xxddmm

Chapter 3 - I saw it in a porn game.

Today's a completely... NOT ordinary day.

Hikari: "T-Ta~kun... wakey wakey?"
Yuu: "Mm, nngh......"

Location: my childhood friend's room.
Current time: a little past 7am, on a weekday.

Hikari: "You'll be late if you don't get up, y'know?"
Yuu: "Gimme... five minutes......"

Right now, I'm taking part on my species' sacred mission, aka Childhood Friend Alarm Clock.

............
............

Umm, let's rewind about 10 minutes back, okay?

This morning, as I was leaving for school, my mom gave me a little something and said, Take this over to the Takamuras.

So, I reluctantly (putting my feelings aside) went next door to deliver it. As I opened their front door, I saw Ms. Takamura in the hallway, yelling upstairs, Yuu! How much longer are you planning to sleep?!.

Caught up in the morning madness, Auntie was like, Perfect timing, Hikari! That kid just won't wake up! Go wake him up for me, would you? Then she just turned around and went back to the kitchen without even waiting for my reply.

It was kind of a ridiculous request, honestly. But when my second mom who makes my dinner half of the week asks for something, there's no way I can just say no...

And so, here I am, in his room, right in front of his bed, while he's totally asleep.

Hikari: "......Huhhhh!?"

Uh, wait a sec -- is this even okay? This is totally a bedroom scene!

Even if I pretend this is a total accident, this is straight out of a dating sim!

Usually, a childhood friend who does something like this is basically setting up a romance flag, right?
Sometimes they act all cold and distant, or treat him like a little brother instead -- it varies, but there's always one thing in common: they're totally in love with the protagonist!

......Yeah, I know, I'm the same. I have no excuses.

Hikari: "A-alright... here goes..."

There's no point hesitating now, nothing's gonna happen if I just stand here.

In any case, this is a very important request from Auntie Takemura, who's been so good to me, so I have to do this and have to do it well.

Well, let's just ignore questions like, Is Auntie a mind-reading psychic? for now.

S-so... alright then...
I'll wake him up properly, smoothly, and perfectly.

Hikari: "Hey~! Wake up!"
Yuu: "Whoa!? It's freezing!"
Hikari: "C'mon, it's a beautiful day! Get up already!"
Yuu: "S-stop! Hikari! Give me my blanket back!"

"......Hmmm."

Nope, that's not it.
This is people call the caring childhood friend trope.

She regularly shows up to wake him up like this. Not only that, but she cooks breakfast for him and they walk to school together. Even though she never says it, she's head over heels for the protagonist...

In my case, though, none of that applies, except for that the part.

For that reason, I can't exactly be that forward in this scenario.
He's not just going to be cold from having his blanket taken; he'll definitely get sick from the shock of how different I usually am!

So, what about......
Something like this?

Hikari: "Hey, hey, wake up, Ta~kun!"
Yuu: "Zzz... zzzz..."
Hikari: "If you don't wake up..."
Yuu: "Huhhh...?"
Hikari: "...I might kiss you!"

Hikari: "Whaaaa...!?!"

What's this weird sound I just made? Why am I sweating!?

This is definitely no good. These lines are way too embarassing to say aloud.
I should just act without saying anything... Wait, that's not the only issue!

Right, right, this is totally the way childhood friends who are already dating would act!

Already confessed, already known as a couple at school, always together from morning till night, doing that daily routine of Hey, don't cling to me so much! But I wanna~! -- where no one can tell if it's bickering or flirting, just annoying everyone around -- and, of course, the girl who's madly in love with the main character.

......Yes, yes, I know, except for the very last part, none of that describes me!

This is a disaster. Nope, this just won't work.
I can't keep letting the scenario dictate my fantasies.
First of all, I need to figure out exactly what kind of childhood friend I am before planning any moves. Yeah.

......So, what kind of childhood friend am I, really?

We're not dating, we don't walk to school together, or even go to the same school.
He barely even notices me, but at least he hasn't rejected me either.

If I had to pick a type, I'd say I'm the background childhood friend.
It's a little sad, but honestly, it suits me just right.

By the way, I really do love my childhood friend. Yep, that part's non-negotiable.
So if that's the role I'm playing, let's see...

Hikari: "Zzzz..."
Yuu: "Mmm, huh?"
Hikari: "Zzz, zzz..."
Yuu: "Hey, Hikari?"
Hikari: "Hm? Oh, Ta~kun, morning!"
Yuu: "Why are you sleeping in my bed again..."
Hikari: "I came to wake you up, but... you looked so cozy!"

Hikari: "Uh, yeah… I think I could go with this."

It feels like I might be pushing the boundaries of personal space a little bit here... (...just a little?), but hey, this is the most realistic approach, right?

Though, now that I think about it, more important than the conversation is actually figuring out how to get the setup right in the first place.

First things first -- if I'm going to sneak into his bed, I'd have to lift the blanket and make space for myself.

Naturally, there's the risk that the cold air rushing in might wake him up.

Yuu: "Yaaawn... Huh? Hikari, whatcha doing here?"
Hikari: "Ah, sorry, Ta~kun, I'm thinking of something very important, so could you not talk to me right now?"

So to avoid that, speed is key!

Okay, so I'll lift the blanket and slip in super quickly, before the cold air has a chance to get in.
Then I'll use my body heat to neutralize the chill so he won’t feel any temperature difference.

...But if I rush and end up getting too close to him, I might actually freak out.
The trick is to let him feel my warmth without noticing my heartbeat or breathing. That's the balance I need.

Yuu: "Hey, Hikari, I'm about to change my clothes, so can you keep facing that way?"
Hikari: "I told you, don't talk to me right now."

Hmmm... Should I really be obsessing over tiny details like timing and distance? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!

What really matters is making him notice me, right?

Besides, even a small accident can turn into a silly yet precious memory when you look back on it later, no?

Alright, that settles it...

I'll just go with whatever happens.
I'll go for it with everything I've got!

I'll throw the blanket up, jump into his bed, and even if he happens to wake up, I'll just pretend to be totally asleep to cover it up.

Yuu: "So,...... what are you doing?"
Hikari: "Oh... I'm just running various simulations in my head so I'd be prepared for all kinds of situations..."
Yuu: "Huh, sounds rough. Well, I'm gonna go have breakfast."

Alright, simulations complete!
Well then, let's put this plan into action!

............
............

I'm Shirasaka Hikari, sixteen years old......

......and I'm writhing in agonizing shame on an empty bed.