The Second Partner
I carefully lifted my fingers from the control yoke and turned my gaze aside. Miyu was slumped over the pilot seat, breathing hard, still not fully conscious. A short while later the lift arrived, and Instructor Kyoko entered the Dracore herself. She checked on Miyu’s condition and gave a wry smile.
"…I’m still not used to holding back the synchronization rate."
Instructor Kyoko lifted one corner of her mouth and nodded.
Kyoko glanced briefly at the data screen, then tilted her head back toward me.
She let out a small breath and continued.
So that was how it had been. The couplings I had thought were going smoothly had actually been the result of Yuzuki quietly bearing every burden. Only now did I truly realize it.
Instructor Kyoko, who had been watching me, let out a short sigh and shook her head.
Kyoko approached the pilot seat, gently lifted Miyu’s arm, and draped it over her own shoulder.
I exhaled shortly and nodded.
"…Yes. No problem."
Kyoko gave a silent nod, then quietly stepped onto the lift while supporting Miyu. The heat and tension that had filled the cockpit gradually receded. Left alone inside the machine, I quietly felt the lingering warmth at my fingertips.
After that, I went through several more couplings with other students from the same class. Thanks to Miyu’s example, both I and the other students started cautiously and stably at first. Everyone made a sincere effort to match their breathing, and we managed to reach a decent synchronization rate without too much trouble.
But that comfort didn’t last long. Once we crossed a certain threshold, every single one of them reacted the same way. A sudden surge of heat, ragged breathing, wildly fluctuating synchronization curves. And before long they would collapse onto the pilot seat and pass out. All that remained was the hollow sensation on the control yoke and the warning alarms echoing inside the machine.
In the end, the problem boiled down to two things. First, when coupling with me, the synchronization rate rose far too quickly and steeply past a certain point, and no student could endure it. Second, I still hadn’t learned how to control that rising speed or suppress the sensations.
Since I had never even attempted that kind of “suppression” before, I had been unconsciously overwhelming my partners without realizing it. Even after becoming aware of the fact, I couldn’t easily think of a way to ease the strength in my fingertips.
By the time training ended, every single coupling had failed in succession. Mentally exhausted, I sat near the changing room and let out a long sigh. I felt like I had done something terribly unfair to all those girls.
The whispers inside the changing room were filled with secret stories about coupling with Nakamura.
Soft laughter, flushed cheeks, and careful reminiscences of the sensations from that moment filled the changing room. Yuzuki kept a calm expression on the surface, but small ripples were stirring inside her. Even as she walked while pretending to stay composed, she listened carefully to every word her friends exchanged.
She had been genuinely worried. She feared that the students who had coupled with Yuito might say they had been overwhelmed by the same kind of rational emotions or desires she herself had felt the first time. That Yuito had transmitted those same sensations and feelings to someone else.
Fortunately, this time was different. There was no mention of any physical craving or emotional surge in her friends’ descriptions. At least, nothing on the level of what Yuzuki had experienced. The scorching heat that had pierced all the way into her core that day seemed to be something no one else had felt.
…Of course. Looks like Yuito held back a little after all.
And above all, the fact that none of them had reached the same synchronization rate as her made her feel secretly pleased. Although she had passed out the first time too, she had still been the one to feel the deepest part of Yuito first, and most intensely.
Yet on the other side of her heart, another anxiety began to raise its head. This was only the first day. If the couplings continued in earnest and more combinations were tried, there was no telling whether someone who was truly perfect for Yuito might appear one day.
That thought refused to leave her even after she changed clothes and stepped into the hallway. And even during the short walk back to the classroom with Yuito, who had finally emerged from the changing room, the anxiety kept circling inside her head.
"……"
Yuzuki quietly glanced sideways. After handling multiple couplings in a single day, Yuito looked drained. Beyond his shoulders she could sense not only fatigue but also a deep sense of emptiness. The moment she saw that, something inside Yuzuki’s chest throbbed sharply.
…It felt like she had lent her man to other women for a little while and had only just gotten him back. On the outside she continued walking as if nothing was wrong, but deep inside her heart she was quietly, unmistakably trembling. The pounding was almost painful, like something was constantly poking at her. A complex mix of emotions she couldn’t put into words—regret, sadness, jealousy, and an even more complicated sense of deprivation. The harder she tried to hide it, the clearer those feelings became.
Still, to keep from showing any of it, Yuzuki pressed her lips tightly together, lowered her head slightly, and walked in silence. Then suddenly something surged up inside her. The pounding in her chest was simply too strong to keep walking without saying anything.
Yuzuki took a small breath and stopped. She quietly turned around. The moment her eyes met Yuito’s—he had been following a step behind—she took one step closer, gently grabbed the hem of his shirt, and rose onto her tiptoes without hesitation.
There was no reluctance in the way her lips met his. It was a sudden move, yet a quiet kiss filled with solid emotion. Time between the two of them seemed to freeze completely.
Yuito drew in a startled breath, but soon wrapped his arms around her waist on instinct. The body heat he felt at his fingertips burned against his chest. Their breaths mingled, lips pressed together, and just as their tongues were about to touch—
Footsteps from nearby shattered the spell. Yuzuki jerked back, eyes flying open, while Yuito let out a short, ragged breath. In their locked gazes swirled surprise, fear, and lingering heat that had yet to subside.
At that moment, two students passing the end of the corridor stopped.
Startled, Yuzuki instinctively kept hold of Yuito’s shirt hem and averted her eyes. In the awkward silence, she straightened his clothes and said,
Her tone was casual, but the heat spreading across her ears was impossible to hide. The students tilted their heads, then continued on as if it were no big deal. Only then did Yuzuki let out a short breath and check Yuito’s expression.
Yuito was still staring at her with wide eyes.
"Shut up… It’s all your fault anyway."
Yuzuki whipped her head around and turned away as if cutting the conversation short. Yet the heat that had spread across her shoulders still hadn’t cooled, and there was a strangely light, bouncy rhythm to her steps. It was as if the embarrassment and tension from moments ago had crumbled away in an instant. Inside, she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling up, and she quietly quickened her pace.
By the time the sun was setting, we were on our way home together. Orange light flowed past the train windows, and beyond the swaying handholds I could see Yuzuki’s profile. I cautiously asked her about the condition of the students I had coupled with today. I was worried I might have left them with an unpleasant experience.
"…You don’t have to worry too much. They all said… they were surprisingly okay."
"Really? That’s a relief… What did they say exactly?"
"…I can’t explain any more than that, so just… take it like that."
Yuzuki trailed off and lowered her head slightly. Her eyes wavered and her voice, which had grown evasive, carried a hint of embarrassment. I wondered what exactly her friends had told her. Seeing her try to dodge the question made me feel playful.
"…What was it like for you usually, Yuzuki?"
"What? Me?"
"Yeah."
Yuzuki’s lips moved as if flustered, then she turned her head sharply.
"…I don’t want to tell you."
"Tell me. I’m genuinely curious."
"Ugh, seriously… Why are you even asking about something like that!"
"…Is it really that bad?"
When I asked again, Yuzuki’s eyes trembled and she couldn’t continue. When I deliberately kept my gaze on her, she finally hung her head and muttered in a tiny voice.
"…Coupling with you, oppa… honestly isn’t easy. Every time we connect, something tickles deep inside and my head goes blank."
"Is it because of the synchronization rate?"
"Well… yeah. Plus you’re really bad at holding back. Sometimes you push way too hard."
"…I’m reflecting on that."
When my expression darkened, Yuzuki hurriedly added,
"B-but it doesn’t feel bad when we do it. Actually… I keep thinking about it. Even when I try not to, it keeps circling in my head. How should I put it… it feels like I’m addicted to you, oppa…"
"……"
Her words were so jumbled that I honestly couldn’t fully understand what she was saying. But watching her blush and stammer through the explanation made even my own face grow hot. If the person sitting next to us overheard this conversation, I wondered what kind of look they would give us. The thought suddenly crossed my mind and I instinctively glanced around. At that moment, Yuzuki’s expression as she spoke was far more stimulating than the content itself.
Then Yuzuki quietly asked a question.
"…Hey, what if you really tried coupling with every girl in class and none of them could sync with you? What would you do?"
"I’d just have to try again tomorrow. You had a hard time at first too, didn’t you, Yuzuki?"
"……"
It seemed that wasn’t the simple answer she had wanted to hear. Yuzuki turned her head away with a slightly pouty look and added,
"…Anyway, if it really doesn’t work with anyone, that would mean I’m the only one who matches with you, right? Then… what would happen?"
"In other words, after testing everyone and assuming I can only couple with you, Yuzuki?"
"Yeah…"
Yuzuki gave a small nod. Her long eyelashes trembled, and the blush on her cheeks grew deeper as she lowered her head. It was as if embarrassment had rushed in the moment she heard the answer. The sight was so adorable that for a second I almost reached out without thinking. But the reality of being inside a crowded train barely held that impulse in check.
"Then there’s nothing we can do. We would have tried everything possible."
"R-right?"
"Why? Would you like that?"
"…What? I never said that!"
"I think it wouldn’t be so bad."
"Ehh…"
At the unexpected direct hit, Yuzuki stared at me with a momentarily dazed face. A flush spread across her cheeks, her lips trembled faintly. Like an unexpected variable popping out of an equation, her eyes wavered and the corners of her mouth quivered uncertainly. She opened and closed her mouth as if speechless, then finally turned her head away in silence. The fact that even the tips of her ears had turned red showed just how big a wave my words had created.
Then, almost too quietly to hear, Yuzuki whispered,
"I really hope it turns out that way…"
The words sounded like an obsession wrapped in embarrassment. A mixture of possessiveness and longing quietly spread through her suppressed whisper. I silently took her hand. When the warmth reached her, Yuzuki blinked in surprise, but soon lowered her head without a word. The heat spreading beneath her earlobe subtly revealed her true feelings.
Even though she had said those things that night, this was probably her real heart.
Just as that quiet atmosphere lingered, the phone in my pocket vibrated with a short buzz. When I checked the screen, it was from my father.
Just that one sentence made the weight of reality drop heavily onto my shoulders once again.