Night and Morning

(Kei)

My head felt a little dizzy. I wasn't sure if I hadn't slept well last night.

But the dream had been hard to leave behind. Was it true that things you longed for but couldn't have would appear in your dreams?

But all my dreams had revolved around one thing...

I shifted my body a little, felt the source of the warmth, and edged closer to it.

This body pillow was surprisingly comfortable.

The pillow beneath my head seemed harder than usual, and unexpectedly soft and fleshy.

I was thinking of dozing a little longer when something suddenly occurred to me.

Why was I sleeping in a bed?

Well... of course people slept in beds, but I couldn't help feeling that something was off.

As though I'd overlooked something really important.

Wait a second!!

How had I gotten back to my room last night!?

I couldn't find that memory at all.

Then what I was leaning against wasn't my body pillow, but...

No!

I wasn't, I wasn't panicking or anything. It had just taken me by surprise.

Was I leaning against his shoulder?

Holding my breath, I quietly opened my eyes.

He was turned slightly toward me. One hand hung by his waist, while I was using the other as a pillow.

I tilted my head up a little, and his sleeping face came into view.

This was the first time I'd seen him without his glasses.

Without those glasses that made him look so mature, he really looked like the male lead in a romance novel.

Honestly...

There must be plenty of girls who admired him, right?

The thought suddenly made me feel a little vexed.

But surely no other girl had seen him like this before me.

Heh heh.

The thought made me feel a little happy, too.

He usually wore his glasses and dealt with all kinds of people.

I wondered if it tired him out.

He'd always seemed unfathomable to me.

But without his glasses, he felt more real.

He was no longer like some unreachable starry sky, whose brilliant, fleeting light was the only thing I could touch by gazing at it.

Instead, I could feel the delicate texture beneath my fingertips.

I nestled closer and quietly savored the sensation.

I tried to calm myself down, but I couldn't fall asleep again.

What was I thinking? Wasn't I embarrassed to have thoughts like that?

But the more I tried to suppress these feelings, the harder they were to hold back.

The warmth in my arms was like a catalyst, making those improper thoughts grow fiercely.

"There might not be another chance!"

"This isn't right!"

Two versions of Karuizawa stood facing each other, one on either side, arguing.

The Karuizawa with a black halo attacked first.

"You and Seisuke aren't even in the same class, right? You don't usually have any other chances to spend time with him."

"Should you become his classmate and stay by his side naturally, like Ichinose? Or get close to him by putting on the kind of act Kushida does?"

"Things have already gone this far. Why not follow your heart?"

The Karuizawa dressed in white fought back:

"Surely you understand the simple truth that slow and steady wins the race."

"If you want something, then work to make it happen. No matter what, you won't be content if this is the last time. I can feel it."

"This time only happened because of this particular opportunity. What about next time..."

"So you know this is an opportunity, too. The chance is right in front of you, and instead of grabbing it with both hands, you're still hesitating..."

"You jerk, all you do is egg me on! What if Seisuke wakes up and catches us?"

"You know he'll wake up, too. If you keep wasting time like this..."

"If this chance slips through your fingers, all you'll be able to do is regret it later."

"You jerk... Come fight me one-on-one!"

Hey, angels aren't supposed to go around hitting people, are they?

Karuizawa with the angel halo grabbed the little devil and dragged her away.

The little devil Karuizawa winked mischievously, then fell silent.

I moved closer, bit by bit...

I felt my face growing hot.

His profile was so close, right there beside my neck.

A slightly cool sensation touched my lips.

I was a little afraid to open my eyes. Our lips touched for just an instant, then I quickly pulled away.

I pressed a hand to my chest. My heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Couldn't the night last a little longer?

I really was a little greedy.

In that half-asleep state, I vaguely felt the sky gradually growing brighter.

The night had left all by itself.

The arm I was resting on twitched suddenly, then settled down again.

I was jolted fully awake from my hazy state.

I really was an idiot, sleeping with my head on his shoulder all night.

He must have felt uncomfortable and instinctively tried to move his arm.

But then he'd stopped himself.

I hadn't opened my eyes, but I could clearly feel him leaning closer.

I couldn't help getting nervous.

But he only tucked the loose strand of hair hanging down out of the way.

What was he going to do...

For a moment, I didn't know what to do with myself.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside me.

Why did it feel like...

I was becoming a little strange.

Kei...

Hadn't I gone to sleep over there last night? Yet I'd woken up in this position.

My arm felt a little numb. I glanced at the sleeping Kei and didn't move.

I brushed aside my unruly bangs and studied her sleeping face.

My first thought was that Kei looked a little silly.

Sorry, that was too harsh a word to describe her.

But she was just so cute, and she seemed so sweet, too.

That was simply part of who Kei was.

She seemed to be waking up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

I took that moment to slip my arm free.

"Morning."

I greeted her.

She waved at me, then curled up again, clutching the blanket.

What a sleepyhead.

"That smells so good. Are you cooking something?"

At the smell of breakfast, Kei sat up in bed.

Unlike her usual ponytail, her hair hung loose and tousled.

For a moment, it reminded me of when I'd first met her.

After she'd taken a shower, she'd worn her hair down like this, too.

I liked how relaxed she looked. Saying that out loud would be too sly, wouldn't it?

She padded over to the dining table barefoot and picked up a small bowl to sniff it.

I tapped her on the forehead with my chopsticks.

"What was that for? That hurt."

She covered her forehead and complained.

"You haven't even washed up."

"I know. I just wanted to see what you'd made."

"Looks like you know what you're doing..."

It wasn't as if she hadn't eaten my cooking before. Why did she look so excited?

"Put on your slippers, dummy. Aren't you afraid of catching a chill?"

"You're so naggy..."

Even though she replied like that, she ran back to the window and put on her slippers.

A little while later, the bathroom door opened, and a little head peeked out.

"I couldn't find a clean towel..."

"I live alone, so I haven't prepared any extra towels."

"Then I can't wash my face."

Kei scrunched up her cute little face.

I pretended to scoop up some water with my hands, but all I got was an eye roll.

"That looks awful. No way."

(Kei)

Breakfast was noodles. Remembering the delicious smell that had filled the room, I couldn't help swallowing.

I looked around and found an unused toothbrush.

But there was only one cup...

I hesitated before picking it up.

Was this basically an indirect kiss?

Why was I imagining something like that, idiot!

Besides, besides, it had already been washed once. That didn't count, right!

I finished washing up and hung the towel nearby.

I looked up at myself in the mirror.

What was I blushing about, anyway!

Why did I feel embarrassed looking at myself in the mirror?

I pushed the door open in a panic and sat down at the dining table.

But he was eating breakfast straight out of the little pot he'd used to cook the noodles.

Hey, you weren't supposed to be this different from what I expected.

"What's wrong?"

He looked up at me.

"Pfft..."

The Seisuke I knew was so refined, eating slowly from a small bowl.

"Why are you eating straight out of the pot?"

"Because I only have one bowl..."

"Huh?"

I looked down at the little bowl in my hands.

"Besides, doing the dishes is such a pain."

"..."

"Kei, you'll help me, right?"

"Seisuke, you're really good at cooking. This is delicious."

"Hey, where did you learn to change the subject like that in such an infuriating way?"

Where else could she have learned it?

Heh heh~