Late June was almost here. Maoto Shinya's life had changed completely over these past two weeks. Ever since they'd become lovers, Akari's kindness felt like it had grown even deeper than before. She always woke up early to make breakfast, and she sorted the laundry properly. Probably because she'd lived alone for so long, her housekeeping skills were far better than Shinya's. But something had changed. Something, just a little— Shinya had just gotten back from his warehouse job. As he changed out of his shirt, still damp with sweat, he replayed today's strange feeling in his mind. His coworker Tanaka had said, "I'll treat you to ramen," just as they stepped out the back door of the warehouse. It was six in the evening. The days had grown longer, so the sky was still blue. "[excited]It was payday today, so how about a bowl?" Tanaka was a high school classmate, and now they worked the same warehouse job. A tall, big-built, easygoing guy. "[serious]Sorry, today's a little…" He couldn't come up with a good excuse to refuse, and they ended up chatting in front of the shop for about fifteen minutes. How the darkness of the warehouse was rough, how that staff member Sato was annoying—that kind of talk. (Well, being a little late should be fine.) That's what he'd thought. When he got back to his apartment, he looked at his phone screen and the blood drained from his face. Missed calls. Sixteen of them. On LINE, short messages asking "Where are you now?" "Why aren't you answering?" "Did something happen?"—fourteen of them. All sent during that fifteen-minute window when Shinya had been talking to Tanaka. (Crap.) His feet stopped in front of the door. Just as he was about to insert the key, the door opened from the inside. "[cold]…Welcome back." Akari stood there. Her long, deep crimson wavy hair was as glossy as ever. Her odd eyes—one amber, one silver—were the same colors as always. But the corners of her eyes seemed just the slightest bit upturned. "[scared]I'm home…" "[gentle]You're late. I got worried. I wondered if something had happened." Akari was smiling. But that smile was thin, like a membrane stretched taut, looking like it might tear at the slightest touch. A white blouse and a long skirt in a subdued color. The mature outfit somehow made her instability stand out even more. "A coworker talked to me for a bit. A guy named Tanaka. Said he'd treat me to ramen." Something flickered deep in Akari's eyes. But it vanished immediately. "[gentle]Oh, I see. You could have just let me know." That was all. Relieved, Shinya washed his sweat-soaked body in the bath. The sound of the shower echoed in the cramped bathroom. (She worries about me this much. I'm really treasured.) He certainly thought that. But still—sixteen missed calls. In fifteen minutes. If he hadn't stopped by the Silver 24 convenience store, he would have arrived a little earlier. Maybe Akari had already been waiting in front of the door five minutes before his expected arrival time. (To that extent?) He tilted his head in puzzlement as he got out of the bath. At dinner, that strange feeling grew even stronger. Akari chatted brightly, just like always. "So today, this client was super annoying~" "Oh yeah?" "Five design revisions. Five! Can you believe it?" "That's rough." The conversation was normal. But under the table, both of Akari's hands were gripping Shinya's wrist. Tightly. As if to fix him there so he couldn't leave. The force was strong enough that her fingers dug in. "…Hey, Akari." "[gentle]Hm? What is it?" Akari smiled. Her amber and silver eyes simply gazed at Shinya, and only at Shinya. "No, I just need to use the bathroom…" When Shinya tried to stand up, the grip on his wrist tightened with a grind. Just for an instant. But a dull pain shot through Shinya's bone. "[gentle]Ah, sorry. I just didn't want to let go." Akari released his hand without a trace of guilt. Shinya muttered "Well, whatever" under his breath and went to the bathroom. When he came back, she grabbed his wrist again. For the entire thirty minutes until they finished eating, it stayed that way. (Is she… clingy?) (But is this what love is?) Shinya genuinely didn't know anymore. Once they finished cleaning up after dinner, Akari suddenly fell silent. She stopped washing the dishes and turned back toward Shinya. "[whispers]…Let's sleep together tonight." Ever since they'd become lovers, it had been like this almost every night. Akari took Shinya's hand and led him into the bedroom. In the middle of the room was a double bed, the sheets always changed and clean. Two pillows, too. At first there had only been one, but after Shinya started coming over, they'd multiplied. Akari sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around Shinya's neck. Her long crimson hair swayed, and the scent of soap drifted softly. "[whispers]Hey, Manato. Do you love me? Really?" Her voice trembled. "I love you." When Shinya answered, Akari took a deep breath. Then, she suddenly burst into tears. "[crying]If Manato disappears, I won't be able to do anything anymore." Large teardrops spilled from her amber and silver eyes. The tip of her nose turned red, her voice shaking. "Ever since I was a child, it's always been that way. I had no one but Manato. So please, don't hate me. Never." "There's no way I'd hate you." Just as Shinya started to say that, Akari's lips sealed his mouth. A kiss. A strong, somehow desperate kiss. Akari's tongue slipped into Shinya's mouth, tracing along his teeth. The lukewarm sensation of saliva mixing together. Shinya embraced her slender shoulders in return, and just like that, he was pushed down onto the bed. Akari's hands stripped Shinya's clothes off. Before he knew it, she had shed her blouse and skirt too, and she was naked. Her white skin floated up faintly in the light from the streetlamp slipping through the gap in the curtains. Her breasts were on the small side, her nipples a pale cherry-blossom pink. A slender waist, long, sleek legs, the soft-looking skin of her inner thighs. "[crying]Manato… Manato…" Crying, Akari reached her hand toward Shinya's cock. It was already hard, precum seeping from the tip. Her slender fingers gently traced the underside of the glans. "Nn…" Akari buried her face in the nape of Shinya's neck, licked his collarbone, and lightly bit the nub of his chest. A sensation mixing pain and ticklishness reverberated down to his hips. Then, she shifted her body and pressed Shinya's penis against her own pussy. It was already wet, slick love juices trickling down her thighs. "[whispers]I'm putting it in…" Slowly, her hips descended. With a squelch… the sensation of her tight vagina enveloping his cock. Once it was all the way in, the folds inside Akari clenched and squeezed. Hot. Slippery. "Ahh… haa… Manato's, inside me…" Akari stopped crying, furrowed her brows in what looked like longing, and began to move her hips. The pistoning was slow at first, but gradually grew more intense. "Manato, I love you, I love you, I love you!" Every time her hips slammed down, a wet, squishing sound came from where they were joined. Shinya thrust his hips up too. Each time he hit deep, Akari let out a small cry. "There, deep, no… ah, aahhh!" Akari's nails dug into Shinya's back. It hurt. But she wouldn't let go. Strength filled her embracing arms, her hips, her entire body. (Won't let go.) That will transmitted itself to him as pain. Akari reached her first climax. Her body trembled violently, her vagina convulsing. Shinya desperately held back his own impending ejaculation from the tightness. The night was still long. The second act of passion was even deeper. Facing each other in missionary position, Akari's legs entwined around Shinya's waist. Sweat-dampened skin pressed close, their body heat mingling. As the pistoning grew faster, Akari's gasps grew louder too. "Ah, nn, it's good… it feels good." Then, Akari's mouth drew close to Shinya's ear. "[whispers]We'll be together forever, right?" "Yeah." As Shinya answered breathlessly, she spoke. "[whispers]If you leave, I'll…" Her words stopped midway. Silence. A few seconds of emptiness chilled the atmosphere all at once. Another single tear spilled from Akari's eye. But the corners of her mouth curved up just a little. Was she crying? Or smiling? (I'll… what? Die? Go somewhere? Or—destroy everything?) Shinya's thoughts froze. But at that moment, Akari pressed her hips down hard, and everything went white and hazy. "I'm cumming…!" Throb, throb—semen was pumped deep into her vagina. Her cervix was filled with cloudy white cum. "Aaahhh…!" Akari climaxed at the same time. Her body bucked wildly, her vagina clamping down hard on Shinya's penis. A long, deep orgasm. When the act was over, Akari began to sleep with a peaceful expression. On Shinya's chest, she breathed softly in her slumber. A sleeping face exhausted from crying, satisfied, completely at ease. Shinya stared at the ceiling. Those words repeated in his head. 'If you leave, I'll…' He couldn't help but wonder what came after. (Should I have asked? No, was I afraid to ask?) At nineteen, Shinya still didn't really understand "love." He felt he was treasured. He thought he loved her. But this feeling— (Why is my back so cold?) He couldn't find an answer. The next morning. The sunlight was dazzling. When Shinya woke up, Akari was already awake. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring intently at something. In her hand was Shinya's smartphone. "…What are you doing?" When he spoke, Akari didn't turn around. "[gentle]What time does your shift end? Today." A flat, indifferent voice. On the screen, the mixed-gender group chat for the warehouse job was open. The exchange with Tanaka from yesterday's chat, shift confirmation messages—they were all lined up. Akari's slender finger swiped the screen. It stopped on one member. "Nakamura." A name that seemed female, and a flower icon. Silently, Akari stared fixedly at that icon. The silence was heavy. "Hey, that's my phone, you know." When he finally managed to say it, Akari looked up with a start. She was smiling. "[laughing]But you gave me your password, didn't you? We're lovers, so that's only natural." Saying that, she placed the phone on the bed. Shinya couldn't say anything back. It was true he'd told her his lock code. But that didn't mean she could look without permission. (But maybe between lovers, there's no such thing as "without permission"?) Shinya didn't have a clear, correct answer. Biting into her morning toast, Akari said brightly: "[excited]Hey, is it okay if I kill time in front of the station during your shift today? Let's go home together after." She meant Maruto City. She was probably planning to wait at the bookstore or a café in the station building. (She wants to be together that badly?) A question flickered through his mind, but he couldn't find the words to refuse. Before he knew it, he'd answered, "Okay." Akari smiled happily and took a sip of her coffee. Still holding his spoon, Shinya looked out the window. The June sky was slightly cloudy and unsettled. Every time he went outside, her eyes drew closer. Because he had a place to come back to, he could go to his job. But every time, those sixteen missed calls flashed through his mind. (What do you call this, I wonder?) A sensation he couldn't put into words spread gradually, deep in his chest. Whether it was love, or something else entirely— Shinya still couldn't give it a name.