Faint light filtered through the gap in the curtains, pressing against the back of my eyelids and drawing my consciousness to the surface. I’ve always been a relatively good sleeper, the type who could wake up and be alert in an instant.
As I slowly opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Kaori-san's face, sleeping peacefully right in front of me... U-Uhm... Ah, th-that’s right! I fell asleep just like that... I really blew it.
A wave of guilt washed over me as the memories of the previous night rushed back. I had intended to stay awake until Kaori-san woke up, but I’d drifted off so easily—and apparently, I’d slept like a log until morning.
Wait, something was wrong. My hands were filled with the sensation of smooth fabric and a soft, radiating warmth. We were so close... was I actually embracing Kaori-san!? No, it was more than that—we were completely tangled in each other's arms!
Had we unconsciously ended up in this position while we slept? Regardless, I had no idea how I’d explain this if she woke up like this. I needed to let go, and I needed to do it now—
"...Mmm... Haaah..."
"!?"
Reality, however, proved to be cold-blooded. At that exact moment, just as I thought she was about to stir, Kaori-san opened her eyes with a sleepy murmur. Our gazes met perfectly.
"..."
"..."
Awkward... This was incredibly awkward. Kaori-san looked startled for a split second, but she seemed to grasp the situation immediately, her expression turning just as strained as mine probably was.
The fact that she wasn't panicking... did that mean she'd woken up earlier? But if she hadn't moved away... wait, was it because I was already holding her so tightly that she couldn't pull away!?
"...G-Good morning."
"...Good morning."
"...U-Uhm."
"I-I’m sorry. This is... a very strange situation, isn’t it? I feel terribly apologetic."
"N-No! It’s fine! I’m the one who fell asleep and probably caused you all sorts of trouble while I was unconscious, right!? If anything, I’m the one who should be saying sorry!"
Neither of us quite knew how to navigate this, so we fumbled through the conversation just to break the tension. Thankfully, Kaori-san seemed to understand the situation accurately and didn't seem to have any weird misunderstandings.
Of course, her face was flushed with embarrassment, and I'm sure mine was red too, but I was relieved that the conversation itself seemed like it would proceed smoothly.
"On my end, it feels like we just drifted into this position while we were asleep."
"I-I think so. I actually woke up once in the middle of the night, and we were already like this then..."
"I am truly sorry."
"No, really, I’m the one at fault. Kaito-kun has nothing to apologize for. Though, if we keep going like this, we’ll just be talking in circles. Let’s just drop the question of blame for now. We both have things to... reflect on."
"Y-Yeah, you’re right."
It was a stroke of luck that Kaori-san was the type who could pivot quickly. I was grateful that she moved the conversation forward, realizing we wouldn't get anywhere if we just spent the morning apologizing to each other.
"...S-Should we probably let go now?"
"Y-Yeah."
Taking a breath, I realized we were still tangled together and pulled away in a bit of a rush.
"W-Was I sweating in my sleep? I didn't smell weird, did I?"
"N-No, you actually smelled quite nice... Though, honestly, I’m more worried about whether I made you feel uncomfortable..."
"O-Oh, that was totally fine! I mean, it was incredibly embarrassing, of course... b-but it’s not like I hated it or anything! A-Anyway! Let’s just agree that neither of us has a problem!! Okay, end of story!!! F-For now, I’m going to go back to my room and change. Oh, is it still okay to have breakfast here?"
"E-Err, yes, that’s fine."
"Th-Then I’ll be back after I’ve changed. S-So, see you in a bit!"
Flushed red and clearly overwhelmed by embarrassment, Kaori-san rattled off her exit and hurried from the room. A lingering sense of bashfulness remained with me too, and I reached up to scratch my cheek.
It wasn't as if things had turned sour, and knowing her personality, she’d probably be back to her usual self by the time she returned.
Still, the sensation of holding Kaori-san in my arms remained vivid in my memory... I had a feeling I’d be much more conscious of her from here on out.
And since Kaori-san had gone as far as to say she hadn't disliked it... it might be conceit on my part, but I couldn't help but wonder if she viewed me with romantic interest.
No, just thinking about it was incredibly embarrassing... Anyway, I should get changed too.
Pop-senpai: “Gwaaaah, the sweetness... K-Kaori, you’re terrifying. She’s already finished the process of making Kaito conscious of her as a romantic interest, which is technically the most difficult and time-consuming stage of all... S-She’s suddenly shot up to being the Most Likely Candidate for the Next Lover...”
Machina: “Mother is in Great Satisfaction with this perfect development as well. By the way... is there really such a half-baked way to revert your name?”
Pop-senpai: “I have a feeling that’s actually your fault...”