Bölüm 21

[AI CENSORSHIP BLOCKED THIS CHUNK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

“What exactly went on?”

“Gosh, you’re so annoying…”

I was back home after our review session with Fushimi, interrogating Shinohara. I could easily picture her grumpy face on the other side of the phone, but I didn’t stop.

“We were in the same group for the field trip in second year of middle school, right? Was it then?”

“I forget.”

“C’mon. Tell me, please.”

I was asking her about why she fell in love with me back then. She sighed in resignation and finally gave an answer.

“The trigger was…the field trip, I think. The others were all walking so fast, and I couldn’t keep up, but you were the only one who waited for me…”

That happened?

“Wait, that’s it?”

“Th-that was just the beginning! The trigger, I said! …You started getting my attention after that…”

“That was really enough to get your attention?”

“Who cares! Leave me alone! Also…you should be asking this to someone else… This is so embarrassing, God.”

“I’m feeling awkward, too.”

“You stupid…”

The only reason I could ask her directly was because I didn’t even know who else to ask. Besides, solving the mystery behind why she’d asked me out would be completely worth it, I thought.

“Don’t Fushimi or Shii grab your attention in any similar way? Not like friends but like…girls.”

The thing that made me the most conscious of it was the kiss, but I wasn’t going to tell her. That wasn’t exactly fair anyway, since we hadn’t followed the proper steps.

“Well, I won’t say no…”

“By the way, which one? Fushimi or Shii?”

She sounds excited now.“Both, I guess. I have fun with both of them and feel at ease when we’re together alone.”

“Does your heartbeat speed up and stuff?”

Now that was probably a no for both.

“Do you feel happy just seeing their faces, or like you could get through anything that comes your way the rest of the day because you got to say hi?”

“Um, what?”

She sighed for what seemed like an eternity.“Yeah, just die alone.”

“Hey, stop.”What did I do to deserve death?“Do you think I’m weird?” I asked.

“Yeah. You’d be less weird if you were off going through your edgy teen phase. You haven’t had your first love yet, Takaryou?”She sounded exasperated.

Is it really that weird to not understand love?

There were a few guys in class with girlfriends. They didn’t tell me personally, but I’d heard the rumors. Still, I wasn’t jealous at all. I won’t deny I had a sex drive, and interest in sex as such, but that didn’t mean I’d fall in love. That wasn’t a conclusion you’d reach by seeing the other person naked in the first place, I thought.

“Was I your first love, Shinohara?”

“Too bad. I had it back in preschool.”

Wow, that’s early.

“I think girls start feeling these emotions earlier than boys, but you’re a pretty late bloomer even by those standards.”

“That’s why I’m asking these things, you know?”

“Ughhh,”she groaned.“Look, a proper lady like me shouldn’t be saying this, but… D-do you sometimes think of Fushimi wh-when you’re… Y’know?”

“What?”

What the hell’s she saying all of a sudden?

“I’m asking ’cause it’s the only way I can imagine a guy thinking about this.”

You’re telling me to ask my d*ck?

“I have never done that while thinking about a real person.”

“S-so you do do it…”

“Well, yeah.”

“Uh-huh…”

Then a moment of silence.

“Wait, are you imagining me doing it or something?”

“O-of course not! I—I was just thinking about how you’re really just like any other boy…”She cleared her throat.“W-well then, let’s change the question. Which one would you rather see naked?”

“You’re really just asking me this, huh?”

“And you can give more than one answer.”

“You have no shame.”

One of them naked…?

“I’m just changing my approach, since you keep saying you don’t get it. You should be thanking me. My face is beet red right now, just so you know…”

“You’re right. Sorry for making you do this, and thanks.”

“Don’t try and change the subject.”

How did she know?

Besides, I think we’re already going offtrack with this conversation.

We went from me not understanding love to finding out which of them I loved.

“Shii looks like she might have curves in all the right places.”

“…”Torigoe?

“Stop picturing it.”

“You’re the one putting images in my head…”

“So Takaryou likes girls with secretly big boobs. Note taken.”

“Don’t take notes.”

What’s scary was that I couldn’t tell what she was actually doing on the other side of the phone.

…Wait? Secretly big boobs?

Fushimi was completely flat from the front. Her body drew an exquisite straight line from the side. Zero curves.

I’d also seen her naked many times before, when we were little. Obviously there’d be some changes now, but I wouldn’t say I really wanted to see her naked again.

“Huh? Wait a minute…”

We’d played a bunch of times in an inflatable pool at my home’s small garden. I remembered someone else being there… Oh, Mana?

“Just study up by reading some girls’ manga. Love is a misunderstanding or a wrong impression most of the time anyway.”

What a weird feeling to have her be so blunt that far into the conversation.

“I’ll lend you some if you don’t have any,”she said, giving me a few recommendations. I agreed to borrow one of them.

“I don’t think I’d have any trouble if reading manga was all I needed to do.”

Though maybe I was wrong. I’d never read girls’ manga, after all.

“Bubby…who’re you talking with?” Mana peeked into my room.

“Ah, with Shinohara.”

“Oh, the Boss?”

The Boss?

Well, I could kinda tell why she’d start calling her that.

Mom was right… Mana’s boobswerebig. Impressively developed for a middle schooler.

“Bubby’s staring at my boobs…!”

“You can tell?”

“Of course. Wanna touch?”

“No.”

I decided to ask Mana my question, too. “Mana, what is love for you?”

“For me?” She tilted her head and thought for a bit before answering. “It means caring more for that person than I do for myself, I think.” She giggled timidly.

“Oh, I see.”

“G-good night!” Mana ran away, perhaps out of embarrassment.

That answer was about ten times more useful than anything the Boss had said.