The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Suzuran bit her lip.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyRrX6WB4M
She knew she shouldn’t say it.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnytqdaCFSn
But still, in a voice barely above a whisper, she asked:
“Then… can I touch your arm muscles?”
She said it quietly, not quite a joke, not quite a confession—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2y7NSOX9e
just a small nudge to see how close she was allowed to get.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvCRXAoz7f
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01nAlBC96R
Kouichi turned slightly, his gaze landing on her.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5YXvlgnWu
For just a moment, something flickered in his eyes—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgL76rq48Uy
but he didn’t reply right away.
Seeing his silence, she hurried on, her voice picking up speed and pitch like she was afraid he’d misunderstand… or worse, say no.
“It’s for the exam! Really! Everyone’s practicing palpation in class—biceps, deltoids, triceps… I have to pass too!”
Her face was already red, but she held her ground,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnLaYLpVfN
trying her best to look confident.
Kouichi stared at her—stubborn, flustered, determined.
Finally, his gaze softened.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEh8fBSZfCb
A breath escaped his lips, almost a sigh.
“…Fine. Left arm.”
The words were quiet, calm. But they were permission.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7fMUNN3Jv
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPs4bvDFrdj
He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the clean lines of his forearm and biceps—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMvhgYDQHq
firm, defined, composed—just like him.
“Ten minutes. Palpation only.”
His tone was as cool as ever, as he added:
“No laughing. No daydreaming. No weird thoughts.”
Suzuran's eyes lit up.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3F6OjvhVB
She nodded furiously, like a kid who just got permission to pet a very fancy dog.
“I swear—study mode only!”
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IZRnoabHH
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTzv6iiwra
She carefully reached out, her fingertips brushing his arm.
The moment her fingers touched skin, she froze.
“…Ugh.”
A breathy, involuntary sound escaped her.
This wasn’t like anything in the textbook!
No one ever said muscles could feel like this—so springy, so firm, so…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXyOWdYCUn
temptingly real.
She had expected something hard and static.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8JaC5T2qG
But instead—there was warmth. Depth.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8axzStFuAs
A weight that made her want to touch again.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCuObof2iM
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapTWbTaRVi
Her eyes focused, hands trembling slightly,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKnOwktTuh
trying desperately to maintain her “I’m being professional” façade.
Kouichi said nothing.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunNEEBZYql
He just lowered his gaze and watched—without pulling away.
He let her touch him.
But it was as if he were silently saying—
You can touch me like this.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2davNDa151
But only like this.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xCehicYK9
Only from this distance.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8BUvuSCt4
She glanced at him again.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4kA0w9VU1
Still calmly seated beside her, editing her report without so much as a blink.
As if nothing had happened.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3QurW1njm
As if her little emotional derailment was part of the routine.
He didn’t scold her.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oW7nfWPsl
Didn’t dodge her.
He simply… carried on.
And somehow, that made her feel—
Maybe it was because he was always so steady…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSkIyPdMAD
that she could inch a little closer each time.
She took a breath.
Then, carefully, she cradled his hand in both of hers.
That hand.
The one that had shot across her chest that day when he hit the brakes.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DtnG1aodN
The one that had thrown her whole heart into chaos.
Her fingers trembled slightly as they slid slowly over each of his knuckles—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9Cy5V2I9F
like she was holding something precious, too fragile to grip tightly.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIJe1iRCBB
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelKzcnoVzI
It was a very quiet hand.
The joints defined, calluses soft at the creases,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ87mYIGT2
fingertips warm and calm.
As her fingertips brushed his index finger,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhiaIirQG2
she felt the veins beneath his skin—subtle, winding, like strands of strength coiled under a surface of warmth.
So cool…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jQA9Q8nTQ
She thought, and immediately her cheeks flushed hotter.
Her heart stumbled up into her throat.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tJwXjxmGr
Her gaze followed the path of her own fingers—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiTl4o6aBt
from the web between thumb and forefinger,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWEB1u4lZr
to the back of his hand,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjmEtAPsu0
down to the long, slender bones of his wrist.
There was something addictive in the quiet complexity of it all.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnmvz0FUq1
Something that pulled at her, soft and slow and impossible to stop.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPOaw5G5q9
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAIgpWCJ0d
And then—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwwYFNy1pu
her fingers moved again.
Not consciously.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DB3vcEPrn
As if her body had decided on its own.
She slowly, almost soundlessly—
interlaced her fingers with his.
One finger.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPtoftqajk
Then another.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWODze1pUEJ
And another.
Until their hands fit together—perfectly.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEw8hI08lj
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYjPagpoDF
Ten fingers. Intertwined.
She froze.
She hadn’t said a word.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbch6x4ugY
But her body had confessed everything.
There was no way to explain this as "studying."374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1VHux3ZSQ
This wasn’t about anatomy.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypJspeSpmp
This was… the way lovers hold hands.
She stared down at their joined fingers,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKg6hTCvQM
her palm burning from his warmth.
And somewhere in her heart, a soft voice whispered:
If only I could stay like this.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoMLKXYxNz
Not just for palpation.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUsmRLe14w
Not just for ten minutes.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZEpAchfNU
But forever.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms2mt2ZMwC
She bit her lower lip.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa3eBaNoqS
Too afraid to look up.
Because what she feared most…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9heCEu7gi
wasn’t rejection.
It was the possibility—
that in his eyes,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMGPYjISqa
she might see a tiny flicker of indulgent gentleness.
The kind of look that would make her374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3jTRjHpy7
lose all ability to pull away.
The kind of look374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDEh0CNtEr
that would make her fall even deeper.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaTRtwjmKW
“…My lady,”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODHzYxyXoH
His voice was low, the calm she always knew.
But this time—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cXSlzU6g8
there was a faint huskiness to it, like he’d just pushed something down.
“Are you sure this part… is covered in the textbook?”
Suzuran snapped back to reality.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZi1cqfw9sl
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKn3t7Ib0U
She looked down—
Her right hand, still holding his left.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ1Qx7Ui7C
Their fingers laced tight.
Like lovers.
Like a secret promise in the middle of an ordinary afternoon.
Her heart dropped.
“I—I…”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7LHekza12
She couldn’t even finish.
Her face had turned red to the roots of her hair.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtaaRtg9cS
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGqdQ1KL2V
What. Just. Happened?!
She meant to feel his tendons. Just the hand. Just for class!
But somehow—her fingers had just slipped into his without her noticing?!
She yanked her hand back in a panic—374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxz54iXMnO9
but fumbled halfway, making it seem more like she didn’t want to let go.
Kouichi didn’t release her immediately.
He simply watched her.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdKHPYgkCX
Quietly.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf5zO47S5y
As she panicked like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner.
Her lips moved, but no words came out.
And then—finally, he spoke.
“…Time’s up.”
His voice was calm as ever. Composed.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTKp7mutPd
As if absolutely nothing had happened.
But only he knew—
That for one second,374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9TlinnJZr
his fingers had gently squeezed back.
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMCDY1WGep
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA66zwBF3ka
“I-I was just checking your muscle tone! That’s all!”
“Mm. Got it.”
He calmly pulled his hand away—unhurried, smooth.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCc8wf2uIA
But there was still a faint warmth left behind in her palm.
He paused for a second.
Then added, as if it were a matter-of-fact follow-up:
“So… would you like to check any other muscle groups?”
“…What?”
“For example—pectoralis major, biceps brachii, wrist flexors…”
“Wait a second.”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ILkytepsN
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Her brain raced through the names he just listed:374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3NwvvGwXA
Pectoralis major, biceps, wrist flexors…
Every one of them…
were the muscles you use when you hold someone close.
“Wait—are you saying… I should test them by having you hug me? For accuracy?”
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazk6OlZBTt
Kouichi didn’t reply.
He just turned and gave her a look—expression neutral, eyes steady.
Suzuran, meanwhile, lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Yes! Yes yes yes!! Obviously!!”
“….”
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5nyBGCWXP
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5Sx7TkuQ1
Without a word, he slowly raised a hand…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxvYq1FLhA
and pressed it flat against her face.
“Idiot.”
Tone completely deadpan.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7BF6y1v26
As if stating “Your book is upside down.”
Suzuran’s face exploded red.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAhDud7yfi
“Wh—Hey!!”
“I was kidding,”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxu5FVB8gwc
Kouichi muttered, calmly returning to her report.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4RXzpKIRG
His voice dry as ever.
“I didn’t think you’d actually take it seriously.”
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3h6deW1so
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9q9EDEZJD
“No wonder your etiquette grades are so borderline…374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwRcPiWxxL
You’ve probably been reading shoujo manga under the desk instead.”
“Hey—!”374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBq83avkRv
She exploded, grabbing a pillow and rolling back and forth in outrage.
“You can’t say stuff like that in that tone!!374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPfNgRKjbb
Don’t forget who your master is!”
Kouichi shot her a glance and deadpanned:374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQjsMkV0kj
“You were the one who took it the wrong way.”
“I did not! It’s called hands-on learning, thank you very much.”
“Mm. Real dedication. I’m impressed.”
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2dpUsJ0lo
He nodded with mock sincerity, then looked back down to continue writing comments, like he was grading some kind of midterm paper.
But in that moment—
facing away from her—
his lips twitched374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRKyFqmDzw
into a small, unmistakable smile.374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1a6E9Xwf7
374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXqGfC4dlS
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ079focS84
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~374Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnihKnJ23nO
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
and then Add to home screen.