Chapter 48 - Tickling and Playful Interactions
"Ryusuke, thank you for the meal. Today's breakfast was super delicious!"
"It was nothing special. I'm glad Mashiro enjoyed it."
After finishing breakfast, Mashiro put her hands together and smiled with satisfaction. It's genuinely nice to receive praise for the dishes I made.
At the same moment, I finished eating, and when I stood up to clean up the dishes, Mashiro quickly lifted the ones I used.
"I'll take care of the cleanup, so Ryusuke, just sit on the sofa and wait."
"Is that okay? I'll help out too."
"No, no. I'm the homeowner here. Plus, Ryusuke, you're a guest."
"I see. Then I'll take you up on that and relax while I wait, thanks."
"Leave it to me. Now, I'll go wash the dishes."
When I patted Mashiro's head, she made a cute "ehehe" smile and headed to the sink.
After watching her back, I leaned back on the fluffy sofa in the living room.
I was actually planning to return home after cleaning up, but Mashiro insisted I stay a little longer.
I felt a bit guilty about overstaying since I had already spent the night before, but Mashiro seemed completely unbothered by it.
In fact, when I mentioned going home, her brow furrowed sadly, and she looked dejected. When she tightly grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and pleaded with those puppy eyes saying, "Don't go..." I found it impossible to refuse.
(I guess being alone really is lonely.)
Mashiro lives in this apartment with her mother, but her mother hardly ever comes home, leaving Mashiro usually alone. Her father passed away when she entered middle school, and since then, she has been living a lonely life.
During summer vacation, she can't even talk to friends at school, and once I leave, she would be all alone in this spacious place again. It certainly is lonely.
Because of that, when Mashiro asks me to stay a bit longer, I can't say no. My mother also told me, "Don't worry about things here; play with Mashiro," so I intend to stay with her until she's satisfied.
As I was lost in those thoughts, Mashiro returned to the living room after finishing the dishes.
She slowly sat next to me on the sofa, gazing at me and smiling blissfully.
"Ryusuke, I'm back. I finished the dishes!"
"Welcome back, Mashiro. Good job."
When I patted her head after she finished, she squinted her eyes in pleasure and let out a happy "ehehe."
This girl is truly adorable. Every action, every sound, every expression is so endearing that the time spent alone with her is incredibly pleasant.
After a while of gently stroking Mashiro's soft hair, she gazed up at me with sleepy-looking eyes.
"Ryusuke, aren't you sleepy?"
"I slept well cuddling my Mashiro pillow last night, so I'm wide awake."
"When I cuddle with you like this, I get sleepy. You're warm and make me feel safe, and since today is a day off, maybe I should take a nap..."
With a gentle smile, Mashiro rolled over and laid her head on my lap. Her fluffy, silky black hair danced beautifully on my thigh.
She gave me a look as if seeking affection and rubbed her cheek against my leg. This is what they call… a lap pillow.
Since this is quite embarrassing, I lightly poked her forehead with my index finger to get her attention, and Mashiro puffed her cheeks in discontent.
"Hey, don’t fall asleep there."
"Ah... that's mean! Ryusuke flicked my forehead!"
When I poked her puffed cheek again, Mashiro squirmed, feeling tickled.
"Stop it! Don’t poke my cheeks!"
"But it's unavoidable. You have such cute cheeks right here, so maybe next I'll try pulling them."
"Fuhh, don't pull!"
When I pinched her cheek and stretched it sideways, Mashiro couldn’t speak properly anymore and let out adorable, incoherent sounds. It seemed she was saying not to pull, but I found it too amusing to stop.
I continued to tease her cheeks, pinching and pulling.
The feeling of her marshmallow-like soft and springy cheeks was becoming addictive, and as I played with them, Mashiro finally reached out to retaliate.
"Hey, that’s unfair…!"
"Hehe, that’s revenge for earlier!"
With a mischievous grin, Mashiro began to tickle me under my arms. I couldn’t help but tremble and writhe.
Indeed, being childhood friends, she seemed to know just where I was weak, and her attacks didn't let up.
Even my body, trained as a villain, seemed helpless against Mashiro’s tickling assault. I was on the verge of bursting into laughter.
“M-Mashiro, if you’re feeling that way, I’m going to fight back!”
"Hehe, do you think you can beat me?"
"You said it, so be prepared!"
With a sly grin, I reached for Mashiro's sides.
Just as she knew my weakness, I knew hers as well. After all, we had been friends for a long time.
And Mashiro’s biggest weakness was her sides. When we played around in elementary school, even a single touch would leave her blushing and tearful.
Even now, just grazing my fingertips against her sides made her jump.
Seeing that reaction confirmed for me that her weakness hadn’t changed since elementary school. I then began to relentlessly attack her sides.
Gently gliding my fingers over her thin T-shirt, she jolted and laughed. Just like me, Mashiro was ticklish, and with just a little movement of my fingers, she twisted her body and burst into laughter.
"Ahaha, you idiot! Th-that's cheating!"
"What's wrong, Mashiro? Have you given up already?"
"I'm not done yet! I know other weak spots of yours too!"
"Oh really? I'm looking forward to that. But if you keep this up, you might just lose!"
"Nope, I’m still fine. Your weak spot is right here!"
"Wait, Mashiro! That area is…!!"
Ignoring my protests, Mashiro slipped her hand inside my shirt and directly touched my stomach.
I was shocked and let out a strange voice.
I hurried to stop her, but it was already too late; Mashiro was tickling my stomach without any reservations. Her delicate fingers traveled all over my belly, sending simultaneous waves of ticklishness and delight.
Seeing me squirm, Mashiro smiled gleefully, her expression almost devilish.
Overcome by the sensation, I finally burst out laughing. Meanwhile, Mashiro chuckled mischievously.
"Ahaha, Ryusuke is so ticklish! Should I give you even more?"
"Please stop… If you keep this up, I'll laugh myself to death…"
"Hehe, have you given up? If you mess with me like this, this is what you'll get. Remember that!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it…"
Upon showing my surrender, Mashiro smiled in satisfaction and let go of me.
I completely relaxed, leaning back against the sofa.
As I tried to steady my heavy breathing, Mashiro had a triumphant look, puffing out her chest proudly.
Yet, she was still in the position where I was giving her a lap pillow, which I found incredibly cute.
Then Mashiro gazed at me with a soft smile, leaning against my cheek as if seeking affection.
"I got a bit too excited and woke up. So, what do you want to do now, Ryusuke?"
"Hmm, I hadn’t thought about anything in particular. Since today is the day after camp, I didn’t plan anything."
"Did Mai-chan or your mom say anything?"
"I contacted them before breakfast, but nothing special. They said as long as I’m with you, they’re fine."
"Then should we just laze around together today?"
"Sounds good. Let’s do that."
As I replied while gently stroking Mashiro's head, she squinted her eyes in happiness and nestled closer to my hand.
While I pampered her, who was being cat-like, we spent a leisurely time in the living room.