The next morning, Chisato woke up to the sight of Kazusa still sleeping peacefully in his arms.
He stared at her adorable face in a daze for a long time.
As unbelievable as it seemed, after last night… he and Kazusa had reconciled. Right?
His left arm was pinned beneath her, serving as her pillow. It had gone numb from poor circulation, but he had no intention of moving it.
If Kazusa wanted to use it as a pillow, then she could do so forever.
With his free right hand, he lightly tapped his forehead—a subconscious habit whenever he needed to think, helping him calm down and analyze the situation.
His memory was crystal clear since he hadn't been drinking.
Last night, after Kazusa bit him hard, he took the initiative to switch their positions. Then, embracing the mindset of "fortune favors the bold," he kissed her directly.
At first, Kazusa resisted fiercely, her lips tightly pressed together, letting out muffled protests.
She even tried to bite his lips, like a righteous heroine captured by a villain, fiercely protecting her chastity. But her resistance soon faded.
Though clumsy, Chisato could tell the difference between rejection and acceptance.
So when they paused for breath, Kazusa continued to berate him, but it was clear she was merely putting up a front to preserve her dignity.
Understanding this, Chisato did not hesitate to kiss her again.
And after that…
After that, they spent at least ten minutes wrapped up in each other, kissing endlessly, until Kazusa was the one to push him away.
Her face was flushed crimson, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
She then told Chisato to take a shower and pointed to her wardrobe, saying there were men's clothes inside.
Chisato didn't ask dumb questions like, "Why do you have men's clothes in your wardrobe?"
Maybe she had prepared them during the time when they were deeply in love, just in case.
Or maybe, knowing he would visit last night, she had prepared them in advance.
Either way, it all pointed to one undeniable fact—Kazusa had already hoped that he would stay the night.
And if she had taken the initiative to signal this to him, did that mean she was indirectly saying she was no longer truly mad at him?
Realizing this, Chisato was overwhelmed with joy and rushed off to shower immediately.
During that time, he messaged Utaha and Eriri, who were waiting at home, telling them he wouldn't be coming back that night.
Excited for what was to come, Chisato quickly returned to Kazusa's room after his shower—only to be dumbfounded by what he saw.
A futon had appeared on the floor, hastily laid out. It was obvious Kazusa had set it up while he was in the shower.
As for Kazusa herself, she was lying on her side, facing the wall, her eyes shut tightly.
Wrapped up in a blanket like a cocoon, she didn't respond no matter what he said, pretending to be fast asleep and oblivious to everything around her.
She had hinted at wanting him to stay the night, yet now she expected them to sleep separately?
What kind of cruel punishment was this?
Chisato was at a loss.
But after thinking it over, he realized he should be grateful that Kazusa was even willing to forgive him this much. He couldn't push his luck.
With that in mind, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead, whispered "Good night," and obediently lay down on the futon.
However, sometimes what the mind decides and what the body does are two entirely different things.
Like when someone on a diet stares at a burger and a soda, telling themselves they won't eat it—yet their hands and mouth move on their own.
Or when an alarm rings on a winter morning, and despite knowing they need to get up, they instinctively burrow deeper into the blankets.
Kazusa was within arm's reach.
Chisato tossed and turned for over thirty minutes, unable to fall asleep.
Even as he kept telling himself he shouldn't do it, in the end, his desires won out.
In the darkness, he carefully sat up, tiptoed toward the bed, and slowly, little by little, inched closer to Kazusa.
When he finally wrapped his arms around her from behind, she didn't react at all.
At that point, Chisato no longer cared whether she was truly asleep or just pretending.
He simply found a comfortable position, embraced Kazusa's soft, warm body, and—relieved by their reconciliation—fell asleep before he even realized it.
By the time he woke up, the two of them had shifted positions completely.
Maybe Kazusa had noticed him sneaking into her bed and adjusted her posture while he slept.
Or maybe they had unconsciously moved closer together in their sleep.
As he quietly admired Kazusa's adorable sleeping face, the corners of Chisato's lips gradually curled higher and higher.
Strangely enough, he hadn't even felt this happy when Kazusa first agreed to be with him.
Perhaps it was because, after shedding all his emotional burdens, he could finally be completely honest with her.
He wanted to keep staring at her forever, and even though his arm was still numb, he was willing to endure it.
However, there was one pressing issue that simply couldn't be ignored in the morning—unless he hadn't drunk much water the day before.
That's right.
Chisato needed to go to the bathroom.
He had been awake, recalling the events of last night while staring at Kazusa's face for nearly twenty minutes. If he didn't go now, his bladder would be in trouble.
Carefully withdrawing his arm, Chisato gingerly got out of bed.
He didn't want Kazusa to wake up like this. For one, it was still early—just past six in the morning.
For another, after finishing in the bathroom, he planned to return and hold Kazusa again, savoring the softness of her body and the light fragrance of her bath soap and shampoo.
With that in mind, he tiptoed out of the room.
The moment the door clicked shut, Kazusa, who had remained completely still, slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze was sharp and clear, carrying an unreadable expression.
"Splash—"
After relieving his bladder, Chisato washed his hands and headed back upstairs.
Just as he was about to push open Kazusa's door, he heard strange, discomforting noises coming from another room down the hall.
Other than Kazusa, the only other person in this house was her.
Was Miss Youko feeling unwell?
Out of concern, Chisato walked over and knocked on the door.
"Youko-san, are you okay?"
"Ugh—!"
In response, the retching sounds became even clearer.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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