The warm orange glow of the setting sun filtered through the curtains of Ito's small apartment, casting soft shadows over the one-room space. The air held a rare stillness—peaceful, quiet, yet thick with a charged anticipation that none of them wanted to acknowledge aloud.
The bed, modest in size, was now their shared space. Six hearts beat in that room—nervous, excited, and yearning.
"It's so small..." Mei mumbled, her arms folded tightly beneath her chest. Her face, usually stoic and sharp, was flushed red as she glanced at the bed.
"E-Even the kotatsu's missing," Aoi added softly, clutching the hem of her skirt. Her gaze never quite lifted from the floor.
"Because the bed's where the warmth is tonight," Aisha said with a sly grin. She leaned back beside Ito, her finger casually tracing his collarbone. "Isn't that right, darling?"
Ito swallowed. He'd been in ridiculous situations before—deadly ones, chaotic ones, surreal ones—but this? This was something else entirely.
Hana plopped beside him with a dramatic sigh. "Geez, Sensei... you don't even give us a second to breathe."
"You're all red," Aisha teased, leaning forward to poke Hana's cheek. "Didn't think you'd lose your cool so fast."
"I-I'm fine! I just... it's hot in here!"
"She says, in her skirt and thigh-highs," Akemi said from the far corner, her translucent figure floating down beside Ito. She leaned her head on his shoulder, content. "I don't get cold or embarrassed. Perks of being dead."
"Unfair," Mei muttered. "You're cheating."
"Oh, honey," Aisha smirked, and then her hand slipped lower, across Ito's chest. "You're all blushing now... but soon you'll all understand."
And with that, she moved.
Without a word, without a warning, Aisha tilted Ito's chin and brought her lips to his. The kiss was deep, raw, and full of history—a lover's kiss shared a thousand times, and yet still new. Her fingers deftly undid the buttons of his shirt, one by one, even as his hands slipped around her waist and slowly slid her cardigan off her shoulders.
The others watched, frozen in place.
Hana's eyes widened. "T-They're really doing it..."
Aoi squeaked, her hands flying to her cheeks. "N-no, this isn't... we shouldn't..."
"Shouldn't what?" Aisha broke the kiss just long enough to tease. "Join in? Or admit you want to?"
Akemi laughed quietly. "She's too good at this."
Ito barely had time to breathe. Aisha pushed him down with practiced confidence, her lips grazing his skin, whispering his name like a prayer.
"Aisha..." Ito said, breathless.
"Shh," she whispered, straddling him. "Let them see. Let them feel. They love you too, don't they?"
She leaned down again, and as the shadows deepened outside, their movements became slower, more intimate, more deliberate. The way her body arched against his, how their breaths synced, how their hearts raced together—it was all a familiar dance. And yet, with an audience this time.
Aoi peeked through her fingers, lips parted, eyes wide. Hana had her hands buried in the bedsheets, as though bracing herself. Mei, ever proud, was stiff and red to the ears, but her legs betrayed her with a tiny shuffle forward.
Then Aisha looked over her shoulder.
"You girls can touch him too, you know," she said playfully. "I don't bite... unless you want me to."
"Y-you're insane," Hana muttered.
"No," Aisha purred, "I'm in love."
She leaned into Ito again, moaning softly against his skin.
That was the breaking point.
Akemi floated forward first, not shy in the slightest. She leaned over Ito's other side and kissed his cheek, then his neck, her ghostly form shimmering faintly in the soft light.
"My turn," she whispered, curling around his side, cool to the touch but warm in presence.
Ito reached for her instinctively, hand brushing over her translucent skin. To the others, it was like watching someone hold a mirage—but for him, she was real. Tangible.
"You're always here, Akemi," he said gently.
"And I always will be," she whispered back, pressing a hand over his chest.
Then Hana shifted closer.
"Me too... I want to be close," she said, voice trembling.
Her fingers brushed across Ito's arm before curling around it. When he turned to her, she looked away instantly.
"But not too close!" she added quickly. "J-just... this much!"
Aoi sat frozen.
"Aoi," Ito said softly, reaching out his hand.
She looked at it like it was the most terrifying thing in the world. But slowly, hesitantly, she placed her small, shaking hand in his.
"I-I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know," he said, and pulled her gently into his side.
With a soft gasp, she found herself pressed against his bare chest. Her ears burned red, but she didn't move.
"You smell nice..." she mumbled.
"What?"
"N-nothing!"
Mei was the last.
She stood near the edge of the bed, arms still crossed, but her eyes locked with Ito's.
"Are you going to pull me too?" she asked.
"Only if you want me to."
"...Tch. Idiot."
And yet, she climbed onto the bed.
Soon they were all around him.
Aisha, still on top, leaned down and kissed him again, her motions slow and firm.
"They're ready," she whispered against his lips. "Go gently."
What followed was an evening full of love—not just lust, but emotional weight.
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END OF CHAPTER : 49 : ALL OF US : PART : 1 : EVERYONE!
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