Chapter 2: A Teenager's Daydreams and Reality

The time since I started dating Senpai passed in the blink of an eye.

On the calendar, it was about thirty days, but to me, it felt much shorter, like only a week or so had gone by.

Since then, Senpai and I had kissed many times.

“Well, reluctantly, I suppose this is where we part ways for today.”

“Y-yes.”

“Ah, how reluctant I am, how reluctant… I wonder what kind of act would sever these lingering feelings?”

For example, on the way home after walking home together.

When we said goodbye to each other, but felt reluctant to part.

“Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun.”

“No, thank you, I was the one who had a great time.”

“That B-movie wasn’t really that interesting, was it? Sorry for making you indulge my tastes.”

“No, it wasn’t like that at all. I was happy to experience something Senpai likes.”

“Fufu… is that so? Then I suppose it was worth inviting you.”

“Ah… but…”

“Hmm?”

“The last love scene was a little… embarrassing, maybe…”

“Hmph… is that so.”

For example, on a day off when we went to see a movie together.

When I suddenly recalled the intense kiss in the final scene.

“Fufu, thanks to you, my ‘Mysterious Gonzaburo-san’ collection has grown again. Thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

“No, it’s nothing really… I just won it for 200 yen in the UFO catcher.”

“The price doesn’t matter. The fact that you gave it to me is what’s important.”

“It’s… nice to hear you say that, I guess.”

For example, after school when we stopped by the shopping mall together.

When I won the plushie that Senpai had been eyeing in the arcade we wandered into.

Each time, Senpai would smile gently, sometimes with a mischievous grin, then blush slightly, and gently close her eyes…

No matter how many times we kissed, I felt like I was melting into the sensation.

No matter how many times we repeated it, I was thrilled by the warmth.

No, if anything, my longing only grew with each kiss, and I became greedier, wanting more and more, and Senpai, as if reading my mind, would send me a signal.

I’d been counting up to around the fifteenth time. Roughly ten days in. But after that, I’d lost track of the exact count.

Or rather…

“Thinking about it calmly, isn’t it seriously creepy to be counting the number of kisses…?”

Realizing that fact, I shuddered at my own creepiness.

No, but, every kiss with Senpai is special, each and every one is unique, and wouldn’t it be rude to Senpai not to properly remember them…?

Just then.

“Whoa!”

My phone, which was placed near my ear as I lay in bed, suddenly started vibrating and playing a cheerful melody.

“Eh, S-Senpai?”

The time was 11 PM. Usually, Senpai would be reading at this hour. Our daily exchanges usually ended around 9 PM, and I was just thinking that she wasn’t going to message me today, but…

‘Hey, sorry for the late hour. Were you asleep, maybe?’

A Connect message from Senpai, along with a smiling – presumably – Mysterious Gonzaburo-san sticker.

“N-no, I’m awake! I’m still wide awake!”

‘Oh dear, that’s not good. You’re a night owl, aren’t you, Boy.’

Since it was a message, I couldn’t hear her voice or see her face, but in my mind, her usual cool smile and slightly nasal laugh were perfectly воспроизведены, reproduced.

‘Well, not that I can talk, though.’

To be honest, I was a little lonely not getting a message. But I figured she was absorbed in a book or studying, or something else I shouldn’t interrupt, so I hadn’t been able to message her either.

‘Sorry. I know you bought a new book today, right? So I figured you must be engrossed in it and hesitated to bother you… but I couldn’t resist anymore, and ended up messaging you.’

At the same time, another sticker was sent, Gonzaburo-san shaking violently from side to side… is this… apologizing? Could it be…?

“It’s okay! It’s okAAAAAAA!”

Because I typed in a hurry, I ended up sending Senpai a message with some intense pressure.

“Sorry, typo, I meant it’s okay.”

‘Fufu, you don’t have to rush so much. I just wanted to chat a bit, that’s all. Would you keep me company?’

“Of course!”

Senpai said she wanted to chat, there’s no reason for me to refuse. Even if I had been asleep, I would have jumped out of bed to keep her company.

With those feelings in mind, I sent a ‘Okay’ stamp voiced by a tough-looking actor.

‘Whoa, that’s intense.’

“Ah, was it no good? I actually like this actor…”

‘No, I think it’s fine. Not bad taste at all. ‘Emperor of Kita’ is interesting, isn’t it.’

“Eh, Senpai knows about it too?”

‘Fufu, my dad likes that series, you see. We often watch it together.’

“Heeh, is that so. I feel like I’d get along with Senpai’s dad.”

‘In that case, would you like to come over to my place sometime and meet my dad?’

“Eh!? Ah… n-no… that’s, um… it’s still a bit… too soon, maybe… I think…”

I was just happy that Senpai knew the drama I liked, and got a little carried away, but ‘I feel like I’d get along with Senpai’s dad’ was a bit… quite presumptuous of me. In the first place, from what I’ve heard about her dad, he seems to cherish Senpai a lot, so if I carelessly visited their house, I might get ‘You’re the bad influence on my daughter!’-ed and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

No! Or rather, even calling Senpai’s dad ‘dad’ is too presumptuous!

‘Is that so, that’s a shame.’

“Ah, but, um, someday, I’d like to properly say hello…”

‘Well, there’s no need to rush, is there.’

Ah, I’m sorry. I disappointed Senpai. But, I’m not quite ready for that yet. When I visit Senpai’s house, I have to go with the resolve of a samurai facing seppuku…

‘Oh, speaking of my dad, it reminded me… The bath salts your mom gave me were really nice, you know.’

Perhaps sensing my inner turmoil, Senpai subtly changed the subject.

“Ah, really? I’m glad to hear that. M-mom will be happy too, I think.”

‘She said it was a souvenir from a hot spring trip, right? Sounds nice, I want to go too.’

Last week, Mom went on a two-day, one-night hot spring trip with her friends, and apparently, it was great because it was during the week and not crowded. She contacted me asking, ‘What kind of souvenir would you like?’, and I replied ‘Anything is fine’, so she bought manju for me, and bath salts for Senpai. ‘Shin, you got a girlfriend, right? Here, give this to her,’ she said, having somehow caught wind of information I hadn’t even told her about…

“Does Senpai like hot springs?”

‘Oh yes, I love them. If I could, I’d like to stay at one for about two weeks, just lazing around. Reading books from morning to evening, taking a bath when I get a little tired, strolling around near the inn, and then reading books again…’

For a moment, I thought it was a rather un-youthful hobby, but I kept it to myself. I also thought Senpai’s idea sounded really lovely, so I wasn’t really in a position to judge.

“That sounds nice, that kind of trip. I’d like to try it sometime.”

Before, Dad had said, ‘A luxurious trip is one where you have so much free time you don’t know what to do with it,’ and I used to think that sounded like a waste, but now I get it. Going on that kind of trip with Senpai, just the two of us, would definitely be fun.

‘Then, shall we go sometime?’

“Yes!”

‘Fufu, a泊まりがけ, overnight trip with Boy, huh. I need to start working on raising Boy’s trust level now, it seems.’

…Huh?

I replied ‘Yes!’ without thinking, but wait a minute.

Senpai and… an overnight… hot spring trip!?!?!

W-wait, wait!? Does that mean, does that mean…

“Wow, Boy. That was a nice bath, wasn’t it.”

“Yes, the hot water felt amazing.”

“There weren’t many people there, so we washed each other’s backs, it was fun, wasn’t it.”

“Yes, it was really fun.”

“I was wondering what to do when I heard it was a mixed bath, but since it was just the two of us, there was nothing to worry about.”

She said! She said! She said!!!

“They say it’s called a ‘skin-beautifying hot spring’, and it’s true. My skin feels smooth and bouncy. Here, feel it.”

“Whoa, you’re right. Senpai’s skin is so smooth and bouncy, it’s like my hand is being drawn to it…”

“Eep♪ Hey now, where do you think you’re touching?”

Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-where am I touching!? Where am I touching, you idiot meeeeeeeeee!?! I’m gonna kick your ass, you hear meeeeeee!?!

‘Boy? What’s wrong?’

“Eh…, ah, n-nothing.”

N-no good. I was just having some terribly rude妄想,妄想 about Senpai.

‘Are you getting sleepy, maybe?’

“N-no, it’s not that…”

If anything, after that, I’m probably going to be too wide awake to sleep.

‘Well, but, this hot spring water really is something, isn’t it. It’s been quite a while since we got out of the bath, but my body still feels all warm and tingly.’

“I-is that so, that’s good to hear…”

Vanish, vanish my worldly desires, vanish…

‘Right after getting out of the bath, I was so hot, you know, I was just wandering around in my underwear, and my dad scolded me.’

Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-underwear!?!?!

Ah, no good! No good, no good! I mustn’t imagine it!

But… but… Senpai, in her underwear…!

She must be wearing something mature… no wonder her dad scolded her… Aah! Aaaah! AAAAAAAAAAAH!!

‘Speaking of which, what kind of clothes do you wear when you’re at home? I heard some guys just wear underwear.’

“Huh? Ah, m-me?”

‘Yes, you, Boy.’

Suppressing the desires that were about to run wild in my head, I took a deep breath to answer her question.

“I… usually wear shorts and a T-shirt. My friend Ninomiya said he just wears underwear, but Mom would disapprove of that at our house.”

‘Heeh, I see. I was imagining Boy in just his underwear, but that’s a bit of a shame.’

“Why is it a shame!?”

‘Hey, if you don’t mind, could you take a picture and send it to me?’

“Eh? A picture? Of me in my underwear!?”

‘No, not that, I want to see the clothes you’re wearing now.’

A p-picture… a picture, right? A selfie, you mean…? I’m not really good at those, but…

Thinking that, I reached out and snapped a photo, trying to get my face and body in the frame. I was a little embarrassed to have my bookshelf and bed in the picture, so I tried to angle it to avoid them, but I wonder if I managed it.

Good thing I was wearing a relatively new set of loungewear. It’s not like it’s stylish or anything, but at least it’s not totally uncool. If I was totally off guard, I might have been wearing my middle school gym clothes…

‘Ah, got it. Hmm hmm, not bad.’

Senpai seemed to like the photo I sent, and sounded like she was in a good mood.

‘It’s nice to see you in your everyday clothes, different from your uniform.’

“But you saw me in my casual clothes when we went to the aquarium the other day, didn’t you?”

‘Yes, but those were your ‘going-out’ clothes, weren’t they? I wanted to know what you look like when you’re truly relaxed.’

“Hah… I see…?”

I kind of understood, and kind of didn’t.

But, it’s true that I’m also curious about what kind of clothes Senpai wears usually…

“Then, Senpai should send me a picture too. It’s not fair if it’s just me.”

It was unlike me, and a bit forceful, but I tried to insist a little. I thought maybe she’d be taken aback and think I was presumptuous, but my curiosity outweighed those concerns.

‘Hahaha, is that how it is. Well, yeah, you’re right, it’s not fair if only Boy has to show me his clothes.’

Besides, I don’t have any pictures of Senpai – well, there’s the two-shot photo we took at the aquarium, with the staff member taking it – but to be honest, I wanted a photo of Senpai, just Senpai alone.

‘But, oh dear, this is a problem.’

“Ah, no, um, you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

But my resolve easily crumbled at Senpai’s words, which sounded both hesitant and a little troubled.

I-it can’t be helped, can it! I’m a wimp, okay!?

Or something like that, I tried to lash out in my mind, without even knowing who I was making excuses to.

‘No, it’s not that I don’t want to send you a photo or anything like that, you see. It’s just that, I basically sleep naked, you see.’

“Huh…? N-naked…?”

Does that mean… stark naked…?

‘Hmm… even if it’s to Boy, showing you my body as I was born is a bit embarrassing, what should I do, what should I do.’

“N-no! Um! Senpai!? It’s okay! It’s okay, really!? You don’t have to show me! It’s… it’s fine!! Really…!”

‘No, but, I think I’ll just go for it and send it anyway. Because I want to show Boy myself, just as I am.’

“W-wait! No! Wait!”

Stop! No, Senpai, no!! I’m! I’m not mentally prepared yet!! W-wait! W-wait! W-wa-wa-wait! Waaaaaaaaaaait!!

Ping! A light, airy sound, indicating that something had been sent to me on Connect from Senpai. As for me, I was holding my phone in my right hand, stretching my right arm out as far as I could, turning my face away, and squeezing my eyes shut…

“……”

Silence.

A silence that lasted for a while… or rather, quite a while.

N-no good… don’t look, you mustn’t look, this is definitely a trap.

But, but, as a boy of my age, it’s not like I’m not curious about Senpai’s nude form…

I opened one eye just a tiny slit and peeked.

…I can’t see anything.

I slightly increased the slit of time I was peeking.

Ah, there it is. Senpai’s figure is there…

Th-this is, um, not because of my lewd desires, or any erotic feelings, it’s more like, um, um, yes! Art! It’s the same as my interest in art, um… um…

Aah, screw it! I confess!! I’m lewd! I’m horny!! I want to see Senpai naked!!

I steeled myself and pulled the phone closer to my eyes. Then…

“Huh…?”

What was there was a smiling photo of Senpai, smiling shyly.

Reaching out her hand, holding her phone, leaning slightly closer to the camera, her legs, beautifully sculpted and slender, stretching out from her shorts. She was wearing a hoodie, casual, but covering everything that shouldn’t be seen.

Her smooth, beautiful hair falling over her shoulders and flowing over her collarbones, her slender neck, her right shoulder, slightly bare, Senpai looking relaxed, different from her usual uniformed self.

It was different from what I had been half-expecting, but it was undoubtedly a goddess-like figure, dazzlingly radiant to my eyes…

‘Kuku… kufufufu…’

A sticker arrived, a strange mascot struggling to suppress its laughter. It wasn’t Gonzaburo-san, but it was still kind of… no, quite ugly-cute character.

‘Did you… have some expectations, perhaps?’

Grin grin grin, smirk smirk smirk, another tauntingly grinning face of an irritatingly ugly character. The person who created the animation for this must have a seriously twisted personality.

“N-no way! I-I knew it, okay!? I knew Senpai was just saying that to tease me!”

‘Fufufu, have I toyed with a young boy’s pure heart, perhaps?’

C-curses… I could picture Senpai’s mischievous grin in my mind’s eye. Yes, yes you have! You’ve totally toyed with me!!

Ah, but still, Senpai’s loungewear is cute… fluffy and soft-looking. Senpai’s skin must be smooth too, I bet…

Wait, what am I thinking…

…Hmm?

At that moment, I suddenly sensed something off about the photo I’d received.

Um… what is it? I don’t know what exactly, but somehow, I felt like there was a major truth hidden in this photo…

I looked at Senpai’s face. Yes, beautiful. I know that already, but she’s really beautiful.

Her neck is slender, her collarbones are somehow strangely alluring… but, that’s not it.

Her legs? Senpai’s legs are slender and beautiful too. Getting a lap pillow from her must feel amazing… wait, that’s not important right now.

From top to bottom, narrowing down the range of my analysis. And then, right around the middle, slightly above the slightly boldly lowered hoodie zipper…

“…!!”

I-I realized it… once I noticed it, my gaze was completely riveted to that spot.

Snow-white skin. Not that huge, but even through the clothes, I could clearly see the swell.

And, right at the tip of it…

“…gulp.”

A small, cherry-blossom pink protrusion.

In other words…! Senpai’s nippleeeeeeeeeeeees!!!

“Whoaaaaaaaaaah!”

I reflexively threw my phone away.

“W-w-w-w-w-w-w……”

Natural? Is it natural? Or was it intentional?

It’s possible. It’s totally possible with Senpai. She’s teasing me like this, toying with my pure heart, but, but, but…

“Um… maybe I just, m-maybe I just mis-saw it, so let me check one more time…”

I can see it!! I can totally see it!!

Sh-should I say something, or should I not? If it’s Senpai’s prank, I’m completely falling for her trap, and if she doesn’t realize it, I’ll end up embarrassing Senpai, a-ah, a-ah-ah, a-ah-ah-ah-ah, what, what should I do…?

‘What’s wrong? Does it not suit me?’

As I was agonizing over what to do, Senpai called out to me.

“Ah, no, it’s very, very cute, I think. It’s just, it’s too much for my eyes to handle, you could say…”

‘Fufu, is that so, is that so? If I managed to throw Boy’s heart into disarray, then it’s my win.’

As I thought… she didn’t realize…?

Or rather, when did this competition even start??

But, well, if she doesn’t realize it, maybe I should just play dumb too and pretend I didn’t notice…

‘Oops, look at the time. Well then, Boy. That’s all for today. See you again tomorrow, at school.’

“Y-yes.”

‘Don’t stay up too late, and go to bed early, okay?’

Senpai said that, but…

Honestly, I was wide awake now, and couldn’t sleep at all, not even a little bit.

As for the photo in question…

I saved it securely in a hidden folder on my phone, with a password.

…Sorry, Senpai.