Yamada Sawa's heart started pounding faster.
If she hadn't misunderstood, the "serious business" Shichen mentioned definitely sounded like something not-for-children. They had just kissed—a very intense kiss—and now they were alone in her room, he'd carried her to the bed… what else could that mean but taking the next step?
Wasn't this a little too fast?
Up until now, she and Shichen had never done anything really intimate. They'd just kissed for the first time, and yeah, it was kind of on fire—but to immediately go straight to that… she honestly hadn't mentally prepared herself.
But with her arms around him, staring at his handsome profile, she couldn't bring herself to say no. Her heart was full of anticipation.
She'd been thinking about Shichen for over ten years. That alone was enough for her to agree to anything he wanted.
It's not like they were strangers. They'd been living together for quite a while now.
And this was a rare opportunity—she wasn't a spirit, not "special" like the others. Shichen accepting her was purely because she'd taken the initiative to get close.
So she had to make sure things became official.
They were both adults. Who needed "mental preparation"? The best prep was… "on-site improvisation"!
But when they got to her room, instead of pouncing on her, Shichen set her gently on the bed… then stood at the edge, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Shichen?" Sawa sat on the bed, looking at him in confusion.
"Feels like we're missing something important for this 'serious business,'" Shichen said.
"Missing… something?" Sawa blinked—and her cheeks instantly flushed.
He couldn't mean… protection, right?
"Uh… it's not really necessary…" she murmured, head ducked, face burning.
"Hm? I still want it," Shichen replied with a chuckle.
"Won't that… uh… kill the mood? The first time probably won't… you know… be that easy anyway…" Her voice was barely audible.
Shichen's hearing was fine, though. He stared at her strange expression for a moment, then it clicked, and he couldn't help but laugh.
What he meant, and what she was thinking, were definitely not the same thing.
In that much of a hurry, huh? he thought.
And on top of that, she didn't even want protection. That was… bold.
Granted, he didn't really need that sort of thing—but she had no way of knowing just what he was capable of.
"Hehe~"
"What—what are you laughing at?" Sawa glared at him in embarrassment.
"Because… we're clearly not talking about the same thing," he said, putting a hand on her head and ruffling her hair.
"Not… the same… thing…!" Sawa's eyes widened as realization hit her. Her face went beet red, the flush spreading all the way to her ears.
In that moment she wanted to die of embarrassment. If she could've crawled into a hole and never come back out, she absolutely would have.
"I get it, I get it. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get what you want," Shichen said with a laugh.
"Wh-who's in a hurry?!" Sawa smacked his hand away, mortified.
"Wait for me a bit."
"Where are you going? What are you even talking about?" Seeing him about to leave, Sawa quickly asked.
"I'm going to take care of the thing that's bothering you most."
"The thing… I care most about?" Sawa frowned.
What was she bothered by right now?
Making it official?
Disappearing off the face of the earth in shame?
Even she wasn't sure.
"I'll be right back," Shichen said, and with that, he vanished into thin air.
Sawa sat there dazed for a moment, then collapsed backwards onto the bed. Letting out a long sigh, she suddenly rolled over, kicking her legs against the mattress like a kid having a meltdown.
"Uwaaaahhh!"
She let out a string of incomprehensible shrieks.
…
Leaving Sawa's room, Shichen headed to the school. He didn't look for Tohka and the others; instead, he called Tokisaki Kurumi out alone.
The two met in the infirmary.
It was still lunchtime—students were either in their classrooms or at their clubs. The nurse's office was empty.
"Shichen, are you done with your little time-travel trip?" Kurumi asked as soon as she stepped inside.
Everyone knew he was going back to the past today to investigate.
"Yeah, I've been back for a bit. I even dropped by your house," Shichen said, sitting on the bed and patting the space beside him, gesturing for her to sit.
"My house? But I wasn't even home."
Kurumi sat down next to him.
Shichen looked at her, a strange feeling bubbling up. He'd just seen her from ten-plus years ago—before she became a spirit. A dignified young lady, gentle and refined.
Even now she still had that air about her, but the long black hair covering one eye and that lack of innocent softness made all the difference.
"…What are you staring at me for?" Being stared at so openly, Kurumi actually got a little self-conscious.
"Hehe~ I was just thinking, compared to before, you really have changed quite a lot," he said.
The current Kurumi very much lived up to the "狂 (mad)" in her name—confident and intense. The old Kurumi had been delicate, the very image of a sheltered heiress.
"Before? You mean…" Kurumi looked at him, eyes lighting up.
"San-san, we finally meet again," Shichen said with a gentle smile.
"Shichen!" Kurumi threw herself into his arms, her expression bright with joy.
She'd known Shichen was that same man from back then, but it wasn't the same. This Shichen was now fully the man she'd been waiting for all these years.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he murmured, holding her close and gently stroking her back.
This uniform fabric… what was up with it? The material felt way too good—he could even feel the strap of her underwear.
"No…" Kurumi shook her head in his arms.
"From now on, how about we stay together the same way? I still owe you a promise," Shichen said, lifting her up so he could look into her damp eyes with a smile.
Her red pupil and golden clock-eye were both strikingly beautiful. To him, they didn't look strange at all.
"A… promise?" Kurumi seemed confused at first.
"You forgot? I told you—I'm your future husband."
"Uu… Shichen, you were totally lying back then," she pouted, cheeks faintly pink.
"How was that a lie? I was being completely honest."
"It was absolutely a lie. We're not your wives…"
The word "wives" made her blush even harder.
"Well, it's only a matter of time, isn't it?"
"Hmph~ Sounds to me like you just said it back then to mark your territory—so we'd keep our distance from other men, right?"
"It's not that deep. I just don't see you ever being interested in anyone else," Shichen replied casually.
"Narcissist," Kurumi muttered, but couldn't hide her smile.
She'd never been interested in romance—saving the world seemed far more important. If not for Shichen's bizarre entrance into her life, healing her and opening her eyes, he never would've made it into her heart.
And his line about being her "future husband"—even though she hadn't fully believed it, she'd still taken it to heart. Over the years it had sunk in and taken root, until she'd accepted it as part of her future.
Shichen was more than worthy—aside from the whole "hopeless playboy" thing.
But after everything they'd been through, after so many years… they'd stopped caring about that.
"Really? You think I'd go for other guys?" Shichen asked, tightening his arm around her and looking into her eyes.
"Who knows~" Kurumi turned her head away, trying to hide the faint upward curl of her lips.
"Well, I can't just ignore that."
"And what are you going to do abou—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Kurumi found she couldn't speak. Shichen's face filled her vision, and suddenly his lips were on hers.
She stared wide-eyed, mind going blank.
He was kissing her.
Shichen kept his eyes open for a moment, watching her dazed expression with amusement, then took advantage of her shock to part her lips and capture her tongue.
Kurumi's pupils shrank.
It was like a current of electricity running through her entire body—a sharp, overwhelming sensation.
So this is what a kiss feels like…
No wonder Sawa always said she wanted to kiss him.
Once she came back to her senses, Kurumi didn't push him away. Her eyes softened; she glanced at his face once, then closed her own eyes and wrapped her arms around him.
Shichen shifted his hand to her waist to hold her closer, deepening the kiss and savoring her taste.
Before long, they pulled apart—Kurumi was already out of breath.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her pale face flushed a soft red.
Shichen gazed at her, his eyes turning crimson; fangs extended as he leaned in toward her neck and sank them in.
"Nnh~" Kurumi winced, a soft cry escaping her as she furrowed her brows.
"Shichen…?"
Shichen couldn't answer. He continued to drink her blood—fiery and intoxicating—leaving him lightheaded with pleasure.
Kurumi didn't push him away this time either. She simply cradled the back of his head and closed her eyes. She knew he wouldn't harm her.
While savoring her blood, Shichen carefully examined the spiritual power within it—her spirit energy—then began to push his own blood back into her veins.
That was the main reason he'd come: to turn her into one of his familiars.
If he wanted to help Sawa, he needed to tap into Kurumi's spirit power first.