"Moe-sleeves"—a look often seen in autumn and winter, where girls tuck their hands into their oversized sleeves to ward off the cold, showing only a few fingers.
It gives off a soft, adorable vibe.
As for the current Yamada Ryo, she wasn't doing it because of the cold.
Rather, the track jacket Aoki Kei had lent her was several sizes too big, and the sleeves naturally draped over her hands.
Still, no matter the reason, she looked undeniably cute.
But that wasn't really the point right now.
Looking at Ryo in his oversized jacket, lazily sipping a drink through a straw, Aoki Kei let out a quiet sigh and asked:
"...So, when are you planning to give that jacket back?"
Ryo glanced down at the jacket she was wearing, blinked slowly, then looked up again.
After a brief pause, she gave an unrelated and curt response.
"Mm… it's actually really comfy."
The meaning was clear.
Whether she just wanted to wear it a bit longer, or never intended to return it at all, one thing was obvious—Ryo had no immediate plans to give it back.
Not that Aoki Kei particularly minded.
One more or one less jacket wasn't going to make a big difference in his life.
Still, he was a little puzzled.
Ryo's wardrobe was basically endless—she never wore the same thing twice.
There's no way she needed a jacket.
So why this one?
He didn't have an answer, and rather than overthink it, he just let it go.
After a short pause, he responded, "Alright, whatever makes you happy. Just keep it for now."
Ryo tilted her head slightly and looked at him.
Her gaze lingered on Aoki's face for a moment.
She hadn't expected him to be so nonchalant. No complaints, no teasing.
How many times had suki-san said that to her now? "Whatever makes you happy."
Too many to count.
It almost felt like he was always strangely indulgent with her.
Even back before she'd joined Kessoku Band—when they'd just met he had agreed to lend her money, fulfilling what were, in hindsight, pretty unreasonable requests.
So… why?
She blinked again.
Ryo didn't quite understand the source of this indulgence, but one thing was clear—
Because of it, and maybe because of a few other, more complicated reasons, she always felt comfortable around suki-san.
Sort of like this jacket.
"By the way, I also got banana milk and a few other fruit flavors. Want one?"
She didn't respond to his "whatever makes you happy." Instead, she lifted the bag slightly in her left hand and offered, her tone cool and casual, like always.
Aoki thought for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. Thanks."
"This pineapple one's really good… here."
She handed him a box of milk with a pineapple illustration on it, then took another quiet sip from her own straw.
After a short pause, she continued naturally, "By the way, suki-san, are your rooms on the third or fourth floor?"
"Yeah." Aoki Kei nodded. "The boys are on the third floor, separate from the girls."
"Oh… that's kind of a coincidence. Our girls' rooms at Shimokitazawa High are on the second floor."
By "coincidence," she probably meant that their floors were close—just one level apart.
Aoki didn't really get what was so coincidental about that, but he nodded anyway.
"Yeah, guess so."
It was a bit perfunctory.
But Ryo didn't seem to mind.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "If we're that close, you should stop by our room sometime—me and Nijika are roommates. Room 20…"
That snapped Aoki out of his daze.
He turned to look at her, clearly surprised, and immediately cut in.
"No, no, no. I'm not doing the whole sneaking-into-the-girls'-room thing. We'll have plenty of time to hang out later, so—"
Before he could finish, Ryo interrupted with a flat tone, "Well, it's not like I can come to your room either. If word got out I was staying in a room with suki-san, it'd be a whole scandal or whatever. Not appropriate."
"…"
Aoki fell silent again.
Looking at her, he opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.
"…Not to mention, I've been assigned to a solo room," he finally said, his brow twitching.
"Even if you did come to my room, what would you even plan to do? You're the one saying it's inappropriate and would cause problems..."
He raised a hand and lightly karate-chopped Ryo on the forehead.
"Boundaries, Ryo. We talked about this—no more jokes like that."
"Ow…" Ryo nodded, rubbing her forehead.
Whether she actually took it to heart or was just pretending like last time, Aoki couldn't be sure.
But something about how they interacted just didn't feel quite... right.
Do normal friends really talk to each other like this?
…
After a few more exchanges, Aoki said goodnight and headed back upstairs.
He didn't go to sleep right away. Instead, he pulled a light novel out of his luggage—the kind he'd picked up at the bookstore to kill time—and started reading.
He also drank the pineapple milk Ryo had given him.
It was sweet. Just the way he liked it.
Maybe their taste in drinks really did match surprisingly well.
With that idle thought lingering in his mind, the evening passed.
Around ten o'clock, he put away the book, washed up, and finally went to bed.
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [300 Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 100+ advanced chapters and other works.