This happened when I was ten years old.
I was staying at the Miyakojima family home at the time.
When I first met Narika, she did nothing but call me a "weakling," but we eventually became friends, and we began to spend more time together in the same room.
Then came a certain morning.
"...Um."
I woke up on my futon and spoke to Narika, who was sleeping right beside me.
"It is morning."
Narika was a heavy sleeper, so Otsuko-san had asked me to wake her up whenever I got out of bed. I gave Narika's shoulder a light shake.
However...
"Munya..."
Narika continued to sleep soundly, looking perfectly content, and showed no sign of waking up at all.
As a guest—and perhaps because my mother was constantly causing trouble for others—I wanted to avoid being a burden to the Miyakojima family as much as possible.
Refusing to give up, I raised my voice.
"It is morning!"
At that, Narika’s brow furrowed and she rolled over.
"No... I want to sleep..."
"You cannot. You will be late for breakfast."
"When I say I am sleeping... I am sleeping, I say...!"
Just as I reached out to shake her again, Narika suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled.
"Whoa!?"
I thought I was being dragged into the futon, but I was wrong.
While still half-asleep, Narika executed a move with surprisingly polished precision—she put me in a cross armlock.
"Wait... G-Give, give up...!"
"Munya munya..."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch...!? H-Help... someone, help me!!"
It hurt so much that I wasn't even joking; I found myself reflexively crying out for help.
After a few moments, Narika’s grip loosened, and I used that opening to scramble away.
I felt a genuine shiver of dread as I watched Narika continue to sleep peacefully.
(...How am I supposed to wake her up?)
If I approached her carelessly, she would put me in a submission hold. What was she, some kind of master? It wasn't Drunken Fist—it was Sleep Fist.
In that case, I would try to approach without letting her sense my presence.
I crouched low, moved stealthily to the opposite side, and then made a quick approach.
I reached out to grab her head and shake her awake, but—
"Munya..."
"Urgh!?"
Narika’s hand shot out and gripped my collar.
She’s got me. Realizing the danger instantly, I retreated, feeling the bitter sting of a failed operation.
She was fast.
Was that a single-wing strangle just now?
I couldn't believe she was using choking techniques in addition to joint locks...
(In that case...!)
What if I tried to wake her from directly above instead of the sides?
I stood up and reached for the collar of the fast-asleep Narika.
But an instant later, Narika spread her legs with blinding speed and snared my neck and arm.
"Impossible!?"
A triangle choke!?
This girl had counters for attacks from every direction!
Was she aiming to become a professional at groundwork? Groundwork was supposed to mean grappling on the floor, not performing techniques while you were literally on the ground asleep.
(This is bad... I'm going to pass out...)
This was no time for idle thoughts.
My consciousness was growing hazy. It was different from sleepiness... something other than the sandman was numbing my brain.
If I fainted like this, everyone would probably just assume I had overslept... I hated the idea of that, especially since I had actually woken up on time.
As my vision began to blur, I looked down—and my eyes met Narika's.
Narika opened her round eyes wide and stared up at me.
"...What are you doing?"
"................That is my line."
No matter how one looked at it, I was the one being victimized here.
"Mm... Sorry. I must have used a technique in my sleep..."
She really had been sleep-grappling.
I had suspected she might have been faking sleep just to mess with me, but...
"Are you truly that bad at waking up in the morning?"
"It is not quite like that, but..."
Narika spoke, looking somewhat hesitant.
"Father's morning practice... is harsh, I say."
"...I see."
Between the physical exhaustion and the mental weight of the training, she seemed to have a psychological resistance to waking up.
Later on, Narika would overcome her father's strictness and begin to devote herself to morning practice of her own accord, eventually becoming a morning person... but at the time, I never could have imagined such a future.
"Therefore... I am sleeping!"
"No! You cannot! Please wake up!"
If she went back to sleep now, I would never get her up!
More importantly, I didn't want to be subjected to any more grappling. I desperately tried to persuade Narika to stay awake.
◆
Several years have passed since then.
Having accepted Narika's proposal to repay me for my help during the Management Game, I was once again greeting the morning at the Miyakojima residence.
"Narika, morning."
"Nnh...?"
After I called her name a few times, Narika finally opened her eyes.
"Itsuki... It's Itsuki..."
"H-Hey, don't start sleep-talking."
Narika sat up and snuggled against me.
Watching her mumble in her half-awake state reminded me of the old days, but...
(...Compared to back then, this is much better.)
The fact that she wasn't trying to put me in a submission hold alone made me feel she had grown quite a bit.