I Was Hired As A Tutor By A Cute Little Devilish Junior - Chapter 49 Punishment Game

We sat together on the bed, silent, only the hands of the clock ticking away by themselves echoed.
My own cheeks and ears were burning hot, and Shiina’s face, which I glanced at from the side, had turned into a beautiful red.

I had never thought that a supposed “fun little game” could get so heated up.
It was impossible for us to have a normal conversation after such a…thing.
I broke the silence by forcing open my throat, which I didn’t want to do.

“S-Shiina.”
“A-Ahh. W-What is it…?”
“W-Well, it’s getting late, so why don’t we go to bed?”
“Y-Yes, right.”

Shiina answered quickly, got up from the bed quickly, said, “I’m going to brush my teeth,” and ran to the bathroom
I had already brushed my teeth when I did my bath earlier, so there was no need to follow her.

I waited, feeling the heat gradually subside in my cheeks now that she was gone.

My head was getting a little cooler, and I suddenly wondered where I should sleep.
Of course, since I was allowed to stay here, I would be willing to sleep on the floor or on the sofa if I had to.

After a while, she came back and I asked her about my sleeping place.

“That’s alright. There is a futon in the closet.”
“Ah, I see. Sorry to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s what I want to do, and I don’t mind.”
“Thanks, Shiina.”

The healthy and earnest Shiina felt irresistibly cute and I unconsciously stroked her head.
She gave a small “Hiya,” and closed her eyes. That voice brought me back to myself and I quickly removed my hand.

“S-Sorry. Did you not like it?”
“I-It’s not like I don’t like it…”

Shiina’s sweet, upturned gaze, as if she wanted me to stroke her more, took my breath away.
Perhaps it was because of what had just happened, but my thoughts were turning in an even stranger direction.

While shaking off this evil thought, I took advantage of Shiina’s words and reached out my hand once more to put it on her head.
As usual, her hair was silky and comfortable to the touch.
And on top of that, it now smelled like shampoo or something, which made my heart beat faster.

Shiina didn’t seem to dislike it either, as she said earlier, and she closed her eyes.
I couldn’t find the time to stop and wanted to continue stroking her head forever.

It was not just that Shiina’s hair was too comfortable to touch, but when I relaxed my hand, she stared at me with a greedy look on her face, which was the most unfair thing of all.
However, if I continued like this, it would be endless, no kidding, so I made up my mind and removed my hand.

“Ah…”
The moment I stopped stroking her head, she spilled out her voice sadly.

“I-If you don’t go to sleep soon, umm, it’s bad for your, you know, skin and stuff…”
I was so surprised by her that I couldn’t help but to string the words together like an excuse.
She grudgingly bited her mouth, but understood my intentions

“Well, is the futon in that closet?”
“Yes, it is…wait.”
“Eh, Shiina?”

When I heard Shiina’s words, I got up from the bed and tried to go to the closet, but she stood between me.
I stared at her for a while, not understanding the meaning of her action, and then she opened her mouth to speak in a small voice.

“Senpai should not use the futon after all.”
“Eh? What does that mean…?”
“…You didn’t get punished for the ‘I love you’ game earlier.”
“I’d never heard it was a punishment game…”

Well, even if it wasn’t supposed to be, it was a match where I gave it all I could muster.
If that was why I was being punished, I’ll accept it with open arms.

“So, what’s the punishment? Sleep on the floor?”
“No, I would never do such a terrible thing! I will make sure Senpai sleeps in a proper bed.”
“What about Shiina, then? I don’t want Shiina to sleep on a futon and take the bed for myself, even if Shiina is fine with it.”
“No problem there. I’ll sleep in the bed too.”
“…Hmm? Hey, that’s—”

She looked at me and smiled mischievously.

“Yes. I’ll have you sleep in the bed with me as a punishment.”
“…What?”

Perhaps I was too sleepy to think straight, but I didn’t understand Shiina’s words right away.
Or rather, I don’t think I would understand even if my mind was running properly.

“No, wait, Shiina. Do you understand what you just said?”
“I understand. By the way, Senpai don’t have the right to veto.”
“Wait, wait, wait. If you know what I mean, it’s even worse. As I always say, Shiina should have more sense of danger.”
“I had always said that I only do this to Senpai.”
“Even if it’s just me…I’m a man, too, you know?”
“I know that. I w-wouldn’t mind if Senpai…d-does that to me.”
“S-Shiina…”

Shiina, who stumbled over her words but conveyed them with an ever-serious look in her eyes, made me speechless.
I said something a little threatening earlier, but I have no intention of doing anything that would hurt her, even if it kills me.

It was quite a heart-pounding thing to hear someone say to your face that they don’t dislike it, but I was not going to give in to that part of my mind.
The more important the person is to me, the more I cannot do such a thing lightly.

However, I have grown up to be a respectable high school boy, and I don’t know if I would be able to reason with myself in such a situation.
So, sleeping together is not good for my body.

“But to say we’re going to sleep together is indeed…”
“No…?”
“…”

Shiina grabbed the hem of my nightgown and looked at me.
From that moment on, my reason collapsed with a sound.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her moist eyes, and by the time I realized it, I was nodding my head.

The warmth of the bed, and the bed creaking with the movement of someone other than myself.
The ticking of the clock and her breathing in my ear. Clothes to clothes, hand to hand, sometimes touching each other.

All of this made my heart beat faster, and the sleepiness I had felt earlier flew away to somewhere far away.
It was hard to believe that I was in a situation like this. I pinched my cheek in confusion, but the pain was obviously clear.

“Fufu. Senpai, what are you doing?”
“Eh. Uh, nothing.”
“Were you thinking that maybe this was all a dream?”

By the time I thought I had done it, it was already too late. It was so obvious.

“Well, I was so surprised to find myself in a situation like this. Is Shiina okay with it?”
“I’m nervous too. I am very nervous to have Senpai so close to me.”
“I-I see…”

Shiina loosened her mouth and smiled shyly. The smile from that distance, less than a pillow’s length away, made my heart jump and tighten.
As if to push me over the edge, she squeezed my hand in the futon.

“W-What!”
“Senpai, you seemed kind of restless, so I thought this might help.”
“Whose fault is it…give me a break already.”

Shiina said something plausible with her mouth, but her face was staring at me with her usual devilish smile.
I felt as if I would lose my head if I thought about her any longer, so I turned my eyes away from her and looked at the ceiling.
Then Shiina, too, looked up at the ceiling, still holding my hand.

“It’s a very weird feeling. To be with Senpai like this.”
“I never thought I’d be sleeping in bed with Shiina either.”
“That’s true, but that’s not what I meant. It’s something much bigger and more important.”
“…Well, I know what you mean.”

I’m a normal human being too. I’ve come to be more or less able to sense the other person’s feelings.
What did Shiina mean when she said those words? I think I know enough to be able to judge from the tone of her voice.

“But, that’s definitely not weird.”
“Eh?”
“It means my feelings are much closer to what Shiina thinks.”
“T-That means…?”
“I can’t say any more. I won’t be able to fool you.”

I took my eyes off the ceiling and turned to Shiina. She, too, made eye contact with me with a puzzled look on her face.
I patted the back of her head with a sly laugh.

“Then. Good night.”
“Ah, Senpai…”

I closed my eyes, ignoring what she was about to say. I was really going to fall apart if I didn’t say sorry to Shiina, but I have to pretend to be asleep.

Behind the darkness, she remained frozen for a while, but then she suddenly moved softly.
And suddenly, warmth spread over my chest.

I half-opened my eyes to check and saw that Shiina had snuggled up to me.
It was my turn to freeze up, but I felt so much love for her as she surrendered herself to me without any resistance.

I found myself keeping my right hand in Shiina’s and putting my other hand behind her back.
I gently held her slender body and closed my eyes once more.

The sleepiness that had left me naturally returned, and I fell into a dream world with a pleasant sensation.