Convenient Semi-friend ch2

p1
>>The second chapter of this three-part guest strip!

>Summary of last time.
>A bunch of stuff happened
>and I made my first sefure (semi-friend)!

>However...
>Erm.
>I've never had a s-sefure before...
>Wh-What exactly... should we do?
>Let's see...

>We hold each other...
>clasp each other's hands,

>kiss like we're eating something,
>and then...

>Hey, you're melting! You're melting!
>Uh
>Oh
>Ah
>It might be a little too soon for me.

>>Following the oblivious Suuna's semi-friend negotiation, the first thing these two do is...?

p2
>Sorry, sorry.
>I didn't think you'd make such an innocent reaction.
>I'm used to melting.
>You're used to putting yourself together too. lol
>Uuh... I'm sorry.

>But, the stuff that comes after kissing aside,
>hugs and stuff are things you often do with your female friends, right?

>...
>I... don't have any friends besides you, Ruka-san...

>Ah... Aah... That's pretty heavy. Sorry about that...
>It's fine...

>...
>Sorry for making you be so considerate of me.

>Y'know what? Forget it.
>F-Forget what?
>That talk about you becoming my partner.
>Eh!? Wh-Wh-Why...?

>Thinking about it, I can just go to my partner's room
>or look for somewhere completely different.
>I'd feel bad for making you force yourself, Suuna.

>It's not very "logical", is it?

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>So yeah, this discussion is over.
>Mmm~
>Welp, I'm gonna take a bath...
>W-Wait!!

>I...
>...

>You what?
>!!?
>Y-Y-Your h-h-h-hand!

>Uuh...
>Uh
>Ugh
>I...
>I'll wait, so just speak slowly.
>Let's take a seat, shall we?

>...You really are kind, Ruka-san...
>Aha
>This much is normal.
>Thanks, though.

>I'm... bad at mingling with people...
>so I'm not used to skinship and stuff... which is why I end up like that.

>But... I-I want to get used to it a little at a time...
>that's the r-reason I moved to this dorm...

>My proposal
>is really beneficial to me...
>It's my chance to... overcome this.

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>In fact, there might be more in it for me than there is for you... Sorry...
>I see~
>You're trying hard to change, Suuna.

>Good girl.

>Ah, sorry. Are you about to melt?
>...No...

>Or rather, if I bring someone over,
>wouldn't you be able to mingle with her too?
>Two birds with one stone.
>Th-That's a rather tall hurdle...
>I see.

>...Okay.
>Let's start with something simple
>and get you used to it over time.
>Over time...?

>You can't hug someone so suddenly, right?
>Hmm... I guess the first step would be holding hands then?

>EH...?
>Eh?

>...You've... surely done that in kindergarten, right?
>Even with boys, right?
>I-I was no different then than I am right now.
>Seriously?

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>Hmm...
>What do I do? She's troubled because of me...?
>I feel bad considering I'm the one who proposed this...
>Ah.

>How about this?

>...
>Your pinky...?

>With this, there's less surface to touch, right?
>Yeah... If it's that...
>She's really being considerate of me...

>Okat, let's get straight to it.
>Wah! So suddenly!?

>Amazing...
>I'm only touching her pinky... and yet...

>Her pulse... and her heat...
>I can feel them so clearly.

>...Which means
>?
>she can read my abnormal palpitations??

p6
>B-Be silent, my irregular pulse!
>How pathetic of me to get like this because of a pinky.

>If Ruka-san notices it...
>Ah... This is hard for me to say,
>but your sweat and palpitations are really bad.
>Let's stop.
>It's gross.

>I-I-I-I-If she says something like that to me, I'll never recover.
>Nng.

>Nng?

>Did someone... say something just now?
>I could barely hear it over the screaming of my heart, but
>did someone just say "nng"?

>Ruka...san?
>No, her voice isn't that cute.
>Rude.
>She's more deep and husky...

>Eh...? Then who was it? There's nobody else here, right...?
>It's become a horror flick all of a sudden...
>Um... Ruka-san.
>You didn't make a weird noise just now did...

>you...?

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>Ah.

>...Sorry.
>Did you say something?

>...No.

>Really?
>Alright, let's finish up.
>Ah... right...
>...

>Ah... What should I do now? Take a bath?
>Ah.
>W-Wait...

>Y-Your body...
>Is it... alright?

p8
>.......Huh?

>Wh-What do you mean by that...?
>Erm... your face is all red, so...
>um... I wondered if you were feeling unwell or something...
>Ah... Haha... Oh that... Yeah.
>You surprised me. Ahahahaha
>...

>What else could I have meant?
>Huh?

>.....Nothing in particular.
>What was that pause just now?
>I-
>Is that so?

>Okay, I'm taking a bath.
>Ah...
>She vanished in an instant...

>I'm so relieved that I'm alone
>that I'm instantly pushed down by the exhaustion...
>I can't move anymore...

p9
>Today was... how should I put it...
>probably... the most I've ever spokent to someone...

>Ruka-san... I thought she was scary, but she's actually pretty nice...
>I wonder if all cheery girls are like that?

>Also,
>it was a little nervewracking,
>but touching someone was kinda nice...

>Sefure
>are great...

>...What was that all about?
>Just when I thought that Suuna girl was just a weirdo,
>she said she wants to be sefure with me.

>And also...

>Was that her true nature...?
>But she went back to her normal fidgety self right afterwards...
>A split personality perhaps??

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>Not to mention what happened afterwards...
>Nng
>What else could I have meant?

>AAAAAAAH
>Forget! Forget! Forget!

>This is definitely weird.
>Why is that greenhorn making me so...
>so...

>...Dammit.

>Aw man.
>I need to think about how I'm gonna deal with that girl starting tomorrow.

>What happened just now was crazy enough to make me run off.
>I have no idea how I'm gonna fool her next time.

>...Or rather, is that weird behavior of hers
>the reason she doesn't have any friends?
>Dealing with her is really exhausting.

>...Wait, huh? Don't tell me "this" is going to continue tomorrow too??
>This is gonna shorten my lifespan...

>>A gloomy girl who is completely unaware of how she's making the battle-hardened Ruka lose her composure.