Chapter 20: An Early Departure

Because someone was backing her up, Tsukikage Yamabuki completely let go of her worries and tension, following his rhythm to get into the flow.

The subsequent singing went smoothly; she regained the familiar feeling she usually had when singing at home.

Perhaps it didn’t quite match the original, but the reason a good song is a good song is that it still sounds beautiful without going off-key or out of tune.

Before she knew it, the song had come to an end.

“Ryoichi, you’re amazing! You sing so well!”

As the final notes faded, Tsukikage couldn’t contain her excitement and ran over to Ryoichi Sugawara, throwing her arms around him and bouncing lightly on her feet.

Although the scoring system hadn’t revealed the results yet, the score was utterly irrelevant.

This duet experience was incredible—the best singing session she had ever had.

Caught off guard by her sudden embrace, Sugawara froze in place.

“You too,” he replied.

With three others watching nearby, Sugawara hesitated briefly before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

He still remembered that the reason Tsukikage had invited him out on this date was to pose as her boyfriend.

In this situation, with his “girlfriend” already hugging him, it would be too fake if he didn’t return the embrace.

The three women, who had been waiting to share their thoughts and evaluations after the performance, exchanged glances upon seeing them holding each other.

“Don’t just hug, give her a kiss,” Wakaba Miyagi was the first to snap back to reality and encourage them.

“Give her a kiss! Give her a kiss!”

Risa Minamida and Mai Asai exchanged looks and joined in the teasing.

Amid their urging, Tsukikage gradually regained her composure and realized with surprise that she had hugged Ryoichi Sugawara in her overwhelming joy.

Acting on instinct, she raised her eyes to his face, and her gaze involuntarily flicked over his lips.

Her heart raced, and a flutter of affection stirred within her.

Tsukikage’s feelings wavered.

Although she had warned Sugawara the night before not to yield to any pressure for a kiss—she would never accept it—the atmosphere had reached this point.

Listening to the teasing voices, Sugawara too found himself unable to resist glancing at her soft, inviting lips, his heartbeat quickening uncontrollably.

Maybe he wasn’t new to dating, but the charged, ambiguous mood still got to him.

After an internal struggle, Sugawara lowered his head, moving closer.

“Is he really going to kiss me?” Tsukikage’s heart almost leapt out of her chest as his face drew nearer. Torn between hesitation and impulse, she closed her eyes.

But instead of feeling the touch of lips, a warm breath brushed against her ear.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of this to kiss you.”

Whether out of professional ethics or to keep his promise, despite the intoxicating atmosphere, Sugawara held firm to his resolve.

“Huh?”

Hearing his words clearly, Tsukikage suddenly opened her eyes.

---

“But since the mood’s already like this, if you don’t do anything, they might get suspicious… How about you kiss my cheek instead?”

Sugawara buried his face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent and, a little distracted, made the suggestion.

Distracted herself, Tsukikage didn’t hesitate for even a moment and planted a kiss on his cheek.

This wasn’t a light, fleeting peck but a passionate kiss.

“*Smooch*”

After the intense kiss, they slowly parted.

“Why a kiss on the cheek?”

“Kiss on the lips! Kiss on the lips!”

“Tsukikage-chan, don’t be so shy!”

The three eagerly waiting friends were disappointed, letting out a collective “aww” at the cheek kiss.

“I’m not as bold as you guys,” Tsukikage, blushing from even the cheek kiss, firmly resisted their complaints.

“Sugawara-san, seriously, how could you resist not kissing her on the lips?”

Seeing her strong reaction, Mai Asai shifted her teasing toward Sugawara, exasperated.

If they had kissed after that song, this day would have been etched into her memory forever.

“As you all know, Tsukikage isn’t the type to kiss in front of others,” Sugawara said, not feeling any regret as one of the parties involved.

“That’s true,” Risa Minamida agreed.

Although Tsukikage wasn’t socially anxious or introverted, she was rather reserved and simply couldn’t bring herself to display public affection like kissing her boyfriend in front of others.

“*Glug glug*!”

Back at her seat, Tsukikage said nothing and downed her beer in one go.

“Wakaba, order me another beer.”

Having drunk half a glass, Tsukikage’s embarrassment hadn’t faded, so she turned to Wakaba Miyagi with a request.

It was too humiliating—Sugawara had only suggested kissing her cheek, yet she had eagerly kissed him, and with such force that it made a distinct “smooch” sound!

“Okay.”

Seeing her ready to drink heavily, Wakaba didn’t tease her but obediently placed the order.

Sugawara, the instigator, said nothing and returned to sit by her side.

From then on, Tsukikage kept drinking, finishing one large glass after another, hoping the alcohol would wash away her impulsive behavior.

“What is she doing?”

“It’s just a kiss on the cheek. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?”

“It’s probably not because of the cheek kiss. After all, they’re supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Maybe it’s because of that off-key note earlier?”

Though the three close friends thought a kiss on the cheek between a couple was trivial, for Tsukikage, it was a huge matter.

Because she and Sugawara were not actually boyfriend and girlfriend, and he was her student.

What embarrassed her most was that impulsive kiss—it was as if she had been saying with her actions, “I’ve been waiting for you to say that!”

…

The gathering, which was supposed to end at 9 PM, broke up early at 8:30 because Tsukikage was completely drunk.

When it came to paying the bill, since Sugawara had treated them to dinner, the three friends took care of the karaoke expenses themselves.

“Sugawara-san, it’s up to you, as the boyfriend, to take Tsukikage-chan home.”

At the karaoke entrance, a half-drunk Wakaba Miyagi found it amusing to see her boyfriend supporting an intoxicated Tsukikage.

Since they all became adults, it was the first time she had seen Tsukikage drunk like this.

Before, when they drank together, Tsukikage would only get mildly tipsy.

“How about you guys take her home?”

Sugawara, carrying Tsukikage’s arm over his shoulder, hesitated before making the request.

He hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

He didn’t even know where Tsukikage lived.

Moreover, since she was so drunk, entrusting her care to a man like him seemed inappropriate.

“Huh? Why not?”

Mai Asai, half-drunk herself, was puzzled.

“Ha ha, Sugawara-san, you don’t happen to think taking a drunk person home is too much trouble, do you? You can’t think like that—she’s your girlfriend.”

Risa Minamida, also tipsy, grinned foolishly and teased him.

“That’s not it.”

Facing their doubts and opinions, Sugawara paused and shook his head.

If he forced them to take Tsukikage home, the charade of being her boyfriend would almost certainly be exposed, making all their efforts today pointless.

Though they didn’t understand why he made such a strange request, the half-drunk three didn’t think much of it.

“Anyway, Tsukikage-chan is in your care. If her home is too far or taking her back too tiring, just find a hotel nearby and stay the night.”

Given the trouble of her drunkenness, Risa gave him a straightforward solution.

“Sugawara-san, goodbye.”

Confident that her boyfriend would take care of Tsukikage, Wakaba waved goodbye.

“Goodbye.”

Mai Asai followed suit, then turned to leave.

The other two followed her lead.