Chapter 5 | Graduating from Virginity

It was the first real crisis I’d faced in my sixteen years of life.

“Manamichi-kun! What’s more important to you—studying or getting lazy!?”

Makura’s words hit me like a bolt from the blue, a crisis-level line that left me reeling. What kind of choice was that? Just moments ago, she’d been grinning ear to ear, proudly showing off her cherry-patterned satin pajamas with a gleeful “ehehe.” Now, gripping a controller and poised to dive into a game, she stared at me with puffed-out cheeks, her eyes demanding an answer.

A few days had passed since I’d started visiting Makura’s room. Until now, the makeup assignments had been conveniently ignored. I’d come here to slack off, sure, but the growing pile of undone work gnawed at me, so I’d tried nudging her to study more seriously. That’s when she dropped this bombshell.

“Well…” I hesitated, searching for the right words.

“Listen, those makeup assignments are your lifeline,” I said, my tone firm but careful. “If you don’t turn them in, you won’t be back at school next semester.”

“I know that!” Makura shot back, her voice tinged with defiance. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to them eventually. I don’t want to get expelled… but it’s not time yet. Summer break’s just getting started!”

“Even a long summer break ends someday.” I pressed on, trying to keep my tone light but serious. “Getting caught up in fun and putting off homework until it’s too late—that’s a trap kids fall into every year. That’s the real Summer Homework Theory.”

Makura let out a small “ugh……”, my words clearly striking a nerve.

“A-August 32nd……” she mumbled, grasping at straws.

“Doesn’t exist,” I cut in flatly.

“An endless time loop starting at the beginning of summer break……”

“Won’t happen!”

“Ugh, reality’s being so harsh to me……” Makura’s eyebrows drooped, her face a picture of mock despair.

“It’s crucial to start early with some leeway,” I added, wrapping up my case. “That’s the deal with summer homework.”

Makura shot me a narrow-eyed look, undeterred. “…I get that. Kids who go all-out on the last day and still don’t finish probably know it too. But do you know why those disasters keep happening, Manamichi-kun?”

Her question caught me off guard. I opened my mouth, but no answer came. She didn’t wait for one.

“Why is it? When someone nags you to do it, for some reason, you just lose all motivation. Even if you plan to do it properly, the second a parent says, ‘Hurry up and do it,’ you suddenly don’t want to anymore. That’s the real Summer Homework Theory.”

“Wha……”

I faltered, her words hitting way too close to home. Why do I have to study just because someone tells me to? The thought echoed in my mind, uncomfortably familiar.

“Hey… what’s wrong?” Makura peered at my face, curiosity flickering in her eyes as I got lost in thought.

“Nothing…” I shook my head slightly, brushing off the moment.

She studied my expression for a beat, then clapped her hands with a grin. “…Alright then, let’s game! Oh, wanna play together this time?”

“Together…?” I blinked, caught off guard again. “…Is there even a game I could handle?”

For some reason, my urge to push the assignments had fizzled out. Makura’s enthusiasm was infectious.

“Tons of options!” she chirped, her tone brimming with excitement. “There’s a board-game-style one that’s easy for beginners, a racing game, or even that falling-block puzzle game everyone knows!”

“Uh, let’s go with the easiest one,” I said cautiously.

“Got it! Then—” With an excited hum, Makura started fiddling with the controller.

That day, I gave in and decided to play a game with her. As I turned to face the TV, Makura flashed a radiant smile, her happiness almost tangible. Choosing to do what she wanted, free from obligation—she was dazzling in her carefree defiance.

＊

We dove into a game where you roll dice to travel across Japan, buying properties and rising as a CEO. It was a four-player battle, with computer opponents filling in the gaps. The controls were simple, the rules easy to grasp, and before I knew it, I was hooked.

Past noon, we took a break. I munched on a bread roll I’d grabbed from a convenience store on the way, while Makura slurped a cup noodle from her towering stockpile. We leaned back, catching our breath.

“So? Having fun being lazy?” Makura asked, sipping tea and letting out a satisfied “phew.”

“This game’s definitely fun.”

“Right? You’re finally getting into it, huh. Good, summer’s officially started! Game marathon summer, woo!” Makura raised her arms in a slow, exaggerated cheer, her voice drawling despite the gesture.

The assignments are drifting further away……

“But it was pretty exciting and fun…” I mused, then tilted my head. “Is this really depravity?”

It didn’t feel like falling into ruin, despite the word’s heavy connotations. If anything, I was laughing more than usual, and it felt oddly wholesome—though the guilt of playing when I should be studying lingered faintly…

“Oh, not depraved enough?” Makura teased, her eyes glinting mischievously. “When you game lazily all day, you lose the will to get up from the cushion, sinking deeper into that cozy comfort—that’s the depravity you’d feel…”

“Ah, if I was alone, maybe…” I conceded. She had a point—if I kept at this solo, I might slip into a lazy spiral.

But Makura just smiled, undaunted. “That’s the bliss!” she declared happily.

“What else do you do?” I asked, curious.

“What else?”

“I’ve only seen you gaming. What else do you do normally?”

“Hmm, let’s see…” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Scroll on my phone, read manga, watch gaming livestreams, check SNS…”

“The last few are just phone-scrolling too.” I pointed out.

“Oh, and sometimes exercise?” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“Exercise?” I raised an eyebrow, surprised.

“In the room, I mean! When I’m too lazy and my body gets stiff or sore, I do some light dancing.” Makura raised her arms, swaying and spinning them with fluid grace, ending in a sharp, confident pose. The moves were smooth yet intricate, clearly practiced. No way you’d pick that up overnight.

“You can dance?” I asked, genuinely impressed.

“Just a little,” she said with a playful shrug. “I’m a surprisingly active shut-in.”

“A sporty shut-in?” I teased.

“Ahaha, kinda!” She laughed cheerfully.

“And… gaming livestreams, right?” I asked, still processing her earlier list.

“Yup!” Makura nodded enthusiastically.

“I don’t really get it, but it’s like those popular video streaming things?”

“Exactly. Like chatting while gaming.” She fiddled with her phone, pulling up a few videos on a popular app. Some showed close-ups of game screens paired with hyped-up commentary, others calmly broke down strategies, and one featured a streamer—pretty cute, I had to admit—playing while bantering with viewers.

“Getting paid to game for a living? That’s like a divine job, right?”

“They get paid?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.

“Yup! Like ad revenue. Popular ones probably make a ton.”

I’d heard streaming was trending, but earning money just by showing yourself play? That was wild. I leaned back, still wrapping my head around it.

“Oh, and manga too, huh?” I said, shifting topics.

“Yup! I love manga!” Makura’s eyes lit up.

I glanced at the foot of her bed. Along the wall stood a bookshelf taller than me, packed to the brim with manga. It was a stark contrast to my room’s shelves, stuffed with textbooks and workbooks, gathering dust.

“My recommendation is…” Makura paused for effect, then crawled across the bed on her knees, reaching for the shelf. She pulled out a manga with a cover showing a boy riding a giant frog, a bright smile on his face. “This!”

But then she hesitated, her voice dropping. “Oh, maybe this is too famous… You know it, right?”

“Nah, I don’t. Is it famous?”

“Eeh… Are you even Japanese?” she teased, her tone mock-serious.

“You’re questioning something that fundamental!?” I shot back.

“No, I mean, you’d have to actively block out info to not know this—it’s that famous!”

“Even if you say that…” I trailed off. I didn’t block stuff on purpose, but manga wasn’t my thing. Growing up, that kind of stuff just never reached me.

Makura watched me closely, as if reading my thoughts. “…It’s an adventure story with puzzle-solving bits that make it super fun,” she explained cautiously. “It also dives into the enemies’ perspectives and human drama, so it’s really gripping. Boys would totally love it! …Wanna read it?”

Since she was so earnest about it, and it felt like a rare chance, I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Yes!” Makura muttered under her breath, grabbing five volumes and handing them to me with a satisfying thud. She picked up another manga for herself, and we settled back onto the cushion side by side.

“Oh, is it cold? Use this.” She dragged over a big towel blanket that had been draped—or maybe fallen—on the bed and passed it to me.

The air conditioning was making me chilly, so I took it gratefully. Makura wrapped herself in her usual blanket, and we dove into manga time.

The room was quiet, save for the soft rustle of turning pages. With the window and curtains shut, the cicadas’ loud buzz outside didn’t reach us. Wrapped in the towel blanket in the air-conditioned room, I felt like I was cocooned in warmth, reluctant to move. Sinking deeper into the cushion, my body seemed to melt into the moment.

This is… depravity?

My posture grew lazier, but my hands kept flipping through the manga, unable to stop.

—This is awesome.

I tore through all five volumes without a break.

“Wow, you read fast, Manamichi-kun!” Makura noticed, glancing over with a grin.

“This manga’s incredible! Can I read more?” I asked, still caught up in the story’s rush.

Makura looked away with an awkward “Uh…”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Well, it’s not finished yet, and only five volumes are out…”

“What?”

“And the author’s been sick or something, so no one knows when the next one’s coming…”

“No way…” I groaned. The childhood friend girl was still lost in the forest, her fate unresolved.

“Sorry, I might’ve picked the wrong manga,” Makura said sheepishly. “But you’re totally hooked!”

“Of course I am! I had no idea stuff this good existed.”

“Ooh, feeling that rush? You’ve officially graduated from manga virginity!” she teased, her voice playful.

“V-Virginity……?” I stammered, caught off guard.

“Whoops, don’t get hung up on that! Just got carried away!” Makura waved her hands frantically in front of her face, her cheeks flushing as she realized she’d veered into suggestive territory. Guess I shouldn’t have latched onto it either.

“Anyway!” she continued quickly. “I’ll grab the next volume when it’s out!”

“Yeah, thanks,” I replied, setting the five volumes on the floor and stretching my arms upward.

First year of high school, summer break. My first time was in a slightly chilly room, wrapped in a warm towel blanket, lost in a world I’d never known existed.