Chapter 17

“……………”
“Shizuna?”
“Th…!!”

When Ryuichi called out her name as she stared intently at him, Shizuna hid her face beneath the duvet. Seeing her reaction, Ryuichi, who had already gotten out of bed a step ahead, let out a wry smile. Well, to be fair, he wasn’t entirely unaffected either.

“Is anything hurting?”
“…Nothing hurts anymore, but it feels a little strange.”
“That’s how it is at first. Once you get used to it by doing it more– ah, never mind.”

Ryuichi cut himself off midway.
Right now, he was wearing only his trousers, leaving his upper body bare and fully exposing his formidable physique without reservation. Conversely, Shizuna, wrapped tightly in the blanket, wore nothing at all. This meant only one thing: the two of them had gone all the way. Of course, they had properly observed the lines that needed to be drawn.

“…Why did you stop yourself?”
“Huh?”
“Won’t you… do it with me anymore?”

Her voice sounded terribly sad, yet at the same time, it brimmed with a faint trace of anticipation. Ryuichi hadn’t expected Shizuna to go this far, and his eyes widened slightly before he quickly reached out and patted her head.

“Good grief, you really are a cute one. What? Are you saying you’ll keep me company from now on?”
“Of course. I’m already a woman who shares that kind of bond with Ryuichi-kun, after all. I know that by general societal standards, this relationship is wrong. But I can’t stop these feelings heading toward you. That’s why I’ve decided this is fine.”
“I see… Come here, Shizuna.”
“Y… Yes.”

The moment he told her to come, Shizuna immediately kicked off the duvet and leaped straight into Ryuichi’s chest. Because she wore nothing at all, her body was fully visible to him. Not only was her skin a beautiful white, but her curves—possessing a mature ripeness unbefitting a high schooler—still shamelessly beckoned to his lust even after they had already finished… Her body was simply that captivating.

“…Ryuichi-kun~ I love you… I love you so much.”

Even though they were just holding each other, Shizuna wore an expression of pure, unadulterated bliss. Since it was her first time, Ryuichi had paid close attention to ensure she wouldn’t experience any pain, but the hidden masochistic streak Shizuna displayed amidst her maidenly shyness had shown itself to a staggering degree, first time or not.

“And here I thought you’d completely lost your composure. To think you’d call this your first time; you’re something else, you know.”
“Don’t say it like that… But I only ever show that side of myself to Ryuichi-kun.”
“You sure know how to say things that make a guy happy.”

Ryuichi captured the lips of Shizuna as she was looking up at him.
Under normal circumstances, one would expect her to feel embarrassed about kissing given the nature of their relationship. Yet Shizuna showed not a shred of shame; her cheeks merely flushed a faint pink as she instead begged for more and more kisses.

“…Umm… It was my first time, but it really is something else. Though I could somehow tell that Ryuichi-kun is extremely good at it. You’re used to this, aren’t you?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve been with women older than you before, too. I understand well enough how to make someone feel good. Even setting that aside, you were pretty easy to read, Shizuna. You prefer things rougher, don’t you?”
“…Honestly!”

Ryuichi chuckled as she pattered his chest with light, flustered blows.
Throughout their conversation, Ryuichi’s hand had rested continuously against her breast. The voluptuous fullness that overflowed even when supported by a hand was an inherited trait from Sakie, but her responsiveness far surpassed her mother’s. As expected of a manga heroine—being able to lose herself so thoroughly on her first try was a talent in its own right.

(G-Ghk… you’re pressing… too hard…!!)

In hindsight, her incredible responsiveness had made Ryuichi burn brighter than usual, which he supposed was one thing to reflect on.

“…Well, even so.”
“?”

Through everything with Shizuna, Ryuichi realized that they matched better than any partner he had ever had. Ryuichi didn’t dislike her in the slightest, and Shizuna harbored feelings for Ryuichi so clear and transparent they couldn’t possibly be mistaken. That was precisely why their bodies had clicked together so effortlessly.

“Shizuna, your body is incredible. I think our compatibility is off the charts.”
“…Really~ Fufu, I’m so happy!”

By all ordinary logic, one might stop to think things through first, yet Shizuna just smiled as brightly as a praised child. Afterward, they passed the time chatting idly without putting their clothes back on, though they couldn’t forget that school awaited them tomorrow.

“I should head back soon. We’ve got school tomorrow.”
“…I understand.”

She looked visibly crestfallen.
When he told her they would see each other again soon, Shizuna managed a smile, successfully chasing away her sorrowful expression. Once they finished dressing and headed to the entryway, both Shizuna and Sakie stood there to see him off.

“Come back again. Next time, I’ll cook an even more luxurious meal.”
“Seriously? In that case, I’ll be back pretty soon…”

As he said it, Ryuichi couldn’t help thinking he was being fattened up like a pet. Even so, the food genuinely had been delicious—so much so that he found himself wishing he could eat it every day. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and right now, Ryuichi might just be living proof of that adage.
After finishing his farewells and stepping outside, Shizuna hurried out after him wearing a light jacket.

“What’s wrong?”
“…Um.”

Thinking she might have business with him, Ryuichi waited while she showed hesitant, conflicted gestures. Wondering if she had forgotten something or if there was something else she wanted to say, he stood still and waited patiently as she finally spoke.

“…I don’t really know anything about Ryuichi-kun. Not the person from the rumors, anyway. I can say with absolute confidence about that much.”
“You’re not wrong, strictly speaking, though.”

His values had shifted, but his core nature hadn’t, and everything he had been doing up until very recently hit the nail right on the head.

“For one thing, I’m involved with your mother, and even without dating, I’ve gotten physically involved with you, too. A friends-with-benefits setup… well, that doesn’t quite sound right, but it’s basically the same thing. From a high schooler’s perspective, it’s a warped relationship.”
“That’s fine, though. Because this is what I want… Sure, it’s not something I could ever tell my friends about, that I’m Ryuichi-kun’s partner like this, but I don’t care. This is the relationship I chose.”
“…Good grief.”

Ryuichi thought she was endlessly straightforward.
Shizuna truly was a heroine. Though she was a heroine destined to fall, the core strength she possessed made it impossible to see her that way right now. She’s blinding, Ryuichi honestly evaluated her at this moment.

“…You’re pure white, Shizuna.”
“Eh?”

Shizuna’s eyes widened at his muttered words. Ryuichi continued.

“If I’m a stained, pitch-black color, then no matter what happens, you’re a pure white that can never be dirtied. A white that won’t take on my essence no matter what I do… It’s a color so blindingly beautiful.”

With those words, Ryuichi turned on his heel.
He started walking away with a casual wave of his hand, but a small impact suddenly struck his back. An arm wrapped around his waist, pressing a large, soft warmth and a forehead flat against him.

“You can’t just leave after saying things like that, you know?”
“…Sorry, just let me stay like this for a little longer.”

It was getting a bit chilly outside, but Ryuichi let Shizuna do as she pleased.
Amidst that quiet embrace, Shizuna spoke softly in response to his words.

“I said it before, but I don’t know everything about what kind of person Ryuichi-kun is. I don’t know why you had such a pained look in your eyes, like you were enduring something, while you were holding me, nor do I understand why you switch back and forth between treating me with such care and looking at me as if looking down on women.”
“!? “

Those words struck straight at the core of Ryuichi.
He felt an illusion as though the inside of his heart was being peered into, but because it was Shizuna, he felt no sense of displeasure. Instead, his bewilderment at how she could possibly have figured it out was far greater.
Unknowingly, his hand tightened over hers wrapped around his waist. Her fingers were naturally cold, yet they simultaneously harbored a gentle warmth.

“If the time ever comes when Ryuichi-kun wants to talk about it, I want to listen. You told me that I’m pure white that won’t be dirtied, so I want you to feel at ease. No matter what happens, there will always be a color by your side that remains unchanged. Because a strong color capable of painting over those anxious shades will always be right here with you.”

It was a terribly cheesy line.
Yet it was also words that encapsulated the human called Shizuna to the absolute fullest. Ah, I see, he thought, this truly is a heroine in the truest sense. Regardless of any memories from her original world, the sheer brilliance of her innate character was something he couldn’t ignore, try as he might.

Placing his own hand over hers, Ryuichi gently unwrapped her fingers.

“Ah…”
“If we don’t head back soon, neither of us is going to find a good stopping point. See you, Shizuna.”
“…Un. Hey, Ryuichi-kun, kiss me one last time.”
“Alright.”

Without a shred of hesitation, Ryuichi placed a hand on Shizuna’s cheek and kissed her. Only then did he finally pull away from her and begin walking the path back toward his apartment.

“…A lot happened, huh.”

Recalling everything up until moments ago, he genuinely felt that way.
It felt almost as though he had spent a sweet, honey-like stretch of time. At the same time, her parting words before they separated crossed his mind.

“…In the end, I really am just that bastard’s kid, aren’t I, dammit.”

A grudge hurled at the prime culprit who had warped his values, his thoughts on women, his entire existence… Yet Ryuichi understood. Even so, the one truly at fault was none other than himself.

The face of a woman laughing filthily, the ugly voice dismissing him as a nuisance—darkness threatened to pull him under, but right on cue, Shizuna’s smile and words returned like sunlight piercing through the clouds.

“…It’s not… so bad, I suppose.”

Muttering those brief words under his breath, Ryuichi quickened his pace on the way home.
His steps were light, and his expression, for once, felt unexpectedly bright.