Laying her cheek on the book, which was placed on the top of the cashier's table, Yuu hoped that her bookstore would be full and busy. Unfortunately, her wish was impossible as it was a "Golden Week," which made the university students who were the main customers of her family's bookstore decide either to go home or go on a holiday.
So, those who came were book lovers, the remaining university students who didn't have money to go on holiday or go home, or the kids of the neighborhoods who also didn't have money yet wanted to read a manga.
Nevertheless, her meeting with Mizuto was great as he recommended her family open a rental manga service, which was booming for kids in the neighborhood who didn't have much pocket money.
Yet, what no one expected, this service was also a great hit for those university students, which was all great for sure.
While the price of the rental manga might not be much, as it was only 100 yen, it still gave more income to her shop, so no one was complaining.
Yet, the more she thought of this, the more complicated her heart was as she wished that her shop would be busier so she could put everything into the work. When one was busy, they wouldn't have time to think about another thing. Unfortunately, her wish wasn't realized, and the business was just lukewarm, so it made him think about him all the time.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a helpless sigh, Yuu turned her head and laid her other cheek on the book so her cheek wouldn't be all stiff, and it made her stop thinking about him, yet unfortunately, she couldn't.
Yuu thought that she had been thinking about him all the time, especially after she had heard that his head was bleeding after he tried to save a girl from falling from the stairs. While she hadn't seen how he bled or his blood that dripped over the floor at the entrance, her heart almost stopped, and she wished to meet him to confirm that he was okay. Unfortunately, when she knew what was happening, he left and went to the hospital.
At the same time, fortunately, he told her that she was okay and that he only needed to rest.
Hearing his answer, she was glad and told him to rest, but even so, she was thinking of visiting his house, yet she had been hesitating.
Why?
She wondered why she felt like this as she was strangely nervous at the thought of visiting his house.
Was it because he had a new family?
When Yuu thought about it, she also hadn't visited his house that much, or rather, while Mizuto often played at her house, she had never visited his house.
If she suddenly came, then what would he think?
Those thoughts occupied her mind, and in the end, she didn't do anything as Mizuto had told him that he was going to school the next day like it was nothing. While she knew that his body was powerful, she was still worried and came quietly early so she could see him.
Fortunately, Mizuto was okay.
Yet, even if he knew that he was okay, the relief and happiness that she hoped to feel when she saw him didn't appear. Instead, what she felt was another anxiety and stuffy feeling that she couldn't describe. This feeling was quite similar to what she felt previously, but this time, it was even more intense. It was like she couldn't breathe, and her world stopped.
The thought of his stepsister linking her arm against him as they walked intimately, yet also carefully as he was just hurt, often materialized as she had nothing to do.
Yume's face, which was like a girl in love, made Yuu feel shaken. She wasn't sure why she felt like this, especially when she knew that Yume, his stepsister, did this because Yume was worried about him.
Yet, at the same time, their act somehow reminded her of the first time when they exchanged their kiss, and this reminded Yuu how Mizuto told her that he would date someone just because he wanted to have sex. This thought quickly branches into several questions.
Did he date Yume?
Had they kissed?
Had they... had sex?
Even if Yuu knew that Mizuto was unable to fall in love and it was all due to lust, she just hated it somehow. Yes, she knew that she didn't have a right to stop him, especially when she was nothing but his friend. They might have kissed several times, but it didn't mean that they were dating. She couldn't tell him what he should do and couldn't do. Yet, she didn't like it. She hated it somehow.
At that time, she wished that it was she who stood by his side, helping him and tending him carefully.
Yet, knowing this feeling, Yuu wondered whether this strange feeling, which she felt at that moment, was love.
'No, it shouldn't be.'
The love that was pictured in the love song, novel, and many others was all bright and fluffy, yet what she felt was so ugly. She even felt surprised that she could feel something like that, which made her frightened at how ugly her heart was.
'However, what if he dates her stepsister?'
This thought crossed her mind, and she knew that there was nothing she could do.
While she knew that he had told her that he wouldn't be able to fall in love, she was afraid that in the future, he might fall for his stepsister, leaving her behind, alone, helpless.
Her body quivered as she thought about such a future.
"No, no! I need to stop thinking about him!"
Yuu tried to erase him from her mind, yet the more she tried, the harder it was. He kept appearing in her mind. His cheerful greeting, smile, warmth, strong arms, hug, kiss, and that animalistic smile... she couldn't forget all of them.
Still leaning her head against the cashier table, her eyes were drawn toward the entrance of her bookstore. While she knew that it might be a pipedream, considering he told her that he would be on a trip for his work, she hoped that he would suddenly appear, enter her family's bookstore, and call her given name like it was nothing, making her show a helpless smile, then somehow... he kissed her lips greedily, devouring her body strongly that he might break her.
'I wonder how it feels...'
Yuu was curious, and her hand moved into her thigh, lightly caressed as she felt a gentle pleasure, yet as it was her first time she did this, this gentle touch shook her much as she didn't expect that such pleasure could be created by a mere touch, then when she was about to continue—
"Yuu, are you here?"
Suddenly, Mizuto appeared as usual, looking around before he found her, but his eyes quickly drew into Yuu's hand, which she put on her white slender thigh. If it was someone else, they might not be able to see what he saw as her body was covered by the cashier's table and apron. Moreover, with the average height of the people in this country, they wouldn't be able to see her. Yet, he was different as he was quite tall, and he was just good at finding this type of thing. Probably due to his "Lover" job, he thought, so he looked at her whiteness, enjoying this scenery before apologizing, as he knew that he had bothered her during her private time.
"Sorry for bothering you."
"...." Yuu.
Still, before he left, he thought of something and said, "But I think that you should be careful when you want to comfort yourself." It was great that he was the one who saw her, but what if it was others?
Nevertheless, he realized that his friend was already at the age where she started to touch herself, which made him kind of helpless somehow. Still, this was a free world, and he wouldn't forbid her as it wasn't a harmful activity, yet he needed to tell her that she needed to be careful.
Leaving those words, he decided to leave, realizing that she was okay.
Yuu was unable to say anything, and she could only stay in place, shocked as she saw him. She was in a daze, then watched him leave as he apologized. Watching this action, she quickly stood up and tried to stop him. "Wait! Wait! Don't leave Mizuto!"
Everything was a misunderstanding!