Chapter 218: What Is Happiness?

The weekend weather was beautiful, clear and bright. The early autumn wind swept up a few early-fallen ginkgo leaves. It was a perfect day for basking in the sun.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse canopy, casting swaying spots of light across the secluded school path. The air was thick with the scent of dry grass and the faint fragrance of ginkgo.

Fuyuji Mikage strolled leisurely along the school path, then came to a halt.

Behind the school building, on a bench beside the small grove, a figure lay sprawled in an awkward posture.

Two deep blue braids spread across the surface of the bench. The hem of her white pleated skirt had been lifted by the wind, revealing thighs wrapped in sheer black stockings.

A delicate, refined face. A mysterious aura. A faintly aloof presence that kept others at a distance.

Fuyuji stepped forward.

"Good morning, girlfriend-chan."

Morishita Ai did not respond. She continued lying on the bench, one hand pillowing her head, the other dangling limply toward the ground.

Fuyuji stepped two paces closer, narrowing his eyes to block the spots of light scattered across the girl's face.

"Come to think of it, I read an article yesterday. It said lying on your stomach for too long isn't good for your chest. It might affect future development."

"..."

The girl sprawled on the bench turned over as if nothing had happened, folding both hands over her abdomen and switching to a proper, supine position.

The corner of Fuyuji's eye twitched. He bent down and flicked a finger against the girl's smooth forehead, speaking with exasperation. "Girlfriend, what are you doing? Playing dead like Crayon Shin-chan?"

"Congratulations, you got it right!"

Morishita kept her eyes shut, her long lashes fluttering once like butterfly wings. She chanted under her breath.

"I'm testing how much my boyfriend likes me. I wanted to see what kind of reaction my boyfriend would have seeing me like this. Whether he'd do what they do in TV dramas—rush over and hug me right away, crying and shouting things like 'Ai, don't leave me.'"

"But aren't your eyes closed? You can still see?"

"Rest assured." The corner of her mouth twitched upward. "I've been secretly keeping a tiny crack open to observe whether my boyfriend came or not."

Fuyuji pressed a hand to his forehead and drew a deep breath.

Both were Class A oddballs, but as expected—his girlfriend's train of thought was on a whole other level.

"Weren't we supposed to go on a date? Still lying here?"

The date originally scheduled for last weekend had to be postponed to this week because Morishita-sama's relative had come to visit.

"It's not a date. It's going out to play."

Morishita finally opened one eye. A sly, cunning light flickered through it, and she immediately shut it again.

"But I think sleeping here is really interesting. We can go later. Boyfriend-kun, come be my pillow for a bit. The bench is so hard it's making my neck really uncomfortable." She wrinkled her nose in complaint, like a fussy cat.

"That..."

Fuyuji's ears grew a little hot. He turned his head and looked around.

The school path was empty in both directions. The leaves nearby rustled and whispered. Birdsong echoed through the quiet, secluded forest.

"Early in the morning, shouldn't we..."

"Hurry up, hurry up."

Morishita kicked her legs impatiently. With a soft clatter, she shook off her little leather shoes. Her small foot—wrapped in sheer black stockings, like melted chocolate—stretched out and kicked Fuyuji's trouser leg with precision.

A dozen or so seconds later, Fuyuji stroked Morishita's fair cheek and instructed her.

"Five minutes. No more."

"Rest assured." Morishita adjusted her position and rested her head against his thigh with blissful satisfaction, letting out a kitten-like sigh. "Morishita-sama never lies."

The sun drifted lazily. The spots of light beneath the shade crawled slowly across the grey-white ground. Time itself seemed stretched and elongated by this warmth.

At first, Fuyuji felt rather bored. Gradually, his gaze became firmly fastened upon the profile of the girl on his lap. The sunlight kissed her delicate cheeks, and even the fine, tiny hairs were clearly visible. Her nostrils flared gently with each breath. Her slightly parted lips were like flower petals touched with dew...

Only when a sparrow fluttered down onto a nearby branch did Fuyuji jolt back to his senses.

Shimatta! Had it really been thirty minutes?!

"Morishita-sama." He gently shook her shoulder, his voice very soft. "You can get up now, right? Five minutes passed ages ago."

Huff... huff... huff...

In response came the girl's steady, unhurried breathing. Warm breath brushed against the fabric over his leg.

Fuyuji half-lowered his eyes. He extended an index finger and lightly poked Morishita's unbelievably soft cheek. The skin beneath his fingertip was warm, smooth, and silky. Seeing that she didn't react, he grew bolder. His fingertip traced along the contour of her cheek, brushing against it like a feather.

"Girlfriend-chan." He bent down, his lips pressed close to her small, delicate earlobe. Slowly, he spoke. "Has anyone ever told you—when you sleep, your sleeping posture usually isn't this quiet. You've got a bit of hyperactivity. You're also very clingy. You like holding people when you sleep."

Either she rolled the blanket into a ball and claimed it as her own, or she curled up into a little ball herself like a hamster. She also had a habit of clamping both legs tightly around Fuyuji's thigh, locking him in place so he couldn't move.

The breathing of the girl in his arms came to an abrupt halt. The very next second, her eyelids flew open. Her eyes were perfectly clear, without the slightest trace of drowsy haziness. Without sorrow or joy, she spoke. "How could that be? I am a refined young lady, deeply steeped in the excellent upbringing of the Morishita household. Such unrefined acts could not possibly have been committed by Morishita-sama. Boyfriend-kun, you must have been daydreaming."

Morishita-sama—profoundly shaken!

The corner of Fuyuji's mouth twitched.

Girlfriend—a girl who fought me for a seat on the very first day of school really shouldn't be saying things like that. Miki would laugh if she heard...

"In any case." He let out a helpless sigh and patted her back. "Slept enough? If we lie here any longer it'll be lunchtime. It's about time we head out."

"Mm." Morishita stretched, like a lazy cat. "Preparing to depart!"

Fuyuji gently lifted her head off his leg and placed it on the bench. He stood up and stretched his somewhat numb legs, then strode forward.

After two steps, he realized there was no movement behind him. Puzzled, he turned his head.

Morishita was still sitting properly on the bench, both hands braced at her sides. Her two legs—clad in sheer black stockings—dangled and swayed lightly in the air. She showed not the slightest intention of following.

"What's wrong?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Put them on for me!" Morishita lifted one foot with righteous confidence.

That foot—wrapped in black stockings, tracing an elegant line—was extended right before him. The tips of her toes curled upward playfully. The afternoon sunlight pierced through the thin black stockings, faintly outlining the delicate joints of her ankle and the fine texture of the skin on the arch of her foot, gleaming with a warm, alluring, jade-like luster.

Fuyuji's gaze seemed glued in place. He silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Five minutes later, Fuyuji lowered his head. His fingertips recalled the warm sensation of the leather. His line of sight was welded firmly to the ground. Silently, he counted the neat grey-white tiles of the school path, so focused it was as though he were studying some unsolved mystery of the world.

"Boyfriend-kun." Morishita, on his back, suddenly tightened her arms around his neck and spoke with absolute certainty. "As I thought—you really do have a foot fetish, don't you?"

"Cough, cough!"

Fuyuji choked violently. His gaze flitted frantically toward the pale yellow ginkgo grove at the far end of the path.

"Nothing of the sort! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Hmph hmph..."

Morishita rested her chin on his shoulder and said nothing more. Her black-stocking-clad thighs quietly rubbed against the crook of his arm.

After walking a while longer—unable to bear the "I've seen through everything" look his girlfriend was giving him—Fuyuji attempted to change the subject.

"Girlfriend-chan, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Just wander around. However." Morishita's voice suddenly turned grave. "There is one question I need you to answer with the utmost seriousness."

"What?"

"That thing just now." The breath beside his ear felt unbearably heavy. "Was it true?"

"Ha? Which thing?"

"It's just... lying on your stomach affects development..."

"It's true!" Before she could finish, Fuyuji—seized by a sudden surge of wicked courage—blurted it out.

What a tragic question, Ai. For someone like you, who's always lying on her stomach observing insects, it must be hard to accept...

"Liar!"

Morishita clamped both hands around Fuyuji's neck and shook him furiously. "You're definitely lying to me! Say it! Say you're lying!"

"Alright, alright. I'm lying."

"Don't brush me off like that, you sly boyfriend! Please answer this question with the utmost seriousness!"

On the quiet, secluded morning school path, the sound of two clamorous, bickering voices mingled with the birdsong of the forest, gradually fading and vanishing into the deep, quiet woods.

...

Emerging from the woods and rounding two more bends, the view suddenly opened wide before them. The vast, azure sea came into sight. Waves crashed against the breakwater, wave after wave, like a melody that had played ceaselessly since time immemorial.

"I told you my way of eating was fine. How come what I ate last time was sweet?"

"Oden can be seasoned with dipping sauce. Truly an ill-informed boyfriend-kun."

Twenty minutes later, when the two of them reappeared around the bend of the school path, they had already arrived at the edge of the Advanced Nurturing High island. Morishita climbed down from Fuyuji's back, holding the oden they had bought from the convenience store in one hand.

The school path ended in a short stretch of stone steps, worn smooth by the sea breeze. Below lay the open embankment. However, to prevent accidents, the perimeter had been enclosed by a tall fence.

Fuyuji held Morishita's hand and sat down side by side with her on the stone steps, gazing out at the distant seaside scenery.

The sunlight poured generously across the sea's surface, cutting the ocean into countless glittering, shattered diamonds that stretched all the way to the horizon where sea met sky.

"Here..."

A piece of radish, missing a small bite, was held out before Fuyuji by Morishita. Then she reached out and swapped the fish ball in his hand for her own.

"Mm." Morishita's cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. "As expected, yours tastes better."

"Everything of mine tastes better, is that it?" Fuyuji rolled his eyes with exasperation.

"Yes."

"Still, there's no need to be in such a rush."

Fuyuji reached out and wiped away the sweet chili sauce clinging to the corner of Morishita's lips, then placed his finger in his mouth.

Well... seeing as she's my girlfriend, and so adorable, I'll just pretend the radish is really tasty. She'll probably steal it back in a bit anyway.

Morishita suddenly stopped. She swallowed the food in her mouth and raised her head, her gaze landing directly on Fuyuji's face.

Within those violet-pink eyes were reflected the clarity of the sky and the shimmering light of the sea—startlingly bright, clearly mirroring his somewhat strange expression.

The sunlight baked the contours of their shoulders, casting two tightly intertwined shadows at their feet.

Fuyuji could smell the faint peach fragrance of Morishita's body, warmed by the sun, mingled with the salty tang of the sea breeze, threading its way into his nostrils strand by strand.

Time seemed frozen by the sound of the waves.

Only the light danced. Only the sea breathed.

After an unknown stretch of time—perhaps a few minutes, perhaps only the span of a few heartbeats.

"Boyfriend-kun." Her voice was very soft, nearly swallowed by the waves. "I think... you've struck me."

"Ha?" Fuyuji responded instinctively, his thoughts not yet fully pulled free from that strange atmosphere from just moments ago.

"So." Morishita did not explain. She cupped the bottle of mineral water beside her in both hands and downed a huge gulp. Then, tilting her face slightly upward toward him, the line of her delicate chin drawn taut. "Kiss me..."

The girl's cheeks, under the combined effect of the sunlight and the sea breeze, showed a healthy, alluring shade of pink that spread all the way to her small, delicate earlobes.

That single, simple sentence—like a spark—instantly ignited the emotions that had long been stretched to their limit within Fuyuji's chest.

The sea breeze, in this very moment, seemed to come to a complete standstill. All that remained in his ears was the sound of their breathing—clearly audible to each other—and... the pounding of his own heart within his chest, growing louder and louder, faster and faster.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Fuyuji gazed at those cheeks, flushed with a pink luster. Gazed at those lashes, trembling faintly. Gazed into those beautiful eyes—brimming with the light of sea and sky, yet now reflecting only his own silhouette.

Fuyuji slowly lowered his head.

The distance closed bit by bit. He could clearly feel her warm breath brushing past his lips, carrying a faint sweetness like strawberry milk candy. The tips of their noses were nearly touching. Within his field of vision, all that remained were her slightly closed eyelids.

At last, their lips gently, tentatively touched.

Soft.

An unimaginably incredible softness, more so than he had ever imagined. Carrying the warmth of the sun and a faint coolness of the sea breeze—like two of the most tender flower petals.

Immediately after, Fuyuji's arm naturally wrapped around Morishita's slender waist, drawing her tighter against him.

Almost simultaneously, Morishita's hands climbed onto his shoulders. Clumsily, yet with unwavering resolve, she returned the deepening kiss.

It was no longer a fleeting, glancing touch.

Their lips pressed together tenderly, brushing and caressing...

The roar of the ocean waves seemed to have been pushed to the far edge of the sky. In the world, all that remained were their intertwined breaths, the warmth transmitted between their lips, and the frantic, ehcoing heartbeats pounding within their chests.

"Ai, I like you." Fuyuji murmured softly.

"How much?"

"Very, very much."

"How much is that?"

"As much as a cat likes fish, as much as a dog likes meat, as much as Ultraman likes little monsters..."

Amidst the kiss, her eyes curved into crescent moons. Morishita rose up on her tiptoes and merged their breaths even deeper together.

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75 [Power Stones] = Bonus Chapter!