What If I Told Tomori-san, The Girl Who's Cold Only Towards Me, That I Knew Her Secret Account? - V2 Chapter 3.7

I Want to Hold You 7

A later story, or rather, a point of reflection.

It was about a week after that skinship, right after the final exams ended.

“Wow! Azusa, you did great! Second place again!”

“And you’re only five points behind Kagisaka, who’s at the top!”

At Aisu, after the final exams’ grading was finished, they posted the names and scores of the top-performing students in the hallway.

Of course, like at Aiyu, it’s part of the effort to encourage a sense of competition among the students.

(I managed to hold on to the first place somehow.)

As many students looked at the list, I took a breath of relief in my heart.

“Ehehe, thanks, everyone!”

“Congratulations, Azusa! Now that the tests are over, let’s go hang out!”

“How about joining the sports club after school today?”

“Wait, don’t rush me!”

“Today, Tomo-chan and I are having a karaoke party!”

“Oh, um, not necessarily today, but how about playing board games? Actually, there’s a game I really want to recommend to Tomo-chan!”

As expected of ‘Everyone’s friend.’

While I’m alone looking at the results, Tomori is surrounded by various students, from extroverted guys to introverted girls.

【Did you hear? A-chan, she’s just 5 points behind K and got second place!】

【Damn it. K is in first place again.】

【But Kengosan, her grades were even better than usual, right?】

【She must have studied a lot, even on her days off.】

【I think she can beat that K guy soon!】

Even on the underground site’s bulletin board, the anti-fans are celebrating…

(I absolutely can’t let her find out about us.)

“Ah, Kagisaka-kun.”

Tomori notices me and starts talking to me, and I try to look nonchalant before I say.

“I guess it’s my win again.”

“What?! Don’t act all high and mighty just because of a five-point difference! My Japanese score was much better than yours.”

“A win is a win. Well, I’ll humiliate you again next time.”

“Sorry not sorry. Next time, I’ll win. I’ll sink you into the bottomless abyss of defeat.”

Bleh.

Ignoring Tomori, who playfully sticks out the tip of her bright red tongue, I start walking away.

(Alright, I managed to talk without blushing.)

To be honest, it wasn’t just Tomori that felt good about that day.

Having not met Sakura for over a year, Kimitaka Kagisaka also had the desire to hug someone.

Because of that, I let my guard down.

『Tomori, you smell nice.』

『What?! Why are you suddenly…!』

『You smell just like Sakura.』

『Wait, do you know about ‘sabaori’? It’s a sumo torture technique where you tighten the body with both arms. Shall I try it on you now?』

『Wait, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean it smells like a dog or anything.』

『Then, what do you mean?』

『It’s a pleasant scent. When I dried Sakura’s hair after washing it in the bath, it had a scent just like this. Also, the way your hair feels fluffy is similar to Sakura’s…』

『…Want to try touching?』

『Huh?』

『Just kidding. I wouldn’t let a troublemaker like you pat my head.』

『I wouldn’t want to engage in such embarrassing play, either.』

『As expected of the troublemaker. Your manners are terrible.』

『It seems that the only one that is getting warmer is your tongue.』

『My body is a bit chilled because of the air conditioning. So, could you warm me up a little more?』

One hour.

That was the time when Tomori and I exchanged trivial conversations while embracing each other.

Surprisingly, the minute hand had completed a full circle on the clock.

“…Sigh.”

…I really went too far, didn’t I?

I sigh as I walk down the hallway.

(We learned that standing while hugging for a long time is tiring, so we sat on the bed together and embraced for about 30 minutes.)

During the test, memories of our embrace flashed through my mind, making it hard to focus on solving the problems.

As a result, I almost lost the top position.

(In that regard, as expected of an honor student.)

Unlike me, who was in terrible shape, Tomori was able to concentrate perfectly on the test.

That’s probably why her scores improved.

《Kyaa~〜〜〜〜》

However, Tomochan’s muttered words were straightforward.

《Ugh, I can’t take it anymore! After talking with K-kun, I couldn’t hold back!》

《I want to hug him~! Thanks to that day, I was able to do my best on the test more than usual!》

“I see.”

So Tomori was able to turn the hug into power.

(…It’s strange.)

Just thinking back now makes me feel embarrassed, and I’m frustrated that my scores dropped.

But knowing that Tomori was able to do her best because of me… it warms my heart, just like when we hugged.

(Well… if there’s another chance, I wouldn’t mind hugging her again.)

For this past week, I’ve been missing that warmth so much that I keep watching the old video of Sakura.

It’s like being in a hug-loss state, just like Tomori…

《Sigh. If I died, I’d want to be reborn as K-kun’s dog.》

I had to hold back a laugh as I walked down the hallway.

《I envy you, Sakura-chan.》

《You could receive hugs every day… I can be kissed every day and even have my head stroked… Ahh, on that day, I was too embarrassed and refused, but I wish I had let him pat my head!》

I take back what I said earlier!

I’d never pat Tomori’s head.

《Ahh, being a dog is too much, but how about trying on this costume?》

This time, I burst out laughing.

It was a tweet that Tomori retweeted on her secret account.

It was the SSR card illustration from the gacha game Chifuyu and I played together.

Commonly known as “Avant-garde Dog.”

With dog ears, a tail, and a collar. Moreover, the heroine was dressed in a fluffy outfit with very little fabric coverage.

《『As expected of my partner, you understand my preferences well!』He might praise me for it~!》

What do you think I’m into?

While thinking that, I can’t help but imagine it.

Azusa Tomori dressed in the Avant-garde Dog outfit.

(No way.)

That’s just too…

《I better not!》

《Thinking rationally, this outfit is quite… lewd!》

《I don’t know, the ‘just friends’ magic won’t work now…!”》

As expected of my partner.

She was thinking the same thing as me.

No matter how you look at this outfit, it’s definitely crossing the line as just friends.

《My goal of becoming someone that K-kun could like hasn’t changed.》

《But I can’t let our friendship collapse because I went too far.》

《I finally became friends with K-kun.》

《I have various worries, but just that alone makes me quite happy.》

《Just that alone… makes me happy, hufft.》

While gazing at my smartphone, I contemplate.

Indeed, I have various worries.

By hugging, I managed to prevent Tomori from going out of control due to the hidden site issue, but the situation wasn’t fully resolved.

Still, I promised to support Tomori, and she started to rely on me a little more.

I think it’s something to be happy.

I finally made a connection with a fellow classmate that I had been rejecting.

But having connections doesn’t only bring benefits.

As a downside, although I successfully defended the top spot, my test scores dropped.

“Ah, it’s really difficult.”

Human relationships are complicated.

With a wry smile, I decided to take this reflection to heart.

I’ve come to realize that I won’t become Tomori’s boyfriend.

Just by hugging, my grades suffered.

《It’s a little scary. Just by hugging, I’m already this happy. If we were to become lovers, I wonder what would happen?》

“…I feel the same.”

If, hypothetically, I were to start dating Tomori and engage in hugging or more intimate acts, I feel like I was going to lose something beyond studying.