Miyama and I left the high school and headed toward the candy store once the script reading for the Cultural Festival wrapped up.
It was the first time I’d been alone with Miyama since our last after-school date at the candy store. Lately, Yuria and Kuroki had been tagging along, turning our outings into groups of three or four. It had been a while since we’d had the chance to talk just the two of us, and the air felt nostalgic.
"Ryouta! Anyway, just cheer up!"
Miyama, firmly convinced that I was still wallowing in misery, spent the entire walk offering me words of encouragement. While I appreciated the sentiment, I wasn’t actually that depressed. Did I really look like I was sulking even when I was just acting normal?
"I—I mean, Airi thought Ryouta’s mono—no! Your reading! I thought it was actually pretty good! It felt airy and easy to listen to. Like, you know, a recital in an elementary school Japanese class!"
She was desperately trying to lift my spirits, but she was clearly stepping on one landmine after another.
(If that’s the case, you aren't encouraging me, Miyama... you're just saying I read at the level of a grade-schooler...)
I hadn't really been bothered by the monotone complaints until then, but seeing her worry this much actually started to make me feel a little pathetic.
"Sigh..."
"E-Eh? Um, u-umm~"
When I let out a heavy sigh, Miyama began waving her hands around frantically, looking distressed.
"A-Airi will do anything if it makes Ryouta-kun feel better! I’ll even treat you to tons of snacks!"
"Wait, anything...?"
The moment those words left her mouth, my gaze reflexively drifted toward Miyama’s busty breasts.
(N-No, get a grip. No matter how much she says 'anything,' that's obviously off-limits...)
If I said something like "Please let me feel up those tiddies" to a girl as pure and innocent as Miyama, I'd be socially ostracized. If Yuria and Kuroki ever found out, they’d undoubtedly murder me.
(Then... how about I ask for a lap pillow while trying to maintain some shred of morality?)
There was a very specific reason I desperately wanted a lap pillow from Miyama. It all went back to last night, just before I went to sleep. I had been nodding off in bed while playing a mobile game when...
Tanaka: Look at this, Ryouta-kun! This is seriously incredible!
I’d received that LIME message from Tanaka, followed by a photo she’d taken of Miyama’s underboob while Miyama was giving her a lap pillow.
Captured from the perspective of someone lying in her lap, the sheer scale of Miyama’s underboob was staggering. It cast such a massive breast shadow that it made me think, "That's way too huge." From Tanaka’s angle looking up, Miyama’s own face was almost entirely obscured by the curve of her chest.
Tanaka: Airi's Busty Breasts, Should We View Them from Above or Below? Now playing to rave reviews. Ryouta: Shut up.
Because of that exchange, I had inadvertently allowed Tanaka to pull a busty flex on me. I wanted to see Miyama’s breasts from that low angle, too. If possible, I wanted to pass away while being sandwiched between her thighs and her chest.
"Hey, Miyama."
"Yeah...?"
"Um, if you're really willing to do anything, then... could you give me a... lap pillow?"
"A lap pillow? Oh! Could it be!?"
Miyama nodded quickly as if she’d finally realized what I was after.
Good! Even without me spelling it out, she caught on—
"Ryouta, you’re going to give me a lap pillow!?"
"Wait... what?"
"Yesterday, Kanade-chan was like, 'Whoa, lap pillows are the best!' So Airi was thinking she wanted someone to give her a lap pillow, too!"
No! That’s not it! That’s definitely not what she meant! Tanaka meant that a lap pillow was the best way to peek at Airi-tan's breasts from below!
"So, can I? Can I have a lap pillow on the candy store bench?"
"N-No way. That’s embarrassing."
"It’s fine! Hardly anyone walks by there anyway! If you say no, I guess that means today’s date is over right now?"
"What!?"
Dammit, Miyama... she was starting to use negotiation tactics like Kuroki. She was becoming dangerously clever. I was the one who wanted the lap pillow, but... I guess I didn't have a choice.
"F-Fine... but a lap pillow isn't even that great, you know?"
"It’s fine! Airi just wants to try it!"
Good grief. She certainly had plenty of curiosity—to match that chest of hers.