Vol. 2 Chapter 111 – Adult Birthday (8)

At first, both of us had looked down on it as just a kiss.

The contact time was only an instant, the area minimal.

Yet the sensation still lingered strongly on my tongue tip.

If just touching did this to us, I couldn’t imagine what would happen if we actually intertwined our tongues.

My heart kept pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

Everything we’d done before had been like child’s play.

An adult kiss existed in a realm far more mature than where we’d been standing.

“Th-that was amazing…” (Reiya)

“Y-yeah… amazing…” (Hikaru)

Looking at each other, we gave our heartfelt impressions.

Amazing.

It was so amazing that no other words came to mind.

To put it in perspective, it was like suddenly throwing a modern high-spec gaming PC into a world that had been satisfied with a Famicom.

When given such high-level stimulation suddenly, people go crazy.

“W-we should eat the food soon… it might get cold…” (Reiya)

So I decided to suggest a temporary ceasefire.

For Hikaru too, that had apparently been more stimulating than she’d imagined, as she agreed with a nod.

She got down from my lap and sat across the table from me.

I reheated the stew and scallops, making sure to evaporate the alcohol even more thoroughly.

Then we resumed the luxurious birthday dinner with renewed focus.

Here I finally tasted my own cooking for the first time, and it had turned out quite delicious.

Though I say so myself, this might be good enough to serve in a restaurant.

Hikaru was also eating with apparent enjoyment like before, but—

“……………………” (Both)

Despite it being such a special birthday, we were barely talking to each other.

A funeral reception would be livelier than this.

Why were we so quiet? I knew the reason.

The sensation from earlier was still swirling restlessly inside our bodies.

Rather than fading with time, it was growing stronger.

I could think of nothing else.

It felt like experiencing withdrawal symptoms of a drug addict.

“L-let’s eat cake soon too…!” (Reiya)

To somehow drive those thoughts from my mind, I made the next suggestion.

“Y-yeah… I might want to eat some…” (Hikaru)

I moved to the kitchen and cut portions from the cake I’d taken from the refrigerator.

I made Hikaru’s slice a bit larger and added the chocolate nameplate too.

I brought it to her along with a fork.

Once again sitting across the table, we ate cake together this time, but—

“……………………” (Both)

Again, we naturally became less talkative.

Eating cake in silence together was like some kind of ritual.

“I-it’s delicious…” (Hikaru)

Perhaps thinking the same thing, she forced conversation at about 1/10th her usual energy.

“Yeah, delicious… sweet…” (Reiya)

“Sweet, right… really… sweet…” (Hikaru)

However, the conversation still didn’t continue properly and we quickly returned to silence.

The cake, which should have been incredibly sweet and delicious, didn’t taste like much.

Because we’d already experienced an even more exquisite sweetness.

“Oh… right… I need to give you that too…” (Reiya)

After eating about half the cake, I remembered another surprise I’d completely forgotten.

I retrieved the beautifully wrapped item from the headboard shelf.

“This is my birthday present for you.” (Reiya)

“Eh…? A present too? You’ve already done so much for me…” (Hikaru)

“Of course. Happy birthday.” (Reiya)

When I handed it over, she received it carefully as if holding something precious.

“Can I open it?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, I’d be happy if you opened it in front of me.” (Reiya)

“I wonder what’s inside…” (Hikaru)

Suppressing her eagerness, Hikaru carefully unwrapped it.

“Wow…! A wristband…! And it has Pico embroidery! So cute~!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru’s eyes sparkled as she took out the wristband from the box.

“I thought about various things, but figured something you could use regularly would be best.” (Reiya)

My first birthday present for a girl.

I’d really agonized over what to give.

I’d borrowed wisdom from the internet and considered cosmetics or fashion items.

But in the end, tennis was what defined Hikaru, so choosing this seemed to be the right answer.

“Yeah, I can use this anytime! Can I try it on right away?” (Hikaru)

“Of course, I’d like to see how it looks on you.” (Reiya)

“Then I’ll take you up on that… ta-da! How is it?” (Hikaru)

Hikaru put the wristband on her wrist and struck a light pose.

“Wow… it really suits you.” (Reiya)

“Really?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, there probably isn’t another girl who’d look this good in a white wristband.” (Reiya)

“That’s going too far~ But I’m really happy! I’ll treasure this!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru said this while carefully holding the wristband on her right arm with her left hand.

I was just as happy that my choice had brought her such joy.

The restless feelings that had been building up inside were being overwritten by pure emotion.

I reconfirmed just how much I really loved Hikaru.

“Should we resume the game soon?” (Reiya)

“Is that okay?” (Hikaru)

“Yeah, I want to watch you play too.” (Reiya)

“Then I’ll play! Um, how far did I get…” (Hikaru)

Taking the controller, Hikaru floated over and sat next to me.

I moved closer too, and we sat side by side, close enough for our shoulders to touch.

I watched from right beside her as she played the new game…

“Oh, I died…” (Hikaru)

Right after resuming, Hikaru died easily during a stage.

Normally she’d clear even first-try sections easily, so this was unusual…

Thinking that, I didn’t interrupt and just watched the screen beside her.

After that, Hikaru kept dying over and over.

As if her head was full of something else and she couldn’t concentrate at all.

“Hmm… maybe my build is bad…” (Hikaru)

“Want to try changing it? The build variety is huge so there’s probably compatibility issues.” (Reiya)

“Yeah, I’ll try that.” (Hikaru)

She gave an absent-minded response as if her mind was elsewhere.

“What should I do… which ones are strong…” (Hikaru)

She opened the inventory and looked through equipment in order, but the cursor just moved aimlessly without any thought behind it.

Yes, we hadn’t realized.

Those restless emotions hadn’t been overwritten or disappeared.

We’d just been pretending everything was normal and forcibly suppressing them.

And we didn’t realize that what was being held down would eventually burst out with some trigger.

Without any coordination, our eyes suddenly met.

About thirty centimeters apart—not that close by our current standards.

But somehow that became an impact like igniting gunpowder directly.

Before we knew it, we were pulling each other’s bodies close.

Then we pressed our lips together with almost collision-like force.

From there, inserting our tongues into each other’s mouths required no hesitation or struggle.

Because we already knew how good it felt.

“Mm… chu, ah… Reiya-kun, I love you… I love you…” (Hikaru)

“Me too… mm…” (Reiya)

“I love you… mm… more… chu…” (Hikaru)

We exchanged the deepest kisses while murmuring words of love like delirious talk.

Not caring about dripping saliva, we sought to taste the soft tongue sensation more strongly, intertwining with as much contact area as possible, feeling each ridge of the surface.

This act, far more interactive than our previous kisses, captivated us like playing a new game.

All restraints had been completely removed.

Having drawn a strict line at kissing, we sought each other endlessly within that boundary.

And so we devoured each other until the date changed and the birthday ended.

Needless to say, when we came to our senses later, we were both struck by tremendous shame and regret.