Capítulo 217: Weaving the World’s Most Beautiful Love Words
"M-Megumi?"
Kotomi gasped in surprise as Megumi Kato held her tightly from behind. The distance between them had shrunk to zero, letting them feel each other's heartbeats.
She instinctively tried to pull away, but as Megumi didn't loosen her embrace, Kotomi's resistance faded, as if she were waiting quietly for Megumi to release her.
Or perhaps, in the depths of her heart, she had always longed for this very embrace.
Now, that embrace had finally come.
After a long moment, Megumi gently released Kotomi, guiding her to turn around and face her.
"Kotomi, I really feel like I've waited far too long…"
"Huh?"
"I've waited for far too long for this chance to tell you everything that's in my heart."
Co-Confession?!
At that word, Kotomi felt a strange, unfamiliar shyness. In the countless romance novels and manga she'd read, "confession" appeared so frequently—in innocent school love stories and in mature, straightforward urban romances alike.
It was as though every love story was built and thrived around that word…
Kotomi had read endless stories about love, but when the word "confession" appeared, truly, for the very first time, aimed at her, she was left dazed and flustered, feelings rising that no words could describe.
Could I be reading too much into this?!
Under Megumi's gaze, Kotomi's face grew increasingly red, her mind racing to think of other possibilities. She tried to believe that if she imagined other meanings, she might feel less tense. Yet no matter what she thought of, she couldn't deceive her true feelings deep inside.
She was longing.
She was craving.
She was hoping.
As she looked at Kotomi's nervous yet expectant expression, Megumi couldn't help but smile. "What are you so nervous about?"
"I'm not nervous—I just… it feels kind of strange. I can't really explain it…"
Kotomi averted her eyes, her soft pink gaze clear as water, filling with shy emotion the moment she heard Megumi mention a "confession."
"But I still haven't said those words, have I? Have you already guessed what they might be?" Megumi asked again, noting how Kotomi always seemed to be unexpectedly perceptive at just the wrong times.
"I don't know anything!" Kotomi shouted, her face flushed. "But… I have this feeling that if you say a certain thing, I'll feel extremely embarrassed… Am I… imagining it?"
Megumi reached out, her hand cupping Kotomi's blushing face, her gaze filled with warmth. "No, you're not imagining it."
Megumi could feel the softness of Kotomi's cheek under her fingers, the way she looked, her profile, her eyes, her lips. Every part of Kotomi—from her hair to her expressions, from her daily movements to her every little habit—seemed to grow more addictive by the day. Until now, Megumi realized, it had become something she could no longer resist.
With her face turning a deeper shade of red, Kotomi's gaze lingered on Megumi's lips. Were they as soft as she imagined?
As a whale glided by and the sound of water echoed gently around them, the temperature in the aquarium's Under the Tide exhibit felt slightly cool, and the secluded space became a world just for the two of them.
Then Megumi let out a soft laugh. Her usual light voice now carried a tender warmth, as she whispered in Kotomi's ear:
"Have you been sneaking looks at my lips all this time? Are you wondering if they're tasty? Fragrant? Sweet? Soft?"
Kotomi, her face as red as if caught stealing a sweet as a child, grew even shyer under the accusation. She was so embarrassed she wanted to hide her face.
She'd been caught sneaking a look! Am I really that obvious?!
"You… you could pretend I didn't look at anything or make any moves at all!" Kotomi stammered, blushing, trying to bring her hands up to cover her now burning face.
But Megumi, who had anticipated this, gently took hold of her hands, preventing her from covering her face, leaving Kotomi's shy, flushed face fully exposed for Megumi to see.
Kotomi's feelings were even more flustered than if Megumi had seen her completely undressed.
"Oh, but I definitely noticed your little glances~ They were so obvious and cute, there was no way I could miss them, right?"
Megumi's gaze then fell on Kotomi's lips as well. Her soft, tempting lips, initially pressed together, were now caught up in the atmosphere, slowly parting as the mood became more intense, and she nervously bit down on her lower lip.
—There was a story about a flower whose petals were so irresistibly alluring that one would want to devour them upon first sight.
Megumi remembered this from a bedtime story her grandmother had read to her when she was little.
The details of the story were long forgotten, but that single sentence remained with her.
In my eyes, Kotomi is that flower.
Megumi thought to herself.
The two stood close, close enough to feel each other's breaths and hear their quickening heartbeats. Every little shift or change was visible to the other.
Megumi's fair face took on a soft blush, and her gaze held a depth of feeling that Kotomi had never seen before. Kotomi's lips parted slightly.
"Megumi… I…"
Megumi took another step forward, tilting up slightly to meet her, as she whispered words of love:
"Kotomi, I like you."
Under the deep sea, the whale's call echoed like a song, weaving together the world's most beautiful words.
"I love you, Kotomi. Will you go out with me? Will you—be my girlfriend?"
"I…"
And Kotomi?
She couldn't say a word.
But sometimes, responses don't have to be in words. They can also be expressed in actions.
Kotomi rose slightly on her tiptoes, answering Megumi's confession with her actions.
—When you truly want to kiss someone from the depths of your heart, the instincts buried deep within awaken, guiding you without a sound.
Kotomi had always thought such words were just used to heighten romance. Only now did she realize that they held a grounded truth.
Countless thoughts ebbed and flowed like tides in her mind, rising, falling, sinking, resurfacing, merging into a single line of thought.
Kiss Megumi. Kiss her.
Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned forward and pressed her lips, unskilled but eager, against Megumi's.
Megumi's lips felt like petals, soft and damp as if fresh from rain. As if without thinking, Kotomi lightly bit them, unsure whether to continue.
In response, Megumi told Kotomi what to do next through action, pressing her lips down firmly, embracing her with a gentle intensity.
Megumi wished, with all her heart, that this moment could last forever.
——If there truly is a god who can hear my prayers, then please, let time remain still forever in this moment.
Finishing this silent prayer, Megumi tightened her arms around Kotomi's back, while Kotomi's arms found their way around Megumi's neck.
Their first kiss was gentle, yet so intense that everything else faded away.
They poured every fiber of their being into it, savoring, and imprinting this moment upon their memories.
Maybe it was the hidden corner they stood in, or maybe they were both so entirely lost in each other's presence that neither of them noticed the third person who had appeared in the Under the Tide exhibit—Arisu Sakayanagi.
"Ko…Kotomi…"
Standing in the entryway to the Under the Tide exhibit, leaning on her cane, Arisu's gaze was vacant as she looked ahead at the pair holding each other, kissing deeply.
She recognized them both. One was the person she loved, loved, loved the most: Kotomi Izumi. And the other was Kotomi's classmate, Megumi Kato.
Why were they at the aquarium together?
Could it be that Kotomi had turned down her invitation just to be here with Megumi?
Arisu bit her fingernail hard as a sharp ache radiated through her chest.
Kotomi…
What is Kotomi doing?
Kotomi, I'm begging you! Don't accept her confession! You're supposed to be my girlfriend!
Kotomi's lips…
That expression on Kotomi's face—I've never seen it before! Kotomi is mine!
Gripping her cane tightly, a loud creak filled the air as the fine wood of her expensive cane emitted a sound that could have shattered bones. But even this sound went unnoticed by the pair, who were lost in each other's arms.
Arisu turned, taking heavy steps as she left the exhibit and headed toward the aquarium's exit. Memories of her last conversation with Kotomi echoed in her mind.
"I want to invite you to the aquarium! Is that okay?"
"Saturday at the aquarium? I'm sorry, but I've got some things to take care of that day. Let's go next time, alright?"
"She lied to me. Kotomi actually lied to me… Since when did Kotomi learn how to lie? She's always told me everything. She's always been my sweet, honest girl who would never lie to me!"
Arisu muttered under her breath, her face darkening as she recalled Kotomi's rejection of her invitation and the scene she had just witnessed in the Under the Tide exhibit. Her pale fingers curved inward with a terrifying ferocity as she gritted her teeth, face twisted with rage:
"It's supposed to be me kissing Kotomi. It's all Megumi's fault! It's all Megumi's fault! In that case… I'll take back what belongs to me!"
Inside the Under the Tide exhibit.
Sweetness filled her heart, and Kotomi Izumi leaned against Megumi, looking soft and breathless.
Megumi rested her cheek against Kotomi's ear, gently brushing her short, snowy hair with her hand.
"Shall we go explore somewhere else?" Megumi's hand lightly stroked her cheek, her voice gentle as a midnight whisper.
"Mm…"
Kotomi slowly released Megumi's hand, a soft, dreamy smile on her face, feeling utterly content.
Before this, she had been complaining about when she'd finally find someone to call her own. Now, her wish had come true; she had found her very first love.
Should she post a celebratory tweet about being officially taken? Just like how people back home would announce it on their social media.
But that was just a silly thought—something she'd only ever imagine doing. Right now, she wasn't quite ready to post anything. After all, her younger sister, her parents, grandparents, and even her aunt and uncle followed her on Twitter.
Surprising them all without any warning was the last thing she wanted.
Having a girlfriend was wonderful, yes, but she knew that her family—especially her parents—might not be ready for the news that their daughter was dating another girl.
They'd need a little time to prepare for that first.
Telling your parents about your relationship and expecting their instant support without considering their feelings first—Kotomi thought that was a very immature approach. She'd never do that.
As much as she loved Megumi, she still wanted to be considerate. It's not that parents don't love their kids if they need time to understand; people just tend to act impulsively when they're in love.
It was completely fine to come out if she wanted to—after all, all types of love were equal and deserved respect.
But in Kotomi's view, telling her family should be done with thought and care. Her parents' feelings were important too.
Someday, she would tell her family, openly and fearlessly.
And Megumi thought the same way.
"Shall we go? How about we catch the dolphin show?" Megumi suggested, reaching out to hold Kotomi's hand.
Kotomi bit her lip, hesitating to take Megumi's hand. Instead, she shyly tugged on the hem of Megumi's shirt, her face flushed as she stammered out each word:
"One kiss…wasn't enough! I want more!"
Megumi blinked in mild surprise before her expression softened with boundless affection.
"Then let me satisfy you properly."
She wrapped her arms around Kotomi and kissed her.
Kotomi had wanted to take the lead this time, to be the one in control, but before she was even ready, Megumi pulled her into an embrace and captured her lips without warning.
And, as expected, Megumi remained in charge this time too.
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