Haihara hugged Kougami Kage in return.
"All right, let's have a drink."
She'd just been drinking that afternoon, so Haihara was in a good mood now, too. She even smiled for once.
Kougami Kage still seemed reluctant to let go.
But not long after they sat down on the sofa, Kougami Kage leaned over again and wrapped her arms around Haihara's neck.
Haihara poured the drinks with an expressionless face and said,
"Isn't that enough?"
When she finished pouring, she picked up a glass and held it to Kougami Kage's lips, pressed close against her.
The glass tipped, and the liquor flowed into the woman's mouth.
This shochu was distilled, too, but it wasn't very strong.
After giving Kougami Kage a sip, Haihara tried some herself. The bar's drinks really did taste a little better.
After staying pressed together for a while, Kougami Kage seemed satisfied. She took the glass from Haihara and started drinking on her own.
Haihara poured herself another glass.
Normally, when you drank this late at night, you needed something to eat, but she'd only just gotten home and had almost nothing left.
Suddenly, Haihara noticed what Kougami Kage was wearing on her hand.
From what she remembered of her childhood friend, Kougami Kage was the kind of woman who had no interest in dressing up. She wore the same sloppy clothes every day, couldn't even fix her hair properly, and didn't care how long it got.
But Haihara realized that Kougami Kage was wearing a ring.
It didn't look particularly expensive.
Actually, she seemed to have had a ring there for a long time, but Haihara had never paid much attention to it.
The ring didn't look very nice, and it seemed rather small. It must have been uncomfortable to wear. Why would Kougami Kage wear something like that?
And it looked a little familiar.
"That ring is..."
Haihara asked outright.
Kougami Kage froze for a moment, then followed Haihara's gaze to her own hand.
She quickly caught on and waved her hand.
"It's our wedding ring. I've never taken it off."
Kougami Kage smiled blissfully.
Hearing that brought it all back to Haihara.
When they were little, they used to play house all the time. Haihara would be the wife, and Kougami Kage would be the husband.
This was the ring she'd given Kougami Kage back then.
It had cost her quite a bit of her allowance, too.
They'd even said they would get married someday.
Why was she still wearing it?
Come to think of it, just like when they were kids, Kougami Kage had called her "wife" and "darling" online, too.
What a genius's mind. It was impossible to understand.
They said people who worked in research often had strange quirks. Maybe this was one of them.
Before they knew it, the two of them had talked until late into the night.
Kougami Kage was a little drunk.
She wasn't good at drinking. She rarely had anyone to drink with, and at most, she'd amuse herself by drinking alone for a while.
Once she'd had some alcohol, she got a little excited, and all kinds of thoughts came to her.
For instance, lately, she'd been feeling lonely.
She was used to being alone, but Haihara was different.
Thinking about it, the two of them had clearly been together, childhood friends who'd promised to stick together since they were little. Yet after growing up, they'd barely seen each other.
It had probably started in high school.
Around then, she'd gone abroad to study, so she had no choice but to part from Haihara.
But for some reason, not long after that, Haihara stopped contacting her of her own accord.
Only later did Kougami Kage learn why.
Haihara's parents had died then, leaving her alone and with no one to rely on—not a single family member.
By the time Kougami Kage learned the truth and rushed back to the country, Haihara had already graduated from university.
And had already become a mother.
After that, Kougami Kage never knew how to face Haihara.
Even though she'd gone abroad back then for the sake of...
Kougami Kage pressed a hand to her head. The alcohol was making her dizzy.
She gazed at Haihara through bleary eyes. Even with her vision swaying, she could still see the slender, graceful waist exposed beneath the black-haired woman's camisole, and her pale, smooth skin, glowing seductively after her bath.
Kougami Kage leaned closer, gently wrapped her arms around Haihara's bare waist, then buried her face in Haihara's soft chest.
"..."
Startled by the sudden embrace, Haihara looked down and saw Kougami Kage's flushed face.
She seemed very drunk.
Haihara poked her.
"Kiss me like you did when we were little."
Kougami Kage stroked Haihara's back and tilted her head up, breathing alcohol-scented air against Haihara's neck.
The thought of that female coworker kissing Haihara made her jealous.
"Have you maybe... had a little too much to drink?"
Haihara sounded unusually awkward.
When she was drunk, Kougami Kage seemed to lose the scientific-mindedness and coolness she'd shown earlier. She became a lot like she'd been as a child, with the added air of a beautiful, disheveled woman.
Her flushed face and bleary eyes were kind of cute, too.
"Kiss me, darling..."
It wasn't that Haihara didn't want to kiss her.
But would it be taking advantage of her while she was drunk?
After thinking it over, Haihara lowered her head and gently kissed Kougami Kage on the forehead.
Although Kougami Kage had asked for it, Haihara's entire face turned red after she kissed her.
It was about the same as when she kissed her daughter.
She'd only meant to humor her like this. They were adults, after all, and kissing like they had as children would be awkward.
That was how it should have been.
But...
Kissing her felt strangely nice.
She lowered her head a little farther, her lips gradually drawing closer to Kougami Kage's. They were nearer and nearer, close enough to feel the other woman's breath and the alcohol on her.
Because they were so close, Kougami Kage seemed to sober up a little.
"...What... are you going to do?"
"Kiss you," Haihara said calmly.
"Um, Lily... kissing is..."
But Haihara, with the alcohol taking hold, wasn't about to worry about that.
She was the kind of person who wouldn't pass up even the smallest taste of something sweet.
Haihara wrapped her arms around Kougami Kage, then pushed the clumsy, disheveled, tall woman down onto the sofa with a little force.
Kougami Kage fell back onto the sofa, and Haihara pinned both her shoulders.
Haihara felt Kougami Kage trembling all over, so she said coolly,
"Don't move."
She straddled Kougami Kage, then shifted forward until she was sitting on her waist, finding a position that was reasonably comfortable.
Then she slowly bent down, pinning Kougami Kage beneath her, their eyes meeting.
"Don't be nervous. It's just a kiss like when we were little. You were the one who asked for it, right?"
Haihara stroked Kougami Kage's face, comforting her.
"Mm..."
Kougami Kage obediently nodded.
Their faces were already very close.
Without giving her a chance to say anything, Haihara kissed Kougami Kage. It was like when they were little, but this kiss was no longer innocent. It was filled with desire and impure thoughts.
Come to think of it, the first time they'd kissed as children had also been because Haihara wanted to try and see what kissing felt like.
Kougami Kage hadn't resisted then, either.
As she kissed the woman beneath her, Haihara wondered if she'd been single for too long. How else could she bring herself to make a move on her completely unsuspecting childhood friend?
Only after she'd kissed Kougami Kage senseless did Haihara finally get up, satisfied.
After the kiss, Haihara felt a little empty.
She casually wiped away the dampness Kougami Kage had left at the corner of her mouth.
Then she thought seriously,
When would she finally find a girlfriend?
Hell Scroll
On Monday, the first-year students at Kaedehara High School officially began their camping trip. There were six classes in this year's first-year cohort, fewer than in previous years, but the school gates were still crowded with students early that morning.
They would take buses at seven thirty in the morning to a famous campsite on the outskirts of the city, where they would camp until the following morning.
However, Kirishima Ai didn't ride her bicycle to school as usual that morning. Instead, she rode in a car.
Doctor was driving.
Although Hina had recovered enough to leave her wheelchair, it was best for her to avoid walking too much. Kirishima Ai couldn't take her on a bicycle, either, so riding in a car was the best option.
That morning, Hina had recovered enough to walk without crutches. She was still a little unsteady and weak, but as long as Kirishima Ai took care, she should be fine camping for one night.
It was impossible not to be happy.
Kirishima Ai had never dreamed she'd get the chance to go out and have fun with her younger sister again.
But today, even Doctor seemed happy.
"Hehehe..."
Ever since she'd seen Doctor that morning, Doctor had been like this.
Like a girl in the first flush of love.
Even though she'd seemed perfectly normal yesterday.
Before you continue