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Chapter 10 – Pillow
With a full stomach and a lack of sleep, Ryou lets out a large yawn. Seeing Ryou like that, Erika asks.
“Are you tired?”
“Nn? A little…, I went to bed late yesterday.”
“That so? …it’s cool here and the wind is pleasant, that’ll make you even sleepier.”
“Indeed.”
Ryou lies down on the sheet while saying so. The sheet feels cool and his eyes narrowed.
Erika who saw Ryou lie down next to her smiled.
“Taking a nap?”
“Nah, that would be…, are you also sleepy?”
Opposed to sleeping and keeping a girl waiting, his question erupted, thinking whether Erika will also say she’ll lie down.
Erika denies while smiling.
“I have some resistance to lying down here… Isn’t it fine? I’ll wait here.”
“It’s alright. Weren’t we to go around the outlet mall after this?”
Erika looked puzzled.
“Sakuragi-kun, is there something you want to buy?”
“Not really.”
“Then, isn’t it fine.”
“But, didn’t you want to look around?”
To Ryou’s question, Erika laughingly says.
“Though I want to look, when I’m next to a person with drowsy eyes, I wouldn’t be at ease seeing that.”
Unable to oppose Erika’s reply, Ryou just smiles.
“I can’t object when you say it like that. Then, I’ll lie down for a bit. Will you wake me if I oversleep?”
Erika acknowledges Ryou’s request with a smile.
“Yep, okay.”
Hearing Erika’s reply, Ryou them makes a full-on sleep posture on top of the sheet. Since it’s on top of the hard ground and there isn’t a pillow, Ryou can’t quite settle down. First placing his arms under his head while turning over, he couldn’t find the best posture. After changing positions several times, Erika called out.
“Um, well…, could you use this?”
Opening his eyes and facing where the voice came from, Erika with a slightly red face is striking her lap.
Not understanding Erika’s intention, Ryou silently looks puzzled.
“Um, …this”
While saying so with her face further reddening, Erika strikes her lap.
Seeing that, Ryou finally understood the meaning of what Erika said. Lap pillow.
Ryou waved his hand in a panic.
“N-no, it’s alright!”
Erika face looks like her feelings were hurt.
“After all, am I unpleasant?”
When that’s said, Ryou once again waves his hand in a panic.
“No, it’s not that! That is, you’re cute…”
To receive a lap pillow from a cute girl, he can by no means do something so awe-inspiring, Ryou who was going to say so, hesitates for some reason and was at a loss for words. When asking himself why, he understood the reason. He feels very much distant, but when they hugged earlier, the ease he felt was like a lie.
Looking curiously at Ryou who is at a loss, Erika asks in a voice packed with some anticipation.
“Then, it’s not unpleasant?”
Startled from Erika’s words, Ryou nods quickly.
“Of course! It’s a really attractive invitation…”
All the same, to have a lap pillow in the public like this…, about to say so, Erika interrupts Ryou’s words
“Then, isn’t it fine.”
and while saying so, she places her palm on her lap.
Ryou’s eyes turn to dots and hesitated.
“No, well…”
Wouldn’t it be a shame to not use the lap pillow before his eyes, when thinking so, Erika who became irritated said in a strong tone.
“Don’t you want to sleep!? Come here now, and sleep!”
Ryou, while thinking she once again became like a mother, due to the atmosphere where he couldn’t go against Erika answered with a “Yes” reflexively.
Sluggishly, Ryou comes near to Erika, “My regards” is muttered. Erika reddens “By all means”, hearing Erika say so he places his head on top of her lap.
My regards, is it strange to say so, while thinking so he looks upwards. Not small, before his eyes were two rather large mountains, hastily looking away, when turning to the side, lots of people walking in the park came into view and a splendid number are looking this way.
Like this, Ryou again with haste, turns to the other opposite direction.
This way, only Erika’s clothes can be seen, in a sense facing towards Erika like this is embarrassing, but judging this to be more preferable to the other options, Ryou decided to settle on this position.
With his position fixed, this time he became anxious about the feeling under his head.
Slightly elevated, it’s soft, warm and comfortable, it’s indescribable. Isn’t this high quality pillow unmatchable? Ryou thinks. Though he hasn’t used the likes of those high quality pillows.
Now that it’s come to this he decided to enjoy this sensation, sleeping with this comfortable feeling, while troubled how to do so, Ryou fell asleep before he was aware.
When Ryou put his head on her lap, his changing directions made her feel shy. Before long he stopped moving and fell asleep.
Looking at his face, due to his excessively innocent sleeping face, she almost started laughing at him sleeping so comfortably. Raising her hand to cover her mouth she started shaking.
Observing his face, she thinks back to the tears from just now.
For a moment he looked very sad and his eyes seemed to be lonely.
The tears were wiped immediately, his mouth trembled in the middle of trying to deceive, almost tearing up again he hid behind a tree.
It resembled a feeling of unease, feelings that can’t be ignored, while he was suppressing his cry she went before him.
He made a gesture with his hand to wait, he tried to hide himself again at once.
At that moment, she surprised herself and impulsively hugged him closely.
As would be expected he was also surprised, but the urge to cry calmed down.
Though it was her own act, she was at her wits end, thinking it would be better to not enquire further, although understanding already, she inquired about the boxed lunch.
Because it was then denied with a clear tone she laughed amusingly.
The crying seemed to have settled, when suggesting that if he still wants to cry he can do it in front of her, his tone became strange and when he tried to deny what happened, she laughed again.
While thinking its fine already, though reluctant to pass, when going to separate her hands from him, this time she was hugged closely and was in his arms.
Though she called out in surprise, she calmed down, and a slightly lonely voice entered her ears, as a result without knowing why she became sad, unable to say anything she hugged him strongly.
When strongly hugged by his arms, probably because of the strength transmitted to her body, in addition to something else, delight overflowed with in her and became feelings of satisfaction.
When parting, he seemed to be greatly embarrassed but conveyed his thanks.
Afterwards, he again tried to deceive that he didn’t cry, unable to endure it, a large laugh escaped her mouth.
It’s been while since she laughed to that extent.
Being enticed, he joined in and the two laughed together.
Erika recalls she laughed then for some time, reflecting on that, she laughs with her shoulders without letting her voice come out.
Nonetheless, thinking about it, she understands that when with him she feels calm, that it would be effective even when he sleeps was unexpected by Erika.
It’s a calm day, but her heart has throbbed many times.
Though the current lap pillow is a bold action, half of her feelings were composed, while the other half is shyness as a result of the lap pillow making her heart throb.
But Erika is actually strangely comfortable, looking towards Ryou with her posture as is, invited by Ryou’s sleeping she closes her eyes.
When opening his eyes, something is there.
Thinking what it is while he is dazed, when his eyes become focused, that something in front of his eyes is clearly an angel he thought.
Now, when did I enter heaven, no, rather than thinking about going ahead to heaven, there’s some recollection of the angel’s face, staring at her, she isn’t an angel but an extremely cute girl with her eyes closed. Recognizing her after a while, he finally grasped the current situation.
Energetically, almost getting up, he forcibly stopped himself.
Raising his body like this would without a doubt cause them to butt heads.
Ryou, first of all wants to confirm the situation, digging into his memory, he immediately recalled.
He received a lap pillow and fell asleep before he was aware. The sleepiness has beautifully been blown away. Judging how long he slept, he thinks it to probably be about one hour.
And then there’s the unbelievably cute sleeping face before his eyes. While he was sleeping it seems it became the case where they slept at the same time. Ryou thinks of an answer which couldn’t be mistaken, takes a deep breath and calms himself down.
Good, I’m calm, Ryou who thought so slowly lifted himself off the lap.
After all, it’s slightly high for a pillow so there’s a pain in his neck, but it wasn’t to the extent of being bad.
Raising himself, a cracking sound came from his bones, there was the feelings of wanting to relax, from that, he might as well enjoy the sensation on the back of his head after all, his instincts and reason made a unanimous decision.
Yeah, nodding inside his mind, he raises his eyes, and carefully looks at the face there.
There are slight breathing sounds coming from her sleeping face.
The cheeks seem soft, captivated by the lips which seem tender, unable to look away he gulped with his throat.
Calm, persuading himself to look away from the reason for this calm, he is startled when realizes his right hand is approaching her cheek.
Not forcibly stopping his hand, he reached her cheek. Ryou is impressed by the feeling coming from his right hand.
Then, seemingly as a result of that, her body stirred with a twitch and her eyes slowly started to open. Ryou quickly drops his hand.
When Erika opens her eyes, they match with Ryou’s eyes.
When their eyes match Ryou lightly raises his hand, “Good morning” is said.
Erika’s eyes chase the movements of Ryou’s hand, matching eyes with Ryou again after that, Erika;s eyes open wide, kyaa, jumps up while screaming.
Ryou’s head was on top of Erika’s lap. When that lap springs up Ryou’s neck makes a clear loud *crack* sound.
Ryou, who almost faints from the pain in his neck, crouches down. Erika who grasped the situation, taken aback, raises her voice.
“S-sorry! Are you alright!? …*shriek*”
Raising her voice, Erika is startled when Ryou approaches her with his body’s balance broken, falling onto the sheet he uses both hands to support his body.
While enduring the pain, Ryou asks Erika astonishment.
“Are you alright? You. What happened suddenly?”
“Y-yes”
While saying so, she slowly touches her leg.
“It’s become a bit numb.”
She utters a little embarrassed.
Ah, Ryou consents and laughs.
“Is it any wonder, for someone’s head to be placed there in the exact same position for an hour.”
“Yeah…, that’s right, are you okay?”
Erika recalls in the middle of talking and questions Ryou.
“Nn? Ah…”
While saying, Ryou stretches his head to the left and right making cracking sounds, slowly moving his neck for confirmation he replies,
“Its fine now, it was painful for a moment and moderately stiff.”
“Stiff?”
Erika asks curiously, Ryou replies while waving his hand.
“Eh, Ah, as was said.”
“? …really? …is your sleepiness gone?”
After making a face as if wondering, Ryou laughingly replies to Erika’s enquiry.
“Ah, I’m feeling refreshed.”
“Really, that’s good.”
Erika smiles gently towards Ryou while saying so.
Ryou who was smiled at, for an instant felt his heart thump in his chest, panicking he puts his hand on his chest.
Erika seeing that was puzzled.
“What’s the matter?”
Being called out to, Ryou was surprised at his own disturbance and unintentionally let out in a loud voice.
“It’s nothing!”
Erika is a little surprised at the volume of Ryou’s voice, looking a little doubtful, she collects her thoughts at once, looks around the area and said.
“Should we clean up soon and go?”
This go, is likely shopping. Ryou nodded to that.
“Okay then…, before that, do you want tea? I would like something cold to drink.”
Even in the shade of the tree with the wind blowing, the fine daytime weather of May is hot and Ryou had perspired while sleeping.
“Yeah, my throat has become dry while sleeping.”
Erika nodded in agreement.
Thanks for doing this Chapter ^^