A smile of genuine, heartfelt happiness lit up Illness-san's face as she brushed aside the hair at her neck and put on the necklace I’d given her.
I had chosen a rose design—it looked like a rose, right? I’d worked hard on it, and to my eyes, it was certainly a rose, but I wondered about the actual quality.
"How do I look?" she asked with her usual airy drawl.
"It suits you well," I replied. "You often wear darker colors for your casual clothes, so the pale pink of the rose quartz acts as a lovely accent. It really catches the eye. My only concern is that since it's an amateur job, it might look a bit off to you. What do you think?"
"I’ve never seen such a wonderful accessory. I mean that sincerely, without any exaggeration. You may already know this, Kaito-sama, but I don't usually wear many accessories."
"Now that you mention it, you've worn rose-shaped ribbons or ties, but I haven't really seen you wear jewelry."
She often arranged the ribbons on her maid outfit to look like roses, and her necktie featured a similar design, but I had never seen her wear actual jewelry before. Even in her stylish casual clothes, she hadn't worn a... bracelet or necklace as far as I could remember.
"The reason is that I’ve never found an accessory I truly wanted to wear. My clothes are woven from my own magic power, so I have arranged parts of them... but receiving this from you makes me so happy I feel like I might cry. In all my long life, this is the first time I've found an item I want to keep with me forever."
"Seeing you so happy makes all the effort worth it."
"Thinking that you made this specifically for me... it makes a sense of joy well up from deep within. It's becoming difficult to control my emotions."
She did seem uncharacteristically restless, her emotions swaying more than usual. It wasn't instability, but rather a surge of overwhelming emotion that she was struggling to manage. I hadn't expected her to be quite this happy; it was embarrassing, yet it made me incredibly glad.
As I was thinking this, Illness-san turned her damp eyes toward me. Her gaze, usually somewhat unfocused, was now fixed intently on mine. Because of the height difference, she had to look up at me, and to be honest, the effect was devastatingly cute.
"Kaito-sama..."
"Y-Yes?"
"I know I mentioned it as a joke earlier, but... may I kiss you? Right now, I just... I want to feel you closer. I want to be touching you. I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but..."
"No, not at all! It's not selfish. In fact, I'm happy you asked. I... well, what I mean is... I’d be happy to."
The thought of saying no to my Lover while she looked at me like that never even entered my mind. It would have been impossible to refuse anyway, but the contrast between this vulnerable, needy version of her and her usual mature composure was so endearing I couldn't help but feel flustered.
Heart pounding, I rested my hands on her shoulders and leaned down toward her. Illness-san closed her eyes, and our lips met. Her lips were soft and moist, with a hint of sweetness. The sensation of our lips pressing together was intoxicating.
As the kiss deepened, she slid her arms around my neck, pulling me closer and pressing her lips more firmly against mine. I was surprised by her initiative, but the depth of affection I felt in that moment was overwhelming. We lost ourselves in each other, forgetting the world around us.
Serious-senpai (Spirit Body): "...No problem... It's a fatal wound."
???: "Calling it a fatal wound is an understatement. If you’re having an out-of-body experience, you’re basically dead. As for your empty shell of a body... well, maybe if we pour some maple syrup on it, you'll recover eventually."
Serious-senpai (Spirit Body): "...Why are you trying to make this even sweeter?!"