Chapter 239

Five minutes later.

"No~ I can't use my hands... I didn't tell you to use them... Ah~ Mo! Never mind!"

Thirty minutes later, after the group chat.

"That's enough, isn't it... Oh dear..."

"No, I haven't gotten what I want yet."

"What exactly do you want?!"

"..."

An hour later, the two dried themselves off and returned to the room in Princess carry.

He tossed her onto the bed, bouncing her repeatedly. Sakurakoji Talent sighed, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "I'll go find you some clothes."

"Your clothes will do."

Kawaragi Momoka hugged her knees, blushing as she buried her head in them.

This is truly the end of it. She didn't remember much about what happened yesterday, but now... none of that matters anymore.

"Didn't you say you were the one who would suffer a loss? Why are you doing this?"

She pouted and glared at him angrily.

"Because only I remember the unfairness, I want you to have some memories too."

He made up a random sentence and walked outside.

"..."

Ten minutes later, Sakurakoji Talent, dressed neatly, returned from outside.

The room is so big, that's the inconvenience; you have to walk a long way just to get some clothes.

"You should be wearing something similar."

He placed a women's outfit with a street style vibe on the bed.

Considering she prefers loose-fitting clothes that allow for easy movement, this outfit was chosen.

His own men's clothing was a bit too big for her, but Ogura Asahi's clothes should fit her about the same size, since he wasn't much taller than her.

It's a good thing it was her; if it were one of those petite girls, there would be no way to put it down, they'd just have to find something to wear.

[Note: Kawaragi Momoka 164cm]

"This is... women's clothing? How come you have something like this here?"

Kawaragi Momoka picked up the clothes, glanced at them, and then turned to him with a subtle expression and a suspicious look in her eyes.

"You really are..."

"No!"

Knowing what she suspected, Sakurakoji Talent interrupted her, glancing away, "I really haven't done 'that' with anyone before... These are my sister's clothes."

"Doesn't your sister live downstairs?"

"... We also left a few sets here, isn't that normal?"

"Is that so..."

That's right.

Fortunately, although she had some doubts, she didn't have any evidence, and the explanation was plausible, so she didn't dwell on it too much.

Sakurakoji Talent let out a soft breath and swallowed.

He wondered if it was psychological, but he felt that after they actually crossed that line, the pressure from the other person had increased significantly—that's why he didn't want it to be like this, he muttered to himself.

"Wow! This fabric is so comfortable! And the design is great too. This set must be quite expensive, right?"

After putting on several pieces of clothing, including underwear, Kawaragi Momoka jumped around a few times without any hindrance, and was quite satisfied with the result.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Okay! Please thank your sister for me!"

"... You are welcome."

Although the two are now in that kind of relationship, he has no intention of revealing all his fetishes.

Although he felt no shame about it, the world's perspective is always short-sighted, and people tend to pay too much attention to trivial matters.

Even Aoyama Nanami took quite some time to get used to and adapt to, so there's no need to complicate the current situation further.

How are you? Would you like to rest here for the day?

He still inquired out of concern, though.

Realizing what he meant, Kawaragi Momoka's expression, which had just calmed down, flushed again, and she said weakly and awkwardly, "It should be fine. Maybe it's because I usually exercise a lot, so the feeling isn't very strong..."

She wants to die!!!

She lowered her head like a quail and continued softly, "Today I plan to check out the remaining livehouses, and I'll head back after this evening's show."

"Are you going back tonight? Or staying another day?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sakurakoji Talent realized he had made a mistake.

"..."

"Ahem, actually I'm also planning to go to Kawasaki to meet up with Nina. Why don't you come with me after this evening?"

"Huh?!"

Kawaragi Momoka was somewhat resistant, mainly because being with him right now was really awkward...

"I told you yesterday, right? The clothes for you are ready. Come with me and take them over."

"Ah, that, I see..."

"And, um..."

Sakurakoji Talent, her skin as white as snow with a touch of powder, hesitated with her eyes closed, "What's the date of yours?"

"..."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just doing this in case something happens! You know that?"

"... I think it should be fine."

"That's good... Don't misunderstand! It's not that I'm unwilling, but you see, after all, I'm still... right?"

"Yes, I understand..."

For a long time afterward, no words were uttered in the large, brightly lit room.

However, at one moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Kawaragi Momoka's mind.

He could be considered a fan of hers, so did her actions... or was she really the one who benefited this time? Her mind was in turmoil.

Chapter 292 More than friends, less than lovers.

Around nine o'clock in the morning.

After having breakfast with Kawaragi Momoka and cleaning up the mess, Ogura Asahi changed her clothes and went to the rooftop of Haneoka —not to jump off, don't get me wrong.

After they parted ways, she continued to inspect various live music venues in Tokyo, while he continued to stake out Haneoka.

However, one thing is certain that they both have in common: the same complex mix of feelings and emotions.

Ogura Asahi's usually delicate face looked unusually fragile today as she took out a new musical instrument she had just bought from a roadside Musical Instrument Store —a long, straight instrument resembling a bamboo flute: the Shakuhachi.

Most people probably haven't heard of this instrument, but it belongs to the same category of traditional Chinese musical instruments as the xiao and dizi.

Originating in China, with its earliest roots traceable to the Western Han Dynasty, the Qiang flute was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty. However, it was lost in China long ago. Currently, some knowledgeable individuals have come to Japan to study it and then brought it back to China. They have also applied for classrooms in some universities to conduct holiday lectures and spread its knowledge and stories.

As for its most famous piece of music, it is --

Ogura Asahi put it to his lips, and a sigh echoed from the rooftop, drifting softly to the surroundings.

The music wasn't loud, but the Haneoka of all grades sitting in the classroom could faintly hear the mournful music that contained a deep sense of sorrow.

But they could never imagine what the performer was grieving over.

[Note: The author actually attended a Shakuhachi interest lecture during university, and there were indeed musicians who tried to bring this ancient instrument back to China. The piece played here is "Sadness and Sorrow" from Naruto, which the speaker played in the classroom for easier explanation (I think it was played by his senior). However, the original Shakuhachi version is only a short section, so this is an extended version.]

"What a poignant and beautiful sound of string and wind instruments, so full of emotion..."

"Is it one of the students from the Wind Instrument Club playing? Or is it the music teacher?"

"Even if you don't understand, you can tell that the opponent's technique is very high..."

"A sound I've never heard before, what kind of music is this?"

"I don't know~"

"Alright everyone, close the windows and pay attention in class."

"..."

Such discussions could occasionally be heard in different corners of Haneoka.

After blowing the bell for more than ten minutes straight, venting his emotions, Ogura Asahi finally stopped, satisfied, and took a short rest.

The Shakuhachi is an instrument that requires considerable lung capacity; if your basic skills are not up to par, you will quickly feel dizzy.

He sighed deeply, lamenting his experiences last night and this morning, and even more so the bitterness and resentment that his efforts had gone unrewarded.

That's right, he was not only saddened by the loss of something important, but also by the realization that—after all he had given, he hadn't made any progress at all!

No, it's not that there was absolutely no increase, but it was negligible!

It's completely different from the five percent he expected! What on earth happened?!

When he discovered it this morning, he initially thought it was because he hadn't kissed Kawaragi Momoka last night, so he went to double-check.

But the result greatly disappointed him!

He worked so hard for so long, and he didn't get any credit at all!

Is that a beaver?! (Not a typo)

His fist, which he couldn't make whiter even with all his might, slammed hard against the metal railing in front of him, making a clanging sound.

Give it back! Even if in-depth communication doesn't increase the progress, give me back that 5% progress!

Ten minutes later, exhausted and breathless, he leaned against the fence, his eyes numb.

He truly never dreamed that such a thing would happen.

After calming down, he frowned and revised his plan once again.

It seems that the original plan of exchanging a dozen slaps for freedom is no longer viable. There must be other conditions he hasn't yet figured out.

It's best not to act rashly before you've figured it out.

He waited all morning but didn't see Takamatsu Akari. Instead, he entertained himself by playing musical instruments.

At noon, he went to Haneoka's cafeteria for lunch again.

This time, he did not go looking for Toyokawa Shoko.

Even if you're in a hurry, you can't join other people at the same table every day. Meals are a precious time to relax.

After finishing his meal, he strolled around Haneoka until the afternoon school bell rang, at which point he returned to the rooftop and continued leisurely tinkering with his Shakuhachi.

He was surprised to find that this feeling was unexpectedly good, much better than practicing desperately alone in his room. (IX)

Let's do the same next time we come.

He didn't see the girl during the afternoon break either.

So, during the second lesson in the afternoon, he went outside the music room. He didn't hear any lectures or music coming from inside, so he pushed open the door and went in.

His lips were a little sore from playing for so long, so he decided to try a different instrument.

He put down his bag and sat down in front of the imposing grand Piano.

Let's start with "Empty Box"...

"..."