("She's getting quite a few shots, huh...")
I watched the scene from a short distance away, somewhat absentmindedly.
We'd moved from the examination room to the treatment room, where Hisui was calmly receiving one vaccine injection after another in his arm.
Administering the shots was Toki, one of the elder matriarchs of the main family. She was a seasoned professional, with decades of experience. There wasn't a trace of hesitation or danger in her technique.
As for Hisui, the recipient of the injections, he remained quiet and composed, not reacting at all—like a carp on a cutting board, simply enduring it.
Still, the expressions on the nurses assisting were... something else.
Their eyes sparkled with infatuation—somewhere between dreamy, sticky, and hungry. Even as a fellow woman, I could feel the weight of their stares. Hisui must have noticed too, but as always, he stayed calm and unbothered.
Well, they had just surrounded him, touched his bare skin earlier, so at this point, it's not surprising anymore.
Can't really blame them either—Hisui looks inherently sensual. He had to roll up his sleeve and take off his jacket for the injections, revealing faint tan lines on his hand, wrist, and upper arm. The contrast, especially from his white upper arm upward, was rather evocative. Sexy, even.
I mean, we've bathed together. We even went at it quite a bit this morning. Still, partial undressing and glimpses like that have a unique allure—it's a whole different craving.
The reason I can stay composed watching all this now is probably because we did everything that needed to be done earlier.
On the other hand, the nurses assisting with the vaccinations are flushed bright red, and honestly, they look ready to explode. It's a little scary from the outside, like it could all blow any second. I really want to tell them to calm down a bit.
And yet, watching him get this many shots… it feels intense, though it's not my problem right now.
I already got all my vaccines. Whether you get them in stages or all at once is the only difference.
When I joined the Self-Defense Forces, there was a girl in my unit whose parents were hardcore anti-vaxxers. Turned out she hadn't gotten a single shot. It turned into a whole thing—either get vaccinated now or get discharged.
Pretty sure she had to get more injections than this, which makes sense—it does take a while.
Living communally means you can't risk someone bringing back a pandemic-level disease like the Spanish flu, or everyone getting athlete's foot, or worse—every "sister" ending up with syphilis. Even something like a flu outbreak could be catastrophic. We were drilled into understanding that vaccines are a life-and-death matter.
I heard Grandpa Kohaku got sick for a while after nearly drowning—probably swallowed something weird.
So yeah, vaccinations are basically a rite of passage. Nothing unusual anymore.
The bandages covering his arms after the shots are a little painful to look at, though.
Maybe tonight we should skip the silky, alkaline "Beauty Bath" and go for the acidic "Healing Bath" instead?
—
"All done for today. The rest will be on another day. For now, let's monitor you for about an hour in your room, just to be safe, okay?"
"Thank you very much."
Hisui bowed his head politely at Toki's words. he's always so well-mannered.
"Please lie down and rest for a while," the nurse said, guiding him to a vacant room with only a bed inside. For monitoring, a fingertip sensor was attached to him and hooked up to an ECG monitor.
"If anything happens, call for help, alright?"
With that, the nurse exited, leaving the two of us alone.
"This feels a bit excessive, doesn't it?" Hisui said with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Well, your body is important. When it comes to things like this, it's better to overreact than underprepare."
I didn't say it was overkill. This is all part of training, after all.
"Then I'll lie down for a bit."
Careful not to disturb the sensors, Hisui lay down. His movements caused his yukata to fall open slightly, exposing the pale skin of his chest and a flash of his belly button.
"You're as defenseless as ever…"
I couldn't help muttering as my gaze was drawn to that provocative sight.
"It's fine. After all, it was Yata-chan's wish for me to stay just like this."
"Still, self-defense is important, you know?"
"With all due respect, the only person here is you, Hachikuma-san. You're my bodyguard and rightful partner. It'd be kind of silly to be on guard against you, wouldn't it?"
"There you go again…"
I pouted without thinking. She wasn't wrong, but somehow, it still made me uneasy.
"Ah, could I borrow your ear for a moment?"
Still lying down, he beckoned me over with a small gesture. I couldn't help smiling—he really is a bit lazy sometimes.
I leaned in close.
Chuu
And suddenly, he kissed me.
"Wha—?!"
Startled, I tried to pull away, but he wrapped his arms around my neck and head, hugging me tightly. I couldn't break free. he was surprisingly strong… no, that wasn't it. I didn't want to pull away. My emotions had already won over my physical resistance.
I remembered what he said earlier—how I was someone he could be defenseless with—and my face burned even redder.
My will to resist evaporated, and I went limp in his arms.
Heartbeat sounds—mine? Him?—pounded through my head, louder than anything else.
"Just stay still. Close your eyes, alright?"
I heard a small metallic sound—something lightly scraping.
My wrists were released, but I didn't move.
Then, something cool brushed lightly against my neck.
"…Phew."
He sighed, like someone who had just finished an important task.
His hands finally pulled away.
"You can open your eyes now."
When I looked down, I saw it.
Around my neck was a platinum-colored chain, holding that familiar jade ring.
I gingerly touched it with my fingertips—just to be sure it wasn't a dream or a hallucination…
"Is the length okay? It's not too tight, is it?"
I blinked in surprise.
Words swirled through my head—stuff like This doesn't suit me at all, or I've only ever worn dog tags before, or just Wow, I am so not cool right now.
"…I look forward to continuing our journey together," he said, blushing, with a sweet, shy smile.
My mouth opened and closed, trying to say something—anything. My brain had gone blank. No clever reply came.
Tears welled up in my eyes, then spilled over.
Unable to hold it in, I lunged forward and hugged him tightly with my whole body.
Thud! Flail!
Pat pat!
Apparently, I got a bit too carried away. he flailed a little, then tapped me lightly.
Reluctantly, I let go.
"It's nice that you're passionate with your affection, but you've got to be more careful where you apply that force!"
He seemed a bit troubled.
"Also, I know I'm the one who gave it to you and put it on, but… the position's a little awkward when you hug me. We might need to adjust it."
The jade ring on the chain I'd just been given was nestled squarely between my breasts—right where his face had been when I hugged him. Yeah, I could see how that would be a problem.
Still, no way was I taking it off now. I slid the ring to the back of my neck, smiled a little proudly, and hugged him again.
—
A bit later — From Hisu's Perspective
"I told Yata-chan it was getting in the way, and she adjusted it shorter, more like a choker."
She really complained a lot when I changed it, too—said something like "But I just put it on…" Honestly, it was kind of adorable. A classic love story moment.
Author's note :
When gifting accessories to a girl, especially necklaces or chain-type things, you normally go with a finer chain. But for someone like Hachikuma-san, anything too delicate would probably snap by accident, so we went with a sturdier one.
When you're giving a girl jewelry for the first time, you'll get grilled on what material, thickness, length, and what kind of charm to use—it's overwhelming.
Honestly, surprising someone with a gift like this? Not recommended.
(Oh, and for the record: the author got dumped. So don't worry.)