93. Aki and a Relaxed Time in the Living Room (2)

Sitting face-to-face at the low dining table in the living room, a grand drinking session begins.

“Now then, please accept a cup, Dear…?”

Pour, pour-.

Aki tilted the long-necked bottle and poured sake into my cup.

Watching the sake fill the glass with its pale yellow hue, I thought to myself.

Was it, maybe, in third grade?

Our families took a joint trip together. At dinner that night, Aki saw my mom filling my dad’s cup and said, ‘Mama, I want to pour sake for Woo-joo~!’

Naturally, Aki’s mother said, ‘Let’s wait until Aki and Woo-joo are a little older to do that, okay?’ and Aki, wanting to do it right then and there, threw a cute little tantrum, I think.

So, having no choice, Aki’s mother came up with a clever idea: we used juice instead of sake, but used sake cups, and Aki and I poured drinks for each other, saying ‘Please eat a lot, Honey~’ and played house.

“Ah, is this enough?”

“Plenty. Here, let me pour you one.”

“Eung, you don’t have to, though…”

“Half, or a little more?”

“Half, please, Dear~”

“Okay. …There.”

That we, who once did that, are now on a trip together in Japan, just the two of us, and old enough to sit across from each other and have a proper drinking session.

It’s a little funny for me to be saying this when I haven’t even had my university entrance ceremony yet. But suddenly, I feel the passage of time so keenly, it’s immensely poignant.

“But, if we take drinks from the fridge like this, do we settle the bill separately later?”

“One bottle is free, and from the second bottle it’s charged separately from the room fee, but… we don’t have to pay.”

“Oh. Of course…”

“Heh. …Cheers!”

“Cheers.”

We lightly clinked glasses. And while sipping, I glanced at the digital clock in the corner of the room.

11:45 PM.

There was still a little time before midnight.

But well, as Aki said, it’ll be twelve soon and we’re twenty, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Actually, even if there is, it doesn’t matter. This is a suite in a separate annex, not the main building, and there’s no one who can stop us.

“Mmm, sweet…”

Even if problems arise, there’s no one to stop us.

Sipping the alcohol, I savored those words.

“My lord, this is really sweet, isn’t it…?”

“Mmm, it is…”

The more I savored it, the stranger I felt for some reason.

‘Is it because I can hold my liquor…?’

Or maybe I’m surprisingly weak to alcohol.

To be honest, I’ve never drunk myself to the point of being drunk, so I don’t really know my limit. It’d be weirder if a guy who’s not even twenty knew his limit though. Anyway, it’s definitely higher than Aki’s, that’s for sure.

“Don’t drink too much just because it’s sweet. Got it?”

“Hehe. Don’t worry. I’ll drink carefully…”

Aki’s cheeks are flushed, turning a rosy pink.

I pretended to sip from my empty glass, glancing at Aki surreptitiously.

I was worried that Aki, who is weak to alcohol, might get drunk before me.

But apart from that, strangely, my gaze kept drifting back to Aki’s face.

‘…Is it really the alcohol?’

Aki seemed especially cute today.

Of course, she was always cute. But today she was even more so, so much so that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“My lord, why?”

“…Huh?”

“You kept staring. Ah, do I have something on my face?”

“Ah, no. It’s just….”

I almost said it was because she was cute, but swallowed the words back down.

Aki is my girlfriend, and if I complimented her, she’d react adorably, so I could just say it honestly. But, being a man, I guess, it felt embarrassing to say it outright that she was cute.

“…….”

If I borrowed strength from the sake, would this timid streak of mine improve, even a little?

“……The sake, it was empty.”

“Ah-hang, that’s what you meant…? Okay. Give me your glass, *atashi* will pour for you.”

I offered my glass as naturally as I could.

Aki poured sake into my glass, *jjoreureuk*.

I emptied the glass in one gulp.

“Can I have another?”

“Eung. But are you okay? It seems like you’re drinking too fast….”

Aki muttered worriedly, filling my glass again.

I emptied the third glass Aki poured for me, and asked for another, drinking down the fourth. After receiving the fifth, I paused without drinking it.

Maybe because the sake’s alcohol content was high, downing four glasses in rapid succession made my head feel a little dizzy.

Aki, who had only drunk one glass, observed me intently, tilting her head and leaning in slightly.

“You really okay, *seobang-nim*?”

Aki placed the back of her hand against my cheek.

She seemed to be gauging my drunkenness by whether my cheeks were flushed or not, and I gently grasped her wrist.

“I’m fine. Give me another.”

“But the glass isn’t empty yet…?”

Ah, right.

Realizing the glass was full, I emptied the fifth one. The sake’s distinctively sweet flavor slid down my throat, and an unknown, pungent aroma made the tip of my nose tingle.

It would be perfect if there was something to chew on as a snack. Thinking such things, I admired the empty glass, swirling it back and forth.

“Wow…. It’s really sweet. Aki, aren’t you drinking?”

Feeling a bit lighthearted, I asked with a smile.

Then, *tuk*.

Aki grabbed my wrist.

“*Seobang-nim*, let’s stop drinking now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Darling, you’re tipsy. You shouldn’t drink any more here.”

“What nonsense. I’m not drunk!”

“…Not drunk, you say?”

Zhiii.

Aki stares at me, unwavering.

Having such a lovely girl fix her gaze on me makes me feel even better, so I lean my upper body forward.

“Among those who claim they aren’t drunk, the ones who genuinely aren’t… …Ah?!”

*Ttch.*

A k*ss, a mere touch of lips.

And drawing back immediately, I see Aki’s cheeks bloom a faint red.

“W-W-What, what was….”

“Aki.”

“W-When someone’s talking, suddenly a k-k*ss…!”

“I love you.”

“……?!”

*Pung-*!

Aki’s cheeks flush vividly.

At that utterly adorable reaction, I place my hand over Aki’s and gently clasp it.

“Aki loves me too, doesn’t she?”

“…….”

“What, you don’t?”

“……I lo-!”

Aki flinches.

“I, I love… …Yes.”

Struggling to utter the single word “love,” her cheeks and even the tips of her ears become painted crimson.

“…….”

“……Why?”

Then a quick, sidelong glance.

As if worried she’d made some kind of slip of the tongue, she peeks at me with a cautious eye.

That reaction appeared so utterly adorable and lovable to me that I grasped Aki’s wrist, pulling her towards me, and pressed my lips against the back of her hand.

One time, two times. And three.

“W-what… what are you… doing…?”

“…Just hold still.”

I’m marking my territory right now.

I pressed my lips to Aki’s right hand, again and again, then took her other hand, k*ssed its back, and gently let go.

Truthfully, I wanted to do it on her lips. But if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to restrain myself, so I settled for her hands.

Aki, oblivious to my inner turmoil, rubbed the backs of her hands where my lips had touched, and grumbled cutely.

“Master is strange…”

“……”

“When he drinks, he turns into a different p- person…huh…?”

“…Aki.”

*Thump.*

I stood up from my seat. And crossed to the seat opposite, where Aki sat, kneeling before her in a posture of supplication.

“Why don’t you call me Woo-joo?”

“…Huh?”

No, come to think of it, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?

You can use the more embarrassing title of ‘Master,’ but you won’t say my name, only two syllables long? Anyone can see the latter is easier and more affectionate.

I didn’t say anything until now, afraid it would sound like I was forcing you. But honestly, I couldn’t understand it. I leaned on the intoxication and placed a hand on Aki’s shoulder.

“I’m hurt.”

“H-hurt…?”

“Yeah. Because you don’t call me Woo-joo.”

“……Ah.”

Blank.

Aki’s gaze went slightly vacant.

“So, call me Woo-joo. Not Master.”

“……No, um…”

“Quickly.”

“……”

Aki bit her lower lip slightly.

To show that I had no intention of backing down until she called me Woo-joo, I removed my hand from Aki’s shoulder, straightened my back, and gazed steadfastly at her.

Then.

Aki, caught between choices, glanced at my face, then sighed a small sigh, as if truly at a loss.

“…Ba.”

Ba?

“…Ba-baka, Uju.”

Did I hear wrong?

In that moment, thinking the alcohol had even affected my ears, Aki muttered small and fast.

“Really stupid, super stupid Uju. Stupid stupid, stupid. Not knowing my heart, stupid. Really stupid. Ba…”

“…No, wait a moment.”

Why are you swearing so much?

I felt like I’d just heard Aki’s lifetime quota of insults, and without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her arm.

Aki, held by my arm, made a strange expression, like she was both embarrassed and resentful, and looked up at me.

“Was asking you to call me Uju such a cursed thing to do…?!”

“…Hmph, don’t know.”

*Hwip.*

Aki turned her head away, as if sulking.

If it were normal, I probably would have given up on hearing the name Uju at this point and gently appeased Aki.

But now, I’m not in my right mind because of the alcohol.

Or more accurately, I’m in a state where it’s easier to say the words I’ve kept in my heart.

I hugged Aki tightly.

“…Kyaa!”

“…Aki.”

And I brought my lips to Aki’s ear.

“If you don’t call me Uju… I won’t let go.”

“W-wai, ear…”

“I’m not joking. I really won’t let go…”

“…Ha, *eup*.”

Aki’s face flushed in an instant.

As expected, her ears were a weakness, as even a slight touch made her shoulders and fingertips tremble.

“You know I love you a lot, right, Aki…?”

“……Sob.”

“I don’t want to torment you either, how much do you think I love you? …So.”

Just once.

I’m not asking for much, just once.

Meeting Aki’s gaze, I offered a compromise with my eyes alone.

Then, Aki let out a flushed breath, biting her lower lip.

“……Cheap.”

“Sorry. I love you.”

Surprisingly, truly surprisingly, I spoke to Aki with a hint of aegyo.

Of course, it was thanks to the alcohol, and Aki seemed slightly shaken by my tone, one I could never produce sober, her face flushed here and there.

“……Ah, re-eally.”

Her face red as a radish, she muttered, “Seriously. Aegyo is cheating…!”

It seemed like she was starting to give in, so I stopped pushing and waited quietly.

“……Woojoo.”

“…….”

“……Woojoo. ……Happy now?”

“……Just a moment.”

I wrapped my arms around Aki’s waist as she tried to leave my embrace.

“After saying Woojoo, can you also say you love me?”

“Th-there was no such thing…?”

“Sorry. I suddenly wanted to hear it. Is it too much to ask?”

“……Woojoo, I love you.”

“…….”

Wow.

My heart.

It hurts, my heart hurts……

“Aki.”

“……Why?”

“Can I k*ss you?”

My heart hammered a frantic rhythm, a drum solo against my ribs, making it impossible to stay still.

I forced the corners of my mouth upwards, a smile I couldn’t quite control, and asked. Aki just glared before finally nodding, reluctant.

“…Heuh.”

A k*ss.

With permission granted, suppressing my feelings for Aki became unbearable. I lurched forward and pressed my lips to hers.

Then, *thump*—!

My hip bumped against the low table, sending it skidding a little. The sound was loud enough that Aki’s eyes widened in surprise, but I ignored such trivial things and concentrated on tasting her lips.

“Heu, eup….”

“…….”

“U, eup, eun….”

“…….”

“…Eun, eu-eun.”

Aki’s body slowly softened.

It felt like all the strength was draining from her, like she was melting and sliding downwards. I quickly caught her, cradling her in my arms, letting her lean against my chest. Then, I playfully nibbled on her plump lower lip, teasing it with little bites.

Aki met my lips with her own, tentatively licking them with the tip of her tongue. Naturally, we progressed to a deeper exchange, my tongue gently s*cking on her fleshy one, little by little, sharing my s*liva.

“Eum…. Heuh, eun…. *Chuk*….”

“…Aki.”

“Eung…?”

Aki’s eyes fluttered open, hazy.

Her half-melted gaze was incredibly alluring.

I wanted to, with all my heart, just pull her into a tight embrace.

“…Never mind.”

“…Heuh.”

Aki placed her hands on either side of my face.

“Say, Master…?”

“…….”

Still calling me Master, huh.

Well, I suppose I only asked her to call me Uju just once, so I can’t really complain….

“When you were passed out earlier, I found something in the living room, you know…?”

“…?”

“Says she’s found something, does she.”

I ask only with my eyes, and Aki lowers her hand, rummaging in the sleeve pocket of her yukata.

“Here, it’s this…”

“…”

I was struck speechless.

A red paper box.

What Aki pulled from her sleeve pocket was a box of ten, king-sized condoms – the very one I’d hidden under the chair in the living room before going to the onsen.

How in the world did she find that…?

“…What’s this, now?”

Play dumb, that’s the ticket.

I put on my best ‘never seen one before’ act, and asked in a voice thick with feigned innocence.

Aki’s lips curved into a smile.

“…Something the men use.”

Aki gently nudges my stomach.

“Here, slips it on…”

“Wait…”

“Stops the baby, yes…”

“…”

The sake’s haze lifted like smoke.

“…But.”

Aki grasped the front of her yukata.

“Not needed.”

“…Eh?”

“This girl, she took medicine to control her cycle for the trip. So…”

She loosens the collar ever so slightly.

“No need for it.”

“…”

“Can just do it…today.”

“…”

I closed my mouth.

And then, a glance at the clock.

Two minutes past midnight.

“……”

“……”

We were.

Barely twenty years old.