NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49
It was the morning after Ryuichi had proposed his new relationship with Shizuna. Shizuna was the first to wake up, and when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a thick, muscular chest.
“…Hnng~~♪♪”
Even though she’d just woken up, her cheeks immediately slackened when she remembered what had happened last night. No matter how hard she tried to restrain herself, her cheeks couldn’t help but loosen, and though it wasn’t by an excessive degree, her expression was so disheveled that if anyone saw her, they would be worried about her.
“Zzz… Zzz…”
Ryuichi still seemed to be comfortably dreaming, whether he knew this or not. Even looking at him up close like this, Shizuna knew Ryuichi had a face that made him absolutely unapproachable to a timid person, but in reality, he was a kind man who was considerate of others.
“Ryuichi-kun… I love you. ♪”
I love you. It was a seemingly magical phrase that she never got tired of saying no matter how many times she said it. To Shizuna, the first few days she spent coming to like Ryuichi and falling in love with him… They blossomed to color her life in the best possible way.
“……?”
It wasn’t clear if it was because she’d been staring at him so intently, or if her feelings had been so strong, they were conveyed to Ryuichi, but he opened his eyes and pulled her into his embrace, still looking sleepy. They weren’t wearing any clothes and their skin was in direct contact with each other, but they were being covered underneath a warm and soft blanket, which felt even better than she’d imagined.
“Oh, Ryuichi-kun, you little rascal. ♪”
He hugged her like a pillow, which she couldn’t help but find endearing. Wishing that he would hold her tighter, so tight that he would never let go, she stayed with him until he fully woke up.
Eventually, he woke up shortly after, and she got dressed and started making breakfast.
“…Y’know.”
“Yes?”
Shizuna was standing in the kitchen, and Ryuichi scratched his cheek as he said:
“It’s a really nice feeling, isn’t it? To have my very own girlfriend standing in my kitchen, cooking for me like this.”
“…Girlfriend, huh? ♪”
Hearing those words from Ryuichi again made her cheeks begin to loosen once more. She was in the middle of cooking eggs, rendering her unable to control her slacked expression, and her embarrassing face was completely seen by Ryuichi.
“Woah, you’re making one hell of a face there, y’know?”
“I-I can’t help it, okay?! I’m just so happy it’s making me overjoyed!!”
Ryuichi likely felt the same way, and he likely knew what she was feeling on the inside. Hence why he didn’t make fun of her and sat down on the bed with a smile on his face, much like Shizuna’s.
After finishing their breakfast, they spent the rest of the day doing nothing in particular but making out and cuddling more than usual.
“…I don’t want to go home.”
“Tomorrow’s Monday, though. We got school.”
“I know. I know, but…I don’t want to go home.”
She knew very well that she was being selfishly unreasonable. Even so, the urge to not leave his side was stronger in her than usual today.
“…It’s your fault, Ryuichi-kun.”
“Huh?”
Shizuna’s words caused his expression to go blank. She found that expression of his cute, but she puffed out her cheeks nonetheless and voiced her complaints to him.
“You’re being too nice and gentle today, Ryuichi-kun!!”
“O-Oh…”
Her words didn’t stop there. She slipped out of his embrace and stood up, sternly pointing a finger at him.
“The way you pat my head, the way you hug me, and the words you say to me; all of them are so much nicer than usual! That’s why I don’t want to leave! That’s why I don’t ever want to leave your side!”
“Okay, okay, calm down, Shizuna.”
“I can’t calm down!”
From Ryuichi’s point of view, her anger was unreasonable, but she probably couldn’t hold herself back from saying the words she did. As she’d said, Ryuichi was being really gentle today. Though they had become boyfriend and girlfriend as a formality, he was nevertheless kind to her, as if to say that he had changed so much.
“Heh, the way you say that makes it sound like I wasn’t that way until now, y’know? C’mon, c’mere, Shizuna.”
Her beloved partner opened his arms and invited her into his embrace. Sadly, she couldn’t resist the temptation and responded to his invitation by diving into his chest once again.
…I feel like I’m going to melt in his arms.
The complaints she’d wanted to say had already disappeared somewhere. She wanted to stay in his embrace for as long as possible until she left his apartment.
Now, on the other hand, Ryuichi also did not want to part with Shizuna. However, his desire wasn’t as strong as Shizuna’s, so he naturally accepted the fact that she had to go home considering the fact that they had school tomorrow.
“…Uuuh!”
“Geez, were you always this spoiled of a girl?”
Ryuichi was also aware that he had been very indulgent with Shizuna today. He had no idea that it would change her like this, and he had to chuckle at her refusal to leave his arms even after her house came into view.
“We’ll be seeing each other again tomorrow, y’know? This is just a short farewell.”
“…I know. I know.”
For the next few minutes, she fell silent. However, even as she remained silent, it seemed she was mentally preparing herself as she stayed by his side. Then, she muttered, “All right,” and vigorously backed away from Ryuichi.
“I’m okay now.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
It seemed she really was okay. She told him she would give Sakie the heads up beforehand, and Ryuichi promised he would formally talk to Sakie himself later. After parting with Shizuna, he walked home with a lighter mood than usual.
“…What a mysterious feeling.”
Although he had had relationships with many women in his life before, his time with Shizuna felt more colorful than any of those encounters. He wondered if this was what it meant to have a special someone, and decided to cherish these feelings as much as he could.
“I’m not like them.”
He smiled at the thought that he was not like his father and mother, who never loved him; who, despite being husband and wife, were always at each other’s throats.
At that moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated, alerting him to an incoming call. Picking his phone up and looking at its screen, he saw that it was apparently Chisa who was calling him.
“Hey.”
“Hello? How did it go?”
He hadn’t told her he’d taken a step forward with his relationship with Shizuna, but apparently Chisa was curious and called him. Ryuichi honestly told her what had happened and that he and Shizuna had moved forward with their relationship.
“I see. Congrats, Ryuichi.”
“Thanks.”
Of course, he also relayed to her what Shizuna had said to him. That although he had a new relationship with Shizuna, nothing would change in his relationship with Chisa and Satsuki, and that they would continue as they had until now.
“That’s… Isn’t that girl too tolerant?”
“I thought so too. But on the other hand, I also felt a little relieved.”
“Huh?”
“Because just like her, you and Satsuki also gave me warmth.”
He knew it was irresponsible of him, but he still didn’t want to let them go. He might have less time to see them now than he did before, but he also wanted to cherish the two girls who gave his heart peace and tranquility.
“…I guess you’re just like her. You shouldn’t care about us too much…no, that’s not it. I’m also really, truly overjoyed to hear you say that.”
“I see. Well, guess that means nothing’s going to change between us from here on out, then.”
“Yup. There’s gonna be a lot to talk about the next time I see Shizuna-chan.”
Ryuichi laughed, thinking that they would probably have a very long talk then. Promising that they would all meet again soon, Ryuichi ended the call with Chisa.
“…Haaah.”
Looking up at the night sky with its many stars, he breathed out. Nothing in particular would change, but these events were still more than enough to allow Ryuichi to take a big step forward on the inside. He was determined not to let go of what he considered important to him, and not to lose the treasure that he’d obtained.
“Well, there are lots of roadblocks on the way, though.”
In truth, there were still many problems piled up around Ryuichi. There was the matter of his grandparents, and there was also Akira, who continued to harbor taboo feelings for Satsuki.
He wanted to be able to relax without having to worry about any of these things. He prayed that nothing major would happen in the future.