CH 17

“Here we are. Welcome to my room.”

“… Sorry to bother you.”

After finishing dinner and getting ready for bed, I was invited to Aina’s room.

I was inexplicably thrilled to seeing Aina in her orange-toned floral pajamas. No, I wasn’t feeling that strange in particular. I was just thrilled not only because of her comfy outfit, which was completely different from her school uniform and regular clothes but also because I was currently in her room.

“Ahaha, don’t be so nervous. You won’t be able to sleep if you stay like that, you know?”

I tried to calm down my nervousness…

That being said…

I thought back to what happened earlier,

We had a great time during dinner.

I learned that the ladies don’t eat out and always have dinner at home. Ever since the father had passed away, the four of them haven’t had dinner together, but now that I’m with them, they decided to have a hot-pot for dinner for all of us.(E/N: I was also confused with the “four” but it looks like thats the number author said in the raw, just don’t mind it atm.)

As for me, although I wondered if I was allowed to eat with them, Aina and the others reassured me with their smiles, telling me not to worry about it.

So we sat around the pot and had dinner while talking about various things in particular… It was such a nostalgic warmth.

“Come, Hayato-kun, have a seat.”

“O-okay…”

Aina called me, so I was forced to snap back to reality.

I looked around. It was a beautiful room that’s been well cleaned… So this is what a girl’s room looks like. Although the study desk was a bit cluttered, the many toys on the bed looked kind of funny.

Not wanting to just stand there, I sat down on the cushion provided.

“Is this your first time in a girl’s room?”

“… That’s right.”

“Fufu, that means I’m Hayato-kun’s first!”

First… The h**l?! Don’t say such misleading words!

Anyone would’ve been flustered if they were like me, someone who didn’t have a girlfriend, that would be the case, right?

I wondered if someone who has a girlfriend or is accustomed to women would be able to maintain a sense of normalcy in a situation like this.

“… Ehehe.”

We are both sitting on the floor, and Aina has her elbows propped up on the table while her chin on her hands, smiling at me… looking really cute. Seeing her like that eased my tension and I unconsciously yawned.

“… Fuwan”

Which was a fairly big yawn, I might’ve been more tired than I thought, due to a combination of tension and other factors.

“Well, it’s already ten o’clock. Besides… you’re probably tired, right? Forcing you to stay over today might’ve been a bit of an inconvenience, Sorry about that, Hayato-kun.”

“Oh, no-no, there’s no need to apologize!”

That’s right, no need to apologize.

It was a sudden decision and I was actually troubled by it, but I knew that they were thinking of me when they made that proposal. After knowing that I have no family left, they cared enough to make up for that loneliness that I feel.

“…I was the one at fault for making you pity me due to telling you about my family.”

When I said this, Aina reached out her hand as quickly as she could…

And wrapped both of her hands around mine, which somehow felt warm, yeah her hands were definitely warm.

“Still, I’m glad you told us about it. You always said there’s no need to thank you, but I can’t help but want to repay the favor, Hayato-kun.”

“… I see.”

“Yeah. So it’s all right… everything will be fine, you know. Because from now on, we’re with you.”

……

Not good, I feel like my face is getting so hot right now. I don’t know if it’s already bright red earlier, but now I’m sure it already is.

Noticing my embarrassment, Aina didn’t say anything after that, which I was thankful for.

But still, —we’re with you, I heard that correctly, right?

But… That’s dangerous, understanding why I am so happy at this moment. I don’t want to let go of the warmth that comes from the palm of her hands now.

“Well, let’s put a futon on the floor for now.”

“… Ah.”

Aina’s words made me so nervous again that the nervousness I had felt earlier blew away.(E/N: Yeah. what?)

It was already nighttime, one of the reasons why Aina had asked me earlier if I could sleep in her room was due to cleaning and various other reasons they said, so I had to sleep in her room.

But well, she was the first one to suggest that I sleep in her room, then Arisa and Sakuna-san nodded their heads in agreement without saying anything in particular.

But still… I wondered if it was okay for a man and woman of the same age to sleep in the same room… Even if I was their benefactor back then, the trust they had in me was too thick and heavy that I had to strongly remind myself that I could never betray and had to have a heart of steel for them.

“Allow me to help you.”

“This much, is fine.”

No, but, you’re letting me stay here tonight, so that’s the least I can do.

As I was about to head for the place where the futon she had brought beforehand was placed, my legs suddenly went numb.

“… Oh, ah!?”

“Eh? Kya!?”

When I tried to stand up, I got my legs entangled and ended up falling on Aina.

Quickly, I put my body down and held her up so that she wouldn’t get hurt.

“I’m sorry… are you okay?”

“Un. I’m fine…?”

I was relieved to see that she seemed uninjured.

However, Aina stopped speaking with a blank look on her face.

What’s wrong, I thought, and then I knew what happened after feeling something soft on my palm…

What happened was…

My left hand was squeezing her ample b*****s. It was soft and warm to the touch, and my fingers sank into it gradually, but it was also elastic enough to push it back.

“S-sorry!”

I immediately pulled my hand away from Aina, immediately thinking, now I’ve done it.

I was scared of what she would say, but Aina only giggled and made a joke of it. She smiled at me as if she didn’t mind that I had touched her b*****s.

“Hahaha! Hayato-kun, you’re too flustered. I won’t get angry just because you touched my breast, you know?”

“… Is that so?”

“I don’t know about others but for me… fufu, if you want, I can let you touch these as much as you want.”

With a snap, she unbuttoned her top.

The cleavage was exposed as her b*****s shook. I quickly averted my gaze when I saw a small dark spot on her left breast.

“… It’s fine, if it’s you, Hayato-kun—”

“I heard something very loud just now, what happened?”

Just as Aina was muttering something, Arisa entered the room.

Though far from her usual cool appearance, I thought I saw a savior, since I saw her wearing pajamas with a hamster’s face painted in a close-up.

“What a disappointment… Nee-san, you came in at a bad time!!”

“Hmmm?”

It was natural that she would be confused as she didn’t know what was happening.

But the way she was confusingly tilting her head was very cute. But…

,,,Why in the world does Arisa have a Futon with her?

“I’ll be sleeping here too. I’ve already told Aina.”

“… Eh?”

“Yeah, the two of us and you, Hayato-kun, are going to sleep here together today, okay?”

……

Then, immediately, a futon was laid out for me and Arisa to use, and Aina also laid out a futon for her to sleep by my side, even though there was a bed that is supposed to be for her.

The three beddings are arranged in a splendid row, reminiscent of a river character in Chinese.

“I’ll turn off the light, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

Thus once the three of us laid down on the futon, Aina turned off the light.

The sensation of someone being near me and the sound of the futon rubbing against my ear was strangely alluring. I was so panicked inside that I even became aware of the ticking of the clock.

“… Su… haaa”

I took a deep breath to calm my mind.

Then, fortunately, I immediately felt sleepy. Come to think of it, I was sleepy earlier. After I had an exchange with Aina, I just forgot about it.

“You were sleepy after all.”

“Aina’s not in the mood, but it’s bedtime for me, too, so that’s normal.”

“You make it sound like I stay up late…”

“Am I wrong?”

They really get along, these two.

… Ah, that’s right. I forgot in my nervousness that it’s been so long since I’ve had someone by my side at night. I’ve been alone at night for a long time because I didn’t stay out overnight. When night came, I was alone… all the time.

“… It’s sudden but, thank you so much for letting me stay here. I feel like I’m remembering the warmth of my family for the first time in a while.”

Feeling drowsy… my body relaxed on its own.

“It’s okay. Good night, Hayato-kun.”

“Don’t worry. Good night, Hayato-kun.”

Hearing their voices from both sides, I fell asleep sooner than I expected.

Just before my consciousness sank completely into darkness, I felt something wrap around both of my hands.

“From now on, always.”

“We will always be with you.”

.

.

.

There are many forms of love.

Some are pure, some are fearful, and some are self-centered.

In such a situation, the love directed toward him is very deep and heavy, a bottomless swamp of love that makes him want to drown. But it is a love that makes him want to fill a missing part of his heart without realizing it, a love that binds him even when the girls do not intend it to.

What would happen if both those who seek love and those who seek to give it collide?

The answer is simple:

It’ll mix in without resistance.

[Postscript]

I will do my best to write a love story that’ll make you want to drown rather than a love that scares you.