52 - Far Beyond Saving
The intense battle between Mikami, who was trying to show, and me, who was trying not to see, ended in an unexpected way.
"Haa, I suppose there's no helping it. Well then… Excuse me."
"Uh… Mikami? What exactly are you…?"
"Can’t you tell? I’m sitting."
"Where?"
"On your stomach, Kirishima. You just happened to be lying in a convenient spot."
Sure, I was sprawled on the floor, but don’t treat me like some object that just fell there. And more importantly, don’t just casually sit on me. Considering I already know she’s not wearing anything under her skirt except for her underwear… this is honestly quite bad. I immediately demand her to vacate.
"Could you get off?"
"Don’t mind me."
"I do mind. If you take too long, you’ll be late."
"Don’t mind me. Let’s push the limits. At worst, I’m fully prepared to accept tardiness or even skipping entirely."
"Hey."
That’s not something a student should be saying.
I don’t want to be late. I don’t want to stand out in a bad way.
But… when Mikami gets like this, she’s incredibly stubborn. Once her vocabulary condenses to just don’t mind me, her resistance to negotiation skyrockets. If I don’t redirect her attention to something else soon, things could get messy.
An unfortunate pattern I’ve come to recognize.
Still… if I want Mikami to move, I just need to dangle something enticing—something that excites her.
"If you get off now… how about one head pat?"
"Not enough. Three."
"Two."
"I’ll settle if you throw in one hug."
"Deal."
After some negotiation, we settled on two head pats and one hug. It’s irritating that Mikami’s the one making the compromise, but if it means preserving my sanity, it’s not a bad trade.
"Well then… I’ll be expecting it."
Mikami finally moved, but immediately started demanding payment. I went along with it, letting her have her fill. Naturally, this ended up consuming a significant amount of time.
---
After somehow escaping, I was now washing my face and brushing my teeth. For some reason, Mikami was standing right next to me, casually brushing her teeth as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
There was nothing strange about it.
Except there was.
Why does she have her own toothbrush and cup?
"Why do you have a toothbrush here?"
"I prepared all the essentials a long time ago, just in case I ever had to stay over. You should’ve figured that out from the fact that I have spare underwear here."
"Oh. You’re well-prepared."
"One must always be ready to avoid any regrets."
I decided not to say anything more.
It wasn’t that she had brought them along anticipating a night visit, but rather, she had already stashed them somewhere in my house. That realization was… honestly a bit shocking, but at this point, I figured it was too late to be surprised.
"Hm."
"What?"
"A comb."
"Why are you handing it to me?"
"I want you to do my hair."
"No."
"You can pat my head every second if you want."
That’s ridiculous. Just the thought of handling Mikami’s beautiful hair was nerve-wracking enough. Adding constant head pats to the equation? Impossible.
"Oh… but wait. If you smooth it out and then immediately mess it up with head pats, we could enter an infinite loop. Genius. Let’s do it."
"No, that’s not happening."
That loop is full of holes.
If I actually went along with that, I’d end up in a timeline where my arm falls off, so I firmly rejected the idea.
Mikami looked proud of herself, but that wasn’t happening.
"…Too bad."
Looking dejected, she lowered her head toward me.
I gave her a small head pat, and she instantly brightened up.
What is this small creature? She’s way too cute.
---
Later, Mikami put on an apron and efficiently prepared breakfast.
I usually don’t care much about breakfast, often just spreading jam on bread and calling it a day. But Mikami’s breakfast looked amazing—so good that it actually made me hungry.
The bread was toasted, and there was not just salad and soup, but also scrambled eggs.
Seriously, she’s incredible.
"I didn’t have much time, so I could only make something simple. Sorry."
"No… this is more than enough. It’s almost too much."
Considering I’m perfectly fine gnawing on plain bread, anything beyond that already qualifies as luxurious.
And to think she considers this simple… I’m truly impressed.
Honestly, when she was acting all reckless earlier, I thought I wouldn’t even have time to eat. But now, I have to admit… I owe her.
My opinion of her flipped so fast it could put a drill to shame.
"You see? Letting me stay over comes with perks like this."
"That’s… very appealing."
"Right? Then the answer is obvious—I should stay over every night."
"…No, that’s definitely not how that works."
"You hesitated."
I mean, yeah, it’s a major selling point. But staying over every night? That’s basically just moving in.
Today, my brain was already on the verge of malfunctioning. For a split second, I actually thought, If accepting her night visits means getting a great breakfast every morning… which is a dangerous thought to have.
Normally, I’d recognize that Mikami was saying something completely unreasonable. But lately, I’d been so influenced by her that I was starting to lose that sense.
The fact that I even considered her proposal means she’s already gotten to me.
As I enjoyed my breakfast, I glanced at Mikami. Come to think of it, this was our first time eating breakfast together before school.
"Umm… if you stare at me that much, it’s embarrassing."
"Ah, sorry. It just felt new."
"Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do this every day?"
"…I’d probably die, so I’ll pass."
Stop trying to sneakily make everyday sleepovers a reality.
But then again, I had already given her a spare key. Even if I refused, Mikami could just barge in regardless.
She absolutely would.
"…Sigh."
"Sighing makes happiness run away, you know?"
"Don’t say that when you’re the cause of it."
"How rude. If anything, I am happiness itself. You should spoil me even more."
"…Right."
"Exactly."
Happiness itself, huh?
Well… maybe that’s not entirely wrong.
But if I told her that, she’d definitely get full of herself. She’s already selfish, reckless, and completely uncontrollable as it is.
"What’s wrong? You’re staring again. Have you finally decided to pamper me? I’m always ready."
"…Maybe if I feel like it."
"You do feel like it. I’m an expert in Kirishima, certified at the highest level. I know you do."
"Stop making things up."
Bringing up a nonsense certification to fabricate my emotions… she really is impossible.
But… that’s also what makes Mikami so charming.
That much, at least, I can say with certainty.
"…Fine, just a little."
"Extend it!"
"…Too soon."
The more time I spend with Mikami, the more I find myself getting caught up in her pace.
And while that inevitability might be troublesome, a part of me doesn’t really mind.
In other words… I’m already far beyond saving.