Knee Pillow Rivalry
After her childhood friend Tae-il fainted, Iris was suddenly grabbed by Kiriko and dragged into a corner. Kiriko, uncharacteristically furious for real, scolded her.
“You can’t just go kicking people in the head willy-nilly!”
“I-I know!”
“I taught you self-defense techniques on the young miss’s orders for handling dangerous situations with the bare minimum force, not for violence…!”
“I know, okay? It was just a mistake!”
Iris felt wronged. When Tae-il had accidentally seen Ayane naked due to an unfortunate mishap, Ayane’s reaction had been pure virgin-in-distress. Childhood friend or not, she was still embarrassed. Determined that Tae-il shouldn’t see her naked, Iris had wrapped her own towel around Ayane’s body. Up to that point, it was fine. Even now, she wanted to praise her own reaction speed—it was a fine play worthy of applause.
The problem was Ayane’s foot slipping right then. With the Ayane screen gone, the barrier between Tae-il and Iris vanished. No towel between them. The kick had flown out almost unconsciously, Iris protested as the perpetrator.
“Sh-Shin Tae-il saw me naked…!”
“It wasn’t even peeping!”
“He still saw! How shocked do you think I was?!”
“Normally, when you’re shocked, you scream, not kick!”
“I did scream!”
“‘Dieeee!’ is premeditated murder, not a scream! What are you, a 21st-century samurai?!”
“Ugh…!”
Rarely on the losing end of a verbal battle with Kiriko, Iris hung her head. Even she thought it was embarrassing.
“B-But in the industry, they say it’s a reward, right? If he saw me naked and got kicked…”
“…”
Kiriko stared down at her in utter disbelief, lips pressed tight. As Kiriko fell silent, Iris trailed off, slowly dropping her gaze to the floor. The goggles hid her expression, making Iris feel even more deflated for no reason.
“Sigh. Apologize to the guy later.”
“Y-Yeah…”
While Iris was getting chewed out, Ayane dragged Tae-il to safety.
“Shin-kun? You okay?”
She lightly patted his cheek and checked his breathing.
“Suu…”
His breaths were shallow but steady—thank goodness, he was definitely alive. His chest rose and fell normally, so no major issues seemed apparent.
“Phew… good.”
Ayane let out a relieved sigh. Relieved that Tae-il was fine, a naughty thought sprouted in her mind.
‘If I lie and say he’s not breathing, I could do mouth-to-mouth… legally kiss him…’
Unfortunately, no kind colleague was around to let her selfish desires run wild.
“Hey, Katsuragi! How’s Tae-il doing?”
“Gloom girl! Shin okay?!”
Rena and Sakuya rushed to Ayane, ignoring Iris entirely.
“Ayane’s gonna take care of Shin-kun, so you all get looost!”
Ayane hugged Tae-il protectively and flailed her arms wildly at the interlopers. But Rena and Sakuya weren’t ones to back down, and the skirmish escalated naturally, fully exposing Tae-il’s lower half to all directions.
“Mm…”
Kiriko, who had been watching the commotion after scolding Iris, let out a low hum and subtly shifted to block Iris’s view. Amid the boy surrounded by beauties, one presence stood out sharply.
“Sturdier lower body than he looks.”
“Huh? Kiriko, what’d you just say?”
“Nothing.”
Train up his stamina a bit, and nights won’t be a worry, Kiriko thought, shaking her head.
Rest room.
Kiriko prepared to leave quickly, while Iris stepped out briefly, saying she had things to discuss with Rena. The room held only occasional staff dropping off items and Ayane tending to the fainted Tae-il.
“Hehe.”
Stroking the sleeping Tae-il’s head made her lips curve up uncontrollably. It had been ages since she’d seen him asleep from this close.
‘Last time I saw it, he just… clung right to me in his sleep.’
Half-asleep habits had led to him nestling into her arms. If they hadn’t run into Izumi in Akihabara, it would’ve been the perfect day.
Ayane closed her eyes. Even now, the greatest threat to Katsuragi Ayane’s life was still Tenma Izumi.
‘Sakuraba’s nothing. The real threat is basically Shin-kun’s goal…’
BARD’s vocalist, Tenma Izumi. Her razor-sharp instincts, exclusive to Shin Tae-il, screamed as much.
“It’s fine. Even if she’s BARD’s vocalist, Ayane won’t lose…”
Then, heavy footsteps echoed in the rest room. Not the staff’s hard shoes, nor the light sneaker steps she and Iris made. Soft slippers slapping widely.
‘Who’d be wandering around in slippers right now…’
Ayane, grinning while scrutinizing Tae-il’s face on her lap pillow, smoothed her lips and schooled her expression to neutral before looking up.
“Yo.”
As expected. The intruder crashing their intimate time was Sakuraba Sakuya, the culprit who’d dragged Tae-il to Gunma.
“Still out cold?”
In her yukata, Sakuya gave a casual greeting, arms crossed as she approached.
“Hmph.”
“Ahaha. You’re really pissed, huh.”
Ignored outright, Sakuya diffused the awkward air with her usual bright smile.
“Not tired? Want me to take over?”
“Nah.”
Despite Ayane’s refusal, Sakuya sat beside her unfazed, close enough for their shoulders to touch. Ayane frowned. She wanted to scoot away, but Tae-il’s head on her lap made it impossible.
In the uncomfortable silence, Ayane twitched her aching thigh slightly. Sakuya, missing nothing, asked with feigned concern.
“Your legs don’t hurt? I used to give my little bro lap pillows when we were kids. They sneakily tire you out.”
“So?”
“Eh, not so much… just sayin’.”
Sakuya averted her eyes while subtly thrusting out her own firm thigh. Her desire was obvious: she wanted to give Tae-il a lap pillow too.
Ayane snorted softly at Sakuya’s naked ambition.
“Hmph. Not sore. Not tired. Ayane’s totally fine, so could you disappear somewhere out of sight?”
“Ahaha. You’re like an angry kitten when you get like this, Katsuragi.”
Faced with Ayane’s firm rejection, Sakuya smiled wearily. Then she reached past Ayane’s defenses to lightly stroke Tae-il’s head.
“Eek!”
Ayane froze, unable to act lest she wake him. Sakuya glanced at her slyly and probed.
“Hey. How far’d you two go today?”
“Wh-Wha-What’re you talking about?”
“This.”
Sakuya curled her left thumb and index into a circle, then rapidly poked it three or four times with her right index and middle fingers.
“N-No way!”
Ayane’s cheeks flushed crimson at the blatant gesture and question, stumbling over her words. Sakuya smirked lazily.
“Hmm? You get it right away, so you must’ve done it?”
“We didn’t!”
They really hadn’t. They’d just rubbed skin dangerously close. Intoxicated by the onsen heat, but now sober, it was mortifying.
“Really? Still a virgin?”
Sakuya peered incredulously past Tae-il’s face to Ayane’s crotch. Ayane reflexively hunched her shoulders and clamped her thighs.
“No way. Not even this much?”
“S-Sakuraba, you total perv!?”
“Ahaha!”
Ayane glared, face red enough to burst at the explicit finger motion.
“C’mon, seeing Tae-il like that back then, anyone’d misunderstand like I did.”
“Th-That’s…!”
Sakuya, who’d glimpsed Tae-il’s stubbornly erect member amid the chaos, kept prodding Ayane.
“Don’t hide it. You came prepared, right?”
“P-Prepared for what…?”
“That Tae-il’s first won’t be yours?”
“That’s hilarious!”
First or not, aiming for second? Even liberal Westerners weren’t this open-minded, Ayane thought, glaring in disbelief. Sakuya felt inwardly wronged.
“Look, a young guy and girl naked in an onsen together—not getting hard would be weirder, right?”
Sakuya crossed her legs, imagining she’d have pounced on Ayane in the same spot.
“I-I’m on the morals committee! I don’t do indecent stuff!”
“Sure. Says the morals committee girl who snuck into the men’s bath. Zero trust.”
“Hic!”
Ayane clamped her mouth shut mid-hiccup, and Sakuya grinned triumphantly at her verbal win.
“Anyway, I know he’s got killer self-control.”
“You know? How…?”
“I teased him hard. Enough to make him pounce.”
Ignoring Ayane’s shock, Sakuya stuck out her tongue in exasperation.
“But the most he did was bury his face in my chest.”
“Shin-kun did that!?”
“Yeah. Guy’s as timid as he looks.”
Of course, with Rena there, going all the way was impossible, but still—not eating the served meal was the same issue. Propping her chin, Sakuya eyed Ayane enviously.
“You’re childhood friends with Tae-il, right? Seen all the ugly sides since kids?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
A distant memory: they’d bathed together as kids. Precocious Tae-il had screamed refusals, but when Ayane pouted, asking if he hated bathing with her, he’d tearfully complied.
Sakuya envied even those trivial memories.
“Feels like a wall.”
Sakuya had thought she could catch up to their decade-long bond easily. She’d always seen herself as far superior to Ayane as a woman. But today showed their wall was sturdier than imagined.
‘Even the Tae-il who pranked me mercilessly froze before Ayane…’
If roles reversed? Tae-il wouldn’t react the same to her.
‘Nah, he wouldn’t.’
She could predict his response.
“Tae-il doesn’t feel any distance with you, unlike me. Childhood friends are something else, huh?”
“Well, we’re childhood friends…”
“Yeah, kinda jealous.”
Sakuya giggled, then sobered to confirm.
“So. Tell me honestly—just us. You crossed the line, right?”
“No!”
Ayane snapped back angrily, but Sakuya grinned slyly, eyes sharpening.
“Then I still got a shot?”
“Eek!”
Ayane hurriedly leaned forward, shielding Tae-il’s face from Sakuya.
“Ahaha! No worries. Won’t cut in line sneaky-like anymore.”
“S-Sneaky? You really…”
“Eh, didn’t expect you to chase to Gunma.”
Sakuya shrugged and stood.
Turning back while facing away:
“Next time, fair fight from the same starting line. Right?”
“Shin-kun already said…?”
“Nah.”
Sakuya beamed.
“Just a guess. He’s terrible at hiding stuff.”
“Saying it like it’s obvious pisses me off.”
“Ahaha.”
Sakuya stretched. Tae-il might be exhausted from two days of their torment, but her match fatigue was gone.
‘He indulged most of my whims.’
He had every right to rage, yet didn’t. Sakuya recalled the net cafe.
‘Part of me hoped… but I was scared too.’
People change. Love changes. What if Tae-il turned like others, chasing only her body or fame? Her final prank was born of that fear.
Tae-il got mad for the first time—not because she didn’t pay, but telling her not to do that. Men were beasts, wolves; such pranks could lead to who-knows-what.
‘Blushing while saying it was kinda cute…’
Some twists and turns, but she’d gotten her Tae-il fix. Confident for full power in the next events.
“Tell Tae-il he doesn’t need to come for the next finals.”
“Why…?”
“Same reason as you?”
Want to show your crush your best self always. She’d already shown her athletic cool side. Time to reinvent.
Yesterday and today, too casual, too loose as a woman. Closeness up, allure down maybe. Sakuya glanced back with a confident smile.
“First time I’m serious as a woman. Brace yourself, Katsuragi.”
“Pfft. Says the musclehead who only knows sports. Ayane won’t lose either.”
“Ahaha. You two are hilarious.”
Peerless talents. ‘Perfect material.’
With them, enemy or ally, days would be fun. Bonus if she snagged Tae-il.
“Your band—what positions left?”
“Guitar and drums…”
“Guitar and drums… Got it.”
Sakuya pictured herself rocking stage on either. She’d shine either way. Ace through and through. Most eye-catching, even to Tae-il onstage with her.
“Cool. See ya. Give Tae-il my regards.”
“Blergh!”
“Ahaha!”
Ayane stuck out her tongue, shooing her away; Sakuya burst out laughing.
On the way back.
Kiriko glanced in the rearview at the boy and girls. Everyone but Iris was out cold.
“All asleep?”
“Yeah. Must be wiped.”
Iris, in the passenger seat, gave a wry smile at the back.
At departure time, Tae-il had finally woken, complaining of killer pain and demanding what happened. Iris had broken a sweat explaining. Luckily, he remembered zilch from the onsen finale. A godsend for her.
Kiriko focused on driving, casually asking:
“Rena said she’d buy lunch and head to the Honjo estate. What now?”
“Do that. I heard some from her.”
“When you two slipped away earlier?”
“Yeah. Lots to talk about.”
Ask Iris who she trusted most—no hesitation, Rena. So her confession stung with betrayal.
“Eh, partly my fault she ended up like that, so I let it slide. Made her apologize properly to Luche-san, though.”
“Curious what you two discussed.”
“Wanna know?”
“Love my job as is.”
Meaning, no need for miss’s secrets. Iris chuckled.
“Scaredy-cat.”
“Hey. Wage slave woes.”
“Fair. Arisugawa woes too.”
“Rich heiress woes. Real rage-inducing.”
“Wanna die?”
“Focus on driving—don’t talk!”
Iris raised a threatening fist; Kiriko yelped, leaning away.
Iris sighed, lowering it. Her gaze drifted via rearview to Tae-il. Flanking his sleeping face: Rena and Ayane, asleep against him.
“Siiiigh. Really don’t get it sometimes. That idiot…”
How did he charm people so effortlessly? Beyond her.
She smiled wryly to herself, gazing out. Unlike the onsen’s clouds, clear blue skies welcomed her.
‘Three weeks left. Idiot Shin Tae-il…’
Coincidentally, Interhigh’s end matched their bet’s timeline—about three weeks.
Slowly, the outline of Tae-il’s sketched picture felt tangible.