Who Hasn’t Held a Boy Classmate’s Hand Before

The moment she regained her freedom, Yanami Anna instantly shrank back, scooting all the way to the other end of the bench to put distance between herself and Imaizumi Keita.

She hugged her arms protectively, rubbing her wrist instinctively—still feeling the lingering warmth and strength of Imaizumi’s grip.

Hearing Imaizumi’s question, Yanami felt as though she had embarrassed herself in front of him yet again.

She really thought she just needed to casually tell people they were dating—
like how it always went in anime and light novels.

So she forced herself to argue, “There’s no need to make it so complicated! As long as we say we’re dating, everyone will just accept it. No one’s gonna investigate the truth!”

Imaizumi shook his head and simply brought up what just happened.

“The one who instinctively tried to push me away earlier… was you, wasn’t it, Yanami-san? Would a couple react like that just from having their wrist held?”

Yanami’s face flushed instantly.

Seeing she didn’t deny it, Imaizumi continued:

“If your friends tease you and ask you, the ‘girlfriend’, to get closer to me, what would you do?”

“Jump up like before? Or freeze on the spot and let everyone see something’s wrong?”

He leaned back against the bench and sighed, pointing out her flaw.

“In the end, Yanami-san, even though you were always beside Hakamada Kusuke, do you actually understand what being ‘lovers’ feels like? All your ideas come from a guy who never saw you as one.”

“I—I do know!”

Yanami’s cheeks warmed instantly as she hurried to defend herself.

“W-who said I don’t?! I’ve read so many shoujo mangas! Holding hands, dates, cute nicknames… I know all that!”

She used everything she’d learned from fiction as her strongest weapon.

Imaizumi laughed again and, seeing her resentful glare, began explaining gently.

“Yanami… those are just things you’ve read.”

He lifted his thumb and shook it lightly.

“You’ve imagined them a thousand times, but you and Kusuke never once acted like that.”

“You treated him like the male lead of your fantasy story, but he only saw you as a long-time friend.”

“If you two had even one actual ‘lover-like’ moment, you wouldn’t have lost this badly.”

“I-It’s not like that!”

Yanami’s rebuttal was weak and shaky.

“Kusuke and I walk to and from school together every day! We eat lunch together too! Doesn’t that count?!”

She brought out her most treasured memories as proof.

Hearing that naïve and pitiful argument, something clicked in Imaizumi’s mind.

This was the perfect moment for a “lover-like interaction lesson.”

And he could use it to personally test how much “lover-style contact” relieved his unstable ability.

So Imaizumi denied her claim again.

“Friends can do all that. Lovers need something that confirms they’re ‘special’ to one another.”

“For example… the simplest physical contact.”

After saying this, Imaizumi slowly slid closer toward her again.

He didn’t say what he intended to do—
but Yanami felt it from the warmth and gentle aura he brought with him.

Her whole body tensed, hands gripping the hem of her skirt, but she didn’t run.

That phrase “special signal” had stunned her.

Imaizumi stopped half a meter away, not touching her immediately.
Instead, he gave a verbal warning, making it clear he was only demonstrating.

“Couples don’t act rough like earlier. If they want to hold hands, they test the waters first.”

His voice grew soft, guiding her gently.

“Like this—just lightly touching their hand, to see how they react.”

His fingertip, cool to the touch, landed feather-soft on the back of her left hand.

Yanami Anna trembled violently.

A faint tingling spread from that small point of contact, making her breath catch.

She could feel the skin on her hand becoming absurdly sensitive.

Imaizumi also noticed something unusual.

The moment their skin met, a weak but clear warmth flowed from her into him—
like a dry sponge soaking up a drop of water.

This energy was far purer and more soothing than the chaotic energy from her earlier resistance.

Even the pain in his temples eased more effectively.

He interpreted her silent stillness as a mix of his charm aura and her personal consent.

His finger slid down, gently hooking the tip of her pinky.

“And then,” he continued in that same slow, tender tone, “if the other person doesn’t pull away, you do this… slowly holding it.”

His palm settled over hers, enveloping her cold, trembling hand completely.

The dry warmth was completely different from the coolness of his fingertips.

The “warm current” flowing into him thickened.

As their contact deepened, the soothing flow strengthened—
calming his unstable aura steadily.

Yanami stared blankly at their hands overlapped, a swirl of shame and something unnamed making her mind spin.

But he wasn’t done.

Once he fully held her hand, the warm flow became even more obvious.

Deep inside, Imaizumi felt his succubus-like core hunger for warmth being slightly satiated.

This realization made him act on impulse—

His fingers slipped between hers, intertwining tightly.

Their hands locked together in a perfectly intimate grip.

“Mm!”

Yanami tried to pull away instinctively—
but hesitated because of the strange, pleasant sensation of their fingers laced.

And then—

A surge of high-quality energy flooded into Imaizumi’s body!

Yanami’s “shyness,” “nervousness,” “fluttering panic”—
emotions created purely because of him—
became a refined, intoxicating sweetness that rushed through him.

He could clearly feel his unstable “succubus aura” settling down, its volatility decreasing.

The pleasant sensation made even his heartbeat quicken.

Imaizumi Keita fully understood what he needed to do.

Meanwhile, Yanami Anna felt all her tough-girl façade crumble.

His hand warmth kept flowing into her, smoothing out her inner panic.

Her cheeks and ears burned red in real time.

She lowered her head quickly, staring at the tips of her shoes as if they were the most important things in the world.

Imaizumi suppressed his impulse and gently teased her, asking a question he already knew the answer to.

“These things—did you ever do them with him?”

It took several seconds for Yanami to mutter stiffly, pretending to be calm:

“T-this isn’t anything special… During the school festival or practice, who hasn’t held a boy classmate’s hand before…”

She tried to pull her hand away, only to realize that his seemingly relaxed grip did not allow escape.

So she pleaded in embarrassment, “Stop… l-let go…”

Getting the answer he wanted, Imaizumi released her hand.

Yanami instantly yanked her left hand back, clenching it into a fist and hiding it behind her, head still lowered in silence.

“Do you understand now?”

Imaizumi leaned back, giving her space and easing the tension.

“If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, we’ll need lots of ‘practice’ like this in the future. So—”

He looked at Yanami Anna’s bright-red ears, checking whether she had been swayed.

“Will you accept my proposal?”

Silence spread between them…

A shared, ambiguous awareness was born in both hearts…

Yanami kept her head down, shoulders trembling, clearly fighting some fierce inner battle.

After a long time, she finally murmured in a muffled voice:

“…L-let me think about it.”

It was the greatest concession her pride could make.

Hearing this, a barely hidden smile rose on Imaizumi’s lips.

Yes! Everything is going according to plan!

Looking at her blushing from cheeks to the back of her neck, he decided to give her a little escape route.

“Ahh, you’re blushing~ just from holding hands? That red?”

His teasing tone shattered the heavy silence.

“Yanami-san, didn’t you say you read tons of shoujo manga? Your reaction is worse than a beginner’s.”

“Or… did you secretly enjoy it?”

That sudden joke made Yanami lift her head in shock.

Her expression shifted from shame to flustered anger.

Her body, warmed from their linked fingers moments ago, tensed again as she stood up and swung her fist toward Imaizumi’s chest.

“H-how… how could I possibly enjoy that?!!”