Ryosuke gently caressed Kirie's lips as she squeezed her eyes shut.
Her hands gripped the collar of his bathrobe tightly, trembling as if enduring waves of pleasure.
To ease her tension, he lightly bit her upper lip with his own, then slowly massaged it with his tongue.
"H...ngh, amu..."
Faint moans escaped Kirie's lips. Ryosuke's ears buzzed with the sweet sounds as his kisses gradually moved down to her lower lip, then into her mouth.
As he did so, the tension in Kirie's body began to melt away.
"Chup, nuu, reu..."
Her breaths softened into sweet, melting sounds. By now, Kirie's body belonged entirely to Ryosuke. He knew exactly how to rub her oral mucosa to make her feel pleasure.
In fact, Kirie was already slightly aroused from the kisses alone. The lingering heat from her bath radiated off her skin, reaching Ryosuke.
Ryosuke figured that if he kept pushing her like this, Kirie would be begging him for more.
But then he stopped kissing her.
He even released his embrace.
"Ryo-kun...?" Kirie looked up at him with innocent eyes.
Ryosuke pulled away and asked, "Should we stop for now?"
"Huh?"
"There are people downstairs. Is there something else you want to do, Kirie?"
He wasn't doing this to heighten her arousal by making her impatient.
He was testing her.
He wanted to see how someone as enslaved by pleasure as Kirie would react if that pleasure was taken away. Would she act like his previous partners, wheedling and begging? Or would she get angry and withdraw her affection?
He was aware he was being cruel.
Seeing Kirie's eyes glisten with confusion, something (...) ached inside him. He had initially approached her driven by a sadistic desire to twist her face into a grimace.
"...Ryo-kun"
At that moment, Ryosuke realized he was clinging to Kirie—or perhaps, that he was expecting something from her.
Would Kirie forgive this selfishness of mine? Would she truly accept me as myself, not just as a substitute for someone else?
I...
He realized he was far clumsier than he'd ever imagined.
He was skilled at predicting others' actions and striking preemptively, adept at preparing exactly what others desired.
Yet when it came to getting what he truly wanted, he was this clumsy—
"...Fine," Kirie muttered.
Ryosuke, as usual, couldn't discern her emotions from her eyes. He'd unconsciously stopped trying. He simply waited to be condemned.
"Then, instead, I'll grant you a different request..."
Still looking down, Kirie pointed toward the window.
*****
"This is enough—"
"Enough!"
Ryosuke was seated before the low table in the room. Kirie sat diagonally across from him, preparing the tea.
"Look at this..."
Kirie pouted.
"This room... It's clearly meant for two people on a trip, right? If we were alone together, this is exactly what we'd do—"
"Two of us in traditional robes, drinking tea in a ryokan room?"
"I-it's just the image! A couple... or even a married couple...!"
Her expression was a mix of anger and embarrassment as she poured the tea from the teapot. It was strangely amusing.
"W-wait a minute! Don't laugh!"
"Sorry, I can't help it. Thank you."
Even after accepting the teacup, Ryosuke couldn't stop smiling. Kirie sipped her tea, still fuming. The tea seemed too hot, and she quickly pulled her mouth away.
"Ugh, seriously..."
Every gesture, every action of hers, defied his expectations. Her behavior was utterly endearing.
Driven by something different from any impulse he'd felt before, Ryosuke took Kirie's hand.
"Ryo-kun?"
"It's things like that that I like about you."
He'd said those words to her before, more than once.
But this time, the words felt different to Ryosuke—no longer said teasingly or provocatively, but with genuine sincerity.
He couldn't tell if Kirie understood that.
Still...
"This is the first time I've ever felt this way about someone."
"Liar..."
She denied it, but her cheeks flushed even redder than before, and she couldn't meet his eyes.
Even Ryosuke couldn't believe his own words. He wasn't saying it to make her happy or manipulate her; it was a heartfelt confession.
"Kirie, I love you."
"...Me too. I love you, Ryo-kun..."
Their lips naturally met, their bodies merging.
"Is your tongue okay? Not too hot?"
"It was hot. It's tingling..."
"Let me see," Ryosuke said.
She obeyed obediently, flicking out the tip of her tongue.
"It's a little red."
"Mmm... It's your fault, Ryo-kun."
"Right. Sorry."
With a soft chuckle, Ryosuke wrapped his lips around the tip of her tongue. He wanted to soothe her pain, gently pressing his lips against it and sucking tenderly.
Kirie's skin felt even warmer than before. Even her breath against his face was scalding. And he realized he felt the same way.
For the first time, Ryosuke understood that a kiss wasn't just about seeking or giving pleasure.
"Kirie..."
He pulled her into an impulsive embrace, his arms wrapping around her back. Right now, just feeling her close to him was enough to make him happy.
"I thought... I wouldn't do it again today."
Amid her soft gasps, Kirie murmured,
"It still hurts from earlier."
"Yeah, I'm sorry."
"You're not taking it seriously...!"
"I am! I'm sorry."
"Ugh...!"
Even when she squirmed in his arms, she was still adorable. Ryosuke offered to do anything to apologize.
"Then... I want you to say it again... what you said before."
"Ah."
Ryosuke immediately agreed and whispered in her ear:
"I love you, Kirie."
Not just once, but over and over.
Not just because she asked, but because he needed to satisfy his own longing.
"Y-you're saying too much...! It's making me blush!"
As she started to struggle, he shifted his weight onto her.
"Ah—"
With no resistance, she collapsed onto the tatami mat.
He kissed her lips repeatedly, gradually unfastening her yukata. Kirie's hands responded by reaching for Ryosuke's yukata to remove it.
When their eyes met, faint laughter from what sounded like their friends echoed from downstairs.
"Everyone's downstairs, aren't they..."
"Yeah. But... right now, I want to be with Kirie."
"...Mm-hmm."
The two of them moved together, as natural as breathing.
They embraced tightly, their legs entwined, their bodies grinding together. Neither remembered when they'd shed their underwear or when penetration had occurred—they were too consumed by the moment.
For Ryosuke, it was a pleasure unlike anything he'd ever experienced. He thrust desperately, feeling her deep inside him.
"Ah... no...! Ryo-kun—!"
Her body had always been alluring, and their compatibility in bed was undeniable. But now Ryosuke felt a deeper satisfaction, a fulfillment beyond mere physical pleasure.
"Kirie, I—"
Breathless, he gazed into her eyes.
Before he could finish, she nodded slightly, her voice as desperate as his:
"Yes. I want it too..."
With her consent, Ryosuke thrust in and out a few times. Even that small movement brought heat surging dangerously close to the edge.
He held Kirie's soft skin tightly, consciously releasing what he had been holding back. Instantly, passion surged like a muddy torrent, flooding into the cherished depths of her body.
"Ah... Ahh...! Ryo-kun, nnn...!"
They clung to each other, pressed together as intimately as possible. Trembling hips thrust relentlessly, ensuring their connection remained unbroken until every last drop had been poured into her.
It was a time of miraculous sweetness.
Even after ejaculation and the subsiding of spasms, they remained entwined. They shared a tender moment so delicate it seemed they might melt into each other, their forms dissolving into a flowing, syrupy substance.
"Ryo-kun..." Kirie murmured eventually. "I'll tell everyone. That I'm going out with you. That... I love you."
"Mm-hmm."
"I love you... Ryo-kun."
"I love you too."
Hearing the voices of their friends downstairs, they kissed again and again.