Chapter 23: Start of School
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: Start of School
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Late at night.
Matsuda, ready to head home, gave Miyuki a grin.
“Get some rest.”
“Okay...”
If she had her way, she would have loved to stroll along the beach with Matsuda at night, just talking about anything and everything.
Later, she’d want to call Tetsuya over, and the three of them could grow closer over some yakitori.
But she felt she had no right to ask for such a thing.
She was already grateful to him for saving her, and she’d already held him back when he was about to leave just because she was hungry... If she made another request, he would surely think she was selfish.
But does he really have to go?
Her family had even offered to get him a hotel room, but he had adamantly refused.
They didn't even get to hang out properly today because of the accident... It felt a little disappointing.
Or maybe... maybe he was completely fed up with her for grabbing his head and trying to pull him under instead of taking the tube he’d thrown her.
No, that couldn't be it.
Knowing Matsuda’s personality, if that were the case, he would have left without even eating with her.
As Miyuki was lost in her various delusions, she was snapped back to reality by Matsuda’s polite words to Wataru.
“Well then, I’ll be in your care for the ride home. I’m indebted to you once again, sir.”
He had a way with words when asking for favors.
It was a complete one-eighty from the guy who used to curse out beggars.
Thinking about it now, it really hit her how much Matsuda had changed.
“Indebted? Don’t be silly... It’s the least I can do. You must be tired, let’s get going.”
“Yes, sir.”
Matsuda mimed eating at Miyuki.
He meant she should eat healthy, simple foods instead of anything greasy.
When Miyuki nodded to show she understood, Matsuda gave a faint smile and left the hospital with Wataru.
I wanted to go too...
If she couldn't hang out more, her next best option was to go with him to his house.
She wanted to tease the Matsuda who was trying his best to hold back his usual antics in front of an adult.
But the hospital had forbidden any long outings, so it was impossible.
It was such a good opportunity... What a shame.
Miyuki smacked her lips slightly and returned to her room, fiddling with her phone.
[Miyuki, are you asleep?]
A message from Tetsuya had arrived.
It was from about an hour ago.
Feeling sorry, Miyuki sent a reply.
[Sorry for the late reply. Matsuda-kun was leaving, so I was seeing him off. I’m still awake.]
[Want to come out for a short walk then? I’ll bring you some yakitori, your favorite.]
Yakitori... She did want some.
But it was late, and more importantly, Matsuda had told her not to eat anything greasy.
He’d said it out of concern for her health, so she should hold back today.
[I’ll pass on the yakitori. But a short walk near the hospital sounds fine... Are you coming?]
[I’m on my way. Just wait a bit.]
[Okay.]
After finishing her conversation with Tetsuya, Miyuki sat up.
For some reason, she had no energy. Everything felt like a chore.
It was probably because Matsuda, the one she wanted to tease, wasn't here.
Still, Tetsuya was coming all this way for her... so she had to pull herself together.
Miyuki dragged her slippers like a zombie as she left the hospital room.
* * *
The morning two days after Miyuki’s accident.
“...da-kun!”
I was tossing and turning on my futon, half-asleep, when—
“Matsuda-kun! Are you home?”
Ding-dong!
Miyuki’s clear voice and the sound of the doorbell shot through my ears, and I bolted upright.
I stumbled out of the living room, shoved my feet into my shoes, and headed for the front door, clearing my throat.
Then I opened it.
Click.
Through the crack in the door, I could see Miyuki, beaming at me.
It was good to see she looked completely recovered.
Maintaining the sleepiest expression I could muster, I gestured with my chin.
“What is it...? What time is it...?”
“Seven o’clock.”
“You came all the way here this early just to nag me...?”
“Class starts in two hours. Seven is a perfectly fine time to be up.”
“Class...? Didn’t we agree to start tomorrow?”
“The start of school is less than two weeks away. We need to pick up the pace, don’t you think?”
“So you just show up without calling...?”
“Sorry about that. I called a few times, but you didn’t answer, so I just came. I also had something I wanted to give you, Matsuda-kun...”
Something to give me? What is it? Her body?
Come to think of it, Miyuki was holding a large bundle in her hands.
A present for me?
“Is Miura coming later?”
“I texted him to come over when he wakes up. By the way, your hair is a total mess... Do you toss and turn a lot in your sleep?”
Tease me all you want. I’ll let it slide since you brought a gift.
But if I don’t like it, you’d better spread your legs.
I went into the living room with Miyuki, sluggishly set up the round table, and plopped down.
Seeing my futon and blanket strewn about carelessly, Miyuki chided me.
“You could at least sleep with your futon laid out properly...”
“It got messy while I was sleeping. Stop nagging and let’s see the present.”
Miyuki muttered something at my grumpy attitude and placed the bundle on the table.
The faint smell of food wafted from it.
Could this be... what I’ve been waiting for?
As Miyuki untied the neatly wrapped bundle, a large bento box emerged from within.
“I made you a bento. You can have this for breakfast today.”
A bento, just for me! Finally...!
So all my efforts are finally paying off!
She has no idea how long I’ve waited for this day...
Suppressing my soaring spirits, I asked nonchalantly.
“A bento?”
“I figured you’d just have soy sauce egg rice again.”
When I opened the container, I saw rice and meat glazed with teriyaki sauce, alongside vegetables like stir-fried carrots, broccoli, and spinach.
Various other side dishes were packed tightly into the box.
It was a bit of a shame there wasn't a character drawn on the rice, but overall, it was a gift I was extremely pleased with.
Miyuki, you can keep your legs closed and act demure today.
I looked at Miyuki with a surprised expression.
“This must have been a lot of work to make...”
She averted her gaze shyly and mumbled.
“Most of it was stuff we already had at home... Oh, and my mom said you should come over for dinner sometime. She said she’d really like it if you came.”
Is that so? I guess the main course will be you, Kana, and Midori, right?
I’ll walk in to find the three of you wearing nothing but aprons, legs spread, waiting to welcome your master.
The master bedroom that Midori and Wataru use would be the perfect place for it.
The sense of depravity would be insane.
“I’ll go when I can find the time.”
“Isn’t that just an empty promise? You should set a firm date for when you’ll come.”
Looks like you want me to train you as soon as possible, too.
“You decide, then.”
As if she’d been waiting for that answer, Miyuki nodded eagerly.
“Okay. I’ll pick a date, then. Hurry up and eat before the bento gets cold.”
I used the cute chopsticks Miyuki brought to put some rice and side dishes in my mouth, chewed, and then—
“How is it...?”
—I swallowed as I looked at Miyuki, who seemed anxious.
Then, scooping more rice into my mouth, I asked.
“Are you going to make one tomorrow, too? This is amazing...”
A satisfied expression spread across Miyuki’s face as she glanced upwards.
She looked like she was thinking it over.
After a moment, she answered.
“I’ll think about it.”
Think about it? Don’t make me laugh.
Once you get a taste of my bento-making skills, you can never go back to how things were...!
“Make it.”
“Matsuda-kun, I’ve told you time and again, you have to ask nicely. Say, ‘Please make me one.’”
Shouldn’t you be the one saying that to me?
A facial, a creampie, cumming inside... just say the word.
“I trust that our good Hanazawa will make one.”
At the word ‘our,’ Miyuki flinched and pressed her lips together.
It’s strange, isn’t it? Your mind is racing, trying to imagine what I meant by that, right?
When school starts, you should try casually complaining about it to your girlfriends.
I watched Miyuki’s eyes dart around as I ate the bento.
* * *
Until the day before school started, Miyuki brought me a bento four more times.
I wanted one every single day, but I understood the trouble of having to wake up at dawn, so I didn't whine. I just made sure to eat it deliciously every time she brought one.
She seemed to want to keep it a secret from Tetsuya.
Every time I finished the bento, she would quickly wash the box, put it in a separate bag she’d brought, and hide it away.
Only Miyuki would know if she was worried Tetsuya would get jealous, or if she was hiding it because she knew he’d ask her to make him one too if he saw it.
Is today the last class?
Looking at the calendar, I stretched with a sense of satisfaction.
I’d gone on plenty of dates with Miyuki and studied hard.
I’d successfully handled both the existing events and the additional ones I’d created.
Now, it was time to seriously start running towards a relationship.
And it was time to meet Renka, who was back from her injury, and build up a certain amount of affection with her.
“Matsuda-kun! What is this!?”
From outside, I heard Miyuki’s surprised voice. She had arrived right on time.
I trudged out and opened the door.
“Whoa... this is...”
I glanced at Tetsuya and Miyuki, who were admiring the car that had arrived last night.
“What are you two doing?”
Tetsuya, who had been staring at the car so hard he might wear it out, asked.
“Ma-Matsuda... did you buy a car?”
“I told you I was going to. The one I signed the contract for arrived yesterday.”
“You never mentioned it again, so I thought it fell through... This is insane... Isn’t this an expensive car?”
“It’s decent. The design is nice, right?”
The car I bought was an SUV.
The trunk is big, so it’s great for camping, great for car sex...
The space is roomy, so it’s great for playing secret games with Miyuki.
With so many advantages, there was no reason to buy a regular sedan.
“Yeah... the design is pretty...”
“Come here the morning after next. I’ll give you a ride to school.”
For now, I’ll pretend to be generous to my friends and give that piece of shit Tetsuya a ride too. I’ll ditch him later.
“Really? Is that okay?” Miyuki asked, carefully examining the car’s color.
It’s the color you picked last time, isn’t it? Do you like it?
“Yeah. Taking the train is a pain.”
“I’ve never really found it to be a pain... But why didn’t you say anything?”
She seemed disappointed that I hadn’t told her about something this major.
“I told you I was going to.”
“Still... you didn’t say you signed the contract...”
“From now on, I’ll report everything to you, step by step. Happy now?”
“...No, well... you don’t have to go that far... but from now on, if something big like this happens, give us a heads-up... You surprised me...”
You mean give you a heads-up, not us.
I smirked at Miyuki, who looked embarrassed but also secretly pleased. I told the two of them to wait and went inside to get the car key.
Beep-!
I pressed the button, and the doors unlocked with a crisp sound.
Opening the driver’s side door, I said.
“Get in.”
“Matsuda-kun...! Our class...”
“It won’t even take five minutes, what’s the big deal? Hurry up and get in.”
I stated it like a command, got into the driver’s seat, and closed the door.
Miyuki and Tetsuya scurried around, talking to each other.
It seemed they were debating who should sit in the passenger seat.
In the end, they both opened the rear doors and got in side-by-side.
SLAM!
What the fuck is this asshole doing, slamming my car door like that?
You just keep doing things to piss me off. If you do that one more time, I’ll seep into your family. To be specific, your little sister, and your mom.
On the other hand, our Miyuki closes the door so gently.
I love it... You don’t belong with a guy who doesn’t have an ounce of courtesy.
So from now on, let’s have a beautiful love, just you and me.
Seeing their tense faces in the rearview mirror, I chuckled and said.
“Buckle up.”
“Ah, okay...!”
They answered in unison, then frantically fumbled for their seatbelts.
Having scared them a little, I released the parking brake, shifted gears, and carefully lifted my foot off the brake.
The car began to move forward smoothly.
I leisurely drove a lap around the neighborhood to ease their anxiety.
How about it, Miyuki?
This is smooth enough for you to suck me off in the passenger seat, right?
I’ll be looking forward to it.