As always, I couldn’t find it in me to scold Misaki even though she recklessly jumped at me. Am I spoiling her too much? Maybe. But understanding her reason for doing so, she not only brought warmth to my chest but also made me care for her more.
If someone asked me if I would be acting the same way to the other girls, I might not be able to swiftly answer ‘yes’. Because at the end of the day, each one of them had this unique way of expressing their affection for me. It just so happens that Misaki is possibly the one who’s filled with her innocence.
It doesn’t matter how much I’ve tainted her, her unique innocence will always remain, maybe even in the future.
Anyway, I responded to her welcoming grin with a quick peck on her lips followed by caressing her face. That made her stammer a little that her innocent mischievousness melted and turned her expression to be more endearing.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Misaki. It must’ve been boring, no?”
“No, it was never boring. I’m thinking of you all this time, Ruki,” Misaki hurriedly shook her head and replied while touching her lips, feeling the sensation left behind.
Hearing her answer and watching her do that urged me to do it properly. And so, before responding to her again, I lowered my head to deliver another kiss. This time, I prolonged it enough to moisten the entirety of her sweet lips.
That successfully made her smile shine even brighter despite the current darkness.
“If it’s as you say then I’m glad to hear that.” Upon saying that, I fixed her on my lap and secured her in my embrace.
Once I controlled her excitement, I closed the tent before carrying her back to the empty futon located on the leftmost side. That’s the reason why I only needed to draw the signs once and she immediately opened it for me.
Next to her should be Maaya but judging from the lack of activity from her or the other two girls occupying this tent, only Misaki persevered to stay awake until my arrival.
When I asked her about it after we lay down on her futon, Misaki filled me in on what happened.
Apparently, understanding how difficult it would be for me to sneak in here, Maaya decided to take a nap. Yep. Instead of keeping herself awake for so long, the girl decided to rest her eyes and recover her energy so that she wouldn’t need to fight her drowsiness upon my arrival.
She also advised Misaki to do the same but this innocent girl couldn’t sleep because of how excited she was at the prospect of my visit.
Of course, the other girls in their group had no idea about me. Luckily, they’re tired enough from the activities during the day. They’re already deep in their slumber. There’s still a possibility for them to suddenly wake up. That's why I encouraged Misaki to keep our voices low and talk in whispers. We’re already close enough to communicate like that anyway.
“Let’s see. Will it be fine if I wake her up later? You see... I also wanted to focus more on you, Misaki.”
“I’d like that but Ruki... Maaya-sama loves you too. I know you cannot stay here for the rest of the night. Don’t forget about her, okay?”
Look at this girl, I thought she’d be more excited that I wanted to focus on her... Yet here she was, expressing her concern for her friend. She’s too precious.
Well, even if she didn’t say that, I was already planning how to surprise her if she didn’t wake up before I finished spoiling this innocent girl.
“I promise I won’t. I’m to visit both of you, remember? She’s just there next to us... I won’t miss my opportunity to spoil and spend time with her tonight.”
“I knew you’d say that. Hehe...” With a silly giggle, Misaki happily snuggled closer to me. And as usual, she burrowed into my chest, inhaling most of my scent that could bring her comfort and satisfaction. Her embrace also tightened as though she didn’t want to let go of me.
For her, this night could be akin to a dream. We wouldn’t have this much opportunity once we returned to school especially when she couldn’t even stay outside during afterschool hours because of her curfew.
“Ruki, if I bring you to my parents, can you convince them to let me stay with you?”
“It depends. How should I introduce myself to them?”
Her question sounded like it came out from nowhere but I could sense that she thought about this already. Or in other words, she has been thinking about that for quite a while now.
The idea of wanting to stay by my side is now rooted in her head.
“Let me think. Oh! You can tell them that you’re the person I admire the most.”
“Hmm? I thought that was Maaya.”
“Uhm... That’s true... But Maaya-sama told me that my admiration for her is different from what I feel for you. My heart flutters whenever I’m with you, Ruki. Will it be better to be blunt and say that you’re the one I love?”
This girl... I guess Maaya is teaching her well. Even though I expected her to answer like this, hearing it directly is simply too strong of a stimulation.
I could feel my lips stretching from side to side as my heart also fluttered in joy. That’s her effect on me now... Forget about challenging myself, my loss was probably inevitable right from the start when I started treating her as someone special.
“Won’t they be shocked to hear that?”
I tried to reel in my elation as much as possible but it’s probably futile. Misaki lifted one of her hands to trace the line made by my lips.
“Hehe, I know they will. Look, I also made you smile.”
“Yeah. You did. How can I not be glad to hear that again? Alright, when the time comes for me to meet your parents, I’ll do my best to convince them to give you to me...”
I deliberately rephrased the last part which immediately showed its effect on the girl.
The movements of her fingers stopped as she stared at me with her round, innocent eyes, “Give me to you... Ruki, you changed it.”
“Mhm. I did. It’s better, no? We should go all in and make them dumbfounded. Rather than ask them to let you stay with me. I’ll be asking for your hand and their blessing.”
Looking like she was about to burst into a peal of hearty laughter, Misaki drummed my chest before burying her face in it once more to block out the noise as much as she could.
Just like this, the mood between us continued to progress nicely. Although I said I was going to spoil her, the girl has also started reciprocating it. We then spent the next ten minutes in silence. Even if there were a lot more we could probably discuss like the dance or anything significant that happened while we were separated, we ended up conveying those thoughts through occasional kisses that further brought us closer together.
I don’t know how much time passed but the girl who stayed awake all this time to wait for me had begun showing signs of drowsiness. Due to that, I decided to stay with her until she fell asleep before moving over to the other side where Maaya was waiting.
Yep. She woke up while we were in the middle of our moment. And perhaps for the sake of Misaki, she pretended that she was still asleep.
Why? Because she wanted to get the same privilege as Misaki... A time alone with me.
