A restless night [Aisa’s perspective]

“Ehehe…”

Living with Kouki was something that started unexpectedly, but it was truly a blissful everyday life.

In the morning, I’d wake Kouki up, we’d eat breakfast together, head to school together, share the bento I made for lunch, come back home together, go shopping, have dinner together… and then…

“Even sleeping… together…”

The joy outweighed the nervousness.

My days with Kouki were, to me, the very definition of happiness.

“I want it to stay like this forever…”

I was practically giddy over this dreamlike daily life.

I had to wipe the goofy grin off my face before Kouki came into the room…

Tonight, too, Kouki would sleep in this room, in my bed, right beside me.

“Is it okay to be this happy…?”

It felt like a life straight out of a dream.

If this could really go on forever… that would be…

“Marriage…?”

The moment I imagined it, I felt my face flush red and quickly shoved the thought to the back of my mind.

I mean, come on, that’s way too soon! Sure, we made that promise when we were kids, and we’re dating now, so it’s not like I never think about it, but… uh… um…

“You okay?”

“H-Huh!? K-Kouki?!”

“Whoa… sorry, did I startle you?”

“No! Sorry, I was just… lost in thought…”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Th-That’s…”

I couldn’t help but look away.

Ughhh… no way I can tell him what I was thinking about… I mean…

“Uh, sorry. You’re fine. You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… um, we’re sleeping together tonight too, right?”

Kouki didn’t seem keen on prying further, so I took the chance to change the subject.

“Yeah.”

“Ehehe!”

Yes!

We get to sleep together. I’m so happy.

“Alright, um… I’ll scoot over.”

“It’s not too cramped?”

“It’s fine.”

My single bed isn’t exactly spacious. I scoot over, and it’s just barely enough room for Kouki to not fall off.

Naturally, our shoulders—and other parts—end up touching.

“I know it’s a bit late to ask, but… did you manage to sleep last night?”

“Uh… not right away, but…”

“Gotcha. Hehe. Think you’ll get used to it?”

“That… might take a while.”

“Hehe.”

Kouki’s face turned red.

Knowing he’s so aware of me made me feel happy all over again.

“We’ve got school tomorrow, so let’s sleep.”

“Okay!”

Kouki turned away as if escaping, and somehow, that calmed me down a little.

“Good night, Kouki.”

“Night.”

I inched just a tiny bit closer to Kouki, resting my hand on his back as I said it.

Kouki flinched for a moment but didn’t say anything more.

Alright… tonight, I’ll drift off into a happy sleep just like this.

◇

“Huh…?”

I opened my eyes, but no light was seeping through the curtains. It was still before dawn.

And yet, the reason I woke up was…

“K-Kouki…!?”

He’s holding me!?

He’s got me in a tight grip, legs tangled so I can barely move.

“Nn… w-what do I do…?”

Kouki’s the one clinging to me, so I want to stay like this as much as possible.

But if I move even a little, it feels like he will pull away, so I stayed frozen, staring at the ceiling—

“Nn!?”

Wait!?

Just now…

Kouki’s hand… on my chest…

“Eep!?”

Now his leg! My pants slid up, and our bare skin touched.

“Ugh…”

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…!?

Being this close is pure happiness, but this is a bit too embarrassing… Still, Kouki’s not awake, and waking him up to stop would feel kind of mean.

Plus, waking Kouki up when he’s clinging to me like this feels like such a waste.

But…

“Kyaa!? W-Wait… ngh!?”

Every time Kouki’s hands or legs shifted, brushing against my body, I couldn’t help but jump.

“Ughhh…”

This is a bit much… but Kouki’s asleep, so it’s not his fault…

“What do I do…?”

In the end, I barely slept after that, and before I knew it, morning had come.

“Oh well… I’ll just make breakfast and the bento to distract myself…”

Because I woke up earlier than usual, the bento ended up being extra fancy, and Kouki was totally surprised.