"...Eh...?"
Asahi stopped her from progressing their relationship any further. He gently brushed Keiko off of her and sat on the side of the bed.
".....I-...I am sorry, Keiko-chan..."
She snapped out of her confused state and quickly searched for the problem that led to this outcome.
"What happened, Asahi-kun?! Is something wrong? Did I do anything to upset you?"
She hugged him from the back and desperately tried to amend for any mistakes she may have made.
But that was not the case.
"No.....That is not it..."
"Then what?"
Asahi held her hand and glanced backwards.
"I don't think that this is the right time for us."
".....Huh, why are you saying that, Asahi-kun?"
Asahi got off the bed and wanted to exit the room.
"Sorry again, Keiko-chan. I am going home. See you tomorrow..."
His voice sounded distant. Asahi himself felt bitter in his mouth for saying such a thing to Keiko but he believed that was the right choice.
He went to the door and left the room with Keiko stranded alone.
Asahi walked downstairs and met Keiko's uncle. Surprised, the uncle made a remark
"Huh? You are going already?"
"I am sorry, Keisuke Oji-san. I have something to do at my house, that is why I could not stay any longer."
Asahi lied with an awkward smile to him.
"Ah is that so? Be careful on your way home then."
Asahi slightly bowed and was grateful to him, "Thank you for the company. I will be going then."
With that, he respectfully greeted Keisuke off and left the house with a little hurriedness.
The uncle saw that but did not think of anything suspicious.
On the other hand, distraught over the turn of events, Keiko was left paralyzed over the fact that Asahi did not accept her body.
She mumbled frantically as if she was possessed. The weak mumbling seemed to be aimless muttering, but, in fact, she was recalling every single event that happened today.
In the most detailed possible, she softly rambled alone.
"....I kissed him then I stepped back then I saw his face blush red then he was happy then I took my seat then we continued the dinner then I suggested for him to come to my house then he flinched with surprise then I was holding off my embarrassed expression then he was hesitating but he wasn't denying of wanting to do it then I persisted then he agreed then we finished our meal then we exited the restaurant then we walked down that street then I held his hands then he looked and smiled then we went to the station...."
It went on just like that until she has reached to the point in the story where they were both on this bed, about to take their relationship to the next level.
However, Asahi himself halted that.
Why?
No matter how much Keiko reviewed all that has happened to this moment, there wasn't anything that she could deem as a mistake.
If so then is it another matter that is troubling Asahi?
Keiko was dispirited at the end of her overloading thoughts.
She does not know the cause of the obstructive behaviour of Asahi's manifested.
Her white top that his uncle gave as a gift was left on her body just like that. Asahi did not see anything beneath it. He did not want to for now.
Again,....Why...?
Keiko's mood plummeted. It was at one of the lowest points that she has ever felt.
".....Why?"
She kept repeating the same question weakly but all she got was the silence of these 4 walls.
It took some time for her to move from the position she was staying in. After all, she could not think straight. All of that made her thirsty and hungry even though she ate before coming.
*Step* *Step* *Step* *Step*
Her footsteps approached her door and she opened it.
"..."
As soon as she exited, she felt a presence to her left so she glanced at it.
It was Yoichi who was waiting for her as he was leaning his back against the wall. A thin smile appeared as he met Keiko's gloomy visage.
He patted her head softly.
"It couldn't be helped Keiko, he must have his reasons. Give him some time."
"...?"
Keiko's eyebrow raised with suspicion.
"What are you talking.....about?"
"Hm? I mean Asahi did not have sex with you right? So, I'm saying-"
"How do you know that?"
She made him stop the head pats and little by little, her astonishment welled up because of what Yoichi was saying.
Too bad for Keiko that she was not prepared well to receive such a bombshell from Yoichi's mouth.
"What do you mean by how do I know? I was looking through the keyhole."
"-!?!?!?! W-WHAAAT!?!?!?"
Disbelief traumatized her brain. That depressing aura of hers got replaced with the immense shock that she received.
"W-What the hell are you doing peaking into my room!!!!"
"Well, I can't go inside and look. You two would mind. So I was considerate enough to be outside the room."
"Haaah!?" Keiko gasped disgustingly at Yoichi for the confusing statement he was sprouting.
"You are not supposed to look at what me and Asahi were doing in the first place!! That is gross!!"
"Ah, is that so? I did not know..."
Yoichi put on a serious face and took in the information Keiko blurted out.
"You-!!!....Nevermind..."
Keiko was about to curse him so heavily but she retracted that idea because she thought of Yoichi's situation.
Instead of scolding him, which she knows it would be pointless, she carefully explained it to him.
"Listen gross Onii-chan, whenever me and Asahi are in my room alone, you should never peek. Do not have a single thought about doing that. Okay?"
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
Yoichi was not joking or teasing Keiko. He genuinely did not know that he was not supposed to do that.
"No matter how clueless you are, what were you even trying to watch us in the first place?
"Oh, you see, I stumbled upon animals having sex in a wildlife documentary. So I thought about humans, us. I tried observing porn but I wanted to understand it better so-"
"Okay stop!!....I get it..."
Keiko's shoulders dropped, not wanting to bother Yoichi's curiosity anymore.
He was just like that.
All of her worries were still there but her brother made her forget about it for some time.
Now that her head was diverted elsewhere, she became more steadied by the moment.
"....Fried rice.."
"...Hm? Did you say something?"
Keiko lifted her face and requested him with her soft voice.
"I want to eat fried rice..."
"Didn't you eat before coming home?"
"....." She reluctantly nodded. She did not say anything. Satiating the hunger caused by Asahi's rejection is definitely the priority right now.
The corners of Yoichi's lips curled upwards and loudly declared.
"I guess we are having fried rice for dinner!"
.......
"Sato-kun! 84 points! Keep up the good work!"
"Thank you, Sir."
Their homeroom teacher gave out the test results to Asahi. This was a small test, kind of like an assessment test that was given in the middle of the semester to gauge the student's grades.
It is also a point in their high school life where they have an idea of where they are standing in terms of academics.
Those with good grades should keep up the good work whilst the average or bad ones have to step up their gear to learn.
Asahi returned to his seat upfront. Before he sat, he met Keiko's casual gaze at the back.
She smiled at him as if she completely erased the memories of what happened yesterday.
That made Asahi exhale a sigh of relief. With her tension lessening, she proceeded to sit down and let the teacher call out to other students.
All the others received it and discussed it with their friends about their points.
"Miyazaki-san! 97 points! Excellent work."
The teacher was elated as he has got a great student like Kirika in his class. Her classmates gasped with admiration and small cheers came from them.
Not only was she beautiful but she was intellectual.
A perfect role model for the class.
All of them thought that she would be a class representative but she denied taking that role. Because it would affect the time invested in her studying.
"Good work, Kirika."
"Thank you, Keiko." She sat down after getting her test.
"Morita.....Keiko-san! 86 points! Very good!"
She got up and approached the teacher. After taking the test paper, she quickly glanced at Asahi before returning to her seat.
"Morita.....Yoichi-kun! 95 points! Excellent!"
Both Kirika and Ren were extremely astonished by what their homeroom teacher said.
They swiftly turn their heads to Yoichi. He was taken by surprised by their actions.
"W-What?" Yoichi inquired.
"N-No...I did not think that you had it in you." Ren stated.
"Yeah, because of the way he acts," Kirika added.
"Yeah....."
Kirika and Ren joined forces. They were not ready to believe it. Yoichi always seems so carefree and yet, he produces this kind of result.
"Is he a genius?" Kirika was envious as all of that hard work she put in to reach to that level, yet Yoichi was.....
"I get you." Keiko, behind Yoichi, grinned at their surprised faces.
Even though Keiko does all of her homework before Yoichi, it does not feel real for her.
"Stop teasing me, you guys."
Yoichi stood from his chair and went to the teacher. After collecting the paper Yoichi sat down and Ren was the next one that was called.
"Sugiyama-kun! 54 points! You need to start concentrating more on your studies. I know the club is important but grades are too."
"Yes sir!"
Yoichi giggled at Ren, making him sneak some hate glare towards him whilst he was getting reprimanded by the teacher.
Then it got to the point where it was Suzuki's turn.
"Suzuki-kun. 61 points. You too need to step up and focus more in class."
"Y-Yes S-Sir."
He got a few laughs from his classmates by his clumsy response.
They all got their test papers. Some were happy with their results, some envious of others, some reprimanded and a few indifferent to it.
And that was the start of their day.
During lunch, the group gathered again and discussed about what happened in the morning.
"It is still surprising for me to believe that Yoichi is actually smart."
"Now that is insulting." Yoichi could not take that humiliation from Ren.
Hell, it wasn't only Ren but Kirika also was in awe. More like she was interested.
"Do you have some learning method?"
".....Not really."
"Nothing out of the usual that he does, Keiko?"
She sought help from her best friend Keiko, "Nothing. He does the same thing as me." However, Kirika did not get much information.
She sighed and diverted her attention from Yoichi to Ren and Suzuki.
"Moreover, what about you two? Suzuki-kun, Ren-kun?"
They veered to Kirika.
"Are you two going to be okay?"
"...W-Well....." Ren hesitated and Suzuki did not know what to say. She knew that they were having a hard time.
So casually, she suddenly requested to aid both of them.
"Should I tutor you 2?"
Ren's and Suzuki's eyes sparkled.
Both of them thought, 'Kirika-san tutoring me? That's so lucky!!'
""With pleasure!!""
The two boys showed enthusiasm towards that offer. She was taken aback by the reaction but she is not going back to her words.
"O-Okay, if you 2 are so overjoyed by that, you better be prepared because I can be strict sometimes."
They accepted the challenge
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Suzuki."
A hate-filled voice interrupted them.
It was the leader of the delinquent that harrassed Suzuki in middle school but got beat up by the mysterious masked student.
His punishment was being a bread shuttle.
"....." Suzuki averted his gaze from that guy. Kirika, Keiko and Ren looked at him with a spiteful glare.
The leader experienced that and nonchalantly gave Suzuki a canned apple juice.
"Since you only requested this, here?"
Suzuki accepted it and the leader took his leave.
"Every time he comes here and does this, I still can't believe it," Keiko said.
"Yeah, I still wonder who that mysterious masked saviour is." Yoichi wondered but he did not give too much interest into that.
Meanwhile, just after the leader left the classroom and was about to meet one of his lackeys, he got grabbed on his shoulders.
It was done so abruptly and so heavily that he almost shrieked out loud due to the pain caused.
He quickly investigated who was hitting him so hard without any reason.
He turned.
His face turned grim.
"Oi Oi Ito-kun. What the fuck did I see in that class? What the hell were you doing?"