Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844261747978/episodes/822139844661026255
“──So, can I hug you after all?”
Wait. Why is this the same scenario as before?
…While mentally interjecting that thought, Yui answered.
“No, um, why?”
“It’s not a trap this time, okay? I just simply felt like doing it.”
“Then why!?”
This is bad. Only question marks were forming in her mind.
Sensing Yui’s confusion and her need for an explanation, Mitsuki kept smiling.
“To explain that, I’d have to start with the formation of this galaxy…”
“If possible, please keep it within lunch break.”
“Simply put, it’s for my songwriting.”
Good, it seems she’ll actually explain it.
Of course, that one sentence alone wasn’t enough, but Mitsuki continued.
“I think you’d understand… Basically, the hardest part of composing is whether a melody comes to you, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“And where it comes to you varies by person, right? While walking, or in the bath…”
That made sense too.
It wasn’t limited to composing, but often, individuals had specific ‘moments when ideas flowed easily’.
“So. For me, that moment is… when I’m snuggled up with someone close to me.”
“That’s pretty unique.”
“Right?”
Mitsuki proudly puffed out her chest.
…Without saying what, she emphasized it, and Yui instinctively looked away.
Anyway… I was starting to get the picture.
“So… does that mean you usually stick to someone when you want song ideas? Like Tomoka-san or your older sister?”
“Yeah! I’m famous at home as a hug monster. I’ll hug Tomo and onee chan from behind while she’s working forever. Sometimes I touch weird places and let her touch me too.”
“That last bit wasn’t necessary.”
…Imagining that scene, it’s probably quite appealing to a certain segment of people. No, don’t imagine it, idiot.
“Anyone else… like your childhood friend?”
“I can’t picture Ryota at all, so I’ve never tried it with him.”
“Ah, okay.”
That was a pretty abrupt answer. I sensed it was a topic I shouldn’t touch.
…If that’s the case, then what’s even more puzzling is.
“So, as part of looking for ideas for that song… I kinda wanted to stick with you too.”
“Yeah.”
“…Why me?”
“Because I thought maybe you’d come to mind.”
To Yui’s question, Mitsuki answered without hesitation.
“I just thought so while talking to you. That’s all. …Besides, you don’t see me as a ‘stranger of the opposite sex’ anymore, right?”
“Well, that’s…”
“At least, that’s how I see it. You’re incredibly kind and considerate, and as Tomo always says, you’re a hard worker. I’m sure that’s true. You’re an amazing person who puts so much effort into all kinds of creative work.”
“….”
Then, that abrupt compliment. Prompted by it, Yui found himeself thinking the same thing.
…True, he had too. Though it was a short time, he’d gotten to know Mitsuki. She had a unique aura and way of thinking, but at her core was a pure heart that cared for her sister.
She was a very kind, good person. Yui no longer doubted that.
No, but… Common sense told him it was strange to feel that way about someone she’d just met.
“…Well, I guess you’d hesitate. But… please.”
Mitsuki’s expression turned serious this time.
“I want to try everything. I want to be able to write even better songs than I do now. To do that, I want to try everything that might help. So—”
“!”
…Those words resonated the most.
Even Minasumi Mitsuki. Even the genius singer-songwriter already causing a huge stir at school. She wanted to grow beyond where she was now and was continuing her own trial and error to achieve it.
It was amazing, I thought. …It made me want to help her if I could.
So.
“…Hmm, okay.”
Yui steeled himself, nervously and hesitantly spreading his arms wide.
At this gesture of acceptance, Mitsuki’s eyes widened.
“…Is that okay?”
“You’re the one who asked… If you don’t do anything weird, sure.”
Normally, wouldn’t the girl be the one saying this? No, maybe that thought itself was wrong… I thought as I spoke… and Mitsuki.
“…! Thanks…! Then—”
Her eyes sparkled adorably as she expressed her gratitude.
Then, she quietly leaned toward Yui. Closing the distance until their bodies touched, she wrapped her slender arms around Yui’s back—and hugged him tightly.
The first thing he felt was the intoxicatingly sweet scent wafting from Mitsuki’s wolf-cut hair.
Then came the sensation of Mitsuki’s body pressed against his. …Truly, every part of her was soft.
Especially the prominent curve pressing against his solar plexus—even through her uniform, it felt overwhelmingly present, delivering a sensation so pleasant it threatened to melt him.
“….”
This was bad. Even knowing better, being hugged by a girl had an effect on a healthy fifteen-year-old boy. He desperately fought to suppress the unpleasant feeling rising within him.
As Yui fought this internal battle, Mitsuki shifted slightly, rubbing her head against him in a clingy manner. Right against the spot where his heart was.
“…Hm? Your heart’s beating really fast. Are you nervous?”
“Wouldn’t it be weird if I wasn’t…! I’ve never had the experience of being this close to a girl my age, let alone Mitsuki-san…”
He instantly caught himself before blurting out something embarrassing.
…But Mitsuki didn’t let it slide.
“Hm? Is something wrong with me? Is something wrong with me being the cutest girl in the world, just like Tomo and oneee-chan? I won’t know unless you tell me~”
“You totally get it already!”
Resigned to the fact that he had to say it, Yui felt his face burning.
“…Mitsuki-san, you’re incredibly cute. That just makes me even more nervous.”
“Fufu~, well said♪”
With those words, she tightened her embrace. The inevitable closeness intensified, making Yui’s body stiffen even more.
he was completely at her mercy. Just as Yui was feeling pathetic about himself, Mitsuki continued.
“…But, really, thank you.”
She said something like that.
“Honestly, I thought you’d probably refuse. A request like this from a girl you just met… You accepted it, didn’t you?”
“Well, I was super torn about it!”
he was probably still wondering if it was okay even now.
Looking back, it was undeniable that Mitsuki had skillfully guided him. But…
“But… when you said it was ‘for your creative work,’ I couldn’t refuse.”
Yui stated what had been the deciding factor.
“I get how important it is for ideas to flow. And besides…”
At the same time, he realized he hadn’t actually said that part himself.
Yui continued, voicing what he should have said.
“…As someone who makes music too, I really admire Mitsuki-san.”
“!”
“I’ve listened to every single one of Mitsuki-san’s songs that are out there. I think they’re all beautiful and amazing. You said we sounded similar earlier, but I think part of that is probably because I’m influenced by you.”
“Huh?”
“They sparkle, and listening makes me feel a little sad but also gives me energy. To borrow your words from earlier, Mitsuki-san’s songs are like a star-filled sky. I listen to them whenever I get the chance.”
As someone who creates music too, he conveyed his genuine respect honestly.
“So… if it helps Mitsuki-san’s songwriting in any way, I wanted to offer my full cooperation.”
That’s why I accepted it, I concluded.
“…Hmm~, I see. So you were a fan too.”
Mitsuki said this in an indescribable tone.
Then, she loosened her grip slightly and pulled away. …As if to hide the sound of her own heartbeat.
“…Did you pull away a bit?”
“Yeah, I did. What? Did you want me to press my boobs against you more? I’m not that cheap, you know.”
“I’m sorry!”
He apologized immediately.
“Good enough. …Don’t look at my face right now, okay?”
“I can’t see it from here anyway…”
But he could see her ears were faintly red.
A feeling he couldn’t quite describe washed over Yui’s ears as Mitsuki’s delicate voice reached her, whispering, “…Thank you.”
After that, Mitsuki held Yui in silence for another few dozen seconds.
“…Hmm, okay.”
She murmured, quietly pulling away.
Yui relaxed his body too. …he’d been tenser than he’d realized.
he must have been incredibly nervous after all. Mitsuki’s lingering scent still clung to him, leaving behind an unpleasant feeling.
…Anyway.
“Yeah, thanks again. It was really meaningful.”
“Glad to hear it… So, did you get it? The song idea?”
Yes, actually, Yui had forgotten until this very moment, but that was the purpose of this whole exchange.
When he asked if there had been any results—Mitsuki smiled softly.
“Hehe… Can you wait a moment?”
She said, pulling out her smartphone.
She launched some app and began typing something with practiced ease.
…Realizing what she was doing, Yui decided to wait as instructed.
Prompted by Mitsuki, who continued working, Yui sat back down on the original step—and waited several minutes for her, who for some reason sat with her back to Yui, cheerfully continuing her work.
“Done. Here you go.”
Mitsuki, having finished her task, handed over the earphones she’d taken out.
After confirming Yui had put them on, she operated the app.
The moment Mitsuki tapped the button, sound began flowing through the earphones—
“—”
—Instantly, Yui was captivated by that world.
The sound ended quickly. But even in that brief time, he understood.
“Did you hear it?”
“Yeah.”
“I just came up with it. I tried inputting just the chorus melody line… What do you think?”
“It’s amazing.”
he answered without hesitation.
What Mitsuki had just played for him was, as she said, only the chorus melody.
But… even that alone was more than enough.
After all, one major condition for a ‘good song’ is whether ‘the melody sticks in your ear’. In that regard, what I just heard was undeniably…
“It was incredibly catchy and beautiful. I’m sure it’ll be a great song. …Wait, you really just thought of that in this very moment?”
“Hehe, thanks! Yeah, right? It’s a melody I thought of while hugging you!”
“Wow.”
I was surprised it actually worked, and at the same time, I felt happy that I could be useful.
After that, we were both people who made music. We never ran out of things to talk about.
“Lend me one of your earbuds, let’s talk about stuff…! First… this chorus, how would you arrange the chords?”
“Huh, you’ll listen? Then lend me your app… How about this?”
“Oh, it matches pretty well. But if it were me, here I’d…”
“Ugh, you’re right, that’s better. …When you show me stuff like this, I mean, I really feel the gap between us…!”
“Hehe, well, it is a melody I came up with. And yours was helpful too, right? Alright then, next up──!”
From there, the conversation flowed nonstop for a while.
They happily played sounds for each other, exchanging opinions.
Sharing one earbud between them, they sat side by side, their talk bubbling over.
…So close that their shoulders, sitting side by side, were practically touching.
Somehow, it didn’t bother them at all.
◆
……And then.
Himekami Ryota, who had witnessed the entire scene from the shadows.
(Wh-what the hell…!!)
His heart was completely consumed by a raging, pitch-black emotion.
(What the hell? Who is he? Who the hell is that guy?! Mitsuki and that… Don’t mess with me, don’t mess with me…!)
He was struggling just to restrain himself from bursting out.
Confusion, resentment, jealousy, hatred. These emotions strained his entire body, while countless words, fueled by his disgust, raged wildly within his mind.
Mitsuki. One of my childhood friends—someone I knew better than anyone else.
She was showing a happy face I’d never seen, a sweet smile directed at some guy I didn’t know.
Impossible. It had to be a mistake.
Absolutely, categorically, I couldn’t accept it. It was definitely wrong.
With that conclusion as his starting point, his mind worked backwards and arrived at a certainty.
(…………Yeah, she’s being deceived.)
Yes, he determined the truth.
(I have to do something, I have to wake her up! But… now is bad. If I go out now, I’ll definitely look suspicious.)
Then, driven by emotion, he decided on a course of action.
(Then what do I do? …Simple. I’ll ask later. Luckily, Mitsuki and I are in the same class. There’ll be plenty of chances to ask.)
Driven by a sense of justice to save his childhood friend from being deceived by some weirdo.
(After Mitsuki returns to class. I’ll pretend I just happened to pass by here and listen to everything. Who that guy is, what he did to her. Then I have to tell her it’s all wrong—!)
Driven by righteous indignation, Ryota decided what to do and slipped away unnoticed.
…Of course. Little did he know that action would soon dig him an even deeper hole.
◆
As they discussed music, lunchtime drew to a close.
There was still much they wanted to talk about, but they decided to wrap things up for now.
“Thanks so much! Thanks to you, I think I can make a great song!”
“The feeling’s mutual. It was really inspiring.”
“That sounds weird in context, doesn’t it?”
“I wish you wouldn’t say that!”
Exchanging the banter that had somehow become a tradition in such a short time.
They exchanged greetings and were about to part ways, but…
“……”
For some reason.
Mitsuki seemed to be giving off an aura like she still wanted to say something.
Yui sensed it and waited for hier to speak. Seeing her like that…
“……Yeah. This person, then.”
Mitsuki murmured quietly before lifting her face to speak.
“…Um, Kozora kun?”
“What is it?”
“Well… I know I’ve already received so much help from you, and asking this feels incredibly rude…”
Uncharacteristically for her, she wore an expression that matched her words, genuinely apologetic.
“…One more thing. There’s something else I want to ask of you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s… quite a big thing. …Of course, I can’t force you. But… if you agree, I promise to help you with anything you’re struggling with as thanks.”
She turned a sincere face toward him and wove her words.
“…So. Please, will you hear me out?”
“Alright. What is it?”
It must be important. Yui sensed this and waited seriously for her to continue.
“…I want you to help Onee chan.”
“Onee chan..?”
“Yeah, Yukina-chan. …My big sister… she’s troubled by something right now… something I or Tomo can’t handle… something I think maybe you could help with.”
Seriously, earnestly.
“Once again, I ask you—”
As the opening line to yet another involvement with the three sisters.
Mitsuki delivered this request.
“—Would you become onee san’s lover…!”
“…………………What?”
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