"Feed each other?"
Hairu seemed not to understand how that was done.
"Well, you see... ever since this promotion started, there have been quite a few people pretending to be couples to get the deal. So I came up with this method."
The vendor explained. "If you have to feed each other mouth-to-mouth, people who are just pretending to be couples usually can't do it, right?"
"I see..."
Hairu nodded.
Then, without a hint of hesitation, she turned to Byakuya and said, "Well then, Byakuya-senpai, let's do it now."
What kind of provocative words were those?!
Hairu's phrasing was far too easy to misunderstand.
"Here are two sticks for you. If you can do what I described, you only pay for one. Otherwise, you'll have to pay for both."
The vendor handed two rather large candied hawthorn sticks to Byakuya and Hairu.
Each stick had only three hawthorn berries, but there were also fruits like banana and strawberry in between.
"Feeding each other mouth-to-mouth should be done like this, right?"
Hairu took the initiative to demonstrate what the vendor had requested.
She bit one of the hawthorn berries and slowly leaned toward Byakuya.
Though her cheeks were slightly flushed, she showed no sign of resistance.
"...Hairu, you don't have to force yourself."
Byakuya couldn't help but speak up.
In his view, if this was just for a buy-one-get-one-free deal, there was absolutely no need to force herself.
But Hairu ignored what Byakuya said, moving closer and closer until she fed the candied hawthorn to Byakuya mouth-to-mouth.
The main reason was that with the candied fruit in her mouth, she couldn't have responded even if she'd wanted to, so...
[Ding! The host has completed an "indirect kiss" with Hairu Ihei. Reward: 20 Fusion Points!]
Only after the candied hawthorn entered Byakuya-senpai's mouth could Hairu finally speak. "Honestly, didn't Byakuya-senpai just tell me something earlier? And now you've already forgotten?"
"You mean..."
Byakuya immediately recalled what he'd said earlier about how when a guy sees the girl he likes showing a happy expression...
"I already said I like Byakuya-senpai. What's there to force?"
Hairu said immediately.
This also corresponded to what Byakuya had said before—when you like someone... there's no such thing as forcing yourself.
"You're right..."
Byakuya smiled somewhat awkwardly.
"Alright, now it's Byakuya-senpai's turn~"
Hairu said with a smile.
At this point, Byakuya couldn't very well back down.
After swallowing the candied hawthorn Hairu had fed him, he made the same gesture.
He bit off a piece from the candied hawthorn in his hand and fed it to Hairu...
[Ding! The host has completed mouth-to-mouth feeding with Hairu Ihei. Reward: 50 Fusion Points!]
"So sweet and delicious~"
Hairu said joyfully.
The vendor watched with great interest from the side.
She loved seeing such innocent young couples—that's precisely why she'd created this promotional event.
"Perfect!"
The vendor clapped her hands and said happily, "I'm now convinced you two are definitely a loving couple. Both of these candied hawthorns are on the house."
"Hm?"
Hairu looked at the vendor with some confusion.
"I mean they're free—no charge."
The vendor emphasized again.
"Wasn't it supposed to be buy one get one free? Why is it suddenly free?"
Hairu asked, puzzled.
"Because I'm grateful to you both. You've let me experience such a youthful, innocent feeling. It's wonderful."
The vendor said directly.
"Oh."
Hairu nodded.
Though she understood, she still felt she should pay what was owed.
But the vendor absolutely refused to accept payment. In the end, Hairu used her superior speed to slip the bills into the vendor's pocket. By the time the vendor realized what had happened, Hairu had already pulled Byakuya away and run off.
"Byakuya-senpai, does it taste good?"
Hairu asked Byakuya.
"Mm, I haven't had candied hawthorn in a long time."
Byakuya nodded.
"Me neither. You don't usually come across vendors selling candied hawthorn, so having it once in a while makes it taste even better—especially when it's fed to me by Byakuya-senpai."
Hairu said with a smile.
"Indeed, it feels different from just eating it normally."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
"What we just did should count as an indirect kiss, right? I just realized that you can only understand how wonderful it is after experiencing it yourself. Just reading about it in books doesn't give you that feeling at all."
Clearly, Hairu was exploring her own clueless understanding of romance as she went.
"That's definitely true."
Byakuya agreed.
"I've also heard that direct kissing feels even more wonderful than indirect kissing. Is that true, Byakuya-senpai?"
Hairu continued.
"That's definitely true."
Byakuya responded automatically without fully registering what she'd said.
But he caught himself immediately and corrected, "...Wait, while that is true, you should really think this through carefully."
"But from what I read, kissing someone you like is a perfectly normal thing. Isn't it?"
Hairu asked Byakuya with a genuinely innocent expression.
This counter-question left Byakuya momentarily unable to refute. He then launched into a lecture: "Well, that's not wrong per se. It's just that thinking things through carefully is always better. After all, this would be your first time, right? A first kiss is something everyone should value—you shouldn't give it away too easily..."
He wasn't being awkward about this himself; he was thinking of Hairu's sake.
If he were purely selfish, Hairu's various advances would cost him nothing—in fact, he'd be the one taking advantage of her.
But he obviously didn't want to be that selfish...
After all, Hairu seemed to not really understand love at all. It felt like he was somehow deceiving the pure and innocent Hairu.
Moreover, he had very clear self-awareness about his... playboy situation, so he didn't want Hairu to so easily...
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"
