The morning air was brisk, curling around Shin's neck like a cold scarf as he made his way toward school. His bag was slung lazily over one shoulder, and the city around him was just waking up. The streets were dotted with students and the occasional cyclist, but Shin's mind wasn't on any of them.
Instead, his thoughts were full of Ai.
Their moments from the last night replayed in his mind like soft, nostalgic music. Her sleepy smile. The warm pressure of her cheek against his shoulder. Her voice, soft and clingy, saying, "Onii-chan, I love you."
He sighed with a longing smile.
"God, I just want to finish school and go home to cuddle Ai," he muttered under his breath.
Her scent still lingered on his oversized hoodie that she always stole. His arms still remembered the way she wrapped herself around him like a koala, refusing to let go. And her voice, her soft, innocent declarations of love, always made something ache gently in his chest.
"Ai..." he whispered, lips twitching up at the corners.
But suddenly—he stopped in his tracks.
From a distance, down the same street leading to school, another familiar figure was walking.
Shorter, slimmer, with soft hair bouncing lightly in the breeze. A neat uniform, hugging his delicate frame. Holding a milk carton in one hand, looking down at something with an expression that was just... precious.
Yuki.
Shin's heart skipped. And then, without a second thought, he broke into a jog.
"Yuki!"
Yuki turned at the sound of his name, eyes wide for a moment. Then, a blush instantly rose to his cheeks.
"G-Good morning," Yuki said, voice just above a whisper, his eyes flicking away and then quickly back to Shin.
Shin grinned. "You're early today. Were you hoping to run into me?"
"W-What?! N-No, I was just—I always leave early! You just usually come late!"
"Mmm, sure," Shin said, leaning slightly closer as they walked side by side. "You're looking kinda happy today. Could it be… because of yesterday?"
Yuki's face turned red instantly. He looked away, holding the milk carton tighter. "D-Don't make weird assumptions! We just hung out as friends, that's all! Don't twist it into something weird!"
Shin laughed softly. "Yeah, yeah. Just friends, huh? I guess friends do ride the Ferris wheel together... while blushing and leaning on each other."
Yuki flinched. "T-That's because it was cold! And you took the window seat first, so I didn't have anywhere else to lean!"
"Is that so?" Shin smirked. "And you just happened to tell me I made you feel safe? That I was your first real friend?"
"S-Shut up!" Yuki snapped, his voice cracking adorably as he looked away, cheeks burning. "I was being emotional! The Ferris wheel had weird air! People say weird things in the air!"
"Do they also say things like 'you destroyed my peace, but in a good way?'"
Yuki practically stumbled over his own feet.
"You remembered everything?!"
Shin chuckled. "Of course. I remember everything you say."
Yuki bit his lip. He looked like he wanted to disappear into his school bag. But even then... there was a small smile on his lips. Tiny. But real.
They walked together for a while in silence. It wasn't awkward—more like both were trying to manage the heat in their cheeks. Shin occasionally glanced sideways, watching the subtle expressions play on Yuki's face like ripples across water.
Eventually, Shin couldn't resist.
"So... you never told me how you felt about the alpaca plush. You've been carrying it everywhere."
Yuki hugged the bag closer to his chest. "I-It's soft. That's all. And it reminds me of winning. I like winning."
"Right," Shin smirked. "Winning. That's what made you hold it all night even while watching the fireworks."
Yuki's expression cracked.
"I-I didn't hold it the whole time!"
"Mmm... maybe not the whole time. Sometimes you were too busy standing close to me."
"Y-You were the one standing close to me! And—and you made me go on all those rides! I never said yes to the haunted house, you just dragged me!"
"You were shaking the whole time, Yuki. It was adorable."
"I-I wasn't shaking! I was... just... startled! There were sudden noises!"
"You grabbed my arm like your life depended on it."
"T-T-That was for support! It's a natural human reflex!"
Shin burst out laughing.
Yuki glared at him, cheeks flaming, but even as he puffed up in tsundere defiance, he didn't step away. Their arms brushed now and then as they walked, and Yuki didn't pull away.
"You're so mean sometimes," Yuki grumbled.
"I prefer the term 'teasingly affectionate,'" Shin replied.
Yuki clicked his tongue. "Affectionate, my foot. You just like seeing me flustered."
Shin leaned down, voice suddenly a soft murmur.
"Maybe I do. But only because you're cutest when you're flustered."
Yuki froze.
And then—
"I-I'm not cute! Stop saying that! You're so annoying! Idiot! Moron! Big jerk!"
Shin was now laughing uncontrollably, and Yuki, flustered and angry, picked up his pace.
"I'm going ahead!"
"Wait up, tsundere-chan!"
"I'M NOT A TSUNDERE!"
The shouting drew a few glances from other students ahead, but Yuki didn't care. His cheeks were red, his heart was pounding, and behind all his angry muttering, he was smiling to himself.
Because even if Shin was a big, dumb, teasing jerk...
He still walked beside him every morning.
And maybe, just maybe, that made it okay.
---
The school restroom was quiet—empty but for the occasional hum of the flickering overhead light. Ai stepped inside, her shoes clicking softly against the tiled floor, and made her way to the furthest stall, the one that locked properly and had no gaps in the door frame. She didn't want to be found. She couldn't be found.
As the latch clicked shut, Ai leaned her back against the stall door and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her hands trembled as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her skirt. Her heart thumped like a war drum in her chest, and her skin felt feverish, tight with aching energy.
She unlocked the screen with a practiced swipe, and there he was—Shin. Her Onii-chan.
The photo was innocent enough. He was sitting on the couch, smiling gently at the camera, dressed in one of his favorite hoodies. But to Ai, it was far from innocent. Her gaze traced his sharp jawline, the strong arch of his neck, the familiar gleam in his eyes that only she understood. Her thighs pressed together instinctively, her breath catching.
"I miss you…" she whispered, her voice a trembling whimper that didn't quite leave her lips.
She slid down slowly until she was seated on the closed toilet lid. Her knees bent close, legs together tightly. One hand held the phone. The other hovered hesitantly over her lap. She shouldn't. Not here. Not at school. But the ache was too much. She'd held it in all morning. It was unbearable now.
Her fingertips slipped beneath the hem of her skirt, brushing over the soft skin of her inner thigh. A small shiver ran through her as her breath hitched. Her fingers moved upward slowly, deliberately, as her eyes locked onto Shin's photo.
Her lips parted.
"I love you, Onii-chan…" she mouthed, cheeks flushed, pupils dilated.
Each breath grew shallower, faster, as her hand moved under the fabric of her panties, feeling the heat, the wetness already there. Her hips shifted, tilting slightly forward, pressing into her hand. The small, suppressed sounds in her throat came out as gasps she barely managed to muffle.
She thought of his voice.
The way he used to pat her head.
The way he held her when she cried.
The way he looked at her and never realized how much she needed him.
Her thumb brushed over her most sensitive spot, slow and soft, and she nearly moaned out loud. She bit her knuckle hard, eyes squeezing shut.
Then—
Voices.
Footsteps.
Two girls entered the restroom, their laughter echoing off the walls.
Ai froze.
Her hand stopped, her entire body clenched tight, her eyes wide and frantic as she tried to suppress her panting. Her body was still pulsing with arousal, but she couldn't move. Not yet. Not with them there.
"Ugh, did you see Aki-senpai this morning?" one girl said, her voice high and dreamy. "He looked so good. He's so tall… and his arms—he could just lift me like I'm nothing."
"I know, right?" the other girl giggled. "If I had a big brother like that, I'd never let anyone else touch him."
The two girls continued talking, gossiping, fixing their makeup, laughing—unaware of the girl in the last stall, flushed and quivering, her whole body straining to stay silent. Her hand hadn't moved again… but she was still throbbing. Still aching.
Finally, the door creaked open. The girls left.
And Ai—Ai collapsed back against the door, letting out a ragged breath that trembled on her lips. Her whole body was tense, overheated, twitching with restraint and desire. Her panties were damp. Her skin burned.
"…I can't take it…" she whispered.
She brought her hand back down, more desperate now, fingers working faster, pressing deeper. Her other hand clutched the phone tightly, Shin's face filling her screen as she whispered his name again and again like a prayer.
"Onii-chan… Onii-chan…"
She imagined him holding her. Whispering to her. Touching her gently—then more. The image of his strong arms around her, pulling her into his lap, flooded her thoughts until she couldn't think of anything else.
Her breath grew erratic, each flick of her fingers sending sparks through her thighs and stomach. The tension in her hips grew unbearable. Her toes curled. Her mouth opened in a silent cry.
And then—
Her body seized.
A wave of overwhelming heat washed through her, her spine arching, her entire form trembling violently as she climaxed silently, her mouth open but no sound escaping. She bit her own wrist to keep from screaming.
After several seconds, she collapsed forward, chest heaving, sweat dripping down her temple.
She stared at the photo on her screen, tears welling in her eyes from the intensity of it all.
"I love you… I love you so much, Onii-chan…"
She stayed like that, breathing heavily, until her heartbeat slowed and the ache faded into a warm, painful sweetness.
---
END OF CHAPTER : 50 : JUST ANOTHER MORNING...?
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