"About that 'punishment' I mentioned before..."
P-Punishment...
I swallowed hard and fixed my eyes on Rui.
At the mere mention of it, I was overcome by such a mixture of anticipation and nerves that I felt as if the swaying train had frozen for a split second.
The punishment was my penalty for trying to hide the fact that I'd had a sleepover with Airi.
Just what kind of ordeal did she have in store for me...?
"Heh... Hey, Ryouta-kun, are you the type of person who can handle sitting still for, say, half a day?"
H-Half a day!?
Was Rui's punishment some kind of elaborate torture?
The "Masochist Ryouta" inside me leaped with joy at the thought.
"I'm... fine with that. (Even if it means being left in a formal kneeling position for hours.)"
"Really? Then... I guess I’ll settle on 'that' for your punishment after all."
What was "that"?
Rui was teasing me, deliberately phrasing it to pique my curiosity.
"Hey, don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me already... I need to get my 'resolve' ready, too."
I sounded like Giorno Giovanna making a final stand, but internally, I was just desperate to know what kind of perverted punishment she had planned.
A whip while kneeling for half a day...?
Or was it the kind of neglect play where I’d just be left alone...?
"Hmm. I think I'll keep the details of the punishment a surprise until the day comes."
Rui was leading me on again. This teasing... I didn't hate it. In fact, it felt pretty good.
"Then, Ryouta-kun... Come to school next Wednesday at seven in the morning. Wear your uniform, okay? Promise me."
"U-Uniform? At school?"
"Yes. It has to be that way."
Using the school grounds, in uniform, for half a day... this was serious.
Was she planning to use a deserted classroom during summer break for some perverted, masochistic session? The thought was almost too good to be true.
"Fine! I'll be there. It's not like I have a choice anyway!"
I made it sound like I was going reluctantly, but I was secretly counting down the days.
"Heh... Good."
Rui gave me a smile so honest and happy that it almost felt like she had a hidden motive.
But with this... I was finally going to graduate from being a virgin, wasn't I?
☆☆
Wednesday of the following week—four days after our trip to the pool.
True to my word, I put on my uniform that morning and arrived at the high school—the stage for my punishment.
I’d made sure to bring that condom Yuria had tried to take from me.
Today, in this place, I was supposed to savor the masochistic play Rui called a "punishment."
As I stepped through the gates, something felt off.
It was summer break, yet there were an unusual number of people around. For some reason, students from various grades were wandering around the campus in their school uniforms.
"Ah! Ryouta! Morning!"
Hearing Airi's voice from behind, I turned around to find not only her, but Yuria and Tanaka as well.
Wait, they're all in uniform...?
C-Could it be...? Was this "punishment" going to be a group session!?