Eriri's figure was undeniably slender—some might even call her petite—but despite appearances, her thighs weren't bony at all. On the contrary, they were warm and soft, almost as if Kanade had rested his head on the fluffiest pillow imaginable.
...No, scratch that. This wasn't just a pillow—this was the pillow.
Comfortable. Supportive. Heavenly.
And because it felt so good, Natsukawa Kanade did what anyone in his position would do—he shifted slightly, adjusting to the most comfortable spot.
"...?!"
Big mistake.
Eriri's entire body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat.
"I—I mean, this is my first time doing this… Is it uncomfortable…?" she asked hesitantly, her voice a little higher than usual.
She was the one who had suggested it in the first place, but now she couldn't calm down! Her movements were stiff, her hands hovered awkwardly in the air, and the uncertainty on her face made it painfully obvious—this girl had no idea what she was doing.
I'M GOING TO DIE.
Eriri screamed internally.
She had acted purely on impulse! She hadn't even stopped to think whether Kanade would actually want this!
And now, here she was—stuck. What the heck was she supposed to do next?!
Massage his temples? That sounded nice, but what if she did it wrong?! Maybe a shoulder rub instead? No, wait, she didn't know how to do that either!
Crap. Crap. Crap.
She really, really should've learned more from her mom about this kind of thing. If she had known a moment like this would come, she would've spent less time drawing and more time preparing for war.
But it was too late for regrets now.
Instead, she had to focus on what to do next. Was she being too aggressive? Would Kanade think she was pushy? Would he—
Would he think she was... frivolous?!
Eriri's heart pounded like a drum. No! That couldn't happen!
This was really her first time doing something like this! She wasn't like a certain smug, black-haired rival who could pull off sultry one-liners like, "Oh my, Kanade-kun~ I've done way more intimate things with you before~"
No. Absolutely not.
But then again… was that the kind of girl Kanade liked?
Compared to those other girls—those ridiculously cute, curvy, charming, and borderline unfair rivals—where did she even stand?
They were adorable. They were confident. Even their personalities (except that smug purple-eyed she-devil!) were way easier to get along with than hers!
How could she possibly compare?
...She couldn't.
That's why she had to make the first move.
Even if it was embarrassing—even if she wanted to bury herself six feet under—she had to take action and show Kanade how she felt!
"U-Um… Kanade?" she stammered, her fingers tightening slightly.
"Hm?" Kanade hummed, his voice relaxed.
"W-Would you… like a massage?"
Kanade blinked up at her.
A massage?
"...I mean, if it's not too much trouble," he replied with a small smile. "I'll leave it to you, then, Eriri."
DOKI.
DOKI. DOKI.
DID HE JUST ACCEPT THAT SO CASUALLY?!
Eriri's face burned.
But she was committed now. No backing out.
"O-Okay…! T-Then I'll start now…" she stammered, rolling up her sleeves (which were short, so this was pointless, but it was the principle that mattered).
She placed her hands on his temples and—gently, carefully—began to massage.
"Mm… That's nice," Kanade murmured.
Success!
Or at least, that's what she thought.
Because that's when it hit her.
Even though she was the one giving he massage, her heart was racing more than ever. She was way more flustered than Kanade.
It wasn't fair!
This was supposed to be a power move! A calculated, elegant, affectionate act to make him flustered!
But instead, she was the one panicking?!
And then—a dangerous thought crept into her mind.
If I just… leaned in a little closer…
...Just for a second…
No, stop it, Eriri!
That was crazy talk!
She had to take this slow! She couldn't just randomly kiss him! That would make her look like a total—
...Wait.
Would he actually mind?
Eriri swallowed hard. Her heartbeat was deafening.
This was her chance. A God-sent opportunity!
She glanced down at Kanade, whose eyes were closed, completely unaware of the inner war raging within her.
If she just… casually leaned in a little closer…
Just a tiny bit closer…
She could—
...
Nope.
Abort mission. ABORT. MISSION.
She wasn't ready.
Not yet.
Not today.
Instead, she took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and focused back on the massage. For now.
================
Alright. This was it.
She couldn't wait any longer—but just jumping in for a kiss would be way too much! If she leaned in now, she'd look like some desperate, lovesick nympho!
No, no, no! She had to be strategic.
Ideally, she'd make it seem like a total accident—just a perfectly natural, completely unintended moment of closeness. Then, when Kanade reacted in shock, she could blush, act all innocent, and pretend like it was totally unplanned.
And if things went really well, he might even be the one to take the initiative…!
Hmm… Could it actually happen like that?!
Eriri's mind started racing.
She suddenly remembered something she'd overheard recently—gossip, the kind that spread like wildfire in the halls. Apparently, during a courage test, a certain pair of students had snuck off to a secluded spot, only to be accidentally spotted by a clueless passerby… and then things had escalated into some very shoujo manga-level developments.
Maybe that was the trick—finding a more private place.
The moment the thought entered her mind, her entire face went red.
What the heck was she even thinking?!
Her body heated up like a kettle about to burst, steam practically billowing out of her ears. This was way too much! Shameless! Unacceptable!
Before anything else, they weren't even a couple yet! Please follow the proper steps, brain!
This wasn't some fantasy romance novel! This was real life!
"...Eriri?"
Kanade's voice pulled her back from the dangerous depths of her own imagination.
Seeing that she had completely frozen up, he assumed she must've gotten tired. Which, fair. She was a tiny, sheltered homegirl who barely left her room, let alone engaged in high-level tactical flirting.
Feeling a little guilty, he decided to step in.
"You okay? You don't have to keep going if you're worn out."
But oh, if only he knew.
Eriri's mind was far, far away from exhaustion.
"N-No! I—I wasn't thinking about anything! Not at all!" she blurted out. Way too loudly.
The sheer force of her denial practically shook the walls.
Kanade blinked. "...Huh?"
"I-I mean, uh…! No! I didn't say anything! You misheard!" The little golden retriever of a girl immediately panicked, scrambling to recover.
Crap, crap, CRAP!
Her brain was short-circuiting.
She needed a diversion—quickly!
"I—I know! Let me massage your eyes! Your eyes must be super tired from working so long, right?! Right?! Just close them! Right now!!!"
Kanade: "???"
Kanade: "Uh… okay?"
He had no idea what was going on, but Eriri looked way too frantic for him to question it.
So, with mild confusion, he obeyed.
But even as he closed his eyes, a tiny thought lingered in his mind.
Was it just him, or was Eriri totally up to something?
It wasn't like he had some kind of ultra-sharp sixth sense, but come on—she was acting way too obvious.
Something was definitely going on.
And considering her track record… he had a sneaking suspicion that he was the target of whatever scheme was brewing in that blonde head of hers
Still—
It was Eriri.
How bad could it really be?