Lilia-san was clearly fascinated by the mechanical dragons—creatures that were effectively unknown entities to her. Her eyes sparkled as she pored over the descriptions, and she kept tugging on my arm, eager to rush to the next display.
"Kaito-san! Let's go see that one over there next!"
"This one is entirely mechanical."
"The sense of weight and power is marvelous. We never see shapes like this in our world, so it's quite intriguing. Even the armaments over there..."
Perhaps because she was so excited, Lilia-san leaned in close, her face beaming as she began to lecture me on the various dragon models.
Normally, Lilia-san was quite shy, but she was either too caught up in the moment to notice or simply didn't mind, because she was standing much closer to me than usual. Whenever her hair swayed, a faint, lovely scent wafted my way. Almost instinctively, I realized she must have just stepped out of the bath.
We had likely both returned to our rooms to get ready before meeting up here, and she must have used that time to quickly wash off and soak. She always struck me as someone who would be self-conscious about being sweaty on a date.
"...Hm? Kaito-san, is something the matter?"
"Oh, no. I was just thinking about how much fun you seem to be having, Lilia-san. Your energy is visibly high, so it really shows how much you love dragons."
"That's true. I'm aware that I'm being a bit frolicsome. Of course, part of it is because I love dragons... but that’s not the only reason. Um..."
Lilia-san hesitated for a moment, then continued while averting her eyes, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"...Well, you see... I was told that no one can enter this world unless I invite them. Since I know for certain that there aren't any other eyes on us, my shyness is... a little easier to manage. It makes me feel like I can actually enjoy a romantic atmosphere with you, Kaito-san, and that makes me happy too..."
"Lilia-san..."
"I-I mean, I do wish I could act more like a lover normally, but my bashfulness always wins out in the end. It's hard for me to be honest with my feelings... So, in that sense, I feel like this situation is a real opportunity."
It was incredibly rare for Lilia-san to speak so openly like this, and it made me helplessly happy. She had clearly stated that she wanted us to act more like a couple. To put it simply, she wanted to be lovey-dovey with me. Hearing that from her, when she usually never showed such signs, was... well, it was wonderful.
"I’m really happy to hear you say that. Lilia-san, I have a suggestion. Can I put my arm around your shoulders?"
"A-Around my shoulders? Well, that would certainly feel like something lovers do... and it would be a good way to look at the models together. I'm a bit embarrassed, but... please, go ahead."
"Alright. Then, if you'll excuse me..."
With her permission, I reached out and pulled her close. Lilia-san leaned into me, and we were suddenly much closer than we'd been just moments before. She looked incredibly bashful, but I could feel her happiness radiating off her. She was definitely enjoying this.
While looking slightly downward to hide her blushing face, a small smile played on her lips.
"...I actually really like this. It's embarrassing, but I feel so at ease... being this close to you, Kaito-san. It might sound strange, but I feel this urge to... be spoiled by you..."
"Actually, I'd be more than happy if you depended on me like that."
"Ah, well... eventually. Once my heart stops racing quite so much..."
She looked up at me with a flushed smile. She seemed a bit more youthful than usual, and she was, quite simply, incredibly cute.
Serious-senpai: "Aaaagh! They really are going all-in on the romance! I had a bad feeling about this..."
???: "Now, now. Let's try to stay calm, Senpai."
Serious-senpai: "Shut up! On top of this, I've got my own date with him coming up! My head is literally pounding!"