Girl and Girl, Master and Master (Please Vote)

(Heartfelt thanks to 'Unmei no Kukou,' 'Voice of Kinship,' 'likkli,' '104003,' 'Bai Yue op,' and 'Pokémon' for their donations!)

"P-Please... touch me!"

The moment those words burst from Sakura Matou's mouth, Noah's meaningful expression froze.

Noah almost suspected there was something wrong with his ears.

Around them, passersby who happened to be nearby stared over in shock. Fixing their eyes on Noah and Sakura Matou, some began whispering among themselves after a while, while others looked Sakura Matou over with regret, as though they had personally witnessed something rare and precious being ruined. The looks they gave Noah turned openly disdainful.

Those contemptuous gazes immediately made Noah realize what had happened, and the corner of his eye twitched as he looked at Sakura Matou.

"W-What did you just say?"

Sakura Matou seemed to realize what she had said as well. Her pretty face flushed crimson as she frantically shook her head.

"N-No, that's not what I meant! I just wanted you to touch me! N-No, that's not right! I only wanted you to touch me like you did yesterday! Th-That's not right either! I-I..."

Under the strange looks of the surrounding pedestrians and Noah's speechless gaze, Sakura Matou became more and more flustered. She was practically incoherent, unable to speak clearly at all.

Noah rubbed his brow and placed a hand on Sakura Matou's shoulder.

"Alright, calm down first. Don't panic."

At Noah's voice, Sakura Matou finally regained some composure. Once she realized just how easily her words could be misunderstood, her face turned red enough to boil an egg as she spoke in a tiny voice.

"I-I didn't mean it like that..."

"I know." Noah smiled helplessly.

"Then what did you actually want to say?"

When Noah asked that, Sakura Matou instead found herself at a loss for words,