"Yeah. I'm a little interested, too. I'll look into it on my end."
"Yeah, please do."
Both Takumi and Kotori sighed in relief.
Then, as if to clear the air, Kotori clapped her hands and suggested something.
"Oh, that's right! Takumi, let's try out that cologne. Tell me what you think."
"Are you sure I'm the right person?"
"Yeah. I have to tell them what I think tomorrow. It's, um, for reference? I don't have anyone else I can rely on besides you."
"I see."
Kotori went to her bag shyly, rummaged through it, and took out the cologne in question.
It was a stylish little orange bottle.
Kotori took it in her hand, stared at it for a while, and finally said, "Okay!" to pump herself up, then spritzed her left and right neck.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's too far away from here for me to tell."
When Takumi gave a wry smile, Kotori looked troubled and stuck out her tongue, as if to say, "that's true."
Then Kotori made a small sound and turned her face away, running her hand through her hair.
"Um, like this..."
This exposed Kotori's slender, pale neck, and Takumi swallowed hard.
He felt an undeniable sexiness, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
His heart hammered in his chest.
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I won't know unless you smell it."
When he asked her cautiously, she gave him a very reasonable answer.
He looked at Kotori again. Unlike before, she now took care of her appearance and wore full makeup. She was so vibrant and beautiful it made sense why the boys in her class were so hyped up about her.
To smell the cologne on Kotori, he had to get close to her.
Getting so close to such a beautiful girl—a distance that felt like a prelude to a kiss—made him feel a little hesitant. And since they had known each other since they were children, he was extremely self-conscious.
An impatient silence fell between them.
Kotori's ears were bright red, and her eyelashes were trembling. It seemed she was ready for this.
If she was so ready, Takumi couldn't be a coward.
"....Here I go."
"....Mm."
With that, Takumi declared his intent and moved closer to Kotori. For some reason, he was more nervous than when they did the routine.
As her beautiful face got closer, his throat became dry from nervousness.
When he got close enough to hear her breathing and feel her breath on him, a sweet and sour scent wafted into his nostrils.
"............Ah."
For a moment, he felt dizzy.
The girl-like scent of Kotori, which he was smelling for the first time, mixed with a strange sense of immorality and excitement. His mind, which had gone blank, was filled with Kotori.
He could feel the blood rushing to a certain place, even though he had just released it—it was at that moment.
"W-What do you think? Is it weird?"
Kotori's timid voice brought him back to reality.
Takumi hurriedly backed away and tried to act calm so she wouldn't notice his racing heart.
"It's refreshing but also sweet. I think it's really nice."
"Really?!"
"I don't know how to describe it, but it feels very 'girly.'"
"I'm so glad."
Kotori's face softened in relief.
Takumi, who had just thought something indecent, looked away.
He knew his words were clumsy, but that was the best he could do.
Amid the awkward air, Kotori suddenly let out a small giggle.
"It's weird, isn't it? We do way more intense things, but I'm getting embarrassed over this."
"...Haha, you've got a point. And I just reacted like a total innocent."
"The routine is the routine, I guess."
When he thought about it, it was truly strange.
Takumi scratched his head, stood up, and took his bag.
"Well, I'm heading home now."
"Okay, see you."
With that, Takumi quickly left Kotori's room.
As he stepped out of the Nabata family's entryway, he placed a hand on his still-pounding chest and murmured with a troubled face:
"...Now that I think about it, Kotori has gotten so cute."
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