Eriri's vision blurred, and she found herself back in the same park as before.
Thinking about what had just happened left her with mixed feelings. She'd seen Hayashi Maki's unusual powers and knew the world wasn't as simple as it looked—but facing something eerie herself had still made her nervous.
Also… a little thrilled.
While she was caught up in that strange mood, she suddenly felt heat rise through her body. Looking down, she saw that same shameless guy had slipped an arm around her waist and lifted her into his lap.
The intimate pose made her cheeks redden on their own.
"W-what are you doing?"
Eriri glanced around; seeing no one passing by, she finally relaxed a little and then shot him a shy, annoyed glare.
"What do you think? Were you planning to cut me off the moment I removed the curse? That would really break my heart."
As he spoke, his hand came to rest lightly on her white-stockinged thigh. The white knit hugged the skin; with her skirt, the "absolute territory" flickered into view. It was the perfect temptation. Eriri's skin was even fairer than most girls'—her mixed-blood beauty on full display, breathtaking to look at.
Faced with such a sight, of course Hayashi Maki wanted to make a move.
"Ah… a-are you going to do that again?"
Eriri's face was burning. Feeling his warm palm slide up and down her thigh, her whole body went a little weak.
"And what exactly is that? Please describe it in detail, Eriri-san," he teased, lips brushing her pale neck.
"Ugh… you're awful. H-how can I say it… stop, that tickles…"
She tipped her chin up despite herself, giggling under his touch. She pressed a small hand to his chest in protest. He didn't stop; he hugged her gently and lowered his head again. A flick of his fingers—and he'd already unfastened the buttons of her top.
Eriri gasped and instinctively pressed his head down, face scarlet as his heated lips found her skin, sending tingles through her.
"D-don't… not like this… what if someone sees us?"
She narrowed her eyes, scanning nervously around them, trembling. As interested as she was in intimate things, this wasn't the right place; she couldn't accept that.
"P-please… not here, okay?"
She looked up at him with pleading eyes. Hayashi Maki, seeing how pure and adorable she looked, was thoroughly tempted.
"Then how about my place?"
"U-um… anyway, just not here."
Eriri bit her lip and shut her eyes in embarrassment.
"Alright. Let's go home."
He smiled, picked her up, and in a blink they were in his room—another use of mana-form: by marking his room, he could jump back instantly. He didn't usually use it; riding the train with Mahiru and the others was part of the "living" experience.
He set Eriri gently on his bed, then looked her over with a smile.
"Okay, you can open your eyes. We're home."
She opened them, recognized the place, and glared up at him, face still red.
"Do you have to make a move on me? Don't you already have a girlfriend?"
He grinned and took her slender, white-stockinged foot in his hand.
"Who told you to be so cute? I can't help it. And I did fix your curse; at least give me a little something for my trouble."
As he spoke, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against her calf. Eriri shivered, cursing him as a pervert under her breath—yet the gentleness of it made something inside her melt.
He carefully played with her white-stockinged feet, then after a moment cupped her face and kissed her.
"Mmm… you're awful… I'm starting to wonder if you cursed me on purpose…"
She blushed and muttered it, but her arms were already looped around his neck. Embarrassing as it was, she didn't seem to dislike this handsome, slightly bad tease. He'd protected her dreams and let her keep drawing—and she knew he liked her. That light novel was proof enough.
Hayashi Maki, holding her small face, sighed. "How can you think that? No matter how bad I am, I'd never sic something creepy on a girl I care about. And you saw it—once he realized you were Kashiwagi Eri, the guy tried to turn you into a 'big-chest' girl."
"Ugh, I'd almost forgotten—why bring up that four-eyes perv again? Now I'm in a mood!"
She thumped him with her fist. He caught her hand and leaned down again.
"Sorry. My fault. I'll fix that mood right now."
"W-what are you going to do?" Eriri trembled; her breathing quickened, cheeks growing even redder.
He gave a wicked smile. "What can I do? You're just too cute."
"Idiot—don't say that!" She clamped her eyes shut, not pushing him away—almost like tacit consent.
The air warmed, turned tender… and heated.
After a while—after "helping with her growth" a little—Hayashi Maki looked at her flushed, lovely face and felt his own temperature climbing. Succumbing to impulse… everything flowed naturally.
Much later, with tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes, Eriri nestled into his arms. She still hadn't fully processed it. She'd really… gone that far with him.
"Uuu… I hate it. Why are you so good at this? And it was too fast! We didn't even confirm we were dating, didn't go on a date… you… you pervert!"
She pounded his chest with small fists. He only stroked her hair and said softly, "Sorry. You're too cute. I don't want to lose you, so I couldn't hold back."
"That's not an apology," she huffed—then grabbed his hand and nipped it with her little fang, leaving a mark. "Hmph. You made it hurt; now you can hurt a little, too."
He chuckled helplessly and patted her head, not angry at all. He kissed her once more and let the warmth of the moment settle.
Blushing, she rubbed her cheek against his chest. It had all been too sudden—but the experience was unexpectedly… good. She didn't exactly dislike it. He really was gentle—just a bit too bad. And the fact he was so practiced left a sour little pang in her heart.