Published at 23rd of September 2024 2:04 pm

Chapter 2177: Back to her room

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"Kazuha-nee... are you that worried about him coming back? I can hide if he ever knocks. Maybe under your bed or inside your closet. You choose." I teased, trying to ease the tension that had followed us into her room.

Upon entering the room and sensing her urgency as if she wanted to be as cautious about this as possible, I teasingly suggested that in an attempt to make her relax.

Upon entering, I could sense her urgency. The way she moved with purpose as if trying to control every variable of this meeting. She didn't want to leave anything to chance. It was obvious she was treading carefully.

But as always, I wanted her to relax. After all, we weren't doing anything wrong. Not yet, at least.

Kazuha-nee paused and glanced at me, her lips slowly curling into a pout. Her usual

composed, confident demeanor faltered for a moment, revealing a side of her that was just as charming in its vulnerability.

Mhm... Even when she tried to play it off, she could be adorably charming like this, despite her default smugness that always exuded control of the situation.

Anyway, I probably hit the mark there. She didn't want Ogawa to see me with her. Or rather, she wanted to keep this meeting secret from her little brother. The very idea that she'd be caught in a compromising situation with me unnerved her, but it could possibly have thrilled her as well. Who knows?

After a moment's hesitation, she grabbed my wrist, pulling me further inside before she locked the door behind us. A quiet click echoed in the room, sealing us in together, just the two of us.

"I'll throw you onto the balcony if he knocks," she responded with playful defiance, turning around with a smirk. Her eyes gleamed mischievously as she guided me back to the kotatsu we spent our time at the previous day. "Will you like that, Ruki-kun?"

"Well, as long as you don't leave me freezing out there. Or better yet, I'll gladly run and hide there if you promise to cuddle me after he leaves." I said, matching her playful tone as I let her guide me.

We both sat down on the cushions she'd already prepared, and her grip on my wrist tightened, her delicate thumb grazing my skin in a way that sent a small jolt through me.

Kazuha-nee's eyes then sparkled with a mix of amusement and disbelief, but underneath it all, there was a warmth that made it clear she was enjoying this moment even if she wouldn't admit it.

She shook her head with a sigh, feigning disappointment. "I knew you'd say that. What an honest pervert."

"What's wrong with being transparent like that, Kazuha-nee?" I countered. I kept the teasing tone but my observant eyes searched hers for something deeper.

The tension remained between us but it wasn't that of a suffocating kind. Rather, it hinged to that of us becoming too comfortable with each other.

Was that a good thing? Of course, it was. However, we had yet to truly address why I was here in her room again.

"Nothing. But you reek of boundless shamelessness because of it." Kazuha-nee replied with a soft voice as a smirk continued to play on her lips.

"Ah... Isn't that something you already knew? Anyway... it looks like you're prepared for this, Kazuha-nee." I leaned a little closer, letting my words hang between us before switching the topic.

My eyes then shifted to the table, noticing how carefully she had set everything up.

On the kotatsu table sat a bowl of tangerines, freshly picked, and a pitcher of cold water, its surface damp with condensation. There was only one drinking glass. Most likely, probably part of her plan to maintain the illusion that she was alone if Ogawa came knocking. Subtle, yet telling of her cautiousness.

I reached for one of the tangerines, peeling it with practiced ease before plucking a piece and holding it out close to her lips. Her eyes alternated between the tangerine and me, her eyebrow raising in mock surprise at my gesture. She seemed to deliberate for a moment, weighing whether to accept my silent offer or not.

My words hung in the air for a moment as silence pervaded.

Before long, her weighted gaze locked onto me before Kazuha-nee opened her mouth, taking the piece of tangerine.

For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the quiet hum of the evening. Then, after a long pause, she met my gaze. Her eyes intensely wavering as her lips parted slightly, accepting the piece of fruit from my hand. Her lips brushed against my fingers as she took the tangerine, the brief contact sending a thrill through me.

"Yesterday, you said you'd come back," Kazuha-nee murmured, the sweetness of the tangerine evident in her expression, which softened as she chewed slowly. "I didn't think you actually would."

This... she's more honest today, huh? There was none of the playful dodging from before, no pretense. It was just her, raw and exposed. There would be no going around in circles like we did yesterday.

"Didn't think I'd keep my word, Kazuha-nee?" I asked, taking in the subtle shifts in her expression.

She shook her head slightly, "It's not that. It's just... I wasn't sure what to expect when you did."

She shook her head slowly, her gaze distant. "It's not that. It's just... I wasn't sure what to expect when you did."

Her honesty caught me off guard. That's for sure.

When she had asked me to come back yesterday, it was probably in the heat of the moment. An impulsive decision spurred by emotions neither of us fully grasped at the time or because we got interrupted at an important junction. Now, with the weight of that choice, she was questioning it, wondering where we were headed.

Silence settled between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that carried meaning, that let the tension build without the need for words.

She wasn't playing around anymore. This was Kazuha-nee's genuine self, exposed and vulnerable, waiting for me to either push forward or pull away.

"You're not the only one unsure of what to expect, Kazuha-nee," I admitted quietly, the words slipping out as I leaned forward, closing the distance between us. "But I'm here. So...

what now?"

After that, I plucked a few pieces of the fruit, popped one in my mouth, and gave her the

other.

Kazuha-nee accepted it with a subtle smile. Her eyes followed me as they seemingly tried to dig something deep within my gaze. Most likely reassurance or maybe a sense of direction that I still feel the same as yesterday.

Her eyes then focused on mine again, as if trying to find something. Reassurance? Understanding? Or maybe just a sense of certainty.

She held my gaze for a beat longer before letting out a soft sigh. Her expression softened, and

her shoulders seemed to relax as though she had made a decision.

"I don't know what this is, Ruki-kun. But I don't want it to be meaningless."

The raw honesty in her voice took me aback, but it also ignited something within me, my desire to make her mine and the resolve to do it. This wasn't just about testing limits or

indulging in fleeting temptations anymore.

.

There was something real between us, and it was time to acknowledge it.

"Then let's make sure it isn't." I nodded and put down the remaining tangerine in my hand back to the bowl then leaned even closer to her.

Kazuha-nee's lips parted slightly, and for a moment, I thought she would say something more. But instead, she simply smiled. A small, sincere smile that spoke louder than any

words.

As if we were continuing from where we left off last night, we reached for each other. Kazuha- nee grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling me close, her fingers curling into the fabric as if to anchor herself. Her other hand cupped my cheek, her warm touch soft yet firm.

I responded in kind as my arm wrapped around her waist, my fingers pressing into the softness of her curves.

The thin fabric of her dress did little to mask the warmth of her body against mine. It was different from yesterday. More vivid and intimate.

Our eyes locked for a heartbeat and then, as if by instinct, they slowly fluttered closed.

Our foreheads lightly touched, our breaths mingled in the space between us, and finally, our

lips met, fitting together perfectly in the quiet heat of the moment.

There was no rush. Just the realization that we were crossing a line and neither of us wanted to

stop.

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