The room fell silent for a few seconds.
Suzuran bit her lip.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjdPa8y6zC
She knew she shouldn’t say it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthH7quPJ8b
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—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7I4dLKGMCN
just a small nudge to see how close she was allowed to get.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsacEOLvhrr
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVIYsVmOYg
Kouichi turned slightly, his gaze landing on her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcLA1wY9Tb
For just a moment, something flickered in his eyes—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHnM0eBqX4
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,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurqnbPtiFh
trying her best to look confident.
Kouichi stared at her—stubborn, flustered, determined.
Finally, his gaze softened.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTq91RrfZEX
A breath escaped his lips, almost a sigh.
“…Fine. Left arm.”
The words were quiet, calm. But they were permission.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTxwlGAFMi
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX31BSOsKV1
He rolled up his left sleeve, exposing the clean lines of his forearm and biceps—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13oSZ7M4xk
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.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaJ92BpswL
She nodded furiously, like a kid who just got permission to pet a very fancy dog.
“I swear—study mode only!”
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0q6iCJuLb
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GQTnHKGmJ
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…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeCtBUR7FQ
temptingly real.
She had expected something hard and static.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ljjMRQ0Cg
But instead—there was warmth. Depth.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FVOZ5HzMu
A weight that made her want to touch again.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBIpZzKzAB
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCU3pUxkFVf
Her eyes focused, hands trembling slightly,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlLMbPO7r5
trying desperately to maintain her “I’m being professional” façade.
Kouichi said nothing.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorviBBSKip
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.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5z4n5aZjur
But only like this.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlugBrr6pbT
Only from this distance.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLHaVyG3jq
She glanced at him again.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkEVDBLVQy
Still calmly seated beside her, editing her report without so much as a blink.
As if nothing had happened.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzlZ7zpVfo
As if her little emotional derailment was part of the routine.
He didn’t scold her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjud9gB8WB
Didn’t dodge her.
He simply… carried on.
And somehow, that made her feel—
Maybe it was because he was always so steady…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsbIn4PG44
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.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2qxOLOgCi
The one that had thrown her whole heart into chaos.
Her fingers trembled slightly as they slid slowly over each of his knuckles—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9iOx6eBFI
like she was holding something precious, too fragile to grip tightly.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKatcuOxun
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJhXDNtYvM
It was a very quiet hand.
The joints defined, calluses soft at the creases,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyYyuHy3GN
fingertips warm and calm.
As her fingertips brushed his index finger,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93bv64HvER
she felt the veins beneath his skin—subtle, winding, like strands of strength coiled under a surface of warmth.
So cool…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh46dJXl780
She thought, and immediately her cheeks flushed hotter.
Her heart stumbled up into her throat.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmotyTKsHU
Her gaze followed the path of her own fingers—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVcOBeVbOb
from the web between thumb and forefinger,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrrijmN78a
to the back of his hand,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ctSX4X0Fi
down to the long, slender bones of his wrist.
There was something addictive in the quiet complexity of it all.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokMwgykSvm
Something that pulled at her, soft and slow and impossible to stop.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAaJCFJItR
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchjpzhRwH9
And then—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5E0TvN1xm
her fingers moved again.
Not consciously.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiyDIDriX9
As if her body had decided on its own.
She slowly, almost soundlessly—
interlaced her fingers with his.
One finger.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNp1oe9Wlui
Then another.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCzyKUWBig
And another.
Until their hands fit together—perfectly.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozSirdNITv
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuDh62UUEg
Ten fingers. Intertwined.
She froze.
She hadn’t said a word.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ033rYaKWrM
But her body had confessed everything.
There was no way to explain this as "studying."74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6BWUB7U0q
This wasn’t about anatomy.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJ9xUAiGnL
This was… the way lovers hold hands.
She stared down at their joined fingers,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGaLFneb0Y
her palm burning from his warmth.
And somewhere in her heart, a soft voice whispered:
If only I could stay like this.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys7VTFazHi
Not just for palpation.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoH596UXOZL
Not just for ten minutes.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa2izesV7M
But forever.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcwBbDh4rB
She bit her lower lip.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgtGiSomV8
Too afraid to look up.
Because what she feared most…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6RTO32lyR
wasn’t rejection.
It was the possibility—
that in his eyes,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaozMkdJnvD
she might see a tiny flicker of indulgent gentleness.
The kind of look that would make her74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefJWWnMTpB
lose all ability to pull away.
The kind of look74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUhVl8QlKQ
that would make her fall even deeper.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡID4Z80AyIs
“…My lady,”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhcIIG9Jj7
His voice was low, the calm she always knew.
But this time—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcXIaU9zQ6
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.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH57LamR2x
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcqkUVXuaX
She looked down—
Her right hand, still holding his left.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWm3PvYdSq
Their fingers laced tight.
Like lovers.
Like a secret promise in the middle of an ordinary afternoon.
Her heart dropped.
“I—I…”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d8GaVm3kN
She couldn’t even finish.
Her face had turned red to the roots of her hair.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1nf0W9jQm
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcglxcqDek3
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—74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbexx4b3yIS
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.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWoqja4TK1
Quietly.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNqnk7RUYJ
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.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEcl0LDZOC
As if absolutely nothing had happened.
But only he knew—
That for one second,74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhwP6KJNrF
his fingers had gently squeezed back.
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomp7vNX5Gv
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEtBWJuhEO
“I-I was just checking your muscle tone! That’s all!”
“Mm. Got it.”
He calmly pulled his hand away—unhurried, smooth.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQE3rouqWLS
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.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55tVXAvbsh
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Her brain raced through the names he just listed:74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUn4BpzxL95
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?”
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKXfY9WCuJ
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!!”
“….”
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVy6THV8pk
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskyCer4DmL
Without a word, he slowly raised a hand…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjhrzh48oE
and pressed it flat against her face.
“Idiot.”
Tone completely deadpan.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hw36GlsJW
As if stating “Your book is upside down.”
Suzuran’s face exploded red.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJn18vIO06H
“Wh—Hey!!”
“I was kidding,”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqAI7FCwy5
Kouichi muttered, calmly returning to her report.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmMCzM6xco
His voice dry as ever.
“I didn’t think you’d actually take it seriously.”
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx02bGAatMC
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiripAdKKx
“No wonder your etiquette grades are so borderline…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRyP0P7yXg
You’ve probably been reading shoujo manga under the desk instead.”
“Hey—!”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKnToqmOLV
She exploded, grabbing a pillow and rolling back and forth in outrage.
“You can’t say stuff like that in that tone!!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWt8NyXFjgX
Don’t forget who your master is!”
Kouichi shot her a glance and deadpanned:74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YTwv8rBEE
“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.”
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94o7JneAcv
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 twitched74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkQf7ef0sn
into a small, unmistakable smile.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Bc9nAgYKv
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUJoZqBA7a
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJemC42cDY
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTEQSxKAj4
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
