Chapter: 24. Becoming Dependent on My Childhood Friend
“Hehe~ It’s really been a while since I chatted with Kanade-kun like this at night~”
“Y-yeah…”
Nighttime.
Nagi, unable to implement her night raid plan, had no choice but to take out her phone and, after a long time, call Kanade-kun for a video chat.
Having just showered, Nagi was lying on her bed with damp hair, holding her phone and displaying an awkward expression while Kanade’s gaze kept drifting.
“It’s all Kanade-kun’s fault for not contacting me before~” Nagi pouted playfully.
“Because this school has regulations, making it impossible to use outside internet…,” Kanade responded with the lie that Ark Academy’s special students had kept for a long time.
“Yeah, I heard Yukino-chan mention that,” Nagi quickly adjusted her facial expression and showed a mix of loneliness and relief: “At that time, I thought… Kanade-kun hated me and didn’t want to talk to me anymore… Hehe, I was really foolish to not believe Kanade-kun…”
“Ah, no, I’m sorry for making Nagi worry… I-I could never hate you…”
“Really? I will never hate Kanade-kun either~”
“I-is that so? Th-thank you, I’m so happy to hear you say that…,” even through the screen, the peachy atmosphere between the two was almost palpable.
Yet for some reason, neither displayed the intention to confess feelings for each other.
As their long-awaited nighttime video chat session gradually drew to a close, they shared amusing stories from the two and a half years since they were separated.
“Well, let’s end the chat here for tonight… We have school tomorrow…”
“Yeah! I’m really happy to chat with Kanade-kun after such a long time!” Nagi smiled blissfully, making Kanade feel increasingly restless.
“Speaking of which, it’s rare that we’re in the same dorm. Tomorrow morning—”
Upon hearing this, Kanade’s mind snapped to attention, recalling the morning he was woken up by Nagi back in the day.
The stimulation Nagi provided back then was extraordinary; if she were to continue approaching him as a grown high schooler now—
Kanade instinctively interrupted Nagi: “—How about I wake you up tomorrow, Nagi? What do you think?”
In that moment, he couldn’t think of any better excuse.
What Kanade didn’t notice was that when Nagi was saying that, she deliberately slowed her speech, as if hoping to be interrupted.
“Really? Thank you, Kanade-kun~” Nagi’s smile slowly turned radiant, and she whispered softly, “I’m really looking forward to it~”
After both wished each other good night.
Kanade turned off the video chat interface and threw his phone forcefully onto the pillow, unable to hold back a long sigh.
Tonight, though Nagi’s skin was flushed from just showering and her hair was tousled, giving her an inexplicable allure, unlike before, she was decently dressed in pajamas.
Not a revealing slip dress nor delicate sheer material.
Instead, it was an extremely cute and simple pajama set, in a light pink hue with fluffy fabric, perfectly matching Nagi’s previously showcased innocent and carefree personality.
Moreover, she had buttoned up the collar, trying to cover her skin as much as possible.
To say it was an outfit that Kanade couldn’t find any fault with would be an understatement.
But this ordinary appearance, which anyone would find unremarkable—
“Why am I suddenly so excited… doesn’t that just make me seem like a pervert who’s always having strange thoughts about my childhood friend?!”
Kanade looked at his lower half in distress.
Less than a minute into the video chat with Nagi, he had already started lifting his knees to hide some unnatural protrusions.
Although the student dorms are single rooms, he felt utterly embarrassed at showing such a stance to his childhood friend.
“Damn it! Kanade, get a grip…”
If he previously could blame Nagi’s naive and unguarded demeanor for his embarrassing display, this scene felt like undeniable evidence, making Kanade admit that even in front of his childhood friend, he couldn’t help but entertain those thoughts.
Just thinking about that adorable girl on his phone screen, now sleeping under the same roof—
“Isn’t this practically cohabiting?!” Kanade suddenly sat up, then shyly turned around to bury his face in the pillow, trying to hide his burning red cheeks.
“Ridiculous! What am I, an idiot, thinking about something so rude towards Nagi!”
With the pillow blocking his sight, in the darkness, images of Nagi’s skin, soft as that of a boiled egg after a shower, and her slightly misty gaze began to emerge.
Thump, thump.
Kanade felt his heart racing faster.
Clearly, it was just a moment alone, but his mind was clouded with memories of Nagi’s face, voice, scent, and touch.
He recalled their reunion that morning, after being apart for two and a half years.
It should have been a touching or romantic moment worthy of being remembered, yet for some reason, it had turned into an incredibly enticing scene.
As long as he didn’t actively remember, it was fine.
But the moment Kanade began to recall his feelings from then, the sensation from that moment would unexpectedly surface in the palm of his hand, and Nagi’s sweet voice echoed in his ears—
Unbeknownst to him, Kanade realized he couldn’t stop.
Unlike before, he found himself yearning for Nagi.
Whether it was due to their long-awaited reunion or the competitive spirit and possessiveness stirred by the appearance of two boys around Nagi today.
It made Kanade realize that he wasn’t merely a good person in Nagi’s heart.
He might be no different from those lurking wolves eyeing Nagi…
Lost in thought like this, Kanade couldn’t help but reach for his hidden treasure.
However, he found that those once-exciting images now held no allure at all.
In fact, they were far less stimulating than the image of Nagi that surfaced in his mind.
But the problem was that, despite how exciting his fantasies about Nagi were, they couldn’t reach the required threshold.
This urge, belonging to a puberty-stricken high school boy, could not be released.
“Liar, liar…”
Until midnight.
Kanade had no choice but to face a fact.
The desire that gradually swelled with time could not find relief without Nagi’s “help.”
While he thought he might force himself to sleep with his dwindling willpower, what worried him was more than just this fact.
“…Is this real?”
“Should I maintain this state… and go wake Nagi tomorrow?”
In such a state of unfulfilled desire, to go alone to the room of his beloved childhood friend? To wake the sleeping girl?
