I quietly crawled closer to Kayo's back. In an instant, I wrapped both of my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his.
Kayo was so startled that he tried to turn his head, but he couldn't because I was holding him back with my own head, which I had already rested on one of his shoulders.
"Oi, Lin! Why are you suddenly hugging me like this?" Kayo asked after I suddenly disturbed him.
... C-come on, cheer up, me! The situation already supports me doing it tonight. There's nothing wrong with me asking Kayo for "that."
My face had already turned red as I thought about what would happen next, but all of those thoughts disappeared as I began to act boldly.
"Come on, Kayo~ Since everything is so peaceful right now, why are you still working on that? Wouldn't it be better if you went to sleep?" I asked in a voice that I had deliberately made sound as sweet as possible.
Kayo only responded with a rather heavy sigh while continuing to stare at the map he had been working on earlier.
"You don't need to worry that much, Lin. I'll go to sleep in a few more minutes... If you want, would you like me to keep you company while you sleep?" he replied.
My face immediately grew hot when I heard his offer. Should I just give up and accept it— No, no! That's not what I should be doing right now.
"... In that case, let me help you. You're making that map so that we won't get lost later, right?"
"With my help, I'm sure your work will be finished quickly," I replied.
Once again, Kayo rejected my words. "Lin, are you feeling sick? If you're not feeling well, you should lie down first."
"I'll bring you some medicine later. Look, your face is red too."
What an idiot... How could he think that my face was red because I was sick?
... If this keeps going, I'll only end up following everything he says. I can't keep waiting for him to make the first move before I act.
I gathered all of my embarrassment and courage at the same time until my mind felt completely blank.
I brought my lips close to one of his ears, then gently blew against it before finally speaking into it.
"Fiuuuh~"
"Kayo, I'm lonely, you know... I won't be able to sleep without you... So, please?"
N-not bad... I-I'm amazing after all! Come on, come on, just a few more words before he gives in to my whispering—
I traced my fingertips across his chest, gently stroking his clothes with the intention of teasing him.
"Ka-yo~ Pleaaase... Sleep with me, okay? Your body can rest, and your work can wait until tomorrow."
"Instead of forcing yourself to stay awake, why don't you just rest with me? I can keep you company all night—"
He suddenly touched one of my hands slowly. Then, he lowered his head until his eyes were hidden behind his hair.
"... Do you really want to spend tonight alone with me?" he said in a rather flat tone.
Putting his tone aside, I didn't care about that at all. As long as he had taken the bait, all I had to do was force him to rest.
"Am I someone who lies to you often?" I replied briefly.
"In that case... Let go of my neck first. It's getting pretty hard to breathe..." Kayo asked in a broken voice.
"A-ah, I didn't realize!" I replied as I backed away until I sat down on my own blanket again.
I pulled my knees up while keeping my gaze fixed on Kayo, who slowly extinguished the small floating flame.
Then he replaced it with a smaller flame before placing it on the ceiling of the tent without setting it on fire.
—
With his head still lowered, he moved closer to me. Then he stopped when there was only a single step between us.
"I'll ask you one more time, Lin. Do you really want me to stay with you all night? Are you sure?" Kayo asked again, as if trying to confirm something.
I blinked several times in confusion, but I still gave him my answer.
"O-of course. I'm sure your body will feel comfortable if you sleep with me—"
Before I could finish my sentence, Kayo stepped closer and placed both of his hands on my shoulders. His grip wasn't particularly strong, but it was enough to keep me from moving.
"K-Kayo?" I asked, growing even more confused by his behavior.
Ever since he responded to my teasing earlier, he had seemed a little strange. I hadn't even seen his eyes since then.
Kayo slowly pushed me down until I lay weakly on my blanket. My legs, which had still been bent, gradually slid down as I stared upward.
Suddenly, my whole body felt weak. I couldn't even breathe properly, and my eyes trembled as I looked at his expression.
Kayo looked down at me with a faint but rather frightening smile. His hands were still on my shoulders, yet he was completely above me.
"K-Kayo..." I said once more.
He brought his lips close to my ear, making me shiver slightly because of his breath afterward.
Goosebumps ran down my spine as I felt how close his mouth was to my ear.
"Hey, Lin... This is my first time doing something like this. You're the same as me, right? But don't worry."
He slowly pulled his mouth away, then looked at me with his face still close to mine.
"Lin. I want to make my body comfortable, of course together with you. May I do that?" Kayo asked.
All I could do was surrender and nod with the little strength I had left before I felt his hand touching my stomach.
"... Lin, I'll make you feel comfortable, okay?"
Kayo brought his lips closer to mine, and after that, my vision gradually became blurry.
——
...
...
...
I felt the touch of a gentle hand running through my hair and caressing my cheek. That hand stroked me so softly that it felt as though my mother was touching me.
"Lin, wake up, Lin. It's already morning."
A warm voice accompanied that gentle touch.
Those two things, filled with happiness, slowly caused my eyes to open. I raised my body until I was sitting on the mat that I had used throughout the night.
Eh... Is the morning air really this cold? My body feels chilly after sleeping.
Kayo was already standing in front of me. He looked at me while wearing a bright smile, like the sun rising outside the cave.
"... Kayo? Since when have you been awake?" I asked in a very quiet voice.
He raised a finger and pointed at me.
"Before that, how about putting your clothes on first? Aren't you cold?" he said.
?
I lowered my head.
Then, I realized that I wasn't wearing anything at all. Startled, I immediately pulled the blanket up to cover my entire body from Kayo's sight.
He merely chuckled before walking outside after asking me to put my clothes back on.
...
Now that I think about it... I really did it all night, huh? ///
I never expected Kayo to be the one who asked me first. Then again, it was my own fault for teasing him.
I silently stared at my stomach. Then, I touched it with my hand, sharing warmth between my hand and my stomach at the same time.
... Six months from now. I wonder if I really can become a mother that quickly.
Well, although I'm not sure that doing it for just one night would be enough to make me pregnant. But...
Every time I recall our conversation from last night, my face grows hot as though it's burning. I can't control my emotions right now. Geez!
—
After putting my clothes back on, I walked toward Kayo, who was already standing outside the tent waiting for me.
Kayo seemed to be staring at the other tents as though he were thinking about something. Without hesitation, I immediately wrapped my arms around his from behind, startling him.
"What's wrong, Kayo? Is something bothering you?" I asked.
Kayo suddenly removed my hand from his arm, which naturally shocked me because of his action.
Before I could ask anything, Kayo had already knelt down in front of me. In both of his hands was a small box that he had taken from his pocket earlier.
"We still haven't reached that point yet. But I feel like this can show the kind of relationship we have now," he said.
Standing in front of him, all I could do was remain silent as my heart filled with happiness.
"Please put it on me," I replied briefly.
—
"Well? Does it suit me?" I asked as I raised my ring finger, now adorned with a ring, toward the sky.
Kayo smiled as well when he saw how happy I was, then gave his opinion.
"What kind of stupid question is that? You already know the answer even without me telling you, don't you?" he said.
... This feeling of happiness only made my heart feel heavier. My chest felt so tight.
My eyes, which had been perfectly fine just moments ago, now grew wet as tears that I could barely hold back began to form. Drop by drop, they started to fall.
Kayo approached me and offered me his chest in case I wanted to cry harder.
... The warmth of his body spread into my chest. Rather than calming me down, it only made me cry even harder in his embrace.
It was so warm that my happiness turned into tears that I could no longer hold back.