(Oh man… It’s not like I don’t like this, I’m actually rather happy, but my heart…)

    Next to me, Saito was happily telling me about the things she found interesting about the book, but I was too preoccupied about something else.

    I couldn’t pay attention because our shoulders were pressed together, and I couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying.

    If someone of the opposite gender touches you, especially if it’s someone you like, you’ll be conscious of them.

    I was so nervous that I couldn’t keep my composure.

    I glanced at her and saw her talking with her cheeks tinted a little red.

    The fact that she was actively getting closer to me even though she appeared to be embarrassed made me indescribably happy. I felt slightly hot, and as I rolled up my sleeves to expose my arms to release the heat, the voice next to me stopped.

    I was curious about her sudden silence, and when I looked at her, she was looking at my arm with interest.

    [What’s wrong?]

    [?! Ah, umm…]

    When I called out to her, she shook as if startled. Her gaze wandered around impatiently.

    [Hm?]

    [T-Tanaka-kun’s arm is surprisingly muscular, like a boy’s arm] (TN: Girl, it’s a he for a reason)

    She muttered quietly, her face staring down in embarrassment.

    Perhaps it was a new experience for her to see my arms, which were usually hidden behind my sleeves. I guess that’s why she was so interested in them.

    [Really? Ah, compared to girls, I guess they are]

    [W-Well, can I touch it…?]

    When I wondered if it was really that interesting, she blushed furiously and hesitantly asked something outrageous.

    […Eh?]

    I was speechless in the face of something so unexpected.

    [N-No, it’s fine if you don’t want to…]

    I froze and didn’t reply for a long time. She must’ve thought I didn’t like it, so she turned her face down.

    [No, no… It’s not like I hate it…]

    [Then, can I?]

    [Y-Yeah…]

    There was no reason for me to refuse, and when I saw her so depressed, it made my heart ache.

    I didn’t mind being touched by people I liked, and I wanted to respond to her requests as much as possible as a way of returning the favor.

    I held out my arm nervously, and as she touched it timidly, her ears became red.

    Her beautiful, thin, white fingertips caress the skin. She touched me carefully, as if handling a fragile object, and checked how my arms felt.

    I felt itchy as I was being touched. The way she stroked her fingers down my arms was somewhat sensual and made me feel strange. It’s not like we were doing anything perverted, but I felt like I was doing something immoral..

    On top of that, I’d never had someone of the opposite gender touch me while staring so intensely at me, so I was feeling a little embarrassed.

    I held it in for a while, but then I couldn’t take it anymore and asked her.

    [Hey, it feels ticklish… Isn’t it enough already?]

    [Ah, yes, it’s enough already]

    She sounded a little surprised, as if she was preoccupied. However, she let go of my arm while looking a little sad.

    I let out a sigh of relief, finally being released from the tension of being touched. I noticed that my shoulders had been unconsciously tense.

    [How was it?]

    [Well… Unlike my arm, it was quite muscular and had a different feel. It was a lot different than what I thought… And I was a little nervous because Tanaka-kun is also a man…]

    She looked at me with her eyes slightly down in embarrassment. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was smiling while looking. She muttered in a small, shy voice.

    [A-Ah. Is that so…]

    I couldn’t look at the smile that was so attractive and slowly looked away.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    AN:

    Next story is about the part-time job.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    And with that note, I’ve fulfilled my debt to MPK with 6 chapters as a reward. Trying to get these out was a bit of an effort, as I have a lot of things scheduled. And due to the fact that my family keeps on bringing me places in not the perfect time. Anyways, it’s been a great few chapters and I’ll try adjusting my schedule so I can translate both my series faster. Thanks for reading.

    P.S. I might or might not pick up the LN, depends on how I’ll do later on