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“W-wait a sec. ‘Date with marriage in mind’…? So, not just getting married straight away, but starting from being a couple?”
“…Yeah. That’s right.”

I had nodded without thinking, but once I calmed down and thought it through, something felt off. I mean, just dating like that—didn’t that make it sound like Ibuki actually had romantic feelings for me?

I’d always assumed her pushing for marriage was either some intense platonic possessiveness, or just a way to keep a skilled housekeeper from slipping away. But now, seeing my best friend in front of me with her face flushed and eyes downcast, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d gotten it all wrong.

“W-why, though?”
“Well, because… you said before that you wanted to date first before getting married, and… I also want to go on dates with you as your girlfriend…”

She fidgeted shyly, her voice barely audible as she tried to explain. She wasn’t lying—at least, it didn’t seem like it—and that only made my confusion worse. I’d never seen her like this before.

Back when we were high schoolers, full of girlish charm, Ibuki had never even noticed my feelings. She’d cling to me every day without a second thought, and during the worst of it, she’d even tried to use me as a body pillow while wearing next to nothing. Shame or embarrassment had never been part of her vocabulary.

And yet here she was, acting like some middle school girl stumbling through her first crush. It was surreal.

“O-oh? I see.”
“Yeah… So, I’m really happy you said yes, Yukino. I figured you’d probably agree, but actually going through with the confession made me super nervous. I was planning to say it in a much cooler way, too.”
“R-right…”

If I ever had the courage to confess after all these years of crushing on her, I’d probably be so nervous I’d pass out. And yet Ibuki had pulled it off. I had to admire her for that. Still… what did she mean she thought I’d probably agree? Did she really think I’d be that easy to win over, just nodding along to whatever she said? Not that she was wrong, but still—it rubbed me the wrong way a little.

“Hehe… So that means you’re my girlfriend now, Yukino. …Here I go!”
“Hey, wait—!?”
“Thinking about how I can hug you like this as your girlfriend now… it makes my heart race a little.”

This wasn’t how I imagined it at all. After over a decade of one-sided love, I’d definitely fantasized about being with Ibuki. I’d had time to spare, so I’d imagined all sorts of scenarios.
But in every one of them, she was the same old laid-back Ibuki.

And yet, here was reality—

“I-Ibuki, could you maybe scoot over a bit?”
“Why?”
“W-well, you’re clinging to me on a bed, and, uh, that’s kind of… dangerous. In various ways.”
“I don’t get it.”

She wasn’t wearing her usual baggy, body-hiding clothes today. Instead, she’d actually put effort into her appearance for once. And now that version of Ibuki was all pressed up against me on the bed—of course my inner demons were going to start yelling “Go for it! She’s right there!” at the top of their lungs.

“Hey, please? Just let go for now?”
“Hmm… no!”

Even when I tried to forcibly peel her off me, it was useless. The frail, sickly Ibuki of the past was long gone—nowadays, I couldn’t even manage to pry off one of her arms.

“Why should I let go? You’re my girlfriend now, and I’m yours. There’s no one around to see us, so what’s the harm in cuddling as much as we want?”
“Well, I mean, that’s true, but…”

And that was the problem. Precisely because she’d gone from childhood friend to girlfriend, things had become complicated. Before, even if she did something like this, I would hold myself back because we were just friends. But now, she was officially my girlfriend—and that made it dangerously easy to let temptation get the better of me.

“I-I just can’t switch gears that fast. So please… be nice?”
“Mmm… fine, since you’re asking that much, I guess I’ll let you off the hook.”
“Thanks…”

When I reached out and patted her head—where she was pouting with her lips all scrunched up against what might’ve been my nonexistent chest—my desperation must’ve finally gotten through to her, because she reluctantly released me from her embrace.

“In exchange for letting you off… can we sleep together tonight?”
“Uh… you mean in the same room, right…?”
“I only booked one room, so of course we’ll be in the same one. I mean the same bed! Obviously!”

I’d expected as much, but still, I’d asked the question on the off chance there was another meaning. My faint hope was promptly and thoroughly crushed. I mean, if just hugging her for a few seconds had sent my heart racing like that, there was no way I’d survive sharing a blanket with her all night.

“Come on, please?”
“Ugh… f-fine…”

She’d already backed off once for my sake—I couldn’t exactly reject her again, so I gave in. At this point, I had no choice but to put my faith in my sleepy-time self to somehow power through.

“It’s settled, then! I’m off to take a bath!”
“Yeah, yeah. Have fun.”

I watched as Ibuki cheerfully headed for the bathroom attached to the room and let out a deep, long sigh.

“You’re changing way too fast… Clinging to me like you’re just begging me to make a move…”

I didn’t know if refusing a free meal counted as a woman’s shame or not, but I definitely wasn’t planning on becoming the kind of girl who jumped her new girlfriend the same day they got together. Not that I’d ever “jumped” anyone before in my life.

“Yukino—sorry, can you grab my change of clothes? I already took everything off~”
“There’s a bathrobe over there somewhere, isn’t there?”
“Ah! Found it! Thanks~”
“Yup.”

It wasn’t a cheap hotel, so of course there was a communal bath, but Ibuki and I almost never used it. We always stuck to the bathroom in our room.

Part of it was because I didn’t want anyone else seeing Ibuki naked… And the other part was because if I saw Ibuki naked in a sober state, I might actually pass out.

We’d been using the room’s bath for years, so I was relieved she’d done the same this time too. If she’d suddenly gone “We’re dating now, so let’s go to the big bath together!” I probably would’ve lost every last shred of self-control and kicked off something R-rated in front of a crowd.

“I’m done~! Your turn next, Yukino~”
“Thanks—wait, what are you wearing!?”

Just when I thought I’d finally calmed down after getting a little time to myself, it all went out the window thanks to freshly bathed Ibuki.

“What? It’s a bathrobe.”
“If you’re gonna wear a bathrobe, at least close the front properly!”
“Ehh, it’s hot, so who cares?”
“I care!”

She hadn’t tied the robe’s belt tightly enough, so the front was practically hanging open—leaving those two not-so-small curves of hers dangerously exposed.

“That’s it! I’m going to take my bath!”
“’Kay, have fun~”

With Ibuki clearly having no intention of adjusting herself, I no longer had the luxury of arguing. At this point, my only option was to escape into the bathroom.

“Ugh, seriously…”

As I undressed in a hurry and opened the door to the bath, I couldn’t help but worry about how I was supposed to survive sleeping in the same bed with her after this.

There wasn’t any particular reason for it, but I ended up washing myself really thoroughly.

Not because of anything, really. Absolutely not. Definitely not.

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