Tokyo: To reiterate, this is not a dating system.

open the door.

Unsurprisingly, it was Yuko Asahi.

She had changed into a floral dress for home, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders.

Genji Aoyama revealed a genuinely weary smile.

"So cute," he said.

The voice was quite soft, as if it were a sigh.

Yuko Asahi's shoulders visibly hunched.

"Please give me a compliment too." Aoyama Genji's tone made it impossible to tell whether he was serious or joking.

"..."

The beautiful girl remained silent.

Genji Aoyama stepped back two steps to let Yuko Asahi in.

She took off her shoes in the entryway, her small feet in white socks stepping on the floor as she followed behind Genji Aoyama.

There was only one chair in the cramped room, and Genji Aoyama poured Yuko Asahi a cup of barley tea.

After that, he sat down in a chair, lay back, and looked up at the ceiling, as if he was about to have a conversation with the ceiling.

Yuko Asahi stood to the side, her shoulders looking a little tense and her head slightly lowered.

They had arranged to chat, but neither of them spoke first.

I'm tired.

Aoyama Genji's slightly tired voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Not only academic matters, but also work matters, band performance matters, and matters related to Asahi."

Neither the ceiling nor the pretty girl replied to him.

Yu Guangzhong: Asahi Yuko's head was lowered even further, and her expression looked somewhat conflicted, as if she was blaming herself.

"I'm sure some people think that I'm surrounded by so many beautiful girls, have a lot of online attention, am handsome, talented, and have an incredibly fulfilling life, and am very happy every day."

"But only I know the truth."

"Forcing myself like this is really tiring."

Genji Aoyama slumped onto the table, making a muffled sound.

The hot air shot out, collided with the tabletop, bounced back, and hit my face, making me feel a little itchy and wanting to laugh.

"I only got 462 points on this week's quiz. What am I going to do for next week's monthly test? I've already tried so hard. If I don't get into the top ten, I won't even respect myself."

In the glances secretly cast from within her arms, Asahi Yuko seemed to make a gesture as if she wanted to raise her hand, but ultimately withdrew it.

"I've been constantly watched and scrutinized online. Just a few days ago, someone even obtained my information through illegal means and called me."

"Huh?"

Yuko Asahi couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, then covered her mouth with her hand.

"The band's performance is scheduled for the 30th, we only have three days. What if we mess it up?"

In the hidden gaze, Asahi Yuko's body seemed to have moved forward slightly.

"And then there's Asahi, who's the most troublesome, but she's just so adorable that it's impossible to dislike her."

After saying that, Genji Aoyama buried his face completely in his arms.

"I'm so tired. I wish there was someone I could lean on."

The sound became even more muffled.

Then the room fell silent, with only the gentle sound of the wind.

Genji Aoyama seemed to be asleep.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes, and the breathing sounds gradually became more noticeable and more even.

Only he knew that he wasn't asleep at all—it was all an act.

That's not entirely true. Emotional exhaustion isn't something you can fake; some things really are incredibly draining.

So, the desire for comfort is genuine.

Lost in thought, he heard the sound of fabric rubbing together, accompanied by the faint sound of footsteps moving.

Yuko Asahi is getting closer.

Then a soft hand covered his head, gently stroking his hair as if afraid of waking him.

"Yes, I know. Aoyama-kun has always worked very hard. Thank you for your hard work." A gentler voice came from beside him.

Perhaps feeling that she hadn't woken up Genji Aoyama, Yuko Asahi became bolder.

Her hand slowly moved down from the top of Aoyama Genji's head to his shoulders, gently stroking and kneading them, as if trying to truly relax those shoulders.

"I'm a troublesome person, I've always known that, and Aoyama-kun knows that but still doesn't give up on me, which makes me feel both guilty and very happy."

"I want to say something like, 'Aoyama-kun, you can try relying on me for a while,' but I can't do it right now."

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence once again.

Then Yuko Asahi awkwardly stretched out her arms and hugged Genji Aoyama in an odd way.

"I will try my best," she said.

The soft touch seemed to press closer, and Aoyama Genji's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably. In that instant, he felt—

The slender arms that were holding him froze.

"Are you...pretending to be asleep...?"

The voice was exceptionally soft, tinged with timidity, as if it were a tentative inquiry.

Then the soft embrace quietly loosened, finally letting go completely, followed by soft footsteps, and Asahi Yuko seemed to have retreated to her original spot.

Looks like we've been discovered.

Unable to keep up the act any longer, Aoyama Genji lifted his head from his arms, a smile unique to a beautiful young man spreading across his face: "So comfortable—"

"..."

Asahi Yuko reverted to her original appearance, except her drooping face looked completely red.

Genji Aoyama did not speak.

After a short while, she seemed to have finally mustered the courage to speak: "...It seems that Aoyama-kun was asleep just now."

"No," he said.

"Eh!"

Yuko Asahi took two steps back, then stopped as if she had thought of something, lowering her head and not daring to look at Genji Aoyama.

"Can I hug you a little longer?" Genji Aoyama stood up from his seat. "I feel a bit healed by Yuuko."

Yuko Asahi shook her head.

"But I still want it, what should I do?"

Aoyama Genji ignored her and went straight to the corner of the room. He took out a wad of cloth from the storage bag and spread it out in the place where the bed was.

Then he lay down and closed his eyes.

"Yuuko, you can pretend I'm asleep."

A few minutes passed, and nothing like what he had imagined happened. Aoyama Genji sighed again, slightly opening one eye to look at Asahi Yuko, who was both shy and hesitant: "I'm so tired. I want a beautiful girl's lap pillow. I want to be healed by a beautiful girl's touch. I'm so tired. I feel like I can't take it anymore."

"..."

"I...I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, the soft sound of cotton socks rubbing against the floor rang out.

The room was only about ten square meters, yet the two people were less than two meters apart.

Yuko Asahi struggled as if she were climbing a mountain before finally sitting down on Genji Aoyama's bed.

Then, Genji Aoyama felt—

A faint fragrance drifted uncontrollably past his nose, followed by the warmth of his knee against his cheek.

Genji Aoyama half-raised his head, adjusted his posture, and then rested his head completely on Yuko Asahi's thigh—it looked very slender, but it was actually very soft to the touch, and it trembled as if he were shy.

In short, it was very comfortable.

"...Don't open your eyes." Asahi Yuko's voice sounded from above, sounding very shy.

"...And you're not allowed to speak."

"...Otherwise I'll be so embarrassed I'll want to run away."

Her fingers gently landed on his head, and she began to slowly and clumsily stroke it.

◇

late at night.

In the dimly lit little room, Asahi Yuko tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Occasionally, she would slip her hand under the covers and stroke her slender, soft thighs—as if still retaining a warm, furry touch.

It's itchy.

"It's so hot, I can't sleep, I absolutely can't sleep!"

As she thought about it, she picked up her phone from the bedside table, wanting to do something.

The screen lit up, and her delicate and pretty face was flushed red by the light from the phone.

[My boyfriend asked for a lap pillow and to touch me, and I did. What else does he want next?]

[A lap pillow and stroking indicate that he currently craves closeness with you and wants to feel safe and pampered from you. Next, he will most likely want more intimate physical contact, such as hugs and kisses...]

The answer came quickly, and Yuko Asahi felt even hotter in the room after reading it.