The meal was lively and ended with cake. Although Nozomi did not participate much in the merry making, she did not feel left out. The others had made sure of that.
While the children returned to their rooms, Keisuke held Aiko back, asking if she would like to head out for a couple of drinks with him.
When he was met with a dumbfounded expression, Keisuke explained, “We shouldn’t be drinking with the children, at least not yet.” He laughed lightly. “I have something to tell you anyway. Why not over some drinks?”
“Oh. Um, okay. Where should we go, though?”
“Just the bar near here. So, what you’re wearing now is fine.”
At the same time, another conversation took place.
“Something on your mind?”
Nozomi shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Your mother looked a lot better today, didn’t sh
“...Why’re you following us? Didn’t we say we’ll meet at the recreation room?” Hina mumbled. However, Yosuke gave her the same cold and brief glance before speeding up to walk ahead of everyone. “What a coincidence. My room’s not far from yours.” He said to Hikaru. “It’ll be easy to meet up.” However, Hikaru did not look as pleased, which Yosuke chose to happily ignore. Nozomi nudged Hikaru’s side lightly as they entered their room. “You can be nicer to him, you know? He’s not forcing you to spend time away from me. He really would appreciate your company.”“...He should have enough sense to not disturb a couple’s time.” Hikaru insisted, albeit weakly. “You...” Nozomi smiled helplessly. “I won’t be going anywhere. Be there for your friends, okay?”Hikar
To Hikaru and Nozomi, it felt too long since their last kiss. They each gave into their carnal desires. They clutched onto each other, their bodies pressed firmly together. Their tongues dove deep as if they could not have enough of each other. Hikaru broke the kiss and whispered, “I love you so much, Nozomi.” Then, his lips returned to her face. He planted firm kisses on her cheek and along her jawline, and continued down her neck.Nozomi hugged his head and whispered back, “I love you too, Hikaru. I love you.”“God...” Hikaru pulled open her yukata and slid his hands to her back. He hugged her tightly as he stubbornly sucked on her skin near her collarbone.Nozomi bit her lower lip as she reveled in the slight sting and the warmth of his bare skin against hers. “Nozomi...” Hikaru laid her down gently before moving his hands to her breasts and capturing o
Their Christmas date night wrapped up nicely despite Nozomi’s sneezing and stuffy nose. For the first time in a while, Hikaru had not made a single move on her, prioritising her need for rest. At home, he also insisted on staying up for the night so that Nozomi could sleep for as long as she needed to. Gradually, the sky became bright again. Hikaru glanced at Nozomi. She was still sound asleep. She showed no signs of discomfort, but nagging worries gnawed away his sanity. Perhaps it was because she had never slept for this long. “It doesn’t hurt to be too careful.” He mumbled as he finally checked her condition, and it was fortunate that he did. Nozomi’s fever had shot up to 40 degrees Celsius. “What? Shit!” Hikaru sprang into action. Waking Nozomi up was difficult. She also appeared too groggy to be conscious. She barely swallowed the fever medicine that he had gotten for her before she fell back into a deep
Throughout the date, Makoto was sweet and thoughtful. Hina was also the perfect sweet little girlfriend. She was appreciative and equally thoughtful.Nozomi only needed to observe for a while before understanding the situation. After that, she lost interest and returned to her tasks and routine.[Oh, so there’s nothing to worry about?]‘Mmhm. I hope I don’t sound too egoistic for saying this, but I like these new developments in Hina’s romance more than the original.’[Well, Makoto stood a greater chance in this version.]“Shall we take a break today and have some somen?” Hikaru suddenly asked. “I know a nice place.”Nozomi paused her sketch and looked at Hikaru blankly. “Why... So sudden?”“It must be getting boring for you. You’ve mostly been travelling to and fro school.”“It’s the s
Hikaru changed his graduation plans. Instead of continuing his education to be a doctor in a hospital, Hikaru looked around to open a small clinic. He did not want to stay cooped up at the hospital away from Nozomi. Nozomi’s idea for her to work in the hospital or anywhere near it was firmly rejected by Hikaru. He was not taking any chances with her health.When the Tenki head priest learned about Hikaru's plans from Hina, he offered some land from the grounds. “This ground will be passed to you eventually anyway.” “Eh? But your family... I know they aren’t going to take over the duties here, but...”“They know that everything here will be passed on to the next caretaker.” Hina was still worried, but she passed on the message to Hikaru anyway. Thanks to that, Hikaru could open his clinic in a short time. During the opening, the head priest’s family
Nozomi closed her eyes and thought hard about his request. It did not feel right or good to take his years, but she had no right to dictate how he should live his life.‘Since he’s really fine with it...’Nozomi pushed her hands forward to cup his cheeks. “Okay...”Hikaru’s eyes brightened up. He promptly retrieved his book and readied himself. Nozomi watched Hikaru activate his magic with interest. The way his book’s ribbon splits and transforms into a robe and staff never got old. “Thank you, for going along with my wishes.” His heartfelt gratitude was reflected in his eyes as well. Nozomi smiled in understanding and squeezed his hands that were once again holding onto hers. Hikaru closed his eyes and focused on her presence, then said the incantation that he had memorised by then.Green glowing vine marks appeared
“LUNA!” BaoBao jumped onto her. Luna grunted from the impact. It reminded her of how much he had grown from the first time she met him. ‘How is he so weightless but so heavy at the same time?’ “Hi BaoBao,” she laughed lightly, “Is this your new way of sending me to the next world?” “Huh?! No, no! It’s far too soon to be sending you to the next world, isn’t it?!” Luna laughed even more. “I was just teasing.” BaoBao blinked innocently. “Oh.” Luna looked at him endearingly. “You’re still so much like a kid.” She rubbed the top of his head lovingly. “Don’t systems live for eternity, if nothing goes wrong?” “Mmhm, what about it?” “It still felt that long to you?” “YES!” BaoBao confirmed without a second thought. Luna laughed. “Let’s spend some time together before heading to the next world.” BaoBao’s heart warmed and h
“Don’t ignore me! I know you’re awake!” Someone pushed Luna’s shoulder hard. Her eyes flew open, and a purple and black galaxy unfolded before her. Her bottom left whatever she had been sitting on, but she did not fall. There was a resistance that made her body glide instead. Luna blinked a few times, stunned. "I dare you to say it again.” The same voice challenged her. Luna turned towards the source. There it was again. The sensation when she moved was familiar. However, she had no time to make sense of it. The deep voice belonged to a burly woman, instead of a man like Luna had assumed, not that it made anything better. Her guest looked as friendly as a starving lioness. Luna straightened her neat celestial-like robes while she quickly collected her thoughts. It shimmered and shone brighter than the glow emanating from her body. The fabric was so silky to touch that it was like water. Although it was transluc