Chapter 17: Taste of Youth
Tick, tick, tick, tickâŚ
The steady rhythm of the wall clockâs second hand.
That was the first thing I heard when I stirred awake.
I wasnât ready to face the day just yet, so I kept my eyes shut, hoping to drift back into sleep.
But thenâ
A soft, rhythmic breathing.
Light, peaceful, adorable.
It wasnât mine.
Curious, I cracked my eyes openâ
And found a beautiful face filling my entire vision.
âHuh!??â
I barely swallowed the startled gasp that threatened to escape. My whole body went stiff.
Sumire was right there, sleeping beside me.
Oh, right⌠We slept together last night.
The realization sent my heart racing.
I pressed a hand to my chest, almost afraid it might burst from the sheer force of my own heartbeat. Could she hear it? If my pulse was this loud, surely it was enough to wake her.
But Sumire remained asleepâserene, untouched by my silent panic.
Exhaustion still weighed on me from everything that had happened the previous day. Lacking the energy to get up, I simply watched her.
Her features, up close, were almost unreal.
Like a finely sculpted statue, delicate yet impossibly perfect.
My hand moved on its own.
Not out of any ulterior motiveâjust pure, simple curiosity.
I reached out and gently poked her cheek.
Soft.
A sigh of admiration slipped from my lips.
Her skin was so smooth, so flawless. Truly, God must have blessed her three times over.
For a fleeting moment, I wanted to keep touching her, to keep tracing the silkiness of her skin. But if I somehow damaged something this beautiful, wouldnât that be an unforgivable loss to the world?
Reluctantly, I pulled my hand away.
Her hair, slightly tousled from sleep, fanned out across the futon. It was a bit tangled, but it only took a few strokes of my fingers to smooth it out.
I envied how effortlessly perfect it was.
Even after all that, Sumire didnât stir.
Was she a heavy sleeper?
I hesitated. Letting her rest seemed kind, but if she overslept, that might cause problems later.
After a momentâs thought, I reached out and gently stroked her head.
Still nothing.
Satisfied she wouldnât wake up just yet, I slowly sat up and tucked the futon around her more securely.
And thenâ
I froze.
Wait.
If Himari-san or Shigekazu-san walked in right nowâ
Wouldnât this look really, really bad?
I had only been entrusted with Sumireâs care yesterday.
Being caught in this situation right afterâŚ
No matter how I thought about it, the only future I could see was one filled with catastrophic misunderstandings.
This is bad.
Really, really bad.
Swiping my phone off the floor, I checked the time. 6:50 AM.
I held my breath and listened.
Soft footsteps.
The faint clatter of dishes.
Someone was awake.
Either Himari-san or Shigekazu-san was already up and moving around.
Panic gripped my chest.
I needed to get Sumire back to her roomâfast.
But carrying her? Too risky.
One wrong step, and I'd be caught in the act. Thereâd be no explaining that away.
At the same time, staying put wasnât an option either.
Sooner or later, someone would come looking for meâor worse, walk in on this scene.
Trapped.
Completely. Utterly. Trapped.
With no other choice, I resigned myself to my fate.
Iâd just have to wait for Sumire to wake up and leave everything in her hands.
Letting out a slow, shaky breath, I forced myself to stop overthinking.
For now, all I could do was sit tight and pray for a miracle.
"Mmm..."
As I stirred awake, I stretched my arms overhead, feeling the slight stiffness in my body. Through the curtains, I could tell it was still dark outside.
I twisted my back, trying to loosen up, whenâ
Wait.
This⌠wasnât my room.
In an instant, sleep fled from my mind. My surroundings were unfamiliarâuntil my gaze landed beside me.
Ren.
He was still breathing softly, completely lost in sleep.
Oh⌠right. I must have gone to bed way too early last night. That explained why I was up so early now.
Checking my phone, the screen read: 5:30 AM.
I slid out of the futon quietly and tiptoed to the living room to grab some water.
To my surprise, my mom was already awake.
"Oh, good morning. You're up early today."
"Yeah⌠morning."
She gave me a quick glanceâjust a slight flicker of surprise in her eyes.
That was it.
No teasing, no questioning why I was coming out of the guest room.
âŚHonestly? I had braced myself for some kind of reaction, so her complete indifference was almost disappointing.
After downing a glass of water, I headed back.
Ren was still deep in sleep, completely unaware of the world. Even when I crouched beside him and leaned in, watching his face up close, he didnât stir.
It was⌠kind of amazing, actually.
And then.
A not-so-great thought crossed my mind.
If I did something now⌠wouldn't it just be written off as me moving in my sleep?
The idea was mischievousâbut tempting.
I stared at Renâs sleeping face for a few moments, debating.
In the end, curiosity won.
Gently, I reached for his hand and placed it against my cheek.
Warm. Smooth.
But also⌠different from mine.
Unlike my hands, his were larger, firmer, rougher in a way that felt reassuring. Even though his skin was smooth, the structure was strong,
Ren was a boy, after all.
As I traced the thought absently in my mind, I found myself continuing to hold his handâcompletely lost in the quiet moment.
As I kept tracing my fingers over his hand, a strange warmth spread through me. On a whim, I rubbed my cheek against itâonly to realize, Wait. This looks so perverted...
Abort mission.
I quickly pulled away, face heating up.
Lying back down, I ended up facing Ren, who was still sleeping soundly on his side.
For a while, I simply held his hand, enjoying its warmth. But before long⌠I started getting bored.
That was when an idea struck me.
Casuallyâor at least, thatâs what I told myselfâI snuggled into his chest.
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly.
âŚThis was the first time Iâd hugged him like this. Face-to-face, with nothing between us.
A strange, fluttery feeling stirred in my chest, growing stronger with each passing second. Was this okay? Holding someone like this while they were asleep?
My heart pounded.
To hide my burning face, I buried it deeper into his chest.
But thenâ
Ren shifted.
His body tensed slightly, as if something had tickled him.
Oh no.
Startled, I quickly pulled back.
For a long moment, I didnât move a muscle. If he woke up now, my whole act of âinnocently sleepingâ would be ruined.
Slowly, cautiously, I peeked at his face.
âŚStill asleep.
I exhaled, barely stopping a relieved sigh from escaping my lips.
Feeling emboldened, I hugged him againâthis time more carefully. Closing my eyes, I let myself relax.
A few minutes passed.
Listening to Renâs steady breathing, I felt my own slowing down, a familiar drowsiness creeping in.
It was still early.
Wrapped in his warmthâand maybe just a little bit of guiltâI let myself drift off into a second dream.
"Hey⌠Are you sure itâs okay for me to come along?"
Renâs voice was barely above a whisper, laced with uncertainty.
"Hmm? Itâs fine, itâs fine." I waved off his concern. "Grandmaâs really nice. She wonât care just because I brought a friend."
"No, but is that really the issueâŚ?" He fidgeted in his seat, shifting uncomfortably. "I feel so out of place here, itâs insaneâŚ"
sigh...
"Just relax. Donât worry about it."
It was 12 PM, and the two of us were lounging in the backseat as the car gently swayed along the highway.
Through the window, the monotonous scenery stretched endlesslyâgray asphalt, passing cars, and the occasional road sign. Tall fences lined the sides of the road, blocking much of the view. There wasnât anything particularly interesting to look at, but I didnât feel like fiddling with my phone, so I just stared outside for no reason.
Meanwhile, beside me, Ren was still whispering nervously.
sigh...
Another sigh escaped my lips as I half-heartedly reassured him while my mind wandered elsewhere.
Sitting in the car for so long, I started to feel like I was drifting through a dream. It wasnât quite sleepinessâmore like a strange detachment, as if I was floating between reality and something less tangible.
Watching the scenery blur past at high speed only deepened the sensation. The world outside felt distant, almost unreal, as if I was watching a movie instead of actually being here. Maybe the altitude had something to do with it, or perhaps it was just the unease of being in an unfamiliar situation.
Pressing a hand to my slightly throbbing head, I pulled my gaze away from the window. When I glanced beside me, Ren had finally given up his nervous muttering. Instead, he was staring blankly into space, his posture stiff and awkward.
Well, I couldnât blame him. It wasnât just the two of usâmy mom and dad were here, too.
If it had been just the two of us going to Grandmaâs house, things might have felt more manageable. But with my parents tagging along, Ren stuck out like a sore thumb.
Originally, I had planned for it to be a simple overnight tripâjust me and him. But the moment my parents caught wind of it, they insisted on coming along, worried about something or everything.
I felt bad for Ren.
A voice from the front broke the silence.
âLetâs stop for lunch first.â
While the two of us sat in the backseat, lost in our own little world, the car suddenly slowed to a stop. My dadâs voice pulled us back to reality.
âWeâre here. Letâs stretch our legs.â
The four of us stepped out into the cool midday air. I took a deep breath, stretching my arms as the strange, dreamlike haze from the ride gradually lifted. The world felt sharper again, the lingering fog in my head clearing away.
âWhat do you two want to eat?â
Standing in front of the service area map, my dad turned to ask us. Ren and I scanned the list of restaurants, considering our options.
âI feel like ramen,â I said, pointing to a well-known chain.
Ren glanced at me, then nodded. âYeah, that sounds good.â
With our choice settled, the four of us headed inside.
The restaurant had the familiar, comforting hum of a place that had served countless travelers over the years. As we took our seats and placed our orders, I glanced at Ren.
Maybe it was because he had finally relaxed, or maybe it was just the natural flow of conversation, but somehow, he already looked like part of the family.
To an outsider, we probably seemed like siblings.
I poked Renâs knee while we waited for our food, earning a glance from him before our orders finally arrivedâstarting with the firmest noodles.
Being hopelessly sensitive to heat, I took my time, carefully blowing on each bite. Meanwhile, my dad and Ren? They inhaled their ramen.
I watched, dumbfounded, as they slurped up the steaming broth without hesitation, without caution, without fear.
Monsters.
How were their mouths not on fire? If I tried that, Iâd end up with third-degree burns and a trip to the hospital. Was this some hidden human ability I hadnât unlocked? Should this be counted among the worldâs seven wonders?
While they waited for me, I felt a little guilty for eating so slowlyâbut self-preservation came first. I wasnât about to sacrifice my tongue for efficiency. Besides, it had been a while since Iâd had ramen, and it was incredibly good.
After finishing, we paid and stepped outside. The fresh air felt nice, and my curiosity kicked in as I glanced around the surprisingly spacious service area.
Then, something caught my eye.
A large, eye-catching banner flapped in the wind, practically demanding my attention.
Limited-Time Orange Flavor Soft Serve.
Perfect. I needed something sweet to cleanse my palate after the ramen.
Tugging on my dadâs sleeve, I looked up at him expectantly.
âWhatâs up?â
âCan I get some ice cream?â
I pointed at the banner. He glanced at it, thenâwithout hesitationâpulled out two crisp 1,000-yen bills and handed them to me.
âHere. Get enough for two.â
âŚWait. I hadnât even asked for money. Did I look like I was begging?
Well. If he was offering, I wasnât about to refuse. I gratefully accepted the cash.
âThanks, Dad.â
Then, without warning, I grabbed Renâs arm and dragged him along.
In the past, he wouldâve protested. A grumbled âI can walk on my ownâ, maybe even an attempt to shake me off. But lately? He didnât even resist.
My training was finally paying off.
When we reached the stand, there was a short line, so we waited. Once it was our turn, I glanced at Ren.
âSame thing for you?â
He gave a small nod, and I turned to place our order, pointing at the menu.
"Two orange soft serves, please!"
"Two orange flavors, coming right up!"
The price was reasonableâsurprisingly so. Sweets from places like this were usually outrageously overpriced. Still, compared to the soft drinks at restaurants, this was a steal. Iâd never looked into it, but the cost-to-price ratio had to be absurd.
The vendor, a dapper-looking man, handed over our cones with a practiced smile.
Taking them, I turned to Ren.
"Here."
He took his without a word, and we moved to a quiet spot nearby, standing side by side as we ate.
Neither of us spoke much. There was no need to.
These simple, uneventful moments were the most comforting.
And yet, as I stood there, idly licking my soft serve, I found myself thinkingâ
I wish this could last forever.
It was an uncharacteristic thought, but it settled deep in my chest.
Once upon a time, I had longed for moments like theseâthe kind of peaceful, everyday scenes that others seemed to take for granted. Back then, I thought they were out of reach.
I wonderedâjust for a momentâwhat life would be like if Ren and I were siblings. If we had grown up together like family. If our days had always been this quiet, this effortlessly warm.
The thought felt strange, so I shook it off.
I took a big bite of my soft serveâ
âand instantly regretted it.
The lingering chill in the late March air was already enough to make me shiver, and now, with the ice cream melting cold against my tongue, a fresh wave of goosebumps ran down my arms.
Noticing my reaction, Ren, who had already finished his ice cream, silently draped his jacket over my shoulders. I handed him my half-eaten soft serve in exchange and slipped into his slightly oversized hoodie.
He might seem absent-minded at times, but heâs surprisingly observant. Itâs one of the things that drew me to him.
The jacket, still warm from his body heat, wrapped around me like a comforting embrace. And beneath the warmth was his familiar scentâone Iâd grown used to lately, one that felt strangely reassuring.
Iâve changed, havenât I? To think these things so naturallyâŚ
I glanced up at him, the cause of it all, only to stifle a laugh.
Ren stood there, ice cream smeared at the corner of his mouth, looking just a little too disheveled for someone who had finished eating first.
âYouâre hopeless.â
Smiling, I pulled out a pocket tissue and gently wiped his mouth. He flinched, turning away in embarrassment, but made no real effort to stop me. Heâs always been like this. And it still amuses me.
After a moment, he wordlessly handed back my soft serve.
I took another bite.
The partially melted ice cream, true to its limited-time orange flavor name, left a sweet and tangy taste on my tongue.
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