Somewhere I Have Never Travelled - NC-17 Chapter

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Sumire stayed behind to check Shoyo’s stats. As team manageress, it was her responsibility anyway and she wouldn’t have any of the other team members messing up her organized work.

She also wanted to think about what had been happening around her the past few weeks. Everything was a blur, images swimming in her mind, all of them as muddy as a river after a heavy thunderstorm.

But he had also stayed behind. Just so he could watch her, talk to her, make her smile. But she made him nervous. For some reason, the words he rehearsed always stuck in his throat whenever he was with her. Him, the captain, and coach of team Shoyo, the most popular among the girls was actually nervous around one.

Dang, he would soon become as monosyllabic as Shohoku’s Rukawa if he didn’t get his act together, this he told himself over and over again as he slowly neared Sumire, shocked to see the sadness in her dark- brown eyes.

“Ne, Sumire…Doushitano?” he asked, leaning over her shoulder as his nose caught a whiff of her scent…a mixture of vanilla, nutmeg and violets…all very soothing to his lungs…and quite alluring to some other part of him.

Her head shot up, nearly hitting his chin as her eyes widened in surprise. “Eh? Fujima-sempai? What are you doing here?” she asked, snapping her record book shut.

Blue eyes twinkled merrily as Kenji chuckled. “I was going to ask you the same question,” he replied, mustering up his courage and gently placing his right hand on her left shoulder, inducing a faint blush from her.

“Well…I…I was just…checking the stats…you know, to see if I made…that is, any mistakes,” Sumire stammered, unsure of what to say next.

“Sou ka? Can I have a look at them?” he asked, still with the same amusement in his eyes.

Wordlessly, she opened the record book and Kenji pulled up a chair to sit beside her as he pored over the records, not really seeing the numbers but listening to the lilt of her voice and being conscious of how close they were to each other at the moment.

“I don’t see any mistakes in this one, Sumire,” Kenji remarked absently, his mind attracted more to the delicate curves of her face, the golden flecks in her brown eyes and her dainty lips than to his team’s statistics.

“Well, if that’s the case, I should be going,” she said, quickly standing up to gather her things and get as far away from him as possible.

She was doing it again, just like the other times he tried to get close to her. The amusement was gone in Kenji’s eyes, replaced with a look of worry and confusion.

“Sumire…why are you pushing me away? Why are you so intent on keeping me at arm’s length?” Kenji wanted to know, asking the question in the straightforward way he always did when dealing with people.

She stilled, her hand on the door, her body poised in mid-flight. The hand that gripped her bag strap gripped harder, the knuckles turning white as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean, Fujima-sempai,” she replied softly, her voice barely audible. She had to get away from him and from the way his eyes seemed to bore into hers, as if he could see her very soul each time he looked at her.

A hand shot out to grab her by the shoulder as Sumire proceeded to open the door. He turned her around to face him and immediately she cast her eyes down to the floor, afraid to look into his eyes again.

“Don’t go…please, Sumire…don’t go,” he pleaded, gently tilting her face up to meet his blue gaze, as clear as water as he held on to her shoulder, surprised when she pushed him fiercely away.

“Stay away from me!” she cried, turning her back to him as her arms came up around her in a protective hug.

Fujima was in utter confusion as to why she was acting so strangely. The hurt that he detected in her voice only magnified his growing worry and curiosity. “Why, Sumire? Why would you want me to stay away from you?” he asked, taking a step closer to her albeit hesitatingly.

When she didn’t answer, he decided to go for broke and tell her everything. How he felt, how much he wanted to kiss her, to hold her. A voice at the back of his head told him to stop before he could say anything stupid, but Fujima Kenji decided that it was now or never. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

‘What if she rejects you?’ the voice asked.

‘Then I’ll just have to accept the fact that my feelings will go unrequited,’ he answered back, swallowing his pride and summoning up all his energy to tell her. Forget everything poetic. That bullshit only existed in fairy tales. He was going to tell her the Fujima Kenji way, plain and simple.

“It already feels like forever, Sumire…when I think back of how I first knew you,” he began. “And when you joined the team as manager, I couldn’t have been more happy than that day you first came inside the gym. I guess since then, I couldn’t stop thinking about you…”

She didn’t move a muscle, didn’t even make an effort to turn around and face him. He had just started confessing his true feelings and already she didn’t want to look at him. Undeterred, he continued…

“Every practice, every game…when you would be cheering on us from the sidelines, I always felt so happy. I felt that I had to be at my best level, that I had to give my best performance because YOU were there, watching me and encouraging me.”

It was true Kenji always felt that he had to give his all for every game for Sumire, because he didn’t want to see her disappointed. If they were to go down, they would go down in glory and she would still feel proud of him, no matter what. It became an obsession for him to make her smile because he knew he would hurt if she were hurting, and he didn’t want her to experience any pain whatsoever.

He hated to see her like this. He hated his inability to do anything for her. It was killing him that she could push him away when all he wanted was to hear the smile in her voice. If there was a way in which he could take away the pain…he shook his head, swallowing his nervousness as he took another step towards her, the gap between them narrowing little by little.

“And when you would talk to me, I always listened to the sound of your voice…I always listened to the melody in it, to the words that came out of your mouth because you talked with sense. I always tried to make you laugh because I loved hearing you laugh…” Kenji trailed off, watching for any reaction from her.

Sumire was feeling an assault of emotions as Kenji confessed little by little. It was as if a tidal wave had come crashing down on her, overwhelming her until she felt she couldn’t breathe.

The silence pounded in her ears, more deafening than noise. He was waiting for her to say something, but she couldn’t say anything at all. All words were lodged in her throat, her body felt like lead, and her mind wasn’t functioning as properly as she hoped.

Kenji saw the discomfort in her and he knew that she would never see him in the same light after this. But he had started it and he would finish it, no matter what the consequences would be…

“Sumire, you’re a very special girl. And I don’t ever want to see you get hurt. It’s hurting me too, when I see you like this. You try to hide the sadness, but I can see it through your smile, I can see it through the mask you always wear. That’s why I always try to be close to you…because I want to erase that sadness…

“I guess what I’m trying to say, Sumire, is that I love you. I love you and I care for you a lot. If you don’t feel the same way, I would understand. But that won’t stop me from loving you, Sumire. That won’t stop me from loving the person you are…”

There, he had said it. He had gone and confessed that he loved her. The rest was up to her now. Kenji closed his eyes and waited, scarcely daring to breathe as silence loomed over them, amplifying the rapid beating of their hearts.

His confession had shocked her. His confession had definitely shocked her. Sumire felt as if her lungs had been squeezed together to prevent air from entering or escaping and every air passage struggled to heave in more oxygen.

Her mind and heart were having a debate going on as to how she should react. It would have been okay if they were only two, but both her heart and mind were subdivided, creating more chaos in her mind.

Thoughts spiraled through her like a tornado, dizzying and confusing Sumire. What should she say? That she was happy? Should she be proud that Shoyo’s most popular guy actually had feelings for her, a lowly freshman? That she actually had him hook, line and sinker? Were his words sincere? Was he really being honest?

‘Does he love me?’ She silently wondered, scarcely daring to believe what she had heard, when a cold voice spoke up.

‘No, he doesn’t. He’s using you,’ it said, cruelty laced in its tone. That statement alone planted the feeling of doubt in Sumire’s mind. A feeling she wanted to erase but couldn’t ignore.

‘What if he does love me?’ she argued back, trying to justify that part of her that wished for love. Feelings warred, thoughts gave way to uncertainty, and Sumire felt herself slowly succumbing to all of them.

‘You don’t deserve him,’ said another voice, equally as cruel and as cold as the first.

‘But what about what I think?’ she protested, still wanting to keep a hold on her feelings, though they were slowly slipping away.

‘You were raped. Do you think he actually cares for you because of who you are?’ sneered a third voice, taunting her weakness.

‘Yes, he does!’ she insisted, not wanting to hear anymore, but too hypnotized not to listen.

‘No, he does not! He’ll leave you after he finds out about what happened,’ the first voice spoke up again.

‘What should I do?’

‘Walk away. He deserves someone better than you. Someone who hasn’t been touched,’ suggested the second, half-cruel and half-sympathetic now.

Tears stung the back of her eyes, but she had to do it. It would be better for the both of them. It would be better that he forget about her. He did not deserve her, as what those voices had said. She was unworthy of his love and he would be wasting his time on her.

“I’m sorry, Fujima-sempai. I can’t,” she whispered, turning around slowly to face him. The emotions in his eyes made her tremble, but she squared her shoulders and swallowed her fear.

“I can’t love you back!” she declared with more force in her voice, her hands clenching at her sides.

Kenji felt as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. Her declaration hurt more than a punch to the gut or a kick to the groin. He felt as if he had been cut in half, dunked in a tank full of acid and left for the carrion birds to eat. In fact, not even those situations could describe the pain he was feeling. It ate at him, making his chest constrict rather painfully with each inhalation of breath he took.

He was even wondering why he was still standing at this point, since the pain was enough to knock any normal man out. But he wanted to know why, so he asked her. The response he got was as confusing.

“I don’t deserve you, Fujima-sempai.”

Kenji was shocked. What?! She didn’t deserve him?! If anything, HE didn’t deserve her! He didn’t deserve the encouragement, the kind words, or the smiles he received from her! He had failed her one too many times already and he didn’t deserve her…

He told her so and she laughed mirthlessly. But when the tears started streaming down so fast, she didn’t bother to wipe them.

“Dammit, stop your romantic notions! I’m not perfect, I’m not special and I’m not who you think I am!” Sumire cried out at the blurry image in front of her.

She had never felt so helpless in all her life and she cursed him for bringing up the memory she tried to keep hidden for two long years through his confession. When she felt his hand brush the tears away from her face, she slapped it away, not even noticing the hurt in Kenji’s eyes when she did.

“Stop trying to get close to me! It won’t amount to anything! You don’t know what I’ve been through, even if you try to understand!”

When he fiercely gripped her wrists, she looked up through her tears, swallowing at the emotions swirling in his eyes, his face terrible to behold.

“I would if you just tell me, Sumire!” he yelled, shaking her shoulders none too roughly. “Whatever it is, you can’t keep running away from it!

She remained silent for the longest time, the tears still coursing down her cheeks. Should she tell him? If she did, he would hate her, he would be repulsed, and he would leave her.

No one ever understood. In the end, it would always be her fault. It would always be her fault for not being careful…everyone blamed her, she could feel it. This one would be no exception.

“Tell me, Sumire,” Kenji urged, cupping her face in his hands and gently wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “Tell me so I can understand…”

She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but tenderness in them and she felt so sorry that he had to know the truth about her and why he couldn’t love her. His honesty would only hurt him in the end, this she knew.

But if he wanted to know the truth, he would have it. Hopefully, he’d stop loving her after that and find someone else who deserved what he was offering her.

“I was raped, Fujima-sempai! Once upon a time, roughly two years ago, I was knocked unconscious, dragged into a dark alley and raped!” Sumire shouted, pulling away from him.

He had never been so shocked in his life as he was now. He couldn’t even move. All he could do was stare at her, taking in what she had said. And then he became more and more angry with himself. If only he had protected her, she wouldn’t have suffered. If only he had been there, he wouldn’t have gone through a nightmare alone.

Whoever had done this to her would pay, whoever the bastard was would pay. He swore then that he would find that lowlife and torture him for putting Sumire through hell. His eyes flashed fire, his jaw worked and he ached to smash his fists into something hard.

As he fought back the anger that was threatening to boil to the surface, she turned her back to him, hugging herself protectively. “Now you know why I can’t love you and you can’t love me, Fujima-sempai,” she whispered sadly, taking a step farther away from him, widening the gap.

That snapped him back to reality. Did she honestly think that he would despise her for that? He needed her, he loved her, and he didn’t want to abandon her. He was already too much in love with her to even think of leaving.

When he tried to reach out to hold her, she took another step away from him. “I love you, Sumire,” was all that he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Don’t say how much you’re sorry for me! I don’t want you to love me out of pity!” she cried, wrenching her hand out of his grasp when he reached out to hold her.

“I would never love someone out of pity, Sumire!” Kenji yelled back, his voice suddenly hoarse. “I love you because I simply do…” his voice softened to a huskier pitch, but she could hear the pain in his voice.

“I told you the truth, Sumire…I love you with all my heart. No conditions, no agreements. I just love you,” he continued, his eyes begging her not to turn him away.

Her breath caught in her throat and she sobbed, letting him embrace her. All she wanted for now was to be held, so she let him hold her, let him whisper soothing words of comfort in her ear as she cried.

It felt so wonderful to be held by him. It felt so wonderful to be in his strong arms, protected and safe from the world. Sumire clung to Kenji, her small hands gripping his shoulders as he gently kissed her forehead, before pulling back to meet her gaze.

“I love you, Sumire. I love you and that’s all that matters to me,” he smiled. “I don’t give a damn about what happened in the past. I only want to be allowed to love you.”

That declaration proved to be it for Sumire. His blue eyes shone with a quiet confidence that told Sumire that she would never have to fight battles alone. He loved her. He truly, wholly loved her no matter what.

As he looked down at her, Kenji suddenly became aware of the proximity of their bodies and he fought to control a blush. The way her body fitted against his proved to be quite distracting and he felt certain parts of his body respond to her.

When she noticed his discomfort, she looked up at him, swallowing audibly when his eyes darkened with a new emotion that both frightened and thrilled her to no end.

He couldn’t explain it, but he suddenly felt the urge to kiss her. Already her lips were so close, tempting him with the way they were shaped. He could imagine the softness they offered, he could imagine tasting them.

All he had to do was bend down a bit and he would finally be able to kiss her. He leaned over slowly, watching as her eyes widened and then slowly closed, her head moving up until their lips were barely touching.

“Sumire…”

Their lips met in a tender kiss, with feather-light touches that sent electricity shooting out to every nerve ending, making their hearts lurch to life.

Breaking the kiss, Kenji took a deep breath and gazed into her eyes, seeing the same love reflected in them. By now, his body was so aroused he could sense everything about her. But he didn’t want to hurt her or force her into something she didn’t want and he told her so.

She shook her head. It was not a question of want. It was a question of need. So much need bottled up inside that it hurt to breathe. That was what both Kenji and Sumire were feeling at the moment, with breaths intermingling, mouths millimeters away, warmth radiating from both bodies like that of two candles left burning close to each other.

He kissed her again, mouth hungry as his tongue sought hers, even as she clung to him. When she moaned, he pulled away, breathing hard.

“I’m sorry… Do you want me to stop?” he asked, the concern evident in his voice though his arousal was nearly impossible to conceal through the cotton fabric of his pants.

She shook her head and kissed him fiercely, melding his mouth with hers. She had no more desire for him to stop than she would to jump off the nearest bridge. She needed him too much to back away, needed the assurance and the love he professed to her.

One hand came up around her back and the other around her waist to steady her as he kissed back, drinking in the sweetness of her mouth before pulling back for more air.

“Sumire…” Kenji stammered. “I don’t…I’ve never…” He had never done this before. He was afraid they’d have to worry about awkward elbows and clumsy clothes when he wanted so much for it to be perfect for her.

He had imagined things like this, often against his will, but none of them compared to what it was like in reality. Often his teammates discussed IT. Questions like, “Would you do IT?” or “How far would you be willing to go if you did IT?” reverberated in the locker room from time to time.

He often heard them talk about women and what they expected when having sex. They often talked about standards, how it would hurt for the girl if she were a virgin.

Briefly Kenji wondered if any of what he remembered would help. Looking at Sumire now, he knew the only thing to do was to follow his instincts.

When he tried to unbutton her blouse, she shrank back in fear and started to cry. “It’s no use!” she sobbed as he held onto her. “I can’t forget!”

“I know of a way that can make you forget, Sumire. I know of a way that can take away the pain,” Kenji whispered into her hair soothingly. “But you have to trust me. I need you to trust me.”

She nodded and kissed the side of his neck. She trusted him. She trusted him with her whole heart and she knew he could never bring himself to hurt her. In those moments, she let go and let him show how much he loved her.

He removed her blouse with a slow, gentle reverence, his hands caressing the soft skin revealed as the garment slowly slid off her shoulders. She still had her bra on but there no nno need to rush things… and he didn’t want her to be afraid.

Truth be told, Kenji had never done this before and had only known about bits and pieces of sex from his male relatives and older friends. But he remembered that the only thing that would matter for both parties was how good it would feel.

Her blouse fell away to the floor and almost immediately, he reached out to enfold her in his arms, running his fingers slowly across her skin. The look on his face was that of awe, as if touching her amazed him, as if SHE amazed him.

Each time his fingers came in contact with her skin, her breath hitched as if thousands of tiny bolts of lightning shot out from his fingers to jolt her.

“You’re so soft, Sumire…” he murmured, admiring the way her skin felt under his fingers.

She gazed at him with a look of wonder on her face, her thoughts running crazily through her. Was he real? Was this real? She was afraid that she was dreaming and she would soon wake up from a delicious fantasy.

His mouth on hers told her that he was as real as the sun and moon… that he was here, loving her and offering him to her, just as she was offering herself to him. There was no doubt about it, Kenji was reality… just like everything around them as well as what was about to transpire between them.

Reaching out, Sumire pulled up Kenji’s shirt out of his pants, unbuttoning it slowly with shaking hands, pushing it off his shoulders before going for the fly of his pants. Her breathing was choppy as the back of her fingers grazed his arousal accidentally, earning a breathless whisper of her name from Kenji.

He watched her undress him with heavy lids and parted lips, his mind becoming more and more unfocused as he was slowly exposed to her. He only had to step out of his rubber shoes and socks before his pants came undone and he was finally naked before her, except for the barrier of his cotton briefs.

To Sumire there was never a more beautiful being than the one revealed before her. His body was like that of the Greek character, Adonis… sculpted and powerful, with not an inch of fat on him. The definition of his abdominal muscles, his solid chest, and corded arms left her breathless with awe.

His handsome face was something that she could only compare to that of Narcissus, the ill-fated youth who fell in love with his own reflection. But instead of the vanity like Narcissus, Sumire saw honesty, openness, and a fierce possessiveness that was reserved only for her.

The way he looked at her spread a warm feeling through the pit of her stomach and she moved forward to kiss him, finding his skin fevered, almost as hot as she was, though he flinched when her hands ran across his bare skin.

Slowly, his hands came down to unzip her skirt, nimble fingers tracing the curve of her hips before sliding to her rear where the zipper was. The skirt fell away to join her other clothes, pooling at her feet. She stepped out of them along with her shoes, leaving her socks on.

To him, Sumire was everything beautiful. From her pale skin, to her silky black hair, she was perfection. The slimness of her body tantalized his vision and her brown eyes beckoned to him, mesmerizing him. His eyes darkened with desire and his arousal throbbed, crying out for release as he stared at her.

Then he remembered that she had been raped, and he immediately tamped down on his desire. Her healing was more important than his libido, Kenji told himself, bringing up a hand to caress her cheek, closing his eyes when she moved to lightly kiss him before pulling back again.

Sumire had to wonder if he truly wanted to touch her… his eyes seemed to stroke every curve of her body that she exposed, though his hands remained perfectly still. It was as if he was unable to move, and yet his eyes expressed what his hands would not: That he wanted her so badly, he would die.

It was the same when he kissed her. She had never been kissed like that before… Kenji had kissed her as if he would die if he didn’t… like that of a starved man. His passion equaled his hesitation and his strength equaled his gentleness. With every touch and with every kiss, he conveyed to her just how much he loved her and how much in her power he was.

Gently, he lowered her to the floor, his fingertips brushing her ribs before gliding to her backside to undo her bra clasp. With the same reverence, Kenji slid the straps down her shoulders, keeping his eyes on her as he tossed the offending undergarment away.

With her upper body exposed to his hungry eyes, Kenji hesitated, biting his lower lip. “I always imagined what it would be like… but I never knew that it would be like this,” he admitted, looking deep into her eyes.

He didn’t want her to be afraid. He wanted her to feel cherished, to feel loved. But he didn’t know how… “Sumire… I’m not sure about how to go about this. You have to help me…” his eyes bore into hers, begging her… she kissed him for assurance.

“If there’s…” he hesitated. “ …… If there’s anything… anything at all that you need…”

Sumire smiled. “I know, Fujima-sempai… I know…”

He grinned back before he kissed her. “Lose the formalities, Mire-chan,” he said, his grin growing wider when he saw the blush he had elicited from her at the endearment he had uttered.

“What should I call you?”

“Anything you want, except Fujima-sempai…”

They kissed again, and the fire that had begun to simmer down was fanned into a roaring blaze as they took turns to explore each other slowly, even with the obstruction of their underwear. There was no need for haste, no urgency. All they did was feel.

He left a trail of scorching kisses from her lips to her neck, breathing into the scent of her before tentatively licking her neck, tasting the salty tang of her sweat. She didn’t make a sound, but he knew she liked it when her back arched and she tangled her fingers in his hair, sighing.

From her neck down to the valley between hreasreasts, he paved her skin with hot, open-mouthed kisses, using his hands to explore every curve, discover new nerve endings to tease and bring her to a new level of pleasure.

He started out in the dark, his movements unsure but growing bolder as she arched back, gripping his head to her chest as his mouth found a berry-colored nipple, suckling viciously before turning his attention to the other breast, using his tongue to make her writhe with a sweet, piercing pleasure that spread out from the center of her stomach to every part of her.

Sumire was lost, spiraling out of control as Kenji continued to love her, digging her fingers into his back as his hands continued to explore her body. Her hands came up to the sides of her head, bringing him up to meet her mouth in an earth-shattering kiss, even as she felt him reach down her legs to pull her socks off.

And then she felt herself exposed, breaking the kiss when she saw him toss away her panties, soaked with her arousal from his earlier ministrations.

He raised himself up on his hands, staring down at her as she trembled under his intense blue gaze. Her body was glistening with sweat, just as his was. But when he saw her scars, his eyes misted over, tears threatening to fall.

She had lacerations around her womanhood… scars Kenji knew would never heal. They bore testimony to the pain she had been through and suddenly he felt like scum for using her to satisfy his own needs.

Suddenly, he was burying his face in the side of her neck, the tears spilling forth as he held her. “Oh god, I didn’t know… I didn’t…” He sobbed softly, unable to go on.

For her part, Sumire was in shock to find him crying against her shoulder, feeling his tears splash on her skin. She knew he had seen the scars, which was why he was suddenly holding back. Her heart went out to him and she returned his embrace just as fiercely, whispering her love for him over and over again to assuage his pain.

When he stopped, she told him to look at her, running her fingers through his hair before she clasped the sides of his face.

“Kenji… I know you love me and you would never do anything to hurt me… onegai… we both need this… don’t stop just because of my scars,” she pleaded.

He looked into her eyes, seeing so much trust in them that he swore to himself that he would never break it. It was then that he decided to let go and allow himself to love her.

Slowly, he pulled off his socks and then his briefs, never breaking eye contact with Sumire. His whole body ached with need, even as she brushed her fingers along his engorged shaft, urging him to join them as one.

When he stopped, she smiled and kissed him. “Kenji, I’m not going to break,” she said assuredly, her brown eyes moist from the happy tears she so wanted to shed.

Kenji entered her as the pleasure swelled to a new intensity, even as he closed his eyes. One leg came up around his waist and pushed him forward, making him gasp as he felt the tightness of her walls surround him.

For a moment, he couldn’t move and he was content to bury himself in the now-familiar curve of Sumire’s shoulder as he let the feelings wash over him. He was in a place of bliss, his blue eyes clouded over and the way he looked took her breath away.

He began to move, withdrawing and reentering slowly at first and then a little faster when she found his rhythm. She was quiet for a while as she stared back at him, enraptured by the strength in his muscles that flexed with each thrust.

He was the first to give in, sighing her name, and after that she could no longer be quiet. Threading his fingers through hers, Kenji began to move faster, thrusting into her with forceful urgency each time she moaned his name on a pleading keen.

Suddenly, she hit that plateau of pleasure and she knew that the next thrust would send her over the edge. When it did happen, she cried out as a wave of pure bliss washed over her, followed by a second.

He continued to thrust into her, groaning when her muscles suddenly clamped down on his shaft. Having taken her over the edge of oblivion, he let go as well, releasing into her fast and hard before collapsing on top of her, spent of all his energy.

They lay there, panting for breath before Kenji lifted his head up to kiss her. “I love you, Sumire… I mean that,” he said, smiling down at her.

She smiled back, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I love you too, Kenji… I mean that…”

Hearing that, he rolled his weight off her as she followed him as if attached to all his movements. They held each other close in the silence of the gym, too tired and too happy to say anything more. Suddenly, Sumire chuckled and Kenji turned to stare down at her.

“What?” he asked, mirroring her smile with his own.

She shook her head and sighed. “I never even got past the door, thanks to you…”

Moments later, his laughter joined hers, echoing throughout the gym.


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