Minato’s Selfishness

After finishing the visit to the grave, they were relaxing at home when Airi started to lay out the futon.

It was still early for her to go to bed, but he thought she was probably tired from visiting the grave and wanted to sleep already.

In spite of this, she wasn't absent-minded or sleepy-eyed.

"Are you going to bed?"

"No, I'm not… It's ready now. Go ahead, Minato-san."

Airi smiled softly and tapped her knee on the futon.

He knew what she was going to do, but they had never done anything like that, so he didn't see the purpose of doing it now. Why was she saying something like that out of the blue?

"…No, why?"

"Because I want to. Is that a no?"

"You know what I'm talking about. That's not an easy thing to do, is it?"

"Of course. I wouldn't do this to just anyone."

Airi looked annoyed, as if she was out of her mind.

No matter how much she trusted Minato the most, there were some things she could do and some things she couldn't.

When Minato was about to open his mouth to seriously warn her, Airi narrowed her eyes teasingly and said something before he did.

"Perhaps it would be better if I wrapped you up in my arms instead of lying on my lap? I don't mind doing it, but Minato-san and I can't do it while sitting down because of our heights, so you'll have to lie down."

"No, that's not it. Airi, that's–"

"Minato-san. I'm not kidding, I understand exactly what I'm saying. You don't have to tell me, I know exactly what this means."

"If you're not careful, I'll attack you. Even I have my limits, you know."

"Yes, I don't mind."

"Don't mind…? Don't do anything that would give yourself away."

"I'm not giving myself away. I just don't mind if it's Minato-san."

"Hey…"

No matter what Minato said, Airi kept a gentle smile on her face.

Since they had spent so much time together, he could tell that her smile was not fake, nor was it something she was forcing on herself.

How can anyone calm down when the person they love says something like that to them? Minato had no idea what Airi was thinking when she said that.

When Minato was too shaken to say anything, she tapped her knee again, as if she had lost her patience.

"Come on, Minato-san. Come here, please."

"…I don't care what happens."

" Fufu , I wonder what you'll do to me. Well, I already know that Minato-san is not the kind of person who would be dishonest enough to touch someone who is not his girlfriend."

"That's obvious."

No matter how much he liked her, he would never touch her if she wasn't his girlfriend.

The strangely seductive smile on her face was probably a sign that she trusted Minato the most, and actually touching her would probably hurt Airi.

Besides, he was comfortable with this distance and didn't want it to be broken even if it should.

At Minato's words, her expression deepened, somehow containing a hint of amazement in her gentle smile.

"Then it's fine, isn't it? You don't have to threaten me with a lie like that. Please be quiet and rest your head on my lap."

"…Okay. Well then, if you'll excuse me."

"Yes."

Just in case, he put his head sideways on Airi's lap.

Her thighs were soft and feminine, and he could feel her body heat. In terms of comfort, a pillow would probably be better, but he thought Airi's lap pillow was worth more than any luxurious pillow.

And since it was after her bath, the sweet smell of Airi combined with the smell of body soap tickled his manly heart, making it beat faster.

If he remained sideways, the smell would be too close, and his heartbeat would never seem to stop, so he turned on his back, but this caused a problem.

He knew that Airi had a good figure, but he now could clearly see her well-shaped breasts from below. Though he would say it was a marvelous sight.

Minato felt bad about staring, but he couldn't turn his head to the side or down.

As he wandered where to look, Airi looked down at Minato with a compassionate smile.

"Please don't be so nervous. You don't have to worry about anything."

"Of course I'm nervous, I've never done anything like this before."

At the word 'first time,' Airi's eyes widened slightly and she smiled calmly.

" Fufu , this makes me Minato-san's first, doesn't it? I'm happy."

The way Airi said it made him imagine something wrong, and he was so shocked that his body froze. Seeing this, she smiled and touched Minato's hair.

When she gently and caringly stroked it, he felt ticklish, but the feeling was overwhelmingly pleasant.

Airi seemed to really enjoy touching it, but he thought there was probably nothing fun about a man's hair.

"…Is it that fun?"

"Yes, it's the opposite of what we usually do, so it's refreshing and fun. Besides, Minato-san's hair is so comfortable to touch, I could go on touching it forever."

"I don't particularly care for it, though. When it comes to comfort, Airi's hair is better."

"Thank you very much. But now it's my turn to touch."

Airi was never rough with her touch. And perhaps because she was already getting used to it, she changed it up from combing to stroking with the whole palm of her hand.

For a while, he let her do what she wanted without saying anything, but he was still curious why she was doing this.

Earlier, she said, "Because I want to," but no matter how he looked at it, it wasn't an act one would do just because one wanted to.

"…Hey, Airi, why are you doing this? You've never given a lap pillow before, have you?"

"That's right. I wanted to thank Minato-san for his hard work."

Airi did not deceive him as she had done earlier, and she confided in him honestly.

However, Minato hadn't done anything to be thanked. If anything, it was Airi who should be thanked for accompanying him to the grave.

"Why me?"

"I don't want to use the word 'work hard' lightly, but Minato-san has worked really hard up until now."

"Work hard?"

"Yes. You lost your father and mother, and you're not getting along with your stepmother, right? Minato-san has done well on his own."

"My dad passed away when I was in junior high school, so there's nothing wrong with being alone. Besides, there's Kazuma and the others."

"I don't mean to put down Shiori-san and the others, but no matter how many childhood friends you have, there will always be moments when you are alone, Minato-san. It's hard to be alone, I know that. …But Minato-san saved me from my loneliness. You may think it's only natural since we're living together, but I have my father's case to deal with. Minato-san has been the only one who's been close to my heart."

Airi's face broke into a happy smile and she continued to stroke Minato.

Airi's situation was different from Minato's, who had no one to rely on around her, but she was certainly someone who knew loneliness well.

Minato couldn't deny what she said, because he himself had thought that they were similar to each other.

"That's why it's my turn now. There are Mutsura-senpai and Shiori-san, but I am also by your side, touching you like this. You're not alone. Just as you saved me, I want to be of help to you."

He wasn't in close contact with his father, and although he was close to Kazuma and the others, they weren't as close as they used to be.

Talking about the person closest to Minato, it would probably be Airi.

The warmth of Airi's knees and hands penetrated Minato's heart so easily and comfortably that he didn't want to leave her.

"Airi has already helped me enough."

"But still. Please rely on me more. I'm always the one being pampered, so it's okay for me to be on the other side at times like this."

Maybe once you've been spoiled, you'll be spoiled endlessly. However, as Airi said, maybe it would be okay for today.

Normally, Minato wouldn't feel this way, but Airi's warmth had melted his heart.

"Then, can I just rant for a little bit?"

"Yes. Don't say 'a little bit'. Just let it all out."

He was given permission, but he felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he covered his face with his arm so that Airi couldn't see him.

He didn't want her to see his ugly face.

"My father was a really good man. Both Kazuma and Momose are too good for me too, and my relationship with my stepmother was going well at first."

Minato naturally respected his father, who was very busy but still taught him many things.

Kazuma had always had a good face, but after he entered junior high school, he grew taller and became more handsome.

Momose used to play side by side with Minato and Kazuma, but after she entered junior high school, she suddenly behaved more like a girl.

However, Minato was the only one who was normal. His face was featureless, and he was just an ordinary middle school boy who had only grown taller.

Kazuma and Momose, who were considered bright and beautiful by anyone's standards, stayed with Minato, who looked so ordinary. Towards the two of them, Minato couldn't help but feel inferior.

After Kazuma and Momose started dating, they didn't play together as much as they used to, but the two of them never really left Minato out.

And at first, his relationship with his stepmother was going well. It was after his father passed away that things started to get complicated.

He couldn't ask her why, and he didn't know how to get closer to her, so the relationship eventually went cold.

"I'm the only one who's different from everyone else. I am not as wonderful as my father, and I am not as good-looking or bright as Kazuma and Momose. My relationship with my stepmother ended up being very strained too."

As he expressed his ugly innermost thoughts, he could feel a caress on his head.

It was as if Minato's heart was being tended to, and he listened to her gentle words.

"But you were kind to me. You've been very supportive."

"It's the least I can do. It's not like I killed myself doing it, but I just feel like I have to take care of the people who are with me."

After all, it was the only thing Minato could do.

Minato's appearance would not be well received if he were to actively engage with others, and he had no intention of devoting himself to a complete stranger either.

Therefore, Minato thought that the only thing he could give back was to be kind to those who would be willing to stay with an ordinary person like him.

Not sure if he had said anything wrong, but Airi's voice took on a hint of sadness.

"Please don't say that. Minato-san is a wonderful person."

"That's just because I was the first one to be nice to Airi. Don't call someone who is only capable of caring for others a wonderful person."

One after another, weaknesses spilled out of his mouth.

Normally, it would be impossible for him to be in a situation like this with Airi. It would be a miracle.

There were plenty of people with better personalities than Minato, and there were plenty of people with better faces. It just so happened that Minato was the one nearby.

It made him sad to say it himself, since no matter how much he loved her, they were not a match.

As he was feeling depressed while realizing once again how fortunate he had been, Airi pulled Minato's hands off his face.

Normally, she would not be able to dismiss Minato's arm with her power, but strangely enough, he did not feel like resisting.

He thought Airi would be disillusioned, but she still hadn't lost her smile, though her eyebrows were raised a little sadly.

"Even so, I was saved by Minato-san. I was really saved by you, who is kind, warm, and makes me feel like I have to take care of you. …I'll repay you for the night of the fireworks display. Please don't make fun of the most important person in my life as someone who is only capable of caring."

The soft words that enveloped Minato sank into his heart. His chest became both warm and painful, and his vision became so blurred that he could no longer see her face.

He tried to cover his face, but Airi was holding his hands, so he couldn't do so.

Just as he was about to force her hand away, she pulled Minato's head into a hug and pulled him to her stomach.

His vision was filled with Airi's clothes and he couldn't see anything else. The warmth that was transmitted to him made him feel inexplicably close to her.

"It's true that Minato-san's face isn't the coolest thing anyone has seen. But your face isn't everything. I know that you are a warm person. And I also know that you are a very, very kind person. I will never leave you alone."

"…Then, can I be selfish for a moment?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Just stay like this for a little while longer."

Hearing Minato's words, Airi resumed stroking his head. It felt really comfortable and he felt like he was going to drown everywhere.

"Of course. Whenever you want, as much as you want."

Feeling Airi's warmth, tears began to fall from Minato's eyes.

He didn't try to stop it, and only a little bit, only a tiny bit, Minato shed his tears.

Sorry this took a while… I've been very busy.