"Phew, I feel like my body is getting all flushed."
A while has passed since the massage that caused that bit of trouble. We were getting ready for bed, moving the table to the side and laying out the futon. However, Kanade, who had already lain down on the bed before me, suddenly said that.
After laying out the futon, I looked at her to confirm the true meaning of her words.
There was a thin layer of sweat on Kanade's forehead. Her cheeks were flushed too... she certainly looked a bit hot.
"Should I lower the AC temperature?" I asked Kanade, who was fanning herself with her hand. There was no answer. Instead, Kanade pulled at the collar of her T-shirt and began to fan air toward her upper body as well.
...I looked away from Kanade. Because Kanade pulled the collar of her T-shirt herself, her skin was faintly visible. For a high school boy, it was a slightly too stimulating sight.
For now, I lowered the AC setting by one degree without saying a word.
"Muu..."
I thought this would resolve the heat in her body, but Kanade looked somewhat dissatisfied.
"...Kanade, let's sleep."
"Hey, Ak-kun."
"What?"
"Since we're at it, why don't we sleep in the bed together?"
"No way."
"...Why?"
Kanade's tone of voice dropped.
"Because you're all flushed and hot, right? If two people sleep in a single bed, it'll be cramped and even hotter."
"...True."
Kanade seemed convinced.
"Then, I'm turning off the lights."
"Yeah."
After turning off the lights, I made my way to the futon in the pitch-black room and slowly lay down.
"...Phew. Finally, today is over. ...Today was a hard day, between studying and school."
I felt like paying my respects to myself for getting through such a hard day.
I closed my eyes. Tomorrow, I'll wake up at the usual time and spend the day... devoted to studying as always. That's what I thought.
"Ak-kun."
However, today of all days, I was called out to by the girl who was my roommate in this room.
"...Ak-kun?"
To tell the truth, I had started feeling a bit sleepy even before I closed my eyes. The moment I closed my eyes, that sleepiness reached its peak... and even replying to Kanade was starting to feel like a chore.
"Ak-kuun."
So... this is just me being on the verge of falling asleep; it's definitely not that I'm ignoring Kanade or anything like that. ...As I let out a soft snore, I began to fall into a deep sleep.
"Ei!"
"Gyah!"
...I wanted to fall into a deep sleep. A few seconds after I heard the sound of the bed creaking, I felt a presence inside my futon. Then, the moment I felt that presence, I heard Kanade's voice by my ear.
"Geez. Don't ignore me."
It seems Kanade had climbed down from the bed and crawled into my futon.
"...I wasn't ignoring you."
"Don't ignore me."
"I'm not."
"Don't ignore me."
"...Sorry."
"Yeah."
Kanade's voice sounded satisfied.
"...So, what's wrong?"
"Eh? ...Ahaha. Somehow my body is flushed. I'm not sleepy."
"Is that so..."
"Yeah. Why don't we talk a little more?"
"...I'm sleepy, though."
"...Heh."
Kanade's tone of voice dropped again.
"Ak-kun doesn't think I'm important."
"Haha."
"What's so funny?"
Kanade's tone... dropped even further.
"There's no way you're not important to me."
I didn't really understand why her tone dropped, but I spoke my true feelings.
"...Kanade has always been my driving force."
"..."
"My effort in studying. Even studying abroad in France. Everything... were actions born because of you."
"............"
"Because you are important to me, I began to think seriously about what I wanted to do and seek the best and most optimal results."
"..............."
"Well, I haven't achieved any results yet, though."
That part was a little frustrating.
"...Ak-kun. Do you still have no intention of lowering your goal?"
Kanade's voice and breath in my ear were a bit ticklish.
"I don't."
"Even though I, who was your driving force, am now by your side?"
"Yeah. Even so, I won't."
"...I see."
Kanade had been asking me to lower my goals regarding studying in France—and the objectives beyond that—ever since we reunited and I told her my plans. However... to be honest, I couldn't help but feel like, "She still hasn't given up?"
No matter what Kanade says... in order to not follow the same path as that time when I was powerless, I have no intention whatsoever of changing the determination I once made.
"Ak-kun."
...I wanted to get to sleep quickly to prepare for the next day to achieve that goal, but Kanade seemingly had no intention of letting me sleep yet.
"...Won't you have a showdown with me?"
It was a sudden proposal.
"A showdown?"
"Yeah. On the next test, why don't we compete to see who can get the higher score?"
"Why all of a sudden..."
"It's the result of my own thinking."
"About what?"
"How I can stop Ak-kun from studying in France."
...How on earth did that lead to a test competition?
"Because... with Ak-kun's personality, you would think that someone who can't even take first place on a test shouldn't have such grand goals, right?"
...I see. Well, certainly... if I were backed into a corner, I might eventually think that way.
"So, let's have a test showdown with my goal of stopping your study abroad in France on the line."
"...Alright."
I had no particular reason to refuse. After all, even without a declaration of war... tests are fundamentally a competition of academic ability between students. In the first place, as long as we take the test on the same stage, we are enemies during the testing period.
"...I'll do my best."
"I'll do my best too."
"I'll definitely enjoy university campus life with Ak-kun."
As I felt my motivation for the test rise slightly, I suddenly thought. ...Why does Kanade desire a university campus life with me so much?