Sato Takes the Initiative

"That was good."

"Yeah."

The awkward conversation ended, and the two kept walking.

Some time passed.

Sato said, "Um, you're not mad about what happened yesterday, are you?"

"No. You helped me, and I haven't even properly thanked you yet. Thanks, Maya."

"..."

Sato suddenly crouched down and covered her face.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing!"

She remembered what had happened yesterday.

She'd been fine when she said it yesterday, but thinking about it now, boldly—

It was so embarrassing!

She'd actually said something like that in public, telling him to fall in love with her...

It sounded like something straight out of a shoujo manga!

And she'd even stuffed her panties into his schoolbag.

A pervert? A freak?

What would their classmates think of her?

She wanted to die~

Even though she'd already been embarrassed about it last night, remembering it again was still so awkward.

Eito saw her ears turn bright red. He didn't know exactly why, but he could tell she was embarrassed.

He smiled and crouched beside her.

"Maya, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to make me fall for you? Have you thought of a way yet?"

"...Not yet... I... need a little more time."

"Then think about it now. I'll give you ten minutes."

"Huh—?"

Sato lifted her head and met his eyes, then quickly looked away. "All right."

Ten minutes passed.

"Have you thought of something?"

"No."

"Does it really take that long to think of something like that?" Eito sighed.

"Actually... this is my first confession..."

Sato said nervously.

She looked like a flashy gal, but her real-life experience was zero.

That was pretty realistic. It was like that in anime, too.

In other words, Sato had no idea how to charm a guy or make him fall for her.

It couldn't be helped. Most people didn't know how.

Kikyo was probably the only one in their class who knew much about guys. The others couldn't even think about how to pursue someone; they still needed to be looked after themselves.

There was no point in dragging this out with Sato.

Eito took her hand and helped her stand.

"Then I'll teach you."

"Can you?"

"Leave it to me."

Eito smiled.

Unfortunately, he didn't understand romance. He only understood...

Sato was tall and slender. Her chest wasn't as spectacular as Sakura's, but it was still just the right size for most people. Actually, some people preferred a figure that was just right like hers.

She was comfortable and convenient to hold.

And she felt nice to touch.

At that moment, Eito had Sato sitting against a smooth stone. One arm was around her waist, while the other stroked her fair, slender thigh.

Beside her thigh, her cute shoes and socks lay neatly stacked together.

"Um... I feel like you're different from usual, Eito."

Sato panted softly, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Oh? How am I different?"

"You're... a lot more forceful than usual."

"What kind of impression do I usually make on you, Maya?"

"You're gentle, cute, and kind of mysterious... Mm~"

Eito's hand had followed the curve of her thigh and now held her soft, petite foot.

In a gentle voice, he said, "Let me give you a massage."

"Huh—this..."

Sato lifted her head to look at him.

She'd been prepared for this when Eito had asked her to take off her shoes and socks, but having a strange man hold her foot for the first time made her feel tense all over.

At the same time, she felt a little tingly inside.

Eito said, "You have such pretty feet. I bet you take good care of them. I happen to have some experience with massage, so why don't I help loosen them up?"

"...I-It's fine."

"Then I'll get started."

Eito didn't actually know how to give a massage. He vaguely imitated the way he remembered seeing other people do it, though his movements were much more vulgar.

While he had a chance, Eito struck up a conversation with her.

"How's Karuizawa doing? What happened yesterday must have hit her hard."

"S-She's fine. I apologized to her yesterday... Mm... It's all right now... Mm-hm."

"Actually—" Eito leaned close to her ear. "Ibuki was the one who stole the panties. She even let you take the blame. Sorry about that."

"...Is that so?" Sato lifted her head, her little hands clutching his clothes tightly. "You're amazing. You found the culprit so quickly."

"I can't deny that," Eito said. "But I think my hands are even better at something than finding culprits. What do you think?"

"Ah..."

Sato's face suddenly flushed red.

Even with her lack of experience, she'd noticed that Eito really didn't know how to massage. All he wanted was to play with her feet.

Along with her embarrassment, a wave of joy welled up inside her.

But she couldn't point it out. She had to wait until he said he liked her.

Until then, she'd have to endure it—no, enjoy it a little.

"Maya, your face is so red. Do you have a fever?"

"N-No." Sato touched her face. It felt a little hot. "Maybe it's just really hot out... Yeah, that must be it."

"All right, then."

They fell silent.

Time passed slowly.

The only thing that changed was that Sato's breathing grew more and more ragged, and her chest rose and fell faster.

To keep herself from getting carried away, Sato forced down the flutter in her heart and asked, "Are you and Kushida close, Eito?"

At that, Eito's hand stopped.

"Why bring her up?"

"I feel like your relationship is different from the one you have with other people. And yesterday, you also said... you wanted her panties."

"..."

Eito thought about it carefully. He really did seem to have said that.

But he'd only said it to refute Karuizawa, not because he actually wanted them.

No.

If Kikyo was willing to give them to him, he wouldn't mind.

It was just that his intentions were different from everyone else's. He wanted to help Kikyo wash her panties.

As an excellent man, he was working hard to become a well-rounded husband.

It wasn't what everyone else thought.

What a bunch of perverts.

Chapter Sixty: Sato Takes the Initiative

"Um... could you stop bringing up Kikyo?"

What Eito feared most was a woman bringing up another woman in front of him.

In the end, it only damaged his image.

"No." Sato said stubbornly. "I'm going to compete with her. I'm going to beat her."

"Fine. Next time, I'll invite her out and let you two fight. Whoever wins gets a trophy from me. How's that?"

Sigh. When would this cycle of revenge end? He still preferred a peaceful life, but if that was what Sato wanted, he'd humor her.

"That's not what I meant." Sato puffed out her cheeks. "But I really do want to punch her. The more I look at her face, the angrier I get. It's all your fault."

"Okay, it's all my fault."

"Um..." Sato stared intently into his eyes, her moist gaze seeming to mist over. "Have you... kissed her?"

"..."

After three seconds of silence, he nodded.

Sato looked a little disappointed, but she quickly perked up again.

"If that's the case, then I want one too."

"...Why?"

"You're not even dating, but you can kiss her. Why can't I?"