"Phew~ I assume no one will disturb us now?"
Watching Sakura depart, Elysia practically bounced out of her office chair and nestled herself right back onto Durandal.
Gazing at Elysia, who had once again claimed a seat on her lap, Durandal massaged her temples.
"So, the only reason you went through the trouble of setting up an extra desk and chair in here was to run over and make an appearance whenever someone walks in?"
"Well, obviously," Elysia replied, her tone making it sound like the most natural thing in the world as she draped her arms around Durandal's neck.
Durandal: "..."
--+--
While Elysia and Durandal were lost in their own little world, it just so happened that Kevyn was finishing up a mission near Chiba Academy.
The moment her duties were over, she reached out to Mei via her phone.
This was perhaps the very first time Mei had ever cut class.
But then again, who could blame her? Kevyn was leaving for Sapphire City the next day.
Once she left, the time they spent apart would be measured in months. Because of that, Mei cherished these final moments together above all else.
Behind a semi-abandoned, weathered school building at Chiba Academy, Kevyn—having temporarily dismissed her squad—stood waiting for her lady to arrive.
"Mei, over here!"
Kevyn waved toward Mei, who was jogging over from the direction of the new teaching building. Seeing her, Mei picked up the pace.
However, Mei was never the athletic type. As she neared Kevyn, her foot caught on a stray pebble. She slipped, her balance instantly deserting her.
Mei squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a painful fall and the humiliation of crashing down right in front of Kevyn. But the impact never came.
When she opened her eyes, she realized Kevyn had reached her just in time, steadying her in a firm embrace.
Mei could hear her heart hammering against her ribs. It wasn't a blush of shyness from the physical intimacy; it was pure, unadulterated shock, sending a massive spike of adrenaline through her system.
At the same time, Mei felt her legs turn to jelly. Even though Kevyn held her steady, she found herself forced to lean heavily against the other girl just to stay upright.
Kevyn looked down at Mei, who was currently draped over her shoulder in a rare display of vulnerability, and felt her heart skip a beat.
Inexplicably, her mind drifted back to a few days ago—to the suggestion Elysia had given her in Durandal's office.
Over the last few days, Kevyn had desperately wanted to put that advice into practice.
But every time she saw Mei buried in her books or radiating her usual commanding presence, Kevyn found her courage failing her.
"Mei, would it be okay if..."
Finally, in this moment, Kevyn mustered the strength to speak. However, her bravery seemed to leak away right at the finish line. Even at such close proximity, Mei couldn't quite catch those last few words.
"What was that?" Mei asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"I said... forget it, it's nothing." Kevyn swallowed hard, trying to laugh it off and drop the subject.
When it came down to it, she was just too chicken!
But Mei wasn't about to let her off that easily.
It was simply in her nature to get to the bottom of things. In fact, she, Mobius, and Vill-V all shared that particular trait—without it, they never would have become such brilliant scientists.
Mei knit her brows, her expression turning serious.
"Kevyn, you're leaving for Sapphire City tomorrow. If it's something important and you don't say it now, it's going to be a long time before you get another chance. Are you really okay with that?"
That was the wake-up call Kevyn needed.
Sure, being a coward before didn't matter much because she saw Mei every day. But if she chickened out today, her grand plan to improve her kissing skills would be sidelined for months.
And she wouldn't even be by Mei's side during that time. What if Mei fell for someone else?
Kevyn couldn't imagine anyone else dating Mei and being as tongue-tied about a simple kiss as she was. If that happened, she wouldn't have a shoulder left to cry on!
With that thought, Kevyn finally made up her mind.
She pushed Mei back slightly from her shoulder, looking directly into the purple eyes behind the glasses.
Her words were clear and steady—and they would have been perfect if her cheeks weren't currently glowing as red as a baboon's backside.
What Kevyn actually said was: "Mei, would it be okay if I kissed you right now?"
Hearing this, Mei almost wanted to take off her glasses and polish them, wondering if her nearsightedness had worsened to the point of hallucination.
But the realization hit her quickly. First, she hadn't brought any lens cleaner or a microfiber cloth; trying to wipe them with her bare hands would only smudge her vision further.
Second, while she might be nearsighted, there was nothing wrong with her hearing. There was no way she had misheard that.
So, this coward Kevyn actually stood right in front of her and asked that?
Mei's gaze shifted from bewilderment to shock. But just as it was about to transition into joy, Kevyn—likely discouraged by the long silence—felt her hard-won courage evaporate completely.
"Uh, well, Mei, don't be mad, just pretend I never sa—mmph!"
Before Kevyn could finish, she found herself slammed against the mottled wall of the old school building, silenced by a forceful kiss.
Kevyn: [???]
Who was she? Where was she? What was she doing?
She was the one who suggested the kiss, so why was she the one being pinned against a wall and kissed senseless?
However, Kevyn wasn't left with much room for thought. Mei's kiss this time was worlds apart from the last one. Kevyn could feel a trace of 'venting' in the gesture. Mei even nipped at her lower lip with her teeth.
It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but Kevyn could feel the underlying frustration.
Why is she angry?
If Mei was angry because she asked for a kiss, then why was she currently fulfilling that very wish? This contradiction was exactly like what Elysia had described.
But Kevyn could no longer think straight. She could only weakly wrap her arms around Mei's slender waist.
Much like how the startled Mei had needed to lean on her earlier to stand, Kevyn felt that if she didn't hold on now, she would probably slide right down to the floor.
They kissed for God knows how long, only stopping when Mei was clearly out of breath. She finally released Kevyn, who stood half a head shorter than her.
Even then, Mei kept one hand firmly on Kevyn's shoulder as if afraid she might bolt.
With her other hand, she pulled off her glasses—which had clearly been getting in the way—and tucked them carelessly into her pocket.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.