Feeling the sudden increase in strength in his arm, Sasaki Fuyumi showed a gentle smile to Chifuyu Tsukimi without waiting for her reply.
"If we're friends, then calling each other so formally feels strange, don't you think so, Chifuyu...?"
Hearing her name called so directly, the girl jerked her hand back in shock.
Her big brown eyes looked back and forth.
After a moment, she lightly clasped her white hands together, then gently touched her chest, her voice slightly trembling as she responded.
"Fuyumi..."
After saying that, she covered her red face with both hands and gave a cute little 'um'.
After all, this first-name intimacy was the first time Chifuyu Tsukimi had done this to an outsider except family members.
Even for her lover, Kenta Takagi, she only called him Takagi instead of calling him by his first name.
This was a decision made to hide the relationship between the two.
To avoid things like today happening.
But she didn't expect that the first time she addressed someone else in this manner was someone other than her lover.
Yet, she didn't dislike it; in fact, she was very pleased deep inside.
After all, it was a friend who cared about her.
This way of calling each other by names made her feel that the bond between the two was deeper.
'Then I am even more greedy for his care and concern, and some of the intimate actions he makes towards me become natural, because we are good friends...'
With her own little thoughts in mind, Chifuyu Tsukimi wrung her little hands as if to make sure, and after taking a careful look at Sasaki, she called out softly again.
"Fuyumi~"
The sultry soft voice was like a soft cat's tail that seduced people's hearts, making Sasaki's breath hitch immediately.
While his heart was beating violently, some inappropriate thoughts also began to sprout in his mind.
However, since their friendship was just beginning, it wasn't appropriate to engage in more intimate actions.
In order to prevent this idiot from noticing anything, Sasaki thought about it in his mind and did not do anything..like holding hands or putting his arms around her waist.
After all, no matter how stupid Chifuyu was, she was still a girl, and she would definitely feel inappropriate when facing some touching of intimate parts.
A lover and a friend, no matter how you compare them, are ultimately different.
Therefore, Sasaki simply smiled at her call, then, like petting a cat, smoothly ran his hand through the girl's hair.
Faced with this level of contact, Chifuyu Tsukimi would not have any inappropriate thoughts in her heart other than craving for more.
Seeing her eyes curved like crescent moons, enjoying rubbing her little head against his palm, Sasaki smiled and chatted casually.
"Weren't you waiting for Takagi just now? If you leave school with me now, he..."
Before he could say something like 'If you leave school to be with me, he won't get mad, right~' a standard green tea speech.
Knowing what he meant, Chifuyu Tsukimi lowered her head to rub his palm, took out her mobile phone from the schoolbag slung over her shoulder, and showed him the chat interface between the two of them.
[Takagi-kun: Tsukimi, I'm sorry, the club has extra training today, so I can't go home with you. (Little tangle.jpg)] 16:35 "Read"
Looking at the message from Takagi and the time, Sasaki figured that Tsukimi must have just replied to the message and put down her phone when Kirishima walked over.
No wonder when that guy said 'Takagi is busy with his own things' at that time, she looked so distraught.
Just when Tsukimi was feeling uncomfortable, Kirishima came over to rub salt in the wound.
What a good time to choose.
Truly a Yellow hair.
With a slight sigh in his heart, Sasaki lowered his palm and gently squeezed Tsukimi Chifuyu's fleshy little hand.
"You must tell me when you go home alone in the future."
Looking at the girl's gradually turning red, he continued without changing his expression: "Chifuyu is so cute, I can't rest easy letting you go home alone."
Facing Sasaki's heart-pounding words, Tsukimi Chifuyu lowered her head subconsciously and reached out to touch her cheek.
Then, thinking that Fuyumi was still waiting for her reply, she slowly raised her head and blinked quickly in embarrassment. "Will... will you walk me home whenever I'm alone, Fuyumi?"
Now that he had said the words, Sasaki naturally had no intention of going back on his words, so after hearing the inquiry, he nodded.
After receiving the answer, the girl narrowed her eyes and chuckled, then reached out and grabbed Sasaki's sleeve, her tone was uniquely soft and full of lightness.
"Then it will be troublesome for Fuyumi every day."
After saying that, fearing that he would regret it, Chifuyu Tsukimi embarrassedly entangled her hair with her fingers and emphasized it in a low voice. "You just promised, don't cheat on me."
Hearing the unexpected words, Sasaki Fuyumi glanced at her in confusion.
But it was this wide-eyed action that made Chifuyu Tsukimi, who had been paying attention to him, feeling a bit uneasy in her heart, mistakenly think that he was finding her troublesome, so she immediately wanted to let go of the hand holding his sleeve and apologize to him.
But just when she let go of her hand and before she could take it back, Sasaki reacted and held it.
"It's not a problem to walk you home, but wouldn't this conflict with Takagi?"
Holding Tsukimi's hand, without her pulling away or him letting go, Sasaki Fuyumi turned his head and asked without changing his expression.
After receiving the expected response, the girl's smile had not yet fully formed when she heard the latter part of his sentence and lowered her head in disappointment.
"Takagi... it's common for him to have extra club activities. Even though we've been dating for two months, he..."
Although she didn't finish her words, Sasaki understood what she meant.
"It's okay, I'll walk you home after this...."
After scratching Chifuyu Tsukimi's hand, he met her gaze and asked with a smile.
"However, you have been waiting for Takagi before. Don't you need to participate in club activities?"
"The club, huh." Trying to appear calm, the girl's hands were clasped together, but as the blush on her face deepened, she slowly unfolded her hands in Sasaki's palm and grasped his hand tightly, softly replying.
"I'm in the yoga club. Just showing my face there every day is enough, because yoga exercises can also be done at home."
Noticing the small movements in the palm of his hand, Sasaki smiled and pretended not to know.
He held it calmly and asked some small questions casually.
"So, Chifuyu practices yoga every day?"
"Yes, because I can't exercise, so I want to practice yoga."
With her cheeks flushed, the girl continued to share her experiences in the club with him.
Because these were things that Takagi never cared about, and Chifuyu Tsukimi didn't have many friends before, this conversation with Sasaki felt particularly liberating for her.
She talked non-stop all the way.
When they passed by a convenience store, Sasaki noticed her lips were somewhat pale, so he pulled her inside.