Alone in Bed with a Beautiful Girl in Gym Clothes

Translated by rsa16

Read the PDF version —> HERE

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

It was the first time I’d ever thought a girl in gym clothes could look this cute.

The gym uniform at Morinishi High School came as a set—both shirt and pants—composed of deep, navy-blue cotton. A pair of purple stripes ran across the sleeves, meant as an accent. Most students weren’t exactly fans of the color scheme, though, and opted to refer to it as a “purple eggplant cosplay.”

I stared at Makura, stunned.

Somehow, on her, even the infamous purple eggplant cosplay lost the “purple eggplant” side of it. The awkward vibe that normally accompanied it was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t quite that it suited her, in that sense. More so… her face, her hair, the aura she gave off captivates you so completely to the point where the uniform just disappears into the background. What she wore was barely registered anymore.

It was sort of like watching an actress in a film. If said actress were acting as a student—regardless of how fashionable the uniform actually was—you don’t even notice the clothing. You might think, ‘ah, it’s ’cause she’s playing a role,’ and don’t give it a second thought.

You just see her alone—that was about how I felt right now.

Koiro Makura was in the nurse’s office, tucked away at the far end of the south building’s first floor. From the back of the room, she spotted me at the doorway and gave a little wave. Her fingers, barely visible from the sleeve of her gym uniform, peeked out from underneath the cuffs.

“Heya! You came!”

“Yeah.”

“Welcome, welcome! Make yourself at home!”

“So this is home now…?”

Makura gave a happy little giggle in return.

Conversing like this felt…. nostalgic in a way. And a little fresh too, strangely enough. Having this sort of exchange with her in the school nurse’s office felt extremely surreal. It was bizarre, to say the least.

“See here, where the bed curtain ^[1] sorta blocks the view? They let me have this bit as my own little area!”

“Woah…”

Sitting next to the window was a single desk, looking out onto a walkway along the sports field. Behind the desk were the bed curtains, forming a hidden area—out of sight from the office’s entrance. I suppose this was her designated spot. The school nurse, out of consideration for Makura, seemed to have positioned the spot in a location where students visiting the infirmary wouldn’t see her.

A soft ray of sunlight filtered through the window, pouring into the area that had been set aside for Makura.

“This is really nice. Gets sunlight too.” It would be like this every lunch break as well, around one in the afternoon.

“It does indeed! It’s nice and toasty. Perfect for sleeping.”

“Hey… are you really doing your homework?”

“Huh? Yeah, hahahaha!”

“Your fake laughing sucks…”

So even here you're indulging in your depravity. All hail the fearsome founder of the Cult of Decadence.

I looked around. “The nurse isn’t here?”

“Mm, yeah. They’re usually around, but they seem to get pretty busy helping students that come by, and she’s gotta attend to a bunch of other chores too. Don’t think she really has any spare time to bother with me, really. Right now she’s just out for lunch.”

"I see... So you’re pretty much free to do whatever, huh?"

“Yup! I even sneak in sweets and haven’t been caught yet!”

“You’re eating sweets in a place where the sick come and rest…?” I said, exasperated. It was pretty much her second bedroom by now. “Well, looks like you’re doing pretty well, at least.” I was relieved.

“Honestly, I’m just glad that there aren’t any other ‘infirmary school’ classmates ^[2] here,” she said with a small giggle.

Yeah, what Makura said was probably for the best. Her “infirmary school” setup was only possible precisely because she could use this corner of the nurse’s office alone. She had also mentioned that to avoid people as much as possible, she even only goes to the restroom during class when the hallway is empty.

“Well, well, have a seat.” Standing up, Makura drew back the curtains in front of her to reveal a bed. Sitting on its edge, she patted the white sheets invitingly, gesturing for me to join her.

Guess she wants me to sit next to her?

“No, I’m fine here.” I was a bit reserved.

Unlike Makura’s room, the bed—with white sheets, white pillows, and a white blanket—was completely stark white. It made me rather reluctant to sit down.

“Whaaat? It’s weird if you’re the only one standing, Manamichi-kun. It makes me self-conscious!”

“Does it…?”

However, Makura then pouted and looked at me. Deciding that there was no point in being stubborn, I walked up to the bed. For some reason, my attention was very hyper-focused on something rather odd. I gingerly lowered myself onto the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Despite my efforts, the bed still creaked, and Makura's shoulders twitched ever-so-slightly.

“…”

“…”

Uh…

Did I…. sit in the wrong place?

I turned my head—and found Makura’s face right next to mine, way closer than I expected. Meeting her eyes from such a close distance made my chest tighten. Embarrassed, I straightened my back and faced forward.

Was Makura feeling the same way? She faced forward in silence, staring ahead. But every so often, I could sense her glance sneaking over at me.

We’d been this close to her in her room plenty of times before. So I thought sitting here would be fine, but…

Today, I felt strangely nervous.

It’s probably because it was the school infirmary. A public space. And plus, we’re even on this spotless, perfectly made white bed neatly arranged for everyone to use…

N-Not that we’re doing anything we shouldn’t!

As these thoughts absentmindedly swam through my head—

Clatter.

The door to the infirmary slid open without warning.

My body tensed up. Right beside me, Makura gave a startled jolt, shoulders jumping up.

“Excuse meee~ …Huh? Hellooo? …Is the nurse not here?”

It was a girl’s voice. She must’ve needed something and peeked in to look for the school nurse.

This is bad…

I glanced sideways. Makura was staring down, lips tightly pressed together, patiently trying to wait for the girl to leave.

I absolutely could not let anyone notice us.

Not just because someone might see her—it was even worse than that. The sheer wrongness of this, a guy and a girl, sitting on a bed together, her in gym clothes, and the two of us alone… It’d be social death.

I held my breath. A few agonizing seconds passed.

Click. The door had shut again.

The two of us collectively exhaled. Our breaths were deep and heavy.

“Th-That scared the life out of me!” Makura said in a burst of relief, turning to me.

“For real. I think it just shortened my lifespan,” I said lightheartedly. Though…

“Seriously? How many years?” Makura seemed to latch onto it.

“I’d say it shaved off about a year, give or take?”

“A whole year?! Ughh, I’m trying to live a long life, you know! One year’s too much!”

“Time’s not something you can get back.”

“My precious slacker time…!”

“So you were just gonna slack off anyway?!” I retorted ^[3].

Makura burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help but smile too.

This—this was our rhythm. The usual back-and-forth.

Just like that, it felt like we were finally back to normal. The realization brought me a sense of relief.

It was only the second day back at school after summer break. I’d seen her briefly this morning in the infirmary—just enough to say a quick hello—but we didn’t really have a chance to talk.

So this was the first time today that we’d actually gotten to sit down and speak.

Even just seeing her again at lunch felt like it’d been forever. Up until now, we’d spent so much time together at her place over the summer that… we got used to that. But if you really think about it, school life is supposed to be the ‘normal,’ right? Summer break was just an exception—a brief, fleeting escape from reality.

I guess we’ll get used to this feeling of ‘normal’ too. Little by little.

As these thoughts drifted through my head, I realized that lunch break was almost over. There were only ten minutes; the rest had passed by before I knew it.

I opened my mouth, thinking I should probably say something before we didn’t have any more time—but right at that moment, Makura spoke up too.

“Hey, hey, Manamichi-kun. Do you have cram school today?”

“Cram school? Oh, yeah, I do. Why?” Today was Friday, so I normally had classes.

“I see… Umm, yeah, well I was just kind of… wondering if we could walk home together, maybe?”

She looked away as she said it, sneaking a peek at me from the corner of her eye.

“Sure,” I said. “Sounds like a good excuse to take the long way before cram school.”

“Yay!” she beamed.

I could skip cram school if I really wanted to, but if I start blowing off completely normal weekdays like this, I feel like something inside me’s gonna start to quietly fall apart.

Still—just knowing I can skip, if I have to… that alone gives me peace of mind. That little trip with Makura not long ago taught me that much.

With that thought settled, I glanced over and asked Makura something that had been nagging at me.

“Hey… are you sure it’s okay for us to go home together?”

Before the new semester started, actually, we had agreed to keep a low profile. We still met up secretly at school, but walking home together—openly, like this—was something we decided to avoid. With the two of us being of the opposite sex, we’d be too conspicuous.

Especially with a girl like Makura. A girl that pretty? Walking next to me? Even if we didn’t want any attention, people would definitely notice. And that kind of attention definitely wasn’t good for her.

…And for me?

Well, let’s just say, I could already picture the looks on the guys’ faces. “Why is that loser with a girl like her?” Yep, that’s definitely what would happen. I could practically feel myself getting stabbed with those knives.

Makura must’ve picked up on what I was worried about.

“Hmmph.”

She let out a tiny, disappointed noise and puffed out her cheeks, her lower lip jutting forward in a pout.

I stared at her face for a moment.

“…Alright, how about this? As soon as school ends, we leave right away, before the hallways get crowded. We meet near the front gate, and from there, we take one of the quieter roads back home. Sound good?”

Makura’s eyes lit up instantly. She blinked wide, then nodded over and over eagerly, practically bouncing with excitement.

And then came that smile.

Bright and dazzling, I watched it spread onto her face.

“Yes! Let’s do that!”

Yeah… she really does look best when she’s smiling.

And whenever I managed to be the reason for it—

Even just a small part—

A quiet, warm rush would erupt through my chest. Warm, slow, and feverish.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

It’s true that we were still wearing our summer uniforms, but lately, I haven’t even broken a sweat while walking. Maybe it was the time of day—the evening breeze brushing against my cheek felt cool and refreshing.

I thought back to the first time I walked to Makura’s house from school. The heat back then had been brutal—like walking through a furnace—and I’d felt like a shirt left to dry in the middle of a scorching hell.

It hadn't even been a few months, but somehow, it felt like ages ago.

“If we take this road, it’ll take a bit longer,” I said, turning into a narrow side street, “but no one from school usually comes this way.”

“Whoa, there’s a secret route like this here? As expected of Manamichi-kun!”

As soon as we met up, I’d led Makura away from the main school road and into a side street. We weaved between blocks of residential houses, then stepped out into a wide, open path. Golden rice fields stretched out before us, shimmered under the setting sun. The wind ran through them, and the stalks swayed gently, glowing in the amber light.

Makura stretched her arms out wide and took a long, satisfied breath.

“Hahhh… I’m beat. It’s been nothing but school lately.”

“You holding up okay? Summer break’s over now. Starting next week, we’re back to the full five-day weeks.”

“I’d basically be a working adult! No way I’m surviving that…” She began to wobble dramatically, as if all her strength had left her body.

“Real working adults would scold you for that, you know.”

She popped back up straight, posture perfect. “Please forgive me!”

Then she glanced over at me. “But Manamichi-kun, you’ve got cram school on top of all this, right? That’s seriously impressive.”

“Well, there is the national moshi ^[4] coming up soon, after all.”

Though I was still just a first-year, I planned to take the national mock exams—the ones meant for third-years and high school grads—to help me prep for the real university entrance tests. Lately, I’ve been studying every day to prepare.

Anyway, I’d figured I’d take this chance to tell Makura what I’d been working so hard for, but—

“‘Moshi?’ ...Moshi moshi ^[4]?”

Yeah… didn’t quite land.

“It’s like a really hard test,” I explained. “You get to see where you stand level-wise, and everyone’s scores get ranked and compared. It’s kind of competitive.”

“Oooh, I see! Uh, good luck then! I mean it!”

I wasn’t sure how much of that she actually understood, but I could tell she meant it. Her support felt genuine, and that made me smile.

“Thanks,” I said with a small nod.

But then Makura slowed her pace, turned slightly, and looked at me with a bit of a hesitant glance.

“Oh, but then… that means tomorrow…”

She was talking about Saturday. Actually, she’d invited me to hang out at her place. “Wanna come chill at my place for once? It’s been a while,” she’d said.

It really had been a while. I hadn’t been over at all since the second semester started.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” I said, not letting her finish. “I need a break every now and then too.”

Of course I was going. We’d decided on it the day before yesterday. The moshi was next month—and I’d already known that from the start. And regardless, I hadn’t turned her down when she asked. I wasn’t going to.

“…Hm?” I felt a gaze on me and turned.

Makura was looking at me with this smug, mischievous grin.

“Oooh, I see, I see. So even you, Manamichi-kun, can’t resist a little depravity, huh? Guess you really got hooked over break!”

“That’s not what this is…”

“Hmm? You know it’s okay to admit it, right~?” Makura teased, her tone dripping with mischief.

Though really, I wasn’t lying. I didn’t want to slack off.

It’s just… that room of hers—so calm, so cozy… The idea of never going back after summer ended… felt kinda sad.

But saying that out loud? No way. Way too embarrassing. I shut my mouth.

She caught the look on my face and giggled mischievously. “Hehe.”

“Well, either way, you’ve got your teacher to thank,” I said, changing the subject. “Kumada-sensei asked me to keep an eye on you again. So, you don’t flunk and end up stuck doing supplementary lessons over winter break.”

Makura froze, color draining from her face. “Y-You mean those torturous study marathons again?! That was hell…”

“What ‘those’ are you talking about? You barely even studied!”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I was working my butt off in my own way! J-Just… let me off the hook for tomorrow, okay? Please? Have mercy…”

“Tomorrow, huh... Well, I guess the new semester did just start.”

“You’re the best! So kind! So understanding, Manamichi-kun!” she beamed, practically skipping beside me. “…Oh! I actually recognize this street now—it really does lead to my neighborhood!”

Before I realized it, we were already near Makura’s place. We went around one last corner, and the two-story apartment building where she lived came into view, bathed in the warm, golden haze of late afternoon light.

“See ya, Manamichi-kun. Thanks for today,” she said, slowing to a stop.

“Yeah,” I replied with a nod.

She gave me a playful little salute, palm facing forward. “See you tomorrow!”

I watched as she climbed the stairs, her bag bouncing slightly with each step. She turned and waved once more before slipping through the door.

Only after it shut behind her did I finally turn away.

The evening breeze brushed softly past me.

For some reason, the steps I took toward cram school tonight felt just a little lighter than usual.

Translator's Notes:

[1]: School nurse offices in Japan have multiple beds in the room, with bed curtains aligning each side of the bed to give each patient privacy. It’s like a mini-hospital, sort of. I’m mentioning this because AFAIK, the US and I’m pretty sure a lot of Western countries don’t have anything similar to this. For reference, google “Japanese school nurse office.”

[2]: So this is one fucking weird word. Had to go through multiple wikipedia pages and articles on this subject. ‘Infirmary school attendance’ (保健室登校) is an actual thing in Japan, where the school nurse is involved in a lot more than just your physical health. If you are subject to mental health issues, bullying, anxiety, or anything of the sort that you would prefer not to go to school, they recommend you go to the infirmary (nurse’s office) instead. There, the school nurse can often provide counseling with stuff, along with other faculty members. There are different rules for each school. It isn’t seen as skipping school, per se, and more like attending it with special circumstances. Also, the original sentence said she was glad she didn’t have any infirmary school comrades, I just localized it to this since it felt more natural to say she didn’t have to deal with them. It didn’t have the nuance of her being glad that other people don’t have to go through the same thing as her, more focused on herself.

[3]: I say retorted, but the word used here was tsukkomi (ツッコミ). It can more or less be localized to “retort” in this specific scenario, but it specifically applies to retorting to a sort of… stupid comment, in a way? It’s a Japanese comedy routine trope sort of thing involving two people—the straight man and the funny man. The straight man is referred to as the tsukkomi, and the one who makes logical retorts to the funny man, who makes stupid gags. In this case, Makura’s playing the funny man. Read more at this Wikipedia article.

[4]: I am pretty sure you could probably tell from context, but moshi (模試) is an abbreviation of mogishiken (模擬試験), which refers to a mock exam. Manamichi used the word along with kyoutsuu (共通) for common mock test, or as I have localized to “national mock exam.” Pretty much the same thing. Then, when Koiro says “Moshi moshi?” it’s a pun on the phrase “moshi moshi (もしもし)” which is used when answering phone calls. If you ever watch anime, you’ve probably heard this before. It essentially translates to “hello?”, not sure if there’s a better way to express it in English. It’s a greeting. So that’s what Koiro mistakes what Manamichi says for.