As she watched Hoshimi rubbing against her chest like a little calf, Yukino couldn't help but feel waves of embarrassment rising within her.
She pushed at Hoshimi's head with a bit of frustration. "Hoshimi, stop fooling around. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold."
"Ahh~~" Hoshimi, his face buried in Yukino's embrace, took a deep breath and murmured, "Isn't this me 'taking advantage' of the warmth? And also..."
He paused for a moment, tightening his arms around Yukino's waist, teasing, "Yukino, your heartbeat is so fast, and it's so loud too."
"Stop it, Hoshimi!" Yukino's face turned a rosy red as she angrily tried to push Hoshimi's head away.
But her efforts were in vain. Hoshimi continued to immerse himself in the sound of her heartbeat, unable to pull away.
Feeling her body go weak, Yukino half-heartedly pushed at Hoshimi's head a few more times. When she realized it wasn't working, she gave up and just lay on the couch, turning her head away and tightly pursing her lips, letting Hoshimi listen to her racing heart.
Neither of them spoke, and the room suddenly became quiet.
Through the steam rising from the hot porridge, their figures gradually blurred and became more intimate.
"Thump—"
"Thump—"
"Thump—"
As time passed, Yukino's heartbeat slowly returned to its usual calm. She reached out her hands and began to stroke Hoshimi's hair, as if she were petting a cat.
She twirled a strand of Hoshimi's hair around her finger a couple of times before unwinding it. After a while, she repeated the process with another strand.
As she continued to play with his hair, Yukino suddenly felt a strange urge for Hoshimi to grow out his hair.
With Hoshimi's hair texture and color, long hair would probably suit him quite well.
"Yukino..."
"What is it?"
"Let's kiss," Hoshimi said, lifting his head and moving closer so that his face was now in front of Yukino's.
"No," Yukino froze for a moment, then quickly rejected him.
"Come on, let's kiss." Hoshimi leaned in, his face mere inches from Yukino's, staring into her ice-blue eyes.
"...No." Yukino turned her head to avoid Hoshimi's gaze.
If she kept looking into those beautiful crimson eyes, she might not be able to resist agreeing...
"Let's kiss." Hoshimi leaned closer, his lips almost brushing against Yukino's pale cheek before stopping.
At this close distance, each of Hoshimi's breaths delicately stirred the fine hairs on Yukino's smooth face.
"..." Yukino, whose heart had started racing again, held her breath, remaining silent.
She knew that refusing at this point was useless, so she just let Hoshimi do as he wished. After all, it wasn't like this was their first kiss.
To be precise, she couldn't even remember how many times they had kissed.
"Yukino, let's kiss," Hoshimi repeated once more.
"..." Yukino didn't respond, only slightly moving her neck, as if silently allowing Hoshimi to proceed.
But for some reason, today Hoshimi was being unusually considerate. Without Yukino's explicit consent, he kept repeating the same phrase like a broken record.
"Yukino, let's kiss."
"Yukino, let's kiss."
"Yukino, let's..."
The more Yukino listened, the more irritated she became. Damn it! This jerk usually just kisses me without a word, so why is he suddenly asking for my permission today?
This jerk! He's definitely messing with me! Does he want to see me shyly say "I want to"?!
Jerk! Even if I die, I won't say something like that!
"Yukino, let's kiss."
The broken record continued, but Yukino's patience had already run out.
Unwilling to let Hoshimi get what he wanted, she turned and grabbed his face, kissing him silently and aggressively.
Seeing the surprise in Hoshimi's eyes, Yukino felt a fleeting sense of triumph.
Ha! Didn't see that coming, did you? This is my answer!
Hoshimi, you fool! I've figured out your tricks! You won't succeed in tricking me ever again!
Feeling victorious, Yukino suddenly flipped their positions, pinning Hoshimi underneath her.
In an instant, the roles of attacker and defender reversed.
"Yukino, you..." Hoshimi began to say something, his expression shifting subtly.
But Yukino didn't give him the chance. Their breaths mingled again as they kissed.
With their eyes locked, Yukino's mind momentarily cleared. Understanding everything, she felt a brief pang of embarrassment before deciding to shut off her rational thinking.
Sometimes, being a little foolish is better. At least mentally, it feels like a win...
Yeah, today I won...
As her mind grew foggy, Yukino thought to herself.
"Buzz—buzz—"
Suddenly, Yukino, who was lying on top of Hoshimi, seemed to hear the vibration of a phone.
"Buzz—buzz—"
Another buzz. Yukino confirmed that the vibration was coming from Hoshimi's phone in his pocket.
She looked at Hoshimi with a questioning gaze. 'Who? Who's texting you?'
Hoshimi met Yukino's eyes, communicating with a glance, 'It's probably Kotoko.'
Understanding Hoshimi's explanation, Yukino stared at him, her ice-blue eyes taking on a mysterious gleam.
Without another word, Hoshimi pulled out his phone and stuffed it into the gap between the couch cushions, showing where his priorities lay.
Yukino narrowed her eyes, her expression softening, and a faint smile played at the corners of her mouth.
She said nothing more, closing her eyes again and losing herself in the pleasure of their intimate moment.
While Yukino was still lost in her haze, Hoshimi sneakily retrieved her phone from her and turned it off, tossing it aside.
Now things were fair—no interruptions from either side. They could finally enjoy some quality time together.
Engrossed in their own little world, the two of them stopped talking, but the living room didn't fall into silence. Instead, the warmth of their presence filled the space, like the gentle breeze of early spring when the grass begins to grow and the birds start to sing...
Through the swirling steam rising from the porridge, Hoshimi and Yukino's figures gradually blurred...
....
At Haruno's apartment.
After a busy day, the first thing Haruno did upon returning home was turn on her computer to check the surveillance.
Seeing Hoshimi and Yukino hugging at the door, Haruno's expression didn't change at all.
That? I've been used to it for a long time.
But when she saw Yukino handing Hoshimi a pair of special slippers, Haruno felt a twinge of jealousy.
And when she saw Hoshimi in the bathroom while Yukino washed his clothes, Haruno's expression twisted slightly.
But the moment she saw Yukino taking the lead and kissing Hoshimi, Haruno completely lost control of her expression.
She clutched her head in her hands, unable to stop herself from screaming.
"Ah!!!"
Hoshimi Kiyokawa!
You and I are now sworn enemies!
This can't go on! I need to start implementing my plan now!
If I don't, who knows when she might end up becoming a 'big aunt'!
...
At the Hoshimi household.
Sitting on the couch, Mrs. Arisugawa let out a faint smile and calmly instructed, "Mukami, call Kiyokawa and tell him to come home."
The elderly butler, sweating slightly, bowed slightly. "Yes, madam."
He then proceeded to make several calls, but no one ever picked up.
The sweat on the old butler's forehead grew more profuse, while Mrs. Arisugawa's smile only deepened further.
===
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