“I only have some spare toothbrushes. Is that okay?”
She then showed me some new toothbrushes.
Fortunately, she had a brush similar to the one I used at home, so I picked that one.
“Inamori-kun, you prefer soft brushes. I prefer something a little harder.”
My heart skipped a beat when she said it in a seductive way.
This was bad.
If I reacted like this every time, my heart really won’t survive for long.
We both brushed our teeth in front of the mirror, rinsed our mouths, and went back to the living room.
“Oh, I should have shown you the bedroom first. This way, please.”
Tojo-san opened the door next to the living room.
It was a room with a double bed.
A large bookshelf lined the wall, but the books were all in foreign languages, so I couldn’t tell what they were about.
“I wanted to say that I had prepared this double bed to share the bedroom with, but I’m a stickler for beds. The mattress quality and size were custom-made to my liking so that I could recover my strength even after a short sleep.”
“Yeah, but if you’re so particular about the size of the mattress, it’s better if I don’t sleep with you…”
“Don’t worry about that. At first, I thought that the bigger, the better, but when I slept in it, I unexpectedly felt lonely. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that it’ll only be complete when Inamori-kun sleeps next to me.”
I think ‘complete’ was probably an exaggeration, though, but she had an atmosphere of not caring about it, so it seemed that I was not a nuisance.
“Shall we sleep together then?”
All I could do was nod.
I walked into the bedroom and approached the bed.
There were two pillows.
The center of one of the pillows was concave, so I guessed this was the one she usually used, while the other was new.
I managed to hold down my jumping heart as I climbed into bed with Tojo-san.
No matter what one said, this was too close.
“I’m not sure what to do, but I’m going to do it.”
“R-really…? I’m so nervous I might not be able to sleep…”
“Umm… I’m glad you’re so mindful of me, but it’s not good if you’re tired tomorrow.”
I was about to suggest that I should sleep on the sofa after all, but at that moment, Toho-san put her hand behind my head and pulled me into her chest with more force than I could have imagined.
My head got buried in two soft, huge masses, and my brain froze for the umpteenth time today.
“… Actually, I’m nervous, too.”
“Eh?”
I could feel the thumping heartbeat from Toho-san’s body.
Her heartbeat was certainly more intense than usual, and it was apparent that she was also quite nervous.
“The person I love is right there in front of me. How can I not feel nervous?”
As she whispered these words in my ear, I felt a tingle of pleasure run down my spine, but strangely enough, my heart started to calm down.
I’ve heard that heartbeats have a calming effect on people, but after experiencing one for myself, I can’t help but believe it.
“I’m sorry I’ve been… so pushy. But… I really wanted you to know how I felt, and…”
“… And?”
“I’m sorry to sound so pompous, but… I wanted to tell Inamori-kun, who has worked so hard until today, that he has done a great job…”
Tojo-san’s fingers caressed my head.
Her hands were gentle as if she were touching a delicate piece of glass.
She was so gentle that, strangely enough, tears began to flow from my eyes.
I hadn’t been working for anyone’s praise. I was working because I had to, to survive.
Except for how my parents had died, it was still all my fault.
Before I knew it, I had forgotten how to be vulnerable before another, and I had put a self-imposed restriction on myself that I should not rely on my relatives or anyone else around me.
That’s why a single sentence—”You did a great job”— unravelled my stiffened tear glands.
“From my point of view, Inamori-kun is lucky enough to be alive… Is this really the wrong way to treat you?”
“… No.”
I’m not sure where my embarrassment went.
I clung to Tojo-san’s body and buried my face in her bosom as if I were a spoiled child.
The sweet scent tickled my nostrils, and the heartbeat, as usual, slowly began to lull me to sleep.
“I’m so glad you said that.”
“If it is… then I’m glad.”
Perhaps it was because I was so tired, but I felt an irresistible wave of drowsiness coming over me.
Inamori-kun fell asleep with such a peaceful look on his face.
I’m really glad that he’s sleeping in my chest.
But with him so close to me, I couldn’t seem to sleep like usual.
(His hair is cute and bouncy in places. His eyelashes are long and cute, for a boy. His sleeping face is adorable, but his body is sturdier and more attractive than it looks, and his hands are a little rough and cool…!)
Oh my god, I think I’m going to get a nosebleed.
I can’t find a single thing I don’t like about this guy, but I feel like I could say a hundred or a thousand things I like about him.
I honestly don’t know what to do with myself because I’ve never liked a stranger like this before.
What should I do? Will I get found out if I kiss him now?
I was thinking about such evil things.
“Nn…”
“!”
Suddenly, Inamori-kun put more strength into the arms that were holding me close.
Our closeness increased even further, and I could feel his body heat even more.
I’m sorry, father and mother. I might die today.
I am so happy. This was nothing but bliss.
I was surprised to hear that this was still a trial period.
If we were to become an official couple, I would be so happy that I would probably go crazy.
“U… n…”
When I tightened my embrace a little, Inamori-kun let out a little cry of pain.
This is not good.
I’m still in close enough contact with him as it is, so let’s refrain from going any further, shall we?
(With this person… I can flap my wings more.)
When my heart was about to break, Inamori’s hard work gave me the strength to run the rest of the way.
At that moment, I was convinced.
I was convinced that this boy, Haruyuki Inamori, was just what I needed.
“… Good night, Inamori-kun.”
If he buried his face in my chest, I’ll bury mine in his hair.
The scent of the same shampoo tickled my nostrils, and I was more than happy to do just that.
‘I definitely want this happiness to last forever,’ I thought.