The two soon arrived at Kaori's shop and circled around to the back entrance to head inside. As expected, the interior was pitch black, as Kaori—the homeowner—had been away.
"I'll leave the main lights off and just turn on the ones behind the counter," she said.
"Understood," Kaito replied.
A quick hug and a parting wouldn't take much time. Reasoning that there was no need to illuminate the entire store, Kaori switched on only the lighting magic tool behind the counter. She then returned to Kaito, standing before him in the dim shop with a look of nervous anticipation.
"So... um, shall we?" she asked.
"C-Come on then..." Kaito replied, bracing himself.
Kaito figured that stalling would only make the embarrassment worse, so he made the first move. Kaori nodded, her tension palpable. Though Kaito had hugged his lovers many times before, he still found his heart racing in this particular situation. Still, he was far more composed than Kaori, who was a complete novice. It was up to him to take the lead.
Kaito reached for Kaori as she stood there stiff as a board, pulling her into a gentle, protective embrace.
(H-Hoaaahhh... S-So this is what it’s like... The contact is so intense... or rather, it’s—it’s more intimate than I expected. I can feel him so close to me.)
She felt the pressure of Kaito’s arms against her back, and more than that, the sensation of her own body pressed flush against his. With her nerves heightened by the sheer tension of the moment, every sensation felt incredibly vivid.
At that moment, another misunderstanding arose between the two. Sensing Kaori’s extreme nerves, Kaito had intended to keep the embrace light and brief before letting go.
(Oh, wait, I’m supposed to hug him back, right? Like this... wrapping my arms around him... Wow... we’re even closer now. This is... this might be a bit much...)
Kaori’s arms went around Kaito’s back just as he was preparing to pull away, causing him to miss his window. Clueless about the mechanics of a hug and relying solely on what she’d read in romance manga, she clung to him with surprising strength.
Faced with this, Kaito found himself unsure of what to do. Seeing how earnestly—and how firmly—Kaori was holding onto him, he worried that stopping now would go against her wishes. He tightened his grip, pulling her in even more securely than before.
(...Uwaah, this is... it’s so heart-thumping. I can feel Kaito-kun’s body heat, and my heart won’t stop pounding. Is this okay? Can he hear it? Oh, wait, I remember scenes like this in romance manga! Characters always worry about their heartbeat being heard. So this is what they meant. But besides the embarrassment, it’s so... comforting. It actually feels... good.)
Savoring the warmth of the embrace, Kaori closed her eyes and let a tiny smile play across her lips. Before long, however, a question occurred to her.
(...Wait. How long is this supposed to last? K-Kaito-kun? Are we still going? My heart is beating so fast I feel like my brain is going to melt if we stay like this much longer...)
Technically, Kaori was the one who had disrupted the timing for the parting, but as a novice, she had no idea how to end it. She simply waited for Kaito to make a move. Kaito, for his part, figured he would continue until she was satisfied—or at least until her grip loosened.
(N-Now that the initial shock is wearing off, the embarrassment is just flooding back. What am I even doing?! How do I let go? Should I look up at him? N-No, if I look up now, it’ll look like I’m asking for a kiss! W-W-What do I do?!)
As the minutes ticked by, her self-consciousness skyrocketed. Her face burned a deep crimson. They remained locked in the embrace for a while longer, having completely lost the timing to separate. Finally, Kaito, sensing that enough time had passed, loosened his hold.
"...Kaori-san?" he whispered.
"Y-Y-Yes!?" she squeaked.
"Um, sorry. Shall we call it a night?"
"Y-Y-You’re right! I, uh, I lost track of time! It got a bit long, didn’t it?!"
They pulled apart at Kaito’s suggestion. Kaori could feel her face glowing, and she kept her eyes fixed firmly on the floor, unable to meet his gaze. Fortunately, the darkness of the shop hid her features, making it difficult for Kaito to see just how flustered she really was.
"T-Thank you! Sorry for dragging you into such a strange request!"
"Not at all. I was the one who missed the timing to let go. Thank you again for today. It was a wonderful date."
"No, I’m the one who should be thanking you. I had a wonderful time, Kaito-kun. I... I’d love to do this again sometime."
"I’d like that. Let’s definitely find somewhere else to go. Well, I should probably be heading home."
"Right! Thank you! See you later!"
Recognizing that Kaori was practically overwhelmed with embarrassment, Kaito wrapped things up quickly. With a brief parting, he activated his teleportation magic tool and vanished.
Once she was certain Kaito was gone, Kaori—still red-faced—locked the doors, flicked off the counter light, and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom on the second floor.
"Uwaaaaaahhh... I was totally in maiden mode... That was so embarrassing!"
She dived under her covers, groaning and rolling around in a frantic attempt to escape her own memories.
Serious-senpai: "The sugar content is off the charts... This is the pinnacle of youth. If they ever actually become a couple, things are going to get... shudder."