It's A Bit Late To Notice, But Kotori Really Has Become Cute

“Yeah. I’m a bit interested, too. I’ll try looking into it on my end as well.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Takumi and Kotori both let out a sigh of relief.

Then, as if to brush away the lingering heavy atmosphere, Kotori clapped her hands together with a crisp snap and made a suggestion.

“O-Oh, right! Takumi, I’m going to try putting on that eau de cologne for practice. Tell me what you think.”

“Is it fine if it’s just me?”

“Yeah. I have to tell them what I think tomorrow anyway. Like… for reference? Besides, there’s no one else I can rely on except Takumi.”

“I see.”

Shyly heading toward her bag, she rummaged around inside and pulled out the eau de cologne in question.

It was a stylish little item contained in an orange bottle.

Kotori took it in her hand, stared at it intently for a moment, and then, after pumping herself up with a “Right!”, sprayed it twice onto both sides of her neck.

“H-How is it?”

“I can’t tell from this far away, obviously.”

When Takumi gave a wry smile, Kotori showed a troubled face and peeked the tip of her tongue out as if realizing her mistake.

Then, letting out a small “Nn,” she turned her face away and brushed her hair up.

“Um, like this…”

As she did, Kotori’s slender, fair nape was laid bare, making him swallow dryly.

He felt a striking sense of allure, almost like he was looking at something he shouldn’t be seeing.

His heart began to beat violently, fast like an alarm bell.

“…Is this alright?”

“Yeah. You won’t be able to tell unless you smell it.”

When he asked nervously, a completely logical answer came back.

He looked at Kotori once more. Unlike in the past, she took care of her appearance on a daily basis and applied her makeup flawlessly; she was glamorous enough that the boys’ excitement in class made complete sense, and the word “pretty” suited her well.

To smell the cologne Kotori had applied meant he had to get close to her.

Bringing his face to a distance close enough to almost kiss a girl this beautiful made him feel a bit hesitant, and combined with their long-standing relationship since childhood, it felt strangely embarrassing.

A restless silence flowed between them.

Kotori was blushing all the way to her ears, her eyelashes trembling. That was how much resolve she had steeled within herself.

In that case, Takumi couldn’t afford to chicken out either.

“…Here I go.”

“…Nn.”

Declaring so, Takumi approached Kotori. For some reason, he was more nervous than during their routine.

As her refined face grew closer, his throat went bone-dry from tension.

And just as they reached a distance where they could hear each other’s breathing and feel their exhales, a sweet and sour scent softly tickled his nostrils.

“…Ah.”

For a moment, his head spun with dizziness.

Smelling Kotori’s feminine scent for the first time, a bizarre mix of guilt and excitement washed over him. His completely blank mind was filled entirely with thoughts of Kotori.

Even though he had just released his built-up urge moments ago, he felt the blood rushing again—that was when.

“H-How is it, is it strange?”

He snapped back to reality at the timid, weak voice of Kotori asking nervously.

Takumi hurriedly pulled away and, trying his best to act calm so as not to betray his wildly beating heart, answered.

“It feels refreshing yet sweet, I think it’s really nice.”

“Really!?”

“How should I put it… it feels really feminine.”

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

Kotori’s face softened up in relief.

Takumi, feeling like he had harbored an improper thought for a fraction of a second, turned his face away.

He knew it was a clumsy choice of words, but those were the absolute best he could manage.

While a ticklish, awkward atmosphere lingered, Kotori suddenly broke into giggles.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? We usually do much more intense things, yet we get embarrassed over something like this.”

“…Haha, tell me about it. I gave such an innocent reaction just now, too.”

“A routine is a routine, after all.”

Thinking about it carefully, it really was quite absurd.

Takumi stood up while scratching his head, picked up his bag, and said:

“Well, I’m heading home now.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Saying that, Takumi hastily beat a retreat from Kotori’s room.

Stepping out of the Nabata household’s front door, he pressed his hand against his still-throbbing chest and murmured with a troubled expression.

“…It’s a bit late to notice, but Kotori really has become cute.”