Chapter 222: Overturned Expectation

"Ruki… You said we will only talk…"

Himeko muttered once she escaped my lips. With a hand covering it now, she started to inch away from me, all the while wiping the trail of our saliva which ran down below her lips.

From the middle, she instantly reached the edge of the bed.

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. I miss you."

I followed after her, however, I stopped taking advantage of our situation. I know that if I kiss her again, she wouldn't resist.

"Uh… why are you this perverted again?"

"Aren't I always like this? As long as it's to someone I like, I'll always show the real me. And I really like you now, Himeko."

I don't think I've properly said it to her. Her circumstances differ from the others after all. Haruko introduced Himeko and Mina to me and they knew my tendency to get more since the start.

For Himeko and Mina, it was my desire to steal them away from Haruko. But yeah, it's more than that now or I should say I like them since the start.

"Ya-chan will scold me if she finds out I met you."

Itou? Why? Is she preventing her from meeting me now? Did that meeting rile her up to this extent?

"I see. Then am I right when I thought that you're avoiding me? Itou told you not to meet me…"

Himeko slowly nodded before lowering her head. The way she did that… She's feeling guilty.

"Partly… Yet here I am, I lost to the feeling of missing you."

This girl…

Upon hearing that, my body moved by itself as I once again took her lips. That surprised her when our lips touched, Himeko surrendered her lips to me. Her hands that lost the place they were protecting crept to my shoulder.

When I saw that, I grew bolder as I circled my arms to her back, pulling her ever closer.

That day when I brought Itou here, we parted with a hug. But holding her in my arms like that… That was the first.

And now… we became that close again.

"Himeko…"

I whispered her name when I pulled back to inhale some air. And by doing that, I saw how she reddened further. Her hands gripping my shoulder moved and ended up on the back of my neck, pulling me closer to her.

Himeko was experienced because of Haruko, but our previous kisses were all initiated by me.

But that ended today.

For the first time, Himeko kissed me by her own volition and it included our tongues that were confined inside our mouths.

Her agile tongue coated by her own saliva instantly found its target. My tongue that was waiting for her. Though it's not the first time, Himeko wasn't just letting me move on my own. By matching me, our tongues entangled with each other more intense that it totally eclipsed our previous kisses.

Her beautiful dark eyes were gazing at me, expressing her desire at this moment. With the charm she was exuding at this moment, there's no trace of her being an introvert anymore. Or maybe she's just this way on us.

As we were busy on our lips, our embrace tightened further that she's now ended up leaning her body to me.

Because of that, I felt more of her as her soft body pressed into me.

Thinking back to the first time I met her, her aversion when Haruko told her I am going to steal the two of them was too strong.  They declared me as their enemies, a rival for Haruko's love.

A few weeks after that and here we are. Though I could argue that I didn't really do anything, our encounters were meaningful whenever we met each other.

There was that time when she called me out to that empty room, she volunteered as the first girl to confront me, which ended up in me stealing a kiss from her. It was a quick kiss where I immediately pulled back when she showed how she struggled from it. By then, I'm already sure that I want her.

"Ruki… How did I turn like this with you? You're not Haru but I keep missing you."

Himeko asked me when our lips got freed from each other again. She looked me in the eye and was clearly waiting for my answer to clear her confusion at our situation.

"You already answered your question, you know? You like me or the thought of being with me. Either way, I'm satisfied enough that you finally accepted me. Kissing you in front of Itou… that was an impulsive action from me because of how pissed I was."

Showing our relationship to Itou somehow backfired on me in a way that it led her to ask Himeko to stop seeing me. Maybe I have to talk to that girl again. Akane was giving me an update on her and though she's asking about me, it's probably her way to investigate me for her sister. She's a super sis-con after all.

"Do I like you?"

Himeko repeated my words in question form. She then lifted her hand and gently put it on my face.

"If that's not the case, you wouldn't kiss me on your own initiative, right?"

"Because you're a kissing deviant. The second time we met, you stole a kiss from me. And when you visited our club, you kissed me again."

Now that I think about it, apart from that first meeting where Haruko introduced them, there's no other instance where I didn't kiss her. Even so, Himeko accepted everything except the first one.

"I adored your bravery back then and you let me kiss you when we reached an understanding."

"That might be true… Still, you're a pervert, Ruki."

"I know. I'm a huge pervert when it comes to my girls. But Himeko, look how close we are right now. You're now comfortable with me."

From her holding onto her back, I moved my arms and completely enclosed her body. Himeko squirmed a bit when she felt it, but that's it. Even if she didn't say it, this girl also likes this closeness between us.

"This… I'm letting you hold me."

She lowered her eyes and uttered an obvious excuse. And in contrast to her words, Himeko tightened her embrace the same way I did it.

Well, let's play with her. I don't need her words; the way she acts to me right now is all I need.

"I see. So that's it? Will you let me put you down on the bed as well?"

I smirked and asked her in a teasing tone.

The way she got flustered upon hearing it was all captured by me and before she could pull herself from me, her lips were once again captured by me.

And that stopped her from moving.

I'm really enjoying this time with Himeko. Not seeing her and interacting with her after a while made me miss her this much. And the change in her character was something I wouldn't miss.

The way she carried herself was more confident than last time.

"I knew it. This is why you chose this room… you said we will only talk."

Himeko muttered after I freed her lips.

"Well, I want to savor this time with you, Himeko. That plan of yours is taking up your time, right?"

The plan to change her father's view of her. In the end, she decided not to involve me even after that talk of helping her.

I can only hear the update from Haruko. Like how she helped Itou on the management of the hotel. Though their control is superficial, their suggestions were being considered.

"… Yes. It's… progressing well."

"I see. Good to hear that. I wish I could also help you."

Himeko shook her head. Afterwards, her arms loosened up to fix her position. She buried her head in my chest as words started to escape from her mouth.

"Uhm… Just hold me like this, Ruki. The truth is… I want this. I keep reminiscing when you hugged me in front of Ya-chan. I felt your utmost care for me. You backed down to calm her down. That's why… this."

From how gentle her voice is, Himeko wholeheartedly expressed what's inside her chest.

During all that, her eyes never break contact with mine. And with a gratifying smile on her face, she ended it by planting a gentle kiss.

If it was our longing for each other earlier, that one kiss she planted on my lips delivered her gratitude to me.

"Then I'll keep hugging you like this. If you need one, don't hesitate to tell me. Also, I can see the change in you, Himeko. I'm really happy for you."

"It's because of you, Ruki. What Haru said is correct. You can bring a change in the people involved with you."

Change the people involved with me…

Somehow, that's correct. And I can't refute it this time. Even if I don't want to take credit for it, they will insist on it.

"Uh… I forgot one more thing, and this can possibly be the most important."

Himeko continued.

After she said that, I felt her heart start beating faster. With an endearing expression present on her face, Himeko's eyes locked me in place.

Even if she hasn't said it yet, I somehow got the premonition of what she was about to say. She's about to confess…

"… I love you, Ruki."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Himeko once again buried her face in my chest. Like a bird that got out of her cage, each and every action of hers became her way to express the words she just said.

I was only expecting her to like me back…

By confessing like that, Himeko overturned my expectation that I became speechless. Apart from tightening my hold on her, I can only stare at the girl happily snuggling on me.