I woke up to the brightness of morning seeping through my eyelids, and saw Kuroka right in front of me.
That in itself wasn't unusual. But something felt... different today.
"Good nyaing, Ikki~"
Kuroka was already wide awake, leaning over to stare into my face.
"Morning... Wait, why am I in the bed? I'm pretty sure I fell asleep on the floor last night."
"I carried you over here, nya~ And by the way, from now on, no more sleeping on the floor!"
Just like that, she casually overturned my entire sleep routine first thing in the morning!
"Ugh... But still, "
"Don't even try. You've been refusing to sleep in the same bed because I always said I just wanted your 'seed,' right? I get it. That's on me for not changing my tone. But after everything you've done for me and Shirone... I'm not so heartless as to feel nothing for you, nya."
"Wait... So you mean, ?"
"Are you really going to make me spell it out after all that?"
She looked up at me with a slight blush coloring her cheeks. Damn... yeah, no backing out now.
We've been living together for a while now. I've been flustered more times than I can count because of her, and we've had so many serious talks, like how best to teach senjutsu to Koneko-chan. And then there's her infectious, teasing grin...
Yeah, I have plenty of reasons.
Only one thing left to say now.
Even though I said I was ready, I still wussed out a little and pulled her into a hug instead of saying it straight to her face.
"I like you, Kuroka."
"Hmph. You'd get more points if you said 'I love you,' though."
Ouch, a rejection?! I instinctively loosened my hug to look at her, but before I could say anything, she leaned in and kissed me.
It wasn't even ten seconds, but I could feel my face heating up.
"Nyahaha~ Ikki, you're still weak to surprise attacks like that, huh?"
Can't argue with that... my brain's still short-circuiting.
"Well, since we've confirmed our feelings... let's make a baby, nya"
She suddenly climbed on top of me with that wild declaration! Wait, no, I guess it's not totally out of the blue...
"W-Wait, Kuroka! We have school today! And come on, having a kid in high school is way too early! I mean, I can't even afford child support yet, I'd die from the stress!!"
Just making a kid and dumping all the responsibility on the mom? That's... no, that's really bad!
When I explained my worries, she looked super disappointed, but she did nod eventually.
My self-control, you've done well. Those years of forced self-restraint weren't wasted!
"Haa... So what, you want me to wait until you graduate college?"
"If I'm being honest, my self-control might not last that long. But if I can get a decent senjutsu-related job after high school, maybe through Yasaka-san or Azazel-sensei, I think I can hold out."
Just over a year. Setting a goal should help.
"That works for me, nya~ If you'd said six years or something, I'd have pinned you down right here and now!"
Whew. Nice call, slightly pathetic self-control.
She stayed draped over me, her chest pressing down in a way that was... dangerous. As we lay there, she suddenly turned her face toward mine, as if remembering something.
"...Now that you've confessed to me, you'd better clear things up with Shirone and Kunou too, okay?"
Ugh! The question every Japanese-born man dreads, "Is it really okay to have a love triangle (or square)?"
Not like I'm cheating or sneaking around, but still...
"Are you really okay with that?"
"I mean, I like Shirone too, and I've taken a liking to Kunou. So I'm fine with it... but you still have to tell them yourself. Right now they both just 'like' you innocently. But before long, that'll turn into something more."
Yeah... women around here are pretty relaxed about that kind of thing. Maybe it's an Issei-adjacent phenomenon?
"Still, if you ever start yelling 'Harem! Harem!' like Red Dragon Emperor-chin, I'll be pissed. And even if you do add more girls, limit it to just one more, okay?"
"Stop talking like it's guaranteed! I'm not planning on adding anyone else!!"
This is absolutely not the kind of conversation you have right after confessing! When I thought that, Kuroka smirked.
"So naive, nya. Strong males always attract females. Even if you're not trying, they'll gather around you. Especially with the Red Dragon Emperor-chin nearby."
Seriously? I don't really feel like I'm in some kind of dating boom...
"Well, anyway, there's no point arguing now... Oh right, today's the end-of-term ceremony. You'll be back by lunch, right?"
Yeah, since summer break starts tomorrow... not that I've made any plans.
"Yeah. After the ceremony, I've got a short meeting with the Occult Research Club. But hey, how about you come meet the Gremory group today? Good time to do it."
They'll all be heading to the Underworld over the summer, so this might be my only shot.
"Ehh, meeting people is such a pain, nya~"
Don't act like a lazy cat now!
"But you're thankful to President Rias for helping Shirone, right? I'm not saying bow or anything, but at least thank her properly. Koneko-chan said they go to the Underworld every summer, so it's now or never."
Kuroka gave me a look like, "Why do you have to say that?" but eventually sighed and gave in.
"...Fine."
She didn't look thrilled, but still. If I just drag her to the clubroom out of nowhere, people will be shocked. Better message President Rias first...
Talking and cuddling with Kuroka had already burned through a good chunk of the morning, so... yeah, no time for morning training today. I pulled out my phone.
[Oh, good morning, Ikki. It's rare for you to message me this early. Is something up?]
"Good morning. Sorry to bother you, but would it be alright if I brought Kuroka to the club today? I'd like to formally introduce her."
[Kuroka? I'd love that. I was hoping to see her before I return to the Underworld tomorrow.]
"Got it. I'll see you after school, then. Thank you."
[I'll be looking forward to it.]
After ending the call, I turned back to Kuroka.
"Like you heard, I'll contact you through Izuna when the ceremony's done."
"Roger that, nya~"
But then she tilted her head and said, "By the way... I forgot to ask yesterday, but did your [Divinity] level go up again?"
"Hm? Oh yeah. Probably because I fought Vali's Juggernaut Drive."
After that, I noticed it rose about 1.5 ranks. I'm at [Divinity: C+] now.
"Though, judging by how the Sacred Gear feels, I think this might be my ceiling... Unless I hit Balance Breaker, then maybe it'll rise again. Hard to say."
"Then you'd better hurry and hit it, nya! The higher your [Divinity], the better your baby batter quality gets!"
Don't say "baby batter"! That's way too graphic!!
Still... what even would my Balance Breaker look like? It's been nearly 17 years since I awakened this Sacred Gear... Now I think I get how Saji felt.
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Note: Romance arcs are hard to write...