Third-person: Hoshino Ai
"Hmm~ Hmm~♬"
Once Hoshino Yume had fallen asleep, a smile spread across Hoshino Ai's face.
To be honest, when she made that informal deal with Kamiki Hikaru, she hadn't expected to receive something like this; it felt like an unexpected windfall.
When she first saw Kamiki, the emotion Ai felt was a sense of hollowness. She noticed the emptiness in his eyes and a creepy, hedonistic gaze that made her uncomfortable, signaling that this person was broken. However, since Kamiki was also the one who helped Ai develop her current talents, she held some gratitude toward him.
With these thoughts running through her mind, Ai finished washing the dishes and listened to the noise of the TV coming from the living room.
"Yume~ I finished the dishes, so is it okay if I have some Häagen-Dazs~?"
She called out to request a small reward for her chores, but as time passed with no response, Ai's expression brightened considerably. She roughly tossed aside the rubber gloves and went to the living room where Yume should have been waiting.
There, Hoshino Yume was asleep in a posture she had never seen before, with the TV still blaring.
Seeing this, Ai felt an inexplicable excitement. Calming her trembling body, she slowly stepped closer to Yume's side, one step at a time. Normally, Yume wouldn't be sleeping at this hour and always woke up before her, so his current state was like forbidden fruit to Ai.
"Haa... haa... Yume..."
Ai slowly caressed Yume's face with both hands. Her touch gradually moved down, beginning to stroke his body.
"Ugh..."
"Eek!?"
Perhaps the sensation was slightly ticklish, as Yume shifted his body a little. Startled, Ai quickly backed away, but when no further reaction came, she brought her face closer to his.
She kissed Yume's lips. The pleasure she felt was beyond imagination; his lips tasted of mango.
"...Yume, I don't want to wait four years, okay? So you'll understand, right? Because..."
Yume is my only family... is that okay?
As she spoke, the clothes covering Ai's body began to come off one by one. After the last piece of fabric hiding her intimate areas fell away, Ai, now in her natural state, slowly climbed on top of Yume...
It is said that cries of pleasure from a woman echoed quite loudly in the house that day.
First-person: Hoshino Yume
My body... feels incredibly heavy... I must have been really tired.
As I tried to force my drowsy body up, I realized I had fallen asleep right there on the sofa. I felt something gripping my right hand. When I checked, there was Ai, holding my hand and sleeping while sitting on the sofa.
"...Why are you sleeping here?"
She wasn't lying down comfortably; instead, she was sleeping while leaning against the sofa holding my hand. It looked quite uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to pick her up and take her to her room.
Ai's clothes were a bit disheveled, but thinking that can happen while sleeping, I simply laid her on the bed and quietly left the room.
Today was a day off for Ai—no school and no schedule—so I thought I'd let her rest. However, I had quite a lot to do myself.
First, before going out, I felt like I needed to wash up because my body felt strangely damp. It was sticky, as if I had sweated in my sleep, so I went to the bathroom to shower.
"......Since when have I had these marks on my body?"
There were quite a few marks on my upper body that looked like bites. I wondered if it was bug season already and just brushed it off. I didn't notice the clear bite mark engraved on the back of my neck.
I never expected that the culprit behind these marks could be the very child I was protecting.
"Phew..."
After finishing my shower, I put my damp shirt and underwear in the washing machine. I lightly heated up some chicken breast from the fridge, ate it, and then left a note:
[I have work at the company today, so when you wake up, heat up the food in the fridge]
I made sure to leave meal instructions before leaving the house. The first place I had to go was Kuma Security Company, where I currently work.
Why is it called Kuma Security Company? I heard it's simply because the director's name is Kuma ("Bear"), so they named it that out of laziness.
I casually got on my bike and set off. It was about a 20-minute ride. After parking somewhat haphazardly in the lot, I went straight into the building, greeted the others, and headed up to the top floor to the room at the end of the hall.
There were already nine men and women there; it seemed I was the last one.
"Everyone's here, I see."
"Hey hey, you're late, buddy."
"Oh my, he might be a little late, but don't be such a stickler or you'll be called an old fogey."
"Hah!? I don't want to hear that from an auntie!"
"Ohohoho... do you want to die?"
"Huh!? With those thin arms?"
Just the usual daily routine.
The place I was in now was for executive meetings, meaning only the ten executives of this company could enter. Since I am, for now, an executive, I had been summoned.
By the way, most of the executives were people with strong personalities. While there might be minor disputes, they never crossed the line with each other. That was the 'rule'.
The people here were handpicked by Director Kuma—so-called individuals with either fighting skills or exceptional brains. Each had their own unique talents. I was able to join the executives after catching Director Kuma's eye, and since the pay increased more than expected, I was grateful.
To ensure a comfortable life for the children who might be born later, I probably need quite a bit of money, so I should save up in advance.
The executives besides me were talking among themselves when suddenly the sound of the door opening cut through the chatter.
"Oh, everyone's here already~ Sorry~"
A middle-aged man as big as a bear—true to his name—entered. That man was none other than the head of our executives and the director of the company, Director Kuma.
"Ahem, ahem! Well, anyway, the reason I called you all here is just to see your faces for once."
At those words, the other executives' faces screamed 'what the hell...' as they stared at the director. Seeing their reaction, he broke into a cold sweat and turned his face away, causing a collective sigh to escape from the mouths of the executives, myself included.
In the end, having gathered for such a trivial reason, we had a light meeting and then left to do our respective work. As I, the last one remaining, got up to go home, the director spoke.
"Ah, Yume-kun."
"Yes, Director?"
At the sound of his voice, I turned my head toward him.
"How have Ai-chan's activities been lately?"
"...She seems to be doing quite well."
I was slightly puzzled by the director suddenly asking about Ai, but...
"Then later, could I get Ai-chan's autograph..."
".....Sure."
I even had the rude thought of wondering how this person ever became the director.
"That aside, have you thought about trying other work soon?"
"I'm sorry, but since I still want to be Ai's bodyguard, I'll decline other work for now."
"Hmm... if you say so, then I can't help it..."
If I ever had to leave my post, I would ask one of the other executives with free time to take over. Other regular employees might be reliable enough, but I wanted to eliminate risk factors as much as possible.
"I understand. It was that kind of contract from the start."
"Thank you."
"No, no, I should be thanking you... hehehe. I still can't forget how you asked, 'Can I be hired if I break the building's wall?' when you first joined."
".....At that time... I was out of line."
"Hehehehe! It's fine! In the end, we recruited you, Yume-kun!! Well then, go on home!"
"Yes, excuse me."
With the stray thought that this incident would probably continue to be a joke at my expense, I let out a small sigh, got on my bike in the parking lot, and headed home.