Chapter 34:

Newfound Trump Card

Unconsciously Interested


PART THREE


Aaaahhh!

Oh my goodness!

So, it’s like I’m some sort of a lecherous sexual harasser who posed a threat to kiss and grope while asleep, and Kyashii was my first unwitting victim!?!

That sounds right, doesn’t it?!

Arrggh!

But…. Exactly how did that happen?!

And wait! Should I even be grateful to Nazumi-san for waking me up to the reality that I might be a threat when I’m sleeping next to someone?!

“Hmm... Yuyo, as both you and Kyashii-chan were asleep, I guess she can let you off the hook for this,” Minori looked at me with a knowing smile. “Am I right, Kyashii-chan~?” Her eyes flicker to Kyashii.

I broke my gaze from Minori to Kyashii, who had been staring at the ground for a while now.

When Kyashii’s gaze slowly shifted to us, she avoided making eye contact with me. “Y-Yes… It’s fine. I know Yuyo d-didn’t intend for that to happen.” I heard her say softly.

“Ohh~… That’s it, then.” It was a sweet smile that Minori wore. “And Nazumi-san, you shouldn’t take photos of people while they are sleeping.” Her hand rested on Nazumi-san’s shoulder.

“Ahh… Y-Yes.” Nazumi-san swallowed some air. “I’m truly s-sorry. I w-won’t do it again.”

“Naah! It’s fine, Hana-chan!” Tomoka took Nazumi-san by the shoulders as they joined other students on their way out of the temple. “It’s in such snatched shots that you might capture some of life’s most priceless moments! I recommend you keep doing that and don’t follow the lead of our class rep.” She grinned.

“What?! Hey! Wait!” Minori sprinted after them. “Mizuno-san, your extraterrestrial mindset has no place in the ears of Nazumi-san!”

Eh?

How could they leave us behind in such an awkward situation?!

How dare you, guys!

Guuhh! You could have been a great help to me if you had at least read the room!

“. . . .”

Welp!

Forget it!

It’s also time to get moving. “Err… L-Let’s go, Kyashii? We might get left behind if we don’t get going.” I tried to sound natural despite feeling embarrassed.

“Aah… Right.” Kyashii treaded quietly next to me as we made our way to our charter bus. She didn’t try to clutch my arm the way she usually does.

Haah…

This is awfully awkward.

Well, I perfectly understand this discomfiting situation. No matter how I looked at it, it shocked me how I could do those things to Kyashii while I was sound asleep. To be able to morph into a beast while sleeping is news to me!

Growing up, I had never slept next to another person until this school trip, so I couldn’t really warn Kyashii about the things I could do to her.

Hmm??

Hold on...

Maybe I’m not that way at all. Uhh… Perhaps I dreamt of stuff that made me do those things last night? Yeah... It’s possible that I—

No… Wait—

I don’t think that sounds right, either! If I had a dream that made me act like that to Kyashii, then it had to be something n-naughty, right?!

But it’s also possible that I was just nuzzling a fluffy or cuddly thing in my dream, right?! And I mixed it up with Kyashii’s b-breast?!

Arrggh!

Without much thought, my eyes wandered to my right hand, or should I call it my wicked hand.

“. . . .”

Oh, you darned hand!

I can try to justify my actions until the cows come home, but the reality remains that I’m a disturbing pervert when I’m asleep!

Wha—! But how?!

Just... Just how in the universe did that happen?!

Sheessh!

Nazumi-san, I can’t decide anymore if I should be sincerely grateful to you or not!


•──────•༻❁༺•──────•


“Whoaaa! Look at that breathtaking scenery, guys!” Tomoka spread her arms out wide in awe when she first reached the very top of the Amakashi-no-Oka observatory here in Asuka village.

I firmly placed my hand on Minori’s shoulder when we finally got to the top of the hill.

Pant!

Haaah… I’m running out of breath!

Wheeze!

With such a vast village, it’s exhausting to walk all the way around here!

It would have been great if I had brushed up on my biking skills yesterday so I could easily rent a bike to explore the surroundings. There are already some students riding bicycles everywhere.

And just when I thought I could take a breather from all the walking, these girls dragged me up this hill! Sheesh... I’ve got some uncaring friends.

I think it might be time for me to start working on building up my stamina if I don’t want to fall flat whenever I hang out with these guys. They seem to be full of the joys of spring almost constantly.

“Are you okay, Yuyo?” Minori asked as I flopped down on a bench.

“I …don’t…k-know.” I managed to mutter between gasps. I need a moment to catch my breath. “Haah…. I can only tell you that I’m exhausted. Unggh… Why do we have to hike up this hill so soon after that long walk?!”

“But, Yu-chin, don’t you think it’s worth the energy climbing here?” Tomoka winked. “From this vantage point, you can see a spectacular scenic beauty! Most of the students have already gathered here, too.”

I just shook my head as I guzzled the bottled water Kyashii silently handed me when she settled beside me.

However, I agree with Tomoka. I could feast my eyes on this lovely scenery. The village and the three great mountains of Yamato loom majestically in the background. The distant mountains surrounding and supporting the Nara plain are visible on a distant horizon. And with cherry blossom trees all over, this place remains stunning even if spring is coming to a close.

“Hana-chan, take a shot of me over there! I want the full view of the village in my background!” Tomoka is back on her selfie kick, trying to drag Nazumi-san a considerable distance away from us to join the crowd of giddy students snapping photos.

“Sure, Tomoka-chan...” Nazumi-san nodded. “Ah... Would you like to come along with us, Kamiwaki-san?”

“No, I’m fine….” Minori just smiled. “I have to go check on the other girls as well.” And she took off right away.

Hmm?

My eyes then turn back to Tomoka and Nazumi-san.

They’ve grown remarkably close on this school trip, haven’t they? It’s astounding how they clicked when I thought Nazumi-san couldn’t even deal with Tomoka’s antics.

Thinking about it, I wonder if Nazumi-san is better at handling Tomoka than Minori.

“Yuyo...” After remaining completely silent throughout our way here, Kyashii finally uttered a word to me.

“Hmm?”

“How about we go to the Ishibutai tomb?”

“Eeh?! But that’s quite the distance from here. And I’ve had my fill of all this walking... I’m dead tired.” I whined. I’m sure she understands how worn out I am, right? We just got here, and the energy I expended climbing this hill is no joke.

“What? Do you not want to??” She made a mean face at me.

“You bet I don’t. I’m all spent.” I puffed up my cheeks in response. “We can make our way down there later with the others.”

“If we go to that place right now, I’ll forgive you for harassing me in my sleep!” She scrunched her brows and puckered her lips.

“Wha—! What do you mean by that?! If my memory serves me well, you said it was alright a while ago, didn’t you?”

“I just said it was fine... I wasn’t implying forgiveness.” She said it straight-faced.

“Haah?! Isn’t that the same thing?! And it’s not like I deliberately t-touched that m-mountain... I’m sure you know that.” The word ‘breast’ is incredibly awkward for me to utter right now! It just doesn’t feel right.

“M-Mountain?!” Kyashii seemed to be conflicted between laughing and frowning. “And excuse you, you didn’t just touch my ‘mountain’; you grabbed into it.” Her lips curved into a smirk as she stared at me.

“Ah!” Unnggh… There’s just too much awkwardness for me to deal with here. It’s formidable to handle this kind of conversation when there’s sexual innuendo, even more so when I’m involved! “I said I’m sorry, alright? I was sleeping and had no idea what I was doing in my sleep. Shouldn’t that go without saying?”

“And I told you I’ll only accept your sorry if we go to that tomb right now, Yuyo.” Her smirk was stuck on her lips.

Haaah…

Why am I going through all of this? I have no recollection of doing anything like that, yet my best friend is making me pay for it.

“What’s the big deal with going there later rather than now?” I grouched. My body is not in the mood to descend yet. Besides, it’s a long way from here.

“Heh... That then means you don’t mind that I still don’t forgive you for attacking me, right??”

“Argh... I told you I didn’t attack you, Kyashii-chan...” I groaned.

“Ooh~… Stop right there, Yuyo. That photo doesn’t exactly back up your claim.” Kyashii grabs her phone and starts tapping. “Perhaps we should jog your memory.”

Huh?!

Just a second… Does that mean she asked for a copy for herself?!

“Did you save a copy of that photo?!”

“Huh? …Oh, y-yeah. As soon as Hana showed it to me, I asked her to send it right away.” Her grin spreads from ear to ear as she shows me that dreaded photo yet again. “Here~...”

“Aaaahh! I got it! I got it! Please don’t show that to me again!” I suddenly hid my face by putting my arms across my forehead as if a vile image was assaulting me. “Why did you even ask for that shot?!”

Wait...

Now that I think about it, that photo must have been the reason she was making such a fuss at the gate earlier, wasn’t it? She already knew about that even before Tomoka, and I saw it.

“What… Is there anything wrong with asking it?” She casually asked as she slid her phone back into her pocket. “I think it’s worth saving in the first place.”

“Haah?! It’s a lewd photo of us, especially of me! That’s what’s wrong.” I grimaced.

Seriously, what’s up with Kyashii’s strange stance on this matter? That photo made her feel pretty self-conscious at first. But now, she’s playing it off and even trying to use it on me to get what she wants.

What’s more, she has it saved on her phone?!

“Heh~… Lewd, huh? So, you’re fine with friends kissing each other, but not with this unintentional ‘mountain’ groping on sleep, Yuyo?” Kyashii seems to be having fun teasing me with her newfound mountain trump card.

Worse, I have nothing else up my sleeve to play against that card. “W-Well, kissing a friend is fine when both want to do it! Doing what I did in my sleep without permission and not even being aware of it was certainly not okay.”

Yeaahh... Let’s put some logic into this. In any case, I think I made a good point there.

“Ooh? Umm...” Kyashii gazed at me as if she was seriously considering my argument. “Ohh~... I think I get what you’re trying to say.”

“R-Right?”

“Very well, then... Since you are unwilling to go to the tomb with me, let me ask you for a payback.” There was a hint of mischief in her bright smile.

“Wait, what payback?”

“W-Well, I need your permission to t-touch your m-mountain too, then I’ll forgive you... Yeah! R-Right, that’s the payback!”

“Whaaatt?!” I folded my arms over my chest this time.

Just where did she get that crazy idea again?!

“What... You said doing things should be alright if you ask for permission, right?” Kyashii pursed her lips as if she was trying not to crack up. “And another thing, my best friend has groped my chest, yet I haven’t touched hers. Isn’t that unfair?”

Is touching each other’s breasts a new way to decide what’s fair and what’s not in a friendship?!

“. . . .”

Kyashii must be having tons of fun teasing me right now, huh?

Arrgh!

No matter what I do to get out of this issue, I will always be at a disadvantage here. One way or another, I’m still going to get the short end of the stick for that embarrassing groping incident!

I exhaled a long sigh. “O-On second thought, let’s just go to that Ishibutai tomb.”

The thought of Kyashii’s hand coming anywhere near my chest is too much for me to handle. I can deal with some physical exhaustion, but not with Kyashii’s touch on my chest.

Yep… I don’t think so!

“Ooh~… That’s what I thought.” Kyashii threw me a goofy grin. “Come on, Yuyo~... Let’s get going.” Her grip on my arm is back.

Ugh... It feels as if I’m getting punished for something that wasn’t mine to deserve.

Guuhh!

I’ll make sure I remember this day...

Curse you, wicked photo! Curse you, wicked hand!

And I think Nazumi-san owes me quite a lot on this one!