Chapter 11: Temptation of the Angel
Sunday morning. Clear skies, not a single cloud in sight—in other words, it was my day. And also, the day to crush that guy’s little scheme.
I made sure to get ready early, just in case he showed up at any moment. As I stood at the sink carefully combing through my long black hair, I caught my mom watching me with a grin. But hey, I’m doing this to protect you, alright? Don’t get any weird ideas.
Back in my room, I changed into my “combat outfit”—a top with a plunging neckline and a mini skirt, exactly the type of outfit that guy would like—when the doorbell rang.
Murakumo-kun’s already here? That’s fast!
I checked myself in the mirror for anything out of place and headed downstairs. By the time I reached the front door, he was already there, chatting—of all things—casually with my mom.
“She’s getting all dolled up right now, so why don’t you chat with this old lady a little longer?”
“Not at all, ma’am. You look beautiful. Honestly, I keep thinking Haru’s going to stay this pretty even when she gets older.”
“Oh my, you’re such a smooth talker. But you really shouldn’t say that, I might take it seriously.”
“I’d be perfectly fine with that. Really, I’m jealous of Haru.”
—Yup, I shouldn’t have left those two alone.
He never says things like that to me… or wait, has he? No, no, I’m pretty sure everything’s supposed to be mine! He’s never said anything that sugary to me… probably.
And now he’s got this soft, gentle expression on his face, one I’ve never even seen before, and for some reason, it’s seriously pissing me off.
No, wait, that’s not the point! More importantly!!
“Good morning, Murakumo-kun!! Sorry for the wait!!”
I jumped in and cut between them.
“Good morning, Haru.”
Murakumo-kun turned toward me. His eyes were sharp, like always. None of that softness I saw when he was talking to my mom.
Ugh… yeah, those eyes are kinda scary after all. I froze for just a second, like a frog being stared down by a snake.
“Hey, Haru-chan, listen. Murakumo-kun was saying I’m beautiful.”
“R-Really? Murakumo-kun, what about me?”
I clasped my hands together in front of my chest, acting all pleading and sweet. Ugh. I’d never usually act like this or say anything like that.
And even if he said I was pretty, it wouldn’t make me happy… no, it’s more like it would make me a little sad for some reason.
Murakumo-kun blinked in surprise at my uncharacteristic fawning, then replied with a slightly lonely tone.
“Haru is good because you’re Haru.”
Then he gently wrapped his hands around mine.
Oh, so that’s your play, huh? Well, I can’t exactly reject you in front of my mom.
“Really? That makes me so happy.”
Ugh, disgusting. Who even is this person? I’d never say anything like that… Well, except I just did.
“My, young love is so wonderful,” my mom said, giving a satisfied smile.
“Alright, you two shouldn’t just stay down here. Why don’t you head upstairs?”
Mom glanced at us still holding hands and suggested we move things along.
Right, it’s not over yet. The real battle starts from here.
“Got it. Let’s go up then, Murakumo-kun.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll bring you two something to drink later.”
“Oh, you really don’t have to—”
“Thank you, Mom! Please do.”
Heh, I absolutely need my mom to come up later. It’d be a problem if she thought she should stay away.
Thinking about stuff like that, I invited Murakumo-kun into my room.
I closed the door after letting Murakumo-kun in.
First things first—gotta make this crystal clear before anything happens. Things could get out of hand otherwise.
“Not happening today! Absolutely banned!!”
That was the very first thing out of my mouth, finger pointed right at him.
I mean, I don’t think it would happen… not while my mom’s around… but you never know. You never know when he might flip a switch and come after me.
“…Understood.”
Murakumo-kun nodded.
Alright, that’s a verbal agreement secured.
First, I placed a cushion next to the round table in the center of the room and told him to sit there. Out of habit, I took my usual seat at my study desk.
“You’re sitting over there?”
Was he annoyed that we weren’t sitting at the same table? Well, even if we made a promise, there’s no telling when he might pounce, so it’s only natural to keep some distance and stay alert. Besides, it’s too soon for Mom to come upstairs.
Murakumo-kun sat down and looked around curiously. Maybe he was interested in seeing a girl’s room, which, okay, I get it… sort of. Technically, I’m a girl now, so this counts as a girl’s room, but…
“Up until just two weeks ago, I was a guy, so it’s basically still a guy’s room.”
That’s how it is. Honestly, it probably even smells like a guy’s room. I can’t really tell myself though.
“I know,” he replied while still glancing around.
“Still left in the bag, huh?”
The shopping bags from yesterday were exactly where I’d left them.
“I figured I’d put them away tonight.”
I’d been planning to reorganize my wardrobe first before swapping in the new clothes. It’s kind of a hassle, so I decided I’d set aside some time today to get it done. I had taken a few things out of the bags to wear, like what I had on right now.
Murakumo-kun continued observing the room. Then his gaze stopped, locking onto me, staring intently.
“Watch yourself when you sit down.”
That’s when I realized what he meant. I was facing him, sitting in a chair… in a miniskirt… and I’d completely relaxed at home, sitting with my legs apart.
I snapped my legs together and quickly held down my skirt with my hands. I thought I wouldn’t care if someone saw… or at least, I used to think that. But his gaze felt sharp, and the idea of being seen made me feel… embarrassed.
Calm down! I’m a guy inside. It shouldn’t bother me if someone sees my underwear, right? In fact, I should be bold—spread my legs and show him. What, does seeing my underwear make you happy or something!?
What the hell am I thinking? I was confused, my head full of nonsense. But even so, there was no way I could actually spread my legs like that.
In the end, blushing, I got off the chair and sat properly in seiza next to the round table.
Silence. Murakumo-kun stared at me with those sharp eyes of his.
This is bad. I can’t take this silence. My cheeks were still hot, probably still red. I couldn’t meet his eyes, just stared down, waiting for the heat in my face to fade.
After a while, I finally calmed down. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and lifted my head—only to find Murakumo-kun’s face much closer than I’d expected.
“Haru.”
“Wha—what…?”
That was all I could manage. He leaned in even closer, and I braced myself.
“Be careful,” he whispered in my ear before pulling away again.
“!? …Yeah…”
That was such a tease!!
I’d been all tensed up, and now I felt both relieved and… disappointed?
Weird. I get feeling relieved. But… why disappointed? Why the hell was I a little let down?
This doesn’t make sense! I should only be relieved!
Actually, come to think of it, it should’ve been perfect timing. I was planning to show off how close we were by flirting in front of Mom, so having him come at me would’ve made things easier. Yeah… yeah, that must be why I was disappointed. That’s the reason. Let’s go with that.
I decided to set aside the hazy, restless feelings for now—Mom should be coming up any moment.
Alright!! Let’s do this!!
I psyched myself up again.
“Hey… Murakumo-kun…”
I called out to him while still seated, shifting my legs to the side in a casual sitting pose, then scooted closer to Murakumo-kun, who was sitting cross-legged.
Murakumo-kun didn’t respond, just watched me with his usual sharp gaze.
I closed the distance until we were just about touching.
Now, what do I do from here?
I couldn’t do something like suddenly hugging him or cupping his cheek like he would. So—
“Murakumo-kun… your hands are really big, huh?”
With that, I casually took hold of his hand.
This was as much as I could manage.
But think about it: sitting right next to someone, playing with their hand or fingers—unless you were really close, you wouldn’t do that, right? This definitely counts as flirting, doesn’t it?
So I pressed our palms together to compare hand sizes, matching up our fingers, measuring the length as I touched him.
“See, look how different they are. They might even be bigger than my hands back when I was a guy.”
…Crap. I said it without thinking.
Saying “back when I was a guy” might completely ruin the mood. There’s no reason to bring up the fact that I used to be a man. And calling myself “ore” again—I’d just gone out of my way to use “watashi” earlier. I messed it all up.
I glanced at Murakumo-kun’s expression, but it was the same as always, sharp and unreadable.
Was it bothering him? Or not? I couldn’t tell.
Since I couldn’t tell, I figured it was safer to assume it did and keep going.
“Your hands… they’re really warm.”
Saying that, I wove my fingers between his, intertwining them, wrapping both my hands around his like I was trying to warm them up—like our fingers were playing together, toying with each other.
But honestly, Murakumo-kun’s hands really were warm.
Even at the entrance, when he held my hands, I’d noticed it. His hands were big… and warm.
Whenever he held me like this, it made me feel… safe, like I could relax.
Before I knew it, my body had leaned into his, his arm wrapped around my shoulders, and it wasn’t just me anymore—Murakumo-kun was touching, holding, caressing my fingers, our hands tangled together, seeking each other out.
Surprisingly… yeah, surprisingly, I was actually enjoying this. It felt… how do I say it… like something inside me was being fulfilled, and yet, at the same time, it wasn’t enough—there was an odd, lingering emptiness.
—Suddenly, our intertwined fingers came apart.
Ah…
I barely had time to think before my chin was gently tilted up, guiding my face toward Murakumo-kun.
Before this, I would’ve been thinking, “Yes! Operation success!”
But right now, that thought was completely gone from my head.
With my emotions running high, I closed my eyes, ready for what was coming.
I knew exactly what was about to happen. We’d done it many times before.
Normally, the usual me would never do something like this. But right now… I wanted it.
Even with my eyes shut, I could sense it—Murakumo-kun’s face, his lips drawing closer.
And then, his lips pressed against mine, and a moment later, his tongue slipped inside, and I welcomed it.
I didn’t even register the sound of Mom coming up the stairs.
That’s how absorbed I was in the moment.
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