Under the dark, curtain-like night sky, Tokyo was still as bustling as it was during the day, vibrant and dazzling.
Bright neon lights adorned every street and alley, and the glass walls of the tall office buildings in the city center turned into giant displays, cycling through various advertisements and slogans.
Looking at the distant, meaningless advertisements, Sasaki stood by the street and dialed a number saved under the contact name "Nanao."
*Ring~*
After three seconds of ringing, a uniquely sweet yet slightly cold voice came through the phone.
"Hello? Are you here?"
Her voice was like licking a slightly melted ice cream on a summer day—sweet, cool, and with a soft, creamy texture.
To be honest, Sasaki really liked her voice, so, hearing it, he couldn't help but smile as he replied.
"Yeah, I'm almost there, just a few steps away. Have you arrived yet?"
"I'm here..."
Her voice paused for a moment before she continued.
"But I haven't gone in yet..."
It was the right choice not to rush into what was clearly a dangerous situation...
However, since her baseball club teammates were throwing her a farewell party, if she hesitated too long, Tougou might use her tardiness as an excuse to make her accept drinks from the club members... or make her punish herself...
They were still underage, so technically, they shouldn't be drinking... but getting her to accidentally drink a glass or two wouldn't be a big deal.
Sasaki didn't voice this likely scenario to Nanao.
He didn't want to affect her mindset or increase her pressure, especially since she was already outside.
Because... even if she managed to get through this hurdle, Tougou would find another way to make her eat or drink something spiked.
No matter what, he wouldn't let her leave in a normal state.
Turning into the alley lined with colorful signs, Sasaki, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted Nanao Akane, whose youthful beauty and graceful figure outshone even the dazzling neon lights.
Under the streetlight with the sign "Food Street," the girl, dressed in casual clothes, was holding her phone to her ear, talking to him.
Unlike the usual times he saw her, when she wore her proper yet slightly suggestive school uniform or baseball outfit.
Perhaps out of habit or because she didn't want to attract unwanted attention while attending a gathering,
Nanao Akane was wearing oversized clothes.
She had on a pure black, cotton short-sleeved T-shirt with white letters printed on the front.
The T-shirt was longer than the one Sasaki had bought for her that day.
Even though her huge chest took up a lot of the fabric, the T-shirt still reached down to her thighs.
Instead of the shorts many girls would choose in the summer to show off their legs, she was wearing beige, loose-fitting pants.
Even though it was already evening and the temperature had dropped compared to the daytime, it was still far from cool.
But Nanao Akane was still wearing long pants... Well, it was clear she really didn't want to give Tougou any chance to take advantage.
"I see you. Look toward the street entrance."
Meeting the girl's gaze, Sasaki hung up the phone and waved at her.
Walking slowly toward the approaching girl, he greeted her with a smile:
"How long have you been here?"
"Not long, I just arrived."
Walking side by side with Sasaki, the girl looked at the brightly lit izakaya in the distance, where people were coming and going, and said.
"Quite a few of the baseball club members must already be here."
"I just watched for a while on the roadside and saw several members go in."
"Even though there are still about ten minutes before the agreed time..."
"That's normal. The 'flower of the baseball club' is leaving, which means she's no longer bound by the 'no dating within the club' rule. If someone catches her attention at this party, they might end up with a perfect, dream-like girlfriend."
"Well... even though the chances are slim, coming early to check things out is still good. It's pleasing to the eyes, after all."
Sasaki voiced the thoughts of most guys, who believed that the early bird catches the worm.
"That's your thinking, right? Even though you already have several girlfriends, you're still not satisfied..."
Although she really wanted to call him a "scumbag" or "trash," but remembering that Sasaki was just a playboy and not someone who toyed with girls' feelings, Nanao Akane swallowed those more insulting words.
Instead, she wanted to tease him about being a womanizer.
But she felt that such a nickname was too intimate, so she didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Not satisfied with what?"
Teasing her with a smile, Sasaki spoke.
"This isn't just my thinking... What guy wouldn't want a girlfriend with a pretty face and a perfect figure? Well... I'm just a bit more greedy."
After saying that, he added:
"But who says I can't handle it~"
Disliking Sasaki's self-praising demeanor, Nanao Akane, walking beside him, snorted and shot him a sideways glance:
"Being smooth-talking doesn't count as a skill. You're just taking advantage of those girls who are easy to fool."
As she slowed her steps, Sasaki turned his head to meet her gaze, leaning slightly closer and tilting his head with a smile.
"If I were just smooth-talking, would you let me stand by your side right now?"
Because Sasaki had leaned in, their faces were less than ten centimeters apart.
At such a close distance... she had never been this close to Shou-kun before.
She didn't dislike it... but this distance was just too close.
Wanting to look away and create some distance, but not wanting to appear weak, Nanao Akane tried her best to ignore the pounding of her heart, which felt like a drum, making her whole body heat up, instead, she pretended nothing was wrong and met Sasaki's gaze:
"That still doesn't change the fact that you're smooth-talking."
Looking down at Nanao Akane's lips, glossy with lip balm, Sasaki reached out with his right hand and gently touched her cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth.
"Sure, sure~ I'm smooth-talking. You've put on makeup today, Akane. You look really beautiful."
Caught off guard by his sudden touch, Nanao Akane instinctively wanted to step back and avoid him.
But his subsequent compliment, along with the fact that he only touched the corner of her mouth and di not cross any major boundaries, made her stop herself from lifting her heel to retreat.
After all, she still needed him to save her later...
This excuse kept her from turning her head or making any other gesture of rejection, so, she just looked at him coldly:
"Even if you compliment me like this... I won't be happy."
Leaning even closer, Sasaki lowered his head until his lips were less than a finger's width away from her small, red ear under her short hair as he whispered. "Really? But your heart is beating so fast. I can hear it~"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Nanao Akane's face, already tinged with a faint blush, instantly turned as red as a cloth.
Her tender skin glowed with a bright, shy redness, like a ripe, freshly picked apple.
Gently stroking her hot, soft cheek, Sasaki straightened up slightly and looked at her adorable, bashful expression as he smiled and winked:
"Just kidding. From this far away, with your bunny plushie so big, how could I possibly hear your heartbeat?"
!!!
Not only was he fooled, but he also teased her in front of so many people on the street.
Nanao Akane covered her chest with her hand, her embarrassment turning into anger before she scolded him with a mix of shame and frustration:
"You...!"
She wanted to scold him a bit to vent her embarrassment, but she was afraid he might get angry and abandon her.
Feeling like he was taking advantage of the situation to toy with her... because she had rejected him before... Nanao Akane felt an inexplicable sense of sadness and discomfort.
Sniffling slightly, the girl pursed her lips and was about to turn her head away when the hand on her cheek moved to the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad~ I was just trying to ease your tension, that's all~"
Petting her smooth hair like he would a small animal, Sasaki smiled apologetically and awkwardly.
"I've made this kind of joke with them so many times, I accidentally treated you like..."
Like what?
Even though he didn't say it, Nanao Akane knew what he meant.
The sadness and discomfort that had clouded her heart were blown away like mist by his comforting words and apologetic smile, instead, embarrassment reclaimed its place in her heart.
Lowering her arm from her chest, Nanao Akane said softly:
"Don't make jokes like that in public next time."
"Not in public" and "not at all" were two different things.
Sasaki's awkward smile turned radiant as he replied cheerfully:
"Got it."
"Not feeling nervous anymore, are you?"
"..."
The emotions in her heart felt like dough in his hands, being kneaded and shaped at his will, leaving her no room to feel nervous anymore.
Though she was grateful for his efforts to ease her tension, the way he did it... as he said, it felt like he was treating her as his girlfriend.
If she really were his girlfriend... then it would be fine... she didn't dislike playful interactions with a lover.
But she wasn't... she had Shou-kun...
Thinking of her lover, Nanao Akane's eyes dimmed slightly.
Since she sent Shou-kun the message on Friday explaining why she was leaving the club, he hadn't responded... clearly upset.
She understood why he was angry.
After all, she had broken their promise to go to Koshien together, and she had sent many apologies and explanations... but all of them remained unread...
His behavior really hurt her...
It was normal for couples to get upset, and Nanao Akane could accept Katase Shouya being mad at her, but at least he could read her messages.
Being ignored like this made her feel exhausted and miserable.
Maybe she had been a bit unreasonable about the Tougou situation, since there was no concrete evidence, but Shou-kun shouldn't have sided so strongly with that disgusting guy.
The prolonged lack of trust from her lover, along with being ignored for the past few days, had gradually filled Nanao Akane with resentment.
Noticing the dimness in her eyes and her mix of sadness and anger, Sasaki gently touched her palm:
"What's wrong? Still nervous? Don't worry, I'm here. Nothing will happen to you."
The voice that had been by her side during her moments of helplessness once again reached her ears as Nanao Akane looked up, meeting his caring gaze, and slowly smiled brightly:
"Mhm~ Thank you."
Seeing that she hadn't noticed him touching her palm, Sasaki gently took her small, smooth hand, which felt like a piece of soft jade, and lightly scratched her palm.
"Don't say that. We're not strangers, are we~?"
Only then realizing that he was holding her hand, Nanao Akane immediately wanted to pull away,
But just as she was about to, she heard Sasaki say. "Just for a little while, okay?"
"..."
Reason told her she couldn't hold his hand.
She had a lover, and doing this would be a betrayal of Shou-kun.
But another voice in her heart told her it was fine.
After all, it was just holding hands.
They had already done things like lap pillows and massages, so what was the big deal?
Besides, Sasaki had been so good to her, and now he was asking so gently.
If she pulled her hand away, wouldn't that hurt him?
For a lover who didn't trust her, who had been ignoring her for days, and who she wasn't even sure still loved her... was it really worth hurting someone who had always helped her?
"..."
While she hesitated and struggled, not knowing what to do, Sasaki took the opportunity to interlace his fingers with hers, their palms pressing together.
"Just for a little while. I'll let go before we go in."
Sasaki-kun had already made the decision for her.
It would be too awkward to refuse now. Nanao Akane bit her lower lip and nodded slightly.
Their pace toward the izakaya wasn't fast, even slower than a stroll.
But no matter how slow they walked, the distance to the izakaya was steadily shrinking.
At the same time, the agreed-upon meeting time for the baseball club members was getting closer.
Naturally, the two of them holding hands as they walked toward the izakaya would be seen by some of the club members.
"Hey, hey, isn't that Nanao, the manager?"
"Looks like... yeah, that's her... Wait, who's the guy holding her hand? Her boyfriend?"
"I've never heard she had a boyfriend."
"Huh? Are you an idiot? Don't you remember the rule our coach set? How could Nanao openly say she has a boyfriend?"
"I think the reason Nanao quit the club is because she found a boyfriend. Otherwise, why would she suddenly leave?"
"That makes sense... Sigh, too bad Nanao-san doesn't like me..."
"Are you dreaming?"
"..."
On the noisy street, Nanao Akane couldn't hear or notice that people had seen her holding hands with a guy.
After all, right now, her mind was filled with the sensation of holding Sasaki's hand.
His hand was so big, thick, and warm, a little rough, but the feeling of their palms pressed together was incredibly comforting.
It was her first time holding hands with a guy, and aside from feeling shy, Nanao Akane was also satisfying her curiosity.
Before, to avoid anyone finding out about her relationship with Shou-kun, she had never even had any physical contact with him.
She had always thought that holding hands wouldn't feel particularly special.
But now... feeling the warmth from his palm, Nanao Akane wasn't sure if it was because of the weather or something else, but her chest felt warm, and there was a tickling sensation, like a kitten lightly scratching her.
It was really strange.
.
.
.
.