Eventually—or rather, after a considerable amount of time—I finally managed to get Lilia-san to calm down.
"Lilia-san, have you settled down now?"
"Y-Yes, I am perfectly fine."
Her face was still as beet-red as a boiled octopus, but pointing it out would only make her more self-conscious, so I decided to keep quiet.
However, I couldn't just ignore that kiss from a moment ago. It would be difficult to avoid the subject entirely, and the longer I waited, the more awkward she would likely feel. I decided to take the plunge.
"...Um, Lilia-san. About what you did just now?"
"Ah, no, that was... well... You see, I wanted to show some adult's composure, or perhaps the older one's dignity. I thought I should try to take a more proactive approach myself for once... um..."
She grew even more flushed from the shame; I half-expected steam to start billowing from her at any second.
"So, essentially, you did that because you wanted to act like a proper lover on your own initiative?"
"Y-Yes... That is to say, I have the desire to do lover-like things with you, Kaito-san... Or rather, to... fl-flirt? I do want to do those things. But since I usually get embarrassed and shrink back, I've been secretly studying and doing image training to prepare for a moment like this..."
"Studying?"
"I-I've been reading popular romance novels and the like. I intended to go through with it after thorough image training... but as expected, the real thing was quite different."
Her confession came as a bit of a surprise, but it also made me incredibly happy. Lilia-san was certainly a shy person—I remembered her fainting the very first time we kissed.
It wasn't that she didn't want to; she truly wanted to be more intimate with me and had been putting in whatever effort she could to overcome her bashfulness.
"...Ah, um, in my image training, I was supposed to be able to do it properly on the lips. But in practice, I just couldn't muster the courage, so I ended up putting on that clumsy charade..."
"I see..."
It seemed she was well aware that her acting had been forced. Still, the only word to describe her was "adorable." Blushing and tapping her index fingers together nervously to hide her embarrassment, she didn't possess an ounce of older one's dignity, but her loveliness was overwhelming.
"So, what you're saying is that you actually intended to kiss me properly, Lilia-san?"
"Y-Yes. U-Um, the atmosphere was just so wonderful..."
"Then, can I be the one to do it?"
"Aeh!?"
Upon hearing my request, her face flushed so deeply I practically expected to hear an audible explosion.
I shouldn't push her any further. She was likely at her limit, so I waited for her to respond. After shifting her gaze restlessly for several moments, she finally looked down slightly and whispered in a tiny voice.
"...I-It's okay, if you'd like..."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
"Ah, y-yes."
Having received her permission, I gently reached out, cupping her cheek and tilting her face toward mine. Lilia-san looked up at me with moist, upturned eyes, her flushed face possessing a destructive power that made my head spin. I suppressed the urge to rush and moved slowly, closing the distance so as not to startle her.
Lilia-san's eyes darted about for a moment, but as my face drew near, she seemed to resolve herself. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips just a tiny bit. I felt my cheeks soften into a smile at the adorable gesture as I leaned in further, finally pressing my lips fully against hers.
The soft sensation of her lips and the warmth of her skin through my hand made the reality of the moment sink in. Kissing her like this filled me with a profound sense of happiness.
It would have been fine to stop there, but the sensation was so pleasant that a desire to deepen the kiss welled up inside me. I didn't want to ignore her wishes, so I gave her lips a light nudge with my tongue to signal my intent. I wasn't sure if she'd understand, but...
Lilia-san's shoulders gave a small jolt—but then, ever so slightly, she definitely opened her lips and moved into a position to accept me.
Once she did, I could no longer restrain myself. Driven by desire, I kissed her deeply and passionately for a long, long time.
In the end, Lilia-san fainted once again. It seemed she hadn't prepared her image training for anything quite this advanced.
Serious-senpai: "..."
Doctor M: "Hmm, hmm... Starch syrup this time, I see. Yes, it's sweet and delicious."