Shiro-san waved her hand, and suddenly, I was standing in some hallway. It was truly a mysterious place; whether I looked to the right or the left, the corridor simply stretched on forever.
Ah, I see. If we were talking about a setting suited for a kabedon, this was certainly it... Did she really want me to do it that badly?!
"Yes."
"...You're certainly blunt about it."
"Through my various studies, I discovered the existence of a concept called gap-moe. When the usually passive Kaito-san takes the lead forcefully, that is gap-moe."
The sight of her discussing gap-moe with such a deadpan expression was surreal, but then again, Shiro-san’s face rarely changed. That was just business as usual.
At any rate, it seemed Shiro-san was genuinely looking forward to a scenario where I took the initiative. Well, a kabedon didn’t necessarily have to be "forceful," but...
"Um, well then, shall we try it?"
"Yes. Please give me your instructions."
"Instructions?!"
You want me to take charge? I was already embarrassed enough as it was, performing a kabedon when we both knew exactly what was happening, but now she wanted me to give orders too?
Well, I suppose even if I did give instructions, it would just be asking Shiro-san to stand with her back to the wall... Hmm.
"I just realized something... Shiro-san, we're roughly the same height, aren't we?"
"We are exactly the same."
"Because of your heels, you're actually a bit taller than me. If I’m going to make this look right, maybe it would be better if you crouched down a little?"
"I see. In that case, I will make myself a little shorter than you for a moment."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Shiro-san shrank by about ten centimeters. No, that wasn't exactly what I meant. Well, I suppose the result was the same as her crouching, but it was startling to see her suddenly downsize right before my eyes.
Still, looking down at Shiro-san felt novel. Since she usually wore high heels, she generally felt a bit taller than me; this perspective was truly fresh.
Anyway, onto the kabedon... I didn't need to slam my hand against the wall with a lot of force, right? That would just hurt. Alright, here goes. I didn't need to check the timing. Shiro-san had requested that I be a bit forceful, so I would execute it the moment I was ready.
Picturing the classic pose in my mind, I lunged forward and planted my right hand against the wall, just past Shiro-san's face. In manga, you usually see this from a side profile, but when you actually do it, your faces end up incredibly close. Her sweet scent drifted toward me, and since I was doing something so out of character, my nerves were completely frayed.
"..."
Shiro-san looked up at me with expectant eyes. Because she had made herself shorter, it was naturally an upward gaze, and the intensity of it was overwhelming.
No, even so... Um... what exactly is the end goal of a kabedon anyway?! I think I managed the posture well enough, but what am I supposed to do now? Honestly, isn't the only next step a kiss? But if it just ends with a kiss, it feels like we didn't need the wall for that... I'm lost!
Machina: "Well, My Beloved Child isn't the type to be aggressive, so he's bound to be bewildered."
???: "...Wait, that man’s offensive power is actually quite high against me—I mean, Alice-chan. He’s totally the type to go on the attack..."
Machina: "No, it's not that My Beloved Child's attack power is high, it's just that Alice’s defense power is so brittle that it ends up looking that way..."
???: "Well, that's true! I can't deny that Alice-chan is a romance bottom-tier!!"
Machina: "She’s strangely proud of it..."