Classroom of the Elite: Checkmate

Chapter 18.5 - Angel with Horns, Devil with a Halo

"D-don't I... like... you k-know... deserve a r-reward then?"

My voice quivered and trembled with every syllable that left my lips.

We hadn't been a couple for very long, but ever since I had kissed him on the cheek, I wanted to know what the real thing feels like. How it would feel to lean into him and press my lips onto his.

Since this was the first relationship for both of us, we decided to take it at our own pace. A momentum and steady progress we both felt comfortable with, which was one of the reasons why I felt hesitant about asking him outright.

Was I going too fast?

Asking for too much?

We hadn't even had our first date yet.

Sure, we went out a lot, even before we became a couple, but we never met up and called it 'date'.

Did this matter?

Wasn't it just a label people used to explain them meeting up with their significant other?

"Mhh... I guess you do."

Kiyotaka glanced at me, as if he knew what I tried to accomplish.

Maybe I hadn't been the only one who wanted us to kiss. He might have felt just as afraid to voice his desire, anxious about my potential answer. The two of us might have felt the exact same thing without voicing our hopes.

"R-right?"

With the acceleration of my heartbeat, my whole body temperature increased as I stared into these mesmerizing, brilliant, golden eyes that he called his own. They drew me in like a siren's song, like a moth to a bright, smoldering flame and threatened to devour my sanity with their irresistible, alluring charm.

Since he said that I deserved a reward, then it should be fine, right?

Even if we did some things out of order, as long as we were both happy running off-course with each other, nothing else mattered. Both he and I wanted to embrace each other. We wanted to feel loved and cherished by our most valued person.

If we were both yearning for this type of contact, then it was fine, wasn't it?

We didn't rush into anything, but in this moment, during this time, in his room, it felt appropriate.

I closed my eyes and leaned forward.

A myriad of questions and fears spun around in my mind, but I couldn't concentrate on or answer even a single one of them. There was so much going on in my mind that it was nothing but overwhelming.

After a moment, I felt his warm breath brush against my skin and tipped my head to the right.

I didn't know why, but it just felt natural in that moment. It wasn't a deliberate action, but more so a reflex that lay dormant inside me ever since I was born and had awakened now.

His pleasant, comfortable breath carried the scent of green tea, which should have been similar to my own. My face changed into a deeper shade of crimson as his lips drew closer towards mine.

Even though my eyes were shut, I could tell that we were gradually closing in on each other.

I couldn't hear anything but my own heartbeat, which drummed against my chest faster than ever before. The time I had confessed to him behind the gym, or when he replied to my confession on the rooftop, couldn't even compare to my current awareness and sensitivity about everything that happened.

The never-ending flow of time came to a sudden halt as a vivid warmth spread through my whole body. Our lips nuzzled into each other as if they had always belonged together.