If I were granted three wishes to erase anything I despise, I’d probably wish for the end of war, poverty, and Komaki Umezono.
Komaki Umezono.
To an outsider, she’s the picture of perfection.
Kind-hearted, blessed with incredible athleticism, and academically brilliant. Some even whispered she was an untouchable beauty, and indeed, boys lined up endlessly to confess their feelings.
But they were all blissfully unaware of Komaki’s true nature. Her stunning looks were inversely proportional to her monstrously awful personality. Vicious, with those perfectly round eyes always looking down on everyone.
Even now, just look at her.
“Hey, are you done yet?”
Perched on the desk, she peered down at me. Legs crossed regally, her toe tapping insistently against my shoulder. I pressed my lips into a tight line, a silent protest.
“What’s with that face? Remind me again, who was it that lost the bet?”
Her voice dripped with a nasty sort of amusement. It reminded me of the power-hungry boss I’d seen in a drama.
She was right. I had lost.
I was the one who suggested a contest based on our midterm scores, and Komaki was the one who set the stakes: “The loser will offer their dignity to the victor.”
“Hurry up, come on,” Komaki urged, a slender finger tracing the curve of her own lip. Glossy with tinted balm, her lips looked soft enough that I’d once overheard a boy in our class say he wanted to kiss them.
Even as another girl, I had to admit Komaki’s lips were alluring, but the thought of kissing them had never crossed my mind. Beautiful or not, she was still a girl, and more importantly, her personality was atrocious.
“Wakaba, kiss me of your own free will… Don’t even think about saying you can’t.”
“I get it. Don’t call me by my first name so casually.”
The moment Komaki brought up the word “dignity,” I knew something awful was brewing. Even so, I had foolishly believed I could win this time. That’s why I’d agreed to the bet.
But I had lost. Utterly and completely. A ten-point difference. A chasm deeper than the Mariana Trench, an unbridgeable gap.
If I were to break my promise and run now, my place in school would vanish tomorrow. Komaki was absolutely the type to make that happen.
But a kiss. My first kiss. Something I’d treasured for fifteen long years. Okay, maybe it was just that I hadn’t had the opportunity yet, but still, it wasn’t something I wanted to give to Komaki of all people.
“Close your eyes.”
“The loser giving orders to the winner?”
Her cutting words stole my breath. How could she be so confident? Knowing Komaki, she probably went through guys like tissues, her “first time” a distant memory.
Even so, the idea of her offering her lips just to trample on my dignity made absolutely no sense.
Kisses as punishments were reserved for lovers. Reluctantly, we were childhood friends, but never lovers. Yet, I knew better than to expect common sense from Komaki.
Even if I were a guy, she’d be the last person I’d ever want to date. I wanted to shout it to all the boys in the Komaki Umezono fan club: this girl has the worst personality, and she delights in watching me suffer! Though, I doubted anyone would believe me.
“Fine. I’ll close them myself.”
I stood up and stretched. Komaki showed no sign of getting off the desk, so I had no choice but to place my hands a little below her shoulders for support, leaning in towards her flawless face.
Farewell, my first kiss. What will be, will be.
I closed my eyes, mentally mapping the coordinates of her lips that I had briefly registered.
There wasn’t a “smack” or any distinct sound, just the quiet meeting of our lips. They felt soft and yielding, like jelly, yet with the warmth of a living thing.
It was a strange sensation. I’d once fantasized about kissing a senpai I had a crush on, but his imagined lips weren’t this soft.
Perfectly, completely, one hundred percent a girl’s lips. But different from mine. I didn’t think my lips were this soft or warm.
Closing my eyes had been a mistake. With my vision blocked, my other senses seemed to sharpen, making it impossible not to feel Komaki. The gentle pressure of her lips. A sweet scent, was it shampoo or perfume? I couldn’t tell.
Worst, worst, worst.
Even as I screamed internally, everything Komaki offered felt strangely pleasant, and a treacherous voice within me whispered to just give in.
“…Hey.”
A voice laced with irritation reached my ears. Before I could register what was happening, both her hands cupped my head.
“…Mmph!?”
Then, forcefully, she parted my lips, and her tongue slipped inside. Soft and with a surprising resilience, it moved freely within my mouth like a separate entity. It brushed against my upper palate, traced my gums, and then gently caressed the back of my teeth.
Unbelievable.
To go this far… Komaki was definitely not normal. I tapped her back, but she showed no sign of releasing me.
Realizing resistance was futile, I went limp.
I’d once heard from a friend that if you could tie a cherry stem with your tongue, you were a good kisser. If that was true, Komaki could probably tie a whole orchard. As I drifted into this escapist thought, Komaki pinched my nose.
Was she trying to kill me?
I instinctively thrashed, but the struggle only left me breathless and more suffocated. Desperate for air, I inhaled deeply, and Komaki’s scent filled my nostrils.
My heart was overflowing with resentment towards Komaki, while my body was being filled with her scent. At this rate, I felt like I was being completely consumed by her, on the verge of forgetting who I even was.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she pulled away. I immediately turned my face away and took a deep breath.
“That’s the absolute worst! Seriously, who does that?!”
My first kiss was over.
I probably wouldn’t be able to forget today, no matter how many people I kissed in the future. Though, whether I’d even kiss that many people was another question.
“Of course you will. You offered me your dignity, Wakaba. That means your dignity is as good as gone, so you can’t refuse anything I do, and you have no right to. Understand?”
Komaki wrapped her legs around my neck. It wouldn’t be surprising if she tightened her grip and choked me right then and there. With Komaki, anything was possible. I felt a cold sweat break out on my back.
“Maybe your slow brain can’t comprehend it, Wakaba.”
I looked at Komaki and met her gaze. Bright brown eyes. And within them, a hint of something sadistic.
“Then, let’s do this. If you win even once against me from now on, I’ll give your dignity back. But if you lose, then each time, I get one of your precious things. How’s that sound?”
How does that sound? It wasn’t a question; it was an order. I had no right to refuse from the start. If I didn’t accept the challenge, Komaki would just do whatever she pleased, like today. So, I had no choice but to win.
For a moment, I had the illusion of stepping into a bottomless swamp. Whether that was truly an illusion, I’d probably find out sooner rather than later.
I glared at Komaki.
“Fine. I accept.”
Komaki smiled sweetly. To an outsider, it would look like an angel’s smile, but to me, it was the grin of the Grim Reaper.
“Excellent. I like an obedient Wakaba.”
She called my name repeatedly, as if to annoy me. Each time, I glared at her, but it seemed to have no effect.
Satisfied with my response, she abruptly unwrapped her legs from my neck. I moved away from her and grabbed my bag from the floor. Staying here any longer might lead to something even worse.
I hurried towards the classroom door.
“Wakaba.”
A voice called from behind me. I couldn’t help but turn around. Komaki was looking at me with a pleasant expression.
The crimson light streaming in from the large classroom windows bathed her as if in a blessing. I gasped. A heavy, oppressive feeling, as if facing something otherworldly, tightened my chest.
“How was the sensation of your first kiss with someone you don’t even like?”
Her voice was like the tinkling of a bell. I wanted to cover my ears.
“The absolute worst! If I were from the olden days, I’d commit seppuku!”
“But you looked like you were enjoying it quite a bit. Should I give you a repeat performance?”
Without waiting for my answer, she wore a melted expression. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were half-lidded, a look of utter bliss.
She’s so skilled at changing her expressions on a whim, I thought fleetingly. But more than that, I felt my face burning with shame and anger.
“I did not make that face!”
“You did. Hmm… maybe I should take a picture next time, so you can’t deny it.”
“There won’t be a next time!”
I yanked the door open roughly. The poorly fitted door rattled, as if echoing the creaking of my own heart.
“There will be. After all, you’ve never once won against me, have you, Wakaba?”
Unable to come up with a retort, I silently stepped out of the classroom. I intended to turn my back on her and go home, but before I knew it, she was walking beside me, taking my hand.
“If you’re so frustrated, why don’t you try winning? Though, that’s probably impossible.”
She skipped along like a mischievous fairy, pulling me along. Our houses were close, so even when I tried to go home alone, I always ended up walking with her.
Once I graduate high school, I’m definitely going to a university in Tokyo and escaping from Komaki.
I renewed my resolve and moistened my lips with my tongue. Komaki’s touch and scent still lingered, a little, no, quite a lot, and I instinctively bit my lip.
