As he read the simulated text, feeling the joy evoked by the memories, Minami Yuuki couldn’t help but smile.
Outside on the balcony, the shadows of the railing were growing longer, and the sun was nearly touching the horizon.
The sunlight, now angled steeply, streamed through the window, casting a single beam of light on the wall near the desk.
Gazing at the gentle, calm sunlight that had lost its noontime intensity, Minami Yuuki thought of Ibuki Yuko.
What could the girl be doing upstairs? Was she reading a book borrowed from the library, or preparing dinner for Ibuki Honoka?
He continued looking at the simulation interface.
[That night, Ibuki Yuko caught a cold.]
[The girl’s emotions were hard to discern, as was her illness. It wasn’t until after breakfast, when you noticed her movements slowing as she washed the dishes, that you realized something was wrong.]
[You let her sleep in your bed, put a fever patch on her, and made her some medicine.]
[After just one nap, the girl felt a bit better but struggled to get up.][You had no choice but to crawl into bed yourself, claiming you wanted Yuko-mama to sleep with you, so she stayed by your side.]
“…?”
Bah, was that really no choice?
That’s clearly taking advantage of the situation!
Minami Yuuki felt jealous.
Jealousy was followed by envy.
How nice, I want a loli mama too.
Should I get closer to Ibuki Yuko? I could control the pace, just be a mother and son, not lovers, like with Asano Nao.
However, the initial truck accident happened during summer vacation, and now it’s just the start of the school year. Looks like it will be a while before I can enjoy Yuko-mama’s care.
[After a day of rest, Ibuki Yuko was mostly recovered, though she still had a slight cough.]
[Leaving the girl at home, you went to the supermarket to buy some instant food for her to cook. At dinner, you watched as the girl held her chopsticks in her palm, her hand pressed against her lips as she turned her head to cough softly, and you felt a little moved.]
[The girl’s raspy voice from the cold, her lips paler than usual from the illness, and the soft, low cough muffled by her hand, wrapped her delicate, doll-like elegance in a tender weakness.]
[Though you felt sorry for the girl, in that moment, you found her very charming.]
[After dinner, you walked Ibuki Yuko home.]
[You took two days off, and when you finally went back to school, Chitose Kazumi expressed concern for your health. You thanked her. When you were sick, she had planned to visit you, but you refused. You didn’t want her to intrude on your time alone with Ibuki Yuko.]
[Your mother from Ino Prefecture called to ask when you would be on break and when you would come home.]
[During summer vacation, you claimed you had to work in Misaki City and didn’t go back. There’s no avoiding it during winter break; you decided to go back on the third day of the break.]
[In the end-of-term quiz, you ranked in the top five in your class, thanks to Ibuki Yuko. The girl’s hobbies were few, besides reading and studying, so you ended up reading many books and reviewing a lot of material with her.]
[When you were alone with Ibuki Yuko, you told her about going home for the winter break.]
The memory scene appeared.
In the apartment room, Minami Yuuki and Ibuki Yuko sat facing each other, their legs under the kotatsu, each reading a book.
Minami Yuuki lifted his gaze from the book to look at the girl across from him, who showed no outward emotions and acted naturally.
Today, the girl was different from usual, wearing a narrow red-framed pair of glasses on her nose.
Her doll-like, delicate, petite figure didn’t look out of place with any accessory; her elegant demeanor could accommodate anything.
The girl had no vision problems and soon found the glasses bothersome, taking them off and placing them on the table.
The glasses must have been at Ibuki Honoka’s request.
After putting down the glasses, Ibuki Yuko continued to focus on her book, not paying attention to Minami Yuuki’s gaze, which made the boy feel dissatisfied.
Those gray and white book pages, with their lackluster printed words, are they really more captivating than I am?
He lifted his foot from under the kotatsu and placed it on the girl’s slender leg.
The girl’s foot, clad in white knee-high socks, wobbled from the sudden weight, her toes lightly tapping Minami Yuuki’s calf.
Ibuki Yuko glanced up at him, then returned to her paperback.
No reaction at all?
Minami Yuuki buried himself deeper into the kotatsu, extended his right leg, and lightly scratched Ibuki Yuko’s abdomen with his toes.
The girl finally responded.
She kept holding her paperback with one hand while reaching under the kotatsu with the other, grabbing Minami Yuuki’s foot to stop him from moving.
This gentle, motherly response to a mischievous child made Minami Yuuki feel warm yet frustrated.
He wanted to tease Ibuki Yuko, to make her feel shy and troubled. Her gentle and tolerant response made him seem like a childish attention-seeker.
He tucked in his legs, sat quietly for a while, then slowly got up from the kotatsu.
Ibuki Yuko noticed his movements out of the corner of her eye but paid no attention, letting Minami Yuuki leave.
It was only after ten seconds passed without the sound of running water that she realized Minami Yuuki hadn’t gone to the bathroom.
Hastily, she put down her book and stood up to look for him.
Her school uniform skirt fluttered with her sudden movement, revealing her fair legs.
As she turned her head, she saw Minami Yuuki.
The boy was sitting right behind her, a triumphant smile on his face. Her panic made him feel his prank had succeeded.
Such childish antics were something Minami Yuuki only did to Ibuki Yuko.
Perhaps it was because his more “mature” methods had all failed on her, forcing him to resort to trickery; or perhaps it was because of her natural closeness and kindness that he couldn’t help but put himself in a childish position, for only fledglings could unabashedly enjoy such affection.
He did enjoy a limited amount of care. Ibuki Yuko walked up to him and pinched his face.
The slight pain on his face and the smooth touch of her fingers left Minami Yuuki astonished.
The next moment, Ibuki Yuko’s face drew closer, her forehead touching Minami Yuuki’s, her moist lips right in front of his.
“Don’t run off,” she said, staring into his eyes, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and her serene eyes rippling with emotion.
Guilt surged in Minami Yuuki’s heart as he looked into her eyes, and at the same time, his feelings for her grew even stronger.
“If I don’t run off, is there a reward?” he asked.
The reward was their mutual understanding.
Ibuki Yuko released his cheek and cupped his face with her hands, her soft lips approaching his.
Before their lips parted, Minami Yuuki reached out and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, pulling her onto his lap.
His broad shoulders enveloped her petite frame, and as he inhaled her scent, he felt a bit intoxicated.
The orange glow of the setting sun cast shadows on the wall in front of the desk.
Minami Yuuki let go of the girl in his arms. Her face was slightly flushed, and she was gently panting.
Her lack of experience in kissing made her unaware of the trick to catching her breath, resulting in her reddened face and erratic breathing.
“By the way,” Minami Yuuki finally remembered the most important thing, “I’m leaving Misaki during winter break.”
The young girl had just stood up, but upon hearing this, she sat back down in his lap and grabbed his collar.
“Rebellious phase? Running away from home?” Ibuki Yuko frowned.
“It’s not running away from home, it’s actually going back home. My hometown is in Ino Prefecture. No matter what, I have to go home for New Year’s Eve.”
“Pretending to go home but actually running away?”
“… How about I stay on video call with you the whole time?”
“Going home only to rebel?”
In their conversation, rebellion was synonymous with death.
Minami Yuuki was speechless.
It seemed his previous actions had left such a deep impression that Ibuki Yuko simply couldn’t believe him.
He wrapped his arms around the girl again. “Indeed, without Mama Yuko’s love, I might actually rebel. I need to go home for about ten days, so I’ll need to make up for ten days’ worth of love.”
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