Episode 188: Sara-san’s Turn

「…………」

Had I ever felt a shock this big since the first time Sara-san kissed me?

It was enough to leave me speechless, but as the shock gradually subsided, I felt heat rushing to my face.

Even though Sara-san’s being so serious, I’m…

But I’ll be honest… it felt really good…

「Okay, I’ll clean the other side now, so please face this way.」

Right now, I’m facing away from Sara-san, but to do the other side, I inevitably have to face her.

In other words, I have to show her this face.

Maybe she thought it was weird that I wouldn’t turn around, because Sara-san leaned in closer to peek at me.

「? Is something the mat—」

I wonder what kind of expression I have right now?

Embarrassed?

Happy?

Grinning like an idiot from joy?

Honestly, even I’m not sure.

But if the sharp Sara-san cut herself off after seeing my face, she must’ve realized something.

「Kazunari-san, please show me your face.」

Sara-san says such unreasonable things in a very gentle tone.

With those words, it’s pretty much confirmed she’s caught on. If that’s the case, I guess there’s no reason to hide it anymore.

I steeled myself and looked straight up to turn toward her, but then she wrapped her hands around both sides of my head and lifted it up. I’m in a position where she’s cradling my head, so I can’t even look away.

Facing each other directly, once our expressions were visible to one another, Sara-san looked at my face and gave a happy smile.

「Good… I’m glad to see you liked it.」

I didn’t say anything… but it looks like she read it in my expression anyway.

「Sa-Sara-san…」

As expected, having it said so clearly to my face makes the embarrassment even stronger.

「I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. Oh, well then, I’ll hide your face for you so you can calm down. Here, turn this way.」

Hide it?

I’m not quite sure, but I turn my body toward her like I was told, and Sara-san pulls my head toward her at the same time.

When that happens, Sara-san’s stomach naturally looms right in front of my eyes…

Poof

My face is pressed right against Sara-san’s stomach.

Uh… what?

「There, now your face is hidden, Kazunari-san.」

Yeah, it’s definitely hidden.

But honestly, this is rough… as a guy, this is rough.

Since Sara-san just got out of the bath, she has that unique warmth.

Plus, with my face pressed against her, I can feel that heat right through her thin pajamas, and to make it worse, she smells amazing… even though we’re supposed to be using the same body soap.

Thinking I’m in a pretty dangerous spot at this rate, I tried to move my body to pull my face away just a little.

Sara-san was stroking my head, but my squirming must have been a bit ticklish for her.

「Fufu… Kazunari-san, misbehaving is a no-no… okay? Please be a good boy.」

「S-sorry!」

「Hyan! Ka-Kazunari-san…?」

Because I spoke up so forcefully, it must have vibrated through her stomach.

Wh-what am I supposed to do!?

I can’t move or speak like this… ah, I should just speak slowly.

「Sara-san, I’m okay now.」

「Oh… are you sure? Since we’re here, we could stay like this for a bit longer…」

「N-no, it’s hard on you, Sara-san.」

「There is nothing hard about it if you’re leaning on me, Kazunari-san… Ah, well, let’s continue cleaning your ears first. Once that’s done, please hold me tight again.」

Sara-san let go of my head, so I was finally able to pull my face away from her stomach. Phew… that was a close one.

「Now, I’ll start cleaning your ear, so please be a good boy.」

(Softness…)

Sara-san leans forward a bit to use the earpick. Last time she was behind my head, but this time she’s in front. That means I knew from the start that my face was in for a happy situation.

Following her stomach… no, remember the analysis. Don’t think about anything unnecessary, this is purely…

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Sara-san continues the ear cleaning while humming a cheerful tune.

「Kazunari-san. How have you been cleaning your ears until now?」

「I usually just used a cotton swab when they bothered me. Sorry, are they really bad?」

「Fufu… please don’t worry about it. From now on, just leave all your ear cleaning to me.」

Honestly, there’s no way I’d turn down such a happy offer. I want to ask her to do it by all means.

「…Please. I’d like you to do it, Sara-san.」

「Yes! Just let me know whenever they’re bothering you.」

Maybe because I asked her, Sara-san gives a happy reply.

And while we’re talking, her hands never stop, and the ear cleaning progresses efficiently with various rustling and tapping sounds.

「This side is finished too. Now, please bear with me for a moment.」

(Tap, tap… tickle, tickle)

When the bonten touches the surface of my ear, it feels so ticklish that I reflexively shiver.

「Fwah!」

「Ufufufu, is it ticklish? Please be a good boy for just a bit longer~」

Sara-san seems to be having fun the whole time, but this happy ear-cleaning session is finally coming to an end.

「Alright, the finishing touch and we’re all done.」

It’s coming… just as I brace myself, Sara-san leans forward even more to bring her mouth close to my ear.

And then I realized it wasn’t just her mouth and face that were getting close.

An incredibly happy sensation hits my face. I’m surprised by the feeling, which is different from when we’re normally hugging, and my focus shifts so much that I lose my guard.

「Fuuuuuuuuu…」

!!!!!!!!!!

So this is what it means to be turned into jelly. I might not be able to stand up for a while…

I feel heat rushing to my face again, so I decided to take her up on the offer and hide in her stomach like before. It isn’t just because I wanted to be pampered.

「Oh… Kazunari-san has become a pampered baby.」

Since I’m already embarrassed, I pressed my face in a bit more as a reply, and she placed a hand on the back of my head to stroke it slowly.

「Kazunari-san… do you like my…」

Sara-san’s voice reaches my ears as she mutters quietly. I couldn’t hear the important part, but I caught the gist of it.

「Eh!?」

「Hah!? N-nothing at all!」

Judging by her reaction, she must have said it unconsciously.

…No, she was talking about her stomach. Yeah.

And so, it looks like I made it through safely this time too.

I’m trying my hardest here, so direct comments are rough on me…

Even though the ear cleaning is over, I feel so drained of strength and the lap pillow I haven’t had in a while feels so good that I don’t feel like getting up at all.

Sara-san seems content to let me do as I please, smiling happily while stroking my head.

「They were so excited that I thought she might actually start swimming…」

Right now, I’m listening to her memories of the school trip while she gives me a lap pillow.

From the way she talks so happily, I can tell she enjoyed herself just like we promised, and I’m honestly glad.

「…the scenery was truly beautiful… it reminded me of the night view at the place where you confessed to me, Kazunari-san.」

If I close my eyes, I can see that night view vividly too.

And my own actions… even if it was in the heat of the moment, both my friends and Sara-san’s mother were right there.

But now all of those are precious memories with Sara-san, and I’ll never forget that place as long as I live.

「Let’s go there again someday.」

「Yes, I absolutely want to go back. That place is our starting point… I will never forget it. It’s the place of our precious memories where you confessed to me, Kazunari-san.」

After that, happy time continues to pass as I listen to Sara-san’s stories.

It’s only natural that the topic of how much she wanted to see me keeps popping up here and there.

After all, I felt the same way the whole time.

「Kazunari-san?」

「………Ah, yes.」

I must have been drifting off, because my reaction was a bit slow.

On top of the comfort of the lap pillow, she’d been stroking my head the whole time, so I guess the sheer bliss made me sleepy.

「Fufu… are you a sleepyhead? Well then, let’s get some sleep.」

「Sorry…」

「We can talk every day from now on, so please don’t worry about it. Now, let’s get into the futon. Can you stand up for a moment?」

I slowly sat up and got off the bed, and Sara-san stood up to move to the futons too. When we lay down, she opened her arms and pulled me close as if to envelop me, so I didn’t resist and let her hold me. Sara-san must have used the remote to turn off the lights.

As she strokes my head, the drowsiness comes rushing back.

「Goodnight, Kazunari-san. Sweet dreams…」

「Yeah… goodnight, Sara-san.」

(Thump… thump…)

Using the steady rhythm of Sara-san’s heartbeat as a lullaby, my consciousness drifts toward sleep.

Chu…

Wrapped in a soft sensation on my forehead, warmth, and a feeling of bliss… the first night in a week comes to a close.