March, which had been peaceful except for my human relationship issues, had passed, and with the change of the calendar, April, which could be called a full spring, now settled above.
This month… I have about three birthdays to remember.
Thinking about it, most of the troubles I face stem from human relationships.
I know I need to be cautious when dealing with people, but honestly, falling for Mika’s beauty is just an irresistible force, isn’t it…
“Don’t you think so too, Noah-chan?”
“The external beauty of Mika-chan is certainly a wonderful plus, but even if she were a bit more ordinary, I don’t think I would have minded much♪ I mean, even compared to Haruna-chan or Mika-chan, I consider myself to be quite ordinary, right?”
“…You, ordinary?”
What on earth is she talking about?
“U-um. I was obviously talking in comparison to the two of you.”
“Noah-chan, being overly humble can sound unpleasant, you know?”
“Oh my, then how pretty do you think I am in Mika-chan’s eyes?”
…Ah.
Noah, casually sipping kombucha while handing me a hot potato, makes those playful eyes feel terrifying.
To be honest, most named students are drop-dead gorgeous. Not even kidding, I couldn’t line them up even as a compliment.
Of course, in my eyes, there’s no one more beautiful than me on this Kivotos… but anyway, responding to this situation by ranking who’s pretty would be foolish.
The answer in this one-on-one scenario had been predetermined from the start.
However, looking into those mischievous eyes, I felt reluctant to spit out that answer.
After all, I’m not exactly one to back down in games, so maybe I should inform Noah that there are people she can joke with and people she can’t.
Where’s my husband-like husband… husband?
Not a husband…?
…Anyway, I meant I’d establish some ground rules.
I pulled out a photo from my phone gallery, expecting Noah’s reaction.
“…This is a photo taken during our trip last month, isn’t it?”
Noah, checking the picture of the dolls we made together, I decided to share my answer with a big smile.
…By the way, Haruna’s doll turned out super cute. There’s a beautifully cooked sunny-side-up egg next to it, but mine somehow looks burnt all over.
“I think that as for how pretty Noah-chan is… you’re pretty enough that if you were sandwiched between Haruna and me, you wouldn’t look like an octopus, so you can have a little confidence in your beauty☆”
“Huh…? Pfft… Hehe. That’s quite something. If the comparison is to the two of you, that might actually be a compliment.”
“Well, I can’t really give you the answer I was hoping for anyway.”
“Oh, I think I get what you mean. So, there’s no one prettier than Mika-chan, which means you can’t say something like I’m the most beautiful—oh, that’s so Mika-chan like.”
It’s funny because to me, my favorite looks the most beautiful, but through others’ eyes, I probably seem like a Himari-level narcissist. That said, I have no intentions of bending my opinion.
“So, Mika-chan… how’s it going with Rion-senpai lately?”
“…Could you please not pry into someone else’s love life like that? I’m already troubled about it lately.”
“But I’m curious~! I think you’re the only one who Rion-senpai steadily keeps in touch with. If he suddenly confesses to you one day, you better brace yourself for it! Hehe.”
“W-whoa… Just imagining that…”
“Are you that happy just imagining it? That makes me a little jealous…”
“I’m scared of rejection… you know, I get this feeling he’s preparing a scheme to push me into the pit of despair right after we date. But if I accept, he’d probably give me a hard time, like ‘Mika, we agreed to clean up after ourselves!’… and stuff.”
“Pfft… I think Rion-senpai would prefer to neatly handle household chores with the automatons he made rather than say those things out loud.”
“Wow—oh…? That’s a fair point. Uh, just in case, but is this a secret from Rion-chan? Honestly, it’s not super serious, but it’s still a pretty rude thing to joke about…”
“Hmm, what to do? I’m a member of the seminar, and Rion-senpai is the president, so it would probably be right to report this immediately… Hehe.”
Noah glanced around and her eyes glimmered with something. She stood up and approached my work desk.
“Ah, Mika-chan. P-please trust me when I say I’m not looking at the contents of those documents, okay?”
Noah, who shouldn’t be seeing such documents due to her memory issues, made the first move. Having a student council member from one academy get to know the documents from another academy would be a serious issue.
“I think it’s fine for you to take a look☆ Yes, I completely trust you.”
“I’ll just graciously accept that compliment. Hmm… I guess this should work somehow.”
As Noah bent down to peek under the desk, she gave a strangely ominous smile. Then, she patted my chair, calling me over.
“Mika-chan, would you come and sit here…?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
I gulped down a cup of tea in front of me and approached Noah. As I sat in the chair where I usually worked, Noah smiled and placed her hands softly on my shoulders.
“Mika-chan, today I can’t stay for long…”
“…Uh, Noah-chan, may I ask what you’re thinking right now?”
“Hehe. Now that I think about it, this is our first time alone without Haruna-chan. This mysterious heartbeat… is it a thrill or a bit scary, I wonder?”
“Uh, this is my office, you know.”
“It’s fine. Even if someone does come by, there shouldn’t be a problem. You must be stressed out with work too, so… I’ll help you out a little today♪”
“What are you thinking… um. Ugh…”
Noah, who covered my mouth before I could ask what she was offering to help with, lightly scratched a specific spot on my neck with her fingertips. Naturally, my mouth slightly opened, and Noah’s tongue slipped in, teasing me as if it were a familiar path, plunging deep.
The kiss wasn’t too long, but it wasn’t too short either. If I had to say, it was closer to the short side for our standards. Whenever I get deep into a kiss, I often find myself searching for breath unexpectedly.
“Chuu… Haah. I pride myself on remembering every moment with Mika-chan, yet each time feels brand new. Recording and comparing these feelings might be enjoyable, but this is a feeling I don’t want to document… a emotions that I want to savor for a long time…”
“Hua… I think there’s nothing wrong with recording everything. As your lover… I’m a bit curious about what emotions you felt in every moment with this lovely girl named Ushio Noah.”
“…Hmm.”
Noah tilted her head slightly. I decided to reveal just a tiny bit of my honest feelings to her.
“Yeah, I don’t have a memory as good as Noah-chan’s. Even if I try to recall this feeling in the future, it will surely fade and only leave a faint trace. But the records Noah-chan leaves can exist in their purest form forever. Just hearing or seeing that will revive those past feelings in me… I believe your records have an incomparable value.”
“…”
Noah froze with a smile on her face. I knew from experience that this was the kind of reaction where her brain was overloaded to the point of stopping thought… so I decided to wait a moment until she regained her senses.
By the way, after receiving the communication device, I felt a bit that Rion really should have informed Noah that this is for the activities of the Supernatural Investigation Department.
As for me, I trust my lovers unconditionally, so if Noah wanted it, I would open up everything, even that. I could see Rion sighing with his forehead in hand if he found out.
“Mika-chan, when I get back today, I’ll immediately start recording all the feelings I’ve had with you two. Every single detail, not a single letter shall be overlooked. If you read them with your heart, I couldn’t be happier if you did… can I count on you to do that?”
“Hahaha. If it’s something written by Noah-chan, I’d read even meaningless scribbles three times.”
“…That’s a bit too much. Comparing my writing to scribbles? Hehe.”
Noah, smiling, suddenly lowered her body.
Then she suddenly crouched down and entered the space under the desk, kneeling.
“…Uh, Noah-chan? What’s this?”
“I think it’s fortunate your school uniform is a loose-fitting dress. Yes, there’s definitely no way I’ll get caught.”
“…?”
Noah, reaching out to pull the chair closer, lifted my clothing hem before I could even think what the heck she was doing.
And then she shoved her upper body inside it… gripping my backside firmly, Noah pulled my lower body forward.
I wasn’t foolish and quickly realized what Noah was trying to do.
“N-Noah-chan. The door isn’t locked… Hyaak?!”
Rustle.
The sound of stockings tearing was drowned in the crumpling of fabric, but the sensation of bare skin meeting bare skin and the feeling of my underwear being pushed aside were unmistakably vivid.
“Noah-chan, please… If I get caught like this, I will die of embarrassment.”
There was no response.
No, at least not vocally.
I realized too late what Noah meant when she said she wouldn’t get caught.
Given the structure of my school uniform, unless someone got really close, there was no way to notice anything odd. The sound also got muffled by the clothes and desk.
Right, as long as I don’t give myself away. Then no one would catch on to this.
But…
“Noah… this… this is really not okay…!”
She knew my weaknesses like she was looking right at them… like some kind of omniscient being. Every movement was so deadly.
Her tongue. Her fingers. Those surprisingly well-manicured nails. And her breath, which sent warmth coursing through my body, gave me a single certainty.
If someone walks in, I would undoubtedly get caught.
Gripping onto the last thread of my sanity, I turned on my phone, hoping to play any music at all. I wished this would help just in case someone walked in.
…But of course, it had to be a hymn.
Thanks to that, I felt wickedly guilty, which only intensified the precarious situation.
Noah, holding onto my lower body with both hands, buried her head deep.
Please, just for today, let no one come here. Please…
