After a bit of small talk with Lilia-san and the others, we parted ways. Kuro and I set off once more through the Six Kings Festival grounds.
We were currently heading toward a place she had been dying to show me. Apparently, she’d prepared something special just for today. We didn't rush straight there, though. We took our time, stopping to sample street food and browse the various stalls along the route.
By the time the sky had begun to bleed into crimson, we finally arrived.
"What’s this? A dome?"
"Hehe, it's a surprise for once we’re inside! No other participants are allowed in here. It's just for the two of us."
The structure we’d reached was a hemispherical building about ten meters tall. It looked a bit like a miniature sports stadium. I tilted my head at the shape—one rarely seen in this world—but Kuro didn't give me much time to ponder. She took my hand and pulled me inside without a second thought.
It was dark inside, with just enough low light at our feet to guide the way. The atmosphere reminded me of a movie theater.
"Ta-da! We're here!"
"Um, so what is this place exactly?"
"Hehe! This is a recreation of a facility from your world, Kaito-kun, built with the latest video recording magic tools. That's right—it's a 'Planetaria'!"
"...It’s a planetarium. Honestly, Kuro, are you getting the name wrong on purpose now?"
I let the correction slide for now as she struck an adorable, triumphant pose. A planetarium, huh? I hadn't seen anything like a video camera in this world yet. Projecting footage like this must be some cutting-edge tech. It was likely one of the technologies Alice had mentioned yesterday—something that was difficult to realize commercially due to the high cost.
"Wait, hold on. I get the concept, but didn't you say you could use Planet Memory? Why not just use that magic to show me the stars like you did before?"
"Hmm, I could certainly do that, but... well, interfering with causality isn't something one should do flippantly, you know?"
"...I see."
"Anyway, let's watch the stars together! Look, I even set up a chair over there."
In the direction Kuro pointed, I could just make out a single chair in the gloom.
"...Kuro?"
"Yes?"
"Unless I'm mistaken, there’s only one chair."
"That's right! You'll sit in the chair, and I'll sit on your lap. So, one is plenty."
"Oh... I see..."
She’d said it so naturally that I’d almost just accepted it, but isn't that a bit dangerous? I mean, she isn't wearing her usual coat today. She’s in... well, leggings.
"And then, there's this!"
"A blanket?"
"Yep! We're going to wrap it around both of us!"
"...W-Why?"
I tried to keep my cool and process the situation. I was going to sit in a chair with Kuro on my lap, and we were going to be wrapped together in a single blanket. Positionally, that meant I’d be holding her from behind. Isn't that incredibly embarrassing?
"Hehe, I'm glad you asked! There's a reason for this that's higher than the sea and lower than the mountains!"
"You've got that backwards. Saying it that way makes it sound like a completely trivial reason..."
"It's because I saw a scene just like this in a romance novel I borrowed from Isis, and I wanted to try it with you!"
"So it was a trivial reason!"
It was a total whim! And she built a whole planetarium just for that?
"Come on now, Kaito-kun! Sit, sit!"
"U-Um, okay."
I had plenty of retorts, but I was no match for her smile. I sat down as urged, and Kuro promptly settled onto my lap with an innocent grin.
She was soft. This was bad. Really bad. The leggings were thinner than I’d expected, and I could feel her body heat with startling clarity. She felt weightless, yet her warmth and softness seemed to seep right into my bones.
"Here, Kaito-kun. The blanket."
"Right... Like this?"
"Yes! Hehe... You're so warm, Kaito-kun."
She was so damn cute. Wait, don't kick your legs like that! The vibrations are too much!
My heart was racing, and I felt like I was overheating. It wasn't just the blanket; it was her. Being this close to her made my whole body feel like it was coming to a boil.
"Oh, look. It's starting."
"Yeah..."
She smelled amazing. It was strange—maybe it was the atmosphere of being alone together under the stars, but I felt more nervous than usual. The room was deathly quiet, making the sound of our breathing feel amplified.
"It’s beautiful..."
"Yeah... it really is."
"Kaito-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm so happy."
"...Me too."
Only our voices broke the silence. It was a surreal feeling. I was nervous enough to explode, yet my arms naturally tightened around her. It was as if my instincts were telling me never to let go of this precious warmth.
"Kaito-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I turn around?"
"...Sure."
I loosened my grip slightly, and she shifted beneath the blanket. She turned around until she was straddling my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a hug. There wasn't an inch of space between us. In response, I held her even tighter.
"Mm... Kaito-kun... I love you."
Our body temperatures merged until we felt like a single being. She whispered the words into my ear, her voice thick with emotion. I felt a shiver run down my spine. I looked down and met those golden eyes, more radiant than any star in the artificial sky.
"Kuro... I love you, too."
No more words were needed. Kuro didn't say another thing. Instead, our lips met—pressing together with a passion that matched the strength of our embrace.
Dear Mother, Father—well, there you have it. I'll probably wake up and writhe in embarrassment once I've had time to cool down, but worrying about that now seems like a waste. For now, I'm just going to focus on this warmth. I won't let even a single fragment of it slip away.
Serious-senpai: "...I burned out... I burned completely... into white ash..."
???: "S-Serious-senpai?! Well, putting that aside, isn't she getting way too much special treatment just because she's the Main Heroine?! This is practically a direct— cough, cough. Anyway, they've gone this far and still haven't crossed the line? What is Kaito-san's self-restraint made of?!"