Kapitel 169: We are a couple, right?
Just before the sunset, the clouds drifting westward suddenly parted as if an invisible hand had swept the thin clouds blocking the orange sun to either side.
Between two patches of red clouds, warm sunlight burst forth from a gap in a pink cloud layer that it illuminated, its beams distinct and clear.
The warm halo of light spilled over the vibrant earth, leaving traces of warmth.
In the refraction of the light, rays stretching from the distant horizon clung to skyscrapers, wrapping them into the day's remaining narrow warmth and also leaving bright halos on the external glass facades.
In this dim twilight, during the rush hour of commuting, streams of vehicles converged, filling the already cramped roads with a flood of metal.
Listening to the 'humming' roar of car engines.
Sasaki retracted his gaze from the surroundings, carrying fruits and vegetables purchased from the convenience store, and walked into th high-rise building bathed in the warm sunset nearby.
...
"Hmm?"
A somewhat hoarse and sweetly syrupy hum resonated in the dimly lit bedroom.
A slender arm stretched out from the flowing pink quilt and accurately turned on the light switch at the bedside.
The dazzling light rushed into her eyes like a tide, causing Kashiwabara Momo to involuntarily squint her weary eyes.
Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she sat up completely naked, hugging the thin blanket in front of her, surveying the familiar bedroom.
Recent memories churned in her slightly aching head, and recalling something, she instinctively patted the still-warm spot beside her on the bed but found no trace of that unfamiliar yet intimately close presence.
A rush of pani spread through her and the girl turned to look beside her, only to see an empty, deflated blanket.
As if not believing, she flipped the blanket beside her only to find nothing but a patch of deep red petals lying on the pink sheets.
Seeing this, the tip of her nose became sour and with mist forming in her azure eyes, Kashiwabara Momo was about to sniffle when a fiery sensation in her throat made her cough out loud.
"Cough, cough~"
The intense coughing made the blurred tears in her eyes roll down and fall onto her fingertips.
Just as she was about to wipe away the pearls of tears that fell incessantly, she suddenly noticed a glass of water on the bedside table that hadn't been there before.
And also noticed the note pressed under the water glass.
[When you wake up, I might not have returned from shopping yet, drink some water first, I'll be back soon. - Sasaki]
Murmuring the message to herself, Momo felt the warmth transmitted to her palm and fingertips through the glass and the snowy coolness of sorrow in her heart gradually melted away,
But the crystal clear tears rolling out of her foggy eyes became more numerous.
Drip, drip—
A few salty bitter tears fell into the glass held in her hands.
Not wanting to wet the note in her palms, nor wanting to mix her tears into the water in the glass, Kashiwabara Momo tilted her head back and drank the water in the glass in one gulp.
With her lips glistening lightly from the moisture, she blinked.
As if savoring the faint sweetness in her mouth, the taste of water just felt like a rock candy, and a small smile curled the corners of her mouth.
As she lay on the bed, hugging the blanket, gently murmuring the message on the note.
A sound of the front door opening echoed from the entrance, followed by unmasked footsteps through the door closest to the living room, reaching her ears.
Click—
Tap, tap—
Eliminating the possibility of her parents who might not come back once a month.
Then the person with the key to the door was self-evident.
Slipping a white shirt that had fallen off the bed over her body to cover herself modestly, Kashiwabara Momo quickly ran to the living room.
As she expected, standing in the living room, placing the shopping bags he was carrying on the table, was the person who was had just taken her body.
Before she could speak, noticing her presence, Sasaki turned his head.
"Why are you dressed like that? Aren't you cold?"
Watching the girl who had just been playing with him for hours running out wearing only a shirt,
Sasaki draped his coat over her and bent down to scoop her up by her legs, lifting her into his arms.
He hadn't realized when she was sitting in the park, but on the way home, Sasaki noticed that this girl was quite tall.
Even taller than Miyajima Sakura.
Thus, although her soft melons were fat and big, similar to the idiot Chifuyu, they didn't appear disproportionate due to her height so they didn't have the same shocking impact that stupid girl gave.
This was something he had only discovered when they were being honest with each other.
Actually, when she had asked him in the park if he wanted to come to her house, he didn't want to go with her.
After all, those who ask such things are either from a remote area or like a nymph leaping around.
The former is prone to diseases, and the latter to being duped.
So Sasaki's first thought was to keep his distance from her.
But her expression was neither frivolous nor licentious; it was only shy and hopeful.
It was hard for Sasaki to associate this beautiful girl with those kinds of people.
Simply put, his heart was stirred and he beautified her to give himself an excuse
Then, relying on his extraordinary physique, he wanted to probe her intentions.
However, aside from his stirred feelings, he genuinely felt this girl was not that kind of person.
To figure out what her deal was.
The good citizen Sasaki happily accepted her invitation.
Of course, he was merely curious to know her situation and did not intend to do anything inappropriate.
But to say he didn't want something to happen with her would definitely be a lie.
After all, this girl had the looks, the body, a pleasant voice, and was openly inviting—any man would find it hard to refuse.
So Sasaki didn't refuse, but he didn't fully commit either.
He was just curious.
Without knowing the full situation, he didn't want to act on impulse and bring trouble to Otome and Rinka.
Though his constitution was strong and likely immune to most things, one can never be too sure…
'Judging from the puppets she made... maybe her family is not well off and she needs some money?'
He asked the reason but got no response, so Sasaki could only guess at it in his mind.
But this fantasy disappeared without a trace after he found out where she lived.
'Are you telling me that people who live in large apartments are short of money?'
Sasaki did not resist as his concerns were overwhelmed by the girl's enthusiasm and the massiveness she offered.
Holding the girl's soft body and thinking about what happened before, he was about to take a step and send her back to the room when he heard her say in a soft and sweet voice:
"It's because I wanted to see you, Fuyumi~"
Swinging her delicate, evenly toned, beautifully curved feet, Kashiwabara Momo stretched her milky-white arms around Sasaki's neck and gently pressed a kiss on his lips:
"Do you want it? Actually, we don't need to go back to the room. Mom and Dad are usually away for work, so we can do it without worries~?"
"Kashiwahara~" Sasaki swallowed, looking at the girl in his arms, looking at that shy yet bold smile lighting up her pure, sweet face, he felt his whole body start to burn.
"Sure~ You know, I only came out in a shirt."
Like a clingy kitten, constantly nuzzling and kissing his cheek, with her cheeks flushed, her voice sweet as honey, the girl corrected his address:
"Also, you should call me Momo."
"Like the kind of peach you can eat?"
"Mhm~ A peach you can eat~?"
...
Crunch—
He bit into a washed, sweet and juicy pink peach, taking a bite out.
Afterwards, Sasaki, who had lost the habit of smoking, ate the peaches he had bought from the convenience store one by one, leaning back in his chair, admiring the splendid night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
With her face blushing under the soft overhead light, Kashiwabara Momo, whose sweet face emitted a near-pearlescent glow, delicately ate the fried rice Sasaki had prepared for her.
Looking at the lights lit by countless workers working overtime under the cover of night.
As if remembering something, Sasaki reached into his trouser pocket and took out a silver bracelet.
"Momo~ Here."
Taking the unremarkable bracelet he handed her, the girl puffed her creamy cheeks, swallowed the rice in her mouth, and asked with twinkling clear eyes, tilting her head:
"A gift?"
After tossing the leftover peach pit into the trash, Sasaki stood at the kitchen's edge, turned on the faucet to wash his hands, and said:
"Sort of. Wear it on your left wrist, and if someone asks, isn't it a good excuse?"
Putting down her spoon, the girl looked at his back, pulled her sleeve over the scars left from self-harm:
"Ah, so Fuyumi noticed."
Shaking the water off his hands and drying them with a towel, Sasaki turned around and sat next to her, taking her delicate, soft hand:
"Which part of you haven't I seen? How could I not notice?"
Shouldn't it be said, the hands that can make so many dolls?
Though the dolls aren't that pretty…
But Momo's hands are truly beautiful.
Her fingers are slender and long but not bony, the palms soft, the back of her hands smooth and delicate, holding them feels like holding warm, soft jade.
After placing the silver bracelet on her wrist and taking a few looks, Sasaki smiled:
"Much better, right~?"
Pursing her lips, Kashiwabara Momo, looking at the extremely ordinary yet shiny bracelet on her wrist, and the distressing, ugly scars hidden beneath it, touched the cool bracelet, lowered her eyebrows and asked softly, "Fuyumi, do you mind?"
Looking at the message on his phone from Otome, informing him that her parents were back and she couldn't cook for him, Sasaki turned his head and asked, "Mind what?"
"About having so many dolls, and the… scars… on my wrist."
She knew that people here might distance themselves from someone who seemed strange just to fit in.
But Sasaki wasn't exactly a local born and bred.
So he wouldn't act against his feelings just because of others' opinions.
He pinched her cheek, softer than the peaches they ate, and shook his head indifferently, "Having many dolls just means you want more friends, that's not strange at all. And the scars on your wrist… everyone gets bumps and bruises. It's just that your scars make people more concerned, but to me, it's really nothing."
Snap—
"Fuyumi~ you knew then…"
As she spoke, she glanced at the tears that had fallen onto the back of her hand, breaking apart.
Sasaki, however lifted her tear-stained, delicate face, and wiped her tears while smiling,
"It wasn't hard to guess. If you had even one friend, you wouldn't have approached me the way you did, right? No friends… parents often not at home… you only had dolls for company. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
Without mentioning her self-harming due to loneliness, Sasaki wiped her tears, looked into her red, swollen eyes and said:
"Let's eat first."
"Okay~" Sniffling, Kashiwabara Momo took a bite of the fried rice, glanced at the empty space in front of Sasaki, and pushed her plate towards him, scooping up a spoonful of rice for him, "Eat some more, okay?"
"Okay~"
Watching him warmly as he took the spoon she had used into his mouth.
Liking the cozy atmosphere between them, Kashiwabara Momo, after feeding him another spoonful, asked with an especially sweet and charming smile, "Fuyumi~ so starting today, we are a couple, right?"
"Uh…"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein