A week had passed since they started living together. The June sunlight grew stronger by the day, and outside the apartment, the water in the irrigation canal glittered with reflected light. Maoto Shinya lay sprawled on the living room sofa, staring absently at the ceiling. He'd already gotten used to how small it was—too small to stretch his body out straight. *(It's okay for me to be here.)* Just thinking that made something deep in his chest relax. His mother had left when he was seven. In the middle of the night, she'd packed her things. The sound of the front door closing had woken him up. Ever since then, a hunger to be needed by someone had sat at the very center of who he was. That was why, now, just Akari's words—"You can stay here"—made him feel this at ease. *(I'm way too easy, huh.)* Shinya let out a wry smile and shifted his neck. From the kitchen, he could hear Akari humming to herself as she made dinner. The rhythm of a knife striking the cutting board. "[gentle]Manato, dinner's almost ready." Her voice called out to him. When Shinya sat up, Akari turned around, a frying pan in one hand. At the sight of her outfit, Shinya lost his words for a moment. A white tank top and short pants. This was how she always dressed while working. Akari was a freelance designer who worked from home, so she spent all day in her loungewear. Today, too, she'd been facing her computer since morning, clicking away at her mouse. The fabric of the tank top was thin, and the line from her shoulders to her collarbone was clearly visible. And underneath it, she was wearing nothing. "[gentle]I might've overcooked the meat." Akari leaned forward and turned down the burner on the stove. The chest of her tank top, pulled by gravity, gaped open slightly. Shinya's eyes turned that way on their own. A faint heat ran from the back of his neck down his spine. *(Stop it. Don't look.)* Even as he told himself that, his gaze refused to obey. It had been like this all week. Akari was far too defenseless. Was it because they'd been childhood friends for so long? Or because she didn't see him as a man? Even during his part-time job, while lifting heavy cardboard boxes in the warehouse, he'd find himself remembering Akari's skin. White, fine-textured, those soft-looking lines of her body. His lower body grew hot. *(This is bad. I'm in trouble.)* Dinner was stir-fried meat and vegetables with miso soup. Akari sat across from Shinya, chatting happily. Complaints about her freelance work, how the nearby supermarket had been cheap. Shinya nodded along, desperately keeping his eyes fixed on his plate. Her odd eyes—amber and silver—would occasionally gaze intently at him. She had a habit of always looking into the other person's eyes when she spoke. Her long, deep crimson hair swayed in gentle waves. "[laughing]Oh, by the way, Manato. The laundry's piling up, so put it out later, okay?" "[serious]Yeah, got it." After dinner, Shinya opened the washing machine, reached into the drum, and froze. Among the colorful fabrics, a piece of black lace underwear was mixed in. It was Akari's. Without a doubt, it was Akari's. *(...What the hell am I supposed to do with this?)* He pinched it up with his fingertips. The amount of fabric was astonishingly small. A design that hardly seemed practical. "[excited]What's wrong? You done with the laundry?" A voice came from behind him. Shinya nearly jumped out of his skin and hurriedly tossed the underwear back into the machine. When he turned around, Akari was peeking out from the kitchen, smiling brightly. "[laughing]You don't have to be embarrassed. We're living together, so that kind of thing's just normal, right?" Their eyes met. Her amber and silver eyes were smiling, yet they gleamed with something cold. *(Is she showing me this? On purpose?)* A small question raised its head inside Shinya. But he immediately pushed it away. *(I'm overthinking it.)* Night. After Akari had retreated to her bedroom, Shinya fiddled with his phone on the sofa. Whether he browsed social media or messaged friends, Akari's body clung to a corner of his mind and wouldn't leave. *(I should just sleep.)* He turned off the phone screen. In the pitch-dark living room, only the low hum of the air conditioner echoed. Shinya closed his eyes. That night, too, he had a strange dream. Akari was crying. The girl who, for as long as he could remember, had always been beside him smiling, was now shedding silent tears. Shinya tried to reach out his hand, but his fingertips only cut through empty air. When he woke up, morning sunlight was streaming through the curtains. A weekend night. "[excited]Let's have a little celebration!" Akari said this as she placed a convenience store bag on the table. What came out of it were several cans of *chu-hi*. "[surprised]A celebration? For what?" "[gentle]It's been a week since Manato came here, right? The fact that it's working out is worth celebrating." "[sad]But I feel like I'm just relying on you for everything..." "[laughing]It's fine, it's fine. Here, let's make a toast." When he pulled the tab, a sickly-sweet fruit liquor scent wafted out. Shinya took a sip. The cold liquid passed down his throat. Akari put her can to her lips, too. Immediately, her cheeks grew faintly red. "[gentle]I'm... a real lightweight, you know." Her eyes grew bleary. Her speech was a little slurred, too. "[laughing]But tonight, I kinda feel like drinking a lot, just a little." Giggling, she tilted her can. Shinya watched her in silence. *(You don't have to push yourself.)* He thought it, but didn't say it out loud. By the time her can was empty, Akari was completely drunk. "[scared]...Manato..." In a disjointed voice, she called Shinya's name as if in delirium. "[gentle]I'm gonna... go sleep for a bit." She stood up unsteadily and disappeared into the bedroom. Shinya was left alone in the living room. He cleaned up the remaining *chu-hi* cans and brushed his teeth. He lay down on the sofa and looked at the ceiling. *(This is... kind of a weird night.)* He thought that, vaguely. How much time had passed? He heard the faint sound of the bedroom door opening. Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting the living room in a pale, bluish white. Akari was standing there, barefoot. Still in her loungewear, silent. "[surprised]...Akari?" No answer. Slowly, she approached the sofa where Shinya was sleeping. Her footsteps were as quiet as a ghost's. And then— She grabbed the edge of the blanket and casually flipped it open. "[scared]H-hey—" As if to cut off Shinya's words, Akari slipped right into the blanket with him. On the narrow sofa, their bodies pressed close together. Against his back, he could feel the full heat of Akari's body. Through the thin tank top, the softness of her skin was unmistakable. The swell of her breasts pressed against his spine. Her breath, mixed with alcohol, tickled the nape of his neck. "[whispers]...You know, I..." A trembling voice reached his ear. "[sad]Ever since I was a kid... I've only ever looked at you, Manato." Akari's arms wrapped around Shinya's chest. She hugged him with a strength that was slender, yet fierce. "[crying]Back in middle school, you went out with that girl who was the baseball team manager, right?" At the unexpected name from the past, Shinya's heart thumped with an unpleasant jolt. "[crying]Back then... I seriously thought about dying." Her voice sounded like she was laughing, even though she was crying. A lukewarm sensation spread across his back. Akari's tears were soaking through his tank top. "[crying]Don't leave me anymore. Stay with me forever. Please—" Her body was trembling. Like a small child, she pressed her forehead against Shinya's back. Shinya couldn't move. *(Akari... felt that way?)* He hadn't known. His childhood friend, always cheerful, always reliable, always helping him. That deep inside her heart, she'd been carrying such profound darkness. "[crying]...I love you. I love you. It's only ever been you, Manato. I've always loved you." Akari's hands grabbed Shinya's shoulders and forcibly flipped his body around. Under the moonlight, he could see her face. Cheeks wet with tears. Trembling lips. Her amber and silver eyes stared at Shinya alone, as if possessed. "[whispers]Hey... look at me." Her face slowly drew closer. Shinya couldn't close his eyes. Akari's lips touched his. It was a hot, soft kiss, mixed with the taste of alcohol and the saltiness of tears. The tip of Akari's tongue, trembling, pried open Shinya's lips and slipped inside. The option of refusing had vanished from Shinya's mind. *(I... to this girl...)* Was it pity? Affection? Or just lust? Without understanding it himself, Shinya wrapped his arms around Akari's waist. He slipped his hand under her tank top and directly touched her sweat-dampened back. "[crying]...Finally. Finally, Manato looked at me." With a tearful smile, Akari stripped off her own tank top. Her skin, illuminated by the moonlight, shone white. Her shapely breasts swayed slightly, obeying gravity. She took Shinya's hand and guided it to her chest. *(So soft.)* When he gently stroked in a circular motion with the pads of his fingers, Akari's body twitched. "[whispers]...Ah." A small voice escaped her. Shinya's lower body was so rigidly tense it was obvious even through his pajamas. Akari pushed her short pants and underwear down to her knees herself. Even in the dim light, he could see that her secret place at the base of her thighs was already wet. "[whispers]...Be gentle, okay? It's my first time." Shinya caught his breath. *(This girl... for someone like me—)* He pulled his cock out of his pajamas. It was slick with pre-cum. He gently spread Akari's thighs to the left and right. He pressed the head of his cock against her pussy. It was hot, and so wet it seemed like it would make a squelching sound. "[scared]...I'm putting it in." He pushed his hips forward, little by little. *Nupupu...* Her tight vaginal opening clamped down hard on Shinya's cock. As he advanced a little further, the head touched something like a thin membrane. "[crying]—It hurts!" Akari's nails dug into Shinya's back. When he thrust through in one go, he felt something tear inside her vagina. Her hymen. From the place where they were joined, blood seeped out, staining the fabric of the sofa. "[scared]Are you okay...?" "[crying]Yeah... I'm okay. Just... stay like that for a little bit." After a while, as if the pain had subsided, Akari nodded on her own. "[whispers]...Okay. You can move now." Shinya slowly began to move his hips. *Nucha... nucha...* The narrow sofa creaked and groaned. As he continued the piston-like motion, Akari's insides grew even hotter, softer, and clung to Shinya's penis. "Ahhh... nn, fuahhh...!" Sweet moans began to spill from Akari's mouth. She wrapped her arms around Shinya's neck and entwined both legs around his waist. "[whispers]More... deeper... please..." Shinya responded to her greedy movements. As he increased the speed of his thrusts, the squelching sounds from their union grew more intense. "[crying]Ah... finally... you're mine... Manato is mine alone..." Akari repeated the words like a mantra, tears streaming down her face. Her vagina contracted, squeezing him tightly. "[excited]I'm cumming... I'm gonna cum!" As Akari reached her first climax, the clenching was too much for Shinya to endure. "[scared]Akari, I'm gonna..." "[crying]Inside... cum inside me...!" Akari put strength into her legs, making it impossible for Shinya to escape. With a pulsing throb, throb, Shinya released his cloudy white semen deep inside Akari's vagina. "Aaahhh...!" At the sensation of the hot cum hitting her cervix, Akari climaxed again, a smaller one. Even after the ejac