From the sports field in the distance came the cheerful shouts of students.
Teenagers in their prime were each living out their own version of youth—sweating it out on the track, burning off their endless energy.
The sea breeze that brushed across the rooftop, though, carried a faint sweetness with it.
On a bench up there, a couple sat in a tight embrace, quietly sharing their feelings.
Yukinoshita Yukino's whole body was radiating heat.
Her snowy-white skin was flushed pink, and under a thin sheen of sweat she looked even more soft and alluring.
Her long, glossy black hair was slightly damp and warm, clinging lightly to her neck and shoulders.
Her face—already so cute it should be against the law—was now bright red.
At the moment, Yukinoshita Heiress had her beautiful face resting against the man's chest.
If not for the strong arms wrapped firmly around her slim waist, she probably would've already collapsed.
Hayashi Maki looked down at that adorable face in his arms, taking in the way her skin was flushed and damp from exertion, and couldn't help lifting a hand to gently stroke her head.
"Yukino, you worked hard."
At his words, Yukino summoned a bit of strength to roll her eyes up at him.
"Shut up, you big pervert. Don't say that."
What "worked hard", anyway?
He'd been the one leading the pace the whole time. All she'd done was go along with him. Sure, she felt weak, but if she was being honest, there had been more pleasure than pain.
The corners of Hayashi Maki's lips curled up as he continued to softly caress his fiancée's hair and leaned down to press a light kiss to her lips.
"Okay, okay, I won't say it. I'll just focus on holding you."
Blushing, Yukino nestled into his chest and rubbed her cheek against his neck.
"Idiot… dragging me up here saying we'd just eat lunch on the roof… was that your idea of 'eating lunch'?"
"Haha, how was it not? I did eat most of your precious kouhai's bento, didn't I? Courtesy goes both ways—since I ate your cooking, I had to make sure you were full too, right?"
Yukino closed her eyes and ignored the jerk.
The more time she spent with him, the more she realized she was the one becoming less proper.
He'd totally corrupted her.
She understood exactly what he was implying with that kind of innuendo now.
So annoying.
She used to be so innocent.
Now she'd been turned into a veteran driver.
…And "veteran driver" was a term he'd taught her, too.
Seeing her hide her face in embarrassment and shut her eyes, Hayashi Maki couldn't help laughing.
He hugged the little beauty tighter and took a deep breath.
Breathing in her faint, sweet scent, he teased:
"Yukino, this won't do at all. It's not even halfway through lunch break—you'll have to keep training."
Yukino huffed in annoyance.
"You've got some nerve talking. My physical strength was never on par with Onee-chan's, and I'm nowhere near Mahiru and the others either."
"Even if my stamina's improved now… you're not even human!"
He was just too strong.
How was she supposed to keep up?
Hayashi Maki grinned, clearly very satisfied with that "compliment" from Yukinoshita Heiress.
His hand slid down to her thigh, testing the springy softness there, and he casually asked:
"Yukino, do you have any plans tonight?"
Yukino caught his wandering hand, her eyes going wide with tension.
"Y-you… what are you planning now?"
"Ahem, what could I be planning? I just wanted to invite you over to my place, that's all."
"My grades dropped this time, and you took first place in the whole year. Shouldn't a top student like you help tutor a struggling one?"
Hearing that lame excuse, Yukino rolled her eyes so hard it hurt.
"You're still third in the year. What tutoring do you need? If you want to bully me just say it, don't hide behind that kind of terrible excuse."
"Heaven and earth can be my witness! Back when we first met, sure, I really was bullying you… but now? When was the last time I wasn't doing my best to take care of you? I can't bear to bully you at all."
Hayashi Maki put on a wounded expression, pinching her chin gently so she had to meet his "sincere" gaze.
Flustered, Yukino swatted his hand away and looked down, not daring to meet his eyes.
"You are bullying me… you're terrible! You said we were just going to cuddle, and then… it turned into that."
Seeing her so shy only made him more excited.
"Heh heh…" He chuckled, leaning in to kiss her cheek again.
"How is it my fault you're so cute? I have zero resistance to you, Yukino. So—about tonight—do you have plans or not?"
At that, Yukino's pale hand gently brushed the side of his neck. Blushing, she muttered quietly:
"Even if I said I did have plans, you'd still just haul me home anyway… you shameless jerk."
"Haha, Yukino really does understand me."
"So after classes end this afternoon, wait for me, okay? I'll take you home."
What else could she say to that?
All she could do was quietly accept it.
Getting her silent agreement made Hayashi Maki absurdly happy, and he pulled her closer and "studied" with her for a little while longer.
…
That afternoon.
Once club activities finished, Hayashi Maki took Mahiru by one hand and Yukino by the other, and the three of them boarded the train home together.
Sure, he could have just teleported them all back—but a man has his pride.
Heh heh. All those envious, resentful stares from other passengers were very satisfying.
With Yukino and Mahiru clinging to his arms on either side, their cheeks faintly pink but making no move to pull away, he felt like the king of the world.
Once they got home, Hayashi Maki led Yukino straight into his room.
The eagerness in his movements made Yukino blush even harder.
Even after getting used to being close to him, that kind of thing was still embarrassing.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she watched as Hayashi Maki pulled out an absurdly realistic, adorable pair of cat ears and settled them carefully on her head.
And, of course, he didn't forget the matching cat tail.
Yukino looked at him, mortified, her face red all the way to her ears.
She liked cats.
But being the one wearing cat ears and a tail while a man admired her from head to toe still felt incredibly weird.
Especially when this particular man wasn't just "admiring" her with his eyes.
With a little "oof," Yukino suddenly found herself scooped up into his lap.
Hayashi Maki ran his fingers over the soft cat ears on her head, and feeling how adorable she looked in her full catgirl getup, he could barely steady his breathing.
"Yukino, how about going to the cat café with me tomorrow?"
At that, her eyes lit up.
"Okay. It's a promise."
Ever since they'd gone last time and she'd gotten to pet all the cats, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.
So hearing his invitation, she agreed almost immediately.
"Yup, it's a promise. I'll let you pet as many as you want."
"But right now, it's just the two of us. The way you look at this moment is so, so cute."
"Idiot, don't say it out loud…"
Yukino buried her face in his chest, already silently resigning herself to whatever he wanted to do next.