My Self-Control Has Always Been Strong

Sitting by the window, feeling the sea breeze wash over them, neither of them said a word as they closed their eyes.

After returning from the beach, they found another place for dinner, then wandered around nearby and discovered a souvenir shop. It was filled with all kinds of small goods: aloha shirts and muumuu dresses printed with floral patterns, coral and shell handicrafts, and an entire wall stocked with macadamia nuts, coffee, and other foods.

Neither of them went on a shopping spree, but after enjoying the stroll through the store, they bought a pair of shell necklaces before leaving.

By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already nine at night. They set their luggage on the storage bench by the door, then each found a sofa by the window and sat down for a proper rest.

"Kiyoko-senpai, aren't you going to take a bath?"

Slumped on the sofa, Hayato asked lazily. Though they had rinsed off briefly in the beach changing rooms, a bath would be much better for relieving the fatigue from a whole evening of walking around.

"Mmm... let me rest a little longer."

She had taken off her glasses and placed them on the table. With her head resting against the sofa, her black hair obscured the side of her face, making her look both languid and alluring.

"Then I'll go first?"

Kiyoko did not answer Hayato. She merely raised a hand and waved it twice, indicating that she understood.

It seemed the jet lag and fatigue from playing all day had made her drowsy.

After entering the bathroom, Hayato first filled the bathtub with hot water, then stepped into the shower to wash himself. Boys generally showered quickly. By the time he finished, the tub was nearly full. He turned off the faucet, took a towel from the rack to dry himself, put on a bathrobe, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Kiyoko-senpai, the bath is ready..."

Before he could finish, Hayato realized that Kiyoko had somehow fallen asleep against the sofa.

He walked over, knelt beside her, and gently shook her shoulder.

"Kiyoko-senpai, wake up. The bath is ready. Go soak for a while before sleeping."

"Ah, it's Hayato. Sorry, I fell asleep."

Now awake, Kiyoko covered her lips with her hand and let out an elegant yawn. Then she stood up, took makeup remover, moisturizer, and a whole assortment of bottles and jars girls used from her suitcase, and walked into the bathroom. Watching her unsteady, half-asleep steps, Hayato could not help worrying.

"She won't fall asleep in the bathtub, will she?"

Shaking his head, he changed out of his bathrobe, took out his pajamas from his bag, and put them on. Hayato lay down on the left side of the bed, picked up the remote from the bedside table, and turned on the television to watch a variety show. Fortunately, they could receive channels from back home here.

After a long while, Kiyoko finally emerged from the bathroom after finishing up. Her bathrobe could not fully conceal her lovely figure; as she walked, glimpses of her body occasionally showed at her neckline and knees. Together with the water droplets she had not completely dried off, it made her even more eye-catching.

Whether because of the hot bath or because she felt embarrassed wearing so little, Kiyoko's face was slightly flushed when she came out. After finding her pajamas, she slipped back into the bathroom without saying anything to Hayato, only emerging again after changing into them, now looking much more relaxed.

"What are you watching?"

Lying calmly to Hayato's right, Kiyoko leaned her upper body against the headboard. They watched the show in the same position.

"A variety show from back home."

Though they chatted, both of them felt somewhat nervous with so little distance between them. Their shoulders were nearly touching, and a slight movement of their hands would let them touch the other. They had been intimate before, but it was not as though one time could make them completely accustomed to it, without any nervousness the next time.

Most importantly, even though they used the same body wash and shampoo, Hayato felt that Kiyoko smelled better. Was it the scent of her body lotion?

Afraid of crossing the line, neither of them dared move. They simply chatted and watched television as time slowly passed, until drowsiness finally overcame every other emotion.

Kiyoko suggested they should rest as she yawned. Hayato turned off the television, and they got beneath the covers. He switched off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

Kiyoko turned her body away from Hayato and quickly fell asleep, but Hayato was still wide awake. Or rather, the girl who made his heart race was sleeping with her back to him—was there anything more unsettling than that?

Forcing himself to turn away from Kiyoko as well, Hayato closed his eyes and began counting sheep. After a long time, whether the sheep had worked or he had simply forgotten his nervousness, Hayato too drifted into sleep.

Since she had fallen asleep first, Kiyoko naturally woke up before him. Then she discovered that, at some point, their positions had changed to face each other. She was lying in Hayato's arms, her head resting on his arm, one hand draped over his waist. Anyone who saw them would think they were an intimate couple sleeping in an embrace.

She had wanted to quietly slip out of Hayato's arms, but the moment she moved, he held her even tighter. She hurriedly looked up and found that Hayato was still asleep. Kiyoko breathed a sigh of relief. Though she had prepared herself and was clear about her feelings, some things were not things they should be doing yet.

Because of the obvious difference in their strength, Kiyoko could not get free at all. Just as she was racking her brain for a way to resolve the situation, Hayato happened to wake up. He quickly emerged from his groggy state and noticed Kiyoko in his arms.

"Um, Kiyoko-senpai, how did we end up in this position?"

Once fully awake, Hayato noticed that the arm serving as Kiyoko's pillow had gone a little numb, but that was a small matter. The big matter was that, because they were embracing, their bodies were practically pressed together.

"Who—who knows? Just let go of me first and let me get up."

Kiyoko's trembling voice and weak tone were exceptionally devastating. Hayato nearly used every ounce of his willpower to control himself as he slowly loosened the arm around her slender waist.

Regaining her freedom, Kiyoko immediately got out of bed, put on her slippers, left behind a quick, "I'm going to wash my face," and hid in the bathroom. Hayato remained on the bed alone, his arm numb but his mind wide awake as he calmed himself down.

"This is really testing my self-control. Luckily, there's only one day left. We'll be going home tomorrow. Hang in there, me."

Sitting up and leaning his upper body against the headboard, Hayato rubbed his arm and encouraged himself under his breath.

Kiyoko, who had used washing her face as an excuse to escape the awkward incident, really did wash up before returning. By the time she came back, Hayato had changed clothes and returned to normal. The two tacitly forgot what had just happened. After Hayato washed up as well, they went downstairs together to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

Then they headed out together. Their plan for the day was to visit Iolani Palace and the Honolulu Museum of Art, as well as go see Diamond Head.

Located in the city center, Iolani Palace was an Italian Renaissance-style building that attracted large numbers of tourists. It was the only royal palace in the United States, built in 1879 by Hawaii's King Kalakaua. It was also a local landmark.

It was said that Captain Cook, the first Englishman to discover the Hawaiian Islands, saw blue light shining from the entire mountain at night, glittering like sapphires. Thinking he had discovered diamonds, he named it Diamond Head.

A forty-minute walk from inside the volcanic crater led to the summit. From the top, visitors could take in views of the entire city, and the sunset there was equally unforgettable. It had now become a landmark of Hawaii.

After spending the entire day having a wonderful time, the two bought more souvenirs and returned to the hotel. After resting for the night, they contacted the driver they had met upon arriving the next morning, took a taxi to the airport, and boarded their return flight. After another eight-hour journey, they finally returned to Japan.

Though their flight had departed at noon, they arrived in Japan in the afternoon. After adjusting the time on his phone, Hayato saw that it was already four in the afternoon on Monday. Although it would have been fine to take another day off from school, Hayato, who had rested for several days, still wanted to attend club practice. But considering it would take over an hour to return from Tokyo to Miyagi by Shinkansen, he could only give up on the idea.

After saying goodbye to Kiyoko, Hayato returned home. He messaged Hinata to tell him that he was back and that training would continue tomorrow. After taking out everything he had brought on the trip and putting it away again, Hayato headed out to exercise.