Remove The Lid Of Your Feelings

"Uh-huh…"

Airi in his arms tensed up. It hadn't been that long since she had fallen asleep from crying.

Since she seemed to be conscious, he thought that she would move away when he stopped stroking her, but he couldn't see any sign of movement.

He wondered what to do, but he called out to Airi anyway.

"Good morning."

"…Good morning. I'm sorry, I was so distraught."

"Don't worry about it. Just let it out once in a while. Feeling better now?"

"Yes, thank you."

Although Minato couldn't see Airi's expression because she had her face buried in his chest, the tone of her voice was calm as she thanked him.

When Minato was relieved that he was able to help her, Airi spoke up slowly.

"Um… Can I be selfish, please?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Can I get a pat on the head?"

"Okay."

"…Nnn."

There was no reason to refuse her adorable request she asked with a hint of shame.

As he stroked Airi's hair again, she let out a pleasant sound.

Minato continued stroking her with the hope that she would be at ease.

For a while, Airi remained still and allowed herself to be stroked, but then, she slowly raised her head and looked at Minato at close range.

Her blue eyes, which were moistened with bright red eyelids, seemed to be shaking with anxiety or anticipation.

"Minato-san, I have a favor to ask."

"Say whatever you want."

"Please don't leave me alone."

"I wouldn't leave someone I live with alone. Besides, didn't I tell you before that you're not alone?"

"That's not what I meant. Please stay by my side so that I don't become a doll again. I don't have to be a doll when I'm by your side, do I?"

"Of course, I'll stay by your side if you want me to. If it's okay with you, I can spoil you and you can be vulnerable with me."

Minato was the only person Airi could rely on right now. He was very proud of her for letting out her emotions like that.

There was no need for her to keep her worries to herself, so she should be able to take advantage of Minato.

When Minato said something to that effect, Airi froze as if dumbfounded.

"…Is that okay? I'll ask to be spoiled a lot, you know?"

"I'll spoil you all you want."

"I'm sure I'll ask a lot of reckless things, but if you don't like it, please tell me."

"All right, I'll tell you when I don't like it. Is that all you're asking?"

"Then, please let me stay here a little longer."

"It's no big deal."

Airi buried her face in Minato's chest again, so he stroked her head again.

She cleared her throat pleasantly, and Minato was glad that she was at ease as she rested her body against him.

And so they continued to stick together until Minato's stomach rumbled.

" Fufu , we do this all the time, don't we?"

She must be referring to after the sports festival. Airi giggled and moved away from Minato, as if it was funny to be interrupted by the sound of a stomach every time.

She seemed to have recovered well and her face broke into a peaceful smile. As Minato expected, a smile, not an expressionless face or a crying face, would suit Airi better.

"I'm sorry. This is getting awkward."

"It's just like us, isn't it? Well then, let's have dinner."

"I guess so."

"So, what do we do now?"

Over dinner, he asked her about the future.

There was no school right now because it was summer vacation, and if Minato had to guess, once the summer vacation was over, it would definitely be a problem on the first day of school.

Perhaps because Minato left out too much of the story that he didn't get the message across properly, Airi tilted her head in response.

"What do you mean by 'what do we do'?"

"It's that boy. I think he's going to tell everyone about today."

"If it's that, I don't think that's a problem."

"…Really?"

Airi said simply, but it would be a topic of conversation for sure.

He knew he had to do something to avoid disrupting her peace, but why was she so positive?

When Minato looked at Airi questioningly, Airi smiled at him as if to tell him not to worry.

"Yes, Amamiya-san and the others – I don't even want to say it, so I'll just say those guys. Those guys have always had a bad reputation in the school."

"Oh… Is that so?"

Airi's face changed from smiling to expressionless in an instant.

He was a little taken aback by the salty response, but she must have been really pissed off.

It was a self-inflicted wound, and even Minato had no mercy on Airi if he hurt her.

"He brags about his good looks and money, and calls out to all the women he likes. If he doesn't like any of the women he talks to, he immediately criticizes them. He has become quite a problem among the first-year students. There are many people around him who want to get his money and benefits, and they are also very bad people."

"…How do I put it, you must be pretty unlucky to have met him today."

Minato was not that well-informed, and although he had other classmates to talk to besides Kazuma, he had never heard of such a thing.

It was also possible that people didn't bring it up with Minato, thinking that he wouldn't be interested in it.

When Minato raised his eyebrows, Airi agreed with him with a wry smile, saying that it was the worst possible situation for her to have met Amamiya and the others at a fireworks display attended by so many people.

"Well, I guess. So, even if they say something strange, they'll just be looked at white-eyed with 'Did these guys cause trouble again?' Besides, it's obvious that Minato-san is more important to me."

"…Thank you."

'Important.' That word made his heart beat faster, probably because he was the only person she could trust.

It was nice to be treated with such affection, but it was bad for Minato's heart.

As if to disguise the heat on his face, he devoured his dinner.

"Let's go to bed, Minato-san."

It hadn't been long since she had finished her late dinner and bath, but Airi seemed to be sleepy already. It seemed that the fatigue from crying could not be removed by a little sleep.

She tugged at the hem of Minato's clothes, appealing that she was sleepy.

When they were in their usual relaxed mood, they would be separated from each other and do different things, but right now, no matter what they were doing, they were always close to one another. There were even times when she would stick her back to him.

The distance was unusually close. He couldn't calm down because she was too close, and she smelled sweet and nice all the time.

When Minato was having trouble coping with the situation and was lost in thought, the force of the tug on his hem became stronger, as if she thought she was being ignored.

"Ignoring me? I'll cry. I'm going to cry." (T/N: TOO CUTE!!!)

"All right, all right. I'm sure you're tired today. Let's go to bed early."

"Yes."

So they prepared to go to bed, but Airi stayed in a good mood and didn't leave Minato's side.

It was obvious that something was off. She had never been this close to him before.

"Hey, Airi, aren't you too close?"

"I can be spoiled, can't I? You said you'd be there for me."

"…I did say that."

"Then it's fine, isn't it? …But if you really don't like it, just let me know, okay?"

Airi, who had gotten into the futon first, looked at Minato anxiously with her eyes shaking.

It was Minato who said it was okay for her to be spoiled, so he wasn't going to push her away here.

"…I got it."

Letting out a sigh of helplessness, Minato also got under the covers and turned in the opposite direction of Airi.

Then, she touched his back.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"Minato-san's back is so big, isn't it?"

Airi let out an impressed voice and started touching him all over.

He felt tickled by the touch of her thin, supple fingers, and the distance was too close for him to settle down at once.

"Stop it, it tickles."

"Please answer my question if you want me to stop."

"…What?"

Whenever she threatened Minato like this, it was always a bad thing as far as he was concerned, but now that he had said she could be selfish, he couldn't refuse.

He had a bad feeling about this, but waited for Airi's question.

"Minato-san, do you like me?"

"!!! Wh-What are you talking about!?"

"You told me when I was crying. You said you liked me inside and out."

"Ah..."

He certainly said it. There's no denying that he meant it, but even if it was to comfort the distraught Airi, he probably shouldn't have said it like that in that situation.

When Minato froze, Airi tapped him on the back and urged him on.

"How about it?"

"I said that because I didn't want Airi to cry."

"So it was a lie?"

"No comment, please."

"…Then it can't be helped. I'll forgive you today. Instead, please don't stop what I'm about to do."

A sigh exhaled loudly and something touched Minato's back.

The 'today' part was strangely emphasized, but the words that followed were so disturbing that his concentration was taken away by it.

"…Does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt. I think it tickles a little."

Airi then touched Minato's back with her index finger.

It tickled, sure, but he didn't think it was something she should have asked Minato for permission to do.

After letting her do as she pleased for a while, he realized that there was a pattern to Airi's fingers.

Apparently, she was writing some hiragana characters.

A ri ga to u… Good grief, she really should just say it by mouth. (T/N: Means thank you. Thank you split by syllables is still thank you, lol)

The way she told him was so awkward that he laughed silently.

Airi noticed that Minato understood and her fingertips left his back.

He was relieved that it was finally over, but soon, something solid touched his back and her arms were wrapped around Minato's waist. As Airi's breath hit his back, the only thing he could feel was his head.

As he froze in surprise, Airi began to wander her hands all over the place. She was probably looking for Minato's hand. Thinking it would be alright for today, Minato grabbed her hand.

He could feel the relieved exhale on his back. As he remained still, he could hear the regular breathing of her breath.

You don't even know what people are thinking. You're so at ease.

She was too close for affection, but he guessed she was probably happy to have someone spoil her.

At first, he felt he had to take care of her. Although he liked the way she looked from the beginning, he had no intention of doing anything with her.

Even now, he still desired to protect her, but when she acted so spoiled and dependent on him, he couldn't cover up his feelings anymore.

I love Airi.

Once he admitted his feelings, the fondness overflowed and he couldn't stop.

He wanted to live up to Airi's trust, he wanted to support her.

He liked her smile, her gentle nature, and her innocent behavior.

He was able to sort out his feelings, but his current situation was very troubling as he was being hugged by the person he loved.

His heart started to beat faster as he became more conscious of Airi's presence from the sleeping breath on his back.

The night dragged on, and with the thought that he would not be able to sleep today.