Knock, knock.
From within the old Japanese-style house that should have been empty came the muffled sound of someone knocking on a wooden shoji.
Uehara Etsuki, dressed in pajamas and sitting on the bed reading a book, slightly raised her elegant brows and said quietly, "Kaoru, come in."
She wore conservative pale-white pajamas, and her long black hair was braided into a mature-looking plait that rested over her chest. Ripples seemed to disturb the normally tranquil lake of her calm gaze, giving the impression that she simply couldn't settle down no matter what she did. Anyone who knew Uehara Etsuki would have been able to tell at a glance how different she was from her usual self.
The wooden shoji slid open, and the expressionless Kirigami Ruri entered Uehara Etsuki's room. Seeing Etsuki lying on the bed reading, a trace of puzzlement appeared between her brows. She sat down beside the table, took out the notebook she always carried with her, and wrote, "Etsuki, I saw your shoes at the entrance. Aren't you going to work today? Or are you feeling unwell?"
After learning that Kamiyā Yuu and the others would be staying overnight, Kirigami Ruri had gone out for the day under the pretext of gathering material. She wasn't particularly fond of lively atmospheres, nor did she want excessive contact with strangers. Just now, she had determined from a few details around the house that Uehara Etsuki hadn't left the Japanese-style residence. Seeing her still lying in bed inevitably made her concerned.
"I'm not feeling unwell."
Uehara Etsuki shook her head. After setting down the hardcover book in her hands, a faint, bashful blush appeared on her cheeks as she said softly, "To be more precise, I accidentally ate Kamiyā-kun last night."
Kirigami Ruri's hand trembled around her notebook, and she began writing more quickly. "What do you mean?"
"Physical contact. It's quite incredible. Only at a time like this can I really feel the difference between men and women, even though I never liked physical contact with men before." Uehara Etsuki stretched and smiled. Her delicate hand caressed the cover of the hardcover book, as though she were still lingering over the sensation of their bodies coming together the previous night.
The difference in the warmth of their bodies, the electric sensation when his fingertips passed over her skin, her involuntary desire for more, the burning impulse to draw the other person into her own body.
"Etsuki, are you joking?"
"Do I look like I'm joking right now?"
Kirigami Ruri frowned. She wrote several sentences in her notebook, erased them, then rewrote them. Only after confirming exactly what she wanted to say did she turn the notebook around for Uehara Etsuki to read.
"You do. But since you're saying it like this, that instead confirms it really happened."
After a moment of silence, Kirigami Ruri gravely shook her head and continued writing, "I don't understand. What exactly is so good about that anime director? First Murasaki, and now you. Though from my position, I'm not exactly qualified to judge this matter."
Uehara Etsuki didn't seem to mind. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and said calmly, "It was simply a matter of physical needs. I'd never tried it with a man before. At first, I only intended to see what it was like. Looking at it now, there really is a possibility I could become somewhat addicted."
Kirigami Ruri hesitated before writing, "How did it feel?"
Uehara Etsuki pondered for a moment, then gave a relaxed, cheerful smile. "The specifics are a secret. Hmm~~ More or less like Murasaki described."
"I was asking about your current physical condition." The corner of Kirigami Ruri's mouth twitched. She felt as though her normally composed friend had somehow returned to her younger days. She still remembered what Uehara Etsuki had been like in high school—seemingly gentle toward everyone, with a warm and serene smile perpetually on her face.
"Although it was my first time having that kind of physical contact with a man, once it actually began, I couldn't really control myself. I'll probably need a few days to recover." Uehara Etsuki couldn't help chuckling again as she spoke. Last night had been the first time she had discovered the wild side buried deep within herself.
Kirigami Ruri wrote, "Then what did physical contact with Director Kamiyā feel like? Be as detailed as possible."
Uehara Etsuki looked helpless. "Even I'm still a woman, Kaoru. Can't you show some consideration for a woman's sense of embarrassment?"
"It's necessary for my writing. I consider this question quite important." Kirigami Ruri pulled her notebook back and continued writing, her expression perfectly composed despite the embarrassing subject they were discussing.
Uehara Etsuki feigned indignation. "You'd probably get a better answer if you asked Murasaki that question."
Describing what Uehara Etsuki had done as "eating" Kamiyā Yuu really wasn't inappropriate. In Japanese culture, women generally held a relatively low social position. No matter how capable a woman was, once she reached her thirties, she would usually become anxious to marry. In the eyes of ordinary Japanese women, the value of an unmarried woman over thirty was much like that of an adult male otaku who had never been with a woman.
Kirigami Ruri gave up pursuing the subject. After thinking for a moment, she wrote, "Etsuki, have you eaten breakfast?"
"Mm. Kamiyā-kun prepared breakfast. Oh, right, there should be a portion in the kitchen for you as well. Would you like to try it? Kamiyā-kun is an excellent cook," Uehara Etsuki praised.
"No need. I've already eaten breakfast outside."
"In your current condition, you probably won't be able to go into the kitchen at lunchtime. What would you like for lunch? I'll take care of it." Kirigami Ruri finished writing and handed the notebook to Uehara Etsuki.
"Thank you. Then I'll have the curry you're so good at making, Kaoru."
...
By daybreak, Kamiyā Yuu had already packed everything up. After the intoxicating pleasures of the entire night, even now he wondered whether it had all been a dream. Busujima Murasaki had extraordinary physical stamina; despite the previous night's excesses, she could act the next day as though absolutely nothing had happened. Uehara Etsuki, on the other hand, would probably need to spend the day recuperating.
The feelings stirring within him were extremely subtle. Although he respected Uehara Etsuki, claiming that he had never entertained improper thoughts about her would merely be lying to himself.
Yet he had never imagined those improper thoughts would become reality so suddenly. Last night, he had anticipated the possibility of Busujima Murasaki or Kamiyā Sora sneaking into his room. Uehara Etsuki was the one person he had never expected to become involved.
To this day, Kamiyā Yuu still regarded Uehara Etsuki as half a teacher. Her dignified bearing and traditional Yamato Nadeshiko demeanor had always made him hesitant to approach her in that way. He constantly felt that even the slightest improper thought would be seen through by those tranquil, indifferent eyes. To avoid damaging their relationship, Kamiyā Yuu had therefore never crossed the line or revealed even the slightest hint of his inappropriate fantasies.
As for the special relationship between Busujima Murasaki and Uehara Etsuki, Kamiyā Yuu had vaguely sensed something himself. When he had first slept with Busujima Murasaki, he had known she was still a virgin, yet her practiced teasing and seductive manner hardly resembled the experience level of a woman who had only just encountered such things. He didn't care that the two of them shared this special relationship. In fact, it seemed to be precisely because of that relationship that he had experienced such an unimaginable, amorous dream last night.
Kamiyā Yuu had no idea why Uehara Etsuki had suddenly developed such an impulse, but he was perfectly willing to maintain this relationship.
"Uehara Etsuki, Sensei, Etsuki... Somehow every way of addressing her feels incredibly awkward now." Sitting in his office, Kamiyā Yuu found himself utterly unable to concentrate. His mind was filled with what had happened yesterday and with Uehara Etsuki's figure. In the darkness, he hadn't been able to fully appreciate her tall, voluptuous body, but the warmth of her skin against his palms remained incredibly vivid—warm and smooth as jade, more delicate than the finest silk, yet seemingly as scorching as red-hot iron.
"When we're alone, it's probably better to just call her Etsuki."
Kamiyā Yuu rested his chin on his hands atop his desk and murmured, "Come to think of it, including my original memories, I've known Etsuki for more than four years. Aside from occasionally staying over there, I haven't actually spent that much time talking with her. Yet whenever we're together, there's this subtle understanding between us, almost as though we've been close friends for years."
Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help laughing. Uehara Etsuki had previously been something like half a confidante to him. Aside from the absence of romantic feelings between them, she might even have understood Kamiyā Yuu's thoughts better than Kamiyā Sora did. After what had happened last night, even Kamiyā Yuu wasn't sure where their relationship would go from here.
"Forget it. Since Etsuki was the one who initiated it, there's no need for me to worry. But how am I supposed to explain this to Sora when I get home...?" Kamiyā Yuu's expression stiffened. He still felt it was necessary to tell Kamiyā Sora the truth. Last time, he had already confessed to "eating on the side" and explicitly promised that he wouldn't hide anything of this nature from her.
...
That evening, while they were resting, Kamiyā Yuu cautiously explained what had happened. Naturally, he omitted Busujima Murasaki's involvement. If he added her part to the story as well, Kamiyā Yuu had every reason to believe the seriousness of the situation would increase exponentially.
"I know." Kamiyā Sora, lying on the soft bed using her laptop, responded indifferently. She turned her head slightly, glanced at Kamiyā Yuu, and snorted. "I could already tell when I sat beside Yuu this morning."
When they left Uehara Etsuki's Japanese-style residence, they had ridden in the van driven by Busujima Murasaki. Kamiyā Sora had been sitting beside Kamiyā Yuu at the time. From the faint, familiar scent lingering on him and his expression, she could already tell that something had happened. Combined with Uehara Etsuki's unusual physical condition that morning, it wasn't difficult to determine with whom Kamiyā Yuu had tasted the forbidden fruit.
"Sora..."
Kamiyā Yuu felt as though Kamiyā Sora genuinely wasn't angry. With an awkward expression, he cautiously asked, "You're not mad?"
Kamiyā Sora pushed herself upright with one small hand against the soft carpet, then leaned backward and settled into Kamiyā Yuu's arms. She said unconcernedly, "Etsuki-nee doesn't matter. She knows where to draw the line and doesn't have excessive special feelings toward Yuu. She's probably the type who, if forced to choose between preserving the overall situation and maintaining her special relationship with Yuu, would choose the former. In other words, to avoid affecting our relationship, she could sever her special relationship with Yuu without hesitation. So it's fine."
Kamiyā Yuu opened his mouth, never expecting to hear those words from Kamiyā Sora. Yet after thinking about it carefully, he realized he himself seemed to regard Uehara Etsuki as exactly the kind of person Sora had described. Uehara Etsuki was gentle by nature, the sort of person who would rather be hurt herself than watch someone else suffer. Since she had willingly become involved despite knowing about Kamiyā Yuu's complicated relationships, she must have been prepared to withdraw completely if necessary.
Kamiyā Sora stretched out a bare foot and closed the laptop sitting at the edge of the carpet. She sighed softly. "Yuu, although I don't mind your relationship with Etsuki-nee, that doesn't mean I'm not angry about this kind of behavior itself."
"Yuu." Kamiyā Sora's voice suddenly turned cold and incomparably forceful.
"Uh..." The abrupt change in her tone made Kamiyā Yuu's heartbeat quicken.
Kamiyā Sora ordered expressionlessly, "Seiza."
"..."
Kamiyā Yuu shifted slightly, not quite processing the command. Kamiyā Sora was still nestled in his arms. How was he supposed to sit in seiza like this?
"Seiza."
Kamiyā Yuu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Sora, you'll have to get up first before I can sit in seiza."
Kamiyā Sora shot him a sidelong glance. "I don't want to repeat myself a third time."
Seeing that look, Kamiyā Yuu hurriedly supported her body with his hands, arranged himself into an impeccably proper seiza posture, then carefully gathered her back into his arms. He now looked as though he had become Kamiyā Sora's personal chair.
Unexpectedly, Kamiyā Sora sat like that only briefly before muttering under her breath, "The angle is bad. This isn't comfortable at all. Can't be helped."
"Yuu, go back to sitting cross-legged like usual, then bring the laptop over here."
The corner of Kamiyā Yuu's mouth twitched. He wasn't angry; rather, this punishment that could hardly be called a punishment filled him with warmth and the helpless affection one might feel toward a sulking pet.
After they changed positions, the laptop was placed on the table. Kamiyā Sora sat comfortably on Kamiyā Yuu's lap while using it and snorted as she instructed, "Yuu, until bedtime, you're going to be my sofa. If I get tired, then you'll do everything you did with Etsuki-nee last night to me as well."
After saying that, Kamiyā Sora shook her head and immediately rejected her own wording. "No, it should be even more intense. Today and tomorrow, we'll keep things like this. The day after tomorrow, I'll forgive Yuu. Don't worry about work. My workload has been relatively light lately. I've handed all the troublesome things over to Aoi-nee."
"At the very least, I want to weaken the traces of Etsuki-nee that are lingering on Yuu." Kamiyā Sora rested her head beneath his chin and gently rubbed against him as she whispered.
Kamiyā Yuu buried his face in her silver hair, breathing in the fragrance that intoxicated his senses. "For me, this hardly counts as punishment."
Before long, Kamiyā Sora's small face became flushed with a hazy, alluring shade of crimson. She slowly closed her eyes, feeling the warm hands roaming over her body.
...
After resting for three days, Uehara Etsuki returned to work at Yosuganosora Animation Studio as usual, as though nothing had ever happened.
Kamiyā Yuu returned to his normal routine and immersed himself in creating storyboards. The key animation department led by Uehara Etsuki drew the key frames according to his storyboards, after which Gogyo Ruri's animation department completed the in-between frames. Because of company business, Kamiyā Sora occasionally had contact with Uehara Etsuki. Her attitude was much the same as it had been before the group retreat—neither cold nor particularly warm.
Without any opportunity to be alone together, Uehara Etsuki and Kamiyā Yuu also interacted exactly as they had before.
Busujima Murasaki was a senior member of the operations department, and her usual work rarely required interaction with the production department. She could only visit Kamiyā Yuu when things were at their quietest. However, Busujima Murasaki was far more possessive than Kamiyā Sora. It didn't manifest as hostility toward the other women around Kamiyā Yuu, but rather as a much stronger dependence on him. Whenever Kamiyā Yuu spent time with Busujima Murasaki, he could clearly feel it. He understood that this was very likely one of the main reasons Kamiyā Sora disliked Busujima Murasaki.
At Yosuganosora Animation Studio, everything remained as peaceful as ever.