For some reason, the saint of our school drops her façade when she's with me (GL) - Chapter 26

I think I managed to pass the nerve-wracking trial of cooking for my future mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law.

They ate with an expression that seemed nostalgic, which piqued my curiosity, but once I saw Karen’s delighted face as she enjoyed the meal, my doubts became insignificant.

“Phew…”

The room I was given was, for some reason, located near Karen’s.

Not only that, but it was directly connected to one of her multiple rooms, which suggested it wasn’t typically meant for guests.

Lying down on the large bed, I glanced toward the door on the wall leading to Karen’s room. I found myself oddly conscious of it.

Well, we had already shared a room at the hotel for the past two nights.

And now, we were in separate rooms, so there was no reason to feel flustered.

No reason at all…

Yet, during our hotel stay, I had been caught up in the thrill of our supposed elopement, my thoughts entirely focused on the escape. Now that everything had settled, those suppressed, inappropriate thoughts were beginning to creep in.

As I was calmly reflecting on my own feelings, the door to my room suddenly swung open without so much as a knock.

I had locked it, but against someone with a master key, it was meaningless.

Of course, the one who entered was Karen.

“Excuse me for intruding.”

She casually turned the lock behind her again before sitting down next to me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Why did I feel like she was hiding a particularly intense determination behind her composed demeanor?

…Was it just my imagination?

“I thought you’d come in through that door,” I said, nodding toward the connecting door between our rooms.

Karen responded with a dazzling smile.

“We can save that for another time.”

The idea that there would be a “next time” was certainly appealing, yet for some reason, it also sent a strange thrill through me.

Before I could dwell on it further, Karen suddenly pushed me down onto the bed without warning, straddling me as she spoke.

“I was planning to wait until my mother and grandmother left.”

I could hear the pounding of a heartbeat.

I wasn’t sure if it was mine or hers.

Her beautiful silver hair brushed against my cheek as her heterochromatic eyes burned with a raw, undeniable desire.

“You’re not so naive or oblivious that you need me to spell it out for you, are you?”

I had known, in a way.

Back at the hotel, when I had changed clothes, Karen had openly watched me. While I had merely stolen a few quick glances at her, she had held back, but there had been a palpable intensity in her gaze.

I didn’t understand what she found enjoyable about my flat chest and my utterly unsexy underwear.

But just as I felt more than love for Karen, it wasn’t surprising that she had those kinds of feelings for me as well.

There were no more obstacles in our way.

Our feelings were mutual.

Even our parents had acknowledged us.

There was nothing left to hold us back.

If anything, the only thing stopping us was the fact that we were still students. But honestly, from what I knew, only about thirty or forty percent of high school couples maintained a “pure” relationship without crossing that line.

And that’s probably an optimistic estimate.

Karen’s fingers traced my cheek, then slid down my neck.

Her soft fingertips moved as if savoring the sensation of my skin.

The ticklish sensation, mixed with a sharp shiver, sent warmth spreading through my body.

“I really did intend to wait.”

She leaned in, her breath brushing against my ear as she whispered.

Her hand moved skillfully, beginning to unfasten my clothes.

“But it’s your fault, Yukie. You’re the one who made my heart race like this.”

She took my hand and deliberately placed it against her own chest, where her heartbeat throbbed against my palm.

It pulsed in time with mine, and for once, those curves—ones I usually only regarded with resentment—seemed almost alluring.

“Yukie… I won’t let you escape anymore.”

I knew I had to make up my mind.

But at that moment, the courage I thought I had drained away.

The relief of everything being over, the comfort of being at ease—those things made me notice a fear I had ignored until now.

“I… um…”

“Hmm?”

“Please… be gentle…”

I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted out something utterly ridiculous.

Karen froze for a second.

Then, she burst into laughter.

“Haha… Oh, I’m sorry. To think the ever-cool Yukie would say something so adorable… Ahaha.”

She looked like she was having the time of her life.

After a moment, perhaps having calmed down, she moved back and sat beside me.

…Though her blouse was still disheveled, her skirt slightly out of place.

And I was still half-undressed.

Yet, for some reason, the mood between us had shifted, and we both seemed to have cooled down a bit.

I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved or disappointed.

It was complicated, but that was just how I was.

“Yukie.”

“What?”

“For tonight, I’ll let you off with just sleeping beside me.”

“…Can you really manage that?”

“It’s… very difficult. Extremely difficult. But after hearing something that cute, I have no choice but to back down.”

She had come here fully prepared, so I could understand why she was struggling to hold back a little.

“But I won’t hesitate anymore. Keep that in mind.”

“…Me neither.”

I would never—absolutely never—let go of Karen again.

“Fufu. That’s right.”

Karen gently rested her head against my shoulder.

“Yukie, let’s skip school tomorrow too.”

“I’m starting to worry about my future… but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. My future is already decided.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. No matter how things turn out or which path we take, you’ll end up marrying me. It’s just a matter of when.”

Apparently, I was the one getting married into her family.

“That sounds like a stable future.”

“Exactly.”

Well, for someone like me, who had no grand dreams or aspirations and simply went along with the flow, having such a decisive choice forced upon me wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“How should I explain this to my uncle?”

“We’ll visit him together on our next day off. We can make it a little out-of-town date and greet him properly while we’re at it.”

“So it’s just a side trip?”

“I always prioritize the person I love over their family.”

That was so very Karen-like, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Karen.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll make you lunch again.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“And come to the clubroom too. It was lonely without you.”

“Fufu. Have you become someone who can’t be without me, Yukie?”

“Yeah. So never disappear from my sight again, okay?”

I spoke with a prayer-like sincerity, and Karen responded with a bright smile.

“I won’t let you go.”

That night, for the first time, we slept together in the same bed.

Later, I found out that back when we were living in hotels, Karen had been sneaking into my bed while I was asleep.

But since I hadn’t been conscious of it, I decided that didn’t count.

Sharing a bed with her while fully awake was an entirely different experience—feeling her warmth so closely left me caught between embarrassment and comfort, but in the end, I slept surprisingly well.

The next morning, as we left the room together, we ran into Hasegawa and Claudia. They both grinned and gave us a thumbs-up.

…We didn’t do anything improper, okay?

Karen, however, made things worse by sighing dreamily and saying, “It was a wonderful night.”

That spread misunderstandings fast.

Thankfully, at least my future mother-in-law didn’t catch wind of it.

My future grandmother-in-law, on the other hand, probably figured it out but simply laughed it off.

But Kiana seemed the type to take these things seriously, and the last thing I wanted was for our relationship to fall apart before it even started.

With that in mind, I saw Kiana off as she prepared to leave.

“I’ll be returning next time with that person. And I’ll visit as often as I can.”

Karen looked a little displeased at that, but I personally thought it was a good thing.

I believed she should make the most of the time she had left to enjoy being a daughter.

I, too, wanted to be as filial as possible to my uncle.

I couldn’t do the same for my biological parents.

Even if I tried, they wouldn’t appreciate it.

That’s why, for the family I have now and the family I’ll have in the future, I want to be as good to them as I can.

Of course, always with Karen by my side.

As if reading my thoughts, Karen gently took my hand and interlaced our fingers.

“Yukie, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

It was a break day, but tomorrow, we had to go back to school.

My attendance should still be fine, but my flawless record of never being late or absent was officially ruined.

If it was because of Karen, though… I didn’t really mind.

“Karen, you better take responsibility.”

“You too, Yukie. You’re responsible as well.”

Yeah, that was just how we were.

Even though we were both heavy-handed in love, we couldn’t help but smile at each other.

By the way, Claudia was staying at the mansion for a while.

Later, when I asked about Megumi, she dodged the question with a casual, “Ask her yourself.”

Looking back, that was probably for the best.

Claudia was surprisingly well-grounded despite her free-spirited nature, which made me realize I had been underestimating her.

Though she didn’t seem like the type to be offended by that, I still made sure to apologize later.

She laughed it off with a cheerful “No problem!” but I still made her some sweets to stay in her good graces.

Of course, I made some for Karen too while I was at it.

Looking at it this way, I guess I had a surprisingly crafty side.

Tomorrow, I needed to thank Mizuki.

She would, as always, greet me with a bright smile.

I owed that meddlesome yet caring best friend another big favor, but I didn’t mind.

She would absolutely be invited to our wedding.

“But you’re not allowed to talk to her in your wedding dress,” Karen declared.

Her needless wariness, misunderstanding, and jealousy were all so endearing that I found myself smiling.

Was I love-struck?

Maybe.

But since I had already decided to show my most troublesome self to the person I loved, it was too late to worry about it now.

With that thought in mind, I spent the rest of the day making preparations for tomorrow, all while enjoying my time with Karen.

To our classmates, she would probably continue to be seen as a saint.

But when she was with me, she could just be herself.

And that, in itself, was my little source of pride.

The only thing that would change now… was what we called our relationship.

No longer just friends—now, we were lovers, or perhaps even fiancées.

It didn’t feel bad at all.

I would never let anyone take my beloved away from me.

Karen was mine, and for the first time, I felt like I could say that with confidence.

Because that was one thing I could never compromise on.