My Friend Doesn't Hesitate 42.5

ACT42.5     Can I Take This Seriously?


「Ah... Kiri-yan-san, could you wait for a little while?」


After school, Kiriko was going home with her friend Natsu again today, but.

Shortly after they went past the school gate, Natsu stopped as if she had remembered something, and she said that.


「Oh, what's wrong, Onatsu. Did you forget something?」

「Yeah, I just remembered that I forgot my drawing tools in the library preparation room yesterday. I'll be right back.」

「Ok, I'll be waiting!」


As Kiriko saw off Natsu, who looked flustered as she turned back the way they came, she decided to wait by the roadside along their school route.

While watching the crowd of students similarly returning home, she was thinking about the schedule of the women's basketball club as well as how to prepare for the final exams, and in the blink of an eye, sufficient time had passed, but.


「...?」


There was no sign of Natsu's return. Did something happen?

Kiriko retraced her steps, entered the school building, and headed straight for the library on the third floor.

Since the library door was open, she went inside, and when she did,


「Oh......?」


In the corner of the room, she could see Hajima-senpai, the third-year student who was the Library Committee Chairman, talking with a petite female student.

Although she was acquainted with Haijima-senpai, the atmosphere of her conversation with the female student seemed a bit unusual, so Kiriko purposely avoided talking to her and instead tried looking into the library preparation room, but... Natsu wasn't there.

Did they pass each other?

So thinking, she left the library and went down the stairs once more.

On the second floor, in front of their 1st year Class 2 classroom, she found Natsu listening attentively at the door.


「I was looking for you, Onatsu!」

「Ah... sh-shhh, be quiet, Kiri-yan-san...!」


When she called out to her, Natsu noticed her, raised her index finger in front of her mouth in a panic, and spoke in a whisper, so Kiriko reflexively put her hands over her own mouth.

It seemed that something was happening in the classroom.

Just like Natsu, Kiriko spoke in her quietest whisper,


「What is it, Onatsu?」

「No, umm, Mashiro-san and Akami-san seem to be having a complicated conversation...」

「......Hmm?」


Kiriko and Natsu stood next to each other and listened attentively at the door.

She didn't understand the details of what they were talking about, but she could hear the sound of one of them sobbing.

Was one of them making the other cry...?

If that was the case, that wasn't a mild situation.


「K-Kiri-yan-san......!?」

「It's okay. Just a little, I'm just going to see what's going on inside!」


Responding to her quiet voice in a quiet voice, Kiriko completely changed from her usual careless mode and used the precision skills she usually used in basketball,


「... Hoh!」


Without making any noise, she opened the door just a crack.


「A-amazing, Kiri-yan-san.」

「Piece of cake!」


Natsu praised her with a quiet voice, and while she pleasantly accepted it,

Feeling a little thrill, Kiriko peered into the classroom through the gap.



――Mashiro and Akami were hugging each other.



「――――!?」


She was so startled by the sight that she almost bent over backwards, but she somehow managed to endure.

After that overaction, Natsu seemingly got curious and said『Wh-what is it?』before she subsequently looked into the classroom through the gap,


「Wh...!」


Sure enough, she was about to raise her voice in surprise, so Kiriko immediately blocked Natsu's mouth from behind.


「――――!」

「Onatsu, shhh, shhh.」

「～～～～」


Although she turned bright red, it looked like she had managed to regain her composure.

Even though her green eyes were filled with tears behind her glasses, she nodded in Kiriko's arms.


「... Wh-what do we do, Onatsu.」

「Puha... h-hmm... let's, literally, wait and see.」


Speaking in quiet voices, the two of them nodded to each other and started to peek. The situation of Mashiro and Akami hugging each other was still ongoing.

Goodness gracious, that surprised her.

The two were normally close, but did this mean they had finally made progress? Or was this still in the category of flirting with each other without getting too close or too distant? Which was it?

Just as Kiriko was pondering this and that――there was movement.

Inside the classroom, Mashiro stared straight at Akami,



『I like Akami too. I love you. The most in the world.』



She said it――――!?


Apparently, they really had made progress.

Kiriko unconsciously clenched her fists. Natsu also reacted, holding her own mouth with her hands as she grinned widely. She looked super happy. Kiriko felt the same way.

It was certainly true that Kiriko herself had faint feelings towards Mashiro at one point, but sure enough, it was also true that more than anyone else, she had been waiting for the moment when Mashiro and Akami would get together like this.

Congratulations, you two. Be happy, you two... she thought,


「Ki-Kiri-yan-san, could this be...」

「Eh...ah...!」


She was about to take her eyes off them, but the very moment Natsu's voice pulled her back.

Facing the embarrassed Akami, who has just received her confession.

Mashiro suddenly pulled her close――and a little forcefully, pressed their lips together.


They kissed――――――――!?


Wa, this is, amazing, seeing it live, is super heart-pounding!?

Kiriko was majorly stimulated and actually bent over backwards this time. Natsu's reaction was to stare harder.

Immediately after that, although she could hear Akami's angry voice... the dangerous atmosphere didn't change at all, and once again, with an atmosphere overflowing with mood this time, they gently kissed.

It was passionate. And sugary.

As expected, Kiriko was already fully satisfied.


「Onatsu, it's time to leave. Watching any more would be doing something bad to those two.」

「N-no, Kiri-yan-san, it looks like there's still more to come...!」

「You can't. Come, Onatsu.」

「After just a little more, just a little more...!」

「Like I said, you can't!」

「Eh... hya!」


When she pulled Natsu a little forcefully, perhaps due to her being too light, she easily lost her balance and fell into Kiriko's arms,


『――――』



Their bodies were firmly stuck together.

Moreover――their faces were close.



「Ah......」

「...... Uu.」


Kiriko and Natsu's gazes met directly.

At that moment, Kiriko felt a gentle heat gradually begin to spread through her entire body.


「........................」


Even through the thick glasses, she could feel Natsu's green eyes nearby. As she had been saying for a long time, they were big, and very beautiful; she felt entirely as if she was going to be drawn into them.

And then.

Perhaps due to the influence of the two people she saw in the classroom earlier, whether she liked it or not, Natsu's plump lips caught Kiriko's gaze.

Like her eyes, they had a beautiful color and shape.

They looked very soft.

She wanted to touch them.

With what?

That was, of course――


「Ki-Kiri-yan, san...」


Triggered by a single pound of her heartbeat, the heat spreading throughout her entire body increased in temperature, starting to dominate even the inside of Kiriko's head.

Inside her giddy head, she could only rely on the sound of Natsu's voice, her beautiful eyes, and her soft looking lips; when she tried to reach them――



「Oh... over there, don't stay around, hurry up and go home!」



「!」

「!」


Behind them, far down the hallway, a voice called out to them.

It was the voice of the female teacher in charge of their class.

In response, Kiriko's shoulders started, and she turned around――but perhaps because she only saw from a distance, it seemed she didn't see what they were about to do.

Kiriko was awfully startled, but when she understood that much, she instantly calmed down, and after silently waving at their teacher in response,

　

「Onatsu, sorry, let's leave this place for now.」

「O-ok...」


Natsu also looked like she had regained some of her composure, and they nodded at each other.

Hurriedly, but as stealthily as they could, they left the door of the classroom behind.


　　☆　　★　　☆　　★　　☆　　★　


Kiri-yan-san.

It's only a maybe, but.

Can I take this seriously?

If I can.


The thing I should do after this is...