Episode 16: Love Through Understanding
The chaotic, drawn-out battle between Yuuto’s Buster Lancer and Ayano’s Multi Archer against the Dragonewt, which had been raging on the bed, finally came to an end.
Immediately after one of their attacks landed, the game screen switched to a cutscene of the Dragonewt writhing in agony and collapsing to the ground.
After a beat,
“We won!”
“We won!”
They shouted in unison.
Ayano hugged Yuuto, peering at the game screen together.
“Look, look! Only ten seconds left, ten seconds! That was way too close!”
“Hahaha! That was close! I really didn’t think we’d make it!”
Ayano, leaning her full weight on Yuuto without reservation, wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed.
“It’s all because you were goofing off in the middle of it that it got this—!”
“Ah, hey… Aya, can’t… breath—!”
It was then that they finally realized their cheeks were touching and pressed together.
“—Ah…”
“Oh—”
Ayano let out a breath, and Yuuto swallowed.
They were fidgety and uncomfortable, but strangely, it wasn’t suffocating.
But it was still embarrassing.
“I-If you’re going to be pressed up against someone, wouldn’t you rather it be someone with bigger breasts…!”
“Do you even know how a guy feels when his crush hugs him? It’s a lot to handle.”
He frowned, his brow furrowing slightly as he laughed to brush it off.
“Ah… sorry.”
Ayano pulled away slightly.
She was a high school girl, too. She wasn’t very knowledgeable about men, but she understood that it was natural for a teenager to be interested in the opposite sex.
That’s why she thought it was okay if he had those kinds of books under his bed, or if he was searching for videos that were subtly against the rules on popular video sites.
She had thought his threshold for desire was raised, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Even during homework and games, she had felt his gaze as a man.
For personal reasons, she had made her chest appear larger, and as a result, she had been exposed to similar gazes on a regular basis, but she didn’t mind it if it was her boyfriend.
Especially if he was interested in her as a woman in her original form—
“…S-So… about yesterday… the continuation…?”
After a moment of silence, Ayano muttered.
“If Ayano wants to—”
Their gazes shifted to each other’s lips.
They remembered the previous day after school. Their confession had come to fruition, and they had become lovers with a kiss.
And as lovers, their kiss had been put on hold by a certain interruption.
“Mmm.”
Ayano closed her eyes, lightly pursing her lips, offering them.
Even Kamijou Yuuto, who had no experience with this, understood that he was being “asked” for it.
He had to respond, and he wanted to.
“…!”
His body was hot, as if he had a fever. He felt dizzy, as if he was being shaken.
He could tell that he was more nervous than ever before.
And then,
(—Ah, I see.)
Yuuto thought.
Ayano’s white cheeks were flushed.
Her breathing was shaky.
Her small lips were waiting, timidly.
She was just as nervous as he was.
—Even so, she was seeking him.
That made him happy and filled him with affection—he realized once again that he loved Ichinose Ayano. He was made to realize it.
Calming his heart, Yuuto reached out to place his hand on her cheek.
“—Wimp.”
Just before his hand touched her soft skin, Ayano muttered and turned her face away with a huff.
“Huh?”
Yuuto was momentarily stunned by Ayano’s teary-eyed profile, her shoulders trembling, but his blood ran cold immediately after.
“N-No! It’s not like I chickened out or anything!?”
“Hmph.”
“You don’t believe me!? Right!? But it’s not like that, Ayano was just so beautiful that I was mesmerized! One more! One more please!”
Ayano’s ears turned even redder, but she didn’t have the composure to notice Yuuto.
“—If you want to, go ahead.”
“…Then… um, could you face me?”
Yuuto, not wanting to be outdone by her aloof attitude, sat down again in the direction she was facing, but the moment he sat down, she turned the other way again.
“Ah, is that how it is? Eh…, eh…”
What should he do, Yuuto bit his lip.
Honestly, he felt like his heart was about to break.
—But, he had “become her boyfriend so that she wouldn’t feel lonely anymore.”
“…I’m allowed to kiss you—right?”
Seeing Ayano nod slightly, he steeled himself.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
Yuuto pulled Ayano into an embrace.
“—Fweh?”
He gently placed his hand on her face, which had let out a small, spaced-out sound, and turned her to face him.
Pushing aside the black hair that fell on her face, she looked surprised with wide eyes.
They gazed at each other for a moment,
“――――”
They exchanged a kiss that was just a light touch.
“…………….Hwaah… Augh—!?”
After savoring the afterglow of the kiss for just a few seconds, Ayano buried her face in Yuuto’s chest, her cheeks bright red, as if she was going to use the pillow.
He, for his part, gave a wry smile and rubbed her back to soothe the trembling Ayano.
“…You really did it!”
“Did you not like it?”
Ayano shook her head, pressing her forehead against Yuuto’s.
She let out a big sigh and relaxed.
“I just… I guess I was made to understand.”
“Understand what?”
His heart was beating calmly as he smiled softly, and it bothered her that she seemed to be the only one overflowing with all sorts of feelings.
And yet, it felt good to have her head patted.
“You… you really like me, don’t you?”
“Yeah. At least much more than Ayano thinks.”
“…”
Ayano glared at Yuuto with a sulky, sidelong glance, and slowly wrapped both arms around his neck.
Then, she pulled his face closer.
“—Mmm.”
A small sound was made as their lips touched.
They parted for a moment, then touched again.
Parted and touched,
“Hah—ah, mmm… ah—”
As they repeated, their tongues touched. Clumsily and awkwardly, they felt each other’s warmth.
Yuuto’s strength, which had been supporting Ayano, gave way, and she pushed him down.
“A-Ayano—?”
His head was confused by the unfamiliar sensation. He could only weakly call out her name with teary eyes.
“Now… do you understand…?”
She whispered hotly in Yuuto’s ear, who was still dazed.
“I like you so much that I would do this kind of kiss. So, much, much more than you think… I really like you…”
“—O-Okay…”
His body was hot, his heart was pounding, and his thoughts were dulled.
They just hugged each other tightly. When she squirmed slightly, his arms tightened slightly as well.
It felt like they were melting together and becoming one.
—This is bad.
They both instinctively understood that anything more would be bad.
If they were to have another kiss like that, something would snap.
The overflowing emotions would be endless, and they wouldn’t be able to stop acting on their feelings.
—But, that felt like a trivial matter, and they sought each other out again.
…Just then—.
Fa-fa-fa~♪ Fa~♪
A cheerful fanfare rang out from the game console.
“Whoa!?”
“Hyaa!?”
They let out pathetic cries.
The pounding of their hearts became something different.
“…Result, huh.”
“Result…? Ah—Ah!? Material harvesting!?”
At Yuuto’s mutter, Ayano’s expression changed drastically, and she dove for the game console that had somehow fallen under the bed.
“I didn’t get anything! I worked so hard, and I defeated it at the last second after it spat out a rare item… damn it!”
There was a small creaking sound as the game console in her hand groaned.
“A-Ayano…”
“What!?”
“That’s… my game console…”
“Ah, sorry—”
“Yeah.”
They exchanged game consoles, tapped and tapped to return to the lobby connected by local communication, performed familiar tasks such as replenishing items, and quietly put the game into sleep mode.
“…”
“…”
They calmed down, and the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Amidst the atmosphere where neither of them would open their mouths, Yuuto’s smartphone made a short electronic sound.
“…My older sister says I should come home already.”
“Ah, yeah. My dad might be coming home soon too.”
“Then…”
Yuuto quickly prepared to leave, feeling a strange mix of reluctance and discomfort as he left the room.
Ayano saw him off to the entrance, but there was no conversation.
“Hey…”
“W-What?”
When Yuuto, who had put on his shoes, awkwardly opened his mouth, Ayano stiffened up as if she was frightened.
“—About tomorrow’s date. It was supposed to be from after noon, but if Ayano is okay with it, should we start a little earlier?”
“Eh, I don’t mind… but why? Did something come up?”
She frowned suspiciously at the sudden proposal.
Originally, there wasn’t a detailed plan, but they were planning to watch a movie and go shopping from afternoon to evening.
They were thinking of about four hours, but it seemed that he wanted to shift that time slot.
“Ah, no… it’s not like that,”
Yuto scratched his cheek with a finger, fidgeting slightly.
“I just want to… be with you a little longer, if possible.”
“Eh…”
Yuto gave a wry smile at Ayano’s blank expression.
“Well, if Ayano doesn’t want to, then never mind—”
“I want to! I also… want to be with Yuto, even just a little!”
After a short pause, Yuto breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good. I thought my feelings were just spinning in circles.”
“I told you, I’m more serious about you than you think, so you’re not the only one spinning in circles,”
Ayano pouted, her lips slightly pursed.
And then, they smiled softly at each other.
“Also, I want to greet Uncle directly, so could you ask him what day would be convenient?”
“Yeah, I’ll ask him—thanks.”
For a moment, they gazed at each other, then, looking a little embarrassed,
“Well then, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”