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Yashiro,” said Hanako, tapping on her back. She was coiled so tightly around him like a python—anything to protect herself from the bugs.
“Yashiro,” he said again. “You can let go now. The bugs are all gone.”
“Ah, right!” She hastily untangled herself from him, and took a step back. Hanako could still feel the lingering warmth of her body, and his heart skipped.
“Stay close,” he said, peering around the dark lit hole. He had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling, indeed.
“Hanako-kun,” Nene said, fiddling with a loose strand of her long, wavy hair. “There isn’t any water here...Did we leave the boundary?”
“It seems like it,” he admitted. He didn’t know a lot about No.6, but Hanako had a feeling he knew exactly where they were. “Looks like we fell into the Far Shore.”
“The what?!” Nene latched onto his arm, and Hanako’s pulse jumped. “That means...if anything bad happens to us here—we could really die?!”
“Well, I’m already dead, but you certainly can—oof!” Nene smacked his head.
“Stop trying to scare me!”
“I’m being serious,” he grumbled rubbing his sore forehead. “It’s really dangerous here for you—a living person—to be here in the Far Shore.”
Nene bit her lower lip and Hanako felt the uneasiness of the situation squeeze in his chest.
“Hanako-kun,” she said, staring at him with her big eyes—the kind of eyes Hanako found extremely hard to ever say no to, and he watched, nearly mesmerized by the flush that colored her cheeks red.
“Kiss me.”
Hanako blinked. Then he blinked again. “What did you say—”
“Kiss me!” It wasn’t a question, but a command.
She...wanted him to...kiss her?
“EHH?! What?! Why?!” His face warmed and beads of sweat made his bangs stick against his forehead.
“For protection!” She angled her head so her cheek was in perfect view. “You know, the magic spell!”
“Ah...right,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “...Protection kiss.”
It was simple. He did this before! He can do it again. He moved closer to Nene—her eyes fluttered shut.
“Hurry up!”
Hanako swallowed. “Okay! Okay! I’m hurrying.”
His stomach twisted and his body felt heavy like lead—which was strange since he always felt light like air...
His hands trembled, but he grabbed a hold of Nene’s shoulders, trying to ignore the incessant beating of his heart.
He leaned in—but why? Why was this so difficult now? Back when he’d first put the protection spell on her it was easy. Just a kiss.
But this...this felt like something more. Something he’d never experienced before—almost like the time Nene had kissed him on the rooftop...
He leaned in, he could see the swirl of red in Nene’s still flushed cheeks. He took a shaky, deep breath, and closed his eyes. This is it, he can do it. Just a peck— and just as he was about to kiss her—
“What’s taking you so long—mmmph!”
Hanako’s eyes popped open and met Nene’s surprised and equally flustered stare because—they were kissing—on the lips.
And slowly, he realized she must have turned her head at the very last second.
Nene raised a tentative hand, as if scared to touch him—that he might fade away from her very eyes. And Hanako felt like he was turning transparent—until she cupped his face, and he shuddered—her touch was so gentle and yet firm and her lips were so soft, and he felt grounded.
Her eyes fluttered closed and so did his as the kiss deepened and Hanako’s hand wound up in her hair, silky and soft against his finger, and he pulled her against him. She was so tiny, and yet solid. Completely solid and filled with all the warmth that Hanako lacked.
“Ooooh, Nene-chan!” Aoi’s voice shocked them apart. “Your first kiss and it’s with your crush!”
“It’s not—we aren’t—” Nene tried to say, but she looked as though she were about to combust.
And Hanako stood on the side, trying to calm his heart, his touching his now swollen lips.
“Wait, what are you doing down here—you tricked us—”
And Hanako made sure he put himself between Aoi and Nene. Whatever that kiss was—they’d have to think about later.