Volume 4.5 Epilogue

When Hearts Touch

Our break on the luxury cruiser ended, and we rode a bus returning to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

From there, the days spent at the dorm, coming and going to and from Keyaki mall went by. I passed the time so absentmindedly that I myself could call it lazy and negligent.

In that period, the number of people I could play with had increased so much that the number could no longer be compared to last year.

The members of the Ayanokouji group, the students like Sudou and Ike with whom I had gotten along with early on, and outside of my class, Ishizaki and Hiyori, and finally I even chatted with members of Ichinose’s class. Things which I myself from last year wouldn’t believe if I had told him continued happening.

Then-

“Aa-aah, so even our summer break ends today huh-“

Kei sat on the bed and dejectedly muttered as she looked up at the ceiling.

My lover Kei and I would reveal our relationship from the 2nd term. For that reason, we had been going on hidden dates. Today was the final one.

Even as we shared times that were idle in some spots, it was never an uncomfortable thing.

If this had been an outing between shallow friends, then we might have been flustered from having to say things, or bothered about hazy feelings.

“I can talk about my relationship with Kiyotaka from tomorrow huh… I’m kinda nervous.”

“There’s no need to force yourself to talk either. I won’t take responsibility even if you fall out of your caste after all.”

“I’ll definitely talk about it. Worse comes to worst, Kiyotaka will protect me so it’s okay. Right-?”

Kei said it like a joke, but that was without a doubt her true true feelings.

Because by attaching herself to a strong host, she was protecting herself.

I finished my last mouthful of coffee and sat down beside Kei.

I squeezed her small hand, and she gently squeezed back. She faced me, embarrassed.

“Kei.”

At that time, I made my lips smother her soft lips.

“Ki-Kiyotaka…”

“Are you startled?”

“Y-yeah, I’m surprised. Tell me beforehand a little bit or something… can you?”

In reply, I didn’t answer with words, but with action.

I gently gripped her shoulders and pulled her close.

“Mm…!”

A second kiss. At the instant our lips touched, Kei’s shoulders raised a little, conveying her surprise.

I parted our lips immediately. As if she had calmed down, she looked at me with eyes that were reluctant to part.

“…That was another surprise attack.”

“Is that so? I thought I made it relatively normal though.”

I have no choice but to study hard on the timing from now on.

“At the very least, I still wasn’t able to prepare my heart…”

“Then did you prepare it this time?”

“Eh? …Yeah…”

Kei nodded and closed her eyes. She showed that she agreed, so I kissed her again.

The two until now didn’t touch except for one second, but this time it was different.

Five or ten seconds. It was a long time.

Then we moved our lips a little bit at a time, repeatedly pecking each other like little birds.

Within the time that felt as if only Kei and I had stopped…

2nd Year High School, the final day of Summer Break. Kei and I experienced kisses and climbed a single staircase together.

The first half of the love curriculum was finished, and my feet entered the second half.

From here on out, we’ll live our school lives as lovers with our heads held high.

Because of that, we might get dragged into a not-small amount of trouble.

But even so we join our hands and face our hardships.

Slowly but surely, one step at a time, from summer to autumn, and from autumn to winter, as the seasons changed we went.

As neither of us can do without our relationship, we are stained deeper and deeper.

Even as I ascertained the taste of her lips again and again, my thoughts went beyond the horizon on their own.

When we finally reach the season of seperations, and enter the last phase of this love-

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It’s decided that she will face an exceedingly difficult trial.

After Karuizawa Kei is cut off from her host, she will stand alone and head forward.

As for this love curriculum, that is the most important thing.