Chapter 1: A Female Friend’s Request Can’t Be Refused

“Hey, Minato-kun, there’s something I’d like to ask you…”

“Sure thing.”

“I haven’t even said what it is yet!”

One day after school—

As usual, Minato was fondling Hazuki Aoi’s breasts.

Her sultry black bra was already undone, her soft, supple breasts fully exposed.

Despite having savored them countless times, their pink tips remained vibrant and tender, his to admire at will.

Minato cupped her breasts, too ample to fit in one hand, squeezing them tightly and kneading them like dough.

He was thoroughly relishing their unmatched softness and elasticity.

To be precise, they were at the entrance of the Hazuki household. Minato hadn’t yet undone Hazuki’s uniform; he’d only slipped off her panties for a rushed first round.

Afterward, they moved to Hazuki’s room for a second round.

Only then did he properly strip off her uniform jacket, cardigan, and white blouse, taking his time to savor her F-cup breasts before using one up.

The sight of Hazuki doing it while still wearing her skirt was so erotic it drove him wild.

Now, they were lazily sprawled on her bed, with Minato enjoying Hazuki’s breasts to his heart’s content.

Unfortunately, Serina couldn’t join them today due to family matters.

But even with just Hazuki, Minato was more than satisfied.

“After all the things you’ve let me do, Hazuki, how could I possibly say no to you?”

“Well, I guess that’s true… ahh, hey! ♡ Don’t pinch my nipples on purpose—!”

Hazuki let out a playful scold.

“By the way, is this request more important than your breasts?”

“There are plenty of things more important than my breasts!”

“Really?”

“Ugh, this guy, seriously…”

Hazuki shot him a look of utter exasperation.

“Alright, fine. I’ll pause for now, then.”

“Ahh… ♡ W-Well, it’s not like you can’t keep playing while we talk…”

When Minato lifted his hands from Hazuki’s weighty breasts, she seemed a touch disappointed.

Of course, he fully intended to resume his fun once their conversation was done.

“So, what’s this favor you want, Hazuki?”

“Well… I was thinking of giving you a spare key to my place.”

“No way.”

“That’s not what you just said! You’re totally rejecting my request!”

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to be funny or anything.”

Minato explained, resting a hand on Hazuki’s thigh.

Touching her breasts was distracting, but stroking her smooth skin helped him stay calm.

“Didn’t we talk about this before? My place only has my dad and me, so it’s no big deal if you use a spare key to come over.”

“That’s already kinda weird, you know…”

Though Hazuki said that, she still used her key to enter Minato’s place without hesitation.

Of course, she only came when Minato’s father was absolutely not home, so she’d never crossed paths with him.

“But your place only has you and your mom, right? I mean, I don’t need to be overly cautious about you anymore, but I also don’t want to be some clueless jerk barging into a house with two women.”

“I’m starting to question just how clueless you really are… but, well, thanks for the thought.”

Hahaha—Hazuki let out a wry laugh.

Honestly, even if Minato used a spare key to enter her place, Hazuki probably wouldn’t mind.

Their relationship was close enough that they could go at it passionately in her entryway like today, so his hesitation seemed almost absurd.

“But, well, things have changed a bit.”

“Changed? What’s going on, Hazuki? Everything okay?”

“It’s not a big deal. Just…”

Hazuki’s expression turned slightly troubled—

“My mom’s going on a long business trip.”

“A long business trip?”

Hazuki’s mother was a single parent who’d raised her daughter alone.

Minato had met her before.

Once when Hazuki’s beloved cat, Momo, ran away, and again when she came to thank him after he found Momo. Just twice in total.

As expected of Hazuki’s mother, she was a stunning beauty who looked young enough to be Hazuki’s older sister.

“So, how long will she be gone?”

“She said probably until the end of the year.”

“‘Probably’ doesn’t sound very certain.”

“Right~?”

Hazuki gave another wry smile.

It was just early November, meaning almost two months remained.

And her mother’s phrasing made it sound like “at least two months.”

“Apparently, her company is merging with another one, and that company’s based in Osaka.”

“Osaka, huh…”

Definitely not a commuting distance.

“Mom has to be stationed at the other company, it seems.”

“Stationed? That sounds less like a merger and more like an acquisition… By the way, your mom’s not, like, some high-up executive, is she?”

Minato had suspected as much for a while.

Their twelfth-floor apartment was far from cheap.

And though Hazuki didn’t work part-time, she never seemed short on pocket money.

The Hazuki household was likely quite well-off.

“I’m not sure. But I’ve heard people are scared of her and call her the ‘Accounting Demon.’”

“So she’s an accountant. How come her daughter’s so bad with numbers, then…?”

“Shut up. Mom’s mom, and I’m me.”

Hazuki pouted unhappily.

Though Hazuki was a flashy, gorgeous girl, her occasional childish expressions were undeniably cute.

“But even if she’s back by year-end or after New Year’s, that’s a pretty long trip.”

“When I was in middle school, she went on a long trip once. That was about a month, I think.”

“That’s long enough~”

For a middle schooler, a month was no short time.

And with no siblings, Hazuki was completely alone at home.

Some kids might revel in the freedom of no parents, but a middle school girl like her couldn’t possibly avoid feeling lonely.

“After that trip, we moved into this apartment.”

“Oh, I see…”

According to Hazuki, her family moved into this building a year before Minato’s.

But since Hazuki didn’t transfer schools, she and her mom likely always lived nearby.

“Um, Minato-kun… don’t laugh at what I’m about to say, okay?”

“Hm? Depends on what you say.”

“ Ugh, you’re such an inconsiderate friend.”

Hazuki glared at him, then let out a soft sigh.

If she were his girlfriend, Minato might’ve shown more concern, but Hazuki was just a friend.

The best part of being friends was being able to brush things off casually—

“Okay, okay, I won’t laugh. Just say it already.”

“You should’ve said that from the start~ How do I put it… I wanted to talk about that month.”

Hazuki’s tone turned a bit childish, almost like she was pouting.

It felt like she’d reverted to being a kid.

“When Mom wasn’t around, I was in such a bad mood. I felt uneasy staying in my room at night, so I slept in the living room every day.”

“I kinda get that…”

Minato had been a latchkey kid since he was young, so he knew the unease of an empty house all too well.

He also understood that feeling of thinking someone was in another room.

Back then, any noise in the house at night would make him jump.

The layout of Hazuki’s place back then probably let her see the other rooms and hallway from the living room.

In Minato’s mind, he pictured middle school Hazuki lying on the living room floor, wrapped in a blanket.

That pitiful image made him want to go back in time to help her.

“And then, after Mom visited me once, we decided to get Momo.”

“So that’s how that cat ended up at your place.”

“Yeah, one of Mom’s friends said they could give us a cat, and I immediately said yes.”

“Figures.”

Hazuki’s cat, Momo, wasn’t in the room right now.

That cat usually ignored everything around it, but Hazuki’s sharp moans would startle it, so she’d shooed it out.

“Anyway, Momo is super cute, so the days Mom came home late got a lot easier.”

“But looking after the house for two months on your own is a whole different story, right?”

“Exactly! Two months is twice as long as before! Even with Momo, it’s gonna be tough!”

Hazuki suddenly leaned forward.

Her breasts swayed lightly with the motion.

“So, just in case something happens, I wanted to give you the spare key first.”

“Don’t say ominous stuff like that…”

Of course, if Hazuki were in any danger, Minato would rush over without a second thought.

From his place to hers, he could make it in a minute if he hurried.

“You could bang on the door or contact the building manager, right? Our apartment’s management office is open 24/7, isn’t it?”

This wasn’t some fancy concierge-service building.

But Minato recalled the management being pretty thorough with issues.

“But it’s getting colder, and I might catch a cold and be stuck in bed.”

“If that happens, you wouldn’t be able to call the manager…”

The best option seemed to be Minato holding onto the spare key so he could check on Hazuki if anything seemed off.

After all, aside from a cold, there was no guarantee something else wouldn’t prevent her from contacting him.

Just thinking about that possibility probably made Hazuki anxious.

“With this, even if it’s just me and Momo at home, knowing you could come over anytime would put me at ease.”

“I’m not that amazing, you know…”

“No way that’s true!”

Hazuki firmly shot back.

“Please, take the spare key! Just for the two months Mom’s gone!”

“Hm…”

Hearing her say that, Minato started feeling uneasy too.

It’d take two minutes to walk to her place, one if he ran.

Knowing he could get there anytime with the key might ease his own worries.

He should set aside pointless stubbornness and just hold onto the key as a favor for a friend.

No, not just a friend.

A flashy, cheerful friend who, deep down, was terribly afraid of being alone—

“…How about I just move into your place? My house is close by, so moving’s no big deal.”

“Seriously? You’d really move in?!”

“Whoa, whoa.”

Hazuki’s eyes sparkled as she pressed her whole body against him.

“That’s amazing~!”

Then, she flopped onto the bed, clinging to Minato like she’d collapsed.

“I was actually gonna ask you to move in, but I thought it’d be too shameless to say, so I chickened out. Ugh, you’re a lifesaver~”

“…”

This might’ve been the first time Minato saw Hazuki so relaxed, like she was genuinely relieved from the bottom of her heart.

His suggestion had been half a joke… no, completely a joke.

But the mood now made it impossible to say, “I was kidding!”

Since she was this happy, there was no taking it back.

“Oh, I’ll come up with some excuse for my mom. She’s always said it’s fine if a friend stays over, no matter how long. It’s just two months straight, right?”

“…I’ll just tell my dad I’m staying at your place upstairs. He probably already knows we hang out a lot, so he won’t care.”

“Wow, what an understanding dad. Everything’s set, then!”

Hazuki bolted upright, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Minato.

“This is awesome~ Really awesome~ I mean, there’s no way I could’ve asked Serina-chan to move in.”

“Obviously not…”

Minato and Hazuki’s family situations were unique.

It was rare for kids to have this much freedom while their home life wasn’t a mess.

“Oh, basically, you just need to stay over at night. It’s fine if you go back to your place sometimes. Should we get a foldable bed? Sleeping on my bed every day might feel cramped. But a foldable bed might not be comfy. Or just sleep on the floor? We’ve got a spare futon somewhere.”

“Whoa, don’t cling so close. I’m fine with a sleeping bag or the living room sofa.”

“There’s no point if we’re not in the same room!”

“Didn’t you say you sleep in a different room from your mom?!”

“W-Well, yeah, but…”

Hazuki’s room had a bed, a small table, a vanity, and other furniture, giving it a surprisingly girly vibe.

There were a few stuffed animals, and fashion magazines were stacked in a corner.

Even so, there seemed to be just enough floor space for one person to sleep—

“But if we’re in the same room every day, it’d definitely get suffocating. Everyone needs some alone time.”

“Oh… yeah, like how you go home and call Serina-chan over when your dad’s not around.”

“Right, right, enjoying Serina’s slender figure on my own bed—wait, no! I mean, your room’s not huge, so we shouldn’t always be together.”

“Is that how it is? But we can’t use Mom’s room. Our place is two bedrooms and a living room, you know.”

“Mine too. I’m not saying make another room.”

Minato gently placed a hand on Hazuki’s head.

“Since you’ve got a futon, I’ll sleep on the living room floor.”

“…You sure you don’t wanna sleep together? Really?”

“I mean, not every day. We should sleep apart sometimes.”

“O-Oh, got it…”

Hazuki’s face flushed.

Though Minato had asked to have his way with her countless times, she still got shy—a very Hazuki-like trait.

“Besides, I can still hang out in your room and then sleep in the living room after.”

“Oh~ So you’ll do it and then ditch me to crash alone, huh?”

“Don’t make it sound so bad! But think about it… if I stay in your room, I’ll wanna keep going. With you right there, how am I supposed to sleep?”

“I-I never said you could do it anytime! Though, I guess you can do whatever you want…”

Minato thought to himself: Seriously, it’s fine?

But if he actually stayed in Hazuki’s room, they’d both end up sleep-deprived.

“At least we shouldn’t sleep in the same room every day. I’m totally fine in the living room.”

“I-If you’re okay with it, Minato-kun, then fine… As long as I know you’re in the living room, I’ll feel safe.”

“Alright, settled.”

Of course, Minato planned to ask Hazuki to let him have his way every day.

But he still had to respect their privacy. And for health’s sake, a good sleep environment mattered.

“So it’s decided.”

“Oh, right. When’s your mom leaving for her trip?”

“…Uh, she’s already gone. Like, today?”

“Hey, you should’ve said that sooner!”

Looked like Minato would be staying over starting tonight.

“I-I was just gonna give you the key at first! I didn’t expect to score such a huge win.”

“Win, huh?”

With a high-class beauty like Hazuki, plenty of guys would jump at the chance to live with her.

If anything, this was another win for Minato.

“Asking someone to take a key takes a lot of guts, you know! You kept saying no, so I thought you’d reject it in the end!”

“You’re such a social butterfly, but you’re kinda passive sometimes, Hazuki.”

“Shut up. Social or loner, a girl’s feelings are delicate, okay? So… starting today?”

Hazuki looked up at him.

From this angle, he could glimpse her ample breasts and cute pink nipples.

What guy could resist that look combined with those breasts?

At the very least, Minato had no choice but to surrender completely.

“Yeah, I’ll grab some clothes and essentials and come back.”

“Cool, that’s the plan.”

Though Hazuki’s emotions had been all over the place, she seemed genuinely thrilled about living together.

“Hm? Is this… like, living together?”

“You mean cohabiting?”

“We’re not dating or anything.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.”

Minato and Hazuki were still just friends.

Even if they bared everything in bed, it was just a game between friends. Hazuki only let Minato have his way because he asked.

Minato had never wavered on that point.

“Maybe roommates? No, ‘staying over’ fits best.”

“Whatever you call it’s fine. Ahh~ Knowing I’ll be living with you, Minato-kun, puts me so at ease~”

Hazuki flopped onto the bed.

She seemed so relieved that she’d gone completely limp.

Her F-cup breasts were fully exposed, and her skirt had flipped up slightly.

Gazing at her pale thighs peeking out—Minato swallowed hard.

“Um… Hazuki…”

“Huh? Y-You want more?”

“I’ll head home after we’re done.”

“O-Okay… Can’t say no to you. Since you agreed to my request, it’s my turn to listen to you. So… maybe two more times?”

“Uh… isn’t there only one left?”

“…Yeah.”

Hazuki glanced at the thin box by her pillow.

“There’s a new box. But—”

Hazuki sat up and gave Minato a light kiss.

“After we use this box… we don’t have to open the new one yet, okay?”

“S-Sure…”

In other words, they could do it once without one.

“Whether you want my breasts or my mouth, whatever you like… it’s fine ♡ We’ll open the new box tonight… okay?”

“Then… let’s do it.”

Minato nodded, his mind racing.

Starting tonight, it’d just be the two of them in this house.

He’d better stock up on those supplies.

“So… from today on, I’m in your care, Minato-kun.”

“…Should I say ‘my pleasure’?”

“Haha, I’m the one asking you, so I’m in your care.”

“Yeah, let’s keep it chill.”

“Right. We’re friends, after all…”

Hazuki hugged Minato tightly.

As he embraced her soft body, Minato had a feeling.

Just like when Serina Ruka joined their dynamic.

This joyful time with his female friends might be on the verge of changing once again.