Chapter 2 | The Allure of Depravity

Makura Koiro is truly something else.

Day after day, she greeted me with that flawless smile, so radiant it almost convinced me she was genuinely happy to see me. But there’s no way she’s thrilled about getting assignments, right?

I wasn’t exactly chasing that smile, but I stuck to my routine: stopping by her place before heading to the cram school’s study room after summer classes.

“Is Koiro-chan doing well? She’s cute, isn’t she? I bet talking to her would be fun!” Kumada-sensei once teased with a meddlesome grin when I picked up the assignment handouts.

At first, I couldn’t imagine chatting with a girl I barely knew.

“Thanks for coming all the way here again! Sorry for making you wait!” Makura’s cheerful voice rang out as she opened the door.

“How’s the assignment going?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral.

“Ah, uh—smoothly, super smoothly! Haha!” Her laugh was a little too enthusiastic.

“Your eyes are darting like crazy. …Is the problem too hard?”

“Well, that’s part of it. But, like, I’m just not in the mood, you know? It’s summer break! What’s with all this extra studying?”

“Yeah, I get that. Feels like, ‘what’s the point of a break if you can’t actually rest,’ right?”

“Exactly! Manamichi-kun gets it!”

Surprisingly, conversations like that started flowing naturally. Or rather, Makura seemed to effortlessly keep them going, pulling me along with her infectious energy.

As expected, Makura Koiro is amazing. Her social skills are on another level.

She was also a bit of an enigma. Normally, I’d pull back from someone who calls me by my first name right off the bat when we’re practically strangers, but with Makura, it didn’t bother me. If anything, I felt drawn in, accepted, almost at ease in her presence.

Every time she emerged from her room, she was in perfect, sparkling mode, like she was headed out somewhere special. Her outfits were never casual loungewear—always stylish, polished, and put-together.

It made me wonder: why wasn’t a girl like her going to school? Why was she skipping the penalty makeup classes, staying holed up at home all day? Questions swirled in my mind, lingering like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

But one thing bugged me more than anything else right now. Every time I came to deliver her assignments, I was left waiting outside her door for about ten minutes.

Why? Was she preparing something?

In the sweltering peak of summer, with temperatures climbing higher each day, standing still for ten minutes was brutal. Leaning closer to the door once, I caught faint, frantic thudding noises from inside, like something was being tossed around. But lingering like that felt too suspicious, so I never pressed my ear to the door to figure out what she was up to.

＊

After the weekend, Monday rolled around—my fifth visit to Makura’s place.

The sun was relentless, turning the outdoors into a scorching hell. All I wanted was to reach the cool oasis of the cram school’s study room and sip some iced tea.

The study room, again. Last week, after dropping off Makura’s assignments, I’d been heading there every day. My summer break plan was simple: tackle as many university entrance exam past papers as possible, pinpoint my weak spots, and hammer them out. By evening, I’d grab a bread roll from a convenience store, scarf it down, then stay for the instructors’ lessons at night.

Every day’s the same, I thought vaguely as I reached the apartment building once more.

“Whoa! Sorry!”

As I climbed the stairs, I nearly collided with a delivery guy in his twenties, rushing out from the corner of the second floor. He threw a quick apology over his shoulder before racing down. When I stepped into the hallway, I spotted a large cardboard box in front of Makura’s door, clearly a delivery drop-off.

Then it happened.

With a faint metallic creak, Makura’s door slowly began to open. I couldn’t help but squint.

Huh—

I nearly let out a sound.

Makura peeked out, but her face was hidden. Her wavy, fluffy hair draped over her profile, a tangled mess that screamed bedhead. Some strands even jutted out awkwardly, obscuring her eyes. Her small frame stepped cautiously from the entrance, probably to check on the package.

She was wearing THE pajamas—a shiny, navy-blue rayon set dotted with little white hearts.

Makura reached for the box, trying to lift it, but it wouldn’t budge. She crouched down, attempting to hoist it from her waist, but still couldn’t stand. In the end, she half-dragged it across the floor, inching it toward the entrance.

It felt like I was seeing something I wasn’t supposed to.

As she maneuvered the box inside, she propped the door open with her hip, turning slightly toward me.

“—Hyaa!”

Spotting me, Makura’s shoulders jolted, and she let out a startled yelp.

“Y-Yoo,” I stammered, caught off guard.

“W-Wha-Why!?”

She instantly retreated into the entrance, leaving the door ajar with the box wedged in the gap. Her face peeked out, hands frantically smoothing her bangs.

“‘W-Wha-Why,’ you say? I brought your assignments, and just happened to—”

For some reason, I felt flustered too, fumbling to pull the handouts from my bag. When I held them out, her trembling fingertips cautiously pinched the edge of the papers.

“T-Thanks,” she mumbled, starting to retreat with the assignments.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out what was on my mind. “Y-You don’t have to go through all that trouble preparing. Those pajamas are fine.”

Reflecting on it, those mysterious ten-minute waits must have been her getting ready. It seemed odd to always dress so fancily when she was just at home.

“Huh…” Makura’s wide eyes wavered with unease.

“N-No, I just thought it must be a hassle,” I added quickly.

Her changing clothes to come out made it clear she didn’t want to be seen like this. If that was her choice, maybe I should respect her need to always appear in perfect mode.

I started to feel a bit guilty for catching her off guard.

Then her quiet voice reached me, cautious and hesitant. “R-Really? It’s okay for me to look like this…?”

“Uh, y-yeah…” I mumbled, caught off guard.

“R-Really?” Makura leaned slightly forward from the entrance, her voice tinged with curiosity.

“Y-Yeah. W-What’s up?” I asked, trying to regain my footing.

She looked away, a faint flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “W-Well, I was just wondering if this super lazy, uncute vibe was really okay…”

Her hesitant words hung in the air as she glanced up at me, her eyes peeking through her disheveled bangs. I scrambled for the right response, but nothing clever came to mind. So, I went with the truth.

“It’s not like it matters what you wear, right? Why care about what I think?”

Makura’s eyes widened in surprise. A few seconds passed, and then a soft giggle escaped her, her breath trembling slightly. Her face bloomed into a delighted smile.

“Thanks, Manamichi-kun!”

“…Why am I being thanked?”

“Hehe, it’s a secret!”

She was still laughing, her joy infectious but baffling. What was that about? Was my answer okay? I didn’t get it.

Desperate to shift the conversation, I pivoted. “So, did you actually do the assignments today?”

“…Well then! That’s it for today!” Makura chirped, starting to retreat into her room.

“Hey, hey, hold on!” I hurriedly wedged my foot in the closing door. Kumada-sensei’s instructions included making sure the assignments got submitted. I didn’t know what’d happen if they didn’t, but I felt compelled to say something—ouch, ouch, ouch!

Makura was trying to shut the door, foot and all.

“Okay, Manamichi-kun, let’s talk! But to talk, can I please close this door first?”

“That’s weird! If you want to talk, open it! Also, ouch! This isn’t how someone who wants to talk acts!”

As I protested, caught in the door, I caught a glimpse of Makura’s face. Then, the bright interior of her room flickered into view, drawing my attention.

I couldn’t help but stare. A 1K apartment, probably. Beyond a short hallway with a kitchen, an open door revealed a tatami-floored room. A white rug was spread out, and a TV displayed a game screen. A beanbag that screamed “posture destroyer” sat in the middle, surrounded by scattered manga and game controllers. On a low table nearby, juice and chocolate snacks were strewn about.

“…What’s all that?” I asked, nodding toward the room.

Makura followed my gaze, falling silent for a moment. “Uh, well… my ultimate setup?” she ventured.

Now that it was quieter, I noticed a repetitive tune playing—likely the game’s background music.

“Ultimate setup, huh… You’re skipping makeup classes and having the time of your life this summer, aren’t you?”

Even if she was slacking off, to think she was enjoying herself this much… Was that why she was so desperate to close the door? To hide this?

“Well, now that you’ve caught me, no helping it!” Makura grinned, as if giving up the act. “Yup, I decided this summer break, I’m going all-in on pajama mode. Isn’t it the best? Staying home in pajamas every day, not going anywhere, living the ultimate lazy paradise life. Playing games, reading manga, watching gaming livestreams, doing whatever I want. Getting told I have to do makeup classes out of nowhere is such a pain, right?”

Honestly, my image of her shifted. The Makura in her stylish, non-pajama outfits radiated a refined, put-together vibe. And now… lazy? Well, that was probably the real her, and it wasn’t like it mattered.

She’d eased up on trying to close the door. I propped it open as it started to swing shut, standing between the narrow entrance and the outer hallway to keep talking.

“…You didn’t attend school for enough days, right?”

“Yeah, I might’ve slacked off a bit too much. Yahahaha!” Her carefree laugh echoed.

“‘Yahahaha,’ huh…” Her breezy tone caught me off guard, and I couldn’t hide my surprise.

Was it really okay to skip school so casually? I’d never once skipped myself, no matter how much I studied during class. She’s got some serious guts, or something… Amazing.

“Did Kumada-sensei say anything to you?” Makura asked, peering at my face as I got lost in thought.

“Not really, nothing too specific…”

That’s when I finally laid it all out for her. About delivering assignments after summer classes, making sure they got submitted, how these assignments were a sort of lifeline for her too, and that I was asked to keep an eye on her a bit.

“I see… So that’s why you’ve been coming every day! Sorry for the trouble. I bet sensei’s worried I’m holed up at home having a mental breakdown or something.”

“Far from breaking down, you’re thriving,” I said, glancing again at her so-called “ultimate setup.”

“…You gonna tell sensei?” Makura’s eyes flicked toward me, a quick, probing look. Maybe she was worried I’d report her enjoying herself at home, and sensei would drag her to school for skipping makeup classes.

“…Nah, I won’t say anything. No point in going to school during summer break anyway. That place is so boring…”

I didn’t go because I liked it either. I just dragged myself there every day in this stifling heat, feeling like it was meaningless, unsure what else to do or how to change anything.

At my words, Makura’s face lit up. “You get it, Manamichi-kun!”

But then she tilted her head, curious. “Still, you think school’s boring but you’re good at studying, huh?”

I frowned. “Hm? Good at studying?”

“Oh, was I wrong? On the assignments I got, there was a note from sensei saying if I didn’t understand something, Manamichi-kun could help. That you’re the top student in our grade, a genius.”

So that’s the kind of talk happening behind my back. I shifted uncomfortably, processing her words.

“You must love studying! That’s amazing, I respect that!”

“Nah, not really…” My gaze dropped slightly, a faint unease settling in. I recalled Kumada-sensei saying something similar not long ago.

“I don’t exactly love it…”

Makura tilted her head, puzzled. “You don’t love it?”

“Well…”

“Then why do you study so hard?”

“No real reason… It’s just what students do, right?”

“But being number one takes more effort than most people put in, doesn’t it?”

“Not really…”

“Oh! Do you have a dream job or something?”

“…No.”

I couldn’t just brush her off with my usual vague excuse about studying for the future—it felt like Makura would see right through it and press harder.

So why do I study? The question lingered, heavy and unanswered. My gaze sank further, avoiding her eyes, though I could still feel her watching me.

After a brief pause, as if she’d been mulling it over, Makura clapped her hands with a drawn-out, “I see!”

“Then, Manamichi-kun, if school’s boring, why not skip it? Makeup classes? Summer courses? Ditch ’em. Want me to teach you the art of slacking off?”

“The art of slacking off…” I echoed, the words hanging in the air. Maybe because I didn’t immediately shut her down, a sly, confident grin spread across her face.

“Hey, Manamichi-kun.” She tilted her head slightly, peering up at me with a glint in her eyes. “Why don’t we fall into depravity together?”

I froze, words caught in my throat.

Depravity.

Why did a word with nothing but negative connotations suddenly sound so… tempting? For some reason, I was growing curious about her. A girl who casually skipped makeup classes to play games, proudly declaring her lazy, depraved lifestyle, yet sparkling so brightly despite being a truant.

She was my complete opposite.

“If school’s boring, why bother going?” she’d said so lightly. But if that could shake up these meaningless days even a little—

“What’s it gonna be?” Makura pressed, her voice teasing but expectant.

“…Depravity, huh?” I replied cautiously, testing the word.

“Very well! Starting tomorrow, come to my place. If it’s you, Manamichi-kun… you’re welcome!” She nodded dramatically, as if sealing a pact.

When, where, or why she’d taken a liking to me, I had no clue. To think I’d be invited to a girl’s house.

“You’re doing the assignments too, got it?” I added, raising an eyebrow.

“Yup! Well, getting expelled would be bad, so… Oh, and teach me the stuff I don’t get, okay?”

So even Makura wanted to avoid expulsion. After all that slacking, though… she must have her reasons.

“You’re not just letting me in so I’ll help you, are you?”

“Gulp!?”

I blinked. “You’re the first person I’ve met who actually says ‘gulp’ out loud…”

“Well, we’re both teaching each other something, so it evens out, right?”

“True, I guess…?” Teaching me the art of slacking off, though? Could that even be taught?

As I wondered, a small white hand reached toward my chest. “We’ll enjoy this summer break our way, more than anyone else. We’ll make it epic. It’s a promise.”

“Y-Yeah…” Hesitantly, I took her hand. It was small, soft, and a little cold.

At my reaction, Makura giggled. “Hehehe!”

“I’m looking forward to our summer together, Manamichi-kun.”

And so began the summer break of me and the still-mysterious girl, Makura Koiro.