Intimacy

May has begun, and a week is almost over in the blink of an eye.

Since that accidental kiss in the pantry, the relationship between Kiyona and Hoshino Kanade has clearly become much closer.

Although that kiss involved a moment of impulse, Kiyona's choice to kiss him wasn't entirely without "feelings" for Hoshino Kanade.

While discussing "liking" someone felt distant and foreign to her, she initially believed she shouldn't possess these emotions, which she considered meaningless.

Having lived her entire life in the isolated "White House," she was instilled with a vast amount of knowledge and underwent rigorous training: martial arts, physical techniques, social skills... covering all aspects of survival.

However, all of this was merely empty symbols to her. She couldn't find meaning in applying them, gradually losing her initiative, or rather, the desire itself.

Upon arriving at this school, she gained nominal freedom but fell into a deeper state of aimlessness.

The intricate "social skills" stored in her mind were something she instinctively rejected using.

For her, having Hoshino Kanade as her one "friend" seemed to be enough.

Trying out the galgame that her classmates were enthusiastically discussing?

She struggled to empathize with the characters' emotions, except for certain specific scenes that would briefly evoke a physiological stir.

However, applying some of the seemingly interesting dialogues from it to Hoshino Kanade unexpectedly produced a novel sensation called "interest."

That kiss might have initially stemmed from a desire to explore, to experience what kissing was like in normal human love, rather than from deep emotions.

However, the result exceeded her expectations.

The feeling of kissing... was very comfortable.

More importantly, she could clearly feel her own emotions emerging: enjoyment, dependence, pleasure... things she thought she had permanently lost were quietly reviving between their lips.

Facing Kiyona's sudden and increasingly intimate actions, Hoshino Kanade had no intention of refusing.

No matter what, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage because of it.

He was just a bit unsure: could a single kiss make the emotionally detached Kiyona so proactive?

Or was she merely trying to experience the superficial process of "love"?

And this increasingly close connection, sparked by the kiss, soon permeated every corner of their daily lives.

Since that day, their interactions had subtly changed:

After school in the afternoon, Kiyona would very naturally link her arm with Hoshino Kanade's, and they would walk side-by-side down the school path, with cherry blossoms fluttering around them.

At lunchtime in the canteen, the silence of them eating separately was gone. Hoshino Kanade would occasionally, and very naturally, use his spoon to offer Kiyona food from his own tray that she preferred, bringing it to her lips.

Kiyona would lean in slightly and quietly eat it, her movements flowing with a tacit understanding that needed no words.

In the library, they often occupied a single seat. Kiyona would sit very close to Hoshino Kanade, and they would share a book, reading together.

When Hoshino Kanade turned a page, Kiyona's gaze would follow, their breaths mere inches apart.

This intimacy was as natural as breathing, having long been integrated into their daily routine, becoming a fixed pattern of their interactions.

But a sliver of doubt occasionally crossed Kiyona's mind: in her persistent closeness, drawing warmth and a sense of presence, was she craving "Hoshino Kanade" himself, or merely indulging in the feeling he brought?

That illusion that could instantly fill and soothe the cold emptiness in her heart?

This doubt lingered for only a fleeting moment before being overwhelmed by a stronger realization.

Names, definitions, reasons, motives... things that others might need to dissect and clarify repeatedly were meaningless to her.

The only things she could clearly perceive were the peculiar peace and satisfaction when she was close to him, and the irrepressible anxiety and emptiness in her heart when she was apart.

Kiyona didn't need to analyze the nature of this dependence.

She only knew clearly: only by his side would the cold, noisy, and uncomfortable world recede like a tide, leaving only a reassuring, pure tranquility.

She just wanted to be with him, like now, sharing the same air, reading the same lines, feeling the same quietude.