Ponytail and Ribbon

A weekend in early April. I've come on the date I promised Akari-san. Right now we're having tea at a cafe inside the shopping mall.

"Shouya-san! Thank you so much for today!"

"No… I promised, after all…"

"Ehehe ♪ Promised…"

Today Akari-san is wearing a light-blue blouse trimmed all over with frills and ribbons, paired with a deep-colored denim skirt. It's spring-like and cute. At the cherry blossom viewing she was also in a miniskirt, so she must really like showing off her legs.

I like miniskirts too. Bare legs and a glimpse of panties: two birds with one stone. In this world there's no concept of "show-panties," so everyone wears the real thing and stirs up my hidden lustful side.

"Shouya-san! Have you gotten used to school?"

"Yes… well enough…"

"Fufu ♪ I'm so glad you're feeling well again ♪"

"It's thanks to all of you… but…"

"But?"

"It was lonely, not getting to see everyone anymore…"

"Shouya-san…"

Akari-san's eyes well up at my words.

"I… we were lonely too… but with the flower viewing, and you meeting me today… knowing that wasn't the last time… I'm so happy…"

I want to thank everyone who took such good care of me, and even setting thanks aside, I love everyone I met at the hospital so much that I want to see them as often as I can.

"Let's meet lots more from now on. As a group, or just the two of us. Of course, only if everyone's all right with it…"

"Yes! Senpai and Kudou-sensei will absolutely say they want to see you!"

While the two of us were talking, the items we'd ordered arrived. It's still early in the morning, but we'd decided to have sweets at the cafe anyway. Akari-san ordered fluffy pancakes, and I got a parfait.

"Wow! So cute!"

Akari-san happily snaps photos of the sweets, mine included. Both are piled high with cream, sweet, and they look delicious.

"Okay! Let's eat! Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu."

First I eat the cherry sitting on top of the cream. The sweetness and the way it pops between my teeth are irresistible. Then I work through the fruit and ice cream, coating each in cream. Everything pairs wonderfully with it.

"Shouya-san! The pancakes are delicious too! Open wide～"

While I was absorbed in my parfait, Akari-san fed me a bite of pancake. Being fed like this brings back memories of daily life at the hospital. The fluffy pancake heaped with cream had the kind of texture that made teeth feel unnecessary.

"Is it good?"

"Yes, very… please try my parfait too."

In return I generously dressed a piece of parfait fruit with cream and fed it to Akari-san. Feeding her, the reverse of before, feels like proof I've recovered my health.

"Fufu ♡ It's really delicious ♡"

Feeding each other, we worked through the sweets and then ordered after-meal coffees.

"Shouya-san, shall we head to the next place soon?"

Akari-san settled the bill and we left the cafe. Since it's my thank-you date I told her I wanted to pay, but she said, "I can't let a high schooler, and a man on top of that, pay!" and wouldn't let me put down a single yen.

In that case, I figured, and proposed to Akari-san: "Want to hold hands?" I'm sure she'd be happy with that.

"Y-yes! Let's hold hands!"

Just as I'd expected, Akari-san's breath turned a little ragged as she took my hand. Not the lovers' interlace, just a regular hand-hold, but that's nice too.

Hands joined, we moved through the shopping mall and stepped into a corner lined with pretty accessories.

"Are you sure… somewhere like this?… Won't it be boring for a man?…"

"No… it's fine… besides, I want to get something as a present for you, Akari-san…"

Akari-san had been worried I wasn't enjoying myself, but at my words she shook her head back and forth so hard you could almost hear it whoosh.

"N-no, no! Just the date alone is the greatest present for me…"

But that won't be enough to satisfy me. And I want to give her something tangible to remember the two of us by.

"I want to see you wearing an accessory I picked out, Akari-san… is that no good?"

"F-fuhe… w-well, if you say that much… p-please do… b-but nothing expensive! I don't know how much you have on you, Shouya-san, but I can't let a high schooler buy something pricey! I won't budge on that one!"

I somehow managed to talk Akari-san around, and it looks like I'll be able to give her an accessory after all. I feel like I'm getting decently good at coaxing women into letting me have my way.

I watched Akari-san closely the whole time, picking based on what would suit her tastes and what would look best on her. In the end I settled on a ribbon-shaped accessory for her hair.

It was a little pricey and Akari-san balked, but between the desperate sales pitch from the shop assistant and my own assist, we somehow got her to nod yes. The assistant cut the tag off and Akari-san put it on right there.

"How… does it look?"

"It suits you so well. You look adorable, Akari-san."

When I gave my honest impression, both Akari-san and the shop assistant who'd been watching us turned bright red. Akari-san's deep-crimson ponytail and the deep-blue ribbon swayed together, drawing my eyes.

"Th-thank you so much… I'll absolutely treasure it for the rest of my life! I'll always wear it when I see you, Shouya-san!… Though not at the hospital, sadly…"

"Yes, that would make me happy."

Akari-san thanked me over and over with tears welling in her eyes, and I could feel just how truly delighted she was. Seeing her this happy, I felt from the bottom of my heart that I was glad I'd given it to her.

After that the two of us wandered through general-goods shops selling cute knickknacks and other places, enjoying ourselves for a while.

"Akari-san… there's somewhere I'd like to go after this… is that okay?"

"Y-yes!"

Akari-san agreed to going to a hotel with the snap of a sports-club kid. What came to mind was Kaede's words: 'I want you to be more assertive.'

I think Akari-san is someone who'd be happy to do lewd things with me. The women of this world are starved for men. So just doing lewd things with a man should be enough to make her happy.

And, conceit aside, if she has even a little affection for me, then I think she'd find happiness in being intimate with me…

With Mei-san driving, we moved to the hotel and went through the usual procedure: got the room key and entered the guest suite.

"Shouya-san… nchu… ♡ chu… ♡"

The moment we were in the room, Akari-san caught both sides of my jaw and brought her lips to mine. A sweet, gentle, lips-only kiss.

When the kiss ended and our lips parted, Akari-san squirmed bashfully and said, "Shouya-san… please let me take a shower…" Kaede and Arisa always pounced on me at full speed, but normally you do shower first, don't you…

"Understood… go ahead…"

"U-um! Won't you… shower together with me?!"

Squeezing the words out, Akari-san invited me into the shower.

"Yes, of course."

When I went to undress myself, Akari-san stopped me with a "Please wait!"

"I want to… do all of it for you… please let me take care of you like I did at the hospital…"

Akari-san stripped my clothes off with deft efficiency, and in no time I was down to my underwear. Things like undoing someone else's belt look hard, but she handled it with what I can only call veteran's skill.

"Then, Akari-san's clothes… I'll…"

"N-no, mine…"

"The way you did it for me, Akari-san, I want to do the same for you… is that no good?"

At my words Akari-san wavered with an "Uuh… but…" After all, she sees me as someone to be taken care of. And I'm younger, too. But I want that to end today.

"Akari-san, I want to graduate from a relationship where I'm only the one being cared for… or am I too young to be your partner…?"

"Shouya-san… I'm so happy… that you'd think that much of me… and I'm sorry… my own resolve was lacking, and I made a man have to say all of that… I want to date you with marriage in mind, Shouya-san!"

"Yes, I want that kind of relationship with you too, Akari-san."

I thought I'd given her a proper answer, but no reply came back from Akari-san.

"Akari-san…?"

"Uuh… sniff… I'm fo forry… it'f juft tho happhy…"

When I called out, Akari-san finally answered me, big tears spilling from her wide eyes. I drew Akari-san close and rubbed her back until she settled down.

"I'm sorry… I'm all right now…"

When Akari-san stopped crying, I pulled back and looked at her face once more. And then, with tremendous force, she fastened her lips onto mine.

"Shouya-san… chuuuuu… ♡ chupa… ♡ I love you, Shouya-san ♡ I love kind Shouya-san so much ♡ I've been wanting this for so long ♡"

While we kissed my rod grew steadily harder until it was pressing against Akari-san's stomach.

"Ah ♡ Shouya-san… you got this hard for me… ♡ Oh, right, you were going to undress me, weren't you! Please do!"

When Akari-san noticed my erection, her cheeks softened into a delighted smile. Then, to make undressing easier for me, she arched her body slightly to push the buttons of her blouse forward.

"I'm taking it off…"

Undoing the buttons of her blouse revealed a pure-white bra trimmed with frills and lace beneath. Trying not to let my excitement show, I slowly drew the hem of the blouse out from her skirt, slid it off her shoulders, and worked her arms out of the sleeves.

Next I undid the hook and zipper of her skirt and slid it down. Her panties, which looked like they matched the bra, had a noticeable change in color around the crotch.

"E-ever since I saw you this morning, it's been like this… I'm sorry…"

Akari-san confessed the flood-state of her crotch on her own, without me asking.

"Please don't apologize… it makes me happy that I'm the reason…"

"Shouya-san… you really are so kind… ♡ A normal man would be put off…"

True. If I swap it for a man, it'd be like saying I'd been hard and leaking the whole date… yeah, that might put someone off a bit. But for me, when it's people I love this dearly, there's no problem at all.

Akari-san turned her back to me, showing off her lovely, slim back, and said over her shoulder, "Please undo my bra hook…" as she watched me.

Looking at her narrow waist, her firm, perked-up bottom, and her slender, pure-white back, I was suddenly seized by the urge to hug her.

"Kyah… ♡ Shouya-san… a hug all of a sudden…"

"Sorry… I just felt like doing this…"

"I'm happy… that you would do this for me on your own…"

Akari-san is taller than me, so I can't pull off a cool back-hug, but she seems happy. Her ponytail brushed my face and smelled wonderful, and the head of my member pressed into her soft rear. I kissed her back, my hips making little involuntary rocking motions.

"Ah ♡ Ahn ♡ Shouya-san…"

Every time I kissed her back, Akari-san let out a sweet little cry, and my heart filled.

Once I was satisfied with the hug, I undid the hook of Akari-san's bra and slid her panties down too. I'd hurried, not even waiting for her reaction, and I felt a little anxious that I might have disappointed her.

"Shouya-san… how… is it?… Does my plain body excite you?"

Akari-san turned slowly back toward me, looking anxious. With my cock already hard, I felt like saying, what are you even asking?

"If you weren't exciting me, it wouldn't be like this…"

My member, stiff as a rod inside my underwear, was proof enough. Akari-san gave a happy little nod.

"Then… I'll undress you too, Shouya-san…"

Akari-san knelt in front of me and hooked her fingers into the elastic of my underwear. Her warm hands brushed my stomach and tickled. She pulled the elastic out so my member wouldn't catch, slid them down, and at last my cock was exposed.

"Amazing… it's this big…"

Akari-san reached out a hand toward my rod, but at the last instant she caught herself and said, "L-let's go take that shower!", drawing her hand back as she stood. She slipped the ribbon from her hair, gazed at it as if it were precious, set it on the table, and headed toward the bathroom.

I hurried after Akari-san's quick-stepping figure and entered the bathroom.