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Chapter 63: Late Night Chat with Aina
Suddenly, late at night, I woke up.
When I turned to the side, I saw Aina sleeping quietly, facing towards me.
Admiring her cute appearance as she clung onto the hem of my pajamas, I gently released her hand.
“Yawn…it’s rare for me to wake up at this time.”
I looked at the clock and it was only one o’clock in the morning.
I got up and left the room quietly, so as not to wake Arisa and Sakuna who were also staying over. aT this hour, they must have already been fast asleep, but just to be sure…
I went to the bathroom, then drank barley tea in the living room as I felt a bit thirsty.
Even though it was almost the end of February, the weather was still chilly. I wasn’t wearing anything over my pajamas, so I would be in trouble if I caught a cold.
“Getting sick and having someone take care of me…they’d probably be happy to take care of me, but I wouldn’t want them to get it. Health comes first, after all!”
I said to myself, wondering if this was some kind of flag.
Lately, or rather, I haven’t caught a cold in a while, but it seems that when situations like this happen, I tend to catch one easily
“…It’s cold, let’s go back.”
I quickly washed the cup and returned to the room. It seemed that Aina was still asleep, lying down.
I was worried about waking her up, but relieved to see that she was still asleep.
When I got on the bed, it made a creaking sound, but I was still able to return to my original position quietly.
“…I can’t sleep though.”
Although I felt a little sleepy, my mind was still alert.
Come to think of it… in times like this, when alone, I would try out various sleeping positions.
But since Aina was next to me, I couldn’t toss and turn as much… this was troublesome. While looking up at the ceiling, I then heard a chuckle.
“Aina?”
“Yep. You woke me up♪”
“…Sorry about that.”
“Nah, it’s totally fine. Having trouble sleeping?”
I nodded.
“Okay then.” She laughed and hugged my arm, snuggling up closer. It seems that not only Aina, but also Arisa and Sakuna loved to do this. They always want to touch and feel, even if it’s just a little bit.
“Umm…hey Aina.”
“What’s up?”
“Can I hug you tightly?”
“…Sure, why not?”
The point is not just to hold, but to hug on tight.
With her consent, I let go of Aina’s hand and turned to face her. I wrapped my arms around her back and tangled my legs with hers as I held on tight.
“Whoa!”
“…Ah, it’s so warm and soft.”
I sounded like an old man, but I don’t care.
Like holding a body pillow, I enveloped Aina. Her feminine softness, warmth as a person, and her own fragrance made me happy.
“Now you can’t escape”
“Escape?”
“I won’t let you escape.”
Aina was caught by me and couldn’t move freely, but she was happy from it and even pressed her forehead against my chest more. Her beautiful chestnut hair came into view, and I naturally stroked her hair with my hand.
“It’s so smooth.”
“I take good care of it. I want to be a girl who is not ashamed to be by Hayato-kun’s side anytime, anywhere.”
“Any kind of Aina is not shameful… and your scent is nice too.”
“That shampoo has a really nice smell.”
It was a luxury to hold Aina tightly in the dark of the night when everything was quiet…just holding her made me truly happy. We continued to cuddle even though we knew we couldn’t sleep if we kept going.
“… Ah.”
“What’s up?”
“…I think I need to go to the bathroom.”
Ah, the same as me.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said as she got out of bed. I almost told her to take her time, but it seemed a bit like a sexual harassment, so I decided not to.
“So, what are you doing here?”
While I was waiting for Aina, for some reason I remembered the first time she spoke to me. That was when I was on the rooftop watching Arisa being confessed to when Aina suddenly approached me from behind.
“Come to think of it, we were really close at that time.”
When she hugged me from behind, I was really surprised.
“No matter what he says, Nee-san won’t accept him, I want to point my index finger at him and laugh, while saying he has no chance of winning her heart.”
“…Umm, Shinjo-san.”
“What? Are you embarrassed that my b*****s are pressed against you?”
Ah yes, that reminds me, we had this exchange.
I thought she was being very straight forward, and that’s when I was told to call her by her name as well, as I recall.
“I’m back♪”
“I was waiting for you.”
“It’s so cold outside! Warm me up, Hayato-kun!”
“Alright, come here!”
She threw off the covers and jumped into bed next to me with a lot of energy. I pulled the covers over both of us, covering our bodies completely.
“Ahh, I got eaten♪”
“But I haven’t eaten you yet.”
“Do you want to eat me?”
“You sure?”
“Yeah♪ I’m always up for it.”
“It’s late at night, so let’s not.”
“…Muu, you meanie!!”
Well, it’s about one-thirty in the morning because we’ve been up since earlier. Both Aina and I have school tomorrow, and if we stay up too late, tomorrow will be tough for us. Plus, I’ve heard that staying up late is bad for a woman’s skin.
“…”
“……”
Well, when we have nothing to do, all we can do is look at each other. We both started laughing, and I lay back. Aina was still lying on her side, looking at me, and she hugged my arm and got into the same position as before.
“I guess this is the best way to sleep.”
“Me too. I feel calm knowing Aina is next to me.”
“I love you.”
Her hug tightened slightly.
As we both stayed quiet, I heard Aina’s breathing start to even out. I glanced over and confirmed that she was asleep.
“Well, I guess it’s just me left.”
If Aina is sleeping, I should sleep soon too…though I hadn’t consciously thought about it, I was starting to get sleepy. Lately, I’ve never gone to bed without someone next to me, and my days are filled with always having someone by my side.
“… I can’t go back now. I can’t go back to the days when they weren’t around.”
I had always been alone. That’s why I couldn’t bear to let go of the warmth I had finally obtained. No matter what anyone said or did, I would never let go of them.
“But, I guess it’s true that seeing Aina in her off-duty clothes is a privilege only I have.”
It’s a well-known fact that she, who is called one of the beautiful sisters along with Arisa, is popular.
Her appearance and smile have captured the hearts of many boys, who confessed to her and get rejected.
But they only know Aina in her uniform and the casual clothes that they happened to see. The girl next to me now is wearing pajamas with a big, slightly unattractive Yuru-chara drawn on it, which would probably surprise even her friends.
“Good night, Aina.”
“Hehe~♪”
Hmm? Is she still awake?
I thought so, but Aina was actually sleeping. Moreover, she was drooling and muttering my name in her sleep…
“I wonder if I’m some kind of feast or something in Aina’s dreams?”
I was very curious about what kind of dream she was having.
However, I couldn’t keep staring at Aina like that. I reached his limit and closed my eyes, falling asleep immediately.
Nights spent sleeping next to a beloved person were always warm, even in winter.
And then, when I woke up in the morning, Aina wasn’t there. Instead, when I lifted the blanket, she was there…
“Oh, good morning.”
… In a way, I guess you could say that waking up in the morning with a good feeling is one of the blessings they bring me.