“Handball, huh. If there’s a sports festival or something, I’ll show off”
 
I answered like that and stretched my body a little.
 
My rusty body creaked and groaned.
 
My shoulder blades especially had become noticeably stiff, so my ball speed must have dropped considerably.
 
I probably can’t move the way Hanazono remembers anymore.
 
“Fufu. But you don’t plan to return, do you?”
 
“Well, no. I’ve had enough of club activities”
 
“That’s too bad”
 
Hanazono didn’t say anything more.
 
Seira, who liked seeing me play in matches, still pokes at me to … Read the rest

Chapter 3: Gradual Progress

On the way home, I arranged to meet Hanazono about two minutes’ walk from the school gate.
 
I did this to avoid being noticed by the other students, but since there are hardly any go-home club members in our class, the risk was close to zero.
 
At our highschool, where joining a club is basically mandatory, the go-home club is extremely small.
 
Class 1-2, where I’m enrolled, was no exception—there were only five students treated as go-home club members.
 
Remi is a transfer student, so she’s on hold.
 
Yuzuha’s gal group, including herself, runs a social … Read the rest

I learned to appreciate spaces where I didn’t have to worry about people’s eyes, and at the same time, I became reluctant to go to places where people’s eyes were on me.
 
Especially places where classmates might be walking, and my alone time increased dramatically.
 
During that time, I was consumed with regret.
 
Why did I misunderstand?
 
Why don’t I have any allies?
 
Why do even the guys who were supposed to be my friends ignore me?
 
Why did Seto and Miyabi, who were supposed to be my friends, start attacking me?
 
If … Read the rest

Yuzuha looked toward the stairs.
 
The PE committee member Minegishi was about to come down to the grounds with the two teachers who had arrived late.
 
“…Maybe I only want to tell people I like about this kind of thing. I am a maiden after all.”
 
“…Then, wasn’t what happened earlier actually unpleasant after all…”
 
“Nah, that’s separate from this. Oh, this is a convenient phrase. I should go share it with Takano-chan too.”
 
Yuzuha said this casually and returned to her gal group.
 
…I probably shouldn’t talk about this stuff too much.
 … Read the rest

“Pffft—you guys are terrible! But hey, good taste! Pretty sure I would win that one~”
 
Encouraged by her reaction, Miyagi pressed on: “Seriously? Okay, real talk – how big are we talking here?'”
 
“The tension melted away as the guys listened to Yuzuha’s answer with half-smiles and bated breath.”
 

---

---

 
“‘Wow, that’s way too direct!’ Yuzuha laughed. ‘Wait, what’s with you guys? Are you all actually expecting me to answer that?'”
 
Five or six boys let their gazes drop to Yuzuha’s chest, as if now they were allowed to do so.
 
Her voluptuous breasts were even more clearly … Read the rest

Chapter 2: A Glimpse of the Garden
 

Gym class always stirs something in a guy’s heart.
 
Even for someone like me, who quit sports clubs after middle school, that feeling never changes.
 
There’s something oddly thrilling about changing clothes in a classroom with just the guys—a fleeting sense of camaraderie.
 
The usual banter about crushes and dirty jokes, normally kept in check, flies freely in this temporary all-boys zone. It’s practically a rite of passage in a co-ed school.
 
As I half-heartedly joined in the chatter, Takeru leaned in.
 
“Hey, be honest—how far have you gone with Yoshiki Nikaidou?”… Read the rest

After I heard the doorbell, the downstairs immediately became noisy.
 
Even through my bedroom door, I could hear Seira’s cry of “Remi-nee!” and Remi’s happy voice saying “Seira-chan, it’s been so long!”
 
Then Mom and Remi’s chat time began, and I waited for Seira to be freed.
 
…Our bedroom door is so thin that I can understand what’s happening downstairs.
 
Furthermore, being the room closest to the stairs makes it worse, and if I press my ear to the door, I can eavesdrop on most of their conversation.
 
Knowing that Remi is right there makes me restless, so I was … Read the rest

After that, we indulged in small talk during the meal.
 
Conversations from our friend days, conversations after things got good between us, conversations right after we became distant, and——conversations since becoming lovers.
 
The content of our small talk is mostly the same, but surely some kind of change will come.
 
I found myself looking forward to that while talking with her.
 
“Thank you. It was delicious.”
 
When Hanazono finished eating, she put her hands together with polite movements.
 
Following her example, I also muttered “Thank you for the meal” and continued:
 
“You don’t … Read the rest

“But still, does that give Remi a reason to avoid me? We’re childhood friends.”
 
“That’s exactly why, isn’t it?”
 
Yuzuha twirled her light gold hair around her finger.
 
“Because you’re childhood friends, I think she cares about you, Yoshiki. That’s how childhood friends are, right? Well, I wouldn’t know.”
 
“That last comment made everything unbelievable……”
 
At that statement, which was equivalent to “I take no responsibility,” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
 
Even so, I’ll definitely use it as a reference.
 
“I think you can trust it though, even if there’s … Read the rest

However, Takeru’s thoughts seemed to be heading in a completely different direction.
 
“Whoa… could this be the beginning of a new love? Damn, I feel like I just found a way to become even happier. I’m going to try making a move on Hanazono—”
 
Before I could understand what he meant, Yuzuha shrugged her shoulders.
 
“You should stop, Arino-kun.”
 
“Eh, why? I haven’t even finished saying it.”
 
“You pretty much said it all the way to the end, though? The point is, Hanazono-san is too much for you to handle, Arino-kun.”
 
“Ugahhh, too direct!?”… Read the rest