"I refuse!" Ai rejected Hiko's request without hesitation and even scolded him, "How dare you even bring that up, you scoundrel!?"
"If you don't want to feed me, then fine. But why be so fierce?" Hiko muttered in a voice just loud enough for Ai to hear.
"You can eat it all by yourself!" Ai pushed the cake she had just brought back in front of Hiko. "Please enjoy it slowly, and don't waste food."
"Don't be so cruel." Hiko looked bitter as he saw Ai shove the cake back.
There were only two pieces left, and he could have gritted his teeth and finished them, but with this extra piece, he really wouldn't be able to move after eating it all.
However, Ai ignored him completely this time.
In the end, Hiko had no choice but to eat the last two pieces of cake with difficulty.
A few minutes later, the rain outside finally stopped, and pedestrians slowly began to return to the streets.
"Let's go. It's not good to obstruct business here," Ai said vengefully as she saw Hiko struggling to move from being too full.
"Just let me rest a little longer. It's not good for my body to walk right after eating." Hiko tried to bargain, hoping she would let him off.
"Alright then, you rest here, I'm going back." Ai picked up the shopping bag from the table and stood up, preparing to leave Starbucks.
"Wait for me, don't go." Hiko endured the discomfort and quickly caught up.
Ai deliberately slowed her pace to let Hiko catch up.
Hiko recalled the events of the day, and the only time he had angered Ai was when he teased her while her eyes were closed.
This was definitely her revenge for being displeased when he fed her with her eyes shut.
So Hiko said, "Even if I'm guilty, you don't have to torment me like this. I just ate too much."
"I'm not tormenting you, you're the one who chose to follow me." Ai felt a sudden sense of relief as she saw Hiko's uncomfortable expression.
Hiko couldn't refute her words and could only follow silently for a while.
'You embarrassed me, so now look what happened! You brought this on yourself.'
Ai hummed an unknown melody happily and walked along the brick path by the roadside, keeping to a straight line.
Because of the heavy rain that had just fallen, only a few people had come out after the downpour stopped.
Hiko felt so uncomfortable as he walked that he had to beg for mercy. "Ai, please let me rest for a while. I give up."
"Since you're really uncomfortable, let's sit up ahead. You can still manage that short distance, right?"
Ai was happy to hear Hiko surrender, and she pointed to a bench by the roadside.
Hiko looked in the direction she pointed. There was a two-person bench less than a hundred meters away. "I can still manage that distance."
Ai nodded and walked to the bench, sitting down and turning to watch Hiko slowly approach.
"Phew~" Hiko finally reached the seat and collapsed onto it. "Finally, I can rest."
"Is it that bad?"
Ai had by now let go of her vengeful satisfaction and felt a slight twinge of guilt as she saw Hiko looking so uncomfortable.
"I can't do it, I need to lie down for a while."
Hiko didn't answer Ai's question directly. Instead, feeling drowsy, he lay down on his side without waiting for her reaction.
Ai hesitated for a moment when she saw him lie down, but she didn't move away.
The warmth and softness made Hiko feel even sleepier.
'Too bad it's pants, not a skirt.'
Hiko lay on Ai's lap, and that thought flashed in his mind. But he didn't make any unnecessary moves, he just closed his eyes, placed his hands on his stomach, and emptied his mind to rest.
"Really, you idiot."
Ai had originally planned that if Hiko moved around after lying down, she would pull away and let his head hit the bench hard. But seeing him just go to sleep, she didn't. Her gaze lingered on his closed eyes for a while. "He's quite handsome though..."
Hiko's consciousness gradually faded as he rested. He didn't know how much time had passed until he slowly came back to himself again.
He opened his eyes and saw Ai looking down at him.
"You're awake?" Ai asked softly.
'Huh? How long did I sleep? Why did her attitude change so much all of a sudden?' Hiko was puzzled, then felt his stomach aching as usual.
Apparently, not much time had passed.
Although Hiko felt he hadn't slept long, he still asked Ai, just in case his sense of time was wrong. "How long did I sleep?"
"You've been out for nine years, you know," Ai said, smiling at him.
Hiko didn't believe her words in the slightest, giving her a sting eye.
If nine years had truly passed, he would have starved to death or been hooked up to an IV drip in a hospital by now. Yet here he was, still lying on a park bench with Ai's lap as his pillow. More importantly, the ground was still wet, and the food in his stomach hadn't even started digesting.
All signs showed it was impossible for a whole day, let alone years, to have passed.
"I don't know, why don't you check your phone and you'll know."
Ai had initially known the time, but after a while, she lost track since she had no way of measuring it.
"You're such a big idiot, even though your grades are excellent."
"Excellent grades don't mean everything in life is normal. Having a few quirks is common."
Hiko filtered out Ai's insult with ease. "Besides, the reason my grades are good is because I listen carefully in class, and my memory is stronger than most."
"Are you still not getting up?" Ai whispered, her voice soft as a mosquito's buzz, as Hiko shamelessly continued lying on her lap even after waking up.
"It's only been a few minutes, and my stomach still hurts. Please let me rest a little longer~" Hiko whined with his eyes closed.
Ai sighed and gave in, but reached out to cover his mouth and nose.
"Mmm~ Mmm!" Hiko was startled by the sudden pressure on his face, but once he calmed down, he realized Ai had only placed her hand there.
There was no way Hoshino Ai would seriously try to smother him over something so small.
"Just let me lie down a little longer," Hiko murmured with his eyes still shut.
"You can't move around, and you're not allowed to turn your head, or else I'll… I'll twist your head off!"
Ai hesitated, but out of guilt, decided to let him stay a bit longer.
"Okay~" Hiko replied, then mischievously turned his head and buried his face.
"You pervert!" Ai yelped, instantly springing up and throwing Hiko off.
Thud!
His head slammed against the bench with a clear sound.
"Hiss!"
The impact made Hiko suck in a sharp breath. "I just turned over, did you really have to throw me onto the chair?"
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Hiko X Ai - 48: Date End
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Hiko x Ai - 73: Lecture
Hiko x Ai - 74: Retelling
Hiko x Ai - 75: Sacrifice?
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