Adachi and Shimamura: Short Stories 2 by Hitoma Iruma

Author:Hitoma Iruma [Iruma, Hitoma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: light novel
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Published: 2025-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

A Direct Line to Shimamura Hougetsu

AS I WATCHED SHIMAMURA SLEEP, I felt something swell inside me, and my cheeks grew warm.

Whenever I requested to sleep over, she would ­generally let me. The other people in the house didn’t seem to mind, either...well, except for her little sister, but at the very least, she didn’t try to stop me. This environment had clearly nurtured the broad-minded tolerance at the root of Shimamura’s character.

Likewise, the household where I was raised would probably explain some things about me, too. But I digress.

Her face was mere inches away. No matter how close I crept to her, she didn’t stir—probably because she was, you know, asleep. But...wasn’t she a little too unguarded? Hadn’t she considered the possibility that I might try something? Maybe it was a sign that she trusted me...or that she knew for a fact that I didn’t have the guts.

The innocence. The defenselessness. My heart careened. Merely by observing her, I found myself hurtling in the polar opposite direction, with eyes too wide to possibly sleep. I was always like this whenever we were together—brimming with energy, but perhaps to the detriment of my health. My bustling pulse made my chest and neck muscles ache.

With my head frozen stiffly in place, I savored every moment of Shimamura’s sleep. She was beautiful, with hints of youth lingering here and there—like her droopy eyes, for instance. It was cute the way her lips and cheek were smushed against the pillow, not to mention the speed with which she drifted off once she was under the covers. But I’d probably find her adorable no matter what she did, so my opinion wouldn’t be worth much to anyone other than myself. Especially since I could feel myself tempted to praise the way she layered her blankets.

Her sweet, innocent smile was everything I ever wanted. Sure, she would smile softly for me whenever our eyes met, but there was something in it that was partly forced. Obviously, there were things she wanted to keep private, even from me...but obviously, I didn’t have to like it.

I didn’t hide anything from Shimamura—I couldn’t. Therefore, I didn’t want her to hide anything from me, either. I wanted her to show me all the stuff she kept concealed from other people. Ideally, she would let me see her innocence and defenselessness even when she was awake. To me, it would prove that the gulf between us was as narrow as humanly possible.

How close were we right now? Farther apart than a blanket’s width, surely. Even then, no matter where she was or what form she took, Shimamura always affected me deeply, as if she had a direct line to my heart. Maybe that was why it rocked my world—because I was getting it straight from the source.

Wriggling under my blanket, I crept a tiny bit closer. Only now did I regret turning her down in a panic when she’d half-jokingly invited me to share her bed. I wouldn’t cross that line...but I could straddle it.

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