To be completely honest, I was feeling pretty good today.
Actually, saying it was just good wouldn’t be entirely accurate.
After teasing Aco, who surprisingly matched my vibe, and receiving a proposal from my most beloved woman, it was only natural to feel this way.
In the midst of all this, I also received a heartfelt confession from Saori that could almost be described as similar to Hanako’s.
Honestly, Saori, who had come decked out so beautifully that my eyes nearly popped out, could easily be said to be at least twice as beautiful.
Of course, if there’s one difference between Hanako and Saori… it’s that while Hanako could be considered a civilian, Saori is clearly a warrior. But still, the ways in which both of their confessions feel like oaths of loyalty are quite similar.
However, the weight of the emotions underlying these confessions felt heavier on Saori’s side. She had so many precious things she needed to take responsibility for, but finally, she was freed from them.
These elements combined really fired me up.
I don’t think I’m usually that passive, but if you ask whether I tend to take the initiative, the answer is no.
I’ve been claiming that Nagisa made me this way every time, but if someone doesn’t realize that’s not the case, they must be an idiot. Yep.
I guess it was originally Mika’s nature to be seemingly proactive yet somewhat shy. And she has this tendency to skillfully guide the other side to take the initiative, quietly relinquishing control to them.
That’s definitely something that originally belonged to Mika. It’s not like it came from me at all. Anyway, it’s totally Mika’s fault.
While I was thinking that internally, I embraced the rigid Saori and shared an unforgettable kiss that would firmly imprint my existence in her memory.
From the side, it might have looked downright provocative. Both of us possessed impressive sizes, and the dress design left her bust completely unrestricted, revealing its shape at every turn.
Seeing them touch and squish together… well, if I were a guy back then, I might have thought of all kinds of lewd praises.
“Mika…”
Anyway, despite the place lacking a bit of mood, it was a sweet kiss that satisfied us both—
“Uhn?”
…It seemed like Saori wasn’t quite satisfied yet.
Unable to stand the moment our lips briefly parted, Saori called out to me with a desperate voice.
Vanitas vanitatum.
Find joy in the vanity of life. Grasp the happiness you can hold and live with it.
It seemed that the futile lesson I once imparted to Saori was now coming back like a boomerang.
“Ugh… Chu… Hnn…”
I felt Saori’s hand on my thigh. Despite being a bit awkward, she hugged tightly as if she’d devour me and claimed the territory beyond my lips for herself in a way that utterly matched my preferences.
“Paha…”
As she stared at the long silver thread stretching between our lips, unable to tolerate the uncleanliness, she dove back in again.
While her hands gently caressed my thigh, Saori suddenly thrust her leg between mine.
“…Ue!”
I was completely caught off guard. The cold sensation of her dagger hanging from her belt unexpectedly brushed against a sensitive spot, and…
Ah, this might be a little good…
From there, Saori actively colored me in her hues.
Given that I had just indulged in some rather naughty thoughts, my warmed-up body easily accepted Saori’s touch.
Instead of drawing away, I fully embraced her aggression, surrendering my body to her.
I had a slight awareness that if I stayed too long, Nagisa would surely scold me, but—
“They only told me to send you back before it gets too late. Apparently, some proper warming up isn’t such a bad thing, but I’m not really sure what they meant by it.”
“…Wow—?”
Hey, Nagisa, isn’t our treatment a bit harsh? Asking to warm up before sending us back is pushing it…
“Well, for me, it opens up quite the opportunity. Because ‘not too late’ can mean different things to different people.”
“Ah, ahh…”
Um, Saori, shouldn’t you take responsibility according to that standard instead of me?
…Ah, whatever. Let whatever happen happen.
For now, let’s just think about feeling good… yes.
*
As I tidied up my slightly disheveled hair and moved on, I reflected that even though this wasn’t too terrible, grabbing my tied hair was a bit too much.
…I’m not saying I disliked it, but if she was going to be surprised and apologize, she shouldn’t have grabbed it at all. I feel like Saori should learn a bit of consideration for the other person.
While pondering whether to head back to the auditorium, I glanced at the time and then gave up. By now, they’d probably already started cleaning up, and as for the birthday present, our kids would manage to organize it into my office…
Guess I’ll be heading home. Yes.
Thank goodness Saori might not know much yet. At least she’s not leaving marks all over my body, given that I’m in a dress today.
Though it’s not quite cold, the gently cool late evening breeze began calming my previously elated mood.
Himari surely left a warning for me to be careful of Rion.
…I think of Himari as somewhat messed up in many respects, but there’s no doubt about her intelligence and capability being top-notch.
I pride myself on having sought out Himari’s cooperation when attacking Kaiser, as that was undoubtedly one of my best choices. Without a doubt, that girl, Akeboshi Himari, is one of the most trustworthy allies one could ask for.
…Oh, and there was the teacher too, of course.
But the teacher’s a bit of an exception. I guess I should correct that to saying she’s the most trustworthy student?
Sure, students like Hina and Tsurugi are reliably powerful, but Himari and Hanako, who can complement my lack of intellect, are irreplaceable human resources.
As for physical tasks, I can simply handle those myself. If I’m in shape, my head doesn’t have to suffer, but when I have a good brain, I don’t necessarily need to put my body to work. Considering such situations, the existence of these two is infinitely valuable.
Anyway. Even though Himari is indeed somewhat of a messed-up kid, there are circumstances where one can joke around with serious matters. If Himari says, “Rion is up to something…!” that definitely means the president of the seminar is scheming something.
If I look at it positively, it might be interpreted as having picked up on Eridu’s cues. On the somewhat negative side, it could mean that she’s still maintaining an antagonistic attitude towards Aris.
Of course, there’s definitely a chance that it could be neither, and in my opinion, the latter is less likely. Right now, Rion is merely maintaining some sort of relationship where she shares dialogues with Aris, and the look she had during our last meeting wasn’t one that suggested viewing Aris like an inanimate object.
In other words, it’s likely the former or perhaps something entirely different…
Honestly, there’s really no answer to this problem if I think about it alone, but I do hope Rion stops meddling too much with people. Don’t we get to relax a bit now? Yes?
As for Kei and Aris, hmmm. The only reckless thought I have is to believe that we might be able to resolve things somehow with the teacher’s involvement, but despite that, I can’t help but feel that if we mess up even a bit, there’s a chance we could lose Aris, so—
We need to tackle the upcoming issues one at a time, but we still have quite a long way to go.
With the situation with the Maestro added in, it feels like Blooming Buds’ second album activities have been almost completely sidelined, so at least on the timing front, I suppose I’m grateful for a little breather.
Just as my tangled thoughts were getting more complicated, I received a somewhat sudden phone call.
The caller was Noa.
And unlike that night when she called me after the ruckus occurred at the Millennium Tower due to the gaming club and the teacher, today she was calling via video chat.
I found a suitable spot under a streetlight to take the call, and fortunately, my face seemed to be visible on her end just fine.
[Hello, Mika-chan♪ I hope you’re enjoying the party… Oh my?]
On the other side of the screen, Noa, dressed in her pajamas and smiling brightly, blinked. After clasping her hands together,
[Mika-chan, would it be possible for you to meet me if I fly over to where you are right now?]
She posed a somewhat bewildering question.
“…Um, wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t come back at all, then?”
[Hehe, had I known you’d get all dressed up so beautifully, I wouldn’t have returned. I could have left a memory we’d hold onto for a lifetime, but for now, I suppose I’ll just have to imprint it through the screen.]
“Really…? If you want, I can wear this later and meet you.”
[…Oh my, maybe this is why I like Mika-chan. Oh, by the way, you received that from Nagisa today, right?]
“This?”
I raised my left hand to show her the ring resting on my ring finger. It felt somewhat awkward wearing the metal.
[Wow, it’s even prettier than I heard… Just so you know, Luna-chan and I would be even happier if we exchanged gifts!♪]
So that means when I give her a birthstone ring, she wants me to use the one meant for her. Thanks to our somewhat unique relationship among the three of us, a rather peculiar three-way ring setup has formed…
“Haha. Yeah… I’ll keep that in mind, for now. By the way, how’s Haruna?]
[I heard she’s off exploring some night market with the Gourmet Research Club… Oh, and it seems she left her phone behind, so don’t be too disappointed if you can’t reach her.]
“Yeah, well, it’s not like I’m deeply disappointed since it’s not technically my birthday. You guys would definitely try something like that if it were my real birthday, right?”
[Of course. But today, aside from that, I stepped aside to let Nagisa-san have some space… You see, if things go well on your end, we’ll indirectly benefit too.]
…I never realized that ‘stepping aside’ meant it was for such an event. Okay.
It seemed Aco ended up tangled in things by coincidence, while Saori took the initiative to show consideration amidst a scheduling overlap.
As I stood there under the streetlight chatting with Noa for a while, the door behind her suddenly swung open. Emerging from there was Yuuka, similarly clad in pajama wear and sporting a ribbon headband.
[Hey, Noa! Do you happen to know where my calculator is… Oh, I’m sorry, Noa! Excuse me, Mika-sempai!]
[Hehe, Yuuka-chan, come on. Even I can’t remember the whereabouts of something I haven’t seen before!]
Now that I think about it, these two were roommates sharing a dorm.
…Wait a minute.
Then when Haruna stays at the Millennium, where does she…?
