Night.
The daytime clamor had vanished as if it were a lie, and the castle was enveloped in silence.
Mizuha and I were lying on the same bed as always, engaged in our usual pre-sleep chat.
“It was embarrassing during the day, wasn’t it? But it was fun, so it’s okay!”
“If Mizuha had fun, then I’m fine with it… But a kiss isn’t really something to make such a big fuss about…”
“Ehehe. Akito-kun, you’re a little red.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s no use trying to hide it. I’m always watching Akito-kun. Even during the hundred years I couldn’t see you, I was always thinking of you.”
“…Yeah, I guess I can’t really hide it.”
“That’s right. And Akito-kun, I don’t think you realize it, but it shows on your face quite a bit, you know?”
“…Seriously?”
“Seriously, seriously. For example, the first time you kissed me. I could totally tell your heart was pounding.”
“So you noticed…”
I thought I had managed to hide it well.
There might be other things I think I’m hiding but are actually obvious.
“Rosette-san, Misty-chan, and Victoria-san. Even though there are so many cute girls around, I know that I’m the only one Akito-kun likes. I’m not even a little worried about you cheating.”
“Well, that’s not something I’m trying to hide.”
“Right. Akito-kun and I… We even thought that as long as we had each other, that was enough…”
I recall my past life.
My future was stolen by illness, and I couldn’t find meaning in anything in this world.
At that time, Mizuha was the one who stayed by my side. If I was with Mizuha, even if my life was only a minute long, it would have meaning. That’s how I felt.
In a hospital where we could never go outside again, we huddled together, waiting for the breath of life to fade away. I thought that was fine. Because that was all we had.
But it’s different now.
We have infinite possibilities.
“I was so happy to be reunited with Akito-kun in this world. I thought I didn’t need anything else. I thought we would just continue those days in the hospital forever. But, little by little, my thinking has changed. Because we can do anything.”
“Yeah. We were weak in our past lives. But now, we’re much stronger than normal people. We can go anywhere.”
“Yeah, yeah. And, we started living with Rosette-san and the others, right? I thought it was lively and fun. I started to think that I wanted to do all sorts of things with these people and go to all sorts of places.”
“Me too. The days with everyone aren’t bad. I thought I only needed Mizuha, but now, if I imagine someone disappearing… I’d be lonely.”
Have I become weaker? Is my resolve wavering?
I’m sure it’s not that.
“We’ve become interested in the world, haven’t we? Does that mean we’ve grown?”
“I’m sure it does. We’re not children trembling and waiting for our lives to end anymore. We’ve become a little bit more adult.”
“I see… Ehehe. I didn’t think I could grow. Because my heart and body were supposed to disappear before they could grow.”
“Well, my body has shrunk instead, though, not my heart.”
“Ahaha. It’s cute, so it’s fine.”
Mizuha laughed so carefree and brought her face closer to mine.
“So… You kissed me first before, right? That means Akito-kun took the lead… I’m a little frustrated with that, so I want to do it next time…”
Muttering that, Mizuha let out a seductive sigh.
I gasped.
When she does things like that, I remember that Mizuha is not only cute but also beautiful. I become aware of her voluptuous body.
“Okay, but. You can’t stop halfway because you’re embarrassed.”
“I’ll do my best… I haven’t had the courage until now, but I’ve been thinking about it for a hundred years. I can do it properly…”
Even though we haven’t touched yet, I can feel Mizuha’s body temperature. It was that heated.
And then, our lips touched. In that instant, I thought we would melt and merge together.
And that was just with our lips.
Something softer and hotter.
Could it be? This is… a tongue!?
“He, ehehe… I did it… An Adult Kiss… I did it first! Now I’m one step ahead…!”
Mizuha’s whole body turned bright red, her eyes were spinning, and her focus was off.
Even so, she declared in a slurred voice, “Adult Kiss.”
She didn’t try to hide what she had done, and proudly declared it.
“Y-Yeah, Mizuha is definitely in the lead…”
I was surprised.
I didn’t think she would go this far.
“Akito-kun, you’re blushing… Cute… Uhihi… Since I’ve gone this far, it’s okay to go all the way, right… Another step on the stairs to adulthood…!”
And then, Mizuha suddenly froze.
And when she started moving again, she covered her head with the blanket and hid.
“Mizuha?”
“N-No… I can’t go any further… It’s too embarrassing…!”
It seems she couldn’t quite manage it.
“I’m sorry… I’m older, but I couldn’t lead you all the way, I’m sorry…”
“No… Mizuha did her best. Yeah, really. I’m not mentally prepared either. Today was good enough.”
“Uu… Akito-kun is so kind… I love you…”
Mizuha poked her upper body out of the blanket and clung to me.
I hugged her back and stroked her head.
And then, I whispered in her ear.
“Next time we climb the stairs, I’ll take the lead.”
Then Mizuha’s body temperature rose even more. She let out a strange “Pyaaah!” scream and struggled. But she couldn’t escape my arms.
Eventually, she gave up and stopped moving,
“…Okay,”
She nodded in a faint voice.
――――――――――――
This will be the end for now.
I’ll be back when I resume.
Thank you for reading.