The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Suzuran bit her lip.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4QzOVi2XR
She knew she shouldn’t say it.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZg1s1RYhM
But still, in a voice barely above a whisper, she asked:
“Then… can I touch your arm muscles?”
She said it quietly, not quite a joke, not quite a confession—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOnHsO8Zcp
just a small nudge to see how close she was allowed to get.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKrOLW9zzC
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdoTxcy4VY
Kouichi turned slightly, his gaze landing on her.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2vgaKApKi
For just a moment, something flickered in his eyes—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltGwzzW0NF
but he didn’t reply right away.
Seeing his silence, she hurried on, her voice picking up speed and pitch like she was afraid he’d misunderstand… or worse, say no.
“It’s for the exam! Really! Everyone’s practicing palpation in class—biceps, deltoids, triceps… I have to pass too!”
Her face was already red, but she held her ground,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfbnpng4P4
trying her best to look confident.
Kouichi stared at her—stubborn, flustered, determined.
Finally, his gaze softened.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4c3QhoEtx
A breath escaped his lips, almost a sigh.
“…Fine. Left arm.”
The words were quiet, calm. But they were permission.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENWVQn9bly
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq70L0P8lZ5
He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the clean lines of his forearm and biceps—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eo8U1x5aJ
firm, defined, composed—just like him.
“Ten minutes. Palpation only.”
His tone was as cool as ever, as he added:
“No laughing. No daydreaming. No weird thoughts.”
Suzuran's eyes lit up.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRpAWasq2E
She nodded furiously, like a kid who just got permission to pet a very fancy dog.
“I swear—study mode only!”
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrrvXo2IOx
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKSu4n6kH4
She carefully reached out, her fingertips brushing his arm.
The moment her fingers touched skin, she froze.
“…Ugh.”
A breathy, involuntary sound escaped her.
This wasn’t like anything in the textbook!
No one ever said muscles could feel like this—so springy, so firm, so…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RiiuqSIrL
temptingly real.
She had expected something hard and static.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgIP4MEuwn
But instead—there was warmth. Depth.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCbyz5smr2
A weight that made her want to touch again.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqmmMdR2rE
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqRXFuH8t9
Her eyes focused, hands trembling slightly,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLfMQBsihN
trying desperately to maintain her “I’m being professional” façade.
Kouichi said nothing.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTsjqW4CI1
He just lowered his gaze and watched—without pulling away.
He let her touch him.
But it was as if he were silently saying—
You can touch me like this.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BmOnszUSI
But only like this.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV0gppcOdt
Only from this distance.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdjaqcarLp
She glanced at him again.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZFGnsEHOG
Still calmly seated beside her, editing her report without so much as a blink.
As if nothing had happened.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9xp6jjmwl
As if her little emotional derailment was part of the routine.
He didn’t scold her.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNPSqNNJi4
Didn’t dodge her.
He simply… carried on.
And somehow, that made her feel—
Maybe it was because he was always so steady…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhxi6i6v13
that she could inch a little closer each time.
She took a breath.
Then, carefully, she cradled his hand in both of hers.
That hand.
The one that had shot across her chest that day when he hit the brakes.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnr8Ka95DFg
The one that had thrown her whole heart into chaos.
Her fingers trembled slightly as they slid slowly over each of his knuckles—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJAL2cio1G
like she was holding something precious, too fragile to grip tightly.
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416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcZSD1sojf
It was a very quiet hand.
The joints defined, calluses soft at the creases,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JwlidnTLh
fingertips warm and calm.
As her fingertips brushed his index finger,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB23y58tpJl
she felt the veins beneath his skin—subtle, winding, like strands of strength coiled under a surface of warmth.
So cool…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkOGpgooRoo
She thought, and immediately her cheeks flushed hotter.
Her heart stumbled up into her throat.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGO8SPYYTef
Her gaze followed the path of her own fingers—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnrH4LmwT8
from the web between thumb and forefinger,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPD3FWAGakn
to the back of his hand,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tUawWYEnl
down to the long, slender bones of his wrist.
There was something addictive in the quiet complexity of it all.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZOQNcxW2s
Something that pulled at her, soft and slow and impossible to stop.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwM3Jjv7Jn
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxh7VBTdxZ
And then—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACaloOsCPt
her fingers moved again.
Not consciously.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kLbnEGCHD
As if her body had decided on its own.
She slowly, almost soundlessly—
interlaced her fingers with his.
One finger.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbzqzAmljI
Then another.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYj1CkyaHJW
And another.
Until their hands fit together—perfectly.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ljsVpt9gN
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QMd9UP6cr
Ten fingers. Intertwined.
She froze.
She hadn’t said a word.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdZEc3tVxg
But her body had confessed everything.
There was no way to explain this as "studying."416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIA3E8p9Uj
This wasn’t about anatomy.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8ojOrZMKt
This was… the way lovers hold hands.
She stared down at their joined fingers,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhwvSNwEfg
her palm burning from his warmth.
And somewhere in her heart, a soft voice whispered:
If only I could stay like this.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPxiad8UAA
Not just for palpation.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzt9xCf0yo
Not just for ten minutes.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOMGvYdKIq
But forever.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S6EHIFqvf
She bit her lower lip.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHu2xp5DmmT
Too afraid to look up.
Because what she feared most…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtgNQYpsj4
wasn’t rejection.
It was the possibility—
that in his eyes,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbx6we26I6w
she might see a tiny flicker of indulgent gentleness.
The kind of look that would make her416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbebkKwQV6
lose all ability to pull away.
The kind of look416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap9KQvIoH1
that would make her fall even deeper.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1GPCfNfVL
“…My lady,”416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkKMA05Oxk
His voice was low, the calm she always knew.
But this time—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWljmyl44El
there was a faint huskiness to it, like he’d just pushed something down.
“Are you sure this part… is covered in the textbook?”
Suzuran snapped back to reality.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lHSWKoBVR
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xchu9AJnh
She looked down—
Her right hand, still holding his left.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBKGRVRigw
Their fingers laced tight.
Like lovers.
Like a secret promise in the middle of an ordinary afternoon.
Her heart dropped.
“I—I…”416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukQ3NnbPrh
She couldn’t even finish.
Her face had turned red to the roots of her hair.
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoqJeu4xxh
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCJjTqjgTC
What. Just. Happened?!
She meant to feel his tendons. Just the hand. Just for class!
But somehow—her fingers had just slipped into his without her noticing?!
She yanked her hand back in a panic—416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTduzWpB9n
but fumbled halfway, making it seem more like she didn’t want to let go.
Kouichi didn’t release her immediately.
He simply watched her.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCrhRtfr7i
Quietly.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjn49cfLiu
As she panicked like a kid caught sneaking cookies before dinner.
Her lips moved, but no words came out.
And then—finally, he spoke.
“…Time’s up.”
His voice was calm as ever. Composed.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpOkhzr6hj
As if absolutely nothing had happened.
But only he knew—
That for one second,416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzguLb82Es
his fingers had gently squeezed back.
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416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlzAAq4UY1
“I-I was just checking your muscle tone! That’s all!”
“Mm. Got it.”
He calmly pulled his hand away—unhurried, smooth.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hERpkZoEn
But there was still a faint warmth left behind in her palm.
He paused for a second.
Then added, as if it were a matter-of-fact follow-up:
“So… would you like to check any other muscle groups?”
“…What?”
“For example—pectoralis major, biceps brachii, wrist flexors…”
“Wait a second.”416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZQjsT0Xsu
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Her brain raced through the names he just listed:416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQr6BocLeK
Pectoralis major, biceps, wrist flexors…
Every one of them…
were the muscles you use when you hold someone close.
“Wait—are you saying… I should test them by having you hug me? For accuracy?”
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrxyHLzFy3
Kouichi didn’t reply.
He just turned and gave her a look—expression neutral, eyes steady.
Suzuran, meanwhile, lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Yes! Yes yes yes!! Obviously!!”
“….”
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4j6eGWK9XB
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVZ8scC1Mt
Without a word, he slowly raised a hand…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4OlcF3PfN
and pressed it flat against her face.
“Idiot.”
Tone completely deadpan.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquPIVnyYDp
As if stating “Your book is upside down.”
Suzuran’s face exploded red.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqQ7BwTpiz
“Wh—Hey!!”
“I was kidding,”416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIvBU6M2jq
Kouichi muttered, calmly returning to her report.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNmVxUh5br
His voice dry as ever.
“I didn’t think you’d actually take it seriously.”
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTvTO3icdU
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6IzMETbaH
“No wonder your etiquette grades are so borderline…416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqG5YANde6C
You’ve probably been reading shoujo manga under the desk instead.”
“Hey—!”416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrRPK1ZqNV
She exploded, grabbing a pillow and rolling back and forth in outrage.
“You can’t say stuff like that in that tone!!416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnPP0Y9QCA
Don’t forget who your master is!”
Kouichi shot her a glance and deadpanned:416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KPj2NVQ6k
“You were the one who took it the wrong way.”
“I did not! It’s called hands-on learning, thank you very much.”
“Mm. Real dedication. I’m impressed.”
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqLMoNWQkT
He nodded with mock sincerity, then looked back down to continue writing comments, like he was grading some kind of midterm paper.
But in that moment—
facing away from her—
his lips twitched416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMQKOhcaZk
into a small, unmistakable smile.416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGru0dfkLH
416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02uXoYqtcE
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDifdHHmxr1
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~416Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3omd4wt88
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
and then Add to home screen.