Chapter 363: Feeling Better
Chapter 363: Feeling Better
“I’m… dizzy.”
Off the roller coaster, Himekoji completely melted onto the bench beside the pathway.
Nothing more to say—roller coasters were officially on his banlist from this moment on.
Himekoji figured he’d never ride one a second time in his life.
“Honestly, did you have to follow the script this closely…?”
Nanami spoke beside him in a tone that sounded exasperated.
But she kept her face turned away, looking into the distance to hide her blushing cheeks.
“Mmm, but… still, thank you for practicing this with me so earnestly…”
In the script, the boy who stayed up all night studying and lacked sleep, got dizzy after riding the roller coaster.
Himekoji’s performance nailed this perfectly.
“Though I really don’t want to admit it… I wasn’t acting.”
“Pfft, I could tell.”
Nanami laughed at Himekoji’s wilted state. Now that the flush faded from her face, she openly turned towards him, waving her small hand to fan his cheek.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, much better.”
The two leaned back on the bench, gazing at the sky.
They had met at three o’clock, so even after only wandering the Amusement Park a short while, the sky was already turning red.
“Haaah—”
He drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
“You didn’t sleep well last night, did you?”
Even though he’d splashed water on his face several times before coming, his slightly listless spirit seemed instantly obvious to her.
“Yeah, sort of…”
“Busy with your novels and manga work?”
Whenever it involved this, Himekoji could only lie.
Perhaps it was a subconscious reflex from habit, Himekoji gave a small nod.
“Mm.”
To keep up this fake author identity, pretending to be busy was sometimes unavoidable.
Even though that wasn’t remotely why he hadn’t slept well last night.
Feeling guilt and embarrassment as usual when lying, his expression didn’t betray anything. Lying was a skill honed from practice, not talent.
“I feel kind of bad.”
“Huh?”
He couldn’t understand why Nanami was apologizing.
“You’re so busy, yet I’m taking up your time.”
Looking down at the tips of her shoes, she seemed discouraged.
“Huh?”
Himekoji was stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.
If anyone was busy, it was Nanami herself—a working warrior squeezing every minute, always thinking of others before herself.
Truthfully, he wasn’t busy at all.
He’d spent the whole year in a fog.
Could he really tell her the truth like this?
Himekoji suddenly felt a bit stuffy inside.
…
“I’m feeling woozy. Can I lie down?”
To change the mood, Himekoji threw out a line from the script.
“Ah? Oh, oh, sure.”
Having practiced this scene countless times, Nanami instantly reacted. She patted her lap.
“Can’t guarantee it’ll be comfortable though.”
Word for word from the script.
The scripted scene ended here.
What remained was outside the Seiyuu’s responsibilities.
Next, the anime would use visuals to show the boy lying on the girl’s lap as they shyly teased and play-fought.
So, Himekoji’s acting should have been done too.
“It’s really okay.”
But in the next moment, a breeze rustled.
A soft, whisper-like murmur from the girl reached Himekoji’s ears.
“Yeah well. You took all this time out to practice with me… I wanted to say thanks too…”
“Huh?”
Utterly surprised, Himekoji instinctively sought confirmation with his eyes.
“I-I know it’s really embarrassing, b-but… look, it’s getting dark anyway…”
The street lamp beside the bench had lit up unnoticed, stretching both their shadows long.
“S-so… think of it as practice for being boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Explaining only made it worse. Nanami’s cheeks flushed deeper scarlet, and she kept fiddling with her bangs to hide her face.
“N-no, but…”
There were so many ways to show thanks! Giving herself as tribute to the tiger wasn’t necessary!
“Um, Himekoji.”
Suddenly, Nanami slipped back into her distinctive Kansai dialect.
“When I’m sayin’ it like this, you can’t say no, can ya?”
Her cheeks puffed out, lips pouting in an expression of sheer defiance battling massive shyness. In one hit, it shattered every bit of Himekoji’s reason left.
How could she be this cute…?
This kind of delicate, flustering charm was impossible for the usual Nanami.
A secret weapon, maybe?
It had to be her secret weapon!
Anyway, his heart suddenly felt like thousands of tiny ticklers were wiggling all over it.
I just couldn’t take it anymore…
“That’s cheating…”
“H-huh? What?”
“How is anyone supposed to hold back like that…”
“T-then just don’t hold back! Anyway, hurry up!”
“R-really? It’s okay?”
“Are you really going to make me die from embarrassment?! Himekoji, please stop teasing me!”
That was what Nanami said, but Himekoji thought, clearly, by the look of it, he was the one being teased…
“O-okay. Got it.”
His throat felt strangely dry, making him gulp involuntarily.
Himekoji took a deep breath. His body tensed up without him realizing it. Then, slowly, oh so slowly, his movements stiff and gentle, he lowered his head to rest on Nanami’s thigh, covered by her short skirt.
The moment his cheek touched her thigh, Nanami trembled all over.
But Himekoji had no spare focus to notice that.
Because his own mind had gone completely blank.
This feeling…
It was totally different from grabbing chests or touching butts!
As a Pervert, squeezing boobs and touching rears were things he was used to, but placing his head on a girl’s lap was still fresh and new to him.
It lacked the usual Perverted elements. Instead, there was this strange, fluttery, awkward heartbeat pounding inside him. Like mixing sprite with sour plums, or chilling oranges with sugar. He felt lightheaded, almost floating, heavy yet oddly weightless. He felt all muddled.
Maybe it was just the lingering effect from the rollercoaster.
…
“T-that trembling just now? That wasn’t me trembling, okay!”
Nanami made an unnecessary clarification all by herself.
Even if she hadn’t spoken, Himekoji wouldn’t have noticed such a minor thing anyway.
Because he was trembling too!
If two people trembled at the exact same rate and the exact same strength, didn’t it mean neither was actually trembling?
Their inability to meet each other’s eyes created a restless, fidgety atmosphere between them.
“S-so… Himekoji? How is it?”
“How is what?”
“Y-your thoughts, or something like that.”
“Well… Harder than I expected, I guess?”
Himekoji’s brain had probably lost all ability to think. That terrible comment slipped out, unfiltered.
The result went without saying.
The instant he finished blurting out that honest opinion, Nanami’s face turned beet red and she swung her hands at him hard.
Himekoji only then snapped back to reality, feeling incredibly awkward, and yelled out for mercy—
“W-wait! Hold on! My defense is super low right now! Ow! Ouch! Ouch!”
“That’s what you get for saying weird things, Himekoji!”
Saying this, Nanami, pretending to be angry, turned her bright red face away.
Still, perhaps thanks to that exchange.
Nanami seemed to relax a tiny bit, as the surface beneath the back of Himekoji’s head felt noticeably softer now.
His head sank slightly under its own weight. A pleasant warmth, Nanami’s body heat, seeped through the thin material of her denim skirt. It felt comforting and thoroughly enjoyable, completely unlike the stiff, cold chair back from moments before.
“Ahhh~”
Himekoji couldn’t help but let out a weird groan like that.
You normally only made sounds like that when soaking in a bath, right?
“And now what?”
Nanami still wore that adorably flustered and annoyed expression.
“N-nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Do you need me to hit you again?”
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Fine, I’ll talk… But you can’t get mad when I do, promise?”
“As long as Himekoji doesn’t say something that would make me mad, I won’t get mad.”
“Oh… okay then… How to put it… Let me think…”
“Spit it out already!”
“Well, it’s… uhm…”
“It’s…?”
“It’s that… Your lap, Aoyama… feels way too good!”
He thought he was just giving straightforward praise, but Nanami’s fist met him head-on.
“Himekoji! Wh-what are you saying?!”
“Whoa! Stop! Stop! Take it easy!”
Feeling the danger, Himekoji instinctively threw out his claws and grabbed Nanami’s wrists before she could deliver more blows.
“…”
Suddenly, Nanami went quiet.
She shyly lowered her gaze, her cheeks a brilliant rosy red.
“S-sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you.”
It’s okay. You already finished hitting me, after all.
Though, a faint, pulsing ache still lingered on Himekoji’s forehead.
But—
“Getting service like this from Aoyama? Totally worth the pain.”
Worth it.
…
…