My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

30. Date, Date, Date! (3)

The movie started.

The movie we, Aki and I, came to see, *If Only*, was a common, run-of-the-mill love story between a man and a woman.

A man who always prioritizes work, and a woman who feels resentful that she isn’t his number one priority.

The two of them have dinner together, and due to a random trigger, their pent-up emotions explode into a fight, and unable to bear it anymore, the woman runs out of the restaurant, hailing a taxi. Not long after, a terrible traffic accident occurs.

The result is tragic.

The woman dies in front of the man who followed her out to grab her.

Only then does the man realize his true feelings for the woman and begins to regret everything, but what’s happened is irreversible.

And so, while desperately denying the reality he doesn’t want to accept, he falls asleep without even realizing it.

The next morning, when he wakes up, he finds the woman lying beside him in bed.

The woman he thought had died is next to him, so of course, the man is shocked and terrified, and the woman, surprised by the man’s reaction, embraces him. After that, the man realizes that he’s returned to the previous day and then desperately tries to change the predetermined fate of his beloved’s death.

Well, that’s pretty much the entire plot of the melodrama…or so it seemed.

That kind of stuff wasn’t important to me.

Because, right now, Aki is nestled calmly in my arms.

And what’s more, it’s Aki with her coat off, her bare shoulders and thighs completely exposed.

‘……Mmm.’

How did things end up like this?

Just 20 minutes ago, our bodies were definitely apart from each other…

For some reason, my lips feel parched, so I secretly wet them with saliva, glancing down.

Aki, still in my arms, only has her head turned towards the screen.

“……Heh heh.”

*Squeeze-*

Aki laughs softly, pulling herself closer.

It’s obviously not to enjoy my reaction; probably laughing at something funny on the screen, she hugged me without realizing it.

‘……This is driving me crazy.’

It’s great she’s enjoying the movie, but why does she keep putting me through trials like this…?

Just holding her like this is already overwhelming, and then Aki’s soft body is pressing into mine everywhere, and honestly, I’m kind of out of it.

If I could see my face in a mirror right now, it’d probably be bright red, about to burst…?

“……Heh.”

Whether she knows about my situation or not, Aki, laughing quietly and enjoying the movie, nuzzled her cheek against my chest.

This skinship, just like before, is probably something she did unconsciously because there was something hard right next to her face.

The problem is, as the receiver of this skinship, I keep getting the wrong ideas.

Which, of course, is definitely not the case.

Akki probably didn’t mean to, but.

Truthfully, maybe Akki also wants something from me, and isn’t she subtly trying to seduce me… that kind of misunderstanding, you know?

“……”

A quick glance.

Without even realizing it, I looked down.

Maybe Akki was looking up at me too, and if that were the case, maybe we could get caught up in the moment and have a light kiss… I’d stolen a glance, harboring that wicked hope.

“Umm, good…”

Akki muttered quietly to herself, staring intently at the screen where a romantic scene was unfolding.

Meaning, I was the only one having these stray thoughts.

“……”

I realized again just how rotten my brain was, and with a bitter taste in my mouth, I looked back at the screen.

‘Yeah, a kiss my ass…’

I’m already imagining so much after just one hug.

If I’m imagining a kiss after just a hug, then if we actually kissed, I’d probably be imagining how we’d prepare for our retirement together with Akki.

“Woo-joo~chan, how is it?”

“……Huh, what?”

“This movie, it’s really romantic, right…?”

Akki whispers, her voice just quiet enough so that the people in the next seats wouldn’t hear.

We’re so close, if anyone saw us right now they’d surely mistake us for whispering sweet nothings to each other.

I, awkwardly scratching my cheek, nodded.

“Yeah, I guess… it’s romantic.”

“……Heh, right, right? The female lead’s gorgeous, and the story’s super fun, isn’t it?”

“…….”

I stared blankly at the screen.

The scene playing right now was the female lead in the movie, flustered and shy from the male lead’s barrage of affection.

Like Aki said, the actress’ looks are great, and her acting’s on point too, making it a pretty nice scene to watch.

“The story *is* fun. But…”

To my eyes, Aki, who’s wriggling around next to me, looks way cuter and prettier than the actress on screen.

Subjectively, and objectively, too.

I mumbled my honest, unfiltered thoughts.

“As for who’s pretty, it feels like… you, Aki, are prettier…”

“…………Ueet?”

Aki’s whole body twitched.

She must have been so into the movie she forgot she was snuggled in my arms; Aki’s elbow jabs my stomach with a sharp thud from the sudden movement.

“Ah, ah… sorry, are you okay…?”

“I’m fine. It hit my abs…”

It wasn’t just words, it really didn’t hurt.

But, Aki seemed preoccupied with something else. She mumbled “Abs…?” then started glancing at my stomach, over and over again.

“……Woo-joo~chan.”

“Yeah?”

“……So, you, you have abs?”

Glance, glance.

I can feel Aki’s gaze landing on my stomach.

“Uhm, not really defined… Just kinda, oh, yeah, I guess I have abs… type of thing?”

“Oh, I seeee….”

Even while drawing out the end of her sentence, Aki doesn’t take her eyes off my stomach.

Though she didn’t say it directly, I could tell she was really curious about whether or not I actually had abs.

“……Wanna see?”

“Huh? A-ah, noo… It’s, well… it’s not like that…”

Fidget, fidget.

Aki can’t keep her fingers still, constantly fiddling while looking up at me.

“It’s not like I do, but… if Uju-chan were to show me… I, I guess I’d want to see…”

From those eyes, slightly hotter than usual, I vaguely sensed Aki’s true feelings.

‘This, if I play it right…’

I could satisfy my own selfish desires.

Not in that weird way, but just pure, selfish desires, I swear.

Though, I guess I’m not sure if the words ‘selfish’ and ‘pure’ can even coexist… Whatever.

“Showing only me is a bit… So, how about, later, we show each other?”

“……?!”

Aki’s eyes widened like saucers.

Her lips were trembling fiercely, the kind of look that screamed a major misunderstanding, so I quickly corrected myself, adding,

“No, not like, *that*. I meant like, we could go to a pool sometime, like, show each other, you know…”

“Ah, oh… that, that’s what you meant…”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant…”

Almost made a weird misunderstanding.

“……”

“……”

No, maybe I already did.

“……S-so, then.”

After a brief silence, Aki spoke first.

“L-later… when it gets a little warmer… w-would you… want to go to an indoor pool?”

“Indoor pool…? Oh, you mean like, a pool villa kind of thing?”

“Yeah, a pool villa. Just me, and, you~-chan, just the two of us…”

Aki’s voice, softly whispering as if afraid of being overheard, tickled my ear.

Whether it was the suggestion of going to a pool villa alone, or her sweet, lilting tone, I felt a strange shiver crawl down my spine, and I tried my best to stay composed as I thought.

‘Aki and me, a pool villa…’

“……”

The answer came surprisingly fast.

No, actually, it wasn’t surprising.

The conclusion just came as soon as I thought about it.

Let’s go.

It’s Aki suggesting we go to a pool villa, not anyone else, so of course I have to go.

I might even get to see Aki in a swimsuit. If I refuse, wouldn’t I be a total idiot?

Especially since she’s suggesting we two go.

Even if both my legs were broken, I’d have to go no matter what.

Thinking that, I nodded.

“…Really?”

“Oh, really…?”

“Yeah, really. …But, when would we go? Before the midterms?”

“Hmm… I think we should at least wait till after midterms…”

When exactly are midterms again?

Ah, April 30th.

“So, after midterms, but before finals?”

“I’m not sure. In my opinion, it would be good to go before summer break after finals, or during summer break. Or even before midterms like you said, Uju~chan. …What do you think, Uju~chan?”

“Hmm…”

Before midterms, after midterms, or during summer break entirely.

That’s early April, late April, or the middle of July and after. It’s mid-March now, so if we choose summer break we’d have to wait 4 months.

So honestly, in my heart, I want to set the date right now, specifically before midterms.

‘…..I’ve gained a little weight lately.’

My abs, which were fairly defined, are pretty hidden now.

Even if I whittled myself down to the bone and showed it all, it wouldn’t be enough, but what if I showed Aki my unfinished self?

Aki might, maybe, be disappointed in me…?

“…….”

That can’t happen.

Anyone else is one thing, but to Aki, I always want to show only my most manly and perfect self.

I opened my mouth.

“It could still be cold in spring, so, how about we just go in July?”

“July? Oh, during break?”

“Yeah, during break. That way we can both relax and have fun, what do you think?”

“……Mmm, okay. Let’s go in July then.”

Aki, having finished speaking, snuggles slightly deeper into my arms.

I’d been inwardly tense, worried she’d say “let’s go before July,” so I finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

‘I’ve bought myself some time…’

There are four months until the pool villa trip, so I need to build my body as much as possible in that time.

I was making that resolution in my head when…

──……*gulp*.

I heard the sound of someone swallowing.

It was Aki, pressed right beside me, who had just gulped.

I turned my gaze towards Aki.

Maybe, she was swallowing because she’s looking forward to going to the pool villa with me…I thought.

Akira’s gaze was fixed on the screen, not me.

“……What is it?”

What did she see to be swallowing so loudly like that?

Suddenly curious, I turned my gaze to the screen too.

And then.

The movie’s heroine and hero, now reaching the final act, were exchanging heated affection.

The movie was rated 12+, so there weren’t any explicit, raunchy scenes, but seeing them half-naked kissing before the lights went out…

Well, you could probably assume they did it all.

‘Guess that’s just how foreign romance movies are…’

It was just a short scene, but the intensity was something else.

I was inwardly impressed, and after seeing the dark screen brighten and the movie scene transition to morning, I looked away from the screen.

But, at that moment.

“……*huff*.”

Akira gasped.

And, the smacking sounds from the screen came again.

As soon as they opened their eyes in the morning, the main couple was back at it, making love even more passionately.

This time, more intense and more raunchy than before.

It was at a level of intensity that made it hard to believe it was rated 12+.

“……”

“……”

Squeeze.

Without a word, we pulled each other into an embrace.

“……”

“……”

Aki and I, breathless, watched the act unfold.