V5: Chapter 49: The Morning After Is So Awkward, Isn't It?

Chapter 49: The Morning After Is So Awkward, Isn't It?

I woke up and tried to get out of bed...but I couldn't move.

That's because Chloe was hugging me tightly from behind. Her ample breasts were pressed against the back of my head, and that alone made me feel happy.

And, the man's 'thing'... was gone as if it had never been there in the first place.

I don't know if it's because she'd released everything, but yesterday was definitely... a bit too much.

Last night, it was as if she'd let loose, and she tormented me relentlessly...I was finally released when it started to get light outside.

I woke up just before noon, but I still feel like there's a thick liquid lingering deep inside my stomach.　

"Hmm..."　

Chloe seemed to have woken up as the hand that was around my neck shifted. The arm reached downwards...　

"Ahh!?"　

She grabbed my breasts tightly.

I screamed unintentionally, waking Chloe up, but I don't think it's my fault. I'm already sensitive because of everything that's happened recently, so I wish she wouldn't stimulate me so much.　

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I was a little anxious... I thought it was a dream."

"Hmm. You say things that make me curious about what you were doing in your dream?"

She showed no sign of remorse and didn't move her hand away.

But I was also starting to enjoy the feeling of her soft palm.

It was like being embraced, which was both comforting and pleasant... something like that. I don't think it was like this last night.

She finally seemed to regain her consciousness, and the arm that had been reaching for my chest withdrew... but she's now pinching my cheeks. She strokes my hair as if I were a treasure... then pats my throat.

I squirm because it tickles, and my bottom stings. Chloe's excited reaction means she's slapping it repeatedly, so I think it's quite red.

"Ugh, it's still throbbing... I feel like my bottom's going to split in two..."

"Don't be silly, it's already split, isn't it?"

Even as she says that, Chloe gently strokes my bottom... she really means well, right? She doesn't just want to touch my cute little butt, does she? Her touch is kind of... a little suggestive, I guess... oh well.

"It's too hard to walk, so carry me in a princess carry, okay, Chloe-chan?"

"Honestly, you're being quite clingy today... but alright."

We could have a little more physical activities, but we should get up soon, or her parents will get suspicious.

Though I have a feeling it might already be too late.

Thinking that, I sat up... and saw a clear, bright red hickey on my chest, and I felt the blood drain from my face. Judging by this, there are probably quite a few on my back and neck too...

"Whoa, what should I do? I have to cover my neck..."

"Oh, that's fine. Let them see."

"Wha, Chloe-chan... are you serious?"

Chloe seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it would be a disaster if the servants or her father saw me like this. Rather, I felt a bad premonition as she leaned closer, seemingly taking advantage of the situation.

"See, if I put on so many that they can't be hidden... there won't be a problem, right?"

"Wait!? If you add any more, it'll be irreversible... ah♡!"

Then she pressed her lips against the nape of my neck, as if to bite me. As if marking me as hers. Perhaps I had underestimated the strength of her possessiveness.

Now that I think about it, I do feel like I'd kept her waiting for quite a while. Perhaps this was the reaction to that.

"I can't help but want to lock you in a cage right now. But, that being said, I also want to be on equal footing with my partner... it's quite a difficult thing, isn't it?"

"...I can't say anything about that."

She pressed her lips against my neck again two, then three more times... and eventually the kisses turned into gentle bites. As if nibbling affectionately... I felt like I was offering my neck, a vulnerable spot, to her, and occasionally she would bite hard enough to leave teeth marks, sending shivers down my spine.

"The piercings suit you, but... I don't really like it, you know?"

"Sorry... mmm."　

A dull pain runs through the soft earlobe of the ear without the piercing. While I know this is bad, I also find this sensation not so bad. I guess I'm a hopeless masochist.　

"I'll put up with this for now... but there won't be a next time, okay?"

"Th-then...Can I take a bath now..."

"Oh, I finished marking the back... but there's still the front left, isn't there?"

"...Huh?"

After that, her mouth moved closer to my collarbone, then my stomach, then my chest... and I was covered in kiss marks, even on my cheeks.

Before dinner, as a girl, I was naturally concerned about various things, so we headed to the bath together.

★

I dipped my fingertips into the water with a gentle splash. The bathtub—which felt less like a home bath and more like a public bathhouse—was already filled with hot water, almost as if it knew we were coming.

Yeah... I’d like to believe they just keep it filled all the time... I really, really would.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Go right ahead... wait—no, never mind."

Despite the sheer size of the tub, Chloe went out of her way to squeeze in right next to me... though it seemed even she didn't intend to get frisky right here. Which was only to be expected, really; after all, this was a bathhouse shared by other people.

I felt a "tiny" bit disappointed by that... though—not that I actually "wanted" to do anything, of course!

I stretched out my legs and gave a big, full-body stretch inside the tub. As it happens, I’m actually quite fond of taking baths. I’m not quite as obsessed as a certain heroine from a famous national anime series... but I imagine girls my age who "dislike" bathing are definitely in the minority.

The reason I didn't feel nearly as tense as I did when bathing with Lux back home was simply because the bath here was so massive. It felt less like sharing a bath at home, and more like I’d simply come to a public bathhouse.

Still, I had no idea what kind of conversation was appropriate for a moment like this. "Wow, last night was pretty intense, wasn't it?"... or something like that?

Am I an idiot? That’s completely out of the question.

Someone—anyone—please tell me what constitutes appropriate small talk when you’re sharing a bath with a female classmate!

"So... um... Chloe? How long have you... you know... 'liked' me?"

"That’s a rather sudden question, isn't it?"

"Well, I’m curious! I mean... like, what exactly do you like about me? And how long have you felt that way? Was it... right from the very start?"

"...Honestly, where on earth do you get that kind of confidence?"

I couldn't shake the feeling that I might have chosen the wrong topic—or the wrong timing—but then again, if I didn't ask now, I probably never would.

 Faced with such an outlandish question from me, Chloe seemed surprised—yet it appeared she was willing to answer it anyway.

"To be honest... when we first met, I found you rather insufferable."

"Huh?! Why? What on earth for?"

"It was your fault that I was stuck in second place—whether it was in school exams or even the Magical Girl popularity polls! It’s only natural for a little jealousy—or perhaps a lot of it—to bubble up in a situation like that, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah... well, I suppose that makes sense..."

Maintaining the facade of my "ideal self" is something of a hobby for me, so I never cut corners when it came to my studies or my social interactions. As for my abilities as a Magical Girl... those seemed to grow on their own without any effort on my part. Come to think of it, I do feel a bit bad about that now.

"Back then, I was so desperate to present an image worthy of the Tachibana family... but looking back now, I realize I was just spinning my wheels."

"True. I never really understood what exactly you were trying to compete with me over... I just assumed it was because we were partners."

"......I would be most grateful if you could simply forget that ever happened."　

I seem to recall a period where she tried to compete with me over things like the number of External Enemies we’d defeated, or the number of citizens we’d rescued.

"After all, my magic isn't actually designed capable of combat; it isn't its primary function. I should have focused on utilizing my true strengths from the very beginning... instead, I wasted my time competing over such trivial matters."

"Yeah, your [Ice Mirror] ability seems much better suited for information gathering than for direct combat—at least, that’s its intended purpose."

You can't defeat a hostile entity unless you locate it first—that goes without saying. While my raw offensive power may be second to none, I am by no means omnipotent.

"As we fought side-by-side through countless missions... somewhere along the way, you became the partner I trusted more than anyone else. From then on, I found myself constantly watching you. Yet, the more I came to understand you... the wider the gap between us seemed to grow. It never seemed to shrink."

"I’ve never thought of it that way at all."

Even now, I still consider her a partner I can truly rely on. In fact, I felt that she was likely the only Magical Girl in all of Japan capable of stopping me. Though, I had never actually voiced that thought aloud.

"But... one day, it suddenly dawned on me. I wondered... had you ever truly relied on me before? I began to suspect that, in the truest sense, I hadn't actually been walking beside you at all."

Perhaps, in her own way, she had been struggling with those thoughts all along.

We had been together constantly, yet I hadn't noticed a thing. After all, to me, it went without saying that Gracia was my totally dependable partner.

"That is why, back then—when you finally did rely on me... I was truly, genuinely happy."

"Back then...? Oh—wait, do you mean 'that' specific time?"

"Yes, exactly. I could never forget it—vanishing so abruptly like that... only to make such a dashing return right when I needed you most."

Leaning in close, she brought her lips right up to my ear. Then... she murmured, almost like a whisper:

"I won't ever let you get away again... so you’d better be prepared."

"H-Hyaa!? Y-Yes...!"

Feeling as though my head were spinning from the heat—or perhaps something else entirely—I hurriedly made my escape from the bath.

And so, I had completely forgotten about the apprehension I’d felt just moments before...

★

"Oh, I apologize for the wait. Father... Mother."

"Ah—did you sleep well last ni—..."

There was the spread of food laid out on the dining table, and Chloe’s father, who looked rather awkward as he glanced in my direction...

"Oh my, oh my... well, well..."

And there was Chloe’s mother, gazing at my face with a broad, delighted smile.

Catching her gaze, I finally remembered—the hickey on my neck.

"W—Wait, that’s not it at all!"

"…Heh. Looks like the Tachibana family is doing just fine."

It wasn't not true—but that was the only thing I could say.

Despite that little mishap—and amidst the excruciatingly awkward atmosphere created by the fact that I was walking around showing off their daughter's hickey—I somehow managed to make it through those two days of our short trip, all while nursing my sore backside.

★

And waiting for me upon my return was…

"I have something important to discuss. Regarding Satellite…"

A summons regarding a matter of great importance…

"…specifically, the issues you are currently facing."

It was a summons from Squire.