Kaito was brought along by Chiaki to a nearby department store. When she was younger, it was Kaito who held Chiaki’s hand, but now it was Kaito who was being led by Chiaki.
“Chiaki, could you please calm down a bit?”
“No! It would be the worst if it’s sold out for me!”
Rather than merely holding hands, it would be more accurate to say that Chiaki was leading Kaito around by linking their arms together. Kaito was pulled along by her assertively, and taken all the way to the front of a café.
“Here, they have special sweets for couples, so let’s have some!”
“Ah, yeah… I see.”
“Fufufu, let’s eat up.”
Kaito’s expression became somewhat indescribable at the words “couples only.” It wasn’t as if there was a profound meaning to it; Chiaki had told him that she simply wanted to eat it and brought Kaito along. However, he still felt that there might be more to it than just that.
Particularly, Kaito seemed to be holding back in his replies. He could also sense Chiaki’s subtle urging for an answer to come soon.
“Oooh, the parfait here looks delicious! Don’t you think, Kaito?”
“Yeah, it does look tasty.”
“I wonder if we appear like a couple to others around us.”
“I’m not sure.”
Even when she was still a child, Kaito had been asked by Chiaki if he wanted to come to a couples-only store like this. However, since Chiaki looked quite young back then, Kaito had rejected the idea, fearing it could lead to a huge misunderstanding if they were seen together in such a place.
Kaito took his seat while thinking about how much she had grown since then. Sitting across from him was Chiaki, who should have been much younger. Her hair was still silky smooth, but her facial features had matured and taken on a more alluring quality.
Her body had also matured, and her legs were long. Chiaki herself sometimes worries about her slightly thick thighs, having been teased about it by Chinatsu. She also had concerns about her shoulders getting incredibly tense due to her noticeably ample chest.
“Wow, that parfait looks delicious.”
“I’m good, you go ahead and eat.”
“No way! This one is meant to be shared between the two of us! Here, say ‘aaahn’!”
She scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and brought it to Kaito’s lips. He couldn’t refuse when she offered it to him with sparkling eyes and a pure gaze. He opened his mouth and took a bite.
“This is delicious. It feels like it’s made with good quality milk.”
“Kaito’s seal of approval, huh! In that case, I’ll have a bite too! Mmm! So tasty!”
While thinking that her sparkling smile hadn’t changed since old times, Kaito couldn’t help but be drawn into her happiness and found himself smiling too. Emotions have a contagious nature, and smiles can bring happiness to others as well. Chiaki’s smile gently created a heartwarming atmosphere in Kaito’s heart.
“After we finish eating, help me pick out some clothes, okay?”
“I don’t think I have much fashion sense, though.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
After they finished eating, Kaito was led to the clothing section, their arms linked together. Chiaki held a pair of jeans against her waist.
“I was told my thighs are too thick… Chinatsu said they’re too plump.”
“So, you want to make them look slimmer with jeans?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never really thought they were that thick…”
“Yeah, right? Besides, Chinatsu’s thighs are just as plump.”
“I think both of your thighs are pretty normal…”
For some reason, after buying jeans, Chiaki seemed intent on heading to the underwear section.
“No, I’m not going there. Seriously,” Kaito said.
“Eeeh, come on! But if they get bigger again, I’ll have to buy new ones!”
“Just go by yourself.”
“But I also want to pick the color that Kaito likes.”
“No, it’s fine to do such a thing on your own.”
“…Alright, then let’s do it another time! I’ll come with Chiharu!”
“Please do that.”
After boarding the car together, they started heading home. Everyone had gone out, so once again, they were all alone together.
“Thanks for driving, Kaito!”
“Ahh.”
“All right, now let’s take a nap!”
“Suddenly?”
“I think Kaito is tired from driving! I’ll lend you the bed in my room, just for this.”
“Well, it’s not really――”
“――Come on, just do it!”
Again, he was pulled around with firm strength. While it was possible to shake off her grip by exerting force, Kaito just didn’t feel like doing that to Chiaki. So, even though he wasn’t very sleepy, he couldn’t resist her.
For the time being, he was made to lie down on the bed.
“I’m not really sleepy…”
“It’s okay, you’ll fall asleep eventually! Sle~~ep, sle~~ep, Kaito~, sleep~.”
“Adults don’t usually listen to lullabies, you know…”
After a while, Kaito still couldn’t seem to fall asleep. However, it seemed like Chiaki was patiently waiting for him to drift off…
“Alright~, Kaito, this time I’ll be your human pillow!”
“Well, I’m not sure about that.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine!”
With that, she gently guided Kaito’s head to rest near her thigh. She stroked his head and whispered repeatedly.
“…”
While feeling an indescribable sense of embarrassment, Kaito gradually became a little drowsy. As it happened, he ended up taking a nap.
“Asleep? You’re asleep, right?”
When Kaito dozed off, Chiaki rested his head on the bed. She then lay down beside him.
“Being over 20, it’s not the time for me to be acting like an edgy teenager, right? I should probably tone down the Chuunibyou antics… But rather than pretending to be an adult, pretending to be a kid allows me to do whatever I want with Kaito and lets me be spoiled…”
Chiaki murmured to herself. All traces of childishness had completely disappeared. She had matured into a woman, fully embracing her identity as one.
“No matter how much time passes, you never give me a response… You know, even 《《I (Watashi)》》have my limits. It’s Kaito’s fault for teasing me like this.”
“Hehe, I can totally relate to Chinatsu saying she’s reaching her limits… It’s getting to that point where our emotions can’t be held back much longer. If you won’t respond, it means I have no choice but to resort to more forceful measures. Kaito… but still, I love you.”
“――I love you the most.”
She nestled closer to the sleeping Kaito. This was one of the potential futures where Kaito’s hesitation to give his response had turned Chiaki into an assertive predator.
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