Chapter 31: Kiss

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

Rira, with her blonde hair swaying, let out a small, amused smile.

By day, she was a student; by hidden identity, an idol… and now, this classmate of mine stood right in front of me, staring.

“Masato, I saw you and was about to call out, you know? But then you went into that dark corner and helped that girl there.”

“…You saw all of that?”

“I told you, didn't I? I saw everything.”

T-That meant… all of those embarrassing lines too!?

I hadn't expected anyone to see, and suddenly I felt intensely embarrassed and looked down.

“But I only watched. I don't know what exactly was said.”

“…I see.”

I felt a slight relief. Still, it had been a while since someone saw me helping someone… maybe since my mom?

Rira, who had been smiling up at me the entire time, suddenly let out a small “Ah!” and looked behind me.

“Huh?”

I followed her gaze and saw the girl from earlier stepping out of the shadows.

She glanced around as if searching for something, then ran off at a brisk pace.

“Huh… maybe she was looking for me?”

“Probably. Anyone would be curious if they were saved in a place like that. Even I was… I didn't even know about her boyfriend yet, but I couldn't help but be interested in you.”

“…!”

Her words, that she couldn't help but be interested in me, made my shoulders tremble.

Normally, hearing that would have just made me happy—but after what happened with Runa, it felt different.

Before Runa's actions, even Rira had been close to me.

I thought she was just trying to get me used to being around girls, but no one would normally do all that just for that reason.

“Hey, come over here for a moment.”

“W-what!?”

Before I could even be surprised at her strength, Rira pulled me by the hand.

She didn't seem to intend to take me anywhere, though—just forced me onto a nearby bench.

“Rira…?”

“Well, I wanted to talk to you. Did you have any other errands?”

“Not really… I was just about to go home anyway.”

“Good. Well, what I want to talk about is… of course, Runa. You were at her house until just now, right?”

“…Yeah.”

I nodded calmly at her question. She already knew, so there was no need to hide or pretend.

“Don't say it's rude to ask what happened, okay? I can't help worrying about you, and I bet she didn't tell you to hide anything either.”

“Well… yeah.”

Runa hadn't told me to keep anything secret either. It looked like she might contact Rira later tonight, but I happened to meet Rira first.

Though I couldn't speak smoothly given the circumstances, Rira opened her mouth as if seeing right through me.

“Your shoulders just trembled, right? From that reaction, I could already tell… you were more conscious than when you came to my place, weren't you?”

“Uh…”

“You were conscious of me, weren't you?”

I nodded without hesitation. That was exactly true, and hiding it from her would have been pointless—I somehow already knew she'd see right through it.

“You're honest♪ I could tell right away from that reaction—Runa must have told you her feelings, huh?”

“……”

“I thought so. A little surprising, though… given her history with her ex, I didn't think it would happen so soon.”

Rira stood up.

Then, standing directly in front of me, she slowly straddled my thighs and sat down.

“H-hey, Rira!?”

“Fufu♪”

She locked her legs around my waist, leaving no chance to escape.

Despite all the people around us, Rira didn't seem to care. With a beautiful expression that was both serious and smiling, she said:

“I love you too. This is love… definitely pure feelings directed at you.”

“…Rira.”

Hearing her words, I realized it wasn't surprising. Of course she had feelings—just like Runa, Rira had also come to like me.

“You came to help, and I got close… from that point, I could only see you. You're my savior… the one who protected everything important to me.”

“…You're exaggerating—I'm just—”

“Not exaggerating.”

Her whisper near my ear made my body tremble more than before.

“Not exaggerating… it was inevitable that I'd fall for you. I even think that all the danger I went through was so I could meet you.”

“……”

“I imagined so much, you know. Thinking about you makes my body warm, makes me want to be with you more… It's heavier than I thought, but so what? Being in love should feel this intense.”

Honestly, being told she liked me was wonderful.

If it had been someone I didn't care about, that would be different—but we'd grown close… and she was stunningly beautiful. Like with Runa, I couldn't help but feel happy.

Still, I had no idea how to handle all this right now.

“I know it's a lot for you, Masato. All this… because we ended up liking you.”

“…I don't think it's a bad thing.”

“It'd be sad if you thought that, and I'm glad you said that. So, you see? Our choice is clear: to make you completely captivated by me. Runa probably told you the same thing, right?”

I nodded.

“We'll keep being close and deepen our bond… so, from now on, Masato—I’ll make you completely captivated. All of me, the usual me, the idol me… it'll all be yours. I can't wait for the day I get all of you.”

It was overwhelming, in every sense.

She understood that I couldn't act immediately, yet she blocked all escape routes with her words… and her declaration at the end.

Am I really the one being spoken to right now?

Looking blankly at myself, Rira's eyes forced me to painfully realize—it was me.

“So… first, let's make you aware of me, okay?”

“Huh?”

Rira grinned and leaned her face closer.

Slowly… so slowly that it felt as if time itself had slowed, her face approached mine.

“Rira—”

“Mmm…”

Running away was impossible.

Her legs wrapped around me, her arms around the back of my neck, her ample chest pressed against me… my entire body felt Rira.

And now, her lips touched mine.

Even with my dazed mind, I understood—this was unquestionably a kiss.

---

“If something is going to be taken away, then keep it by your side yourself. By doing so, you can protect it from being taken… and everything will be resolved.”