The next morning.
When Yuu woke up and opened his eyes, he saw Masuzu on top of him. After his mind went blank for a moment, his first thought was:
"This mission isn't over yet… Thank goodness."
Then his conscious brain kicked in, gradually processing the current situation.
"…What are you doing, Masuzu?"
He recalled a scene common in many anime—a childhood friend sitting on top of a boy, shaking him to wake him up.
But now the character was replaced with his girlfriend. It seemed more reasonable and sparked even more imagination.
"Good morning~"
Masuzu greeted him cheerfully.
She wore light blue pajamas, sitting on Yuu's stomach, looking down at him. Her silver hair fell naturally, tickling his face.
"I'm looking at the sleeping face of this sinful man."
"Who's sinful…"
"Sometimes I really want to kill you and meet you in hell—that level of sin."
Though Masuzu said that, her expression was calm, and her smile was so joyful it seemed to glow.
She was like a completely different person from the gloomy Masuzu of yesterday.
"Don't say dangerous things like that in the morning…"
"Everyone who confesses their love to me, I curse in my heart to die miserably." Masuzu said proudly, "I'm a twisted, gloomy, hypocritical, wicked, shameless, ungrateful, heartless, arrogant person who loves to belittle, slander, and treat others like monkeys—"
(Ah, here she goes again.)
(Being able to come up with so many bad words for herself, in a way, she's pretty impressive.)
"Alright, alright." Yuu sighed. He held her slender waist, preparing to lift her off.
But Masuzu leaned into him. The intimate contact through the blanket let him clearly feel the curves of her body.
"A conceited, haughty, selfish, stubborn, unreasonable, pitiful, bleak, tragic person—and also, the girl you love most, and who loves you the most."
"…"
"Don't misunderstand, this isn't the answer I'll give you… I just want to tell you, if one day you leave me, I'll do anything to die with you and destroy all the happiness you've given me—you're that important to me."
Masuzu looked up and smiled.
The morning light filtering through the curtains made her sapphire-like eyes shine beautifully, surpassing any beauty in Kyoto.
"Get ready! Your girlfriend is that bad of a woman."
"…I thought you were going to say something else."
Yuu lay on the bed, looking down at the girl resting on his chest. Just like last night, he gently ran his fingers through her hair. His tone was slightly resigned.
"When I fell for you, I never planned to regret it."
"Mmm!"
Masuzu smiled contentedly. She buried her head again, rubbing her nose against his chest.
"Yuu?"
That spoiled, little-girl voice—no one but him would believe it came from Masuzu's mouth.
"Hah, hah, hah, hah~ Yuu. Yuu—. Hehehehe, this amazing person is my boyfriend… Huhuhu, I want to brag to the whole world. My boyfriend loves me so much, huhuhu~"
(This is the usual Masuzu… Wait, this seems a bit too much.)
"Hey, are you okay?" Yuu couldn't help but ask.
Hearing that, Masuzu looked up. "Of course I'm okay. There's never been a better time than now."
"Oh, alright…"
"By the way, this intimate act has nothing to do with love. I'm doing it purely for physical and psychological needs. Simply put, it's survival instinct."
"Whatever you say." Yuu replied, a bit exasperated.
Before he could even get up to prepare, Masuzu hugged him while lying on top of him. She started rubbing her face against his chest.
As if trying to melt his scent into her body, the silver-haired girl kept rubbing while panting. Her hair moved with her, brushing against his neck and chin.
"…What are you doing?" His expression grew stranger. Yuu asked for the second time.
In that close physical contact, Masuzu took a breath and said with a flushed face, "Can't you see? I'm breathing."
Quite serious.
"Is this how carbon-based lifeforms breathe?"
"I lied. Actually, it's a rubbing motion I haven't done in a while."
"Rubbing motion… Do you need to do it this early?"
"Of course!" Masuzu propped up her upper body. She placed her hands on Yuu's chest, lowered her head, and looked at him with wet, passionate eyes. "According to British research, if the first exercise in the morning is a rubbing motion, it can improve physical health, extend lifespan, cure all diseases, bring good luck, and attract wealth…"
"The last two are lies."
"By the way, 87% of people who've experienced this rubbing motion end up pregnant."
"Makes sense. You're rubbing in the wrong place." Holding back from activating Heart as Clear as a Mirror and as Still as Water, Yuu pulled himself from the blanket. He let Masuzu sit like a duck on the bed. Her expression looked a bit lonely.
"If we keep going, you'll be part of that 87% too."
"I thought you could hold back." Masuzu raised her eyebrows, laughing to hide her feelings.
Though she was too shy to say it, the spiritual mark hidden under the blanket made her increasingly addicted. Her whole body felt strange.
"I can hold back, I just want to get up early."
He said casually. Yuu turned his back to her and walked to the bathroom, leaving behind the warmth and softness. His respectful demeanor finally started to wane.
Before he closed the bathroom door, he heard the girl's calm voice calling him.
"Yuu."
"Hm?"
"Like this, staying at an inn with a partner, alone on a bed all morning, immersed in words and actions only couples do… I feel my whole body rotting from the inside out."
"Because you hate love the most, right?"
"Yes." Masuzu said with a wry smile. "But if I can rot together with you and stay by your side even when my body is crawling with maggots… Maybe the ending isn't so bad."
Yuu paused. He turned and looked at her. His face showed a gentle, happy smile.
"Then the answer is clear—Masuzu, you love me more than you hate love."
"…"
The door closed.
Masuzu froze in place. She gently clutched the clothes over her chest. Her expression turned complex.
She couldn't snap out of it for a long time.