Walking briskly through the narrow hallway leading to the library, Aida Yuuki, dressed in his school uniform, was bathed in the alternating light and shadow from the sunlight streaming through the windows.
Just as his heart was filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
He was looking forward to spending time with Serizawa after school, having taken a break from club activities for two days.
But he was also troubled because he knew there would be someone in the library whom he didn't want to see.
That person was the guy who had recently become a library assistant and had made advances on Serizawa.
He didn't know the guy's full name but had heard Serizawa call him Sasaki.
Sasaki was tall, standing out among the male students.
As for his appearance, although Aida Yuuki hated to admit it, he knew that Sasaki's looks made him quite popular among both boys and girls.
When people first saw him, unless they were incredibly jealous, it was hard not to have a favourable impression of him.
If he hadn't seen him behave in a disrespectful manner toward Serizawa-san, Aida Yuuki wouldn't have been so hostile to him at that time.
Previously, when he saw Sasaki and Serizawa disappearing behind the bookshelves, he had felt nervous but not hostile towards the boy.
Because he knew that someone as beautiful as Serizawa-san would always have admirers.
Although no one had confessed to her yet, as a guy, he knew how popular she was in their class.
However, her quiet nature and her excellent academic performance made her seem unapproachable to most boys, who spent their time playing instead of studying, thus, few dared to confess to her.
He even frequented the library, hoping to catch her attention when he wasn't attending club activities.
He was aware of his own shortcomings—average looks, average build, average academics.
In such a condition, the only thing he could offer her was his kindness and respect.
If Serizawa-san met someone better than him, he was prepared for it.
He wouldn't act like a mad dog, biting anyone who got close to her.
Because the choice of who she wanted to be with was hers.
If he tried to drive others away just to get her attention, he would be abandoning the very qualities he hoped to offer her.
Since he didn't have much to boast about, if he discarded those qualities, he would have no right to compete.
He allowed others to compete with him for Serizawa san's affection, but not everyone.
Among them, the one who aroused his disgust was the person who treated Serizawa-san frivolously.
Sasaki had been one of those people, but...
Recalling the details that he had not noticed in the past few days, Aida Yuuki clenched the bag in his hand.
Although Serizawa-san had explained it to him, saying that she had lost her balance and Sasaki had only been helping her, his anger and jealousy had previously clouded his judgment.
He didn't listen to her explanation properly and ended up arguing with Sasaki after being provoked.
Reflecting on his actions, he realized he had been too impulsive, letting his anger and jealousy overshadow Serizawa san's explanation and wrongfully blaming Sasaki.
Although he didn't have many virtues, taking responsibility for his actions was something his family had taught him since childhood.
After thinking about it for two days, he returned to the library.
Taking a deep breath, Aida Yuuki slowly opened the library door.
Upon entering, the first thing he saw was Sasaki sitting at the counter, reading a book.
Glancing around, he didn't see the girl he wanted to see, but,
Although he didn't see the main person he wanted to apologize to, he wouldn't back down.
After surveying the room, he walked slowly towards the counter, meeting Sasaki's gaze.
Seeing the boy sitting at the counter, his expression calm and cold, Aida Yuuki took a deep breath, stood straight, then bent over and presented the bag with both hands:
"My name is Aida Yuuki. I'm very sorry for misunderstanding you the other day. It was my mistake to jump to conclusions without understanding the situation. This is a token of my apology. Please accept it."
"Uh..."
Sitting at the counter, Sasaki glanced at the paper bag in the boy's hands and was surprised.
He had expected Aida to warn him to stay away from Serizawa, continue the argument, or ask where she was.
But he didn't expect that he would actually apologize.
After all, there are not many boys who can apologize to their love rivals.
And in his eyes, what he did to Serizawa at that time was quite unkind.
Although there was a reason for the incident, it was natural to be hostile.
Therefore, Sasaki did not say anything bad about Aida in front of Serizawa because of his hostility at that time.
Everyone wants to win the beauty, but there can only be one winner.
It's normal for winners to be ostracized and disliked.
He wouldn't take such matters to heart.
Looking at the paper bag handed to him, Sasaki, who was unable to stand up, took a long breath, then tensed up his body and face, reached out and took the brown paper bag:
"It's fine. I was also at fault. Please don't worry about it."
"By the way," Aida Yuuki, standing straight again and scratching his head, asked, "Is Serizawa-san not here? I need to apologize to her, too. If I had listened to her explanation that day, I wouldn't have..."
"Hiss~~~"
He was already having a hard time keeping his cool as she deep-throated him under the table, but now that her movements became erratic from the nervousness of being seen, her throat instinctively tightened around his shaft, almost making Sasaki cum on the spot.
Gritting his teeth, the boy barely kept himself at bay as he quickly leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, and said:
"She... she came by earlier and told me that she had something to take care of at home, and then left. If you want to apologise, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"I see..."
Murmuring in slight disappointment, Aida Yuuki noticed that the boy in front of him was behaving a bit strangely and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Sasaki-kun, are you feeling unwell?"
Pulling back the consciousness that was almost taken away, Sasaki sat on the chair and adjusted his posture.
As the chair moved forward, he leaned his back towards the backrest and said in a helpless tone:
"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit off. I twisted my ankle while helping Serizawa the other day."
Well, it was impossible to tell that he was experiencing a wonderful oral service at this moment, so Sasaki had no choice but to give an excuse.
To divert this guy's attention so that he would not be able to hear some occasional slurping sounds, by any damn chance ...
Knowing his character, Sasaki knew that the best way was to make him feel guilty so his reply was naturally instinctive.
And just as he expected,
Hearing this, Yuuki's face showed a hint of guilt, and he bowed again:
"I'm really sorry. I didn't understand the situation before and wronged you."
Straightening up, he saw Sasaki constantly adjusting his posture and, thinking he was seriously hurt, he asked apologetically:
"Is it serious? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
Feeling extra sensitive due to the unknown stimulation, Sasaki secretly bit his teeth and forced a smile, shaking his head:
"No, it's mostly healed now after a few days. It doesn't affect my movement; it just hurts a bit when I sit in the wrong position."
Aida Yuuki, thinking he didn't look like he was only in minor pain, asked again:
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Not used to a guy being so overly concerned about him, Sasaki shivered slightly, then waited a moment before nonchalantly standing up and walking out from behind the counter:
"See, I'm fine. It's just that sitting for too long makes my legs numb."
Seeing Sasaki move without difficulty, the boy sighed in relief and smiled:
"That's good to hear..."
Although he had not established a relationship with Serizawa, Sasaki, who had already had substantial contact, did not like his way of caring for Serizawa.
Both had their faults in the previous incident, and a simple apology should have restored a normal classmate relationship.
To put it bluntly, it was just an acquaintance.
But his overly concerned attitude towards Serizawa made him feel a bit irked.
After all, it was just a one-sided crush.
Reluctantly not wanting to play the villain, Sasaki didn't like this feeling.
So, after seeing Aida's behaviour, he said bluntly:
"You like Serizawa, don't you?"
"Uh..." Suddenly having his feelings exposed, the latte felt a bit embarrassed but nodded.
"Yes... I like her a lot."
"Though it may not be appropriate to say, I think it's best if you let go early."
Walking slowly to stand in front of Aida, Sasaki carefully chose his words:
"You're a nice guy, but that's only suitable for friends. Being with you wouldn't benefit Serizawa."
He didn't want to be too blunt, sounding like he was giving advice.
But he also didn't want to be too vague, making it seem like he was provoking him.
After a moment of thought, Sasaki said:
"Your personality is great, but it's only good for friendship. For Serizawa, being with you would be more harmful than helpful."
However, his words weren't enough to make Aida give up.
"Harmful?"
Aida Yuuki frowned, not believing there was anything unsuitable between him and Serizawa:
"What do you mean by harmful?"
"Personality-wise, I don't think Serizawa and I would have any conflicts. I wouldn't let her be wronged, make her angry, and I would respect her a lot."
"If you mean..."
As he spoke, he stepped back and looked up and down at Sasaki, who was taller than him:
"If you mean I can't protect her, I might not be able to fight you or many others, but relying on brute force only causes trouble. It's not always the best solution."
"And... even if you're stronger than me, there are plenty of people who can fight better. Take our school's baseball coach, Higashi Tougou. You probably can't beat him either."
"And he has people he can't beat. If fighting could solve everything, why would we need law enforcement? That's not a reason for me to give up on her."
Although Sasaki had anticipated his response, hearing it directly still gave him a headache.
If Serizawa weren't right there, he would have bluntly said, "You make a lot of sense, but this is not the reason for you to pester other people's girlfriends. '
Moreover, aside from physical strength, their personalities were another issue Sasaki wanted to address.
He didn't deny that Aida had a good personality as a guy.
If he really got together with Serizawa, he would treat her well, which Sasaki didn't deny either.
But precisely because he was too good to Serizawa that Sasaki felt they weren't suitable.
What was Serizawa's personality like?
Gentle, quiet, kind—all these words could describe her character.
Someone with such a personality wasn't strong-willed.
And she was kind to the point of being 'foolish.'
She would help others because of her kindness, and she would not want to cause trouble to those close to her because of her kindness.
But what kind of personality did Aida Yuuki have?
He was overly gentle and respectful towards Serizawa.
For most girls, this wasn't a flaw.
But a good trait doesn't necessarily mean it's suitable.
Serizawa wasn't a strong-willed person to begin with, and Aida was someone who would overly accommodate her.
So once Serizawa falls into the pit because of her kindness, he would be dragged down with her.
Does she need someone to fall into pits with her?
No, it's not.
What she needs is someone who can prevent her from falling into a trap.
Though it might sound arrogant and presumptuous, Sasaki believed only he could properly handle Serizawa; This guy was too naive...
He didn't understand that excessive indulgence would harm her.
But Sasaki couldn't say this outright in front of Serizawa.
So seeing Aida's "I'm right, you're wrong" look, even though he wanted to retort with, "Do you need to see Serizawa looking like a sad puppy to give up?"
But in this end, he just shook his head slightly and chose not to respond further.
Feeling victorious, Aida Yuuki cheerfully said goodbye to Sasaki.
Since Serizawa-san wasn't there, he had no more reason to stay and talk to Sasaki, whom he viewed as a defeated rival.
Thinking that staying longer might annoy Sasaki, he waved and left the library.
Watching thr guy disappear from view, Sasaki sighed deeply.
"Sigh~~"
"Fuyumi, there's nothing between us. Don't misunderstand. I didn't know he liked me. I'll explain everything to him tomorrow."
Turning around, Sasaki saw Serizawa Yukiha standing not far behind him, looking neat but with a flushed face, red knees, and tears still lingering at the corners of her eyes.
Looking at her like that, he walked up to her, cupped her rosy cheeks with both hands, and smiled as he asked, "How will you explain it?"
Pressing her moist lips together, Serizawa Yukiha, who hadn't had time to go to the washroom, responded softly with the boy holding her face:
"I'll just tell Aida-kun not to come looking for me anymore. I'm afraid Fuyumi might misunderstand."
Hearing this, Sasaki chuckled lightly and, after wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, said gently:
"Are you still uncomfortable?"
Shaking her head, the girl stuck out her delicate, cherry blossom-like pink tongue and lightly licked her lips before softly replying:
"Fuyumi, are you still uncomfortable?"
"Why? Didn't the shy little girl get enough?"
Knowing her neck was uncomfortable, Sasaki reached out and gently massaged her neck.
And when he heard her question, he smiled and winked playfully.
"Of course not~" she retorted softly. Her small, delicate hands, as white as snow and as petite as leaves, placed on Sasaki's hand that was massaging her neck:
"Because it was my first time... I was afraid Fuyumi wouldn't like it..."
"Don't worry, you did great~" Sasaki said, cupping Serizawa's cheeks and giving them a gentle squeeze. Knowing she needed to clean up, he didn't hold onto her for too long.
"Go wash up first. I'll get you some hot water."
"Mm~"