Epilogue

“Morning~ Minato” Hazuki greeted.

“…Yo~ Morning,” Minato yawned.

As Hazuki unlocked the door with her spare key, Minato stepped out of his room.

He’d given her the key since it was a hassle to open the door every time she came over.

“Huh, just woke up? I thought your dad’s on a business trip,” Hazuki said.

“Yeah, but even if he’s here, he’s gone by now,” Minato replied, yawning.

His dad left early and came home late.

Minato suddenly wondered.

How long had it been since morning meetups with Hazuki became routine?

It’d been days since their Fairy Tale World trip.

Time with Aoi Hazuki always flew by in a blissful blur.

“You’re always up early, Hazuki. And your outfit’s already perfect,” Minato noted.

“As a girl, getting up early to look pretty is no big deal. Oh, by the way—” Hazuki started.

“Mornin’~ Minato-kun, Aoi-san…” Serina mumbled.

“R-Ruka!” Hazuki exclaimed.

Serina stepped out of Minato’s room.

She wore only Minato’s white shirt, half her chest and snowy thighs shamelessly exposed.

“R-Ruka… You stayed over?” Hazuki asked.

“Y-Yeah… I told my parents I was at Aoi-san’s…” Serina admitted.

“Ruka, you’re really milking me as your alibi…” Hazuki sighed.

“Sorry… But lately, when I say I’m at Aoi-san’s, my parents don’t ask questions. They even tell me to have fun,” Serina said.

Though Serina’s family was strict, her becoming more outgoing and visiting friends often made them happy.

“Fine, whatever~ But last night, when I went home to sleep, I was gonna ask when you were heading back, Ruka. Didn’t expect… this,” Hazuki said.

“Me and Serina got carried away playing Legend Heroes… It got late…” Minato explained.

“So you and super-cute Ruka had a wild time in bed too, huh?” Hazuki teased.

“N-No! Same as usual, we didn’t go all the way… Last night, I just had her use her thighs…” Minato stammered.

“I didn’t ask for details… You guys had fun without me…” Hazuki pouted.

“U-Um… Aoi-san? Let me make breakfast today!” Serina offered.

“What, for real? Awesome, Ruka’s breakfast!” Hazuki’s face lit up.

Her mood flipped instantly.

Seizing the moment, Serina tied an apron over her shirt-only outfit and started cooking.

Katsuobushi and plum onigiri for each, tamagoyaki, miso soup, and kimchi Serina brought from home.

“Ahh~ So good… No offense, Minato but your cooking’s nowhere near this,” Hazuki said.

“Obviously. But we used the same recipe,” Minato protested.

“T-The taste isn’t that different,” Serina said.

The three sat at the table, enjoying the steaming breakfast.

“With Ruka here, our meals level up like crazy,” Hazuki said.

“Good food puts you in a great mood,” Minato agreed.

“Haha, for Minato it’s not just your appetite getting satisfied,” Hazuki teased.

“Still holding a grudge over last night? Fine, then you use one this morning, Hazuki,” Minato offered.

Hazuki’s early visits weren’t just for breakfast—

They were for that crucial morning round.

“Exactly. Aoi-san gets to do it not just at night but in the morning too. Living so close is unfair,” Serina huffed, puffing her cheeks in a rare pout.

“Y-Yeah, true… Oh, but didn’t you have fun at school before, Ruka?” Hazuki countered.

“…!” Serina’s face turned beet red.

“N-No! The teacher asked me to clean the prep room, so I got Minato-kun to help… and I used my chest and mouth to thank him…” Serina mumbled.

“Just chest and mouth? Doesn’t matter if it was ‘just’ that. I’ve never done that at school… Hey, Minato don’t go too far,” Hazuki scolded.

“Uh, we should get ready. We skipped two days for Fairy Tale World, so we gotta be serious about school for a bit,” Minato said, changing the subject.

“Your topic-switching skills are awful,” Hazuki said.

She was right, but Minato genuinely wanted to avoid being late.

“Yeah, I gotta get ready too,” Serina agreed.

“I’ll handle cleanup,” Minato offered.

“Thanks. Chu ♡” Serina said.

“Alright, I’ll help clean too. Chu ♡” Hazuki added.

Serina stood, giving Minato a quick kiss before heading to his room.

Hazuki kissed him too, then moved to the kitchen.

Minato was generally diligent, Serina even more so—and Hazuki wasn’t one to skip school often either.

With Hazuki’s help, Minato quickly finished cleaning up breakfast.

“Ah, hey! ♡ H-Here?!” Hazuki gasped.

Then, by the kitchen counter, Minato hugged Hazuki tightly from behind, as if pinning her, and hurriedly used one.

Meanwhile, Serina had washed her face, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and put on her uniform.

Serina was always brisk, her grooming speed astonishing.

Despite the haste, her long black hair and uniform were impeccably neat.

Hazuki, on the other hand, was a bit disheveled, needing Serina’s help to tidy up.

“Alright, let’s go,” Minato said.

The three left Minato’s place, walking to school side by side, unbothered by onlookers.

Since everyone knew they lived close, saying they “met on the way” explained their group commute without raising suspicion.

Chatting, Minato Hazuki, and Serina headed to the shoe lockers—

“Ah,” Minato paused.

He hesitated, glancing at Hazuki.

She nodded slightly—Minato nodded back, giving a puzzled Serina a light shoulder pat.

“Sorry, I’ll go ahead,” Minato said.

Without waiting for a reply, he stepped forward.

A female student stood by the lockers.

Her features were refined but not striking—if he dared use a harsh term again, “maybe fifth cutest in class.”

But to Minato she was his first important female friend—

“Morning, Azusa,” Minato greeted.

“Huh? Oh… Toshiya… Morning, Toshiya,” Azusa replied, startled.

Hearing Minato greet her for the first time in months clearly surprised her.

So shocked, she dropped her indoor shoes.

Minato bent down, picked them up, and handed them to her.

“And… sorry, Azusa,” Minato added.

“Huh? Sorry for what? Uh, you don’t have anything to apologize for, Toshiya…” Azusa said, confused.

“I used to think you were ‘fifth cutest in class.’ When my own ranking’s probably near the bottom,” Minato admitted.

“F-Fifth? Toshiya, that ranking’s… way too high, isn’t it?” Azusa said.

“Huh…?” Minato blinked.

Apparently, Azusa didn’t realize how cute she was.

“But, uh, I’m flattered. You haven’t talked to me in forever, though. Complimenting me won’t get you anywhere,” Azusa teased.

“Y-Yeah,” Minato nodded.

She seemed genuinely happy.

Still, calling someone “fifth” was pretty rude.

“Azusa… Can I keep saying hi to you?” Minato asked.

“No, no, just talk to me normally! Why just greetings?” Azusa laughed.

“Can we… keep being friends?” Minato ventured.

“You don’t need to ask for that!” Azusa said with a wry smile, waving lightly.

It was like before his confession—a perfectly normal state.

Right, as friends, some things didn’t need asking—

After a brief chat, Azusa left for class when other friends called her over.

But—he’d taken a step.

Minato finally realized.

Azusa was still an important female friend, and he’d always wanted to mend that bond.

Like Aoi Hazuki and Koharu Ena.

“You did good, Minato” Hazuki said.

“…Yeah, I was kinda nervous,” Minato admitted.

“I’ll head off too. Take your time,” Serina said.

She smiled at Minato and Hazuki, changed into her indoor shoes, and left.

She’d likely sensed they had something to discuss and considerately gave them space.

“Going to class together would’ve been fine,” Minato said.

“Or… wanna find a spot to use one?” Hazuki teased.

“Seven left, right? Just us two, we might use two or three. Not sure that’s enough,” Minato grinned.

“T-Two or three’s too much! What, you that hyped? You’re not itching to ask Azusa to let you do her, are you?” Hazuki accused.

“N-No! The only female friends I’d ask that of are you and Serina,” Minato clarified.

“Is that something to say so proudly?” Hazuki scoffed.

Minato and Hazuki changed into their indoor shoes and headed to class.

On the stairs, the morning crowd miraculously thinned for a moment—

In that instant, they stole a quick kiss.

“Kissing’s the most we can do. Wish I could suck your chest,” Minato whispered.

“Idiot! My service isn’t that good to flash my chest here,” Hazuki hissed.

“Speaking of… Hazuki, are your breasts getting bigger?” Minato asked.

“Hm, if you say so, maybe… My bra’s feeling a bit tight,” Hazuki admitted.

“For real? Already F-cups, and they’re nearing G…?” Minato marveled.

The thought that only he got to enjoy them sent his excitement soaring.

“Even sneaking a chest session at school… seven won’t be enough back home,” Minato said.

“W-What nonsense… J-Just the chest at school, okay?” Hazuki stammered, nudging his side with her elbow.

“But… if it’s a safe day, we don’t need those. Actually, today’s…” Hazuki trailed off.

“So… back home, once with your chest, then straight to it. After dinner and a bath, use up all the rest… Like that?” Minato proposed.

“I-I didn’t say we’d do that much… Minato you really wanna do it that bad?” Hazuki asked.

“I wanna see your panties, touch your chest, and—do it as many times as I can!” Minato laughed.

Hazuki elbowed him harder.

“Ow! Please, Hazuki. I’m begging—pretty please?” Minato pleaded.

“Fine. I wanna—keep playing with you forever! ♡” Hazuki agreed.

Just ask, and this female friend was surprisingly willing to indulge—

This unbelievable fact, over these days, had quietly stopped being surprising and become natural.

The joyful times with these incredible female friends would surely last forever, never ending—