Searching for a Connection ☆

"Shouya, want to go out today?"

When we ran into each other in the morning, Kaede invited me on a date. It was a holiday, no school.

"Mm… sure… where to?"

"U～m, let me see… how about shopping? The mall nearby! ♡"

I'd heard there was a big shopping mall about thirty minutes by car from the house, but I'd never been.

"Got it… let's get ready, then."

We were both still in our pajamas, so step one was changing clothes.

 

*

 

"Sorry to keep you! How… do I look?"

Kaede gave a little twirl, showing herself off. She'd changed into a spring-fresh outfit: a pale blue cardigan and a white lace long skirt. The skirt fluttered softly as she spun. She normally came across as clean and demure, but today the look was even more refined.

"I-it really suits you… I mean… you look cute…"

I wasn't used to praising women, so it came out stumbling. Still, I hoped my feelings would come through.

"Hehe ♡ I'm so happy ♡"

Kaede's eyes crinkled at the corners as she murmured it. My praise had landed properly, then.

"You two really suit each other! In both senses!"

Mei-san teased us in a playful tone as we were about to head out.

"Shouya, you look great too!"

I was wearing a thin parka with a jacket layered over it.

"Now then, I'll drive you to the shopping mall!"

Mei-san was driving us today. She wore a simple white shirt and denim, but the simplicity only emphasized her slender, model-like figure.

"Please do, Mei-san."

"Yes! Leave it to me! Shouya-sama, you're really getting used to first-name address, aren't you!"

At first I couldn't get used to calling her by name, but lately it had become second nature.

"Shouya is the shy type ♡ Which is what's cute about him ♡"

Kaede's voice was bouncier than usual. Maybe she was that excited about the date. As for me, this would be my first outing in this world, so I was looking forward to it too.

 

*

 

At the shopping mall, we got out of the car at the drop-off area.

"Well then, you two have a wonderful time! We'll be watching from somewhere we can protect you."

Having our date watched was embarrassing, but it couldn't be helped. I was being given so many privileges that I could put up with at least that much.

"Okay! Let's go! ♡ Ah! Before that, let's take a picture ♡"

We took a picture together, and then Kaede took my hand and pulled me deeper into the mall. There were tons of stores inside. The three-story building had an open atrium in the middle with a glass ceiling, so even though it was indoors and packed with shops and people, it didn't feel cramped.

"Since it's a proper date, we have to hold hands ♡"

Kaede let go of my hand and then laced her fingers through mine. The so-called lovers' hold.

"When was the last time I held hands with you, Shouya… ♡"

The first place we went into was a general goods shop right by the entrance, packed with everything from cosmetics to dishware to stationery.

"Shouya, look! Matching mugs! Aren't they cute ♡"

Kaede held up a pair of mugs that, side by side, looked like a polar bear and a brown bear holding hands.

"Mm, but everyone just bought dishware together not long ago…"

When we moved in, Mom and the maids had apparently gone shopping for dishware together. On top of that, everyone in the house was already using mugs in different colors, so buying new ones felt awkward.

"Hey, Shouya! Today, let's look for matching twin items for the two of us!"

"Matching items, huh… could be nice…"

Inspired by the pair mugs, Kaede proposed a hunt for matching items. Twins seemed rare even in this world, and boy-girl twins must be even rarer. For twins like us, practically a miracle, it might be nice to have something to symbolize our bond.

"If we're going to do it, it should be something we can use for a long time… but if we never use it, that's no good either, mm, what though…"

For example, in stationery, not an eraser but a mechanical pencil. That sort of thing? But matching stationery felt a little childish. Since we were at it, I wanted to match with something a bit more substantial.

"Clothes… would be nice, but we're in our growth spurt…"

Kaede looked around the area, her eyes catching on a clothing store, then glanced down at her own body and lifted her chest as she said it. Where exactly is it that she's growing, I couldn't help but wonder, my imagination running off in strange directions.

"True. Twin coords could be nice too, but… it's a little off from today's theme."

"Twin coords! Nice idea!… I mean, no, Shouya's right, that's not what today's theme is…"

I looked around the goods shop, trying to come up with an idea of my own, and my eye caught on a desk clock. I was pretty sure giving a clock as a gift meant something like 'I want to share the same time as you.' Going forward, as twin brother and sister, not only family but partners with marriage in view, it might suit us.

"Hey, Kaede. What do you think about a clock?"

"A clock? It's true we'd use it for a long time, and a place like this probably has tons of cute ones!"

Kaede didn't seem to catch the meaning behind giving a clock, but the idea itself landed.

"Oh! Let's make our smartwatch bands match! We use them every day, we'd use them for ages, and they're clock-related!"

I'd been issued a smartwatch synced with Satsuki-san and Mei-san's, and Kaede wore a commercial model of the same type on her wrist.

"That really might fit today's conditions best."

Once we'd agreed, we used my phone to look up shops likely to sell bands and headed there.

"Mm… stylish ones are nice, but the hassle of putting them on and off is…"

We promised to each bring the one we thought was best and went hunting in the store. As I browsed, I ended up settling on a simple leather band.

"Shouya～, how about it?… Simple really is easier to use, and it goes with any outfit, doesn't it～…"

When we regrouped at the appointed time, Kaede had also brought a band with a simple design just like mine.

"Yeah, while I was choosing I came around to something simple after all…"

"Then let's pick between these two… Shouya, which do you like?"

"Um, I picked this one thinking it would suit you, Kaede, so…"

"Eh! I picked this one thinking it would look good on you, Shouya! ♡"

It turned out we'd both done the same thing, choosing bands with the other in mind. Since Kaede's pick had a design that worked for both men and women, we went with hers.

But then we got into a bit of a tussle over who would pay.

"Then, how about… we give them to each other as gifts?"

"Give them to each other… that's a nice idea! Let's do that! ♡"

My suggestion put a stop to the payment debate. We checked out separately and exchanged our purchases outside the shop.

"Fufu ♡ A present from Shouya ♡ I'll cherish it! ♡"

"Yeah. I'll cherish mine too."

After that, we decided to eat at the food court.

I'd spotted a few other men in the mall today, but none of the other couples seemed to be walking around as close as we were. The women were fussing over them constantly, but the men didn't look like they were having much fun. That was the impression I got.

"Hey, Shouya, t-there's one more place I want to go…"

"Sure, that's fine. Where to?"

"It's r-right near here, but I'll contact Mei-san and have her bring the car around…"

Kaede was restless somehow. Where would we be going next? Maybe she was nervous about whether she could escort me properly. In this world, after all, escorting was the woman's role.

We got into Mei-san's car and drove until we pulled up at a stylish, towering building. From the outside, it looked like it could be a hotel. Were we getting tea here? I'd heard that restaurants inside hotels were more substantial than your average run-of-the-mill places.

"I-I made a reservation, so let's go…"

Kaede had been on edge this whole time. For a couple of middle schoolers, getting tea at a stylish place like this was bound to be nerve-wracking. Plus, even if we were family, this was a date.

She held her phone up to the reception terminal, received a card, and we boarded the elevator up to one of the higher floors.

When we stepped out, doors lined up before us, and I realized each one was a guest room.

It was only here that it finally clicked what Kaede was thinking. She was leading me into a hotel.

"Then, the room… let's go in…"

"Mm…"

Inside, light streamed in through the large window, bright enough that the lights weren't needed. One big bed was set up in the room.

Kaede set her bags down and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Shouya… come… sit next to me."

She patted the bed beside her, calling me over. When I sat down a little ways apart from her, Kaede scooted over and pressed herself snugly against me.

"F-first, let's put the bands on!"

Kaede made a cheerful proposal, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

We opened the boxes we'd just bought, took the terminals off our wrists, and swapped in the new bands.

"Lining them up like this really is nice ♡ Let's take a picture ♡"

Kaede arranged the two terminals and snapped picture after picture. Once she was satisfied, she picked hers back up. But instead of fastening it back onto her wrist, she tucked it away in her bag.

"Shouya… do you know… what we're going to do next?"

"Mm…"

I might not have my memories, but even I wasn't so dense that I didn't know what this room was prepared for. When I nodded, Kaede leaned in and pressed her lips to mine. The moment of her soft lips against mine felt long, and when they pulled away I felt a sense of loss.

"Shouya, is this your first kiss?"

"Mm… it should be…"

"As long as it's a first for the current you, that's fine ♡ It's my first too ♡"

So I'd ended up exchanging first kisses with Kaede. In a normal world, no one would leave a beautiful girl like her alone, but in this world she'd kiss even a guy like me.

"Let's do it again ♡… chu ♡ chu ♡"

This time it wasn't one long pressed-together kiss but a series of gentle touches that pulled away and came back.

"Then… I'll take off your clothes…"

Once she'd had her fill of kissing, Kaede started undressing me. Each time her hands brushed my body, a tingling sensation ran through me. In no time at all my clothes were off, leaving only a pair of briefs that couldn't even hide my erection.

"Shouya… you've already gotten it hard for me… I brought the medicine, but I really won't need it…"

The medicine had to be the one I'd taken during the milking sessions. For an ordinary man it was hard to get hard on his own, so was bringing it the woman's etiquette?

"Just from kissing me, you got this hard… I'm so happy ♡ Shouya ♡"

As she said it, Kaede gently stroked my member through my briefs.

"Uh… yeah… with a girl as cute as you, Kaede…"

"Cute, huh ♡ You should be more aware of how amazing you are, Shouya ♡"

Kaede pressed her lips to mine again as she kept stroking my member.

"It's not fair for you to be the only one undressed…"

Saying that, she started taking off her own clothes.

"W-wait!"

"What is it, Shouya?… You don't want to see me naked…?"

At my sudden pause, Kaede furrowed her brow worriedly.

"That's not it… it's that… I want to undress you too…"

"Mm ♡… then please ♡"

Kaede let go of her clothes and leaned back a little.

I undid the buttons on her cardigan, and when I lifted off her cut-and-sew top, white, soft-looking breasts wrapped in a pale blue bra came into view.

"How… do I look? I tried to pick a cute one, but…"

"… You look cute… very."

I swallowed reflexively. Then I moved my hands to her skirt and slid it down. My hand glided over Kaede's beautiful legs as I lowered it past them. After that I pulled off her socks, leaving both of us in just our underwear.

My eyes kept darting between Kaede's face, her chest, and her crotch, and I couldn't settle down. Watching me take in her body, Kaede suddenly began to fidget.

"I-I'm happy you're looking, but… it's a little embarrassing ♡"

Kaede tucked her hand between her thighs to hide her crotch. Because of that, her breasts got pinched by her arms and squeezed into an uncomfortable shape.

After she said she was happy I was looking, I ended up gazing intently at her flawless, unblemished white skin.

"Sh-Shouya… it's about time… let's do it?… I can't hold back anymore ♡"

Kaede said it sweetly, imploringly, and gently pushed me down onto the bed.