After standing outside for a while, letting the loneliness of the night wash over him, the dormitory door behind Makoto finally opened.
"Finished talking?"
"Yeah. Kikyo, you can go now."
Honami smiled as she walked Kushida out of the dormitory.
Kushida gave Makoto a playful wink, then skipped away.
"Is there something else, Honami?"
Seeing that Honami made no move to leave, Makoto had a bad feeling.
But deep down, he also felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation...
"Since Kikyo just did this and that on your bed, I've decided to stay tonight."
"By stay, you mean...?"
"I'm going to make sure my scent is imprinted all over it."
Honami returned to Room 301 and gestured for Makoto to hurry inside.
It was already late, and there wasn't much he could do. With a nervous heart, Makoto stepped into his own dorm room.
"Uh... where are you planning to sleep?"
"Obviously, in the bed with you. Hurry up and get in~"
Honami grabbed Makoto and pulled him onto the bed, then started getting ready for sleep as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"O-okay."
By the time he came to his senses, Makoto had somehow slipped under the covers.
Unlike usual, a beautiful girl was lying beside him.
A fresh citrus scent drifted through the air, boldly invading Makoto's mind and stirring up all sorts of strange fantasies.
For him, it really was a first.
Makoto couldn't sleep.
After waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he saw Honami gazing at him with her bright eyes wide open.
"Makoto, aren't you going to sleep?"
"I can't."
"Ha ha... I guess not. I can't sleep either."
Honami smiled softly and wriggled closer to Makoto.
"I've been doing pretty well lately, haven't I?"
"If anything, you've been doing so well that I can hardly believe you're Honami."
Makoto answered honestly. He wanted to back away, but the bed was too small. There was nowhere left to go.
"If that's the case, don't you think I deserve a little reward?"
"A reward?"
He repeated the strange word, and memories of the manga he had read in his previous life suddenly flooded back.
Hey, hey, hey. No way. Was he really about to become the protagonist of a youthful romance series?
"Kikyo already told me. You... touched hers, right?"
"...Is that what you mean, Honami?"
It wasn't as if Makoto wasn't tempted. He still hadn't properly experienced that feeling!
"I'm right here. If you want to, I'll open my heart to you anytime. Come on..."
The room should have been pitch-black, yet for some reason, Makoto could see the blush spreading across the girl's face.
Unable to resist, he reached out to check her temperature.
On this night in early May, when spring was giving way to summer,
he truly felt his heart racing.
"Hurry up, Makoto, get up..."
Early in the morning, Honami shook Makoto awake, but he really didn't want to open his eyes.
He'd been up all night.
"What is it? Let me sleep a little longer..."
Makoto mumbled, hoping to catch a few more minutes of sleep. He couldn't even be bothered to roll over.
"I already asked permission to miss morning class, so I'm going back to sleep..."
"But you promised me and Karuizawa yesterday that you'd do that."
"Huh?"
Makoto's drowsiness scattered like a wild horse breaking free, and he woke up halfway.
"Do what? I don't remember promising anything."
His mind was crystal clear at that moment—clear enough to remember absolutely nothing.
"I mean exercising. Mornings are a good time to work out, aren't they?"
Honami sounded a little displeased, though she also felt somewhat embarrassed.
She was partly to blame for Makoto looking so exhausted after a sleepless night...
Still, she'd slept wonderfully.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up..."
Makoto quickly got dressed...
Hm?
He was pretty sure he didn't usually sleep without clothes on...
He'd just pretend he hadn't noticed...
After glancing at the packed lunch, he quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face.
In just a few minutes, he was ready to go.
"I already messaged Karuizawa. She should be waiting for us downstairs."
As she spoke, Honami opened the dormitory door.
Karuizawa, whom she'd just mentioned, was standing outside Room 301, looking at the two of them.
"..."
"Morning?"
Makoto greeted her, praying that Karuizawa wouldn't say anything she shouldn't. That would make things awkward for everyone.
Though perhaps he was the only one who'd feel awkward...
"Let's go for a morning run first and work on your basic stamina."
"We'll see whether fasted cardio suits your bodies."
Hopefully nothing shrinks that shouldn't.
"Okay."
Karuizawa nodded. She showed no intention of asking things like, "Why did Ichinose come out of Miyano's room?" or "What did you two do last night?"
What a relief.
Makoto was sincerely grateful for Karuizawa's thoughtfulness.
"Then let's get started. We'll do a few easy laps around the track. The rubber surface is more comfortable to run on."
Honami and Karuizawa followed Makoto's pace as they jogged.
"Jogging is the best warm-up."
For Makoto, this pace was only a warm-up, but it was probably just right for the other two.
"Let's stop and rest for a bit, Karuizawa."
After five laps, Makoto keenly noticed that Karuizawa was running out of stamina, so he spoke up.
But Karuizawa had no intention of stopping.
She kept running alongside Honami, doing her best to keep up.
"This isn't the place to push yourself to the limit."
Makoto couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It was just an ordinary workout. There was no need to try so hard, was there?
Seeing that Karuizawa still had no intention of stopping, he changed tack.
"I don't like girls who ignore other people's advice."
At that, Karuizawa finally slowed to a stop.
She gasped for breath, feeling inferior because of her weakness. She wanted to keep following Miyano just like Ichinose did.
But...
Was this as far as she could go for now...?
Before you continue