Youzitsu: To Protect Her Smile (Patreon)

Chapter 3: Temptation of Sleep

Ichinose was the type who was very talkative, and after that, our conversation topics continued to change until she said she wanted to rest for a while and ended the conversation.

Such dialogues left me mentally and physically exhausted. To be honest, I'm not good at dealing with people like Ichinose, and I'm not sure what she's thinking. Not only because of her enthusiasm but also because of her kindness. Perhaps from the beginning, they were the spokesmen for failure, unless they encountered a miraculous turn of events akin to a nobleman's intervention, I truly couldn't believe they would succeed.

As for the reason, I didn't know. I only made judgments based on my inner intuition. At least that's how I understood it.

[She will definitely fail.]

At the same time, she will also face her own pain.

[The reason why people can feel pain is that their good and evil are not pure enough.]

If this statement is true, then Ichinose will definitely feel pain. Although she is kind and gentle, and even considers my feelings while talking to me, unfortunately, they are not purely present.

Is it really possible for pure good and evil to appear in humans?

This is obviously impossible, right...?

I tried to come to an answer to this question based solely on my ten years of experience, but without corresponding evidence, I wasted ten minutes of intense mental concentration.

I tapped the armrest by the window with a bit of annoyance, looking at the deep blue sky outside. The next moment, I felt a heavy pressure on my left shoulder.

Ichinose rested her head on my shoulder.

"........"

Is she already asleep...?

I looked at the adorable sleeping girl with a slight headache. I didn't feel repulsed by this behavior. In fact, I was slightly pleased, but isn't this too defenseless for a girl? Or is it because of the conversation just now that I got a 'harmless' pass from her?

If so, then my disguise was successful— No, I mean, my soul is deeply hurt.

I remained motionless, fearing that she would wake up at any moment.

If only I had a phone, I could capture this adorable sleeping face, but unfortunately, it's a prohibited item.

Inhale—exhale—

With such close contact, I could even hear her breathing. This was truly a unique experience for me. Her chubby cheeks, long eyelashes, high nose bridge, and—huge chest.

I quickly averted my gaze from the huge temptation. I'm just an ordinary person, unable to evolve the ability to resist physiological functions. To prevent a tent from appearing, I began to empty my mind and focus on my own battle. It would be a difficult challenge.

The bus I was on was a small minibus with only sixteen seats, yet there were already far more people on board than that number. Apart from me and Ichinose, there were office workers in business suits rushing to work.

In some ways, I didn't like crowded crowds. Perhaps this was a symptom of reading a certain book. I vaguely remembered a line from the female protagonist.

[I hate humans.]

The first-person narrative really immersed me in the character's psyche. This was probably what they call the aftermath of reading.

The scenery outside the bus was clear and vast, refreshing. If the beauty next to me were my girlfriend or partner, then I should be considered a winner in life.

A calm mood slowly spread in my heart. Just when I thought I could easily win this war, I was wrong.

Since I felt a slight chill on my arm, I should have realized that things were not as simple as I imagined.

At first, I thought it was just emotional triggering that caused the chill, but later I gradually realized something was wrong. It was a specific area of ​​coldness, and it kept expanding and continuing.

Yes, it was too late when I came to my senses.

It must have been because of my posture, the tilted head causing saliva to escape from her tempting red lips, soaking a large area of my sleeve.

Did she dream of food?

"Ha~" I sighed lightly.

This is troublesome.

While guessing what she was dreaming about, I nervously took out a handkerchief from my pocket. The whole process of my actions was extremely slow. I didn't want to make any mistakes at this point, leading to her awakening. If that happened, it would be embarrassing and could lead to misunderstandings.

The worst-case scenario would be me creating a mortal enemy for myself.

Moving slowly, in fact, was very simple. Just divide the action into an infinite number of infinite-level slowness to meet the standard. However, although the limbs of the body seemed separate, they were actually a whole, and even a slight tremor could trigger movement in all muscles. To avoid this, I even used only two fingers to barely hook out the handkerchief.

After getting the handkerchief, I slowly wiped the corner of Ichinose's mouth, as cautiously as drinking pure water from a cup with a coin on the edge.

Her skin was fair, and her wet red lips sparkled. And the curves outlined by the neck and head seemed to exude an indescribable charm.

I always felt like I was suffering.

Like taking care of a baby, I took care of her lips. Suddenly, Ichinose's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Uh-oh.

I quickly and casually withdrew my hands, tightly clutching the damp handkerchief. At the same time, I pretended to look out at the scenery outside the window.

"Hum, hum~" Ichinose murmured in a daze, rubbing her chubby cheek against my shoulder.

"..."

Was I overthinking it...?

I sighed heavily. Just wiping a mouth left me feeling like I was straddling the line between heaven and hell. I'm truly a deeply sinful man.

I focused on the handkerchief, which still had traces of her saliva.

What should I do with this handkerchief? Should I cherish it or maybe even sniff it?

No, this isn't something a normal man should do. And what if Ichinose suddenly woke up now? I would definitely be dead!

After a series of contemplations, I dispelled that thought and cleared my mind.

I had wiped away the traces from the corner of her mouth, but how should I explain the wet marks on my clothes? I looked at the dull maroon area.

I should be able to dry it off before we reach our destination. If there's no follow-up afterwards...

I closed my eyes quietly.

About twenty minutes later, we arrived at our destination. As I had expected, the slightly dry and warm conditions inside the bus had already dried up the wet marks.

I woke up Ichinose.

"Hmm, are we there already?" Ichinose rubbed her eyes sleepily and asked.

"Yes, it's time to get off."

From the looks of it, she didn't seem to know that she had been leaning on my shoulder while sleeping, which was for the best.

"Sorry for troubling you to wake me up."

"It's nothing. After all, you did ask me to remind you before you fell asleep. But it seems like you didn't sleep well last night."

"Yeah, I still feel like I want to sleep a little longer."

Saying that, Ichinose and I got off the bus with the other high school students in front.

Waiting for us there was a large gate made of natural rocks assembled together.

"Mmm~ I haven't had such a comfortable sleep in a long time." Ichinose stretched lazily, exposing her figure. I quickly averted my gaze.

"Is your shoulder okay, Luo?"

"Hmm, why do you ask?" I pretended to be puzzled.

"Because I think I fell asleep leaning on your shoulder." She said apologetically.

"Oh, you noticed." Was I really discovered?

"Yeah, I realized it when I woke up. Sorry about that."

"I didn't mind too much, and my shoulder is fine." I said as I moved my left shoulder. This should be taken as a man's show of strength, but in fact, I really didn't feel any soreness.

"Sorry about that." She said with a smile.

I think anyone who saw this expression would forgive her.

"Let's go then."

I silently followed her energetic pace, feeling mentally exhausted although our steps weren't fast.

"By the way, Luo, you smell really nice."

"Nice? That's the first time I've heard that." I responded somewhat surprised.

“In fact, I've been on a few buses before and because I was pitifully commented on, I remember it very clearly. Once, an old lady said, 'Why do you smell like shoe polish?' and there were other comments that weren't very flattering." I denied.

There's not just one example; anyone who smells my scent feels repulsed, except for that mentally unstable doctor.

Can’t be helped, really, the smell of blood, either dried or not, that would often clung into every part of my cloth, would make anyone but that annoying doctor repulsed.

"A smell of shoe polish? That's too much. It's clearly a scent of grass and wood, very comforting— Did you use some essential oils?"

"I did take a shower before leaving."

"Then it must be the problem with your body wash."

"Perhaps." I nodded, not directly answering the question.

In fact, the scent on me had nothing to do with body wash; there might be a slight connection, but it was mostly due to medicinal baths. Prolonged medicinal baths left my body permeated with the smell of grass and wood, and over time, it became a characteristic scent on me. Even as time passed, this scent showed no signs of weakening, which was quite distressing for me.

This wasn't a trait that a normal person possessed.

Ichinose and I walked side by side through the gate, where a person checking personal items appeared before us, holding an electronic detector.

There was indeed a checkpoint for prohibited items.

I opened my arms for scanning and then opened my crossbody bag for another inspector. I had glued the two small objects to the bottom of the zipper, so I wasn't worried that he would detect anything.

After it was all done, I took the first step into campus life. The surroundings were beautifully landscaped, and the air was filled with a lively fragrance. I closed my eyes, opened my mouth, and took deep breaths, feeling vitality coursing through my entire body in an instant.

It was spring, the temperature was just right. My body was radiating vitality from the inside out.

So, what's next?

Where is the classroom?

I cast a broad glance at the vast campus.