Trial and Spoiling

A few days had passed since the summer vacation ended, and so far the only outside contact Minato and Airi had had was at lunch.

But that much time was enough to spread rumors about what happened during summer vacation.

Classmates with whom Minato occasionally conversed with were almost as usual with him, but others were not so much. He realized that their gazes were getting tighter.

Then, after school, the situation Minato had expected happened.

"This is Kujo-kun's class, isn't it? Is he here?"

Just as he got up from his seat to go shopping in place of Airi since he didn't have a part-time job today, an unfamiliar voice called for Minato.

Looking at the entrance to the classroom, he saw a male student who could be described as handsome and fresh.

Minato remembered the faces of people he used to talk to in first grade and his current classmates well.

But this time, he had never heard that voice before, nor had he seen that face before. It was a complete first meeting.

As far as he could hear the conversation between the boy and his classmate from a distance, they seemed to be in the same grade.

Then, his classmate beckoned Minato to join them.

He couldn't ignore it, so he grabbed his bag and went to the entrance.

"I'm Kujo. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Taniguchi, nice to meet you. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"That's fine, but do you want to talk about it here?"

"No, let's move somewhere else."

They smiled at each other, lightly introduced themselves, and moved out.

Thus, he followed behind Taniguchi and arrived at the unpopulated back of the school building.

By then, from listening to the conversations of those who passed Minato and Taniguchi, he seemed to be quite popular.

Some just greeted them smilingly, while others looked at them secretly and talked about them.

Recalling this scene, Minato's heart was filled with anxiety.

Without any way of knowing Minato's inner thoughts, Taniguchi gave a refreshing smile.

"Sorry to drag you all the way out here."

"No, don't worry about it. It's not something you can let people hear too much about, right?"

The only thing you talk about when you come to an isolated place is what you don't want other people to hear.

Although he could predict it to some extent, he prayed in his heart that it would not be the worst possible outcome.

"I'll ask you straight to the point then. Is it true that you are friends with Ninomiya-san?"

"Yeah, we've been having lunch together lately, and we've known each other for a while to begin with."

"You got close from Momose-san, I know that too. …Mutsura-kun is Momose-san's boyfriend, so Ninomiya-san can talk to him to some extent, but why can she talk to you normally?"

"Don't ask me. Ask Ninomiya."

The question Taniguchi wanted to ask was related to Airi after all, but Minato could not answer that question.

Naturally, he couldn't talk about Airi's special circumstances with him, and besides that, Minato hadn't done anything unusual with her.

When Minato clearly stated that he didn't know, Taniguchi tilted his head curiously.

"How could you not know? The fact that you two can converse so well together must mean there's something special about you."

"I'm nothing special."

"Then there must be some common ground between Kujo-kun and Ninomiya-san. Could you tell me that?"

"I refuse. I think you should find your own topics. If you want to talk to her, then just talk to her."

Apparently he wanted to use Minato as a springboard to get a chance to talk to Airi.

He had no information to share with such a person, and if he really wanted to get her attention, he should have a conversation with the person himself.

If his feelings were sincere, he wouldn't be discouraged no matter how coldly he was treated by Airi.

But honestly, when he had this kind of talk with Minato, he was trying to set them aside, so he couldn't say he was sincere.

Some might say that it would be more sincere to gather information thoroughly before speaking, but it seemed as if Minato was implicitly being asked to 'hand over the information,' and Minato could not sympathize with that.

Minato had no intention of antagonizing him, so he said it casually, but Taniguchi chuckled.

"I'm asking for your help with that. Ninomiya-san hardly ever talks to boys, so I need a little information."

"If you want to know, just ask Ninomiya. For the record, I'm not going to talk about Ninomiya."

"…Is that because if you told me, you would no longer be Ninomiya-san's friend?"

Taniguchi's voice lowered. Although his expression was smiling, the emotion behind it was not visible.

The best way to play it safe would be to talk about Airi here, but Minato's mind was already made up.

"That's right. I have no intention of selling out my friend, for that would be an act of betrayal to Ninomiya."

"I see. I understand that perfectly. By the way, can I have lunch with you?"

"I don't care either way. But check with Ninomiya, Kazuma and Momose to make sure. I don't mind as long as everyone but me agrees."

Minato never expected only four of them would eat lunch together. If the rest allowed it, it would be fine with him if someone else were to join.

But he could not allow himself to be taken advantage of with "Kujo-kun said he didn't care either way," so he nailed it firmly.

Taniguchi's eyebrows twitched for a moment, but he didn't break his smile.

"I understand, thank you. Let me ask you one last question, how do you think you look?"

Behind that smile, Minato felt as if he was being laughed at and told, "Your looks are frivolous."

But now he could say, "What does it matter?" For the sake of Airi, who told Minato it was okay for him to be ordinary, he shouldn't be downhearted.

"I'm all normal. So what?"

"Don't you ever feel awkward being around people who look so good?"

"I thought you said only one question? …Whatever. I don't really think anything of it. It's not like those three don't want to be with me. Are you done asking questions?"

"Yeah, that's enough. Sorry to take up so much of your time, so long."

Perhaps not amused by Minato's unfazed attitude, Taniguchi broke off the conversation and walked past him.

At that moment, a small voice reached Minato's ears, barely audible even to him.

"…Let's see how well you do with that look."

Hearing that cold voice, he understood Airi's feelings for the first time.

It was a different direction from the one she had been receiving malice from up until now, and it wasn't said in direct words to begin with.

But even though he was prepared for it, the words weighed heavily on his mind.

I guess I didn't know anything about Airi. This is certainly exhausting…

He knew that a time like this would eventually come.

He knew that being next to Airi meant that he would be challenged to endure this kind of situation, and she had also informed him that ill will would befall upon him.

But to be hurt by just one person, and even only in a roundabout way, perhaps Minato wasn't prepared enough.

He would not give up his place next to Airi to anyone, but it was hard to bear it when he was told to his face, "You are not worthy of Airi," even if it wasn't said in words.

Now that Taniguchi had left, Minato was left alone.

Compared to Airi's wounds up to now, today's incident was nothing.

If he had to be under her care for something as trivial as this, his future would be in jeopardy.

Therefore, as he leaned against the school building for a while, Minato told himself that this was something he had to overcome on his own.

"Minato-san, aren't you acting strange today?"

As Minato was relaxing as usual, Airi looked at him with concern.

His mind wasn't the same as it was when he was in the back of the school building, but he might have been feeling a little uncomfortable.

Minato felt he must resolve this matter on his own, so he tried to mend his expression, saying that he couldn't just take advantage of her.

"Really? I'm just the same as usual."

"…Minato-san, I have been with you for more than five months. I can tell when something is wrong."

"Everything's fine."

Just as Minato could sense the slightest change in Airi, she could sense the slightest discomfort in Minato.

That said, Minato had no intention of coming clean, and when he didn't change his attitude, Airi's face contorted with sadness.

"Liar, Minato-san is a liar. …Is it something you can't tell me?"

"…Yeah, sorry about that."

He couldn't say anything to Airi, who was worried about him. His chest was filled with regret at this fact.

As he turned his face downcast, something small and soft enveloped both of Minato's hands.

She must have understood his situation to some extent. At that moment, he could hear a gentle voice.

"I've said it many times, Minato-san, but when we suffer, we suffer together. Please understand that, I beg you."

"…I get it."

"No, you don't get anything. That's why you're holding on like this."

"I was prepared for this. I will endure this much. Don't worry."

"That's where you're wrong. No one is not hurt just because they are prepared. Enduring means suffering, doesn't it? Will you share that pain with me?"

"…Sorry, let me look good. If I can't do this, I can't stand next to Airi with confidence."

He couldn't break just because he was told off just once. He didn't want to be a pathetic man. For once, he begged and pleaded to be allowed to show off his good side..

Then, Airi put her hands on Minato's cheeks and forced him to raise his face, which was downcast.

The blue eyes that were staring at Minato at close range were tinged with compassion.

"I understand, but just this once."

"…Thanks."

Airi quickly removed her hands from his cheeks and stood up, sounding convinced. She then walked up behind Minato, who was thanking her.

It warmed his heart to know that she had taken Minato's will into consideration, but he questioned her actions.

"–Did you think I would say that? Ei!"

"Huh!?"

Just as he was anxious to see what she would do, she grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back as hard as she could with a cute call.

Minato was not prepared for this and thought he would fall because he had lost his position, but his head touched something soft and his body was supported.

Next, a thin arm was entangled around his neck, making it impossible for him to get out. It wasn't painful, and he could move his head, so he glanced around and saw Airi's face just above him.

But this proximity to her face was unusual, and he could feel her body touching his back.

Then, this fluffy object that Minato's head was touching was–

This is her chest I'm feeling, right?

When he thought of this, he shook his head and tried to drive the answer out of his head, but Airi chastised him for his action.

"Minato-san, it tickles me when you move your head so much."

"Airi, let go of me."

He was completely leaning against Airi, his head pressed against her large, shapely breasts.

He was in a strange position to try to get out and couldn't put much strength in his abdominal muscles and arms.

On top of that, she hugged him to keep him from letting go, which made the feeling on the back of his head even more enticing.

He warned her that even though she was spoiling him, this was probably too much, but the arms entangled around his neck showed no sign of unraveling.

"It's your fault, Minato-san. What's with the 'let me look good'? Don't say such small things, just shut up and indulge in me."

A sultry voice came from above his head, and his face was pressed even more tightly against her chest.

He was warned that if he moved, it would tickle her, but if he didn't move, he could clearly feel her breasts.

Since there was nothing he could do about it, he decided to open his mouth to try and persuade her through conversation.

"What do you mean, 'small things'? There's nothing wrong with it."

"It's small. Also, you lied about that, it's obvious. Really… We promised that we would both suffer, and you ignored that? Your suffering is my suffering, so this is your punishment for not sharing."

"Punishment, you say? This isn't working."

It was not a punishment, it was almost a reward.

Moreover, in this state, Airi started patting his head, so he felt as if he was going to melt into slumber because he was pampered so much.

And no matter how much he tried to warn her, she didn't stop and giggled teasingly instead.

"Yeah, it's probably not going to work. So please don't be ruined, okay?"

A shiver ran down Minato's spine as she whispered lustily, trying to drown Minato.

Fearful that he would not be able to return, he asked without shame or guilt.

"Okay, I'm sorry for what I did, now let me go!"

"I don't want to. This is also punishment for your lying and stubbornness, and I will not stop until I am satisfied."

"Please!"

"Da, me, de, su." (T/N: English is no/nope or something like that. But I feel like that wouldn't translate well.)

And so for a considerable amount of time, he was spoiled by Airi.

Airi is becoming lewd.