Whether the situation was good or bad, it was obviously the latter. Still, I felt like I had overcome plenty of hardships in the past. It had been quite a while since I’d found myself in such a flustered predicament, but surely it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
Thinking back on it, I’d gained a fair amount of Romantic Experience Points over time, and I’d become capable of responding calmly to various situations. Even with things as they were now, if I looked at my past experiences, I should be able to handle this coolly... As if!
If the person with me were one of my lovers, I would have had some mental leeway. Even then, considering she was asleep, the situation wouldn't be great... but even if my thoughts wandered in a strange direction, I felt like I would have been forgiven.
But the person currently hugging my waist was Kaori-san. She wasn't my lover, though she was certainly a cute, bright, and charming woman. I absolutely could not do anything untoward. Depending on how this played out, I might end up carrying an overwhelming sense of guilt into our future relationship.
Moving cautiously, I managed to shift into a position that avoided the disaster of falling directly on top of her. However, there was no denying that we were essentially lying in each other's arms now. I had to make a decision—I had to decide what to do next.
Right now, Kaori-san and I were lying on our sides, facing one another on the bed, and she had a firm lock on my waist. Aside from the fact that her face was currently level with my navel, we were essentially sharing a bed.
I didn't have many options. The first was to wait. She had a tight hold on me now, but I didn't think she would maintain that grip forever in her sleep. If I waited, her hold might loosen, and I could slip away then.
The second option was to simply wake Kaori-san up. That would resolve the situation immediately, but I felt awkward waking a woman when she was right in the middle of hugging my waist. I wasn't sure I could explain myself well, and part of me thought I could manage if I could just slip out of her grasp.
Finally, I could try to force my way out by twisting my body. There was a risk of waking her, but if it worked, I could break the deadlock quickly without her ever knowing—the best of both worlds.
However, that method might actually be the most dangerous of the three.
Reconfirming my current position, Kaori-san was hugging my waist with her face near my stomach. Because of that, her chest and other features were in a very "dangerous" zone. Since she was holding me so tightly, becoming conscious of that proximity was extremely perilous.
Even now, I was barely holding it together by desperately trying to empty my mind, but moving carelessly was far too risky.
...In that case, waiting was probably for the best. It was possible she might roll over or move on her own soon, so I should just see how things developed for a bit...
"......Mmm..."
Just as I thought that, Kaori-san made a move. The pressure of the hands around my waist eased, and she wriggled her body. She was probably subconsciously searching for a more comfortable spot to cuddle. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. If I pulled away the moment she loosened her grip—
"......Nn."
Then, as if mocking my plan, things took an unexpected turn. Her hands moved from my back toward my shoulders, and she wriggled her way upward. She pulled herself even closer than before and stopped only when her face was buried in my chest.
To make matters worse, she even entwined her legs with mine—clinging to me like a koala to a tree.
The degree of physical contact just shot up tremendously! We were practically pressed together from head to toe, and she was holding me even more firmly than before. I could hardly move at all!
No, no, this was bad. This was a definitely bad situation! The intimacy was incredible, and combined with the fact that Kaori-san was in her sleepwear, the sensation of her softness and warmth was really not good.
I-I couldn't afford to keep humming and hawing about this anymore.
"......K-Kaori-san. Please wake up, Kaori-san?"
"......Zzz...... Zzz......"
I called out to wake her, but there was no sign of her stirring. Come to think of it, she did mention she was a heavy sleeper... Should I raise my voice? N-no, there was no need to panic. Since she had moved this much in such a short time, her next movement should happen soon. It would probably be better not to force her awake.
The worst thing I could do was panic and act impulsively. Precisely because of this situation, I needed to calm my heart and relax.
As long as I didn't harbor any impure feelings and kept my mind empty, everything would be fine. This was a long-overdue battle with reason, but if I could just pull through this, it would be okay.
Serious-senpai: "Hey! You did something, didn't you?! You definitely did something!!"
Machina: "I-I didn't do anything~"
Serious-senpai: "You absolutely did! That last part was completely unnatural! You manipulated Kaito's thoughts, didn't you?!"
Machina: "W-Wait a minute. Think about it calmly. If I were to do something like manipulating My Beloved Child's thoughts, Shallow Vernal wouldn't stay silent, and I wouldn't want to do such a thing myself. That's impossible."
Serious-senpai: "Guh, t-that's true... If you actually manipulated his thoughts, people like Canaris and Nebula would have stepped in..."
Machina: "Exactly. I didn't manipulate My Beloved Child's thoughts. I simply ensured that when My Child is being hugged, his heart calms down and feels a relaxation effect. I didn't control him. Even if he relaxes and his thoughts lean slightly toward the optimistic side, that wasn't my manipulation—that was an action My Beloved Child took based on his own reasoning... Hah, hah... My Beloved Child and My Beloved Child sharing a bed... how precious..."
Serious-senpai: "This God is hopeless. Whenever there's a lovey-dovey event between her children, she uses every trick in the book to provide lawless support. I-I have to do something quickly..."