Bölüm

[AI CENSORSHIP BLOCKED THIS CHUNK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

When Amane awoke in the morning, all was quiet.

He could hear the cries of birds outside, but there was no sign from his bedroom that Mahiru was up yet.

It was already past dawn, but maybe because she was exhausted from the night before, Mahiru seemed to still be sleeping soundly.

Amane had only managed to get some brief shut-eye—the persistent thought of Mahiru in his bed made true rest elusive—and he had ended up drifting off, lingering on the edge of sleep until deciding to get up.

The restless night wasn’t particularly taxing on him physically, so that was fine, but the whole situation was trying in another way. This was the first time he had ever let a girl stay over at his place, never mind having one sleep in his bed. Naturally, he was incredibly anxious.

…I mean, what am I even supposed to do in a situation like this?

He was pretty sure that Mahiru had only allowed herself to fall asleep because she considered him a safe and harmless guy, but Amane was a guy nonetheless, a fact that he wished she would acknowledge more often.

He really regretted not waking her and sending her back home, but it was no use now.

Amane sighed and stretched to work out the knots in his body after spending the night on the sofa, then stood up slowly.

For the time being, he thought he would look in on Mahiru. Well, his main goal was actually to grab a change of clothes, but he decided to check on her while he was in there.

Ever so slowly, he opened the bedroom door.

Inside, it was quiet. Mahiru was just as he had left her, still sleeping in his bed.

If there had been any change, it was that she must have turned over several times in her sleep, because now she was lying on her side, and her hair was spread across the sheets like a flowing river of gold.

Amane knelt down to look at Mahiru more closely. Her sleeping breaths were even and serene.

She looks so innocent when she’s asleep.

Mahiru often wore a calm expression, perhaps because she usually had her guard up, but…her sleeping face was the picture of tranquility. Again, he felt the urge to reach out and pet her.

…She really is cute like this…

Of course, she was undeniably beautiful any time of day, but seeing her in such a vulnerable state plucked at Amane’s heartstrings in a very different way.

He wanted to stroke her smooth hair and poke at her soft cheeks.

She was usually so proper and reserved, with no gaps or cracks in her facade, so catching her in a defenseless state like this made him want to mess with her a little.

Without putting any thought into the matter, Amane stretched a hand out toward her and pressed the tip of his finger against her cheek, which looked so soft. Mahiru’s skin was as silky as it had beenthe night before. He almost wanted to go on touching her forever. In the back of his mind, he knew he needed to be delicate, but the softness of her skin was spellbinding and made him want to dote on her…

Mahiru, who had been sleeping quietly, suddenly let out a hoarse but endearing groan and looked at Amane with bleary, caramel-colored eyes…or at least, she seemed to look in Amane’s direction. He thought that her cherubic face appeared even more innocent in repose. She stared absently for a moment, eyes blank and cloudy with sleep, and then frowned and settled back down.

When Amane started to pull his hand away, Mahiru stirred, and her cheek brushed against his fingers again. “…Nn…” A dainty sigh rose in her throat.

To Amane, it almost seemed like she was sayingDon’t go.

Of course, Mahiru was obviously still half asleep. She would definitely never act like this under any normal circumstances.

Even so, Amane thought that her movements reminded him of an affectionate kitten. The day had only just begun, and already his brain was failing him. He couldn’t decide whether to pull back or keep caressing her cheek. Despite all sense and reason, his heart was really leaning toward the latter. After all, he rarely got to see Mahiru this unguarded, and he wanted to see how much he could get away with.

But Amane knew that if Mahiru caught him acting on his desire, she wouldn’t listen to a word he had to say. He knew without a doubt that this would all make her incredibly uncomfortable, so he stopped short.

Mahiru seemed to be coming around slowly, but she was obviously not awake just yet. She hadn’t moved, and her cheek was still pressed against Amane’s fingers.