The string lights wrapped around the trees had already shifted colors five times and started another cycle.
Five women and four men had stepped into the drugstore, and tonight's sales quota was perfectly met.
A crow perched atop a neon billboard, its jet-black eyes reflecting everything happening on the street below—the fortress-like tower plastered with shop names.
The glowing green sign marking the underground mall exit, the glittering accessories on women's heads and clothes, the countless smartphone screens shining like stars.
All of it made the crow's heart race.
Even though its body was tired, nothing could stop its urge to snatch up all those dazzling treasures and bring them home.
After all, those upright apes carried the shiny things in their hands or wore them on their heads, but… surely they didn't really need them, right?
With that thought, the crow's sly eyes flickered as it prepared to dive—only to spot something even brighter.
Beneath a scalding streetlamp that burned hotter than anything, something outshone all else.
Don't ask how the crow knew streetlamps burned—it was common knowledge passed down by its ancestors.
Not that it was dumb enough to try carrying one home.
Honestly, its ancestors weren't too bright if they thought lamps were cool to the touch.
That shining prize wasn't just bright—it glittered like a pair of flawless crystals.
Crystals were precious; one could be traded to the crow next door for at least four eggs.
Living in Tokyo, the crow had its own understanding of crystals.
They were simple things—if you shone a flashlight on them, they sparkled; in the dark, they vanished.
But to gleam as brilliantly as what the crow saw now, a crystal would have to be raised directly to the noonday sun.
Such quality! To shine this brightly in the middle of the night… with that, the crow could hatch two whole broods.
Its heart thumped with excitement as it fixed on the radiant prize.
Yes, it had to claim it. Sharp talons shifted across the billboard in preparation.
Just two flaps upward, a loud caw to distract the apes, and then a daring dive—in the uproar of their cheers, Lord Crow would snatch his prize in glory.
Its black, cunning eyes were already painting the scene of victory.
But then, suddenly, that dazzling brilliance vanished.
The crow froze, wings folding back. It finally saw clearly what those glittering crystals truly were.
Oh. Eyes.
Seriously, what's the point of eyes shining that bright? Hiding a flashlight in there or something?
Even crystals needed sunlight to sparkle like that—so why did those eyes blaze so brightly when that male ape was gnawing on her lips?
Annoying. Annoying!
Maybe out of spite, the crow's caw grew sharper and harsher.
Those radiant eyes, as if they held the very sun, belonged to Nishimiya Shouko.
The tree lights cycled twice more.
A few more stars dotted the sky. And yet, the couple still stood rooted in place, lips locked, oblivious to the world.
They clung to each other, their eyes filled with nothing but one another.
"Mwah… Mmh, mmph…. Mmh"
"Mmh.. Mmh"
Whether it was compensation Kyousuke demanded or Shouko sought, their mouths kept parting and meeting again, saliva messily mingling between them.
Her eyes shifted—from shy and embarrassed, to soft and alluring, from timidly avoiding, to bravely entangling.
"Kyousuke-kun…"
Shouko squeezed the words out in a breathy whisper, like a kitten's mewl.
But her voice never reached the air—it was swallowed immediately, along with her breath, by his insistent mouth.
Gasping, she hurried to draw in a deep breath, only to be forced into another battle against his relentless, domineering kiss.
'Ugh… He was so gentle before, carefully licking my lips.'
'Why is he so rough now, sucking so hard… it's so embarrassing.'
'Does my saliva really taste that good?'
Confused, Shouko involuntarily mimicked him, swallowing once.
"Hahh… Mmh❤️, mmmmh… Hahh"
'Mm… oh! It really… does taste a little sweet…'
Her eyes flew wide in surprise, uncertain.
"Mmh!"
"Mmmh! Mwah… Mmh, mmph… mmp! ❤️ Mwah…"
She swallowed again, this time daring to suck gently in return.
"Ah~ it feels… so good~"
Her gaze overflowed with springlike warmth, the lights pooling into her eyes until they shimmered with dazzling colors, brimming with love.
'So this is what kissing Kyousuke-kun feels like… No wonder Sakura acted like that last night…'
As the memory of what she had secretly witnessed the night before resurfaced, guilt pricked at her heart.
Yet, along with it came a forbidden thrill.
'Ah… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Sakura!'
She screamed the words in her heart as her small hands gripped Kyousuke's shirt tighter.
At least, right now, Kyousuke-kun's eyes held only her.
Ever since she'd seen them in the living room last night, kissing in each other's arms, an indescribable stirring had taken root inside her.
If Sakura had already kissed Kyousuke-kun… then couldn't she… couldn't she also… ah…
The mere thought, the faintest imagining, made her chest burn as if it might explode, her heartbeat racing fast enough to break into another universe.
Inside her, two little voices argued.
The white angel spoke gently: It's okay, Shouko. You've held yourself back for so long.
It wasn't until after Sakura kissed Kyousuke-kun that you allowed yourself to think of this. Sakura will understand.
You know how much she likes you—she doesn't mind you being by his side.
Give Kyousuke-kun the first kiss you've saved for sixteen years. He'll be happy, and Sakura will bless you too.
The black devil snarled: What are you hesitating for? Sakura stole his first kiss while you stood by uselessly!
Why wait until after she made her move before even daring to think of it?
Idiot! In life, you always strike first—that's the most important rule!
Would you really hand over what you love to someone else?
Sakura's a fool who doesn't understand the importance of protecting what's precious.
Only you can do it now!
Angel and devil, light and dark—they clashed in her head.
But though their arguments differed, both urged her to give her first kiss to Kyousuke without hesitation. Neither had the slightest intention of stopping her.
But wasn't that only natural? From the moment she met him, there had never been a time she didn't want to hold that boy close, to give him everything of herself.
At first, she only wished to be his friend—to play dodgeball together, to chat after class, to share a bucket of water during cleaning duty.
But once she became his friend, she wanted more: to attend the same school, to sit on the same bench at lunch, to join the same club, to fill every corner of her youth with his name.
She wasn't a good girl. She was a little too greedy.
Every time one of her wishes was fulfilled, she began to long for more.
She wanted to give something back to him, to have the strength to always remain by his side, to walk forward with him.
Being with him only in the everyday rhythm of school life no longer satisfied her.
She wanted more—like Eriri, she wanted to become his support in his career, to see her name appear alongside his on a glowing screen.
And yet, she was unforgivable.
Sakura was her dearest friend, and still… she had feelings she should never have for the boy Sakura loved most.
Whenever she saw couples kissing at school, her mind filled with Kyousuke-kun's face.
She wanted to kiss him too, to feel him grip her waist tightly, to be held fiercely in his arms.
But even with those uncontrollable desires, Shouko told herself: This is enough. Kyousuke-kun is good. Sakura is good. That means Shouko is good too.
That was until the moment she saw Sakura and Kyousuke embracing passionately, their lips joined in a kiss.
In that instant, a thought sprang unbidden into her heart:
Kyousuke-kun's first kiss already belongs to Sakura. So… would it be okay if I quietly kissed him once?
Nishimiya Shouko was not a girl who saw herself as lowly. But this was different.
Both Kyousuke and Sakura were the most important people in her life.
As the devil inside her had shouted: Never, ever give away what you love to someone you hate—even if it kills you!
But this was Sakura. Sakura, the first person besides Kyousuke who had ever taken her hand, the first to play baseball with her, the one who would throw punches just to protect her. Sakura was… Sakura.
And besides, from the very beginning, Kyousuke had never belonged to her.
It was Sakura who had shared the boy she loved with her.
Shouko would rather die than hurt Sakura.
If possible, she would rather drift like a cloud—floating quietly in the sky, basking in the sunlight.
Even if she burned away, she would return again, to cast a cool shadow in summer, to fall as gentle rain in spring.
Peaceful, quiet. Just like that.
But this was Kyousuke-kun. Kyousuke-kun. Kyousuke-kun!
The one and only Kyousuke-kun in this world. The sun in her darkness. The most important person in her life. The one who was…
'I'm sorry, Sakura…'
Her heart ached with guilt, but then it was lit up, overwhelmed by the brilliance of her sun.
In that moment, her fantasy became reality.
Her small feet pushed harder, her black round-toed shoes balanced only on their tips.
Her delicate ankles, slender calves, and even the curve beneath her skirt strained forward, trying desperately to press herself closer into Kyousuke-kun's embrace.
'I'm sorry, Sakura. But he's Kyousuke-kun!'
Her repressed feelings flooded out, all those words unsaid, all those years of bottled emotions, pouring themselves into a single kiss.
Shouko kissed with all her strength, with all her heart.
The shy girl who always averted her gaze the instant their eyes met now ignored everything else—the surroundings, the people watching.
If she could, she wished for the moon never to set, for tomorrow never to arrive, for this night to last forever.
Her unrestrained, blazing love was crystal clear to Hojou Kyousuke. He could feel every drop of it, unmistakably.
This was the same girl who would agonize all night over giving up her favorite crepe just because he teased her, who whispered shyly in the quiet of the night, "Kyousuke-kun, am I really fat?" as she let him touch her stomach.
And now here she was, boldly laying her heart bare. It moved him more than words could say.
He knew exactly how difficult it was for Shouko to take this step.
She wasn't like Kasumigaoka-senpai, who charmed and bewitched, nor like Sakura who could joke brightly about "practicing" with other girls.
Shouko was different—more like Mitsuha.
Back then, the wall between him and Mitsuha had been the girls around him.
Unlike Kasumigaoka-senpai, Mitsuha had no ambition to drive others away.
Unlike Sakura, she couldn't smile while telling him to gain experience with someone else.
Mitsuha was simply an ordinary girl, who couldn't accept being with someone entangled with others.
She never took the initiative, but Kyousuke knew—if he had cut ties with everyone else, Mitsuha would have happily, wholeheartedly been his.
And Shouko—though she had never shown it openly after all their years together, how could Kyousuke not sense her thoughts?
If he ever told her, I won't see Sakura anymore, she would burst into tears before he even finished the sentence, begging him to change his mind.
That was who she was. Not greedy, but kind.
So why was Shouko being so brave tonight? Even Kyousuke's unmatched mind couldn't fathom the reason.
The only thing he could do was embrace the joy surging inside him, and return her feelings completely.
He could not, must not let her courage go unanswered.
Whatever her reason, it had taken everything she had to make this choice.
He had to hold her close, anchor this precious progress, and turn it into something permanent.
He held her soft, burning body, gazed into those crystal-clear eyes, and let their souls entwine as their hearts overlapped, closer than ever before.
For a long, long time, until even the crow on the billboard nearly dozed off, the two remained beneath the streetlamp, kissing without pause.
When they finally, reluctantly parted, a silver thread still glistened between their lips.
As the pressure left her mouth, Shouko returned to herself, as if her soul had just been restored.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
Her soft pink tongue slipped out unconsciously, licking her lips.
She didn't know whether it was to soothe their burning with fresh saliva, or simply to savor the lingering taste of the kiss.
All she knew was that she didn't want it to end. She wanted more.
She wanted to keep kissing Kyousuke-kun.
Her sparkling brown eyes drifted toward his lips, and she swallowed hard.
The sudden gulp startled even herself. She jerked her gaze upward, forcing herself to meet Kyousuke's face.
And there it was—the face she could recreate even with her eyes closed.
The smile she loved most.
Except now, it was filled with a tenderness so deep, so overflowing, that she was jolted into remembering everything she had just done.
'Ah!!'
If a moment ago her face had been like a peach blossom in spring, flushed with love, then now it was a rose in full bloom—burning red with shyness.
'Run, Shouko!'
'Run, Nishimiya Shouko!'
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