Translator: RaidenTL
Being alone was making me a little hot.
The cicadas were screeching, which only added to my irritation.
And with Miyuki gone, I was bored out of my mind.
My friends would hit me up, but it felt like a waste of precious time that I should be using to build up affection levels...
Lying in the empty room, lost in thought, I sat up.
I'll go to the academy right now.
If I'm cleaning the bathroom, Miyuki might show up.
She sometimes stops by the academy to pick up things she forgot.
Honestly, it's a gamble, but it's worth it.
In dating sim terms, I'm in the very early stages of the game, where I need to be diligently grinding my stats.
So, shouldn't I use every method at my disposal to run into the heroine?
Having made up my mind, I immediately changed clothes and headed for the academy.
The morning public transport was pretty empty, so I got there in no time.
Unlike the bustling academy on weekdays, it was quiet right from the main gate.
"What's the... Huh? Isn't that Matsuda-kun? Hold on."
A security guard who looked to be in his forties stopped me as I tried to pass through the main gate.
Is it because I've caused so much trouble? He recognized me instantly.
I walked closer to him as he eyed me suspiciously through the open window.
"I'm here to clean the bathroom."
"The bathroom... cleaning...?"
"It's for my disciplinary punishment."
"Punishment? Ah... that...? The molester incident?"
"Yes."
"They told you to do it on the weekend, too?"
"They said to do it every day, and that I'd be expelled if I missed even one, so I guess that includes weekends."
"Is that so...? Well, first, sign your name in the guestbook."
I went into the security office, picked up the pen, and quickly scanned the guestbook as I wrote my name.
Being a weekend, there were hardly any visitors.
Miyuki is...
'She's here.'
Right above the space where I was to write my name, Hanazawa Miyuki's name was written in a pretty script.
This is a very lucky day.
Am I getting some kind of beginner's buff since it's the early game?
After scribbling my name, I was about to dash out of the security office when I paused and turned my head.
Then, in a casual tone, I said to the security guard:
"Have a good one."
"Yeah. You too... Huh?"
Is this the first time you've seen me greet someone? I guess it is.
Leaving the surprised guard behind, I entered the academy and headed straight for the first-year hallway.
Miyuki is probably in the classroom right now, right? I want to go look for her, but doing it on purpose would be crazy.
I could be caught on camera and create a needless misunderstanding.
Fortunately for me, Class 1-A was right next to the stairs.
It's human nature to start cleaning from the end.
If I make a lot of noise cleaning here, Miyuki won't just walk past me.
Grabbing a hose from the cleaning supply closet, I got to work.
I scrubbed the urinals with my now-practiced skill and sprayed down the toilet stalls I had cleaned just yesterday. After a while...
"Matsuda-kun?"
I heard Miyuki's voice, full of curiosity.
That's Miyuki for you. She never disappoints.
Cheering inwardly, I turned around.
Miyuki was just wearing plain blue jeans and a white t-shirt.
A simple outfit, yet she was radiant.
Forcing myself to hide my inner thoughts, I raised my voice a little.
"Hanazawa? What are you doing here? No, wait, let me guess."
I raised my index finger, and Miyuki crossed her arms with an interested expression.
She looked like she was anticipating what kind of nonsense I was about to spout.
We've made a lot of progress in a short time. Before, she wouldn't even talk to me.
After a few seconds of silence, I said:
"You were here to steal a peek at the midterm exam, weren't you?"
Miyuki sighed with a "that's what I thought" look on her face.
"Haa... I'll try to understand, since that's the only kind of thing your brain can come up with, Matsuda-kun. To answer your question, I'm not like you. No, wait, someone like you wouldn't even think of stealing an exam paper, would they? I made a poor comparison."
She hit me with a solid counter. It stings because it's true.
Smacking my lips, I asked:
"Then what were you doing?"
"I came to get something I forgot, and since it was quiet, I stayed to study."
"And you came to check things out when you heard me cleaning?"
"You got it right this time. But why on earth are you cleaning the bathroom right now?"
"Why? Because the professor..."
"You should call him 'Professor'."
"...Right, the 'Professor' or whatever said I'm out if I miss a single day."
A small smile crept onto Miyuki's lips as she heard my explanation.
"I doubt he meant for you to come in and clean on the weekend... So you came in today anyway?"
"That's about it. And there's another reason, too."
"Another reason? Were you perhaps worried that the bathroom would get dirty from people who stopped by the school on the weekend?"
So naive... She'd be shocked if she knew the kinds of things that happen here.
I decided to tell Miyuki just a little bit about the secret happenings at the academy.
"Hanazawa."
"Hm?"
"Aren't you a little too innocent?"
"What are you talking about?"
I clicked my tongue as I looked into Miyuki's guileless eyes and began my explanation.
"Our academy has dorms. Right?"
"Yes, it does."
"And there are probably couples in those dorms, right?"
"Yes."
"And among them, there must be some couples who don't have much money. Correct?"
"Well... I suppose so?"
"The next day is the weekend, and it's a waste to spend it alone in the dorm. But if they want to spend time together in the dorm, the male and female floors are separate, and security is tight... But if they go out, it costs money. So, what do you think they do when they're young and full of passion?"
Miyuki tilted her head about fifteen degrees.
She looked incredibly beautiful as she gazed upward, lost in thought.
After a moment, Miyuki asked:
"What do they do?"
"They come to the bathroom and have sex."
"Ah... I see... Sex... Wait a minute... What did you say??"
Miyuki, who had been about to nod in understanding, froze at the word that came out of my mouth, her jaw dropping.
Her face instantly turned red.
I chuckled and drove the point home.
"Sex."
I wanted to thrust my hips, but that would probably cost me a lot of the points I'd worked so hard to build up.
Just making Miyuki feel embarrassed was the right amount.
"M-Matsuda-kun! You're taking the joke too far...!"
"What? I'm just telling you the truth in response to your question. Why are you getting mad? Want me to show you proof? If you go to the bathroom by Class 1-F, there's bound to be a clogged toilet. If you plunge it, you'll find a condom..."
"S-Stop...! I don't want to know...! And you don't have to be so explicit about it...!"
"About what?"
"That... that... intercourse..."
"You think 'intercourse' is an explicit word? You would've fainted if I'd said 'sex'."
"Matsuda-kun! You really...!"
Alright, time to stop.
She'll probably let this slide, since I've always had a vulgar mouth.
Shrugging, I started spraying water on the toilet again.
"Curiosity satisfied? You can go now."
"Satisfied? I'm going to tell the professor about this...!"
"What... Are the academy students elementary schoolers? Middle schoolers? You're going to forbid grown adults from having sex?"
"B-But this is an academy... Besides, the school rules... they say you get demerits for serious deviant behavior within the academy... And getting demerits means it's against the academy's wishes... They shouldn't be doing it..."
You and I are going to have a great time breaking that rule in the future.
"Think about it differently. The fact that it's a 'serious' deviant act and they only give you demerits instead of expulsion, doesn't that mean the academy understands the passion of youth to some extent?"
At that, Miyuki's eyes widened.
"I thought someone like you, who breaks the rules constantly, would hate the merit and demerit system... but you sound like you're defending the academy."
"Surprised?"
"Yes. Very."
"Strictly speaking, I was defending the students, not the academy, but whatever... let's just move on. And can't you just be a little flexible? Why are you so uptight? Spoken like a true class president..."
"I-I don't like the merit and demerit system either. What I said just now... it was just in the heat of the moment... I was surprised..."
"You sounded pretty detailed for someone who was just surprised. Even bringing up the school rules..."
"Don't be sarcastic... It's true..."
I know.
I know you're not that conservative.
"If you get it, then hurry up and go. You're distracting me from my cleaning. If you want to study, go to the library or something."
"It's packed because of exams..."
"You should've woken up earlier. The early bird... uh... what was it..."
"Gets the worm?"
"Yeah, that."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Matsuda-kun, when you don't even know the proverb."
"You did this on the subway the other day, and now you're doing it again? Should I just keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life?"
"It was a joke. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."
A joke? You, to me?
I'm so glad I came here today.
Forcibly suppressing the sense of accomplishment spreading through my body, I said:
"My feelings aren't hurt, so just go already. Or help me."
"Okay. How can I help?"
My body froze solid at her unexpected reply.
"Uh...?"
"I asked how I can help."
"...You're really going to help?"
"Yeah. I'll help you."
"Seriously?"
"I said I would. So, what should I do?"
Snapping back to my senses, I pointed to the cleaning supply closet.
"Wash the mop and wipe the floor."
"I'm the one offering to help out of kindness. You should be asking, not ordering. Is it that hard to add one little word?"
She could have just let it go, but she had to add that little comment. It seemed she was having fun teasing me.
Miyuki's mood was shifting in the exact direction I wanted. I felt like shouting for joy.
Scowling, I said:
"You're the one who offered to help first."
"Matsuda-kun. Should I just go?"
"...Is this fun for you?"
"I'm leaving."
Miyuki turned her back to me and started to walk out of the bathroom.
I called out to her urgently.
"Hey... Hey...! I'll say it! I'll say it!"
Miyuki turned back to me and said:
"You must really hate cleaning, huh?"
I want to clean! I want to clean with you while looking at your face!
The words were about to burst from my throat.
"Who likes cleaning...? Anyway, uh... there's a mop in the cleaning supply closet...?"
"Uh-huh."
"Could... you wash it in the sink... and then... please... mop... the... floor...?"
I practically trembled as I forced out the words, making it obvious how much I didn't want to say it. Miyuki beamed at me.
It was a beautiful smile that instantly brightened the gloomy bathroom.
I felt my mind going hazy.
"See? You can do it. You should try to talk like this more often from now on. It's pleasant for the listener, and it'll make you feel better, too, Matsuda-kun. You feel good right now, don't you?"
"Not at all. Just hurry up and help."
"Alright. I'll get the mop first."
As Miyuki passed by me, a fresh grapefruit scent wafted from her hair.
Secretly flaring my nostrils like a pervert, I thought to myself that today's harvest was a truly bountiful one.
Jokes, helping with chores, and even banter... the atmosphere was perfect.
Tomorrow, I should go to a nearby shrine and make an offering.
I need to pray and give thanks for letting me come to DokiAka.