Chapter 1906 Before handing me over

Chapter 1906 Before handing me over

With Arisa’s urging, we still stepped inside the room to find the photograph that she mentioned. But before doing so, the three girls left us alone outside the door. To give Izumi a chance to calm herself down without being drowned by her embarrassment.

Yeah. That’s considerate of them. And in this case, I didn’t mind it. It’s not like they’re doing this at the expense of their own time with me.

When Izumi noticed that they were not around anymore, the girl lifted her head and looked at me with her pitiful eyes. No matter how much she tried to act tough, she couldn’t hold it in this time. Arisa got her good. I’d give her some scolding later.

Anyway, to calm down Izumi, I maintained my reassuring smile while whispering to her that I wouldn’t leave her side. Words alone weren't enough so... I also kissed her. That way, it would distract her from what was making her scared.

I mean, we haven’t encountered a ghost yet, it’s just her nerves getting the best of her because of Juri’s story and Arisa’s mischievous ploy.

Luckily, the kiss was effective. Her body stopped trembling and rather than fear, the racing of her heartbeat was now caused by her elation from our intimate connection.

Instead of letting her be too conscious of our current setting, I made it a task to let her mind be occupied by nothing else but me.

Naturally, I didn’t stop at just one kiss... I needed to take her mind off of what was making her afraid, after all.

While the three girls remained in the room, I temporarily moved us out of the doorway and brought her to the side where the three girls couldn’t see us. And there, within the darkness of the place, I’ve prolonged our moment together.

Eventually, Izumi clung to me tightly with her arms enclosed around my head, keeping our lips locked to each other. At the same time as that, my hands slid down to her back and eventually moved further down to her backside. It made her a bit jumpy but the girl didn’t stop me, allowing me to feel her up. Then I took it another step further by lifting one of her legs and hooked it behind me. Our lower bodies touched and I moved subtly, letting her feel our indirect connection down there.

Was that all?

Unfortunately, yes. We didn’t do more than that. I stopped before we lost ourselves and forgot that we were here with the other three. Besides, Izumi was also mindful of them. She already recovered her mental state and most likely, she didn’t want to act selfishly by having me all to herself.

In any case, the most important thing here was that I was successful. She returned to how she normally acted.

And even though she returned to acting a little tsundere again by refusing to admit that she loved the moment and kisses we shared, Izumi held onto my arms to have her be enclosed within my embrace when we stepped inside the room to join the other three.

Yep. We switched our positions. I became the one hugging her from behind.

Although it didn’t come off as a surprise to the other three, they all reacted to it differently.

First, Shizu narrowed her eyes. She’s not glaring at us in jealousy but if I was correct in reading her mind, she’s definitely thinking of asking me for the same treatment later.

“I see. Then, your verdict?”

Naturally, I still need to bring up that question which Juri responded with a shake of her head.

“I’d say it’s inconclusive. I may be wrong with my evaluation. The photo may be related to the mystery. Perhaps brought over by someone related to them. But one thing is weird though. The sighting had never been reported in this room and floor. It was always upstairs or inside the traditional bath hall. Look around you... isn’t this a storage room?”

“You’re right...” Arisa was disappointed to hear that but she more or less accepted that explanation. She stared at the photo again, possibly trying to burn the images in her head.

Following that, her still-enthusiastic eyes landed on me. If I have to guess, she wanted to continue our exploration or to continue investigating the mystery even if there was none.

It’s still fun for her, after all. Moreover, it’s not every day that we’ll encounter a place like this. Even more so, while we’re together.

“Shall we continue exploring? Let’s check those places out.” She said, suggesting that we go over the places Juri listed. Upstairs and in the bath. As it’s a traditional bath, it’s the one where it’s like an indoor hot spring but the water was being heated artificially. More importantly, it’s probably dried up since it’s not being used.

“Mhm. Let’s go... But before that...”

Naturally, turning her down isn’t in my vocabulary. However, not counting Izumi who’s probably going to be scared again if we purposely went to those places, there’s also Shizu who requires a rest. Even if the girl finds comfort by my side that’s enough. Hence, my eyes landed on the two.

Understanding my intention even without me saying it yet, Shizu smilingly shook her head before closing in on me again. She exhaustedly let her head rest on my shoulder and even if I was practically still hugging Izumi, the girl’s arm slipped in between us, hugging me as well from the side.

“Escort us out, numbskull. And I need some kisses too. I can’t just hand you over to Arisa.” she said. “You can explore with her after, we’ll wait for you there.”

Izumi then looked up at me, expressing the same thing wordlessly. Obviously, she also wanted more kisses before handing me over to Arisa.

“Don’t worry, Ruki. I’ll accompany them. You and Arisa-chan can continue exploring.

As for Juri, she quietly moved over to my other side, whispered those words and took the first dibs on getting that kiss from me.

Because of that, in front of the dumbfounded Arisa, the three girls ganged up on me. They all showered me with kisses. Not just on my lips. My ears and neck were also not spared.

A few minutes later, after we found a place for Shizu and Izumi to sit down, Arisa cutely stuck her tongue out to the three while dragging me back with her into the manor.

Even though the atmosphere in the place should be a little creepy, the sounds of their joyful laughter filled the surroundings, disturbing the ominous birds taking shelter in the nearby trees.