“W-Well, I understand. I won't tell anyone about you. You won't tell anyone about me either. Is that fine?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
As I said before, if Ryūya and Neika found out about this, things could get ugly. If I can get away without saying anything, there's nothing better than that.
“Is that all? Then, I'm...”
“W-Wait a minute.”
As I was about to go down the stairs, Kuonji hurriedly called out to stop me.
“W-What is it?”
“Ah, no, well... look. We are... Fated People, after all... right...?”
Kuonji clasped her hands behind her back and asked bashfully. When she makes a face like that, even I feel embarrassed...
“W-Well... we are connected by the 『Red Thread of Fate』... right?”
“Right... and it's a Dark Scarlet thread, which has only been confirmed in a few cases in the world. Our physical compatibility is said to be dozens of times better than the Pink ones... T-That's why, well, um... w-want to try it...?”
...Hmm? What is she trying to say?
“T-Try... t-the physical compatibility!? Here!?”
“B-Ba... Idiot, that's not it!”
R-Right... I was surprised. I thought she might actually be a lecher...
“Research hasn't progressed much yet, and even if I look it up online, it doesn't say what happens when we touch... i-it's just a test, a test.”
“Ah, I see. You want to test if our compatibility is dozens of times better than the Pink ones.”
“T-That's right.”
She's as earnest as ever. But well, certainly, I was also curious about what would happen if we touched in this state. If I had proposed it, it would have seemed like sexual harassment... so this is a chance, I guess.
“Y-You stay standing. I'll touch you... i-if it hurts, tell me.”
“The way you said that sounds lewd.”
“S-S-Shut up...!”
Kuonji stood tall with a nervous look. Her mouth was set in a firm line, and her face was bright red as if she were embarrassed. ...Looking at her like this, her eyelashes are long... her eyes are really beautiful too, it's like I'm being sucked into them...
“Uugh... d-don't look at me like that, you idiot...”
“S-Sorry.”
Damn, I'm losing my pace. This kind of ladylike behavior doesn't suit her, and me getting nervous over her doesn't suit me either. But being alone in a space with just the two of us makes me happy, and my heart is racing. The 『Red Thread of Fate』 is terrifying.
“T-Then, I'm going to touch your hand, so turn your palm toward me.”
“Okay...”
I raised my right hand as instructed. Kuonji also extended her left hand toward me. ...Her hand is shaking. Kuonji seems to be quite nervous too.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I'm fine!”
I really don't think so, though. Kuonji took several deep breaths... and with a determined face, she slowly reached out. 10 centimeters left. 5 centimeters... 4, 3, 2, 1...
*Touch.*
““!? !?””
Snap—!
Instinctively, reflexively... I jumped back as if escaping from Kuonji. Kuonji was also distancing herself from me in the same way.
To put it into words, it felt like an electric shock running from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. The first love I felt in elementary school. My first wet dream. The first adult video I ever saw in my life. The time I accidentally saw the older sister next door changing clothes. An overwhelming sense of euphoria and impact that surpassed even those pierced through me.
My heart is still thumping loudly. I can't control my heartbeat properly. Even when I'm doing kickboxing, my pulse never gets this fast.
Kuonji also leaned her back against the opposite wall and slumped down as if she had lost her strength. She probably fell into a similar sensation. If I hadn't reflexively pulled away back then... I probably would have, without a doubt, done something to Kuonji...
“...! S-Sorry, I'm going...!”
“U-Um... yeah...”
It's bad to be with Kuonji any longer than this. No, it's not bad. We're tied by a red thread, and technically we're in a relationship where it's okay to be touching all the time. But... just by feeling Kuonji's skin, her heat... her existence through my palm, I'm this happy, and my heart is racing.
“...Kuonji... Riran...”
*Thump—!*
Haha, my heart jumps just from calling her name. If we actually became lovers and were together all the time... what would happen to me...?
“...I want to be called by my first name someday...”
Indulging in such delusions, I headed toward the faucet to wash my face.
◆Riran◆
............
Oh no... this is bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! I touched him! I actually touched him!! It was more rugged than I thought. It was bigger than I thought. It felt kinder than I thought...
“Hauu...”
Before the thread appeared, I had touched him just a little while he was sleeping. I was able to feel enough happiness even then... but it's different now. It's beyond just being happy. The peak of happiness. This is my first time experiencing being so happy that my legs give out. I hugged myself, remembering the sensation on my palm. Just that makes my body feel hot, like I'm flushing.
This is the effect of the 『Red Thread of Fate』... the Dark Scarlet thread...
“Haa... Sanada Akito...”
*Thump.*
“...Akito... Akito, Akito...”
I call his name. Just doing that makes my heart jump, and my mood soars as if I'm flying into the sky.
“...I hope he calls me by my name someday...”
With such faint expectations, I remained sitting there until the flush in my cheeks cooled down.