Breasts swaying, surging, bouncing with a life of their own, seemingly on the verge of spilling over…
Wow, what a sight!
Though admittedly a superficial reason, this had indeed become Kuroha Akira's primary motivation for dragging himself out of bed for morning runs. Starting the day with such a pleasing view put him in a good mood for hours.
He recalled that as a child, he'd never understood why Master Roshi on TV always watched the aerobics girls with such intensity. Growing up had provided total clarity—and proved his heart was no longer pure. But what was wrong with appreciating the well-developed curves of a healthy, athletic girl under the morning sun?
This was a genuine appreciation of beauty!
To be perfectly honest, Kuroha Akira was actually more of a butt-man than a breast-man. But staring at someone's rear in public was just too crude. Even with a face as thick as a city wall, he couldn't bring himself to do that.
For the past six months, he'd seen this tanned, athletic girl almost every morning. Perhaps she lived nearby, though he'd never spotted her around the Kobayashi residence. Maybe her running route just happened to intersect with his. Regardless, for Kuroha Akira, she had been the sole bright spot in his otherwise monotonous half-year of language immersion.
As usual, the athletic girl noticed him and offered a shy, smiling nod.
That was their daily ritual—a silent, mutual acknowledgment.
But today, for the first time in six months, Kuroha Akira not only raised a hand in greeting but actually spoke. "Good morning."
"Yes, good morning…
…Huh?!"
The girl automatically returned the greeting, her mind on autopilot. Only after they had passed each other did her brain catch up, causing such a fluster that her left foot tangled with her right, sending her tumbling to the pavement with a thud.
"Whoa!"
Akira stopped, turned back, and walked over to the fallen girl, offering a hand. "Uh, you okay?"
Was a simple greeting really that shocking…?
She doesn't also think I'm mute, like the class rep did, does she?
The athletic girl was a mess of flustered embarrassment. She looked up at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, her hands shaking like tiny maracas. "I-I-I'm fine! Totally fine! Really! Not hurt!"
"That's good then."
Hesitating for a second, the girl quickly wiped her sweaty palm on her tight-fitting shorts before cautiously accepting his hand.
Once he'd pulled her up, Akira decided to formalize things. "Oh, by the way, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Kuroha Akira. We've passed each other so many times, but this is our first proper introduction."
"Ah! Right! Hello! I'm Tomita Haruka!"
"Tomita Haruka… Is that 'Haruka' as in 'remote' (遥)? Or 'Haruka' as in 'spring fragrance' (春香)?" He traced the kanji on her palm to confirm. This was the tricky part with Japanese names—surnames were one thing, but a single pronunciation could correspond to over a dozen different kanji for given names.
This also served a second purpose: checking for talent. A rare opportunity. Maybe he'd draw another SSR?
Unfortunately… no text appeared above the athletic girl's right hand. She was talentless.
Indeed, true talent wasn't common. It further confirmed that both Asato Hitomi and Shinomiya Shion were genuine, one-in-a-million anomalies.
Meanwhile, the girl felt a ticklish sensation in her palm. Her heart was pounding even harder than during her run, nervous enough to break into a fresh sweat. But she tried to steady herself and gave him the correct characters. "N-no, um, it's 'Haruka' as in 'sunny summer' (陽夏)…"
"I see. Tomita Haruka. Got it." The name suited her—she really did have a sunny, summery vibe. She looked incredibly healthy and was… generously proportioned, even surpassing the class rep, rivaling someone like Kobayakawa-sensei. And since Kobayakawa-sensei wasn't a high school student anymore, there was still potential for further… development.
Though she wasn't a candidate for a 'golden goose,' Kuroha Akira still made a point of remembering her name. She deserved thanks for adding a sliver of anticipation to his otherwise repetitive life.
Just then, Shinomiya, who had jogged up at a slower pace, arrived on the scene. She stopped beside Akira, her face an impassive mask.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much. She just tripped."
"I see. Are you alright?"
Though the words were considerate, her tone was icy, radiating an untouchable aloofness. So, when facing outsiders, Shinomiya still defaulted to her frosty princess persona…
Which means, to her, I'm no longer an 'outsider,' right?
Kuroha Akira mentally tallied up Shinomiya Shion's current favorability. Her starting affinity seemed to have been remarkably high, and it hadn't taken much of a hit from the underwear incident.
"Yes, I'm fine… Mm…!" Tomita Haruka's reply trailed off into a stunned murmur.
It was her first time seeing such a breathtakingly beautiful girl in real life. Her school had plenty of cute, fashionable girls who put effort into their appearance. Haruka had even considered trying to dress up more herself; a senior in the swimming club had once said she had good features and would look even better if she made an effort.
But the girl in front of her didn't need to make any effort at all. She was stunning by nature. Even the idol girls on TV didn't seem as flawlessly beautiful…
It was almost unfair.
Compared to her, Haruka felt like a complete country bumpkin. A wave of crushing inferiority made her expression tighten uncomfortably.
Shinomiya Shion had seen this look—this loss of confidence—far too many times. She knew her mere presence was often enough to intimidate others. Seeking to defuse the situation, she reminded Kuroha Akira, "Akira-kun, if we delay any longer, you might be late for school."
"Oh, right…"
"Wait, why the hurry? I'm the one who has school, not you. And in your current state, you can't run that fast anyway."
Still, Akira had no intention of lingering. After the run, he still needed to take Shinomiya to a nearby convenience store for daily necessities.
"Well then, until next time, Tomita-san."
"Ah, yes… see you." Tomita Haruka, still somewhat dazed, watched as Kuroha Akira prepared to turn back—there was no need to go all the way to the stone bridge today.
Shinomiya also gave a slight, polite nod in her direction.
On the way back, Shinomiya followed a step behind Akira and couldn't help but mutter, "Akira-kun… you're really quite popular."
Akira turned, puzzled. "Huh? That's not 'popular.' We just happen to run into each other. Today was the first time we even exchanged names."
"Is that so?"
But judging by the girl's reaction, Shinomiya had a strong feeling she'd already developed a definite liking for Kuroha Akira, and the favorability wasn't low. What annoyed her even more was that Kuroha Akira kept sneaking glances at that girl's chest!
Is it really that impressive?! It's just a bit bigger! One size bigger than mine… well, maybe two… alright, possibly three…
Although Shinomiya didn't consider hers small, compared to that… formidable pair, hers seemed somewhat overshadowed.
But! Bigger isn't necessarily better! Shape is more important! Men who are obsessed with size are so shallow!
Despite her internal protest, Shinomiya found herself wondering if she should use some of the saved money to buy more milk to drink… The milk she had yesterday was really good, so sweet. She wanted to taste it again.
Akira-kun said he wanted to try it, too… That shouldn't count as an unnecessary expense, right?
Without even realizing it, Shinomiya had firmly committed every word Kuroha Akira said to memory.
Kuroha Akira had already become the person she cared about most.