Chapter 178: That... This Should Count as Daytime Lewdness, Right!

Mmm~

A muffled sound from the large bed beside him suddenly jolted Natsuki Subaru out of his trance—he'd been staring fixedly at Emilia's lips—and stopped him from going any further.

He turned his head at once, only to find that Petra, who had been sleeping soundly all night, was just now stirring awake.

Petra opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Subaru looking back at her.

She didn't say anything—instead, she gave him an adorable smile.

Then, like a nimble little snake, her soft hand slipped out from under the covers and crept over to the back of Subaru's hand, which rested on the edge of her bed.

With a hook and a push, before he could react, her small hand had laced its fingers through his, palm pressed tight against palm!

"...!"

Feeling his hand suddenly seized, Subaru's eyes went wide with surprise.

He glanced down first at the hand she'd offered—soft, delicate, faintly springy.

Where their palms met felt unusually hot, almost burning, as if a fire smoldered there.

Then he looked up at Petra again, his eyes full of surprise, confusion, a silent question—and, though he didn't notice it himself, the faintest trace of secret excitement!

"Shh!"

A flush rose to Petra's cheeks, but she still remembered to lift her right hand and press a finger up, flashing Subaru a mischievous, imp-like smile—a reminder not to make any noise that might wake Emilia on his left or Betty on his right.

The warning was genuine enough, but it was also entirely deliberate on her part.

If all she wanted was to hold Subaru's hand, she could have done so openly, anytime.

But where was the thrill in that, compared to sneaking a secret handhold right under the noses of others, while they remained completely oblivious?

The whole point was to make Subaru acutely aware that other people were right there beside him—because only then would it feel truly thrilling!

His sleeping wife Emilia, and the incompetent Great Spirit Betty... surely those were fitting titles for them, hehe!

Petra had always been the precocious type, and now, after four hundred years of waiting and repression, she was practically operating on a mother's level of maturity!

By age, she was over four hundred years old now—not merely an adult, but fully ripened and ready to be picked!

Thoughtfulness and tender care—these, Petra believed, were now her greatest virtues!

And besides... embarrassing as it was to admit, Petra wanted to hear Subaru call her "Mama" again!

Hmm... why did she say "again"?

Because, of course, he'd already called her that once before!

It had happened while Mimi was pestering Betty, curious about why her hair was styled the way it was.

Petra had murmured to Subaru, worried, that Betty's glare looked awfully scary and that she probably wasn't very good at handling Mimi.

But Subaru had just waved a reassuring hand at her and said:

"There's plenty Betty's no good at—this is good practice for her. We'll just watch."

Then he'd given her a wink, adding in a teasing tone:

"Right, Mama?"

Strictly speaking, in context that had just meant something like 'the kids' mother'—the sort of playacting joke you'd make in a pretend family game.

But Petra was dead serious about it now!

After all, her life's goal had become crystal clear from the very first moment she met Subaru and he saved her!

And that goal was—to train herself into becoming Subaru's bride!

Meanwhile, Subaru tried several times to pull his hand back, hoping not to wake Emilia and Betty, who were pressed close beside him—every attempt failed.

It drew a rueful, helpless smile from him.

But faced with the pitiful, pleading look Petra was giving him, his resolve softened.

If he had one great weakness, it was probably this: he could never bring himself to coldly refuse a girl who so plainly favored and adored him.

Without quite meaning to, he found himself making excuses for her—maybe Petra just felt insecure, having only just woken up?

Or maybe she was worried her confession yesterday hadn't properly gotten her feelings across—and that was why she'd sneaked in and grabbed his hand just now?

Well, that wouldn't do at all!

If he'd already spoken the words and decided to accept her feelings, how could he let her go on feeling so uncertain?

Thinking this, Subaru's expression turned earnest. His once-passive hand pressed back, gradually beginning to respond in kind.

And so, in the quiet of the morning, the two of them lingered together, fingers intertwined.

Right beside the sleeping forms of Emilia and Betty, they carried on their own secret, silent, and faintly charged exchange.

Finally, it was Petra—cheeks flushed, breath a little short—who let go first.

She let her now-limp hand fall lazily, contentedly, against the edge of the bed.

Then she gave Subaru a mischievous smile, one that said she was thoroughly satisfied!

Subaru smiled back.

Then he wiped the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead.

Strange—he couldn't say why, but just from that brief bit of hand-holding with Petra, he felt so tense.

It was almost as if someone had witnessed the whole exchange between him and Petra.

But there were only four people in the room right now, and Emilia and Betty were both still fast asleep.

Unless one of the two beside him had woken up.

But what were the odds of that?

No way, no way, right? Ha... ha...

Subaru gave a couple of dry chuckles at the thought, his voice trailing off smaller and smaller, until before he knew it, cold sweat had soaked through his entire body.

Was it really impossible, though?

As the thrill faded and his mind settled, Subaru noticed a gaze fixed on him from the side—needling, like a thorn against his back.

And unsurprisingly, the owner of that gaze was—

His head turning like a rusted machine, Subaru stiffly, inch by inch, twisted toward his left, toward the Emilia who should have been fast asleep—

Yes—she should have been sound asleep.

Except, at some point without his noticing, she had woken up!

So how did Subaru know this so clearly?

It was because—

The instant he turned his head, his eyes met Emilia's—her unblinking violet eyes fixed right on him.

Emilia's gaze on him was complicated, tangled with hurt, resentment, and a shadow of gloom that wouldn't lift.

She had actually woken the very moment Subaru's head left her shoulder, but out of embarrassment she'd kept up the pretense of sleep.

Even with her eyes closed, she'd still been able to sense the burning way Subaru, once awake, had stared at her lips!

It was as if—as if he wanted to devour her whole!

Soon after, she'd felt Subaru begin to move, leaning down, closing the distance between them bit by bit—and through it all, her heart had pounded wildly.

A kiss... would make a baby!

Emilia's embarrassment had reached its absolute peak. In her mind, such a sacred ritual between a man and a woman ought to happen at night, surely, when the two of them were alone together?

But right now, Petra and Betty were right there beside them...

And besides, wasn't this basically... basically indecency in broad daylight!

____

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