Episode 94: You’d better be a good girl tonight, you know

From a light, dreamlike drowsiness, consciousness slowly surfaced. The sensation of lips gently pressed against my cheek woke me.

I felt the moist warmth of human skin against my back. Realising I was being embraced from behind, I lifted my face slightly. Yui-san was peering at me with a faint smile.

　Clothed in nothing but skin, the touch of bare flesh felt comforting. Just as I relaxed, on the verge of drifting back into a deep, dreamless sleep, a gentle, soothing voice roused me.

“Kanata, wake up.”

Whispered softly in my ear, I blinked several times.
Slowly shifting my gaze to the window, I saw it was still dark outside. We were still in the night.
　After that, aided by the alcohol, it seemed I’d drifted off for a little while.

“Mmm…”

“Would you like to take a bath first? Or would you like some cake?”

As lips gently descended upon my cheek and the nape of my neck, I rebooted my sleep-addled brain.
A bath or cake. Both were tempting propositions.

“…I’m hungry, but… I’d like to take a bath first.”

After quite a serious deliberation, I decided bathing came first.
Having done something that made me sweat profusely, the urge to feel clean and refreshed edged out my appetite slightly.
If it were just being close to Yui-san, it wouldn’t bother me so much, but skin that felt a little sticky didn’t mix well with the sheets.

“Right then. I’ll run the bath.”

After gently stroking my hair, Yui efficiently gathered her underwear and dressed.
She slipped on a white shirt and left the bed, and I suddenly missed the warmth she’d left behind.

　Time had passed since dinner, and as the alcohol that had so pitifully shattered my rationality began to wear off, the haze in my head gradually cleared.

I bitterly regretted my actions from hours earlier.
I’d stubbornly insisted, “I’m not drunk,” but Yui-san’s accusation that I’d “had too much” was absolutely correct.

I’d done it again. I sighed and pressed my fingers to my forehead.

　When drunk, the clingy side of me that I usually suppress with all my might surfaces.
Things I’d never normally say become painfully easy to utter with alcohol’s help, and just remembering them makes me blush fiercely.

Drunk sex, for all its passionate goodness that makes you think you might just drift off to heaven, comes with a shame that wells up afterwards unlike anything in ordinary sex.

Why on earth did I say that? I regret it, blushing.
Before I started seeing Yui, I thought I didn’t have any ‘sexual desire’. But I was wrong. I just didn’t know anything.

　If I could, I’d erase every single word I uttered in this bed from Yui-san’s memory.

As I was reflecting on this, Yui-san returned from the bathroom.
She held a plastic bottle in her hand. With a sharp twist, she popped the cap off and handed it to me.

“You must be thirsty. Have some water.”

“Thank you…”

Pulling myself up by the sheets, I hugged my knees as I took it.
Truth be told, my throat had been parched since waking. Swallowing the water, a cool sensation slid down my throat and flowed into my stomach.

“Sober now?”

“…Yes.”

Pressing my cheek against my knees, as if to hide my flushed cheeks, Yui-san simply smiled at me without saying anything.

　When the bath had filled, we headed to the bathroom together. True to its suite status, the bathroom was astonishingly spacious, its gold accents dazzling like something from a film set.

We fussed over the large bathtub and the bergamot-scented bath amenities, washing each other before finishing our bath.
　Truthfully, I wanted to linger longer, but the cake awaited me, and with alcohol in my system, a long soak wasn’t wise.
After washing away the sweat, we slipped into fluffy bathrobes and took turns drying each other’s hair in front of the mirror at the vanity.
Her long, glossy black hair was like silk thread; when I ran my fingers through it, it slipped through my fingers as if flowing.

　Before meeting Yui-san, I’d never experienced that fluttering sensation at the sight of a woman’s uniquely fine, smooth skin or the soft scent of her hair. But now, I cherish this beautiful black hair from the bottom of my heart.

Even when we first met, Yui-san was already complete and beautiful. But at twenty-six, the last traces of the innocence she’d carried through her student days had vanished, replaced by the refined beauty of a mature woman.

Her refined features are as beautiful as a work of art. Surely, from this point onward, that beauty will only continue to deepen and intensify.

I gathered a strand of her flowing hair and kissed it. I felt I finally understood the feeling Yui-san always had when she did that to me.

I hope that from now on, I can repay her with just as many, no, even more of those ‘happy things’ she has done for me until now.

　The love that had once scorched my heart, without losing its heat, had unnoticed transformed into a strong, deep affection.
I realised for the first time that if the intense longing for another is love, then the desire to give to them is called affection.
The affection Yui-san had continually given me filled this heart ceaselessly, granting me happiness that overflowed.

Therefore, I too. I can now swear to God without hesitation that I will love only you for the rest of my life.

　Changing into loungewear, I settled onto the large sofa. The night view from the high-rise window was beautiful. The snow brought by the large low-pressure system that had swept across Kanto this winter continued to fall steadily, threatening to blanket the cityscape in white.

When Yui-san took the cake out of the box, the lovely scent of chocolate wafted up.
A classic Christmas cake, a delicious-looking Bûche de Noël.
　Upon the log base, atop powdered sugar representing snow, sat a small sugar Santa.

Even after eating dinner until I was full, just seeing something sweet before me made my greedy stomach rumble immediately.

When the sliced cake was offered before me, a smile came naturally. Yui, who placed the Santa on my plate without hesitation, looked at me happily too.
　As I lifted it to my mouth, the taste of the chocolate cream melting on my tongue made me sigh involuntarily.
It was my first time trying a cake from a renowned chocolate brand, but it was profoundly rich, so delicious that the difference was apparent in just one bite.
This was truly a flavour for a special day.

“Is it delicious?”

Asked by Yui sitting beside me, I nodded honestly.
　The one Christmas I spent with Yui-san back in our student days remains an irreplaceable memory for me, but tonight – our first Christmas together as lovers – will surely become another memory I’ll cherish forever.

“Actually, Kanata, there’s one more present for you.”

Waiting until I’d polished off the cake, Yui-san suddenly brought it up.

Another one? It was the last thing I expected, so I stared in surprise, eyes wide.

You mean there’s still more?
Seeing me gape, Yui-san smiled. Then, as if she’d had it ready all along, she pulled a wrapped box from the pocket of her loungewear and plopped it onto my lap.

“Open it.”

What on earth could it be? Unable to hide my astonishment, I did as I was told. I slid the red ribbon decorating the box off and opened it.
Inside lay a glossy black leather key case. Picking it up, I felt a slight bulge.

Is there something inside? Clicking the golden clasp open, I unfolded the key case.

　Inside, a slightly scratched key, tied with a red ribbon, was attached to a keyring.

I knew immediately. This key was — the key to that house, given to me when I first met Yui-san before starting university.

There was absolutely no mistaking it. It was the one I used every day during the year we lived together under the same roof. The key I returned to her on the day we parted.

　Memories of the day we met burst into colour and came flooding back. The day I first met Yui-san. I was still eighteen, and she was twenty.
Holding a large suitcase, I was incredibly nervous when I first stepped into that house.
That’s why I remember. That day, when Yui-san placed this brand-new key, not a scratch on it, into my hand.

I was filled with anxiety.

　I didn’t know what kind of person Yui-san was yet, so I didn’t know what to say.
For the first few weeks, just seeing her face kept me tense the whole time. I couldn’t really make casual conversation and I think I just acted all prickly and unattractive.
But Yui-san never once made a sour face at me like that. She was always kind, never changing.

　Every season we spent together in that house is filled to the brim with bittersweet memories of love.

“Yui, this key…”

“I thought it might be a bit soon, but since it’s today, I wanted to give it to you. When spring comes, let’s live together again. This time, without setting any deadline. Forever.”

Why? Tears welled up. The thing I’d let go of that day had returned to my palm. Just thinking that, an indescribable torrent of emotion spilled out as tears, unstoppable.

I rubbed my eyelids with the back of my hand, as if wiping away tears. Then Yui-san took my hand tightly.

“Don’t cry, Kanata.”

“But…”

Her lips pressed gently against my eyelids, as if to soak up the tears. Unable to bear it, I clung to her. From the white skin peeking out from her loungewear wafted the sweet, refreshing scent of bergamot.

Our bodies pressed tightly together. As if drawn by magnetism, my body refused to pull away from Yui-san. A warm palm stroked my back, tenderly, as if cherishing me.

“When spring comes, let’s go buy a new bed, new furniture, everything. What sort of room would you like, Kanata?”

“Is that alright? I mean, it’s your house…”

“From now on, it’s our house.”

I had always liked her home too – simple, devoid of anything superfluous.
　I know that the room given to me that day remains frozen in time, unchanged.
Yui-san never gave up. She believed I would return someday, always.

“…May I go back to that room again?”

When I asked, Yui-san buried her cheek in my hair and smiled.

“No, that won’t do. We’ll get rid of the bed in your room. Because I want to sleep with Kanata every single night. So let’s make my room our bedroom.”

Her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me close. Starting over again, our life together. My heart leapt at the burgeoning possibilities.
I pressed my face against the nape of her neck and held her back, holding her tight, tight, as if to never let go of the warmth of her body holding me.

＊＊＊

After getting ready for bed, we tumbled onto the mattress, tangled together in playful wrestling. The balloon art I’d pushed aside earlier floated and swayed softly around the bed.
Yui-san gently nipped at the nape of my neck peeking out from my nightwear. Ticklish, I turned my face away, only for a slightly forceful hand to seize my wrist.

　Surprised by the strength, I looked at Yui-san, only for her to press her lips against mine as if she’d been waiting for it. She changed angles repeatedly, and the feeling of our lips rubbing together was so good I just let her continue. Then, a mischievous palm stroked and tickled my side, so I hurriedly pushed her shoulder away.

“H-hold on, Yui-san…!”

Her dark eyes, reflecting the dim orange room lamp, narrowed into a sly grin.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Hmm… do you want to sleep already, Kanata?”

Unbelievable. After what just happened, how can she have so much stamina?
Yui-san, you’re such a lecher.

I almost said it… but then I remembered how I’d wanted her myself just now, so I decided to swallow those words for today at least.

It’s rare for me to wake up later than Yui-san, but if I exhaust myself any further, I might genuinely not be able to get up before her.
If I couldn’t place the present by Yui-san’s pillow by tomorrow morning, that would truly defeat the whole point of Christmas.

“Hey, Yui-san. If you don’t behave yourself, Santa might not come tonight… Is that alright with you?”

When I said that, Yui-san blinked, her eyes widening.

“…Will Santa come to me too?”

She said it with such surprise I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course he would come. I held back the urge to say that and instead wrapped my arms around her body.

“If Yui-san stays quiet and sleeps like this, he’ll come, I’m sure.”

As long as I’m here, there’ll never be another Christmas without Santa coming.
Yui-san smiled, rolled over onto her side next to me, and hugged me back tightly.

“I see. Well then… I’d better be a good girl tonight, won’t I?”

Hearing her cheerful voice made me smile too. Tomorrow, I absolutely will get up before Yui-san.
After making that vow, I pressed my face against her chest, wrapped in happiness, and closed my eyes.

　The next morning.

True to her word, Santa Claus came to Yui-san again after four years.

Opening the gift wrapped and placed by her pillow, Yui-san beamed with genuine delight, laughing innocently with joy.

Seeing that smile, I thought – from the bottom of my heart – that I wanted to remain her Santa Claus next year, the year after that, and forever after.