Breasts in full motion, bouncing and jiggling with every step—what a glorious sight.
As shallow as it sounded, this truly was Kuroba Akira's biggest motivation for dragging himself out for morning runs.
Starting the day with such an eye-pleasing view? It made everything else seem a little brighter.
He remembered how, as a kid, he never understood why Master Roshi was always glued to the TV watching aerobic shows with pretty girls. But once he hit adulthood… it all made sense. Proof, perhaps, that his heart was no longer pure.
But really—what was so wrong with appreciating the healthy curves of a sun-kissed, energetic girl? It was a celebration of beauty, nothing more!
If he was being honest though, Akira was more of a butt guy than a boob guy. But staring at someone's behind in public? That was a bit too far, even for someone with skin as thick as his.
For the past six months, Akira had seen this sporty, golden-skinned girl during every morning jog. She must live nearby. Though he hadn't spotted her around the Kobayashi house, maybe her route just happened to overlap with his.
Whatever the reason, she had become the single bright spot in his otherwise tedious daily routine of studying a foreign language.
As usual, the sporty girl gave him a shy smile and a small nod as they passed.
That was their unspoken ritual—silent, simple, and mutual.
But today, for the first time in half a year, Akira raised his hand in greeting and took it a step further:
"Good morning."
"Y-Yes! Good mo—huh?!"
She returned the greeting on reflex, but it wasn't until after they'd passed each other that the shock hit her—and she tripped over her own feet in a spectacular flat-ground faceplant.
"Whoa!"
Akira stopped in his tracks and hurried over to help.
"Hey, are you alright?"
I just said good morning—was it that surprising? Don't tell me she thought I was mute like the class rep did...
The girl looked up at him, wide-eyed in disbelief, and shook her head with frantic energy, voice trembling.
"I-I-I'm fine! Totally fine! Not hurt at all!"
"Glad to hear it."
She hesitated, then wiped her sweaty palm on her tights before cautiously taking Akira's outstretched hand.
He pulled her up in one smooth motion and added with a casual smile,
"Right, we've bumped into each other so often, but this is the first time we've actually exchanged names. I'm Kuroba Akira."
"Ah! Yes! Nice to meet you—I'm Tomita Haruka!"
"Tomita Haruka… is that 'Haruka' as in '遥'? Or '春香'?"
Akira traced characters on her palm, trying to confirm the exact kanji.
That was one of the annoying things about Japanese names: surnames were relatively predictable, but first names? A single pronunciation could have a dozen possible writings.
And more importantly—this was a rare opportunity to check her talent. Who knew? Maybe she was another SSR…
But unfortunately, her right hand was blank.
That meant she was talentless.
So talent wasn't as common as he'd hoped. It further proved how exceptional Anri Hitomi and Shiginomiya Shion really were.
Haruka, meanwhile, was feeling ticklish where he'd written on her palm. Her heart rate spiked even higher than when she'd been running. Her hand was practically sweating again.
Still, she calmed herself enough to answer softly:
"Ah, no—it's written as 晴夏."
"I see. Tomita Haruka, written as 'clear sky' and 'summer'—very fitting. You do look like a burst of sunny summertime."
She had a healthy glow, an impressive figure—definitely curvier than the class rep. Honestly, she might even rival Kobayakawa-sensei. And unlike the teacher, she was still an active high schooler, meaning she might still grow.
She probably wasn't a sugar mama candidate, but Akira still made a mental note of her name. She had brought a touch of brightness to his otherwise routine days.
At that moment, Shion finally caught up and saw the scene. She walked up beside Akira, expression unreadable.
"What happened?"
"Nothing serious. She just tripped."
"Oh. Are you okay?"
Her words were polite, but her tone was icy—deliberately distant, like a wall between strangers.
So she reverts to her cool persona with outsiders, huh…
Which means… I'm no longer an outsider?
Akira silently assessed Shion's current favorability level.
So far, it hadn't dropped much despite the "panty incident." That was reassuring.
"I'm fine… uh…!"
Haruka stared, stunned.
This was the first time she'd seen someone this beautiful in real life.
At school, there were lots of pretty girls—well-dressed, fashionable, stylish. Haruka had even considered trying to emulate them. Her senpai from the swim team had said she had good "raw material" and could be stunning if she tried.
But the girl in front of her wasn't trying. She was effortlessly beautiful.
Even TV idols didn't look this good. It was too much—an almost overwhelming kind of radiance.
Compared to her, Haruka felt like a country bumpkin… the rising wave of self-consciousness made her fidget.
That gaze—one of someone who had just lost all confidence—was something Shion was all too familiar with. She'd seen it more times than she could count. She knew her presence alone could deal that kind of blow.
So she quietly reminded Akira,
"Akira… if we stay here any longer, you're going to be late for school."
"Ah… right."
Wait, what's the rush?
I'm the one who has school. Not you. And with your current condition, you can't even run properly.
Still, Akira didn't plan to linger. After the jog, he needed to take Shion to the convenience store to buy some necessities.
"Well, I'll see you around then, Tomita-san."
"Y-Yes… see you…"
He waved goodbye to the still-dazed Haruka. No need to go all the way to the stone bridge today.
Shion gave her a small nod. A minimal gesture of acknowledgment.
On the way back, she followed behind Akira, then muttered under her breath,
"Akira… you're surprisingly popular."
Akira turned back, visibly confused.
"Huh? That doesn't count as being popular. It's not like she came out here just to see me—we just happen to run into each other on the same route. Today was the first time we even exchanged names."
"Really?"
But based on that girl's expression, Shion was certain—she'd already taken a liking to Akira. And it wasn't mild, either.
What annoyed her most, though, was that Akira had definitely been sneaking glances at that girl's chest.
Is it really that impressive?! Just because they're big… bigger than mine by a bit—no, two bits… okay, three…
Shion didn't consider herself small, but compared to that chest monster, it was no contest.
But still! Bigger isn't always better! Shape is what matters!
Men who only care about size are so shallow!
…Still, she found herself wondering if she should spend the leftover money on milk.
That bottle she drank yesterday was so good… sweet and smooth… she wanted another.
Akira said he wanted to try some too… that wouldn't count as an unnecessary expense, right?
She didn't even realize that she was remembering every little thing Akira said.
Kuroba Akira had already become the man she cared about most.