Like Juri said, the first location is the farthest. The trip will take at most an hour before we reach the bus station nearest to it. It can be cut to half an hour but only if we have our own ride. I mean, the bus has to pick up more passengers at every stop it passes. And since they had fixed schedules, there's just no going around it.

In any case, despite the impending long trip, Juri and I somehow found it favorable for us. Putting the thought of Setsuna-nee to the back of our minds, our first few minutes were spent in silence. It's as though we're trying to gauge the comfort of each other.

As soon as I realized that, my head quickly came up with what step I should take which resulted in me opening up a conversation with her.

"Juri, I know this is late but… you look great today."

Right. Of all things I could come up with, it was to comment on her appearance.

Thinking about it, because Setsuna-nee immediately butt heads with me when we met up, there was no chance to do this earlier. Besides, she's also a little conflicted because of her wrong direction.

In my defense though, I wasn't simply bringing that up just because there's nothing else to talk about.

Now that no Setsuna-nee is keeping an eye out on my every movement, I finally got the chance to take in Juri's breathtaking appearance.

It's the same as what was in the photo she sent to me earlier but to see it in person had a different impact.

She's wearing a tube-type shirt that perfectly captured her enthralling figure. Then, on top of it, she wore a beige wool jacket. Probably keep her warm as well as protected from the pesky eyes of men. On the bottom half, she's wearing a pair of plain jeans, not the skinny ones but the standard ones or maybe on a thicker side. One of the legs was cut shorter but only an inch or two above her ankle. Nonetheless, despite that unevenness, the pair of boots that covered where whole feet astonishingly complimented it just as well.

And yep. Her footwear was a hiking gear yet she managed to make it appear fashionable when it was paired with her current outfit.

Contrary to that, even though my current attire was a little similar to her get-up, it was a far cry compared to her. No wonder, she's a top model while my own fashion sense was close to zero.

"You flatter me… But let's see. I appreciate it, Ruki. My effort of picking my outfit in front of my mirror paid off. I got your compliment." Juri's lips stretched into a pleased smile as she proudly puffed up her chest.

Well, she's on the medium side when it comes to size. Close to Akane's size that I deemed perfect.

But picking up the second part of her words, she probably spent hours in front of the mirror, matching different types of outfits. That's how it was for those meticulous in their fashion, after all.

"You also look handsome in your outfit, Ruki. Once again, you appeared more mature than your current age. People will probably think that we're the same age when I am a few years older than you."

Maybe to also get a better view of me, Juri turned her body slightly and leaned back.

After taking in my figure, she then reached for the collar of my jacket and pulled on it. She's fixing it to her preference.

Once that was done, she nodded a few times while tapping my shoulder.

However, that's not the end. She also pulled out a comb from out of nowhere and her hands went to my hair. She didn't change my hairstyle but mended the few messy hair strands.

Somehow, this feels the same as when Akane and my other girls were doing it. They're just as meticulous when it comes to my appearance. Apart from seeing me in my best look, they also wanted to present me to the others and had them get mesmerized by me.

That actually also played into why I easily became that popular in our school.

"There. You look more dashing, Ruki."

"Thanks, Juri."

While she appeared pleased at what she was seeing, I could only act a little embarrassed at it. And that brought out the woman's delightful laughter.

Moving on from complimenting each other's appearance which actually evolved to the woman complimenting me with everything about me like the previous instances that we were together. I soon moved the topic to our trip.

I mean, if I didn't stop her, I doubt she'd run out of things to compliment. Even the simple movements of my arms were complimented by her or how my fingers fit perfectly with the gaps of her hand.

Uh. That one definitely got me a little worked up that I grabbed her hand again in the same way as we did during the act.

While she appeared flustered at first, it didn't take long for her to treat it as normal.

And so, while we're conversing about our task, we're both enjoying the intimate connection brought about by our clasped hands.

I thought she was going to bring up propriety at one point and use it as a reason for us to break that connection. However, she only mentioned it in passing as though what we were doing was deemed appropriate.

Whether she's bending her own rules or not, I had no idea. I probably need to ask her about it to clear it up.

"If you're still sleepy… you can take a nap, Ruki. Here, my shoulder is for you to use."

Twenty minutes and five bus stops later, Juri immediately suggested that when she caught me yawning and rubbing my eyes. We had just finished our discussion and with nothing else to talk about, I couldn't help but feel a little drowsy.

Not only was the bus comfortable, but Juri's addicting fragrance and the warmth of our connection were also definitely the reason for it.

Also, given that I woke up early and spent most of our morning moving my hips and exercising, a little bit of exhaustion that I should've felt back then had caught up to me.

I thought of trying to act cool and not take her up on her offer. However, upon Juri's concerned eyes, my head involuntarily moved and rested comfortably on her shoulder.

I managed to catch a glimpse of her pleased smile before that happened. Furthermore, not long after that, I watched her stretch her free arm in front of my eyes before her hand settled on the side of my head. While giggling silently, she pushed on my head, settling it close to her neck. She then started caressing my head, candidly and full of care.

"Un. I'm glad you listened to me, Ruki. You can rest now. I'll wake you up when we arrive."

This woman…

"Thank you… But Juri, I don't think I can take a nap like this. I don't want to miss this chance."

"Chance?"

"Mhm. The chance to be pampered by you."

"Ruki, that's inappropriate, is it not?"

Or so she said but with the way the tone of her voice changed from being confident to almost panicky, she probably had just realized that our situation this time was already intimate enough for a couple.

"Maybe it is. However, Juri… I'm just being honest there. If it made you uncomfortable then…"

I didn't finish my sentence. But knowing her, it's not hard for her to complete it in her head and understand what I was trying to say.

"Rather than uncomfortable… It's actually the opposite. Can I be honest as well? I felt excitement hearing that from you…"

"I see. So, you're excited to pamper me, is that it?"

"Uhh… It sounds inappropriate if you say it like that. Just take a nap, Ruki! L-let's talk about this later."

"Running away, are we? Well, I guess this is fine… Then, I'm in your care."

Even if it's only through the shakiness of her voice, Juri was definitely close to her breaking point. If I push on that, there's a possibility that she gets too flustered and never recovers from it.

It will be bad for our trip, right?

One thing is for sure though… I'll reinforce my evaluation of her. This woman is simply too wonderful.