Chapter 34: My childhood friend bought me some soda

My childhood friend bought me some soda

I woke up shivering from the cold.

Opening my eyes, I saw the ceiling of the classroom and the fluorescent lights.

My left arm felt numb.

Turning my gaze, I found Aya’s sleeping face nearby.

Our noses touched and my heart raced.

Aya had used my left arm as a pillow and was sleeping peacefully, making gentle breathing sounds.

Her small exhales felt warm and pleasant.

With a foggy mind, I recalled what happened last night.

Laying Aya on the spread-out cloak.

Connecting in the missionary position.

Occasional kisses, gazing into each other’s eyes.

Exchanging a few words.

Taking our time, moving our hips slowly.

Aya came multiple times and so did I.

Even though my ejaculation was empty, the feeling of release didn’t seem to end and I felt pleasurable throughout.

Afterward, without disconnecting, we continued to hold each other.

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We kissed again, not only on the lips but also on cheeks, shoulders, fingers and other places…

“Mmm…”

Aya beside me let out a small moan.

She shifted her head, moving closer to my shoulder.

The cloak that covered Aya’s naked body slipped down, revealing her smooth shoulders.

I adjusted the cloak back onto her shoulder.

Right, we fell asleep while kissing and caressing each other’s bodies and Aya dozed off. I put the cloak over her to keep her warm and I too drifted into unconsciousness beside her.

“Huh-shoo!”

A sneeze burst out unexpectedly, causing me to shiver.

Looking down at my body, I realized that the cloak was barely hanging on my waist. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

“It’s cold…”

Slowly removing my arm while not waking up Aya, I sat up.

“Yawn…”

Perhaps due to lying on the floor for so long, my back and joints were sore.

My left arm, which had served as a pillow, was numb from the elbow down.

I massaged my left shoulder while gazing at Aya wrapped in the cloak.

Her slumbering form was like a beautiful painting, so adorable.

Another facet of Aya’s many charms had been revealed.

Slowly standing up, I collected the scattered clothes on the floor.

As I put on my underwear, pants and undershirt, the cold became more bearable.

Checking my smartphone, I saw that it was past 4:30 in the morning.

Apparently, no students had returned to the classroom.

Was this also a stroke of luck?

Contemplating such thoughts, I approached the classroom window.

The sky had a deep blue tint and I could faintly see houses beyond the schoolyard.

The sunrise was approaching and the distant horizon was tinged with a faint red glow.

“Um… Boyan?”

Turning at the call, I found Aya looking at me with just her face turned toward me.

Though the sun hadn’t risen yet, she gazed at me as if it were blindingly bright.

“Aya, good morning.”

“Goood morniing… Are we still sleeping…?”

“No, it’s time to get up.”

“Mmm…”

“Is your body okay, Aya?”

“Mmm…”

Seems like it’s okay.

For about fifteen more minutes, Aya slowly emerged from the cloak.

- - -

Aya emerged from the restroom, her bed hair slightly tidied up.

“Sorry to keep you waiting~” She walked over while still looking a bit drowsy.

I picked up my smartphone and asked, “Aya, what should I tell your family about staying out all night? My family probably won’t mind, but…”

While Aya was in the restroom, I sent a message to my family, explaining that we got caught up in the post-culture festival celebration and ended up pulling an all-nighter at a friend’s place.

“Ahh… I’ll ask for some assistance…”

“Assistance? From your friends?”

“Yeah…”

As she spoke, Aya started fiddling with her phone.

She seemed somewhat nervous. Gradually, her eyebrows furrowed in a puzzled expression and her eyes began to shift around.

She must be reading messages from her female friends that she received yesterday.

Eventually, she made up her mind and her fingers glided over the screen.

A notification sound chimed immediately.

“Oh, a reply.”

Aya hurriedly checked her phone.

“… Everyone stayed over last night, it seems. They’re going to say that I was with them… too.”

It appeared Aya’s female friends had spent the night at someone’s house as well.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah…!”

Aya nodded with a smile.

She truly looked delighted.

Aya’s smile suddenly faded and she seemed to notice something. She looked at me as if she had just realized.

“Hmm?”

“Boyan, sorry… but, could you also say that you were with us…?”

“Sure, but why?”

I felt this might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

“If you also say you were there, my family might feel a bit more at ease…”

“What’s that about? Well, it’s fine.”

I wondered if Aya’s trust in me, regarding her family, was still intact.

“Thanks, that helps a lot!”

Aya resumed fiddling with her phone.

This time, she seemed to be sending a message to her family.

After a pause, I spoke up.

“Aya, how about we tour the festival grounds before going back?”

“Sounds great!”

Aya’s eyes sparkled as she smiled.

We wandered around the school campus without any particular destination.

Sunlight streamed through the empty hallways, warming the air.

Just that made the atmosphere more pleasant.

To wake ourselves up, we looked at some of the exhibits.

Entering the art room, we found an array of different artworks on display.

“Whoa, look, Boyan, isn’t that cool?”

Aya walked towards one of the paintings, a portrait of a man making a triumphant pose.

She gazed at the painting intently, so I decided to say something.

“How about trying your hand at painting, Aya?”

“… Yeah, let’s do that.”

“I like Aya’s art.”

“Oh, thanks… then next time, I’ll draw you, Boyan!”

That was genuinely heartwarming.

After that, we continued to discuss our favorite artworks and enjoyed the art exhibition.

Once we had toured the school building, we sat down on a bench near the stairs.

Aya stood in front of a vending machine, carefully choosing a drink.

I rotated my stiff shoulders and stretched, then took a deep breath.

The clear morning air mixed with the familiar scent of the school building filled my nostrils.

The sun cast a different angle of light, illuminating the hallway in white.

As I absentmindedly gazed at this scene, a brown-haired girl with a short haircut appeared before me.

“Here you go, Boyan.”

Saying that, Aya handed me a bottle of mineral water.

Her white upper arms extending from her black T-shirt were dazzling.

“Ah, thanks.”

“It’s all good.”

Aya was sipping carbonated water from a plastic bottle, looking as though she was enjoying it.

I opened the cap of the mineral water bottle.

Coincidentally, I had been feeling thirsty.

With a gulp, I realized how much my body had been craving hydration.

My throat made a satisfying noise as I downed the water in one go.

It tasted the most delicious out of all the water I’ve ever had.

Probably because Aya had picked it out for me.

By the time we arrived at Aya’s house, it was past 7 in the morning.

“Alright, Boyan, talk to you later.”

“Yeah. If your family gets mad, let me know. I’ll come with you to apologize.”

“Yeah, they’ll probably be upset, but I think it’ll be okay.”

“I see.”

“Yeah…”

We exchanged a gaze for a moment.

We were likely thinking the same thing.

I decided to break the silence.

“… So, about meeting up with Tokita today, how did it go?”

“… In the end, we decided to meet. I got a text. There’s something to discuss… so we’ll talk about it.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“Should I come too?”

“No, it’s fine… really. I’ll let you know what happens. We’re planning to have a discussion.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll be waiting.”

“Yeah, wait for me.”

“If anything comes up, get in touch with me.”

“Yeah, I’ll message you.”

“Alright, see you, Aya.”

“Goodnight… I mean, see you later, Boyan… Don’t fall back asleep, okay?”

“You too. Don’t think about taking a nap on your bed. I know you’ll end up asleep for sure.”

“… I won’t.”

It seemed she had intended to take a nap.

I waved back at my childhood friend and turned to head home.

- - -

Around noon.

I found myself riding a train without a particular destination and ended up at a terminal station.

I stopped in front of an aquarium for some reason.

I recalled what Tokita had proudly mentioned about Aya being excited during a date at an aquarium back in middle school.

Somehow, I felt like Tokita would bring Aya here today.

Looking towards the entrance, I spotted Aya and Tokita, who seemed to have rendezvoused.

They had apparently decided to meet directly at the aquarium rather than for lunch.

Their expressions were somber.

Tokita seemed to say something and Aya nodded slightly.

The two of them entered the aquarium together.

I quickly purchased a ticket and followed behind them.

No issues.

I was intuitively sure about it.

Everything would be fine.

During this date, Aya would tell Tokita it’s over between them.

Nothing else would happen.

I had this conviction, but…

Before I knew it, my feet were moving on their own.

As expected, Aya and Tokita’s atmosphere was awful.

They kept a subtle distance, wandering around the tanks.

Other than a few brief sentences Tokita spoke, they hardly looked at each other.

After about forty minutes at the aquarium, the two of them left and started walking towards the bustling city center.

Tokita led the way, with Aya a couple of steps behind.

In a secluded alley, Tokita turned back to face Aya.

He wore an unusually serious expression.

I was peeking around the corner from the bend in the path, so I couldn’t see Aya’s face.

But I could tell her eyes widened.

Because that was where a love hotel stood.

No issues.

I had that confidence.

I had the certainty, but…

I tightly held onto a full bottle of mineral water, ready for whatever might happen.

Eventually, Tokita seemed to say something.

Aya shook her head.

Then Tokita hesitated for a moment, took a slow breath and exhaled.

He forced a smile as if trying to mask something, said a couple more words to Aya.

Though I could barely make out the shape of his mouth forming the word “sorry”.

A little while later, Tokita turned his back and walked away across the street.

Aya didn’t watch him leave – instead, she turned toward my direction.

I quickly hid myself and left the scene.

- - -

Around nine o’clock in the evening, I received a message from Aya.

When I checked my smartphone, a short text message was glowing.

『I broke up with Tokita.』

『I see.』

I typed in the reply and pressed the send button.

It might come across as indifferent, but there weren’t any other words to say.

And with that, this topic came to an end.

After a while, the screen lit up, displaying another message from Aya.

『Boyan, did you get scolded at home?』

I switched to the reply screen on my smartphone and slid my finger.

『At my place, things were more or less okay. How about you?』

『At my place too, things were more or less okay.』

『Isn’t the first day of school the day after tomorrow?』

『Yep, that’s right.』

『Well then, take it easy tomorrow.』

『You too, Boyan.』

『And make sure you don’t oversleep the day after tomorrow.』

『You too, Boyan!』

We continued a trivial exchange.

Aya and I won’t meet tomorrow.

Most likely, we won’t call or message either.

During this interval period, it might be short, but it’s our way of closure.

As we continued with these insignificant messages, my older sister called from outside the room, “Ryuji, time for your bath!”

『I’m going to take a bath. My sister’s being noisy.』

『Then I’ll take a bath and go to sleep too.』

『Okay, goodnight, Aya.』

『Goodnight, Boyan.』

I placed my smartphone on the desk.

I leaned back heavily in my chair and let out a small sigh.

The analog clock on the table ticked with a soft sound.

I lifted myself from the chair and reached for my smartphone.

—『Aya, I love you.』

An intense desire to convey my feelings surged and my finger slid.

I was about to press the send button, then I hesitated.

It might be a bit too enthusiastic for Aya, who just broke up today. I restrained myself.

I put down the smartphone and stood up.

Heading toward the door to go to the bath, I saw a glimmer of light from the corner of my vision.

Approaching it, I read the message displayed.

『Boyan, I love you.』

For a moment, time stood still.

Aya had expressed her feelings for the first time.

My hand holding the smartphone trembled.

My head grew hot as if it was burning up.

My heart raced and it hurt.

I collapsed onto the bed just like that.