The search for the potential of baby castellas had come to an end—at least for now. Knowing Kuro, she’d probably insist that their possibilities were infinite, but I felt safe assuming our work for the day was done.
After dinner and a bath, I returned to my room to stretch out and unwind.
I’d spent the day running all over the place, so the fatigue was starting to set in. I really just wanted to rest. If there was any complication, it was that Kuro clearly had every intention of staying the night. But since baby castellas weren't part of the equation anymore, there wasn't anything particularly taxing about her presence. I figured we could just enjoy a quiet evening together.
"Kaito-kun, thanks for everything today."
"No, in spite of everything, I enjoyed myself too."
"Ehehe, I'm glad. Well, since we're both here, why don't we go out on the balcony and look at the stars?"
"That sounds nice. I was actually just thinking about how I wanted to relax..."
Just looking at Kuro’s bright smile was enough to calm my heart. The weather was perfect, and the stars looked like they would be out in full force.
As I stepped onto the balcony with her, the air beneath our feet seemed to ripple, and the familiar tatami mats appeared.
"And there they are. The tatami mats."
"When it comes to stargazing with you, Kaito-kun, tatami is the only way to go!"
"Come to think of it, we do use these a lot, don't we?"
There was something surreal about sitting on tatami mats laid out on a Western-style balcony to watch the stars, but it was a ritual we’d shared since my very first day in this world. I was quite used to it by now.
Our first day, the barbecue, the night of the Treasure Tree Festival... it felt like tatami had always been a part of those memories.
"Now, now, Kaito-kun. Right here!"
"Okay... then, if you don't mind..."
Kuro sat down and patted her thighs, beckoning me. Since she was offering a lap pillow, I decided to take her up on the kindness and lay down.
The sensation of her warmth and softness, the sight of her smiling down at me... it was soothing. It was one of those moments where the reality of my happiness truly hit home.
Kuro’s hand moved, gently stroking my hair. It was an incredibly blissful, comfortable feeling. If I had to find one flaw, it was that I kept looking at her instead of the sky, which meant I wasn't actually seeing much of the stars.
"I really do love giving you a lap pillow like this, Kaito-kun. It makes me happy because I can really feel how close you are."
"...I feel the same. Having you do this for me always makes me feel so at peace."
"I see... Knowing you feel that way makes me happy too."
Kuro smiled tenderly. She leaned down, her face drawing close to mine until she pressed a light, lingering kiss to my forehead.
Seeing her act so much more mature than usual made my heart throb. Not wanting to be entirely on the receiving end, I caught her by surprise—pushing myself up just enough to press my lips to hers before settling back onto her lap.
"...Ah, a surprise attack."
"You were the one who started it, Kuro."
"Fufu, I suppose I was."
Seeing her look so genuinely delighted brought a smile to my face as well. There was a profound sense of happiness in finding so much joy in such simple things.
"...Though, having said all that, we still haven't actually looked at the stars."
"Ahaha, you're right. I was too busy staring at you. I'll save looking only at you for a little later. Let's look at the sky for now."
"They really are beautiful tonight. Actually, the stars always seem beautiful whenever I’m with you."
"Well, I do try to pick the nights with the best weather, but you're right. They always look lovely."
Maybe it was just because I was with her that they seemed more brilliant than usual, but I was far too embarrassed to actually say that aloud...
"But you know, maybe the reason they look so much brighter is simply because I’m looking at them with you, Kaito-kun."
"..."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking the exact same thing, so it caught me off guard."
"Ehehe, then we're on the same page."
"I guess we are."
We locked eyes and laughed together. There was a wonderful sense of connection in that moment, as if our hearts were perfectly in sync, and I felt my affection for her swell even further.
Drawn in by the surge of emotion, I looked up at her. She was already waiting for me with her eyes closed, and I kissed her again. The starry sky was magnificent, but I had a feeling my eyes would be fixed on Kuro for quite some time.
Serious-senpai: "T- This is... isn't this a surprise attack! T- That's cowardly..."
???: "Isn't it as usual?"
Serious-senpai: "...Well... that's, you know... well..."