you’re taking the mickey, aren’t you? I can cook, one meal at least.”
“Oh… right.”
Back when we first met, her ‘speciality dish’ was toast, but she’s grown during her time with me.
Actually, we sometimes cook together now. I suppose I could leave it to her. Probably.
“Any other chores you’d like me to do?”
“Hmm…”
I’d only just cleaned the other day, and I’d done the laundry first thing this morning.
“…Nothing else, really.”
“Well then, the rest of the time is for spoiling you, Shigure-san.”
“Eh? So you’re making dinner for me, right?”
“That’s not all, is it? Even Uber-kun could do that, couldn’t he?”
“He might be able to, but—”
Is that really the issue?
Ibara snorted, thinking I just didn’t get it.
I really didn’t get it. What exactly did Ibara want?
“Wait here a moment.”
Clattering the dishes into the sink, Ibara sat down on the bed.
“Mm?”
She suddenly spread her arms wide, giving me a look that seemed to say something.
“Do you want me to hold you?”
“No. The other way round.”
“The other way round?”
“I want to hold you, Shigure-san.”
I see.
…I see?
“But isn’t that the same thing?”
“It’s completely different. Never mind, come over here.”
“Right, right.”
Hmm.
Well, basically, Ibara wants a hug. Can’t be helped.
Not that I mind, if that’s the case.
I sat down on the bed, ready to hug her sideways, and it was at that very moment.
Ibara’s hands wrapped around the back of my head.
My head was pulled forward with a tug and landed on something soft.
The feel of towel fabric and the usual citrusy lemon scent.
My whole face was soft and fluffy, smelling lovely.
This is…
Ibara’s…
“There you go, no struggling, please.”
Just as I tried to pull away, my head was held down.
Ibara’s frame is delicate, but she’s got muscles honed from dancing. She’s far stronger than me, who’s never had a regular exercise routine.
“No, I said no!”
“Why? It’s just a hug. Only a little bit different from usual, that’s all.”
True, normally it tended to be me holding Ibara close to my chest.
“Right, squeeze tight.”
“Mmmph.”
Today, the roles were reversed.
Instead of hugging her, I was being hugged.
So tightly I could almost hear her heartbeat.
“Hehe. There, there. Go on, you can be properly clingy.”
“Ah, clingy?”
“Just for now, be the one doing the clinging. Won’t you?”
“Even if you say so…”
“Shall I just squeeze you then?”
“No, no, no.”
What on earth does ‘for now’ mean?
Ibara flopped onto the bed with a thud.
Dragged along, I rolled over too.
Her breath tickled my ear. My face was still buried in the curve of her chest.
I knew it, but she was big. And she wasn’t wearing a bra again.
Her slender fingertips ran through my hair.
“How about it?”
“W-well, what do you mean?”
“Does it feel… soothing?”
“…Honestly, it’s a bit unsettling…”
“So you can’t really relax around someone younger?”
I gasped.
Ibara’s voice was damp with emotion.
A whiny, nasal tone reached me from somewhere above my head.
“So I guess I’m no use to you, Shigure-san. Even though we’re lovers. Because I’m childish, I can’t even comfort you when you’re tired… sniff.”
“Whoa!”
I panicked.
“I am being comforted! I’m being comforted so much!”
“…Really?”
“Really!”
“Is your tiredness gone? Are you relaxed?”
“Gone, gone.”
“Then, should you touch my breasts?”
“Touch them, why⁉︎”
“It calms me down.”
“I-I guess I’m fine for now…”
“Sniff…”
“Ehh… Alright then, just a little…”
Why was the one being touched the one begging?
Still confused, and thinking “That ‘just a little’ was definitely fake crying,” I touched the chest of the girl lying down.
Squishy.
“Right, that’s enough.”
“More!”
Incidentally, “That’s enough” was my line, and “More!” was Ibara’s.
Our positions and lines had reversed.
“Shigure-san. Don’t you want to touch my body?”
Ugh, I stuttered.
I won’t lie. I’ll tell her everything honestly. That resolve flashed through my mind.
If it was a question of whether I wanted to touch her or not, the answer was obvious.
“Well… I do want to touch you, but—”
“Aha.”
Ibara broke into a smile.
Still holding my head against her chest, she whispered in my ear.
“Then you can touch me however you like. Today, I’m your body pillow, Shigure-san.”
There was a pop, like something snapped.
Oh, for heaven’s sake. Really, this girl.
I forcefully extricated myself from Ibara’s bosom and grabbed her shoulders.
“Huh?”
Holding down the bewildered Ibara, I got down on all fours.
“S-Shigure-san?”
Looking down at her, I met her eyes.
Ibara’s pupils trembled ever so slightly, as if frightened.
“…Did I make you angry?”
“No. I’m not angry. It’s just—”
My fingertips brushed the curve of her waist.
“If you’re going to say all that, I thought I might as well take you up on it and touch you as I please.”
And then, I slid my hand smoothly beneath the hem of her pearl pink pyjamas.