"Ugh... This is so cramped!"
I ended up going to karaoke with Hagino Kaede, the beautiful girl in my class, due to a series of coincidences.
However, the private room the staff led us to was only about half the size of the others, a corner room so small that our shoulders touched when we sat down in the chairs. It felt like they'd forced an extra room into whatever awkwardly leftover space there was during construction.
"This room is way too small! I'm gonna have to touch you, Hachiya-kun, even if I don't want to!"
For some reason, the cramped space seemed to excite the beautiful girl, and she deliberately leaned her weight toward me.
Her hair brushed against my nose, and the scent of shampoo mixed with that uniquely feminine aroma, slowly eroding my rationality.
This isn't good. If she keeps pushing boundaries like this, my switch will flip.
"Should we get a different room?"
"No, this is fine."
My suggestion was flatly rejected. Still smiling brightly, Kaede-san tapped the touch panel on the remote control and promptly ordered two drinks.
"Now then, what should we sing?"
Kaede-san tried to make me choose the song, but to be honest, I'm terrible at singing.
I casually listen to recent songs on video sites, but the keys are usually too high for me to sing properly.
"Umm..."
"You're bad at singing?"
"Well... I think so. This is my first time at karaoke."
"A karaoke virgin?!?!"
"I just graduated from that status, actually."
"Oh, I see... Well then, let's duet on a famous and easy song together! Once you get used to singing, it's really fun!"
"Will you lead us?"
"Leave it to me. I'm the type who pulls hard, just like I look."
More than pulling hard, Kaede-san kept gently pressing her softness against me.
An uncomfortable atmosphere filled the room, the kind that makes you feel sloppy.
No, it's not just me. Hagino Kaede is such a captivating beauty that she tempts even many boys who are healthily experiencing their second growth spurt.
Her summer knit top boldly accentuates her full bust, while the alluring curve of her legs beneath her pleated skirt is enough to make you gulp.
Her thighs, toned from volleyball, are muscular for a woman, but not so hard as to be unyielding—still within the realm of pleasantly plump.
"O-okay, then, I'll leave the song choice to you, Hagino-san."
"Wait a minute."
"Hmm?"
"Now that we've both ventured into each other's personal space, shouldn't we get a little closer?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, let's stop with the formal last names. How about we get friendly and call each other by our first names? What do you think? Y...o...u...s...u...k...e."
Kaede-san's delicate fingertips brushed against my wrist.
At the same time, she whispered my name into my ear.
"W-wait, isn't that a little... too soon?"
My body froze.
I thought I'd grown completely accustomed to women's bodies after spending so much time embracing my stepmother's perfect figure. Yet now, a mere touch from another woman made my heart race wildly, my breaths grow shallow.
"People say good things should be done quickly," she replied.
"Is this really okay?"
"Of course. You're just too suspicious of other people's kindness."
By now, Kaede-san is practically leaning entirely against me. She's leaning into me like a cat rubbing its head against its owner, her face so close that I could kiss her if I wanted to.
"Kindness?"
"You don't understand?"
Am I being tested here?
I do understand... what Kaede-san is trying to say.
But I'm still half-convinced. I don't really understand why this girl likes me.
That uncertainty makes me hesitate to accept her kindness.
"Well then, let me make it clearer..."
Kaede-san's hand begins creeping up my body.
But the movement is interrupted by footsteps approaching from outside.
The server, who had brought our drinks, knocked lightly on the door.
"Ah, yes, please come in," I stammered, my voice thick with fluster.
The server slowly opened the door, bowed, and carefully placed two saucers on the table, setting a hot coffee and a hot tea on them.
"Thank you very much!" Kaede-san replied cheerfully, her voice bright and clear. She remained pressed against me, completely unfazed—unlike me.
The young male server, having efficiently completed his task, promptly withdrew. Couples getting cozy in private rooms must be a common sight here, I thought. He's probably seen it all before.
"Yosuke, aren't you overreacting a bit?"
"Well, even so..."
"But at least now we won't be interrupted anymore, right?"
"Ah, well, I suppose so."
"Then, quickly, call my name?"
Her usually cool and beautiful, elongated eyes now held an oddly fervent look.
The beautiful girl's hand had already passed my chest and was now nearing my throat.
"Sorry, but I'm about to ask something weird. Don't get mad, okay, Hagino-san?"
"Mmm... I don't know..."
The way she tilted her head was bewitching—dangerous.
"If you call me by my name, I might not get mad no matter what you do to me."
No matter what I do to her?
I had no idea what she was expecting from me, but it was probably something shady—something along the lines of the lewd fantasies swirling through my head right now.
"Kaede," I answered her request.
"...Mm."
When I called her name, the delicate beauty, whose allure could captivate even other women, seemed to grow even more heated.
It was clearly a state of unmistakable arousal.
"Why me?" I asked.
I didn't choose such a direct expression.
Instead, I used an ambiguous, roundabout, and typically Japanese reserved way of asking, devoid of any masculine assertiveness.
But she understood.
"Why, though? Even I don't really know. Yosuke's face is ordinary, and his athletic ability is probably no better than mine. He's not particularly tall, and his family doesn't seem rich."
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, it felt like a knife of truth had stabbed me!
"Still, I can't help but keep my eyes on him. It's strange. I've been wondering about it for a long time."
Past tense.
Hagino Kaede had never before reached a conclusion about why she was interested in me.
But now, she had grasped the answer. She was certain.
"So it was the scent, huh?"
"Huh?"
"Your scent... it's what makes me feel like this. I finally figured it out yesterday."
"My scent..."
"Whenever we're this close, breathing in your scent, my heart just melts more and more."
"So what happens then?"
"Who knows? I don't know anything yet. Yosuke, please teach me gently..."
Our faces are so close.
Her lips... they're smaller than Minori-san's, with a childlike delicacy that makes her seem even more beautiful. They're right there.
Kaede-san's hand touches my cheek.
"If you don't hate me... please..."
The beautiful girl closes her eyes.
"U-um... okay..."
After all this, refusing her would go against my principles.
No, it's not about being noble or anything. I'm simply reaching a point where I can't hold myself back with reason anymore.
I'm sorry, Minori-san.
You were right all along.
From now on... I'm with Hagino Kaede...
Vrrr.
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
"Whoa?!"
Out of nowhere, the smartphone I'd placed on the table started ringing and vibrating.
Just as I was about to kiss her, when I was already in the mood...
What terrible timing!
"You've got a message, it looks like," Kaede-san said, glancing at my phone.
"I-I bet it's from my stepmother. We can ignore it— Wait, Hagino-san?!"
The athletic, beautiful girl moved with lightning speed, even her fingertips a blur.
Before I could stop her, Kaede-san swiped the screen and opened the conversation between Minori-san and me.
And there...
"Ah!"
Kaede-san gasped, freezing stiff on top of me.
"Ahh... Damn it..."
The sound that escaped my lips was a frustrated sigh.
What was displayed was an utterly scandalous image.
The first photo was a close-up: a pink, glistening oyster shell—my stepmother's spread vulva, drenched in love juice.
The second was a provocative selfie of my stepmother, completely naked, legs spread wide, smiling coquettishly and flashing a peace sign.
"Yosuke... is this..."
"My... perverted stepmother..."
That female slave... When I get home, I swear I'll... I'll make her cry! Just you wait...!