The night grew deeper.
The streetlights by the roadside flickered faintly, pedestrians became scarce, and the lights in the buildings extinguished one by one; everything was becoming increasingly tranquil.
Gao Hai was still quietly gazing at the young girl before him.
Maki, on the other hand, had lowered her head shyly, not daring to continue meeting Gao Hai's gaze.
Thump—thump—
The speed of her heartbeat accelerated once again.
What is this? This atmosphere... is this guy wanting to do that kind of thing again?
The experience last month at Gao Hai's home, being pushed onto the bed and kissed by him, to the point where they nearly crossed the line of no return—even now, Maki could still clearly recall it. It was so vivid, as if it had all happened just yesterday.
And now, at this very moment, she felt the same throbbing sensation as she did during that experience.
If I continue to stay here, he will definitely do that kind of thing to me, right?
Maki subconsciously shrank back.
Expectation?
Fear?
Should she try to run away again?
But what resurfaced in her mind was the scene she had just witnessed in the corridor: Gao Hai holding Chika and turning to leave.
She had heard what Chika and Gao Hai said before.
Hai-kun said in the corridor that he had endured for many days.
Hasn't he been with me all this time these past few days?
Even though he touched me so many times, he still said he endured for many days. As expected, Hai-kun has already reached that step with Chika, hasn't he?
They've only known each other for a few days, yet they could already go to that extent? It's really too shameless, too brazen. How can they be so casual? Moreover, did he deliberately give the time to me after that? What does this count as? Pity?
However, if I hadn't chosen to dodge when Hai-kun was intimate with me back then, perhaps everything now would be... No, what is the point of thinking about such things? What I need to figure out is the choice I should make right now.
If only making a choice could be that easy...
Maki felt her head becoming messy and chaotic.
The speed of her heartbeat continued to accelerate.
She suddenly felt a bit of resentment toward Gao Hai beside her. Because he did nothing but stare at her silently, as if he had already handed the right to choose over to her. If he could just force her directly like last time, like that time at his house, perhaps she wouldn't need to be this conflicted. She could just passively accept it.
Only, if he really did that, could I really passively accept it and let things continue naturally?
For someone like me, a dishonest idiot who can't face her own true heart.
What exactly... should I do?
"Maki."
She heard him suddenly call her name.
"Mn..."
Amidst her soft response, his fingers rested against her chin, gently caressing her side profile. Little by little, he lifted her head.
Maki felt her heartbeat become even more violent.
She was almost ready to close her eyes immediately, waiting for him to kiss her.
But Gao Hai only gazed at her silently. Without saying a word, he just cupped her face and stared at her like that.
"What are you doing..."
The young girl, whose cheeks flushed red from being stared at, couldn't help but mutter in a small voice.
"I was thinking, last time you kicked me once. I wonder if this time you'll switch to giving me a punch or kicking me twice."
Gao Hai smiled, speaking to Maki in a teasing tone.
"What is that... Clearly, it's you who are bullying me..."
Maki, who didn't expect Gao Hai to bring up old matters at a time like this, puffed up her cheeks and reached out to hit Gao Hai lightly.
"Then, close your eyes. Is that okay?"
So, in the next moment, Gao Hai's face moved a few inches closer, and his voice became low and deep.
The young girl's body trembled once again.
She stared fixedly into Gao Hai's eyes, as if her entire being was about to melt into them.
Amidst the gradually quickening sounds of breathing, Maki felt her head growing dizzier, increasingly unable to think.
But she already knew what she should do now.
Close eyes, slightly, lean forward.
This kiss was very light, very light.
Gao Hai kissed Maki's lips carefully, as if touching a fragile piece of art. He cherished her cautiously and patiently, guiding this easily frightened girl bit by bit to adapt to such a rhythm and atmosphere.
Slowly, he drew closer.
Reaching out his hands, he pulled the girl's slender body into his embrace.
Only when even Maki began to feel that Gao Hai was dawdling too much did he finally stand up, carrying the girl just like that as he stepped into the room one step at a time.
Thud—
The dull sound of footsteps seemed like the beating of a heart.
Even though she had imagined the arrival of this moment countless times in her heart, when this kind of thing was really about to happen, Maki still couldn't suppress her rising nervousness.
"Are you afraid?"
Gao Hai's voice sounded by her ear, accompanied by his breathing.
"...Don't bully me."
Maki could only utter a sound like a murmur, indistinguishable between pleading for mercy or acting spoiled.
Thump—thump—
The sound of her heartbeat was so noisy it made it impossible to calm down.
Then, he gently placed her onto the soft, large bed. She instinctively curled up her body again, her nervous form trembling slightly.
"I like you, Maki."
His voice sounded by her ear once more, melting into her senses along with the kiss he gently placed on her side profile.
"So, could you please stay by my side?"
He asked again in a low voice.
And the only thing the young girl, who had completely fallen into a blurred state of emotion, could do was to nod gently.
***
The night grew even deeper.
In the forest lands within the mountains, a thin mist floated quietly, shrouding everything like a dreamlike wonderland.
The birds and beasts were already sleeping peacefully in the night, curling up their bodies in their nests.
Insects emitted noisy sounds, flying up under the night sky, dancing in the darkness unseen by anyone.
Amidst the hissing sounds of a flickering tongue, a small snake slithered slowly through the grass.
A startled little rabbit suddenly jumped out, only to be caught by the chasing small snake in the next moment, tightly entangled together.
On the fruits upon the treetops, water droplets fell silently.
And winding all the way up this hot spring mountain, that scalding flow of water continued to pour down, day after day.
Splash—splash—
Falling from that steep slope, shattering against the rocks—that clear, splashing flow of water.
Splash—splash—
Amidst that rising steam—that unceasing, rolling flow of water.
The night continued.
That noisy yet tranquil night continued leisurely just like that, waiting, welcoming the arrival of the second day's daylight.
Until the light spread and rippled out bit by bit.
Until the person in the dream woke up bit by bit.
Gao Hai opened his eyes.
Turning his head, he looked at the somewhat messy bedding, and at the young girl sleeping by his side, her small hand resting gently on his chest.
He saw her eyes closed, saw her slightly messy loose hair, and the strands of hair sticking to her lips.
He saw her slightly trembling eyes and knew that she had actually woken up long ago. Before this, perhaps she had been silently watching his sleeping face, and then, after he woke up, she hurriedly closed her eyes in a panic, pretending she was still fast asleep.
He saw her open her eyes somewhat helplessly. He saw her face slightly flushed, her expression shy. She instinctively wanted to avoid his line of sight, but then, as if acting out of spite, she deliberately looked over. Just like that, unblinking, she gazed at him with those bright, emerald eyes that sparkled like amethysts.
"Hai-kun, I like you."
The young girl rested her head gently on his chest, speaking to him in a small voice.
"I am a coward, a fool who always lacks the courage to act."
"So, words like this... in the future, it will probably be very hard for me to say them out loud again, very hard to find a time to say them to you again. So, you must remember them well, okay?"
"I like you. I want to stay by your side. I will stay by your side. To me, you are the most important person. This is the truth in my heart that I wanted to tell you. You definitely, definitely cannot forget it, okay, Hai-kun..."
A voice that sounded like a plea, filled with a sense of wavering frailty.
He knew the fragility and trembling in the bottom of her heart at this moment. So he reached out his hands, and gently, once again pulled her into his embrace, holding her firmly.
Then, by her ear, he gave her the answer she wanted to hear.
"Mn, I will definitely etch it into my heart."
________________________________________
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