Hearing those words from Sakura Airi — carrying just a faint note of accusation — Shikime Natsu made no move to rush in with an explanation. He simply stayed quiet, watching her. Watching that slightly aggrieved little face of hers.
When a girl was trying to put her feelings into words, the right thing to do was to listen and let her finish — not cut in, not explain himself. Not even when he already knew exactly why she was upset.
"Ever since we found each other again at this school, I've been working so hard on every task you gave me, Natsu. Putting everything into becoming friends with Suzune. And I haven't complained about it even once, you know~"
"And what about Natsu?"
She looked up, those eyes of hers shimmering with a wounded, reproachful light.
"Natsu just keeps flirting with one girl after another..."
"And on top of that... you even started dating Kamuro-san."
At those words, her voice took on a thick, undeniable sourness — the unmistakable flavor of jealousy and wounded pride.
"If we're talking about who came first..."
"Natsu and I met each other first, didn't we?"
"We already knew each other back in middle school. We talked every single day..."
Sakura Airi couldn't help but marvel bitterly at the irony of it all. Was this what people meant by the saying — the one closest to the water gets to enjoy the moonlight first?
Because Kamuro Masumi sat right next to Shikime Natsu in class, it had been easy — effortless, even — for the two of them to become a couple. Airi, on the other hand, was in Class D. She had a natural disadvantage. A structural obstacle that made meaningful time with him so much harder to carve out.
Of course, she knew the other reason she'd missed her chance: herself. She had wanted to monopolize him so badly — wanted to be the only one — that she'd tried to quietly eliminate her competition first, drive away the other girls before making her own move.
That plan had been a spectacular failure.
Shikime Natsu talked to different girls practically every day. She could barely even wedge herself into his schedule. The only real territory she had was their evening chats over Line — that messaging app had become her primary lifeline to him.
"And there's also..."
Sakura Airi drew in a breath and looked into those pale gold eyes of his.
"I've already shown Natsu so much of how I feel..."
The goodnight photos she sent him every single evening. The ones that left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
"Does Natsu really not understand how I feel?"
Faced with her blunt, earnest question, Shikime Natsu exhaled softly. His voice was gentle.
"Of course I know how you feel, Airi."
Her devotion to him had never been hidden — not the way she leaned on him online, not the way she put herself forward in person. That kind of warm, undiluted feeling? There was no way he could have missed it.
"If Natsu already knows..."
Sakura Airi bit her lip, a flicker of stubborn determination crossing her eyes.
"Then why haven't you confessed to me?"
"If Natsu confessed to me..."
"I would definitely say yes!"
She wouldn't have needed even a second to think about it. The moment he opened his mouth, she'd have thrown herself into his arms without hesitation.
But he hadn't.
He had chosen someone else.
Shikime Natsu looked at her. There was a trace of helplessness in his gaze — but also an honesty that was impossible to mistake.
"Because..."
"I'm someone who falls for too many people at once."
No defense. No excuse. He simply stated the fact, plainly and without flinching.
"Airi... you wouldn't want me running a harem, would you?"
He knew her. He knew exactly how possessive she was when it came to him. What she wanted was to own him completely — a "Natsu" that belonged to her and her alone.
Hearing those blunt, unvarnished words, Sakura Airi blinked.
Then, a moment later — like a balloon slowly deflating — she let out a long, helpless sigh.
"..."
She had always known Shikime Natsu was magnetic. She had vaguely suspected he might not be the most exclusive type when it came to romance. But having it laid out this plainly — having it be the actual reason he'd never confessed to her — still hit her with a wave of complete and utter defeat.
And yet...
Even having been "turned down" in this particular fashion — Sakura Airi had absolutely no intention of letting him off the hook that easily.
She puffed out her cheeks, shooting him a look of pure, pouty grievance, her voice going soft and syrupy with the faintest hint of a whine.
"Natsu... is way too terrible, you know."
"Like, seriously terrible!"
She straightened slightly, lifting her chin — and brought both hands up to rest lightly against her chest. Even hidden beneath the loose drape of her school uniform, what lay beneath was frankly spectacular in scale. The sheer visual impact of that gesture, paired with the most pitifully wronged expression on her face, was absolutely lethal.
"Are you really saying..."
"That I'm not enough for Natsu?"
The words were barely a murmur — but they landed right at the center of Shikime Natsu's chest, soft as a cat's paw.
Shikime Natsu looked at her. Something stirred faintly in those calm eyes of his.
He reached out and gave Sakura Airi's silky pink hair a gentle ruffle, his tone carrying just the barest thread of apology.
"I'm sorry, Airi."
"Please forgive me... I really am just someone who can't keep his heart in one place."
"And besides..."
"I'm already with Masumi now. As her boyfriend, I have no intention of betraying her."
He was fickle. He wanted it all. But he wasn't going to deceive anyone — and he wasn't going to carelessly throw anyone aside either.
Hearing that.
Sakura Airi didn't blow up. She didn't storm off in tears the way someone might have imagined.
She just let out a small, quiet hum — and then simply stepped around him.
With a light little hop, she sat herself down on Shikime Natsu's bed.
She slipped off her indoor shoes. Her small feet, clad in white socks, swung lazily back and forth over the edge of the mattress.
She dropped her gaze to the tips of her toes, seeming to gather her thoughts.
After a moment, she looked up again.
"Natsu and Kamuro-san... you two started dating the day before yesterday, right?"
Shikime Natsu nodded.
"Yes."
No reason to hide it.
"Mm..."
Sakura Airi reached up and idly curled a strand of pink hair around one finger, her manner almost too casual.
A beat of silence.
Then, as though it were the most offhand question in the world, she dropped something absolutely explosive:
"So then..."
"Have you two... already done it?"
"..."
Shikime Natsu looked at Sakura Airi with mild surprise.
She had literally just confirmed that he and Kamuro Masumi had only been together for two days.
By any normal person's logic — how did one jump straight to that kind of question after a relationship barely two days old? Sleeping together within a day or two of making things official was by any conventional standard extraordinarily fast. That wasn't how romances were supposed to go.
But.
Looking at Sakura Airi's expression...
Those eyes of hers held no trace of actual uncertainty. If anything, she looked utterly, completely sure.
Shikime Natsu went quiet for one second.
Then he nodded, without deflecting.
"Yes."
"I knew it!"
Sakura Airi puffed up her cheeks in full indignation, looking exactly like an angry little pufferfish.
"I just knew it..."
"Natsu, you complete and utter pervert... there was absolutely no way you were going to hold back!"
For all that she said the words — and performed the indignation quite convincingly — the reality was different.
Sakura Airi had known this was coming. She had known it, and privately... she bore a quiet share of responsibility for it.
The reason things had moved so fast between Kamuro Masumi and Shikime Natsu — the reason it had happened as early as the second day — was in part because Sakura Airi herself had given an invisible, deliberate push in that direction.
Though the psychology behind it had been anything but simple.
She hadn't wanted to do it. Who in their right mind would willingly nudge the boy they loved toward another woman?
But...
Kamuro Masumi and Shikime Natsu were already official. That was a settled fact. And Kamuro Masumi was, by name, his first girlfriend.
Which meant...
That thing called "the first time." By every emotional and moral logic she could reason through, it almost certainly belonged to Kamuro Masumi.
That much, Sakura Airi — perceptive and clear-eyed as she was — understood completely.
So rather than drag it out. Rather than torture herself through endless waiting and speculation, imagining worse and worse possibilities with every passing day...
Better a sharp pain than a slow one.
Better to let Kamuro Masumi have Natsu's "first time" as quickly as possible. Get that inevitable hurdle cleared.
Because after that...
It would be her turn.
Actually — even if she hadn't run into Shikime Natsu here today, Sakura Airi had already made up her mind. She was going to come to his dorm tonight regardless.
"I am very angry right now, you know!"
Sakura Airi crossed her arms over her chest. The act of folding them only served to press things into a more prominent display. She turned her head pointedly away from him, performing the very picture of a girl who was genuinely angry and exceptionally difficult to win back over.
"Natsu not only went and got a girlfriend behind my back... but did that this fast on top of it..."
"That's just... so heartbreaking!"
Looking at her — playing the part so hard and yet being so impossibly adorable about it — Shikime Natsu couldn't suppress a quiet smile.
He could tell she wasn't genuinely furious. If she were, she would have gone quiet and cold — locked him out with that icy composure of hers. She wouldn't be sitting right here on his bed, completely at ease, with not a single guard up.
"So then..."
Shikime Natsu spread his hands in a gesture of fond defeat, his tone warm and indulgent.
"What do I need to do to make it up to Airi?"
"Hmph!"
Sakura Airi tilted her chin up with magnificent tsundere dignity.
"You'll have to figure that out yourself!"
"Right now, I am a deeply aggrieved person who has been loyally working her heart out for Natsu's tasks — only to have my hard work completely stolen out from under me."
"My heart is shattered."
"Winning me back... is going to be very difficult, I hope you know!"
Watching that unmistakable "come on, start coaxing me, I dare you to try" routine of hers, Shikime Natsu saw straight through her like glass.
He knew.
Sakura Airi wasn't actually that angry. From the moment she'd decided to come find him — maybe even earlier than that — she had already rehearsed these lines in her head a dozen times.
Right now, she was just going through the motions. Putting on a show. Angling for some compensation.
Given that — the standard approach of gentle coaxing and sweet apologies would not be enough.
Shikime Natsu didn't bother thinking up elaborate promises or carefully worded apologies.
He simply moved.
He closed the distance between them and came to stand right in front of her.
Then, beneath Sakura Airi's slightly startled gaze, he lowered himself — bringing his eye level down to meet hers where she sat on the edge of the bed.
He reached out and gently took hold of the small hand resting on her knee.
Those pale gold eyes of his met hers — steady, deep, and utterly serious.
"Airi."
His voice was quiet.
"I know I fall for too many people at once. I know I already have a girlfriend..."
"But I also genuinely like you, Airi."
"So..."
"Airi — will you go out with me?"
"..."
Sakura Airi stared at Shikime Natsu — so close she could count every eyelash — those vivid blue eyes of hers going wide.
She had not expected this at all.
Shikime Natsu had thrown out an actual, direct confession. Just like that. Completely off-script.
She had imagined so many ways this conversation might go. A delicious home-cooked meal to win her over. Sweet words and extravagant promises. And then she would get to pout and make demands and act impossible to please before finally — magnanimously — forgiving him. She had been looking forward to the whole performance. The part where he chased after her.
But a confession?
He went with a direct confession?!
This completely demolished everything she'd planned!
Faced with something this sincere, this straightforward...
Could she really keep up the act? Keep pretending to be angry and play hard to get?
No.
Absolutely not.
Because these were the words she had dreamed of hearing. The words she had been waiting to hear from Shikime Natsu — for so long.
"Natsu..."
"You're incredibly sneaky, you know that..."
"You know perfectly well I have no way to say no..."
"And yet you choose right now to say something like this..."
"That's completely against the rules."
The moment those words left her mouth — Sakura Airi rose slightly. She leaned in toward him, closing the last of the distance herself.
She lifted both hands and cradled his face.
Then, without a moment's hesitation — she kissed him.
It carried everything she had held back for so long. All the longing, all the love she had quietly accumulated over time.
A long moment passed.
They parted.
Sakura Airi looked at him, slightly breathless, a dazzling flush spread warm across her cheeks.
"That's my answer."
She said it softly, her gaze steady and full of quiet, unwavering certainty.
"I've been waiting for those words from Natsu... for so long."
"From the moment I found out that Natsu was my Natsu..."
"Even before that, maybe..."
"I've been waiting. Hoping."
"So..."
"Even if I'm genuinely terrible to win over right now. Even if part of me wants to make you sweat for just a little longer..."
"There is absolutely no way I would ever turn down your confession, Natsu."
[CG 58: Kiss (Sakura Airi)]
[You Are My Entire World]
[Congratulations! Host has obtained Item Card: Harem Permit (In this world, you alone have the acknowledged right to maintain a harem. Everyone around you will find it entirely natural and accept it without question.)]
She held his hand tightly — the way someone holds onto the whole world.
"So then..."
Sakura Airi tilted her head, looking up at him with a confirming gaze.
"That makes me... Natsu's second girlfriend, right?"
Shikime Natsu smiled and gave a clear, affirmative nod.
"That's right."
"Airi is my second girlfriend."
The smile on Sakura Airi's face grew even more radiant at those words.
She rose slowly from the bed.
Seeming almost giddy with happiness, she took a couple of light steps around his room.
Then she stopped.
She turned, and looked at him with an expression of complete and deadly seriousness.
"In that case..."
"Natsu's second time belongs only to me!"
"Absolutely, positively — no one else!"
The look in her eyes blazed with fierce possessiveness and something very close to competitive panic.
"I refuse to be beaten to the punch again."
Feeling that helpless, watching-from-the-sidelines sensation as someone else got there first — once had been more than enough. She had missed out on the first.
The second... was hers. Non-negotiable.
Looking at her unusually serious expression, Shikime Natsu laughed and nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Alright."
"I promise."
"The second... will only be Airi."
Hearing that unambiguous answer, the smile on Sakura Airi's face melted into something genuinely sweet.
Something seemed to occur to her. Her eyes shifted with a new thought, and she spoke again.
"Oh, one more thing..."
"The day Natsu made things official with Kamuro-san... did you spend every free moment that day with her?"
Shikime Natsu thought back.
"I did, yes."
"Good."
Sakura Airi stepped forward and took Shikime Natsu's hand again. This time, her grip was firm — the grip of someone staking a claim.
"Then..."
"All of your time from here on out... is mine. Every bit of it."
"Starting right now. The entire night."
"Every second Natsu has... belongs to me!"
She lifted her head, completely unapologetic.
"So... would Natsu please let everyone else know?"
"Whether it's Suzune or anyone else — tonight, nobody is allowed to come and interrupt us!"
This was a girlfriend's prerogative. The treatment she absolutely intended to claim on this particular night.
Shikime Natsu nodded and made no move to refuse the entirely reasonable demand.
He took out his phone.
He sent separate messages to Horikita Suzune, Kushida Kikyou, and Sakayanagi Arisu. The content was simple — they all had the night off. No need to come by and perform their "maid" duties this evening.
Three days off in a row now. Not bad.
Of course, beyond those three — Shikime Natsu also sent a message to Kamuro Masumi. They had only just started dating; going dark without a word would be poor form.
Kamuro Masumi replied quickly.
[Understood.]
Once every message had been sent and answered, Shikime Natsu set his phone down.
Sakura Airi, who had been watching quietly from the side this entire time, let a look of complete, satisfied contentment settle across her face.
"Then..."
She glanced at the deep, dark sky outside the window, then turned back and smiled at him — eyes warm and bright.
"Since no one's coming..."
"I'm planning to stay over tonight, Natsu."
"That's... alright, isn't it?"
It was phrased as a question. But her tone carried the quiet certainty of a decision already made.
Shikime Natsu, naturally, had no objection. He had seen this coming from the very start.
After all — Sakura Airi had been sending him those nightly photos over Line for a long time now. The sleepwear shots. The post-shower photos. All of it had been quietly signaling that this day was inevitable.
Now that she was officially his girlfriend — and had staked her very explicit claim on "the second time" — staying over was nothing less than the most natural next step. Sakura Airi was, after all, a remarkably bold girl.
"Of course you can."
Shikime Natsu smiled.
"Go back and grab a change of clothes first, then."
"No. I want to wear yours."
Sakura Airi gave a small, decisive hum and drifted toward Shikime Natsu's wardrobe, glancing at him as if seeking permission.
"If Airi doesn't mind."
Shikime Natsu said with a quiet laugh.
"Mm~"
Sakura Airi bounced lightly over to the wardrobe and pulled open the door. Her gaze swept across the neat row of his clothes inside.
Quickly, her eyes landed on something.
A wide, plain white T-shirt — one Shikime Natsu wore casually around the room. Simple design, no patterns or logos. Nothing flashy.
But...
Natsu had worn that shirt.
It would smell like him.
Sakura Airi extended one finger and pointed directly at it, turning back to him.
"That T-shirt — I want that one!"
She blinked at him, a trace of hopeful anticipation dancing in her eyes.
"That's okay, right?"
____
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