Part-1 Ch-08 Ep-04

 “…Hime-chan, are you drunk?”

“Ah, I think I really like being called Hime-chan at a moment like this.”

“No, that’s not the point. Did you seriously drink something alcoholic?”

“Of course not. We’re minors, you know. And my dad’s a police officer.”

She had just made an absolutely outrageous suggestion, and she was completely sober? That was terrifying in its own way. Besides, what exactly did Maki gain from a cheek kiss as thanks for a present?

“…Are you just overflowing with pent-up desire or something?”

“That’s an incredibly rude way to put it, but… well, if I said yes, would you let me kiss you, Mari?”

“No, sorry, that was definitely a slip of the tongue. But, um…”

“…You don’t want it… with me?”

That was unfair. Who on earth could refuse when an angel suddenly looked that dejected?

No one. Absolutely no one. Just that alone was enough to make my feelings lean heavily toward accepting her proposal.

“I-It’s not that I hate the idea of being kissed by you or anything!”

“Then let me do it.”

She suddenly closed in with an almost predatory intensity, and I instinctively backed away in a slight panic. So this was what it felt like for a herbivore being chased by a carnivore.

My heart pounded so hard I could practically hear it. I kept stepping back, trying to stall for time with conversation. Even if I intended to accept her… intention, I still needed a moment to brace myself mentally.

“I thought you weren’t really into skinship.”

That was right. She did get close sometimes, but Maki herself was usually not that touchy-feely. She usually wasn’t, but the moments she did approach were intense.

The memory of the summer festival flashed through my mind. Back then too, she closed the distance in a single fluid motion and kissed my cheek.

My cheek.

Only now did the realization hit me fully, and my face burned hot.

“Well, yeah, I’m not big on skinship, but it’s not like I dislike it. Actually, I want to do it with you, Mari.”

“O-Oh… really…?”

Her bluntness threw me completely off balance, but apparently she had this softer, girly side that wanted physical contact with friends. Wait, was this really girly?

If I agreed to this, it felt like we would be crossing some kind of line.

“You look really confused.”

“Of course I am!”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like you lose anything. Don’t overthink it. Let’s do it, come on.”

“Is that really the right way to use that phrase? …Fine, whatever…”

In the end, I was the one who gave in. When I reluctantly agreed, Maki made a tiny victory fist pump. She wanted to kiss my cheek that badly?

As for me, I resigned myself to my fate, sat in seiza like someone walking to the gallows, and squeezed my eyes shut.

The sound of her breathing drawing closer and the faint rustle of her clothes felt absurdly loud, more vivid than any ASMR, and dangerously so.

“Okay… here I go.”

Her voice suddenly came right beside my ear, and my whole body jolted. The next instant, a soft, warm “chu” pressed against my cheek and then gently pulled away.

“————!!!!”

Just that single touch was enough to nearly send my heart rate soaring off the charts, and when I opened my eyes, Maki was looking at me with a smile full of pure affection. That only fanned the flames of my embarrassment even more.

“Mari, your face is bright red.”

“Why do you look so happy about it…?”

I just wanted to go home. If I didn’t escape now, I would be completely swept up in her pace. Driven by pure herbivore survival instinct, I figured out where I had put my bag.

“We’re not done yet.”

Maki smiled sweetly, except it was that not-quite-a-smile I had been seeing often lately.