122 - Is the Moon Beautiful Tonight?
The crescent moon in the sky was veiled by thick clouds, unwilling to continue listening to the heavenly music of the human world.
Graceful and unrestrained, pure and wild.
The night stretched on, and the sound carried far into the distance.
No one knew how much time had passed. In her sleep, Komachi vaguely heard suppressed moaning sounds.
Thinking she must have misheard, she turned over and continued to sleep soundly, a thin trail of drool running from the corner of her lips in peaceful slumber.
The light in the adjacent bedroom finally turned off.
Its lingering echoes drifted along with the night breeze, floating freely into the distance.
Two souls entwined tightly together, indistinguishable from one another.
This was the ultimate bliss of the mortal world.
Hikigaya stretched out one arm, feeling the heavy weight and responsibility resting on it.
Yumeko had already fallen into a deep sleep.
After an exhausting night, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't simply relax.
He gently slipped a pillow under Yumeko's cheek and withdrew his arm. Standing up, he looked at the once-pristine white sheet—now marked with faint crimson plum blossoms...
Hikigaya Hachiman fell silent, letting out a long, slow sigh.
Then began the work of cleaning up.
.
.
.
By the time the sun was already high in the sky, Hikigaya suddenly woke with a start. Overexerted, he had only just woken up at this late hour.
'Oh no—Komachi!'
Hikigaya threw off the thin blanket and sprang up.
To have crossed that line with his newly-official girlfriend in his own home, if his younger sister were to find out about it... Hikigaya worried it might have a bad influence on her.
Even though he had handled the cleanup in the early morning hours, if they were found sleeping in the same bed, it would be hard to explain.
He instinctively looked beside him—Yumeko was already gone.
"Hachiman, you're awake?"
Seeing Yumeko again felt like stepping into another world.
Hikigaya's emotions were complicated. Perhaps this was the path every boy must take to become a man.
Yumeko still wore her signature hime-cut hairstyle—elegant and noble. But the youthful girlishness in her had subtly transformed, becoming more mature, full, and alluring.
Her cheeks were still flushed with an unusual blush.
She was holding a bowl of steaming white porridge as she approached Hikigaya.
A fragrant scent wafted toward him. Hikigaya could catch a hint of her shower gel in the air, and he instantly felt relieved. She took a bath—if she's been this thorough, Komachi absolutely won't find out.
"I'm sorry, Yumeko. Last night, I…"
"Why are you apologizing, Hachiman? Wasn't I the one who made the first move?"
"Actually, yesterday was my birthday, Hachiman. That was the best present I've ever received." Yumeko's face turned bright red. The "gift" she referred to, of course, was that once-pristine bedsheet.
Yumeko's... birthday?!
A rush of guilt surged into Hikigaya's heart. He cursed himself—he didn't even know Yumeko's birthday.
And on the day of her birthday, he had done something like that with her, plus Honebami and Yor... And tonight, he was supposed to meet the Yukinoshita sisters.
'You're scum, Hikigaya' he berated himself.
Yumeko seemed to notice what was weighing on Hikigaya's mind. She came to sit beside him, her thigh pressing tightly against his.
"Is Hachiman blaming himself?"
"It's okay, it was my own decision. And it's because I gave you that thing that you were so... last night," Yumeko said, seeming to recall Hachiman's wild behavior the night before. She glanced unconsciously at a certain part of Hachiman's body, and her emotions got the better of her as she added a few suggestive words.
"Rough."
She whispered, "But it really felt good, though~"
"So, Hachiman, don't have any burden, okay? Just treat me like you always do."
Treat her like he always did?
'Can I really do that? I absolutely can't!'
Hachiman was trapped in a bitter smile. Yumeko was his first woman, and he was a responsible and traditional person. How could he go on to gamble with Juraku after this?
Guilt spread throughout Hachiman's heart, almost consuming him.
Just thinking about doing that with Juraku behind Yumeko's back made Hachiman feel deeply guilty. He opened his mouth to say, "Yumeko, maybe I should just cancel the gamble with Juraku-senpai..."
But before he could finish speaking, his words were cut off by Yumeko's red lips.
At some point, Yumeko had put a mouthful of white porridge into her own mouth and was now transferring it to Hachiman's mouth. She lifted her hand to brush away the hair behind her ear and began a deep kiss with Hachiman.
Hachiman's eyes widened.
This was the first time in his life that a girl had fed him like this.
But...
'Why does this porridge taste strange...?' Hachiman immediately associated the taste with the smell he had noticed on the towel the day before.
However, he didn't think deeply about it and just assumed it was Yumeko's body scent.
Unbeknownst to him...
The porridge contained Yumeko's special intentions.
Upon closer inspection, the color of the porridge was not pure, and a certain sticky liquid had mixed with it, giving off a sweet and endearing flavor.
"Ah~"
After just one mouthful of porridge, the two of them separated after about a minute, still entwined.
Yumeko's eyes were dazed, as if she had just been resuscitated, and her chest was heaving violently: "If Hachiman can't be his usual self because of me, I'll be very sad."
"So, please don't change for my sake, just be yourself."
'That way, I'll be even more pleased~' These words, however, Yumeko didn't say out loud.
The more Hachiman felt guilty and had a sense of sin, the more Yumeko could enjoy the thrill of being with him, and she could maintain her pleasure. This was Yumeko's little secret, her trick for maintaining a romantic relationship.
'But I mustn't let Hachiman know this secret~'
Yumeko, overcome with emotion, took Hachiman's index finger into her mouth and gently bit down.
"Don't do that, Yumeko, what if Komachi wakes up..." Hachiman was frightened by Yumeko's bold behavior.
After all, it was broad daylight, and Komachi could appear at any moment. If his sister were to discover her older brother... Hachiman's moral compass would collapse.
No matter how mature he became, his inner nature as a siscon would never change.
Upon hearing this, Yumeko released his finger: "Don't worry, I gave Komachi a sleep aid last night."
"It's effective for 12 hours, which means we have plenty of time~"
"...."
Whether to say it or not, Yumeko had made thorough preparations to achieve her goals.
"That medication, won't it have any side effects?"
"Don't worry, it's a supplementary medicine prepared by the Yonbami family. Not only will it help with sleep, but it will also improve the person's physical condition when they wake up."
I see...
Hachiman nodded, and since Yumeko had gone to such lengths, he, as a man, couldn't just cower in fear.
He picked up the bowl on the bedside table and took a big mouthful of the porridge.
Under Yumeko's stunned and shocked gaze, he then grasped her face.
And then...
...he pulled her in, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. The porridge still warm in his mouth, he shared it with Yumeko, the sweetness of the porridge mingling with the sweetness of their lips. Yumeko's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly melted into the kiss, her hands wrapping around Hachiman's neck to deepen the connection.
As they kissed, Hachiman's hands roamed Yumeko's face, tracing the curves of her cheeks, and the softness of her skin. Yumeko, too, explored Hachiman's face, her fingers dancing across his features, memorizing every contour, every crease.
The room around them melted away, leaving only the two of them, lost in the intensity of the moment. The sound of their heavy breathing, the beating of their hearts, and the soft hum of the air conditioner in the background created a symphony of sensations that heightened their passion.
As they broke apart for air, Yumeko's eyes sparkled with delight, and Hachiman's face wore a sheepish grin. "I guess I got a bit carried away," he said, his voice low and husky.
Yumeko's smile grew wider. "I'd say we're just getting started"