"I... still don't believe it."
Utaha's words were fragmented, like a soft feather gently brushing against Chisato's chest, leaving him feeling an itch he couldn't quite scratch.
"Well, this should prove it, right?"
Chisato extended both hands, first gently touching her palms with his fingertips.
When he noticed she didn't pull away, he boldly went further, intertwining their fingers tightly, their palms pressing firmly together without any space between them.
"In the dream, I remember more about Eriri. I guess that's why you got the wrong idea."
"Is that true?"
Utaha's breathing quickened, the warmth of his hands much hotter than hers, causing her heart to race.
"Yeah."
"Then from now on, treat me the way you treat her. I won't get mad no matter what you do."
"Okay."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
With Chisato's words, all of Utaha's previous worries and dissatisfaction seemed to dissipate like a puff of smoke, vanishing without a trace.
She remembered something, and though reluctant, she gently let go of his hand.
"Do you remember what I said to you before you left my house?"
A confused expression crossed Chisato's face. He frowned in thought, and then his expression turned a little odd.
"Looks like you remembered."
Utaha leaned back, using her hands for support to turn her body slightly.
Her slender, beautiful feet, wrapped in black stockings, rested playfully on Chisato's lap, her toes wiggling a bit.
"I just woke up and don't have the energy, so help me take them off."
"Gulp…"
A dumbfounded Chisato let the slightly shy Utaha guide his hand to her thigh.
"Since it's tights, you'll need to start from the top. You'll have to slide your hand up to my waist, begin from behind, and then carefully work your way down from both sides..."
Utaha struggled to suppress the sensation of his warm hand on her skin, guiding him step by step through the process.
"But you should hurry, Eriri will probably be out soon..."
…
Eriri's face was beet-red as she spent two minutes calming herself down in the bathroom.
After ensuring her cheeks had returned to a normal color in the mirror, she took a deep breath and returned to the living room.
However, when she saw that Utaha was already awake, she froze.
When both Chisato and Utaha looked at her, they had similar reactions.
"It's getting late. We should probably head home now, and stop bothering Chisato."
"Yeah, you're right."
Eriri's words broke the silence, and Utaha quickly agreed. The two girls reached a consensus.
Chisato walked them to the street and watched as they got into a taxi before heading back home.
First, he went to the bathroom.
On the sink sat a neatly folded pair of black stockings.
He picked them up and walked over to the bed, lifting the pillow. Underneath were the tights he had just taken off Utaha.
Staring at the two pairs of socks in his hands, which still seemed to carry the warmth and scent of the girl, he fell silent.
Seeing a pair of stockings once makes you want to see them again. After the second glance, strange, exciting thoughts begin to bubble up.
Chisato was a normal guy, but not a gentleman.
So he didn't have any thoughts of doing something bizarre like putting one sock on his head, then another, while inhaling their scent and fantasizing about a beautiful girl's figure as he furiously played video games.
If he wanted to, he could do that whenever he pleased.
Chisato carefully stored the two pairs of stockings in his wardrobe.
He had restrained himself for days, not indulging in any fantasies, but today, he couldn't resist. He decided he deserved a reward.
…
In the taxi, Utaha and Eriri sat together in the back seat. Both were mutually silent about the smooth, bare skin of their legs.
At this point, hurting the other would only hurt themselves, and neither wanted that.
"You should be grateful to me. If I hadn't acted on a whim, you wouldn't have had the chance to get closer to Chisato."
Utaha, thinking back on the feeling of Chisato's hands brushing over her thighs, was in a good mood and started the conversation.
Eriri glanced at her, not understanding why she was so happy. Just a moment ago, she had been sulking.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's all thanks to my hard work. But at least now I can relax."
"Relax?"
"Yeah, after this meeting, I'm sure of it. Chisato likes both of us."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's not nonsense. At least now I don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Worried he didn't have feelings for you?"
"No."
Eriri gave her a strange look.
"I'm talking about that girl we saw with him that day."
"Since he likes both of us, that girl must be just a classmate or a casual acquaintance. Ahh, that's a relief. I've been overthinking it for days. Tonight I can finally sleep well."
"…"
Utaha stared at her, stunned.
Now that she mentioned it, there was that girl.
The one they followed to her house with Eriri—she was the daughter of a famous musician.
How had she completely forgotten about her?
Probably because the dreams afterward were so overwhelming that it slipped her mind.
"Hey, why did you suddenly go quiet?"
Eriri looked at her, annoyed. Utaha snapped back to reality, turned her head toward the window, and responded awkwardly, a beat too late.
But like Eriri said, Chisato clearly liked both of them, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about... right?
"No, that's not it."
Five minutes later, Utaha suddenly spoke, startling Eriri.
"What? Why are you acting so crazy?"
"We can't be careless, you idiot."
"Huh? What are you even talking about?"
"I have a bad feeling about that girl. If we keep going about this so nonchalantly, something bad will happen."
Eriri, finally understanding what she meant, felt her previously relaxed mood tense up again.
"…So, what do you plan to do?"
"I don't know yet. But spending more time with Chisato is definitely a good idea."
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