Heavy clouds blanketed the night sky. Not long after, a streak of white lightning split the darkness apart, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
Kyusei didn't spare the raging downpour outside a glance. He carefully carried the bowl of pork rib soup to the dining table.
He still remembered—kaoru had mentioned before that she wanted to eat ribs.
Warm light spilled across the blonde girl's figure. kaoru was dressed lightly—
a simple white camisole, loose shorts, her faintly pink knees exposed. Her pale, jade-like feet rested in nothing more than a pair of plain flip-flops.
The simplicity of her outfit—almost careless—failed to hide her beauty. If anything, it made her look even more alluring, a quiet purity mixed with temptation.
Kyusei set the ribs down carefully. Watching kaoru eagerly reach for her chopsticks, he swallowed unconsciously.
When he left earlier, she had been dressed properly.
When he came back… she looked like this.
kaoru bit into a rib, stealing glances at Kyusei from the corner of her eye. A quiet sense of satisfaction rose in her heart.
This wasn't her usual style—but for the sake of winning Kyusei over, she was giving it everything she had.
It wasn't that she didn't want to dress better. But when she'd searched through her clothes, she suddenly realized that years of training had left her with very few outfits that could be called "pretty."
Frustrated, she had clenched her teeth and chosen the most revealing thing she owned.
And even that… was only this much.
Still—
judging by Kyusei's reaction, the effect seemed surprisingly good.
If she wanted to beat Nao to it, she couldn't afford to hold back.
After serving her a bowl of rice, Kyusei sat across from her and began eating.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he kept feeling her small foot brush lightly against his leg beneath the table.
This was nothing like the kaoru he knew.
Kyusei watched her eat with her head lowered. Her golden bangs hid most of her face, but her delicate ears were flushed a vivid pink.
He ate in silence, the air between them growing increasingly ambiguous.
When her foot brushed him again and lifted slightly, Kyusei reached out and caught it in his hand.
kaoru froze.
Her entire face dropped into her bowl. Through the gap, her cheeks were visibly crimson.
Feeling the smooth warmth in his palm, Kyusei gently toyed with her foot, pale as white jade.
The sensation made kaoru even more embarrassed—she couldn't bring herself to lift her head.
"kaoru…"
Kyusei finally spoke.
"…Mm…"
Her reply was muffled, and she still didn't dare look at him.
When no follow-up came, kaoru hesitantly raised her head—
Only to feel a familiar, warm hand cup her burning cheek.
Kyusei noticed a few grains of rice clinging to her face. He pinched them away one by one—and before she could react, brought them to his own mouth.
"Wasting food isn't a good habit," he said with a smile.
"Ah? Oh—"
Before she could finish, Kyusei leaned in and kissed her.
kaoru's eyes widened as she felt something gently pressed into her mouth.
The rice grains from earlier.
Instinctively, she swallowed.
Kyusei didn't pull away.
Even the densest person would have understood her feelings—let alone him.
The kiss lingered, deep and unhurried, until kaoru was nearly out of breath. Only then did Kyusei finally let her go.
He looked at her flushed face, her dazed expression—and without hesitation, moved to her side and lifted her into his arms.
kaoru instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, gazing at the boy she had loved for so long.
The boy she had known since she was six.
The boy she had watched, admired, and fallen for.
His arrogance.
His recklessness.
His freedom.
Back then, there had been so many outstanding boys in class—
yet she had been inexplicably drawn to this outsider who had fled to Konoha after his clan's destruction.
That fondness had never faded. It had only grown stronger with time.
She was completely done for.
Her whole life—lost to this man.
Kyusei laid her gently on the bed.
She knew what would happen next.
She was scared—
and yet, she was also waiting for it.
She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, not daring to look.
A kiss brushed her earlobe. Warm breath followed, lingering close.
The sensation slowly traveled downward, and somewhere along the way, she realized her clothes had slipped away without her noticing…
At some point, the rain outside had stopped. A breeze carrying the scent of wet earth drifted into the dark, heated room.
A golden chain snapped the open window shut.
High above, meteors streaked across the night sky—one after another—cutting through the darkness, plunging into the Milky Way. Trails of red and white light painted the heavens with fleeting brilliance.
The night trembled beneath the falling stars.
As if responding, rain returned briefly, masking all other sounds.
The meteors did not stop. They tore across the sky once more, ushering in another wave of radiance.
Stars fell all night.
Rain came and went all night.
By morning, the meteors vanished, and the rain finally ceased.
When kaoru slowly woke from her deep sleep, she reached out instinctively—
And froze.
She stared at the ceiling—familiar, yet not.
This was… Kyusei's bedroom.
—!!!
Kyusei's bedroom?!
Which meant—
Last night…
She and Kyusei…
kaoru yanked the blanket over her head, curling up like a hedgehog.
Yet the lingering floral scent in the quilt reminded her of everything that had happened. Her face burned hot.
Unable to endure it, she hurriedly gathered her clothes from the floor, grimacing through the soreness as she dressed and tried to slip away.
But the moment she opened the door—
She collided straight into a solid chest.
.
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