Chapter 54: A Confession and a Kiss

My mind was blank.

It had been blank ever since… that. I still couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

Soft. Sweet. A pleasant scent. A good feeling. None of those thoughts or emotions registered. I was too stunned to process anything. My mind was simply… empty. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t process. Was this real? Maybe I was still asleep, and this whole thing – waking up, attending class – was just a vivid dream.

Time passed even as I indulged in these escapist thoughts. I couldn’t tell if I was eating properly or if the food was going up my nose. In fact, the memory of eating anything was hazy. Naturally, I didn’t hear a word of the lectures, just letting the time drift by meaninglessly.

I only regained a semblance of awareness when class ended and it was time to leave. I knew I had to talk to Nell and Euru. I needed to know why they had done… that. I felt that if I let them leave without understanding, the confusion in my head would never clear. So, with a surge of determination, I stopped them.

After sending Miner and Soine off ahead, we moved to another deserted area – just Nell, Euru, and me.

“Um, Nell? Euru?”

They stared at me, their gazes intense and unwavering. I had so much I wanted to ask, but their burning stares kept replaying that scene in my head, making it impossible to speak.

I couldn’t stay silent forever. Averting my gaze, I forced my lips to move.

“About what happened earlier–”

“Earlier? I’m sorry, which time are you referring to?”

“What? The time we met privately this morning, of course.”

“Ah, that. Right.”

Euru stepped back, saying nothing more. What was that about? I continued anyway.

“Why did you do that to me?”

“Do what?”

“Huh?”

“We’re asking what you mean by ‘that’.”

“Well, earlier, you… you both…”

They wanted me to say it? I opened and closed my mouth, but no sound came out. How could I possibly say it out loud, in front of them?

“To Sayo?”

“….”

“You wanted to say something, didn’t you? Go on, say it.”

…Was Nell always this bold? Even if this wasn’t a game, based on my experience, I always thought Nell was the type to blush and be flustered by a kiss, not the one initiating it. Unlike the Nell I remembered, the one before me held her head high, looking at me calmly, as if asking, ‘Did I do something?’

“You… you both… kissed me!”

I couldn’t hold back anymore. Embarrassment, shame – I pushed those feelings aside and finally uttered the word.

Kiss.

Of course, kisses could be shared between family and friends as a sign of affection, usually on the cheek.

But they had kissed me on the lips. A kiss on the lips carried a deeper, heavier meaning than a simple gesture of affection. So, why? Why had they suddenly kissed me there? Did kisses on the lips have a different meaning in this world? There was nothing in ‘Sayoreinne’s’ memories to indicate that. And based on Ahrin’s reaction, it seemed to hold the same significance as in my original world…

“Is that… a problem?”

“Of course it’s a problem! I don’t understand why you’re doing this to me!”

Why was it a problem…? It was a problem on many levels! We weren’t dating; we were just friends. At this point, I was starting to wonder if I was mistaken, and this kind of thing was normal here. …No, that couldn’t be it, could it?

“So, it is a problem.”

Euru stepped towards me.

“Eek?!”

She pushed me against the wall. She used her arm to shield my back, so I didn’t hit the wall directly, and she eased up at the last moment, so it didn’t hurt. Still…

“Euru…?”

“You said you don’t understand, so I’ll show you.”

“What?”

“Wait a minute!”

Nell’s voice was unusually loud and urgent. Then, Euru’s face… her lips… pressed against mine.

“Haa…”

The kiss in the morning had been so sudden and brief that it hadn’t felt real. But this… This was different. The sensations, the textures, were vivid. I felt something soft and fleshy against my lips. I tried to push Euru away, but my arms wouldn’t move.

I had no choice but to accept it… A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my eyes closed involuntarily.

“Get off of her.”

Euru’s lips left mine, and I snapped back to reality. I opened my eyes to find Nell pulling Euru away from me.

“We agreed not to do that again… so suddenly.”

“Ah, sorry. Hearing Sayo talk like that, I couldn’t help myself. And… no, I’ll be more careful.”

“Please, be mindful from now on.”

Their conversation was confusing. Had they made some sort of agreement? I pushed the question aside and tried to straighten up, but Nell stopped me.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed me back against the wall. Our bodies were flush against each other. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest, and I was sure Nell could feel it too, through the thin fabric of our clothes.

“Nell…?”

“I’ll make up for it.”

“Mmm?!”

…Again. Nell’s face, smaller than mine, tilted upwards, and her lips met mine. Just like in the morning, a kiss with Nell followed immediately after a kiss with Euru.

Her tongue slipped into my mouth. Just like with Euru, the intensity of the kiss made my head spin.

This wasn’t right…

Nell watched Sayo, eyes closed, accepting the kiss. Her slightly softened expression, the hesitant yet responsive way she returned the kiss… it was intoxicating. Nell understood what Euru had been about to say earlier. Seeing Sayo like this, it would be impossible to hold back.

‘She still says she doesn’t understand why we’re doing this, even after all the flirting and those kisses… It’s like she’s been living under a rock.’

Sayo was beautiful, elegant, and aristocratic, but Nell had never found her “cute.” But up close like this, seeing her innocent reactions to their intimacy… Nell found it incredibly endearing.

“Ahem.”

Euru cleared her throat, reminding Nell of their ‘agreement.’ It was a bit rich coming from her, considering she had been the one to initiate the kisses with Sayo, both earlier and just now.

‘Well, it couldn’t be helped.’

Nell lowered herself from her tiptoes, unwrapped her arms from Sayo’s soft body, and stepped back.

Sayo’s face was flushed, her breath coming in short gasps. She had one hand pressed against her chest, over her racing heart. Nell’s own body reacted, but she forced herself to wait until Sayo calmed down.

“Do you understand now?”

“Haa… what are you talking about?”

“You said you didn’t understand why we were doing this. Do you understand now?”

“That’s…”

Sayo hesitated.

‘She still doesn’t get it after all this?’

“You still don’t understand, Sayo? Honestly…”

“I’m sorry…”

Euru, who had been standing a little apart, strode towards Sayo.

“I thought our actions spoke for themselves, but since you don’t seem to get it, I’ll just come out and say it.”

Nell stood beside Euru.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

“What…?”

What had they just said? Love? Ah, they must mean… as friends.

“Just so we’re clear, we don’t mean love as friends. We mean romantic love.”

“W-What? Huh?”

“Do you understand how we feel about you now?”

“Well, I…”

“How do you feel about us?”

How did I feel about them?

Until now, I had only considered them as friends. I hadn’t noticed their feelings at all.

So, what about now? What did I feel when they kissed me?

It felt good. I didn’t dislike it. In fact, I definitely didn’t hate it, but…

I didn’t know. It was all too sudden.

“Anyway, Sayo, we apologize for kissing you without asking first. It’s a bit hypocritical to say that after doing it twice, but still…”

“I apologize too. Seeing you with that maid… both Euru and I got a little carried away. We were out of line.”

Nell and Euru gazed at me intently, as if waiting for me to choose.

What… what was I supposed to do?