Chapter 145: Dance in the Night Sky
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[Third Person Point of View]
"That kid's cute... yawn..." Yura rubbed her eyes, talking in her sleep, as she got up on the bed and looked at the wall clock.
2 A.M, it was midnight. She needed to go pee, her body had woken itself up because of that. Rubbing her eyes once again, she headed to the bathroom to relieve herself.
A flushing sound filled the silence in the house as she stepped out of the bathroom. Another yawn escaped her lips and Yura found herself walking to the balcony for some fresh air.
She pulled the glass door to the side and it clicked against the wall, as she stepped into the balcony. Gentle moonlight fell on her face, and the smell of fresh air filled her nostrils.
Yura closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, a view of this neighborhood, very luxurious and well-kept, presented in front of her. She opened her eyes and smiled.
This was not a bad place, her Senpai was leading a great life. Though she wished Ai would find herself a partner by now, it was lonely for a young woman to be alone.
'Then again, the kids live here instead of in Manager Ichigo's house,' she thought as she looked to the side, where the house of Strawberry Agency's manager stood. 'That probably makes her feel less lonely.'
No, rather than a man, Ai already had a family for herself to keep her company. It was enviable.
Yura herself wasn't dying to get married or anything, but having a partner to share her struggles and happiness with helped. In her field of work, most people she could date wanted her because of her popularity. They were obsessed with her as a celebrity, and not as a person.
She had never found a man who was not like that. Well, other than Miki-san. But he left her, abandoned her. She wasn't sure what was going on, perhaps some family issues in another country, but he didn't bother to explain to her. Perhaps he didn't trust her enough to explain, unlike how she trusted him with everything.
Thinking again, she knew little about him.
She failed to stop her mind as it wandered to Miki-san, the one person who had seen her not as Yura Katayose, the celebrated actress, but simply as Yura. They had been hanging out for a couple of months before he vanished, but despite the short time, she enjoyed her time with him more than any of the blind dates her mother had tried setting her up with, or the creepy directors who wanted to take her. He was simple yet profound, their times marked by hiking, long walks, shared meals, and conversations that made her feel light.
Yet, for all that closeness, there was a chasm between them she couldn't cross—a lack of romantic feelings from him. They had gone... far together, but he had made it clear that he didn't want to date her. It was she who kept clinging to him even after that rejection. Miki-san was kind, attentive, and utterly indispensable in her life, but he had never looked at her with the eyes of a lover.
It hurt her. So many people wanted her, but the only person she wanted didn't. If there was a God, she wanted to ask him if that was funny. Instead, their relationship hovered in a limbo of deep friendship, and some stress relief—for the lack of a better term.
And now, he was gone. He ghosted her.
"Haah..." Yura let out a sigh, looking at the moon.
Her fingers twitched as she craved a smoke, while her throat begged for a cup of alcohol. She wasn't like this before, she stayed away from cigarettes at least even if she did drink now and then. But now she was almost addicted. This wasn't good, she knew, to let a man that mysterious and secretive ruin her life and her career, but what could she do? There was nobody who could distract herself from it, either.
– Ting... 🎶
Yura blinked at the sound.
Lost in her reverie, she almost missed the gentle strumming of a guitar. The melody was soft, a whisper in the stillness of the night, yet it tugged at her heart with an inexplicable pull. It made her tilt her head, as she turned from the moon towards the interior of the house.
Intrigued and seeking a distraction from her somber thoughts, she followed the sound. Each note seemed to light the way, guiding her through the silent house until she found herself standing before a room.
The door was slightly open, and the hum of Señorita weaved out of it.
Well, that was a bad song to play right now. The lyrics hit her in the head like a drum. [You say we're just friends, But friends don't know the way you taste, la-la-la...]
The door was parted slightly, casting a sliver of light into the dark hallway. Yura peered inside, her gaze drawn to the figure sitting on the floor with his back against the bed.
"Ah."
Aqua sat there, expression blank as he stared at the empty air, his fingers moving deftly over the strings of the guitar, coaxing out a melody that filled the room with an ethereal warmth. Yura's head imagined the face of Miki-san a moment earlier, but in a moment it changed. A shiver went down her spine, and she stared at the man playing a romantic song with the expression of a heartbroken old man. The sound when coupled with the sight was a hauntingly beautiful experience, touching strings in her heart she hadn't realized were there.
It was a side of Aqua she hadn't seen—a depth and sensitivity that added layers to his identity. Transfixed, she leaned against the doorframe, her earlier thoughts fading into the background. He must have noticed her, she wasn't hiding, but he didn't meet eyes with her and continued.
The melody lingered in the air, a tender echo that seemed to wrap around her, offering comfort and a strange sense of peace. She wanted to close her eyes and enjoy the sound, but she didn't want to miss the sight.
As the last note faded into silence, Yura realized something had changed in her view of Aqua. A child couldn't wear such an expression, they couldn't put such emotion in a song. She stared at him in silence, wondering how it just took a single song to change a person's vibe.
"...You play the guitar well," she broke the silence while he put the guitar away.
"Ah, yes. My fingers are quite skilled," he said in a soft voice, and she didn't miss the double meaning hidden underneath. Just from that, the room's heavy atmosphere vanished and she giggled.
"Why the sad face though? You look like you got heartbroken by a dozen girls," she said as she stepped into the room, walking to the bed, crawling on top of it, and then sitting behind him. He was on the floor, and she above the bed, putting her legs over his shoulders, her hands running through his hair. "Wanna talk to big sis about it?"
"Nah, why will I talk about other women in your presence?" He put his arms around her dangling legs and said. "You shouldn't come into a man's room this late at night though, it's very unsafe."
"Uh-huh, surely. What will you do to me? Pin me down on the bed~?" She asked and he laughed. "See, that's what I thought."
"Wanna go out for a walk?"
"Not that's concerning," Yura raised an eyebrow while running her hand through his hair. "Why're you inviting a woman for a walk this late at night?"
"Fine, the streets can be dangerous." He gently put her legs off his shoulder and stood up. She blinked as his feet began to rise, he began to float.
"...."
"How about the night sky then?" Aqua reached out a hand and asked.
* * *
[First Person Point of View]
If I was going to seduce her and have her for myself tonight, it couldn't be done in the house for obvious reasons. The plan was to take her outside first.
For that, I dragged her into my room with the melody of my guitar. Using the authority of my Sage's willpower, I kept the tune from spreading into the other rooms so it only reached her ears.
As intended, she walked into my room.
What I didn't entirely intend was for her to see my expression while playing the song. After all, romantic songs got sadness etched on them when you lose the partner with whom you enjoyed the song.
Sadly, that's the case for all the romantic songs in my head.
I hadn't bothered fixing my expression in the end because women love melancholy in a man. It was a welcome thing.
"W-whoa, this is insane...!" Yura cried in my arms, letting out a hearty laugh, as I carried her through the sky. We flew at the speed of supercars, so her arms were tight around my neck, her eyes scanning the city below. She wore a magnificent, fantastical smile.
At first, she thought she was high or in a dream, but all doubt was cleared now. The thrill in her skin, the rush in her blood – she knew it couldn't be false.
"How are you doing this?!" She turned her head to grin at me. "Since when were superpowers real in this world?"
"A magician doesn't reveal his secret.
"Won't you tell me, come on?"
"It's a state secret,"
"Tell me."
I was holding her in a princess carry, and she trusted my hold a bit too much right now. She shifted in her spot and looked into my eyes, bringing her face closer.
"I'll give you a gift if you tell me."
"Oh? What gift?"
"One you'll love."
"You're so sure?"
Instead of replying to that, above the glittering metropolis, Yura gently grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss. Her green eyes stared into my blue ones for a moment, a light of challenge in them, before she closed them and melted into the kiss.
I guess she's been dying to do this since the moment she saw me play the guitar. As we floated in heaven, her legs wrapping around me, my arms tightening around her waist, I returned the kiss full force.
Pure Storm Baptism danced from my tongue into hers, and I felt her shiver as she felt supernatural pleasure never felt before. Her eyes sparked open for a bit in surprise, and she huffed away from my lips, "Ah, w-what?" she asked all but herself before she calmed down and gulped, "You're a... good kisser. I'm jealous of your girlfriends all of a sudden."
"You can kiss me more, then," I said as I brought her face inches closer to me, and whispered, "I promise you'll love every second of it."
A sense of hesitation struck her. Her first kiss was quite a heat-of-the-moment thing, but she knew that if she dove into a second one, it'll lead to a third, and then slowly, we two might cross the line.
"...."
Hesitation passed and she allowed me to lock my mouth over hers, our sloppy lips plopping against one another as we made out in the sky.
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
"Mhm..." In the meantime, Ai woke up with a yawn and reached out a hand to grab the bottle of water on her bedside table. When she found it empty, she shook her head, using her flight powers to float out of her bed as she approached the kitchen.
Grabbing water from the purifier and satiating her hunger, she yawned again and looked outside the window, at the sky. It was starry today, and the moon was also high in the sky. It looked pretty.
She enjoyed the sky for a minute and then turned her head back into the house. Her head locked in the direction of Aqua's room, and though she knew it wasn't right, she turned on the X-ray Vision side of her powers and blinked.
Aqua wasn't in his room.
She stood silent for a brief second, and then her head turned to look at Yura's room.
"...."
Veins popped in her head and she clenched her jaws in annoyance. Did he have to fuck her coworker? It's alright that he had a big libido and hung out with many girls, but isn't it stupid to do that to all the girls he meets?
She didn't even blame Yura, Ai knew how her son could persuade women to do... stuff, she had gone through it herself. She crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
"Stupid brat."
She had to have a talk with him about this, he couldn't keep getting away with this.
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