I stayed in bed for a while after waking, but I eventually managed to drag myself up. After washing my face, I headed into the cottage's living room to find that Alice had already prepared coffee.
"Here we go! The quintessential morning coffee!"
"Is it... really still morning, though?"
"Whose fault do you think that is?! Based on when we actually woke up, calling it 'morning' is perfectly appropriate! We were supposed to be drinking this while watching the Sunrise Sea!"
"I don't know... is that really on me? I’m pretty sure you were the one who was half-asleep and clingy at first. Well, whatever. Thanks for the coffee. Since we have it, why don't we drink it out on the balcony?"
"Good idea."
Alice huffed, protesting that our late start—and the fact that we were only just now leaving the bed—was due to all the blushing and flirting we’d been doing. Personally, I suspected it had more to do with how long she’d stayed in that dazed, half-awake state.
Still, there was nothing to be gained by arguing, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I took the mug from her, and we stepped out together.
"It’s already noon, but the sea breeze feels great," I remarked.
"It's a bit warm out, but the wind makes it nice. Oh, Kaito-san, let's get something to eat after you finish your coffee. I'll handle the cooking, so just let me know if you have any requests."
"I don't have anything in mind, but I'll help. Though, since you’re the pro, I might just get in your way."
"No, not at all... I mean, I think doing things like that together... sounds fun..."
Alice smiled shyly as she spoke. Seeing her like that made me think she might have finally overcome her extreme bashfulness, if only a little. Then again, I knew she wouldn't change completely overnight. If I caught her off guard with a surprise attack, she’d probably still fall into a total panic.
"...Um, Kaito-san? You have a bit of a wicked look on your face."
"Oh, I was just thinking that even if you're acting cool now, you haven't really gotten over your shyness yet. I was wondering if you'd still get flustered if I teased you again."
"You're making a Bad Face and thinking about doing bad things?! That's a cruel game, you know! Teasing me for my romance bottom-tier nature... A real man would gently pretend he hadn't noticed anything!"
"It’s hard to pretend I haven't noticed when you're the one constantly announcing it..."
I laughed, and Alice gave me a playful, happy smile in return. Even though our relationship had taken a massive step forward, I was glad this easygoing atmosphere hadn't changed. Being able to trade banter like this was one of the things I loved most about her.
"By the way," I said, "are we heading home right after we eat?"
"Hmm. Actually, we have this cottage booked for the rest of the day."
"I see. This place has a private beach, right?"
"Yeah. In fact, everything you can see from here is part of the private beach."
"It's huge."
The cottage itself was relatively modest, but it certainly lived up to its high-end reputation with the sheer size of the grounds.
"In that case, we should go for a swim while we're here."
"Oh? It sounds like Kaito-san is dying to see his cute lover in a swimsuit."
"I really am. The last time we went to the sea before, you kept yourself pretty heavily guarded."
"Wha—?! Oh... r-right... Well, if that's what Kaito-san wants to see, then I... I won't say no. As your lover and all... So, um... will you be watching?"
Alice looked up at me with an adorable, slightly calculated expression, but I could tell she was still battling her own embarrassment. She didn't actually have the poise to be teasing me right now.
My answer was already a foregone conclusion. We decided to spend some time playing in the waves before heading back, and we stepped back into the cottage together to get ready.
Serious-senpai: "Wait, what?! Is this seriously continuing?! This is Part 12!!"
Machina: "Oh, she’s back. Can't we just fix that by changing the subtitle? Well, even if it looks like it's going to continue, we might be back at the house by next chapter."