“n……nchuu……n……♡”

On the bed, where sultry, wet sounds echoed.

Four beautiful girls intertwined, their breaths mingling as they pressed their lips together.

That scene was too seductive. Just watching it made my body heat up and boil uncontrollably.

“Kazuto… come here—”

One of the four girls cast a gaze at me and extended her hand.

Her eyes were gentle, yet somehow provocative, leaving me with no room to escape.

Normally, for me, the only man to step into a yuri garden would be an absolute taboo.

But these four were different.

They did not reject me. On the contrary, they accepted me from the bottom of their hearts.

And before I knew it, I found myself unable to stop being drawn into that forbidden whirlpool as well.

——However, its beginning was by no means a gentle one.

◇◇◇

My name is Fukase Kazuto.

Back in middle school, I was part of the soccer club and put a fair amount of effort into both practice and matches. I wasn’t particularly outstanding, but I was a regular starter, and it’s not like I was bad at sports either.

As for hobbies, I mainly read manga and light novels. I could keep up with anime trends reasonably well and played video games at an average level.

I had friends but no girlfriend, yet on the day before my high school entrance ceremony.

In a park at dusk, with cherry blossoms drifting down around us, I finally put into words the feelings that had been welling up deep in my chest.

“—Asuka, I’ve always liked you! Will you please go out with me…!”

The person was my middle school classmate—Otomi Asuka.

“…Yeah. I knew.”

“Eh…?”

“Kazuto, you were staring at me more than I expected. And your attitude was so obvious too… I mean, it’d been completely obvious for a long time.”

Her words made my heart feel like it was about to burst.

It was the first confession of my life. My heartbeat echoed like drums inside my ears, and just staying on my feet was a struggle.

Asuka was popular with boys and received multiple confessions during her three years at middle school.

Yet she never dated anyone.

Was I going to end up as just one of them too? The moment that thought crossed my mind, my lips began to tremble.

I didn’t want to be just a mob in Asuka’s eyes.

I wanted to be the one who mattered most to Asuka. I wished for that more strongly than anything.

“…I’ve been waiting. I’ve been waiting for so, so long…”

A single tear shimmered in Asuka’s eyes.

Caught by the spring breeze, her tears drifted and scattered, sparkling like particles of light.

“S-So that means…!?”

“Yeah… I like you too, Kazuto. —So… from now on… let’s take care of each other, okay?”

In that moment, it felt as if the world suddenly burst into vivid color.

The feelings I had held onto for so long were finally rewarded.

“Yessss!!”

Without thinking, I thrust both fists into the air, striking a full-power victory pose.

I’d ended up expressing my joy with my whole body, almost embarrassingly so.

“Then… let’s go to the entrance ceremony together tomorrow! We’ll meet in front of this park!”

“Fufu… okay. I’m looking forward to it.”

Asuka smiled gently.

With that smile etched into my heart, I headed home.

——That night, even after going to bed, my excitement wouldn’t subside and sleep eluded me.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be able to walk beside Asuka as her boyfriend, heading off to our new school together.

Eventually, we’d walk hand in hand, our lips would meet, and then, perhaps, we’d move on to something more.

As I imagined the kind of sweet future any healthy high school boy would dream of, I eagerly awaited tomorrow.

◇◇◇

And after the long night ended, the morning came.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, Kazuto. Breakfast is ready.”

“Hey, your hair’s a total mess. At least look in the mirror.”

As I descended from my second-floor room to the living room, there were my mother, Fukase Saya, and my sister, Fukase Tomoka.

The scent of miso soup wafted through the air. On the table sat tamagoyaki, grilled fish, and freshly steamed rice.

My mother arranged chopsticks while wearing an apron, and my sister in her pajamas with sleepy eyes was already chewing on something.

A usual, mundane morning scene.

But—there was one thing that was clearly different.

There was no sign of my father.

He should have been there, dressed neatly in a suit, watching the morning news while quietly eating breakfast. But that familiar presence was strikingly absent from this morning’s dining table.

“…Huh, where’s Dad?” For some reason, I swallowed the question before it could leave my mouth.

My chest felt uneasy for no reason, yet pretending not to notice, I picked up my chopsticks.

But looking back on it now—I should have realized it at that moment.

After finishing my meal and getting dressed in my new uniform, I returned to the living room again.

“Oh my, it suits you.”

“Yeah, it really does, you look great!”

“…Thanks.”

They praised me for wearing the uniform well, making me feel a bit awkward.

“You’re a high school student starting today, so if anything happens, come talk to me, okay? I mean, I am a third-year, after all.”

“I won’t need to. I’m a high schooler now too, you know.”

“Hmm… you’ve always lacked a sense of caution, Kazuto, but still, don’t try to carry everything on your own, okay?”

I appreciated the concern. But was my sister really this overprotective? Another small sense of unease quietly settled in.

But I felt cheerful inside. After all, today I would meet Asuka at the park we had agreed on and go together to the entrance ceremony.

I couldn’t wait to see her in her new uniform.

“I’m heading out.”

“Take care.”

“Do your best!”

When I stepped outside, the scent of spring mixed with greenery tickled my nose.

Adjusting the collar of my new uniform, I walked toward school.

The school I’d be attending was the private Hanabira Academy High School, commonly known as Bira High, located within walking distance from my home.

The academy offers a tuition waiver for top scorers on the entrance exams, and I managed to secure my acceptance through that program. It helped ease the burden on my family’s finances, which was one of the reasons I chose this school.

“………………”

However, after walking for just a few minutes, I noticed another oddity.

Everyone I passed by was a woman.

Housewives carrying shopping bags, students jogging past, and even elderly people sweeping the streets. I passed ten, twenty people, yet not a single man was in sight.

And then—without a care for their surroundings, I spotted women here and there walking along hand in hand, chatting happily with each other.

After a while of walking, I arrived at the park where we had agreed to meet.

This was the route I’d taken to school almost every day since middle school.

Since I’d be using the same path in high school as well, we’d decided to make this our meeting spot.

“……Maybe I came a bit early.”

Checking my phone, it was fifteen minutes earlier than the scheduled time.

Just thinking about seeing Asuka—my new girlfriend—left me unable to calm down, my heart already beating wildly out of control.

Soon enough, that moment arrived.

—Tap, tap. The crisp, rhythmic sound of brand-new loafers drew closer.

Her glossy black hair bounced lightly at her shoulders, the neatly trimmed bob cut adorned with two red hairpins glimmering under morning light.

With skin as clear and white as snow, she carried an air of purity, yet was also wrapped in a lively radiance—like the very embodiment of a beautiful girl.

——Otomi Asuka was standing right there.

A spring breeze blew through suddenly. She walked toward me while holding her hair down.

Her brand-new uniform dazzled so brightly that my chest tightened with excitement just from seeing it.

I decided to wait without calling out to her until the moment Asuka stopped right in front of me.

……But.

“Eh?”

The next moment, I gasped.

Asuka, who should have naturally stopped before me, instead continued walking forward—as if I wasn’t even there. She passed by without a word as if I didn’t exist at all.

“Wa… Asuka!?”

I called out with a wry smile, thinking it had to be a joke.

But.

“…………”

There was no response. Her steps never halted.

Only empty air slipped past me.

We had definitely become lovers yesterday.

That moment, those tears, that smile—none of it was a dream.

And yet… why?

“Asuka! Why are you ignoring me?!”

I raised my voice. There’s no way she wouldn’t notice now.

And indeed, that was the case.

Asuka stopped her feet and slowly turned back toward me.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen last night? If it did—”

“……don’t.”

“Huh…?”

“—Don’t call my name without permission!!”

A sharp voice. A clear note of rejection.

There was no trace left of yesterday’s familiarity or the closeness you’d expect between lovers.

If anything, it was blatant disgust—like being called out by someone she didn’t know at all.

“Asuka, Asuka… what do you think you’re doing, calling me that when you’re a man?”

“A man? What does that have to do with anything!?”

We weren’t on the same page at all.

My mind went blank, and the words wouldn’t come.

But there was no lie in Asuka’s eyes. It was clear that her rejection was genuine.

“What does that have to do with anything…? …Don’t mess with me.”

“…Yesterday, I confessed to you, Asuka. You accepted it—we became lovers! We even promised to meet here in this park for the entrance ceremony—”

I shouted desperately. But my voice didn’t reach her.

And then, the words Asuka spoke next cut deeply into my heart.

“More importantly—who are you, exactly?”