It was already the tail end of May.
The bright, piercing sunlight outside the window streamed through the clean glass, casting a warm glow on the bed.
Unlike the occasional chirping of birds outside, the indoor space was filled with the soft, continuous murmur of a girl's voice, gently tickling Sasaki's ears.
Her voice was as clear and smooth as a flowing spring, but the content of her explanation was utterly dull.
After patiently listening for an hour, Sasaki could no longer keep up the act and his attention began to wander.
Because of the way they were sitting close together for the tutoring session, his elbow and shoulder were less than a finger's width away from the girl's generously filled shirt.
The proximity was so close that Sasaki could feel the soft warmth radiating from her and the gentle fragrance that kept teasing his nose.
The heat rising in his chest caused his problem-solving speed to slow down, and his handwriting began to grow messy.
Noticing this change, Kasumi leaned forward slightly.
As their thin clothing brushed against each other, and as her plump chest pressed against his arm, she glanced at Sasaki's profile:
"You're distracted~ You need to stay focused, okay~"
Glancing at the soft white fabric pressing against his arm, Sasaki raised his eyes to meet hers before he spoke with a somewhat embarrassed smile:
"Kasumi-nee, this..."
"Hmm?"
Noticing where his gaze had been, Kasumi looked down.
The white fabric of her shirt, freshly washed and carrying the faint scent of laundry detergent, seemed to melt like cream, softly flowing and covering Sasaki's arm.
The warmth from her chest, delayed in reaching her awareness, made Kasumi's heart feel like a blade of grass curling under intense heat, shrinking into a tiny ball.
She wanted to quickly cover her chest and move away, but acting too hastily would undermine her authority as his senior.
Trying to calm her rapidly beating heart, Kasumi's round and charming face showed a hint of scolding expression, as if she were dealing with a mischievous younger brother.
At the same time, she subtly shifted her chest away:
"You still shouldn't..."
Before Kasumi could finish her half-hearted scolding, Sasaki, admiring the gradually rising blush on her delicate and beautiful face, said:
"Kasumi-nee, your heartbeat is so fast... and... so soft..."
As if she hadn't expected Sasaki to suddenly comment on her... Kasumi's sneaky attempt to move her chest away came to a halt.
"Hmm... your heartbeat is even faster now~"
After feeling it carefully, Sasaki closed the distance between the two of them under the table, and looked at her blushing face with a smile:
"And... Kasumi-nee is moving so cautiously, is she hinting at me?"
"No, I didn't…"
"Isn't it…?"
As the distance shortened, Haruno Kasumi could clearly see the disappointment in his frowning brows.
Before she could think of how to answer in her confused mind, she suddenly realized that Sasaki did not stop approaching her.
The face gradually enlarging before her eyes made Haruno Kasumi's breath hitch for a moment.
Before she could react, a soft, cool sensation she had never felt before touched her lips.
The shyness in her heart turned Kasumi's face a fiery red, but the tension of her younger brother being nearby made it impossible for her to fully immerse herself in the tenderness Sasaki was offering.
Seeing her neither resisting nor fully cooperating, Sasaki pulled back slightly and whispered in her ear:
"Ayato's asleep. If we keep it quiet, we won't wake him."
Glancing out of the corner of her eye at her brother, who had somehow fallen asleep at the table, Kasumi's nervousness about being discovered gradually faded.
What remained was the shyness of having her first kiss taken by Sasaki and a slight regret at not being able to fully savor what kissing felt like.
The slender waist under his palm, which had been tense, now relaxed.
Knowing she had let go of her nervousness, Sasaki, who didn't want to stop at just a simple kiss, softly called her name:
"Kasumi~"
Understanding that if she responded now, he would definitely continue what they had started, Kasumi, who didn't dislike—or rather, quite liked—being close to him, glanced once more at her brother, who had fallen asleep due to staying up late.
After confirming he was truly asleep, she bit her lip and silently nodded.
Having received her response, Sasaki's fingers, which had been caressing her waist, began to move...
...
"Is this... enough...?"
Wiping away the warm strand from the corner of her mouth, Sasaki heard her soft murmur and pressed another kiss to her slightly swollen lips, asking:
"What?"
"I... know that boys at this age have a lot of energy. They tend to daydream and get distracted by strange things that affect their studies... So, is it all good now~?"
Because of the intimacy they had just shared, Kasumi's fondness for Sasaki had reached its peak.
So she didn't bring up the fact that he had been using those things to vent his energy.
Instead, she subtly reminded him of how he had been distracted during their tutoring session earlier.
Based on what Ayato had told him, Sasaki could guess what Kasumi meant by her words... Since she knew he was still full of energy...
Taking her soft, plump hand in his, he guided her closer, then pressed close to her, nibbling on her red, burning ear, and said:
"There's still... a bit of a problem... Kasumi~ Help me~"
Having no experience with such things... and recalling what she had seen in the manga... Kasumi pursed her lips and shook her head:
"Ayato... is still here... We can't."
The tone of refusal wasn't firm, which meant there was still a chance.
Kissing Haruno Kasumi's red, heated cheek, Sasaki wrapped his arm around her waist and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone:
"It's fine, if we keep it subtle, Ayato won't notice. Otherwise, I won't be able to focus on studying like this~"
"Okay~?"
"The longer we waste time, the more likely Ayato is to wake up~"
"Kasumi~"
"..."
The soft, coaxing words whispered into her ear were like a small hammer, chipping away at her already wavering resolve.
After being gently persuaded for two or three minutes, Kasumi glanced at her drooling younger brother and hesitantly nodded:
"Alright... but... I don't have... any experience... so it might not be very good for you..."
As long as she agreed, that was enough.
Sasaki cupped Kasumi's face and kissed her:
"It's fine, just do your best, Kasumi~"
"Mhm~"
*Shua~*
Biting her lower lip lightly, Kasumi bent down to pick up the pen that had fallen on the floor.
?!
This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he thought of taking things step by step... He meant...
Though surprised, Sasaki decided to quietly enjoy the unexpected turn of events.
After all, pointing it out would only make her feel awkward.
Not to mention, he could never refuse a mouth service from such a sweet beauty.
So, he simply leaned against the edge of the bed, gently stroking Kasumi's hair.
...
"Mmm?!"
"Don't... otherwise it'll get everywhere... we can't let Ayato find out~"
"...Mhm~"
"Gulp~"
"Here~ have some water~"
After helping Kasumi tidy up her clothes and wiping the corners of her mouth, Sasaki handed her the teacup from the table.
Holding the cup, Kasumi gulped down the water to soothe her uncomfortable throat as she glanced at her brother, who was still drooling in his sleep, and turned to Sasaki, whispering:
"How about now? Feeling better?"
Before Sasaki could respond, Kasumi shyly glanced at him.
?!
"...Didn't we already..."
Like bamboo shoots sprouting after the rain, young lady.
Sasaki chuckled awkwardly, placing his hands on the desk and picking up a pen:
"Well... there's no helping it... it should calm down soon. I can't trouble Kasumi-nee anymore~"
Hearing the suffix added to her name again, Kasumi pouted with a hint of resentment:
"Really, earlier... you didn't seem to mind troubling me~"
"Well... there's no helping it... it should calm down soon. I can't trouble Kasumi-nee anymore~"
Hearing the suffix added to her name again, Kasumi pouted with a hint of resentment:
"Really, earlier... you didn't seem to mind troubling me~"
Their relationship hadn't reached that level yet, and what they had done so far was already the limit. It wasn't like they could go all the way.
Even if they kept at it until their lips were sore, for Sasaki, it would still be like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.
To avoid continuing this barely-there discomfort, he knew he should remind her to focus on tutoring.
His rational mind was telling him that.
But with his mind foggy and power body taking over, how could he possibly stay rational now?
"Kasumi-nee, what you mean..."
"I don't mean anything..."
Before Sasaki could finish, Kasumi, with an even more resentful expression interrupted him.
Realizing the issue was with how he addressed her, Sasaki gently picked up Kasumi, whose body was far more voluptuous than other girls, and placed her on his lap, speaking with a warm smile, "Isn't calling you sister more exciting~?"
"If Kasumi doesn't like it, we can switch. I'll call you by your name, and you can call me brother~"
Understanding that the suffix he added to her name was out of affection no for some other reason...
The resentment on Kasumi's face slowly melted away, replaced by a pink blush of shyness as she spoke softly:
"Sasaki...nii~?"
Perhaps because he had heard this term of address from other girls too often, or maybe because Kasumi's shy and reserved tone didn't feel quite right, being called that now didn't excite Sasaki much.
Well, that didn't mean that he didn't have any excitement but..
Thinking back to how Kasumi had earlier swallowed his cream, carefully holding it with her hands to prevent it from dripping onto the floor, Sasaki's eyes curved into a smile as he whispered into her ear:
"It doesn't feel quite right... Can you call me that... when we're done later?"
!!!
This was the kind of term of address used in maid cafes toward customers.
Kasumi wasn't completely unaware of the term 'master'
If it were just playful banter with someone she liked, she might feel shy but wouldn't refuse.
The key issue was that Sasaki wanted her to call him that at the moment when she was...tasting..
This made it incredibly awkward... and embarrassing...
Plus... her younger brother was right there, even if he was asleep.
What if he woke up in the middle of it?
If he saw her like this, where would her dignity as an older sister go?
She didn't really want to agree.
Kasumi bit her lower lip lightly, her flushed face filled with hesitation.
"Kasumi~ I like you so much~ Can you do it?"
Wrapping his arms tightly around the girl's waist, Sasaki buried his face in the fragrant strands of hair at her neck, saying things that made the love-struck girl both shy and unable to refuse.
The ticklish, warm breath on her neck made Kasumi shrink back uncomfortably. She softly pleaded:
"I... I'll agree, but stop... it's so ticklish~"
"Really?"
"Really, really~"
With a helpless sigh, Kasumi carefully got off Sasaki's lap and sat down beside him, leaning forward.
Looking up, she said:
"Really~ why do you have to be so troublesome~?"
"Because Kasumi is so cute~ I can't help it~"
Being showered with compliments like "I like you" and "you're so cute" left Kasumi's head spinning. She lightly furrowed her slender willow-like brows, clasped her small hands, and lowered her head.
...
Her pink cherry blossom-like fingers, delicate as tender scallions, gently tugged at the corners of her mouth as Kasumi narrowed her eyes slightly, tilting her head back and murmuring softly:
"Fuyum..sam..."
Her words were a bit muffled but the main point wasn't in what she was saying... Seeing her like this, Sasaki felt like he might lose his rationality if this continued.
So, handing her the freshly poured warm tea, he averted his gaze and spoke.
"Kasumi, I'm going to the restroom."
...
*Pfft~*
Scooping up a handful of clear water, Sasaki splashed it on his face, then wiped away the droplets as he sat on the toilet lid, and let out a sigh.
These past two days, he had encountered all sorts of risqué situations, causing his already fragile self-control to plummet off a cliff.
Thinking back to when Otome first helped him, just one session was enough to calm him down.
But now...
He wanted to go home or seek out Momo, Natsuha, or the others... but Kasumi had just finished attending to him...
Shaking his head, dismissing the thought of being ungrateful after getting what he wanted, Sasaki, after staying in the bathroom for a while, returned to the room.
As he sat down, Haruno Kasumi leaned in close to him, her delicate brows furrowed, and whispered softly:
"Still not enough? Doing this too much might harm your body, you know..."
Pulling the girl who had leaned in close into his arms, Sasaki buried his face in her chest and mumbled in a muffled voice:
"Kasumi~ Do I look like I'm harmed right now?"
"..."
Whether he was harmed or not, she didn't know, but she was certain that if Sasaki hadn't deliberately held back, she would still be feeling uncomfortable.
Just based on that, she was sure he was fine.
Seeing that he still seemed to be struggling, Haruno Kasumi bit her lower lip lightly and said:
"Do you need... me to help you again?"
Help again? If you help me again, I might just lose control.
Suppressing the fire in his heart, Sasaki lifted his head from her warm, fragrant embrace and teased with a smile:
"If you help me again, I might end up devouring you, Kasumi~"
As her pink arms wrapped around Sasaki's neck, Haruno Kasumi blushed and said: "This... can we wait a bit? We..."
Not getting any guarantee, and afraid that Sasaki might misunderstand their relationship as just a casual fling after "devouring" her, the girl pursed her moist, red lips and asked shyly but directly:
"Are we... lovers now?"
"Of course~ Didn't we become lovers when we kissed earlier? Otherwise, why would you help me like that~ Or..."
"No, no! It's because it's you that I did that. I'm not..."
Seeing her flustered explanation, Sasaki lightly patted her round, shorts-clad bottom, cutting her off:
"Relax, relax. I'm not overthinking it. I just can't believe you agreed to such a request on our first time..."
Such a request...
Blinking, Haruno Kasumi asked in confusion:
"In manga... isn't that kind of request... pretty normal?"
"..."
Well, you said it yourself—it's in manga.
Not to mention what kind of manga it is..
Realizing why Kasumi had been so straightforward earlier, Sasaki scratched his cheek and chuckled awkwardly:
"Yeah... it's pretty normal..."
Noticing his hesitation, the girl, understanding that what she had done wasn't something all lovers would do, was filled with overwhelming embarrassment, so much so that she covered her bright red face with her hands and let out a muffled whimper.
.
.