Chapter Sixteen: Sleeping in Each Other's Arms / Chapter Seventeen: A Good-Morning Kiss with Haramura Nodoka

Kageyama Sora's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. His arm tightened instinctively, drawing the trembling girl in his embrace closer.

The cedar scent in Haramura Nodoka's hair mingled with the fresh fragrance of her bath, enveloping him like an invisible web.

The thunder outside seemed like the drumbeat of fate. Each crash sent their heartbeats further out of rhythm.

"Don't be afraid." His voice held a roughness and tenderness he hadn't even noticed himself. He gently rubbed his chin against her soft hair.

Haramura Nodoka trembled slightly in his arms, her fingers clutching the fabric of his yukata as though it were the only lifeline she had.

She lifted her head. Her damp blue eyes brimmed with a dependence she didn't understand, and the lightning revealed an alluring flush at their corners.

Kageyama Sora's gaze fell involuntarily to her rosy lips, their glistening curve seeming to invite him in silence.

He could feel Haramura Nodoka's breathing grow hurried. Her warm breath brushed his neck, sending a shiver through him.

They drew closer and closer, until they could count the droplets clinging to each other's eyelashes.

As if to break the strange atmosphere between them,

Kageyama Sora spoke first. "I wasn't lying when I said I came here for you... The mahjong app you like was developed by my company... I was already planning to invest in the national high school mahjong tournament, and since you're one of the competitors... I happened to be coming this way, so I thought I'd visit you..."

Kageyama Sora spoke faster and faster, as though a hurried explanation might break the strange, flirtatious atmosphere.

Just then, Haramura Nodoka rose onto her toes and gently pressed her soft lips to the corner of Kageyama Sora's mouth.

The unexpected gesture made Kageyama Sora go rigid. His reason crumbled in an instant, and his rambling explanation came to an abrupt stop.

The light kiss drew a low curse from Kageyama Sora. He seized the back of her head and drew her lips back to his before she could pull away.

The kiss carried all the longing and heat he had kept pent up for so long. Kageyama Sora parted her lips, and they became lost in each other.

Haramura Nodoka let out a soft hum. Her hands slowly climbed from his waist to his neck, returning the breathless kiss.

At some point, her towel had slipped away. Her smooth skin glowed under the warm yellow light, and Kageyama Sora's hands roamed over her, from her back to her waist. Each touch only heightened his desire.

In the middle of their tender yet fervent kisses, they stumbled and fell onto the soft bed.

Kageyama Sora braced himself above her, looking down at the girl whose face was flushed.

Haramura Nodoka's blue eyes were veiled with moisture, her gaze dazed and burning. Her hair spilled messily across the pillow, making her look irresistibly alluring.

Haramura Nodoka simply gazed up at Kageyama Sora. She herself didn't know why she hadn't refused—or why she even wanted to take the initiative.

Some things... perhaps simply defied reason and understanding.

"Nodoka... Are you sure?" He softly called her name again. He was a man who knew where to draw the line, and he didn't want her to regret anything because he'd acted on impulse.

Haramura Nodoka answered him in the most direct way possible.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down, their lips meeting again.

With her answer, Kageyama Sora no longer held back. He deepened the kiss, this time with less force and more tenderness.

Kageyama Sora's hand slowly moved lower, brushing her thigh and making her shiver.

As if remembering something, Kageyama Sora whispered in her ear, "When you were soaked, the rain kept running from beneath your skirt. It made me think some very inappropriate thoughts..."

Haramura Nodoka, who had been fairly bold until then, turned scarlet. "That was just rain. It wasn't anything like that..."

"It won't be just rain for long..." Kageyama Sora said with a smile, letting his fingertips wander.

Haramura Nodoka's face grew redder and redder, but she didn't stop him. She simply let Kageyama Sora explore at his leisure.

It was Haramura Nodoka's first time, and Kageyama Sora's, too.

Who knew where the two of them had found the nerve to go this far on their very first meeting?

The thunder was a distant drumbeat, breaking time into fragments.

Haramura Nodoka's lashes cast delicate shadows on his collarbone, like fluttering butterflies. Her warmth became a scorching tide, washing over every inch of his skin.

Kageyama Sora felt as though his breath had turned to feathers, drifting into her hair before the cedar fragrance crushed them to dust.

When his fingertips touched the hollow at her waist, memories suddenly surged up—the outline of her body as she ran after him through the rain.

Now every curve was a river in his palm, winding over hills and plains, sending ripples through her sensitive nerves.

Her quiet moans were like the fading echo of a snapped string, spreading through the humid air and blending with the rain into a single rhythm.

As the rain grew more torrential, Kageyama Sora finally stopped hesitating, and they crossed the point of no return together.

Haramura Nodoka's voice mingled with the thunder. It was hard to tell whether she cried out from fear of the storm or from the pain of their first time.

The moment their skin touched, reason sank into a fathomless blue. Haramura Nodoka's eyes were like pools of melted sapphire, reflecting his loss of control.

He couldn't tell whether he was kissing her or whether her lips were reaching for his. He only knew that their breath, heartbeats, and blood had become tangled vines, binding them into one.

For an instant, lightning split the darkness outside. Kageyama Sora saw the beauty mark at the corner of her eye tremble. She was clearly in pain.

And that only made Kageyama Sora, who had been trying so hard to hold back, all the more excited. His long-suppressed desires and carefully guarded feelings became scorching lava, surging from the depths of his soul and searing every inch of his skin.

The marks her nails left on his back were the brand of love; every kiss he placed on her shoulder seemed to heat the air around them.

Each time their bodies came together felt like an answer to an ancient riddle, hidden in their hurried breaths and trembling fingertips.

The final shudder was like a storm sweeping across a wasteland.

Kageyama Sora heard his own broken voice, and heard her call his name through a sob.

The downpour still raged outside, thunder rolling in waves, yet it seemed to have become the accompaniment to their passion.

Chapter Sixteen: Sleeping in Each Other's Arms

Who knew how long passed before their kisses gradually softened, and their movements finally stilled after Haramura Nodoka let out a high-pitched cry.

Kageyama Sora buried his face in the crook of her neck, greedily breathing in her scent.

Haramura Nodoka's fingers gently traced his back, feeling his chest rise and fall.

"...Sora..." she murmured softly. She didn't call him Kageyama-kun, choosing instead a much more intimate name.

For some reason, Kageyama Sora could tell that Haramura Nodoka felt deeply unsettled.

Kageyama Sora raised his head and met her eyes, his gaze full of tenderness.

He wasn't some scumbag who would take what he wanted and then stop respecting her.

Since Haramura Nodoka had given him her first time, he had to treat her with the respect she deserved—not act as though he could simply take what he wanted and not care.

So Kageyama Sora gently kissed away the moisture at the corner of her eye, left by their earlier passion. "I'm here. Don't be afraid."

At some point, the rain outside had eased. Only a soft patter remained, as if whispering of endless tenderness.

Kageyama Sora's fingertips brushed Haramura Nodoka's flushed cheek. As he looked at her slightly swollen lips, still bearing the traces of their passion, an indescribable satisfaction welled up in his heart.

Haramura Nodoka's fingers continued to trace circles over his back unconsciously. Her blue eyes were full of shyness and affection.

"Am I... too forward? We only met today, and we haven't even known each other for twenty-four hours..." she murmured, her voice laced with unease, as though she were asking Kageyama Sora and herself at the same time.

After asking, Haramura Nodoka buried her face against his chest, as if she couldn't bear to face him.

Kageyama Sora chuckled and tightened his arms around her, holding her close. Resting his chin on her head, he said, "If you're too forward, then so am I."

His voice was rich with the night, its final notes flowing slowly like amber honey. Every word carried a reassuring weight.

Haramura Nodoka's tense back gradually relaxed, like a stream thawing in spring. In the warmth of his heartbeat, the unease caught in her throat sank into her heart.

The cedar scent and the steady beat of his heart wove an invisible net around her, gently enfolding her.

The room was so quiet they could hear the faint hum of the warm yellow wall lamp. Their tangled breaths gradually fell into rhythm.

Haramura Nodoka counted the faint red marks beneath his collarbone. When she reached the seventh, Kageyama Sora suddenly spoke, his voice firm and certain. "I'll help you resolve things with Saki Miyanaga."

His words were like a stone dropped into deep water, stirring up a thousand ripples in Haramura Nodoka's calm thoughts.

She instinctively tried to sit up, but the ache in her lower back made her freeze. She slumped back into his arms.

The cedar scent of her shampoo mingled with her warm breath and drifted onto his chest. Her tender lips brushed the unhealed mark there, drawing a muffled groan from Kageyama Sora.

Haramura Nodoka instantly flushed, her ears burning as if they'd caught fire. She wanted to get away, but he held her securely in his arms.

Kageyama Sora sighed helplessly. His fingertips slowly traced the hollow of her spine, soothing her like a bristling kitten. "Don't get so worked up... I'm not going to suddenly run away."

The warmth of his palm was just right. Wherever it went, a tingling current spread through her nerves.

Haramura Nodoka looked up. Her glistening blue eyes were full of confusion and hope, and a faint flush still colored her cheeks, like peach blossoms just opening on a spring branch. "When you say you'll resolve it, you mean...?"

Kageyama Sora lowered his head and gently kissed her brow. He tenderly smoothed her slightly messy pink hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "I'll find a way to get her to play mahjong with you again. A genuinely fair match, without anything like Plus-Minus Zero."

Kageyama Sora's thinking was simple: everyone had weaknesses, and if you addressed the right one, you could solve the problem.

Most importantly, he didn't believe that anyone with such remarkable talent and ability at mahjong would willingly give up on trying to win.

Did Saki Miyanaga really not want to win?

Haramura Nodoka bit her lip, wanting to say something but holding back.

She pictured Saki Miyanaga's nonchalant expression, which seemed to conceal some private concern.

Could something like that really be done? Haramura Nodoka wondered.

But when she met Kageyama Sora's determined gaze, she found herself unable to voice any doubts.

She could only nod obediently and bury her face against his chest, drawing comfort from his warmth. Instead, she gave a quiet little hum.

For some reason, Kageyama Sora felt that Haramura Nodoka was relying on him completely.

He didn't dislike that feeling. In fact, he liked it very much.

Kageyama Sora couldn't help laughing. He gently placed his hand on her head and stroked it again and again, as if she were his most precious treasure.

Haramura Nodoka nuzzled into his palm like a lazy kitten. The scent of her hair lingered beneath his nose. In that moment, it felt as though the world held nothing but their warmth and heartbeats.

The rain outside had eased considerably, but it was already late.

Kageyama Sora held Haramura Nodoka in his arms and spoke gently. "Don't worry. Once the sun rises tomorrow, everything will be resolved."

"Mm..."

As if Kageyama Sora had soothed her,

Haramura Nodoka suddenly felt drowsy. She yawned, her eyelids growing heavy.

Kageyama Sora lowered his eyes to the girl curled up in his arms like a baby. Soft, steady breaths escaped her parted lips, like the gentlest spring breeze brushing across his heart, still settling after its earlier pounding.

Her flushed cheeks still carried traces of their passion. Her lashes cast butterfly-wing shadows beneath her eyes, trembling gently with the rhythm of her light sleep.

Kageyama Sora smiled without realizing it and drew the blanket over them both. "Sleep. I'm here."

Haramura Nodoka closed her eyes in peace and curled a little closer into his arms. Soon, she fell asleep.

Kageyama Sora looked down at the girl in his arms and listened to her steady breathing, his heart full of tenderness.

Even he didn't know how things had ended up this way.

He'd only wanted to value her talent. He'd only been curious about Haramura Nodoka as a person. Somehow, his curiosity had led them to bed.

If Tohka, who saw Haramura Nodoka as a rival, found out, who knew what kind of commotion it would cause?

With Tohka's personality, she'd probably shout that she wouldn't let her archenemy become her cousin's wife, throw a spoiled rich-girl tantrum, and wave her ahoge around!

Thinking of that, Kageyama Sora chuckled helplessly. The tremor in his chest made the girl in his arms nuzzle unconsciously into the crook of his neck, and the scent of cedar mingled with her natural fragrance enveloped him.

The rain still fell outside, its gentle patter adding a sense of calm to the quiet night.

Kageyama Sora placed a tender kiss on Haramura Nodoka's forehead, then gradually closed his eyes too, drifting into a sweet dream amid the loving atmosphere.

Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow.

Chapter Seventeen: A Good-Morning Kiss with Haramura Nodoka

Morning light slipped through a gap in the curtains, gilding Haramura Nodoka's eyelashes.

She opened her eyes groggily. The first thing she noticed was a warm, distinctly masculine scent. Kageyama Sora had her wrapped in his arms, his chin resting lightly on her head as he breathed steadily in his sleep.

The blush left over from last night suddenly rose to her cheeks. Her fingertips moved unconsciously over the fabric of his pajamas, warmed by his body.

"Awake?" His low voice, still heavy with sleep, sounded beside her ear.

Kageyama Sora's lashes fluttered. His dark eyes reflected her flushed face, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a triumphant smile.

His fingertips traced her reddened earlobe. Before she could dodge, he leaned down and pecked her cool lips. "Good-morning kiss."

Haramura Nodoka let out a soft whimper and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her hair brushed his sensitive collarbone, drawing a muffled laugh from him.