บท 125: Side-effects (2)

Normally, holding Claire in a princess carry as she now rather peacefully dozed off within my arms would be enough to get me going like crazy. 

Maybe not even in the strictly erotic sense, but rather by filling my heart with a sense of great warmth, something that no mere sexual attraction could ever match. 

A sense of the warmth of the other person, the trust necessary for her to only gain peaceful sleep when held close in my arms, and the welcoming manner in which her limbs wrapped around me. All of those things combined created what I could only describe as being showered in silent, mature, and intimate affection. 

But that's how it was supposed to feel. 

And with Chihiro's words still ringing at the back of my head, I simply could not perceive this moment as such. 

'Thinking about it, isn't he quite right?'