The next day.
Back to their normal routine, Rei Ao went to school together with Mai.
They parted at the entrance to their respective classrooms.
Turning a corner in the hallway—
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow, showing an amused look.
So early in the morning and there's already "action."
No—rather, someone was trying to "ambush" him.
He knew someone was lying in wait up ahead, yet Rei Ao didn't stop walking.
He took one step past the corner—
"Wahhh!!!"
A delicate yelp rang out.
A girl with a petite mouth holding toast between her lips was about to slam into Rei Ao.
Though her entire body was tipping over, the corners of her eyes held a gleeful look that said her plan was succeeding.
That girl was none other than Iroha Isshiki.
This was her "super-romantic first heartbeat encounter strategy"!
More precisely, it was a plan she'd devised together with Yukino, Yui, and a very disgruntled Yumiko, all to make a memorable first impression on Rei Ao.
The idea sounded perfect:
A flustered Kouhai with toast in her mouth, rounding the corner and colliding head-on with her senpai.
Physical contact, a bit of pain, some sympathy—quickly closing the distance between them.
A lovely idea.
Reality… was also lovely!
It worked even better than she'd imagined… so well that it went a bit too far!
"Hmph!"
Iroha Isshiki, having lain in ambush, did indeed crash into Rei Ao.
Unfortunately for her, Rei Ao had already noticed her hiding there.
Since she'd set up an ambush, he felt obliged to respond in kind.
For example, as he was doing now.
"…"
With visions of a romantic "accidental collision," Iroha found herself dumbfounded.
Her mind went blank.
She felt her cheek slam into something with a… somewhat exaggerated shape.
All because Rei Ao made a slight sideways dodge at the critical moment.
This caused Iroha, in her tumble, to lunge headlong for his abdomen.
And that resulted in the bizarre scene before them:
Rei Ao stood there, perfectly upright, facing Iroha.
Meanwhile, Iroha was bent over at almost a right angle, pressed up against Rei Ao.
She hadn't fallen, but this moment—forming an "H" shape—looked utterly awkward.
Even Rei Ao hadn't expected his quick dodge to lead to this.
"Hey, classmate, don't you think this is a bit embarrassing? Maybe it's best to stand up while nobody's around."
"!!!"
Snapping back to reality, Iroha hurried to straighten herself.
But in her extreme embarrassment and panic, she rebounded so forcefully she almost seemed like a wind-up toy springing upright.
Such a huge motion…
Her lips ended up brushing Rei Ao's as he leaned his head down to see if she was okay.
"…"
Even Rei Ao hadn't foreseen this particular development.
"Ugh!!!"
Iroha clapped a hand over her mouth.
Her flushed face and red earlobes were undeniably cute, and her eyes glimmered in a flustered confusion.
That unexpected combo attack instantly wrecked all the expressions, lines, and details she'd prepared in her plan.
Even her rational thought turned to chaos.
She could still feel the warmth of his lips.
She could even sense the shape of his torso through her face.
And now, the little devil Iroha found herself completely at a loss, her brain short-circuited.
Rei Ao recognized her, at least by her looks, and decided to break the awkwardness:
"Iroha Isshiki, right? That was just an accident."
"Yes! A-an accident!!!"
She latched onto that line at once.
No matter what, labeling it "just an accident" would lessen her overwhelming embarrassment.
"It was an accident, haha…"
Iroha rubbed the back of her head.
"R-Rei Ao-senpai, I—I'll head back to class now!"
Plan aborted!
Mortified, she decided to flee.
She lifted her leg to run.
But Rei Ao, noticing the direction, chuckled, "That way leads to the bathrooms."
"Uh…"
Her body went rigid.
Another embarrassment!
But at this point, Iroha couldn't worry about that.
Running away was the priority.
"I need to use the stall!"
She blurted the bizarre line without thinking.
Then she actually ran off.
"…"
Rei Ao watched her leave, momentarily unsure how to evaluate this Kouhai's "maneuver."
Deliberately planning a run-in with him?
He was curious about Isshiki's intentions.
A new "target" had basically delivered herself to him.
Rei Ao wasn't in a hurry to do anything about it.
If she'd set up one deliberate chance to approach him, she'd likely try again.
He'd wait to see what this younger girl was up to.
However…
Rei Ao glanced down at the spot where her entire face had just crashed into his… well…
"I hope she's not so embarrassed she avoids me from now on."
…
"I won't be defeated!!!"
Fortunately, Iroha Isshiki wasn't one to give up or surrender so easily.
She wasn't actually using the bathroom.
She was just washing her face with cold water to calm down.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, cheeks still faintly pink, Iroha bit her lip.
She had no intention of giving up on approaching—or, more accurately, "conquering"—Rei Ao.
But she absolutely couldn't forget what had just happened.
Her fingertips hovered over her reddened lips, as though she could still feel the lingering warmth.
Her first kiss, lost in such a way.
She wanted to cry, but no tears came.
And that wasn't even the worst part!
Her fingers slid along her cheek, recalling the distinct shape she'd felt pressing against it, like a contour carved into fine jade.
Lowering her gaze, she lifted her shirt to reveal her pale stomach.
Then, she measured upward with her hand from below.
Normally, it was just a single handspan. But if…
Imagining a certain possibility…
Iroha's face grew red all over again.
She shook her head wildly. "Ahhhh, I can't even think about it!"
She'd read quite a few entertainment magazines, so she knew a bit about this stuff.
Yet her impression was that "that" felt too… too unreal!
Nothing like what the books described.
Because of that, Iroha's embarrassment and annoyance made her hesitate.
If she truly managed to date Rei Ao, they'd eventually do what couples do—
Which included that sort of thing.
At that time… might she actually… die?!
"Gah!"
The mental image of "it entering" made Iroha gulp reflexively.
Not out of desire, but fear…
No matter how she pictured it, she couldn't see how it would "fit."
While she was struggling with her tangled thoughts—
"Ding dong!"
Her phone chimed.
She opened it to see a new group chat Yukino had created specifically for working on Iroha's request.
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Care to share your progress with the first step?"
They all knew about the plan, so Yukino was checking in around the expected time.
Iroha stared at Yukino's icon, her eyes lighting up.
"Maybe… I can ask them for advice?"
~~~
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