Chapter 156: Icy cold

Seikyo City had already welcomed early autumn, but the lingering summer heat had not yet completely faded.

At a time like this, an iced drink was always hard to refuse.

And so, Ephnel and Yukina appeared on a park bench, each holding an iced drink.

“So! Cold!—”

The shaved ice entered her mouth, and a cool sensation instantly filled the space between her lips and teeth.

The refreshing feeling was very pleasant.

Ephnel pressed her lips together and swallowed the slowly melting ice water.

Ephnel covered her cheeks and squinted.

The icy sensation was even more intense than she had expected, chasing away the heat.

It slid from the tip of her tongue down her throat, the refreshing feeling spreading through her entire body like an electric current.

“Naoko, are you really okay eating this?”

“It’s fine. The doctor didn’t say there was anything I absolutely had to watch out for. Besides, don’t underestimate an Agent’s recovery ability.”

Ephnel chuckled as she held the shaved ice, shifting over to press tightly against Yukina.

Yukina held a sundae in her hands, gently biting the spoon as she glanced at Ephnel.

The medical eyepatch covering Ephnel’s right eye made her heart ache.

“It’s precisely because of your personality that I’m worried. Naoko should be at home resting properly…”

“It’s alright. I won’t push myself.”

“Ngh…”

Yukina couldn’t help but think back to a long, long time ago, when she had no friends and would play in the park with her “older brother” just like this.

Occasionally, her “older brother” would buy her ice cream.

She was always so happy back then.

In a daze, she realized they were now sisters, facing each other in forms neither had ever seen before.

The childhood joke of “marrying you” had, without her realizing, truly become a possible future reality.

Speaking of which…

A question suddenly occurred to Yukina—if she and Naoko could walk hand in hand down the wedding aisle, then…

Who would wear the wedding dress?

Yukina bit her spoon lightly, slightly stunned.

She was genuinely stumped—to be honest, she really wanted to wear one, because she could never pull off a suit dazzlingly well.

In contrast, Naoko, who had always appeared in men’s clothing, would surely look very smart and handsome in a suit, right?

But then she had another thought.

If Naoko could also wear a wedding dress, Yukina immediately hesitated.

If Ephnel appeared before her, draped in a wedding dress, wouldn’t that be an incredibly beautiful and moving sight?

Yukina couldn’t quite imagine what a mesmerizing and dreamlike scene that would be.

She blinked, her gaze shifting to the side with interest, reflecting the figure of Naoko beside her in her eyes, trying to find some reference.

Naoko was truly beautiful.

No matter how many times she looked, whether she appeared as “Ephnel” or “Naoko,” Yukina could always find a captivating glimmer in her.

Today, Naoko was wearing a light and airy dress.

The light blue ribbon was tied at the end of Ephnel’s hair, like a swaying fish tail, gathering the dark, smooth strands together, swinging with the gentle caress of the breeze.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and landed on Ephnel’s neck, like a touch of rouge on a white crystal, so beautiful it was almost intimidating.

Gazing at Ephnel’s side profile, Yukina was mesmerized.

She suddenly felt that it would actually be very interesting if both she and Naoko could wear wedding dresses.

Marrying each other, becoming each other’s most cherished wife—such a life, Yukina felt, must be the most beautiful thing in the world that she wanted most.

She wanted to take wedding photos more and more.

In that case, the matter of the engagement rings had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

The future was distant, unreachable.

The only thing Yukina could touch was the Naoko of the present.

She wanted to firmly etch every moment of Naoko into her heart, to never forget.

“Yukina, what are you thinking about?”

Ephnel’s gaze drifted over.

She blinked, breaking Yukina out of her thoughts.

“N-nothing…”

Yukina snapped back to reality, seamlessly burying the fantasy in her heart and showing a faint smile.

She would share her dream with Naoko, but not now.

“I was just thinking… you’re so pretty, Naoko.”

“You silver-tongued devil, always saying nice things.”

Ephnel laughingly tapped the tip of Yukina’s nose.

“Speaking of which, is yours chocolate flavored?”

“Chocolate, and crushed chocolate cookies.”

“I see,”

Ephnel lifted her chin, gazing at the distant sky, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

“You still love chocolate so much…”

“Compared to me, has Naoko started choosing sweets for everything now?”

When she was little, Yukina had always loved sweets, and among all of them, she had a particular fondness for chocolate.

In contrast, Ephnel had no special feelings for snacks and the like before becoming an Agent.

Her appetite could only be described as “plain.”

“Mhm, strawberry jam,”

Ephnel handed the sweet, pink slushie to Yukina.

“Want to trade and try some?”

“C-can I?”

“I want to try yours.”

“Oh…”

Yukina stammered, handing over the sundae in her hands.

“Mmm… this is so cold! But it’s so good…”

Yukina watched as Ephnel put the small spoon, which she herself had just had in her mouth, into her own mouth.

Then she looked at the shaved ice in her hands, a blush creeping onto her face.

Even though she had already done so many things with Naoko, both as a sister and as a lover, the thought that the spoon in her hand was still tainted with the flavor of Naoko’s lips made Yukina’s heart race.

She pressed her lips together, unconsciously swallowing, and brought the slushie to her mouth.

The iciness melted in her mouth.

‘So Naoko isn’t a complete sweet tooth, but likes this kind of sweet and sour flavor…’

Just like Naoko herself.

“Yukina.”

“Hm?”

“Look over there in the sky.”

Yukina tilted her head, following the direction Ephnel was pointing.

The clouds in the sky rolled and unfurled, strand by strand, a clean and quiet picture.

At the end of her line of sight was a thin, mist-like distance.

“So pretty…”

Yukina gazed at the layered clouds in the distance, squinting slightly.

And in the next moment, a clear, cool sensation blossomed on her cheek.

“Yah!?”

The sudden coldness made Yukina jump.

She subconsciously covered her cheek, only to feel a cold dollop of cream.

She hunched her shoulders and looked towards Ephnel beside her.

And Ephnel was giggling mischievously, a little bit of the sundae still on her lips.

Yukina froze for a moment, then it dawned on her—she had been sneak-attacked by Naoko.

“Sis!!”

“I thought you weren’t afraid of the cold at all.”

“You’re so mean!”

“What does it matter? No one’s around to see anyway~”

There weren’t many people in the park at this time, though the cheerful shouts of playing children could be heard intermittently.

“No.”

Yukina lunged at Ephnel with claws bared.

Ephnel let out a soft cry, and then that cry was immediately smothered back into her mouth by Yukina.

The sweet, cold flavor melted and spread, inch by inch, and was soon replaced by warmth.

Only when Ephnel’s breathing deepened did Yukina lick her lips and release Ephnel.

“If you’re going to kiss me, you have to kiss me here, stupid sister.”