20. Don't Even Think About Escaping

After the meal, Sakura took the initiative to do the dishes.

I wonder, should I hire a subordinate specifically to help me with the dishes after I eat? No, that’s too inhumane. Maybe I could provide them with meals? But wouldn't that just be more trouble? As for a dishwasher, do you think someone who buys a refrigerator from an antique shop would ever buy one of those?

Opening the cupboard to take out the spare bedding, Kyosuke Hojo let his mind wander while he prepared his sleeping spot in the living room.

"Kyosuke! What are you doing?"

Sakura Yamauchi, who was washing the dishes, saw what Kyosuke was doing and let out a startled cry.

"I’m setting up my bed, why?"

Kyosuke paused, momentarily stunned. Sakura’s tone made him feel as if he had committed some unforgivable sin.

"Why are you setting up a bed? Isn't the bed right there?"

Sakura put down the dish she was holding, wiped her hands carelessly, and walked over, snatching the quilt Kyosuke was holding right out of his hands.

"We’re sleeping on that bed tonight!" Sakura looked at Kyosuke, pouting.

"That’s not possible."

"Why not? We did it when we were kids, why can’t we now?" Sakura’s eyes seemed to be welling up with moisture.

Kyosuke felt a headache coming on. From the moment Sakura said she was staying at his place tonight, he had a premonition that he would end up in this exact situation.

"Be good, Sakura. I’ll take you to that famous sushi place in Ikebukuro this weekend," Kyosuke said softly, as if coaxing a child.

"No! Do you think I’m just some greedy little pig?" Sakura didn't budge an inch. There were few things that ranked higher than gourmet food for her, and Kyosuke was at the very top of that list.

"We aren't third-graders anymore, Sakura."

"That's right, we’ve grown up. And you, Kyosuke, you have someone you like now. You’re no longer the Kyosuke who was only good to me."

The quilt slipped from Sakura’s hands to the floor. She clutched her chest with both small hands, looking at Kyosuke with large, watery eyes. Her tone was low and her expression was miserable, looking every bit like a young wife abandoned by her husband.

"Fine, fine, I get it. We’ll sleep together. Your pajamas are in that storage cabinet by the bed; go change into them yourself."

Kyosuke looked at Sakura, seeing himself reflected in those amber pupils, and gave a helpless, bitter smile. Even though he knew she was acting, he still couldn't stand to see her looking so aggrieved.

"Yay!"

Sakura’s expression shifted instantly. She jumped up happily, holding up a victory sign with her slender, pale fingers.

"You can finish the rest of the dishes, Kyosuke. I’m going to take a bath first."

After saying that, Sakura ran to the bed to retrieve her pajamas and then skipped happily into the bathroom.

***

Kyosuke finished the dishes and sat on the sofa to watch television.

"Kyosuke~" Sakura’s voice drifted from the bathroom. Because of the door, it sounded slightly muffled.

"What is it?"

Kyosuke didn't turn around. In his apartment, the toilet and the bathroom were separate, and since it was a bachelor pad, the bathroom door was made of frosted glass, serving only as a waterproof barrier. If he turned his head, he would be able to see something truly magnificent that might make his nose bleed.

"You’re peeking, aren't you, Kyosuke?" Sakura laughed softly, her tone full of certainty.

"I am not." Kyosuke denied it flatly, taking a large gulp of barley tea from the side table to moisten his dry throat.

"Eh? Don't you want to see, Kyosuke?"

"No! I absolutely do not! And for the record, I didn't make that papaya dish with any such motive!"

"Why aren't I a boy? If I were, I could find a girl as cute as me to be my girlfriend."

"You could do that even if you were a girl, you know."

"Kyosuke! What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day? I’m going to tell Aunt Mikiko!"

Faced with Sakura’s reversal of blame, Kyosuke rolled his eyes. He didn't speak again and turned his attention back to the TV. Inside the bathroom, Sakura had also fallen silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Kyosuke grew drowsy from watching the television, his eyes eventually closing.

When Sakura finished her bath and stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Kyosuke looking as if he had fallen asleep.

She tiptoed over quietly, draped her arms gently around Kyosuke’s neck, and placed her palms against his chest. Then, she rested her pointed chin on the top of his head and leaned her entire weight against him.

Kyosuke, feeling the weight on his head before he could even open his eyes, was suddenly enveloped by a fragrance—whether it was the girl’s natural scent or her body wash, he couldn't tell.

Sakura’s small hands playfully stroked Kyosuke’s firm pectoral muscles. She moved her chin away from his head, leaned her lips close to his ear, and whispered softly:

"Kyosuke, I’m not wearing anything."

Various vivid, lingering images flashed through Kyosuke’s mind: Sakura’s smooth, tender skin, freshly bathed and radiating heat, seemed to be eroding his nerves.

"I’m going to take a bath!"

Kyosuke stood up abruptly and fled toward the bathroom.

Left behind, Sakura touched the sofa where Kyosuke had been sitting, letting out a series of bell-like laughs.

When Kyosuke stepped out of the bathroom, he found that Sakura had already turned off all the lights.

The three-layered curtains on the balcony weren't fully drawn, allowing a sliver of moonlight to filter in. By the faint light, Kyosuke walked to the bed. Sakura was already lying there with her eyes closed.

***

Looking at that adorable face, still flushed from her bath, Kyosuke smiled dotingly. He reached out to pull the quilt up and cover Sakura’s exposed shoulder, then turned to head for the sofa to spend the night.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned, a small, warm hand grabbed his.

"Don't even think about escaping, Kyosuke."

Turning back, he saw that Sakura had rolled onto her side, looking at him with her large eyes.

There was no helping it; Kyosuke had no choice but to lie down on the bed.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

He hugged the edge of the bed as tightly as he could, leaving as much space for Sakura as possible, trying his best to avoid any contact.

The familiar, sweet fragrance kept drifting from under the covers and into his nose. Now that he had just bathed, he was certain: that was absolutely not the scent of body wash, but the girl’s own natural scent.

The entire space under the quilt was filled with Sakura’s scent and warmth.

Under the covers, Sakura slowly stretched out a small hand, tracing lines back and forth on Kyosuke’s arm with a single finger.

Suddenly, Kyosuke turned over in