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"Jirou?"
Akari knocked on his door.
"Jirou, wake up!"
She knocked again, more vehemently.
"Please, Jirou!"
Desperation and fear resonated in her voice. Damn, is he really sleeping that soundly?
Something stirred on the other side of the door. Jirou opened his eyelids. He heard the music from his handheld, which was resting on his lap. Crap, he really had fallen asleep while gaming. "I'm coming!" he called to Akari through the closed door, turning off the handheld and swinging his legs out of bed. A glance at the clock told him that it was in the middle of the night. What did Akari want from him at this hour? Had a spider appeared?
Sleepily, he opened his door to find Akari in her pajamas in front of him. She didn't look directly at him, but played with the hem of her top, looking uncertain.
"What's wrong?" asked Jirou, eyeing Akari. Normally, she beamed with confidence and had an even intimidating energy. He rarely experienced her this vulnerable, and it awakened in him the urge to be there for her.
"I had a nightmare!" she cried, looking agitatedly into his eyes, even pleadingly. "It was horrible, please, sleep with me!"
Jirou's eyes widened, not believing his ears. "Whaaa-aat!" He turned bright red.
"What are you thinking again, pervert? I mean in the sense of beside me! With me in the same bed! I was having a nightmare and you only think about one thing!" She snorted angrily.
That didn't make it much better. He should sleep... next to her... under one blanket or how? Stop, he had to shake off those thoughts! After this embarrassing misunderstanding, he had to pull himself together! He thought of her initially help-seeking look. He had wanted to be there for her just a moment ago, hadn't he?
"Okay, no problem," he continued as calmly as he could while a slight blush still lingered on his cheeks. "I'll dispel any bad dreams for you. Wait - which bed should we sleep in? Yours?"
Akari shook her head. She didn't want to go back to her room. There, she had woken up in a cold sweat.
Jirou opened his door completely. "Okay, well, come on in."
A stern smell drifted out of the room and into Akari's nose. "Eww, your room totally smells like sweat! When was the last time you aired it out?"
Jirou turned around and sniffed the air, but couldn't really detect anything. "You think it stinks?" he asked, confused, and walked over to the window to open it. "'Better like this?"
"As if this makes it better right away! Your room needs to air out for a few hours before I can stand it in there! We'll just unfold the couch and sleep there," she suggested instead, pointing to the sofa. "Will you get your pillow and blanket?" she asked, setting to work unfolding the couch. Jirou nodded and returned with pillow and blanket in his arms, which he placed on the unfolded sofa. Akari slid under the covers and made herself comfortable. When Jirou didn't follow immediately, she looked up in confusion.
He stood frozen in front of the sofa, staring at her, caught up in his thoughts. Should I really slip under the covers with her now? Lie very close to her? Panic ran through his body. This can't be happening, I...I can't just....
"Hey virgin, come over here or don't you dare?"
Akari gave him a challenging look. Her words annoyed him. She always had to tease him! Sometimes it got on his nerves and right now was such a moment.
"Aren't you a virgin yourself?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"What's the point of this now? You did agree to sleep next to me! So don't make such a fuss and come here!"
As she spoke, Akari impatiently stood up and grabbed Jirou's arm to pull him into bed with her. They plopped down on the bed and Akari pulled the covers over them both, then snuggled up to Jirou's side, resting her head on his chest and sliding one leg over his. She made herself comfortable and Jirou turned bright red. He couldn't focus on anything but her being so close. Her warmth, her soft weight.... She sighed contentedly and his emotions went on a roller coaster. Was this really happening right now? Was a girl really snuggling up to him? His heart was pounding and he stared at the ceiling without really looking at it. The minutes passed and slowly, very slowly, he got a little bit used to it.
"Thank you," she murmured, and it was almost inaudible because she was speaking into the fabric of his shirt.
"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Jirou asked after he remembered the reason for all this again.
Akari hesitated. He could feel her hand tightening on his chest.
"You don't have to if you don't want to! It's best to just forget about it really quickly. Nightmares never come true anyway, so just shake it off," Jirou spoke at a fast pace that made his insecurity obvious.
"This one does," she muttered, thinking he hadn't heard. But Jirou straightened up on his elbows and looked into her stunned face. He looked serious. He was taking this seriously. He didn't want her nightmare to come true. Tears gathered in her eyes. And yet he was the cause of the nightmare.
When he saw the tears welling up, it almost broke his heart. What was Akari talking about? What kind of nightmare could it be?
"I'll do everything in my power to make sure your nightmare doesn't come true!" he spoke with a deep conviction that caused a sad laugh to escape Akari's lips and the tears to actually start running.
"What's so funny about that?" he asked, confused, and she just shook her head, tears streaming down.
"Akari, please, tell me what you were dreaming!" he pleaded.
She hesitated again, but perhaps the only thing that could stop her nightmare was to be honest.
"I dreamt that we made the marriage exchange, that you and Sakurazaka moved in together and acted like lovebirds and I had to watch it happen while I was all alone and lonely," Akari whispered.
"But you won't be alone, Tenjin will be with you," Jirou said in confusion. Wasn't that what Akari wanted? The partner swap? To be with Tenjin? Jirou was very confused.
"There's someone I love more than Minami by now. And anyway, during our beach trip this summer, it turned out that he has no interest in me whatsoever."
It took Akari an incredible amount of effort to say those words. She was making herself so vulnerable by doing so. Now the moment has come for Jirou to reject her and break her heart. But better now than to suffer from heartbreak silently while pretending to be happy for Jirou and Shiori. That would be the real nightmare.
Jirou blinked in confusion.
"Who are you more in love with than Minami?!"
Frustration gripped Akari. This stupid nerd hadn't understood anything! Angrily, she propped both hands on his chest and straightened up.
"Sometimes I could strangle you! Did you fall on your head as a child? You - Jirou Yakuin - are the person I'm in love with! Isn't it pretty obvious? We went on a date during summer vacation! I showed off my super sexy bikini to you and only you! I snuggle up to you on the couch every evening! I forced you to sleep on the couch with me right now! I-"
Akari's monologue was suddenly interrupted by Jirou leaning over and kissing her fiercely. It was so fierce that she toppled over sideways. But he didn't break the kiss, instead following her movement and intensifying the kiss until they separated, struggling for breath. Jirou looked at Akari lying beneath him. Her flushed cheeks, glossy lips, wide eyes, rapid breathing, and all surrounded by her long pink hair.
Akari stared upward, into Jirou's face. Her heart was pounding fast. Usually she was the one showing initiative. But now he had taken action and she felt his presence more forcefully than ever before. Lying on her back, she felt almost a little defenseless and that only made her heart pound faster. She had never expected that it would drive her out of her mind to experience him like this. But what did it all mean? She had confessed her love to him and he had kissed her. A small glimmer of hope spread.
"Does that mean you have feelings for me, too?" asked Akari in a gentle tone.
His gaze crossed hers. But he couldn't bear to look at her sweet expression, and frustrated, he dropped his head onto the mattress. "I thought- I did- Damn it."
"What?" she asked worriedly, suddenly feeling him tremble. "What's wrong?"
His hands were clenched into fists and in frustration he pressed his head against the mattress as if he could bury his head in sand like an ostrich.
"Talk to me," Akari pleaded, worried.
Jirou straightened up, sat down beside her. He looked at her face, then away, then back at her. He felt the urge to ask her if she really meant it. But he knew that if he asked her, she would just get angry. She was serious. She had meant all of the little gestures all along. He'd been telling himself for months that she wanted to tease him, to annoy him, to make fun of him... and yes, at first that had been the case. But he had missed realizing that it had changed. He wondered since when Akari had such feelings for him. Had it come gradually or was it due to some incident? But now was not the time to think about it any longer. He still had to answer Akari's question and had already taken too much time.
"I didn't expect this. Never. I didn't consider it because... because... you're Akari! You're so pretty and popular and bold and provocative! And I'm reserved and a nerd and get on your nerves so often. Besides, I'm not even half as good-looking as Tenjin."
Meanwhile, Akari had also sat up and flicked against his head.
"Ow, that hurts!" he complained, rubbing the spot.
"Do something for your self-esteem! You have so many good sides, Jirou. You're always there for me, no matter what. You are sensitive and kind. You care about others and their well-being. And you don't look so bad. If you would put a little effort into it, you could look quite handsome."
There they sat, in front of each other on the bed. Jirou uttered a soft "Thank you." After that, silence spread. Finally, Akari sighed and dropped onto her back. She spread her arms and despair overcame her.
"You may have kissed me, but you're still in love with Sakurazaka, aren't you?" It was hard to say it out loud, but it was no use to not face the facts.
Jirou looked down at his hands and wondered what he felt. What did he feel for Shiori? What did he feel for Akari?
"I think so," he answered hesitantly.
Akari closed her eyelids. Fate was taking its course. "So you're going to do the partner swap?" Say it already. Say it out and get it over with.
The minutes passed with no response. Akari slowly felt anger rising up. Did he have to string her along like this? Couldn't he just say it out so she could finally have certainty? She opened her eyes and raised her head to look at Jirou. He was staring at his hands, looking incredibly distressed. That's when Akari's anger subsided. He wasn't intentionally keeping her on suspense. Something was going on in his mind.
"No, I can't," he whispered.
"What?" Akari hadn't heard him clearly. She sat up and slid closer. He looked up and met her eyes. Now his expression was firmer, more determined.
"We're not doing the partner swap."
"Why?" she asked in disbelief.
"I have feelings for you, Akari. I do have feelings for Shiori, too, and it all confuses the hell out of me... But until tonight, I never would have expected that you might have feelings for me, as well. I thought you were eager to make the switch and be with Tenjin. But now the circumstances have changed... It would just be wrong to make the switch. I... I know that's probably not what you want to hear, that I like Shiori too. I have to think about my feelings. This is all so... sudden and overwhelming." An apologetic smile settled on his lips.
It was as if a huge weight fell off Akari's shoulders. Happily, she threw herself around Jirou's neck. "That's all right! It took me a long time to understand my feelings too. In the end, Minami helped me with that. It's okay if you need time to think. The main thing is that you remain my husband."
Jirou wrapped his arms around Akari. "Yes, I'll stay your husband."