The night was thick as ink, so dense it could not be dissolved.
From afar, the lighthouse's beam cut through the darkness and traced a silver arc across the sea.
The salty, humid wind slipped in from the coast and lightly stirred the sheer white curtains on the villa's second floor, making them rustle.
It felt like a secret invitation—or the telling of a story no one else would ever know.
"Coming home to a view like this really puts me in a good mood~"
Rei Ao's slender fingers paused on the bedroom door handle.
The "view" he spoke of was hardly limited to the seascape.
As he eased the door open, a fragrance entirely different from the one he had left behind rushed out to greet him.
The cold pine scent that belonged to him was now laced with a faint hint of rose—teasing his nerves, subtle yet unmistakable.
That fragrance silently announced that something inside the room had changed.
"You finally made it back?"
A figure on the bed stretched languidly.
Her long legs, sheathed in black stockings, glimmered seductively under the moonlight.
Mai Sakurajima propped herself up.
The black bunny‑ear headband swayed playfully with her movements, equal parts cute and dangerously alluring.
With slender fingers she twirled a strand of hair, her eyes on Rei Ao—half expectation, half complaint.
"You promised to spend today with me, and you broke it again."
Her voice carried the slightest trace of reproach.
The rising lilt at the end sent ripples through the quiet room.
A scented candle on the bedpost had already burned halfway down; wax tears clung in irregular shapes to the glass, marking every second she had waited for him.
Rei Ao could only shake his head and chuckle.
He turned, locked the door, and his footsteps vanished into the thick carpet.
With practiced ease he unbuttoned his suit jacket and draped it over an armchair.
Moonlight through the floor‑to‑ceiling windows outlined his tall frame, the lines of his shoulders half‑visible beneath the shirt—the quiet charm of a grown man.
"Couldn't help it. Mio's deal was set for tonight."
He walked to the bedside.
His fingertips brushed the curve of Mai's calf—silk over skin, exquisitely soft—and his Adam's apple bobbed before he noticed.
"I didn't expect you to greet me like this. You didn't warn the others first, did you?"
"Hmph. If I don't catch you off guard, how could you be mine—even if only for now?"
A blush crept up Mai's ears like the shy pink of sunset.
She deliberately lifted her leg a little higher.
The soft hiss of fabric filled the silent room—a melody meant to stir the heart.
"Last time you said you wanted to see me in this…"
Her habitual shyness colored the whisper.
"So I bought a new one—even more—"
Before she could finish, Rei Ao bent down and kissed her.
Mai's thoughts melted away; in that instant, there was only Rei Ao.
She had endured far, far too much during her body swap with Nodoka…
…
In the room next door—
"!!!"
Nodoka Toyohama bolted upright in bed.
Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, faintly shimmering in the moonlight.
"Ha…"
She gulped air.
Pink hair clung to her damp nape, leaving her a little disheveled.
The rhythmic crash of waves outside barely steadied her frantic heart.
Yet the sensations from the dream still scorched her skin, as though a fire raged inside her that nothing could quell.
"Another one of those dreams…"
Irritated, she raked her fingers through her hair, tangling the pink strands.
Ever since she dreamed of Rei Ao, similar dreams had plagued her nights.
That man always looked at her with eyes she could not resist; every glance felt like a hammer on her heart, sending ripples through her soul.
She reached for the nightstand.
The ice in her water glass had melted; the remaining water was merely cool. She drained it, but the burn in her throat did not fade.
The AC must be set too high.
Impatiently she kicked off the thin quilt, yet the blaze within her still raged.
"Damn it…"
Swinging her legs over the side, she stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, hoping to douse the inner heat.
Outside, a full moon hung high.
"If only it weren't just a dream…"
She murmured.
But the moment she closed her eyes, something felt… different.
"Huh?"
She snapped them open.
Rei Ao's handsome face was inches away.
Another dream?
Her first thought was that she had slipped into a dream within a dream—how else could he appear again?
"But… this dream is way too—"
Her voice caught, shock and embarrassment tangled in her throat.
It was absurd: before, they had merely gazed at each other, and even that tender look he reserved for Mai had left her restless.
Now they were skipping straight to the final step?!
The unnervingly real sensations made her wonder if this was truly only a dream.
No time to think.
"Hmm?"
Rei Ao frowned slightly, surprise flickering in his eyes.
"Why are you—"
"Don't talk!"
In a panic Nodoka covered his mouth.
If this is a dream… maybe I can be a little bolder?
She trembled at the thought.
In the blush‑soaked air, she leaned down and kissed him first.
Just this once!
It's only a dream… she told herself, determined to pour out every feeling she had long repressed.
~~~
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