The person who likes me is a yandere.

"What you just said was practically a death sentence. Don't worry, we'll definitely get out of here. Um, did you bring any food? Let's eat something while we wait."

Asuna rummaged through the pockets of her uniform.

"...I dedicate this to you."

Asuna offered her some dry bread. It was probably leftovers from her time sleeping outdoors.

"Anyway, I'll ask you if you have any water...?"

Asuna shook her head from side to side.

Eating dry bread without any moisture would probably make your mouth very dry.

"Thank you, I'll eat later."

I was originally going to put the dry bread into the pocket of my uniform jacket—which was full of natural stones—but I had to move it to the front pocket of my pants. I'll eat it when it's moistened.

Then--

Was it good luck or bad luck...? Probably bad. Moisture came to us.

There was an afternoon thunderstorm.

"Hey, didn't you say the chance of rain was zero?"

"I don't know! I'm so unlucky!"

There was nowhere to escape from the rooftop.

The rain, as sudden as water pouring from a showerhead, only lasted five minutes, but it soaked Asuna and me completely.

"……what."

I couldn't help but utter a sound.

Asuna's top—she had taken off her vest because it was hot—was damp and see-through, revealing the color of her skin in many places through the thin fabric. I could even see the delicate embroidery on her shirt clearly.

"Aaaaaah—"

Asuna didn't notice that her uniform was see-through... she covered her face with her hands.

You could glimpse her eyes through the gaps between her fingers.

"Qianyu's clothes are see-through... Your upper body is quite sturdy."

"Is this the time to look at other people's bodies...? Asuna's clothes are also see-through."

"Huh, is this a lie?"

Asuna didn't place her hands on the shirt that was showing through her top, but instead placed them on her stomach.

"Don't look, don't remember, don't take pictures with your phone."

"I'm not a pervert. Besides, have you forgotten that my phone just became an immortal?"

I looked away from Asuna.

Because the silence created an awkward atmosphere, I asked her out of the blue:

"...Why cover your stomach instead of your chest?"

"Because it's only been about an hour since I finished eating, my stomach looks terrible. It would be so embarrassing if it bulged out."

I don't understand the significance of worrying about the size of my stomach after a meal. My stomach isn't even protruding. What's protruding is my chest! It's not just protruding, it's bulging out! Doesn't that feel like it?

Feeling embarrassed, I turned my back to Asuna and, without thinking, reached my hand into the gaps of the metal mesh railing on the roof and hooked it onto the netting.

--grumble!

The metal mesh emitted a piercing metallic groan, and only two tatami-sized sections of the mesh, centered around the spot I was holding onto, came loose.

I reflexively tried to pull my fingers back—but the gap got my hand stuck and I couldn't pull it out!

The wire mesh wasn't supposed to be too heavy, but the unexpected weight of two tatami-mat-sized pieces of mesh was suddenly added to my hand. The moment I mentally screamed, I was dragged away by the mesh. A premonition of "It's going to fall?" washed over me.

Falling on the roof might have been just a little embarrassing at first... but things aren't that simple.

I was being pulled by the broken safety netting... meaning the netting was falling backwards, and behind the netting... was undoubtedly outside the roof.

——?

The safety net and my hand, which was entangled in it, were thrown off the roof. Even though I tried to stand on my feet that were still on the roof, my heels were already floating in the air.

Just before my body was about to fall off the roof of the third-floor school building—

My left hand, which was flailing wildly in the air in search of something to grab, touched something. I fell forward while looking back.

"Simple language!"

Asuna's desperate face appeared before me. She reached out her right hand and grabbed my left. My body, which had already been thrown halfway, came to an abrupt stop.

But the peace of mind lasts only a moment.

Because of the recent rain, Asuna slipped and lost her footing. Instantly, Yui's face filled with terror. The iron net binding me like handcuffs suddenly loosened, falling onto the deserted concrete ground beside the school building. The sound of metal clashing violently was like distant thunder. Even though the net had fallen, my body was about to plummet. I screamed with all my might:

"Let go!"

Asuna gripped my left hand tightly. If this continued, I would drag Asuna down the school building with me. No, even if Asuna let go now, she couldn't escape the fate of falling. In an instant, I felt despair and terror; even a millisecond was enough for negative emotions to dominate my heart.

—Swish!

Asuna's other hand, which wasn't holding mine, stretched out with all its might and grabbed one end of the roof's wire mesh, making a loud noise.

Chapter Thirty-Six: First Kiss

"Simple language!"

"Asuna!"

Just as the two were calling each other's names as if in prayer—

Asuna and I lay on the ground on the roof.

I'm saved. I've been rescued. Asuna pulled me back.

As I lay on the ground, Asuna hugged me. Our clothes, soaked from the rain, clung to each other tightly, as if we were naked.

Asuna's body temperature was hotter than the direct sunlight at one o'clock in the afternoon. Why is it that a girl's body feels so comfortable?

So soft.

I let my savior, Asuna, hug me. We remained silent for a minute, and the sense of relief that came from being safe and sound came to an end. I was extremely shy.

"...Asuna, well, that's about right..."

Can you let me go now?

I don't know why I wanted to pull something so comfortable off my body. Perhaps for me, a high school student, the emotion I most wanted to avoid was shyness.

"..."

Asuna remained silent. Because she was hugging me, I couldn't see her expression.

"...Asuna?"

"Even if we do this, it won't have any effect...?"

"Ok?"

I was thinking, "Can't I absorb the bad luck of shallow words?!"

When Asuna held me, her voice was soft and gentle, making my heart flutter with tenderness. However, Asuna's gentleness made me uneasy. I was terrified.

"Asuna, thank you. But I can't escape my bad luck today."

Asuna's gentleness made me realize the reason for my fear. If I were to encounter misfortune, Asuna would risk any danger to save me. This time, Asuna's hand just happened to grab the wire mesh, so she was safe and sound, but the worst-case scenario is that I would drag Asuna down with me, causing her to fall off the roof with me.

I think I can understand how I felt when I dumped Asuna in the spring of my second year of junior high school, three years ago. Now, there's something I really want to say.

"I'm telling you, Asuna. You'll be in trouble if you're next to me."

So, don't even think about dating me anymore.

I couldn't bring myself to say the rest. Asuna hugged me even tighter. The force was almost painful.

"...It's not just bad luck."

"?"

"Although Qianyu will encounter a lot of bad luck today, it doesn't mean that nothing good will happen. As long as I stay by Qianyu's side, I feel lucky, let alone bad luck."

"...Asuna."

"I'll show you the evidence."

Asuna's body left my body.

She straddled me as I lay on my back. I could feel the soft, elasticity of her buttocks on my lower abdomen.

I saw a clear sky behind Asuna's face.

But now is not the time to look at the sky.

Asuna's face moved lower.

I couldn't make a sound. Because Asuna's crimson lips were blocking my lips.

I let her kiss me. After what felt like the longest ten seconds of my life, Asuna pulled away from her lips. The kiss tasted neither lemon nor strawberry. It tasted like Asuna. As for what that taste was, I simply cannot describe it with my limited vocabulary. Asuna's taste was just Asuna's taste.

Asuna, straddling me, looked down at me with a flushed face.

"...I gave you my first kiss...so I won't allow Qianyu to say she's unlucky today."

"Ah, um."

"...Also, I'm very lucky to be staying by Qianyu's side now."

The girl who said she was lucky after kissing me was absolutely adorable.

"Ah, um," I could only respond blankly.

Asuna smiled, and the necklace she kept in her uniform dangled from her chest, shimmering with the light of lapis lazuli.

"Let's go because I'm shy."

Asuna pulled away from me and quickly walked to the rooftop door, grabbing the doorknob. She remained motionless in that position for ten seconds before turning her head: