Stirring Beneath the Calm
Honestly, up until now I hadn’t had much real interaction with Iori.
Maybe that was why. Between us hung a thin, transparent veil that words couldn’t explain.
The entire ride up the lift passed in complete silence, and with a strangely soft hush settling over our shoulders we stepped into the Dracore’s cockpit.
Iori entered first and quietly seated herself in the forward pilot position. I followed, leaning back into the rear seat.
Even then, the only sound inside the cockpit was the low mechanical hum reporting the unit’s status. No conversation passed between us.
Unable to stand the awkwardness any longer, I spoke first.
“...Take care of me.”
Iori glanced my way, then gave a small nod.
“Yes. Please take good care of me as well.”
Her utterly expressionless reply drew a bitter smile from me. If I hadn’t known her, I would have assumed she simply disliked me; she looked completely devoid of emotion.
Before long the control yoke descended smoothly and locked into the interface port on Iori’s suit with a precise click.
The instant the connection engaged, a low electronic whine sounded and Iori’s spine twitched as though a current had run through it.
She took a short breath to steady herself, then spoke in a calm, measured voice.
“I’m ready. Please hold me.”
I nodded and took hold of her yoke. A faint vibration traveled up my fingertips, and soon our heartbeats began to synchronize.
“I’m starting.”
“Yes.”
When I focused, it felt as though delicate nerve fibers were linking directly to each other’s spinal cords. Our senses expanded and merged. Along with Iori’s calm breathing, an unfamiliar current flowed into me.
It was like sinking into a cold lake—my consciousness gently submerging. Unlike Luna’s faint resistance or the way Yuzuki seemed to embrace me, Iori simply accepted my presence exactly as it was.
As the coupling began, the synchronization rate graph on the forward panel started climbing in a steep curve.
Iori’s face remained perfectly composed, not a single eyebrow twitch betraying her.
This was exactly how she had been described in the original story—a girl whose emotional register was strikingly sparse.
Perhaps that was why a strange greed stirred inside me. The urge to pry open a single crack in that seemingly emotionless shell. The desire to slip something raw and alive into the gap.
But I forced the impulse down.
Recently, as more coupling data on me accumulated, I had grown certain of one thing: my coupling wasn’t ordinary. It didn’t simply connect. It plunged deep into a partner’s senses and emotions, carrying a power that could shake them to the core.
That must have been why my father had warned me just days earlier. He told me to avoid unnecessary emotional interference and not to raise the synchronization rate recklessly. The goal was pure data to verify the conditions under which male-female coupling could be established.
It was right then, as I steadied my resolve, that Iori made a small sound.
“...Hm?”
She swallowed and glanced back at me. Her eyes flickered with unusual sensitivity.
“What is it?”
“Nothing… The synchronization rate suddenly stopped climbing.”
Iori turned forward again and answered calmly. She closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and began regulating her breathing. Her chest rose and fell in tiny increments; the faint tremor in her fingertips gradually disappeared. Soon she had returned to her usual blank mask, as though nothing had happened.
Our synchronization rate resumed its steady climb.
I stared at the figure and fell into thought. Until now, only two pilots had ever recorded over seventy percent with me. With Iori, that number had become three.
Before I could collect my thoughts, Instructor Kyoko’s voice came over the comm.
“…It isn’t particularly difficult,” Iori answered after a short breath. Her voice was calm, yet a trace of unresolved tension lingered beneath it. “It is, however, quite unfamiliar.”
Iori carefully turned from the forward display to look at me. Her eyes seemed to ask, Is that all right?
I gave a light nod and slowly moved her yoke.
Power rose like a vibration from the machine’s lower frame. The Dracore shifted its weight smoothly and took its first step.
We left the hangar and entered the basic test course inside the training grounds.
The first few steps were cautious. This was our first coupling, and the worry that something might be slightly off kept tension in my hands.
But the anxiety soon faded.
When I gently pushed the yoke, Iori instantly matched my lead and stabilized the Dracore’s center of gravity. Its angle, the movement of its ankles, the minute adjustments for balance—everything flowed so naturally it felt as if she were reading my thoughts before I made them.
We circled the training ground at a measured pace, checking basic walking, direction changes, high-speed running simulations, and stationary stops one by one.
Even during pivot turns—rotating the upper body a half-turn while the lower axis stayed fixed—and sudden short-range acceleration, Iori’s support never faltered.
I checked the panel. The highest synchronization rate during the test run had reached seventy-nine percent.
The figure itself was high. By standard metrics it would be judged a near-perfect success. It was more than enough data to help the researchers study the conditions for heterosexual coupling.
Just as I was feeling satisfied with the solid results, Iori spoke in a quiet voice.
“Nakamura-kun… you might be the same type as Haruka.”
“The same type as Haruka?”
I tilted my head. “In what way?”
“It’s hard to say. Both of you give the feeling that you could suddenly leap out at any moment?”
“…I’m not sure I follow.”
“I can’t explain it precisely either. It’s just a feeling…”
Iori didn’t continue, and I didn’t press her. The quiet air returned.
“Understood. Returning now.”
I eased the yoke back, turning the Dracore. Its ankle joints moved with liquid grace as it followed the outer return path.
Even during the short trip Iori performed her role as Bottom in silence. She neither tried to seize control nor withdrew too far. Her feedback flowed with the steady precision of a perfectly balanced solution, supporting me without ever intruding.
That balance inspired trust. I was able to focus completely on piloting.
When we reached the hangar the hydraulic clamps locked the Dracore’s ankles. The machine settled into a gentle stop.
A heavy thud echoed as the internal vibrations faded.
“Shirakawa-san, well done.”
“Thank you. You worked hard too, Nakamura-kun.”
With the coupling-release signal, the expanded senses that had been linked to Iori slowly receded. It felt like quietly surfacing from underwater; her presence gently ebbed out of me.
Thus, our first coupling ended without incident.
Yet somewhere in my chest a faint emptiness remained. I lowered my gaze for a moment, lost in thought.
I guess it can’t be helped. I still feel unsatisfied.
Carrying that quiet regret, we prepared to exit the Dracore.
The red glow of sunset was slowly dyeing the sky.
Shadows on the street took on the same crimson hue. The whole evening seemed to tilt toward the sinking sun.
Red light stretched between buildings and soaked quietly into the pavement. Beneath it, Iori and Haruka walked side by side along their familiar route home. The silence between them was comfortable, the kind that needed no words.
As usual, Haruka was the first to speak, her voice warm and gently magnetic.
“So~ how was coupling with Nakamura-kun today?”
Iori kept walking without slowing. After a brief pause she answered evenly.
“He feels like a boy you can never predict when he’ll suddenly jump.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Haruka tilted her head. Iori kept her eyes forward and added softly, “The coupling itself is stable… but underneath it feels like something is simmering. On the surface he looks calm, yet every so often the inside trembles. I’ll probably understand better after a few more sessions, but that’s my impression for now.”
“Hmm~ I kind of get it, but I also don’t.”
Haruka tapped her cheek with a finger, thinking, then her eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Oh! That’s right. Would it be okay if I brought Nakamura-kun to your dojo sometime, Iori-chan?”
The sudden question made Iori slow her steps. She turned her head.
“…Nakamura-kun? Why all of a sudden?”
“Um… well, the last time we were training together his name came up with yours for a moment, so… If it bothers you I won’t.”
Iori fell silent, considering. She wasn’t opposed. But inviting someone into one of her most private spaces before she felt they were truly close still felt slightly foreign.
After a moment she lifted her gaze again. Her eyes, dyed by the sunset, trembled once before settling into quiet stillness.
“…All right. I’ll tell my family.”
On the way home after getting off the train, Luna started begging for a snack, so we stopped at the neighborhood convenience store.
While Luna stood in front of the drink cooler trying to choose, Yuzuki began her usual slow lap around the store out of habit. Then her feet suddenly stopped.
In the corner of a shelf, half-hidden in dark packaging, several boxes of condoms sat quietly on display.
Neatly arranged packages, prominent brand logos, tiny labels—nothing out of the ordinary. Yet in an instant Yuzuki’s mind flooded with vivid images.
What if something like that… happens with Yuto?
Just the thought made the back of her neck burn. No one was watching, yet her toes tingled and her lips went dry.
Maybe I should buy some in advance… We’d have to be safe… But buying them myself is way too embarrassing.
Feeling her face grow hotter, Yuzuki quickly looked away. After confirming no one was watching her, she glanced back at the shelf.
That was when she sensed someone behind her.
Yuzuki spun around in surprise.
And there stood Yuto.
He followed her gaze to the shelf and tilted his head.
“…Condoms?”
“Th-that’s not—!”
Yuzuki waved her hands frantically. She tried to stammer out an excuse, but her mouth had gone completely dry and her mind had turned blank.
“I was just… looking at something for a second… It’s really nothing.”
Yuto’s expression didn’t change.
“Well, we’ll probably need them. Should we buy a box?”
“……Eh?”
The moment the words registered, Yuzuki’s brain froze white. Without the slightest hesitation Yuto reached up and took the black box from the top shelf.
XL. Ultra-thin. Skin-like close fit…
The moment her eyes unconsciously read the text, her cheeks burst into flame. Heat flooded her entire body. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure it could be heard.
She couldn’t speak. She could only stand there, frozen.
And in her ears echoed the calm sound of Yuto’s footsteps as he walked toward the register.