199 - Swaying Reason

RAW

In the Tojo family’s living room, Haruto sat on the sofa, relaxing as he scrolled through his phone.

Beside him, Ayaka was sitting in a way that used him as a backrest, also looking at her phone.

“Hey, Haruto, what are you looking at?”

Leaning her weight against him, she turned toward him and lightly rubbed her cheek against his shoulder in a slightly affectionate gesture.

“I found an interesting article.”

“What kind?”

“It’s about a hypothesis that the universe we exist in might actually be inside a black hole.”

When Haruto answered, Ayaka smiled softly.

“You really like space, don’t you?”

“Well, thinking about things like that is exciting.”

Embarrassed by her smile, Haruto scratched his head.

At that moment, Shuichi—who had been working on his laptop at the counter—spoke up.

“Come to think of it, the sports festival is next week, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Oh, but it’s not open to the public, so you can’t come, Dad.”

Before, when Shuichi found out that Ayaka and Haruto would be running in the mixed-gender relay together, he had said he wanted to go cheer them on.

However, since the sports festival wasn’t open to the public, Ayaka had firmly blocked her father’s attempted appearance.

“Hm. I would’ve liked to see my daughter and future son-in-law in action.”

Feeling a bit sorry for the clearly disappointed Shuichi, Haruto made a suggestion.

“Should we record a video? If I ask a friend, they could probably film the relay with me and Ayaka.”

“Oh! Please do!”

Shuichi nodded enthusiastically.

“Honestly, Haruto, don’t spoil Dad too much.”

“But he looks really happy.”

“Dad gets carried away way too easily.”

“Ayaka, I interact with Haruto-kun in a perfectly proper manner, you know?”

Hearing her father protest, Ayaka puffed out her cheeks.

“You’re always stealing Haruto away from me.”

“Hahaha, well, spending time with Haruto-kun is fun.”

Laughing cheerfully at his daughter’s cute protest, Shuichi closed his laptop.

“Then I’ll head to my study so I don’t interrupt the two of you.”

“You don’t have to say it like that on purpose.”

“Hahaha.”

Ignoring Ayaka’s complaint with a laugh, Shuichi left the living room with his laptop.

Incidentally, Ikue was in the bedroom with Ryota, putting him to sleep.

Left alone together in the living room, Ayaka leaned against Haruto again and looked at her phone.

“What have you been looking at this whole time, Ayaka?”

“I found an interesting article too.”

Smiling brightly, Ayaka showed Haruto her phone screen.

“Hm? Hugging makes you healthier…?”

“Yeah! It says hugging someone you love makes you healthier and even extends your lifespan!”

As she read the article title aloud, Ayaka’s eyes sparkled.

Haruto skimmed through the article and nodded in understanding.

“I see. The release of oxytocin stabilizes heart rate and boosts immunity, which extends healthy lifespan.”

“Yeah! That oxytocin thing is apparently called the love hormone.”

Still smiling, Ayaka put her phone down and opened her arms wide.

“Here.”

Seeing her arms spread wide as if saying Come jump in, Haruto deliberately asked,

“And what exactly is that pose?”

“Let’s hug.”

Answered instantly, Haruto smiled, nodded, and opened his arms to embrace her.

“Mmmhehe… I feel like my lifespan is increasing a lot right now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Don’t you feel it, Haruto?”

As she spoke, Ayaka tightened her arms around his back, pressing herself closer.

Each time, Haruto was enveloped by her overwhelming softness and her scent.

“…I feel like my lifespan is getting shorter instead.”

“Huh!? Why?”

“For various… stimulating reasons…”

“Not stimulated enough? Then…”

Ayaka slowly closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips to Haruto’s.

“How about now?”

“I might be done for.”

“Why!?”

Haruto was pushed right to the brink of losing his reason.

Completely unaware that she was driving him to the edge, Ayaka desperately tried to soak her beloved fiancé in love hormones.

Still clinging to him, she stroked his head, let him stroke hers, pressed her face against his neck and breathed deeply, rubbed her cheek against his chest.

Ayaka ran wild, doing whatever she pleased while hugging him.

“How about now? Did your lifespan increase?”

Rubbing her cheek against his, she asked him at close range. Thinking she was like a playful kitten, Haruto replied,

“I might’ve gone past lifespan and entered my second life.”

“What does that mean?”

At Ayaka tilting her head cutely from up close, Haruto gave a wry smile.

“It means you’re so cute that I’d want you as my wife even in my next life.”

“!?”

Ayaka’s eyes widened, then her lips slowly softened into a smile.

Just as Haruto expected, her expression melted, and the intense oxytocin attack finally subsided.

Seizing the moment, Haruto made a suggestion.

“Should we go brush our teeth?”

“Huh? Is it that late already? Time really flies when I’m with you, Haruto.”

Looking surprised, Ayaka turned to him again and pressed close affectionately.

“One last hug?”

“Sure.”

“Hehe… I’m happy…”

Seeing Ayaka’s blissfully melted expression, a sudden impulse surged up in Haruto’s chest.

Suppressing it with all his might, Haruto stood up from the sofa and headed for the sink.

After brushing their teeth, the two returned to their respective rooms.

Haruto sat at his desk and began his nightly pre-bed study routine.

But his pen wouldn’t move.

In his mind, Ayaka hugging him earlier replayed vividly.

“…She’s just too attractive…”

Haruto let out a troubled sigh.

Since getting engaged, Ayaka had been closing the distance even more.

They had already been close even when they were just dating, but now that distance was practically zero.

Perhaps because of that, she sometimes showed him an extremely unguarded side.

Haruto recalled the time the other day when she had asked for ice cream after getting out of the bath.

The sight he had seen then unconsciously overlapped with the overwhelming presence he felt during today’s hug.

“…What am I even thinking?”

Haruto smacked his head to shake off the impure thoughts.

But they clung stubbornly to his mind and refused to go away.

“Haa…”

He stopped shaking his head and held it with one hand.

There was another thought in his mind—one that hadn’t been there before.

Possessiveness.

Since getting engaged to her, Haruto was keenly aware that this feeling had grown noticeably stronger.

And the trigger was something his friends had said.

“Tojo-san got even cuter after she started dating Otsuki, didn’t she?”

To Haruto, Ayaka had always been irresistibly charming, so he hadn’t really noticed the change they talked about.

“But still…”

A vague, unsettled feeling mixed into his monologue.

The sudden confession after relay practice.

Recalling the sight of Ayaka being confessed to by another boy, the possessiveness smoldering in his chest flared sharply.

Ayaka had been more proactive and unguarded lately.

And his possessiveness toward her.

Swirling with restless emotions, Haruto was in no state to study at all.

“I can’t do this—I can’t concentrate!”

Finally, he threw down his pen and leaned back heavily against the chair.

Then he stared up at the ceiling.

“Is it okay if… I let myself be a little spoiled?”

That thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Since they became a couple, Ayaka had been openly expressing her affection—not just with words, but with actions.

And since becoming engaged, she had shown it even more strongly.

If that was the case, wouldn’t it be okay for him to express his affection toward her too?

Not just with words, but with actions…

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to follow Ayaka’s example and lean on her a little.

“Well, going too far wouldn’t be good, but just a little…”

Still hesitating, Haruto gazed at the wall on the side where Ayaka’s room was.

Then, slowly standing up, he left his room.

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Hey, it's been a while! Happy New Year! Hoping for lots of great chapters this year too!