Kuro was in exceptionally high spirits after Alice helped her discover the untapped potential of baby castellas. Meanwhile, I was filled with dread, knowing that I would eventually be the one forced to experience those "new possibilities" firsthand.
Well, while the future was worrying, I had to focus on the present. After some desperate persuasion, I managed to lead Kuro away from the gauntlet of food stalls and toward the attraction area.
The sixth day of the Six Kings Festival seemed to categorize its stalls by location; according to the guidebook, there were even areas dedicated to things like magic tools.
The attraction area we eventually reached felt like a classic summer fair. There were staples like the Ring Target—a fancy name for ring toss—and shooting galleries, along with nostalgic games like Katanuki. We decided to make the rounds.
"Hup!"
With a short, forceful breath, Kuro pulled the trigger of her toy rifle. The moment the pellet left the barrel, she spun the gun with a flourish, reloaded, and fired again in one seamless, rhythmic motion.
"...Phew. Well, I'd say that was a solid effort!"
"...I hate to rain on your parade while you're standing there looking so smug, but... you missed every single shot."
"O-Oh? These are actually quite tricky, aren't they?"
Kuro, who had just gracefully whiffed every single target at the shooting gallery, gave a troubled, sheepish smile.
Kuro wasn't exactly perfect at everything. She possessed power and wisdom far beyond my imagination, of course, but in her day-to-day life, she could be surprisingly ditzy.
Then again, those imperfections made her feel more relatable. It was strange, but I found myself thinking it was just another part of her charm.
"Oh, wow, Kaito-kun! You hit it!"
Whenever I hit a target, she rejoiced as if it were her own success. Guided by her bright voice, I turned toward her. When our eyes met, she gave me a lovely, beaming smile.
It might have been a small thing, but these little gestures were truly adorable and made me feel so happy just to be with her. She was such a wonderful lover that she felt almost too good for me.
"Whoa, you're amazing, Kuro... You're hitting a hundred percent at the Ring Target."
"Heh heh heh. Well, despite appearances, I'm... World Rank..."
"Yeah?"
"...Friends with... number two! So I'm actually pretty good at this!"
"I-I see..."
She looked away, visibly flustered. Did she honestly think I still hadn't figured out her secret identity as Baby Castella Mask?
I decided it was probably best to leave that alone.
"K-Kuro, should we move on to the next one?"
"Y-Yeah. Good idea... Oh, look! Let's try that one over there!"
"Huh? ...What's that? The Chocolate Game?"
Kuro pointed toward a stall I didn't recognize. However, I couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom. The sign was covered in heart patterns and the words "Couples Only" were plastered everywhere.
This was definitely going to be embarrassing.
"I-I don't know, Kuro, that looks a bit..."
"Come on, hurry, hurry!"
"Wait! You're too strong!"
I tried to suggest skipping that stall, but Kuro was in high spirits and dragged me along by the hand.
Naturally, there was no way a relatively frail guy like me could resist Kuro's strength. I was swept along until we arrived in front of the stall.
The booth displayed stick-shaped chocolates, divided into pink and white in the middle. I'd seen something like this before. This was that game, wasn't it? The one where you eat a chocolate stick from both ends until...
A nearby sign confirmed my fears. It was exactly that game. Surely this was way too embarrassing for a public festival.
"Here, Kaito-kun, you take the white side!"
"You bought it already!?"
The Chocolate Game was exactly as I had feared, but Kuro was already enthusiastically diving in.
I remembered now. It was the same during our first date. Kuro was shy about things like exposing her skin, but when it came to public displays of affection, she had absolutely no shame.
I couldn't refuse her. I couldn't say no when she looked at me with those sparkling eyes. She already had her end in her mouth, anyway.
"Mmm~"
"...U-Ugh... H-Here goes."
I steeled my resolve and bit onto the other end of the chocolate stick, crouching slightly to match her height.
Her face was so close now. To be perfectly blunt, she was painfully cute.
As we nibbled our way through the chocolate, her face drew nearer and nearer. I felt as though I might be pulled right into those stunning golden eyes.
She had her hair in a ponytail today, and seeing her from the front like this was almost more than I could handle.
The sounds of the festival faded away, and I couldn't even taste the chocolate anymore. In that moment, time seemed to stop, and Kuro was the only thing that existed in my heart.
As the distance between us closed, my affection for her swelled until, by the time she slowly closed her eyes, I had forgotten all about my embarrassment.
Dear Mother, Father—
A sweet moment arrived quite suddenly. Our lips met, a testament to the feelings we shared. There was plenty to be embarrassed about, but right now, I won't worry about what comes after. I just want to savor this happiness... to my heart's content.
Serious-senpai: "Hey, cut it out, you idiot... Don't go throwing in standard clichés... Stop it! Stop the Pocky Game already...!"
Me-o: "Hmm, I see..."
???: "What are you looking at?"
Me-o: "The feedback section of a place called 'Otherworld Net'! Apparently, they're giving me ideas for my new baby castellas! Isn't that great?"
???: "What kind of den of devils is that...?"