Naoto was laying in his bed, his head resting on the reasonably soft pillow he bought cheaply when they moved into the place. He had lazily tossed his blanket over his legs in a weak attempt at making himself comfortable, before picking up his phone to read the text he had received. The moment the bright light ripped through the darkness covering his room Naoto cussed under his breath, forced to briefly shut his eyes to overcome the pain. After a couple of blinks his eyes seemed to have adjusted to the blinding screen and he was able to read the message.
'sup Paisen?
Naoto cocked his head in surprise, not having expected to hear from Gamo quite that quickly. The situation she had been part of earlier that day was more than a little awkward for sure and he still felt somewhat conflicted over opening up to one of the people that had caused him so much grief in high school. In his mind Gamo's request for his contact had been nothing more than an endeavor to ease her own guilty conscience, convincing herself that she did care more than she let on.
Maybe Naoto had thought wrongly of her. Now he was the one feeling the pangs of guilt. With a quiet sigh he began responding.
Hey Gamo-chan. Not much, just laying in bed.
Cringing a little at the fact that one of the first things he was going to text the girl would include a mention of his bed, he sent the message regardless. Another sigh escaped him, much to his own annoyance and part of him felt like turning the phone off and ending the day.
But the next text rolled in.
Guess you'd be tired after all that crap from today.
Naoto couldn't argue with that, she was spot on after all.
Yeah. It's all kind of a blur. Fell asleep the moment we got back and only woke up recently.
After a small internal struggle about giving up more information about his current state, he added,
Woke up to a massive headache. It wasn't fun.
To his surprise, the response came almost instantly.
Hahaha~ You ain't going to be the only one come tomorrow.
Naoto's eyebrows raised without his input as he replied.
Oh yeah? How come?
Whatever answer he was expecting for the next few seconds did not prepare him for what came back from Gamo's side.
Instead of another text, the woman had sent a selfie of herself from a high angle, sitting on a park bench. A goofy, slightly inebriated smirk was on her lips, while her left hand, pressed up against her cheek, was throwing him a peace sign. She was wrapped tightly into a warm coat with a can of beer in her lap and an entire six pack more sitting by her side. Despite the silly, lighthearted look she had to her, Naoto couldn't help but feel sadness radiating from the picture.
Why are you drinking all alone? Where are the others?
Naoto wasn't sure why but he felt terrible at the thought of her drowning her sorrows this close to midnight, all by herself out in the cold. Maybe because she was the first one to step forward and try to make amends. Because she had said she cared and wanted to be his friend. And he believed her. It wasn't like he wasn't still mad at her, because the anger was still simmering beneath the surface. Yet he couldn't overlook the steps she had taken this far.
After today, the other girls aren't much in terms of company, ya know? I needed a break.
More guilt. Their night had been ruined by him. By his pain and panic. 'It's not my fault!' he tried to tell himself repeatedly, but it was him who had caused such a scene. If Naoto could have just faked a smile for a few minutes and pretended like the small talk wouldn't bother him, maybe they had all left without giving him another thought and returned to their own fun activities. But as it went, he had let Nagatoro see himself sinking into a pit of self loathing, which had required Gamo's intervention to drag him out of.
I am sorry Gamo-chan.
Naoto shut his eyes in disgust at his own actions. Hoping he could somehow make up for it, he began writing a more detailed apology, but was cut off by a new text before he could send it.
Don't you dare. It's not your fault dude.
The man looked at his friend's message through gritted teeth. He hated it when people tried to convince him he wasn't the problem, because it was all he had ever been. Every single person in his life had suffered to an extend due to him. Before he could let the doubt nip at him, Gamo sent another message.
If anything, we should be sorry for ruining your autograph session. Sakura told me people got upset.
Naoto tried not to think about it. His music was practically just a means for him to convey his feelings to the world. The publicity and stardom was something that his friends favored, not Naoto. And they had easily forgiven him for his actions already, for reasons that Naoto couldn't understand. They were always so kind to him.
Don't worry about it. We'll do another session at some point to make up for it.
Cool, I'll be there!
Naoto actually managed to chuckle to himself at that.
Oh yeah? You could have asked for one while you were in the room with us, you know?
Oh. Yeah. Oops. LOL. Doesn't matter, I'll get one still.
Naoto rolled onto his stomach and propped the phone against his pillow, deep in thoughts over this sudden interest in being nice to him. While not against the idea of making friends with Gamo, he still couldn't help but think of her as part of the she-devil army that made almost every day of his life a hell. That being said, Gamo was still a whole hell of a lot more readable than Nagatoro had ever been. With Gamo it was some mischief, followed by the loosening of the proverbial chain around her prey after which she'd send you on your merry way.
Still lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the fact a new message had popped up.
Hey, can I get it tomorrow?
Naoto's eyes bugged out a little and he could feel his hand growing sweaty.
What do you mean?
It took only a few seconds for the response to come. Gamo had thought this through.
We only booked our place for the long weekend. Then we're splitting up again. None of us live in Tokyo.
Naoto understood. If she had to wait until the next official session their band would do, she would probably not have the time or money to go. Still, suddenly being called to hand her an autograph the next day felt like a quick step. They'd have to meet in person. He wouldn't just send someone else to do it. Wait. Ah!
I could send it to you by mail, so you don't have to worry about that.
Naoto felt relief wash over him as the obvious answer came to him. No need to leave the comfort of his place when the mail would take care of the whole hassle for him.
The next text ended up feeling like a gut punch.
Listen, Paisen, if you don't want to meet me that's fine. Just tell me straight, okay? That's all I ask.
Naoto yanked his pillowed out from beneath his phone, slammed it into his face and let out a groan. Of course she wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. He should have known better than that. Damn it.
That's not it Gamo-chan. I have nothing against hanging out with you. I just don't- How the hell was he going to get the idea across without sounding like a lunatic? -don't like being around myself?
He smacked his forehead, absolutely bewildered by how he could consider that message something anyone would be legally allowed to send. But he did.
And he swiftly paid for it.
Well now you dug yourself a hole pal. We're meeting up tomorrow. I look forward to watching your attempts at climbing back out.
Naoto rolled over and threw his arms out in defeat. Women were a mystery to him. How could you talk to them without any missteps? It would seem Tadano had somehow mastered this art, so why was he failing at every possible turn to avoid this sort of outcome. And why did Gamo seem upset at his message. Women just didn't make any sense. Nah, scratch that. People left Naoto a confused mess. Just all of them.
Despite this, there was one advantage to the ball being in his court now and he knew how utilize it.
Sure Gamo-chan. Let's meet tomorrow at noon, there's this place I like around where our concert was. I'll bring my climbing gear.
As expected, the message he got in return was more than a little upset.
What!? Did you not see the my spoils? How am I supposed to get up before noon my dude!
Naoto laughed, feeling some joy from his small victory.
Guess you'll have stop drinking for tonight and go home.
Just the thought of Gamo not being alone by herself in the dark, drinking her worries away, brought a certain calm to his mind. There weren't many, but Naoto did have friends. Gamo now considered herself one of them. And the friends that Naoto did have, where special to him and would be protected at all cost.
Naoto laughed at the little bit of Tadano within him. He made sure to keep that phrasing in mind for next time he felt like poking the Komi bear.
Naoto's thoughts were yanked back to the phone when he saw a response. Not a text, but another selfie of Gamo, now having packed up her things, walking down the path with her face more than a little red, possibly from all the stuff she had been drinking. A little message below it filled Naoto with something he couldn't quite describe.
See ya tomorrow Paisen~
The next day Naoto got up at around 8 am and began his morning routine. He know Tony had slept over at someone else's place, while Tadano and Komi were most likely still out in his band member's room. He essentially had the place to himself for now.
He took a hot shower, realizing he never got to take one the night prior and thus was still sweaty and disgusting from the concert. The sensation of feeling clean put a skip in his step as he returned to the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Naoto didn't want to overdo it and make too much food for breakfast, as he intended to eat at noon after all.
Realizing that he still had a lot of time afterwards, he went back to his room to read some magazines gossiping about bands, just to check whether or not any of them had mentioned them yet. To no surprise in his eyes, there was nothing. After all, they were still small fries in the eyes of the world. They had made no real splash and even the fact that they somehow filled the small venues they ended up playing in seemed like a miracle. They couldn't even find themselves a stable fourth guy. Their band name was essentially a lie.
As the clock struck eleven, he got dressed and once again confirmed with Gamo the place where they'd meet up. As he left his room he caught a glimpse of Komi, sleep drunk and in her pajamas, sneaking back into Tadano's room. He couldn't help but smile at the wholesome relationship those two had. Komi never really spoke all that much, hence why he liked to poke her just a little to get any kind of interactions with her, but he could tell that she truly loved his friend. And that's all that mattered.
Naoto quickly and quietly slipped out the front door and soon hit the pavement running. He had quite some ways to go and a light morning run wouldn't be a bad way to get started. Even though 'morning' was sort of debatable.
After forty-five minutes, Naoto arrived at the place. Just a small little place at the corner of an unassuming road, which you would undoubtedly miss if you weren't looking for it. It oozed that sort of traditional Japanese charm, as if it refused to change with the times and kept pushing along at it's own pace.
Worried that Gamo might have gotten lost after all he shot her a quick message.
I got here a bit early I guess. You think you'll find it alright?
Naoto paced back and forth for a few seconds, eagerly awaiting the reply. He was definitely getting more and more worried with his passing moment that Gamo might have taken a wrong turn or-
Wait. What if she wasn't coming at all? What if this was just another trick? What if she was ju-
"Yeah, I think I found it."
Naoto turned to see Gamo at the corner of the street, a big grin on her face. "'suuuup Paisen~"
The woman began strolling over to him, while Naoto was still reeling from the fact that this was really happening. Gamo was wearing a black hoodie with a lion's face drawn on it. A pair of tight blue jeans covered her legs, which ended in some sleek looking sneakers. A dark, leather choker was wrapped around her neck.
"H-Hi Gamo-chan," Naoto finally blurted out, much to the amusement of his companion.
"What's this? Rock star still too shy to greet his friend properly?"
Naoto lowered his gace, a gentle blush creeping it's way onto his face. It was always difficult for him to deal with women in any reasonable manor. Before he had met Nagatoro most of it was just his lack of self confidence, which stopped him from ever striking up a conversation with the opposite sex. After everything she had done to him, Naoto had just gotten rather frightened by women.
Having someone like Gamo be so casual and friendly with him brought all sorts of complicated feelings up in him. The woman on her end seemed to catch on quickly.
"Ah, sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or anything," she quickly said, considering it a possible record time for herself.
Naoto waved the thought away. "Nah, you're fine. I am just being weird, like usual."
Gamo's smile lowered at that, but she didn't want to push him this early into their meeting. Instead, she decided to try and steer the conversation into more pleasant territory. "So Paisen. This the place, yeah?"
She pointed at the door that was just barely visible between a bunch of far larger buildings surrounding it.
"Yeah," Naoto responded with a sudden joy in his voice. "Best place I've been to since moving here!"
"Well then!" Gamo clapped her hands together and licked her lips. "Hope it's as good as you make it sound. I am starving."
The two quickly stepped through the door into a small restaurant with three table booths and a counter with stools for people to eat at. Most of the place was covered in dark, laminated hardwood and it looked quite nice.
Outside of one other patron, who looked like your average salary man, Naoto and Gamo had the place all to themselves.
The two quickly made their way to the booth in the furthest corner and sat down to read the menu. Gamo was blown away by how much variety there was to potentially try, but decided to go with something more familiar to her. When the time came she ordered a basic Yakiniku dish while Naoto went for Gyukatsu.
Left to themselves while waiting for their food, an awkward silence permeated between them. Naoto wasn't quite sure how to start talking to Gamo who, until less than a day ago, was still someone he considered as a fellow tormentor along side Nagatoro. Not that he would be willing to tell her that and risk hurting the poor woman's feelings.
Gamo was in a similar spot of trouble but managed to push past it to break the ice first.
"It's already starting to smell good back there," she said gleefully as her hunger was twisting her stomach. She had intentionally starved herself this morning to really dig in at noon.
Naoto couldn't agree more.
"Yeah, the smell is actually how I found this place," he explained quickly. "It was my first year in Tokyo. I was so hungry, I wanted to fall over and die. Then I smelled this amazing aroma and made a mad dash straight to this place. Since then I try to come here at least once a week if I can."
Gamo nodded as he concluded his story. She thought that the 'staff', by which she meant essentially one man doing everything, seemed overly familiar with him when they ordered.
"You order the Gyukatsu a lot?" she asked, a sly grin crossing her lips. "It'll make you fat, ya know?"
Naoto let out a small laugh at her implications. "Who knows, maybe my love for the stuff is the reason I got any sort of meat on my bones."
Gamo could feel elation rising within her at the sight of Naoto's genuine laughter. Had she ever seen this before? Had there ever been even one moment where he could drop his guard around them enough to let himself laugh like that? She doubted it. She hated that thought so much. Gamo wanted to see him laugh more.
"By the way," Naoto said, ripping her out of her thoughts. "I really like that choker. It suits you a lot."
Gamo wasn't sure whether or not the heat reaching her face could be seen on the outside but she desperately tried to make it dissipate.
"H-haha is that so?" she chuckled, trying to play it off as if the comment didn't mean much to her at all.
Naoto nodded, his eyes moving to their corners as if he was remembering something. "See, I wear a lot of them myself when I am on stage. So I sort of got into collecting them and started to form a decent idea in my head as to what type I like wearing. The material is super important. It needs to be light and can definitely never be too tight around your neck to-"
Gamo took a deep breath as Naoto continued rattling off his strange, yet endearing passion for chokers. It made his previous remark explainable. She had wondered where he had suddenly gotten the confidence to compliment a girl from. But as she knew from his time in the art room, when it came to his passions, Naoto was quick to lose himself in them, without ever considering the blunt remarks coming from him.
What she couldn't explain was why she now felt disappointed. He had told her the accessory looked good on her. That was nice! Why would she be miffed about it?
They were both interrupted in their respective trains of thoughts when the food arrived.
"There you go!" the chef who was also the waiter looked at them with an expectant smile. "And thank you for bringing your girlfriend Hachiouji-kun! I hope we do not disappoint her with our cuisine."
Naoto could feel his face burn up and he wanted to dowse himself with water.
Gamo on the other hand took the misunderstanding in strides. "Thank you so much Sir. I am sure I will love it!"
The chef nodded gratefully and then made his way back into the kitchen.
Naoto sat there like a statue, his face beet red as he refused to even look anywhere in Gamo's general direction.
The girl couldn't let that chance slide.
"Whaaaaa~" she started up with a feigned hurt voice. "You this upset at the idea of someone mistaking me for your girlfriend Paisen?"
Naoto quickly shook his head, both to deny that accusation and snap himself out of his stupor. "N-N-No that's not w-what I said!"
Gamo chuckled and shoved Naoto's food toward him. "You better eat before it gets cold Paisen."
And so the two began eating in silence. Gamo noted that visually, the food looked quite standard, with no frills or anything exceptional to it. But once she finally placed a piece of beef into her mouth, the flavor absolutely overwhelmed her. She dropped her chopsticks onto the plate and began wriggling in her seat.
"That's so goooood~" she cooed as she let the savory meat sit on her tongue.
Naoto snickered a little with a satisfied grin on his face. "I told you. Best place I know."
Gamo was still just shifting around in her seat, stuck on cloud seven over the food. She just knew this was going to be a second order type of deal. Maybe a third one, for when she had to go back home and would eventually lose the chance to get more of this place. Thus, she started eating once again, very slowly in fact, as to ensure that she was savoring every bit of flavor.
Naoto was happy to watch her enjoy the meal so much. Parts of him had been kind of nervous about it honestly, thinking that maybe his taste was just off in some way and his friend would make fun of how outstanding he had made the place seem. But that worry was now properly buried.
After finishing their food, the two leaned back into their seats and let out content sighs.
"That absolutely hit the spot," Gamo claimed, her eyes shut as she took in the aroma of more food being made in the kitchen.
Naoto hummed in agreement and took a sip of his water.
"I am really glad you liked it Gamo-chan," he added with a smile.
Gamo smirked at him and leaned forward across the table.
"Food's not enough though. I still need my autograph."
Naoto's eyes widened for a moment as he remembered. "Oh, right. That's why we are here!"
The man quickly pulled out a pen and notepad out of his pockets and started scribbling on it. Even though he wasn't really drawing anything, Gamo was taken aback by how much she missed the sight of Naoto working with pen and paper in hand.
Eventually Naoto gingerly tore the note off the rest of the pad and slid it across the table to her. In absolutely gorgeous hand writing it read:
To my friend Gamo, who I wish I could have gotten to know better. Thank you. - Naoto Hachiouji 'The Artist'
Gamo read the two lines over and over, not quite understanding what they were trying to say. 'Could have gotten to know'? 'Thank you'? What for?
"Hey, Paisen?" Gamo looked up at him and realized that his expression was somewhat unreadable.
He wore a reassuring smile to let her know that he was happy to spend time with her, that he valued her being here with him, but after the years of tending to Nagatoro after what they had gone through, she could instantly spot the fakeness of it.
"What's wrong?"
Naoto waved the notion off. "Nothing at all! A-Are you upset that it's just a note? I am sorry, I forgot to bring the proper kind of pap-"
Gamo reached over and took his hand into her own. Naoto flinched and she could tell he wanted to pull away, but she wouldn't let him.
"Naoto, what's wrong?"
There it was again. His name. Such familiarity. As if they had been such close friends for so long. Naoto pursed his lips as he stood from his seat.
"I-I need a moment."
Without another word, Naoto walked out of the place. The chef stepped out from behind the kitchen to look at the door with a confused look before turning his attention to Gamo.
"Huh, he hasn't done that in some time," he explained as if it was not really a problem, just an oddity. "You guys alright?"
Gamo, still shocked by the situation, took a moment to respond. "He's done this before then?"
"Oh yeah," the chef responded. "I can tell he, uh, struggles a bit on certain days. Being crammed into this tiny shoebox must do something to the poor boys head. But he always comes back and always pays off the tab, so I can't really complain."
Gamo got up from the booth, quickly payed for the own meal and bowed to the chef. "Thank you so much for the food, it was delicious."
The man nodded graciously and Gamo took off after Naoto.
Nagatoro skipped on her judo club for the day and went straight for the art room. Every inch of her was craving her Senpai in a way she wasn't fully used to.
The girl threw the door to the art club open. To her surprise, Senpai was nowhere to be found.
Strange. He is always here after school.
The girl quickly checked to see if he was in the adjacent room, which he wasn't, then whether or not he had left her any messages, which he hadn't.
What's up with this!
More than a little upset that she couldn't find her Senpai she walked back out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. As she stood there, considering other places where Senpai could have gone to, Hana Sunomiya marched her way up the stairs at the end of the corridor.
Spotting her first, Nagatoro ran toward the girl and almost crashed into her. "H-Hey! Have you seen Senpai around?"
"You mean Hachiouji-senpai?" Hana asked in her non-emoting ways.
"The one and only!" Nagatoro laughed. Who else would she call Senpai around here?
Hana look to the side, as if in contemplation, before looking back at Nagatoro.
"Hachiouji-senpai left school early today," the girl explained. "He left the keys with me so I may use the art room and lock up once I am done."
Nagatoro furrowed her brow. Her Senpai was not one to slack on his after school activities unless something was wrong. Had something happened? Had he gotten sick in the short time they hadn't been together? Did he get hurt in some way? Did someone hurt him!?
"Did he tell you why he left early?" Nagatoro asked her kohai.
Hana shook her head, the same blank expression she was always sporting on her face. "Unfortunately not. He seemed a little somber though."
"A-And you didn't stop him!?" Nagatoro asked, absolutely baffled by Hana's actions or lack thereof.
It wasn't a lot, but Nagatoro clearly saw the corners of Hana's lips lowering by a tiny bit. "It was none of my business. As much as I wish to ensure Hachiouji-senpai is happy as he can be, I respect him enough to not push when he is unwilling to let me into his thoughts."
Before Nagatoro could think of something clever to reply with, Hana added, "Unlike a certain someone."
Nagatoro could feel the heat of anger rising to her face. Her kohai was making fun of her? Insulting her? Accusing perhaps? Unimaginable!
"Whatever," Nagatoro chuckled dryly, trying to make it clear how little she thought of Hana's potential negative opinions of her. "I'll go check on him. See ya later."
With that, Nagatoro pushed past Hana and ran out of the school. Tracing the path she and Senpai had taken to school in reverse, Nagatoro scanned every inch along the way to see if she could spot him. Alas, there was no sign of him.
Eventually she arrived at his house, a place she hadn't been to in a while. Nagatoro could feel her heart beating a little faster at the idea that she'd spend time with her Senpai alone in his house. The boy had let it slip that his parents would be out for a couple days due to work, which made it the prime time to target him for some fun activities.
The girl quickly skipped to the front door and knocked on it. After giving it a few moments without a response, she tried again.
Nagatoro was about to grab her phone and call the boy, which made her feel stupid for not trying to do so earlier, when she could hear the door latch move and it finally opened.
Senpai stood in the middle of the hall, his gaze downcast, barely willing to acknowledge the fact that the girl was here.
"What's up Senpai!" Nagatoro asked, trying her best to sound as cheerful as she could. "You weren't in the art room. You hiding from me~?"
"H-H-Hi Nagatoro... No I w-wasn't hiding..." came the response.
The sullen look and his lifeless voice made sirens go off in Nagatoro's head. What happened to him!?
"Aw, what's wrong Senpai?" she tried again to find any means to cheer him up or get the usual adorably embarrassed responses out of him.
"N-Nothing..."
Senpai just turned around and walked into the living room without another word. Considering he hadn't shut the door on her, she took it as a sign that it was okay for her to enter.
After closing and locking the front door, Nagatoro joined him in the living room where he had since sat down on the couch, staring at a paused framed of a movie he had began to watch by himself.
"Ooooh, whatcha watching Senpaaaai~" she cooed as she took a seat next to him. "Something leeewd? I bet you are, pervy Senpai!"
He refused to look at her and simply played the movie. It was a simple documentary about certain art styles and techniques that one could use to bring out the color in their pieces. Nothing that Nagatoro really had much experience with.
Nagatoro could feel herself on edge as the quietness emanating from her Senpai was so unlike him that she just knew something awful must have happened to him.
She wanted to help him somehow and let him know she was there for him. But it was so hard with her mind pounding away at her, telling her to stick to her guns and just be the brat she always showed herself to be.
Each time she made a move to begin opening up to him and letting him see the feelings she was hiding deep within her heart, the many voices in her head just told her to zip it and play it off as a joke or push his buttons in a way to get a cute reaction out of him. There was no helping it. She knew it was wrong, but especially in moments like these, where she knew he was suffering, it made her despise herself.
Nagatoro loved this boy so much, but some sort of demented creature shared her brain with her. No, it was fully in control of it. Assuring that each time the two spent time together, she would do something to bring him down in some way. She hated it. Sometimes she simply hated herself for hosting such a horrible thing within her, but she was never strong enough to get rid of it and reveal the real her underneath it all. The girl that just honestly craved attention and love from her Senpai.
Just be honest. Tell him you are there for him. Tell him how much you care!
"S-Senpai.. I..."
Senpai turned his head to meet her gaze and the vacant eyes staring back at her made Nagatoro shudder.
No, this is perfect. Look how low he is. Kick him while he is down!
Nagatoro winced at the inner turmoil that was taking a hold of her. Stuck between the real Hayase wanting nothing more than to embrace him and suffocate him with love and the demon buried deep in her mind, begging for a chance to let loose and rip into it's victim. Torn both ways, never truly honest with anyone, not even herself, she fought and struggled against the voices, pleading for them to subside so she could just be there for him.
And then she snapped, as she always did when neither side could take full control of her.
A mischievous grin played on her lips as she got on her hands and knees and crawled over to her Senpai. The boy hadn't moved, his face giving away no emotion.
With a seductive giggle the girl gently pushed him over so that he was laying on his side.
"Look at me Senpai~" she cooed as she turned him to face her.
Nagatoro crawled over him and placed her hand on his cheek.
There was no blush, he didn't flinch, there was no reaction. He just stared at her with those empty eyes. No, it was as if he was looking through her.
It tore at girls heart for so many reasons. She was sad. She was furious. She was embarrassed. She felt disgusting. She felt so sexy. She wanted him. She needed him. She needed to leave now. Get away from him now. Stop this. Now.
The voices in her head were tearing at each other's throat and she couldn't form a coherent thought. It was all noise, static on a television with no clear picture coming in. She felt so broken. The only way to repair herself was through him.
Acting entirely on her desires and instincts, she leaned closer to Senpai's face. Their lips now only an inch away from each other now, Nagatoro let her tongue loll out of her mouth and she slowly licked the tip of the boy's nose.
"Senpai~" she giggled in a seductive manner. "You are such a virgin Senpai. But you know what?"
Nagatoro leaned even closer, her chest now pressing hard against his, her lips by his ear. "So am I."
She blew hot air into his ear, hoping to elicit some sort of aroused reaction. But nothing budged.
If she had been in any way lucid, this is the part where she would have retreated, both ashamed and terribly disappointed. But she had lost all control of her mind and it was now spiraling toward self destruction.
Instead she fully straddled him now, her ass firmly placed in his lap. Her face was one bright red mess, but she couldn't stop herself. She grinned at him, taking the silence and lack of response as a challenge, a dare, to see if she could break him.
And she would.