The heat surged from her lower abdomen, rushing straight to Marika's brain and instantly overwhelming the girl's reason.
At that moment, Marika's mind became completely blank, leaving only one thought: to cling to the person she loved and transfer her heat to her beloved.
She, she wanted to win Yu over!
Thinking of that, Marika suddenly came to her senses, her hand loosened, and the glass bottle shattered on the floor.
The black tea in her other hand also fell to the ground, and the tea spilled everywhere.
"Hmm?"
Noticing that something was wrong, Yu looked toward Marika, only to see that the girl's face was completely flushed, her breathing heavy and rapid, and her shoulders had begun to tremble strangely.
"Yu, Yu..."
Murmuring that, Marika suddenly turned around and threw herself into the young man's arms.
"Marika, it looks like you've drunk something very unusual."
Looking at the girl who was tightly hugging him, Yu's expression was not particularly good.
The emerald glow in his eyes showed that Yu was currently in a Severance state, so he could naturally see Marika's current condition.
In addition to the usual status lines, Marika now had an extra thin line of bright pink, and that line was the longest one and had already completely taken control of Marika's actions.
After seeing that bright pink line, Yu guessed what Marika had just drunk, but... he could not understand why Marika would do such a thing; she really treated him like a true gentleman.
Thinking about that, Yu helplessly picked Marika up and turned around to place her on the bed.
"Yu~"
Lying on the bed, Marika still restlessly twisted her body.
The bath towel that had already been loosely wrapped around her slipped due to the friction, revealing a large area of her fair skin.
Her eyes, filled with affection, stared motionlessly at Yu, while her red lips were slightly parted as she softly spoke his name.
"Honestly."
Seeing Marika in this state, Yu rubbed his forehead.
Was he tempted? Of course he was!
No matter what, Yu was a completely healthy man.
A beautiful young woman was lying before him, seductively offering herself as if she were just waiting to be picked. If Yu could still restrain himself in such a situation, he would probably be no less than a saint.
However... Yu admitted that he was tempted, but at the same time, he knew that this was Marika's first time and that it should not be given away so casually.
"Sigh... you silly girl, remember to thank me later."
Saying that in a helpless tone, Yu waved his hand.
Under the influence of Severance, the heat caused by what Marika had drunk instantly disappeared.
A feeling of clarity passed through Marika's mind, and she recovered in a single breath.
Lying motionless on the bed, Marika stared blankly at the ceiling, obviously still not understanding what had just happened.
"Marika, have you recovered?"
Seeing Marika in such a state, Yu smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed. His smile was like that of a mischievous child waiting to see the reaction after a successful prank.
"Yu... Yu?!"
Hearing the voice, Marika turned her head, and when she saw Yu sitting on the bed fully clothed, her eyes widened and she abruptly sat up.
"Idiot, don't shout so loudly. I really didn't expect you to try to use something like that on me."
Seeing her reaction, Yu leaned closer and covered her mouth with his hand, while there was a hint of reproach in his voice.
"No, it's not like that... I, I didn't..."
Hearing that, Marika retreated backward, moved his hand away, her cheeks turned red, her gaze wandered as she avoided looking at him, and she quietly murmured a reply.
"Listen to me carefully, you're not allowed to use things like that next time!"
Yu said in an exhausted tone and reached out to lightly tap her on the head.
Feeling the slight pain, Marika covered her head with her hands, pouted her lips, and looked very aggrieved as she muttered:
"It's not fair..."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Hearing that, Yu, who was doing everything he could not to look at Marika, turned around in confusion and saw that her eyes were full of tears, her nose red, as if she would burst into tears at any moment.
"Yu is so unfair! Obviously, obviously I was the first one to meet Yu! Obviously, Kotonoha and Yumiko have already... Why, why am I like this, and Yu still doesn't want to?!"
Seeing that the young man still had the nerve to ask, Marika questioned him, both angry and embarrassed.
Did she really want to use such methods to offer herself to Yu?
No!
Marika knew that she was not an easy girl.
The reason she had resorted to such methods was precisely because Yu always maintained a certain distance from her in their daily interactions.
She was obviously the first one to meet Yu... yet she ended up behind so many other people, even far behind them!
Marika did not understand why it was like that, but she knew that if she did not take the initiative herself, Yu, with his personality, absolutely would not do anything before marriage.
Marika had made a huge decision for what she planned to do tonight, but... even when she offered herself to him, Yu still did not touch her.
Marika did not understand why.
Could it be... that Yu did not like her at all?
Just as Marika was thinking sorrowfully, even beginning to despise herself, she was suddenly enveloped by the young man's warm embrace.
"Idiot, for things like this, don't let things like that get involved.
If Marika is truly ready, then I certainly have no objections. After all, I'm not losing anything."
Yu's voice echoed beside her ear, accompanied by the slightly accelerated beating of his heart.
"...Yu, I love you..."
Feeling the young man's warmth, Marika's eyes filled with a mist of tears, but she still smiled.
Gently pushing the young man away, Marika immediately moved closer again after saying that.
Her delicate, fair hands moved to the already untied bath towel.
A moment later, the white cloth fell to the floor.
"Then, Yu, does this mean... that you accept me?"
"Was there ever a time when I didn't accept Marika?"
The conversation between the young man and the girl echoed through the room, and as their voices gradually faded away, the lights in the room suddenly went out.
A gust of wind, from who knows where, locked the door and tightly drew the curtains shut.
Outside the window, the moonlight illuminated the earth, while the lingering warmth of late summer gently touched the maple leaves of early autumn.
"Wait! Yu, I... I even bought props!"
"Marika, where did you even hear about things like that?"
"Hehe, I've known about them for a long time. There was a picture book hidden in Yu's bedroom~"
"...You little rascal, take this!"
"I've known Yu for a very long time. Of course it's fun being with him, but... I'm not really sure what my feelings for him are."
In the auditorium, Fujiwara Chika returned from her memories, shrugged her shoulders, and spoke in a confused tone.
"Hmm? Is that so?"
Hearing that, Yotsuba raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she had a feeling that the girl in front of her was lying.
Smiling at Yotsuba, Fujiwara Chika quietly spoke, as if addressing Yotsuba while also speaking to someone else:
"Of course! If I liked Yu, I would definitely tell him!"