The Golden Ticket That was Received Too Late

"Well…" A date, of course! But I couldn't just say that; what if Asu ran away? My motive for this date is filled with purity, so I can't understand possibly why she would do so… however, that is just how Asu is, and so I'll do it her way.

So I must take it slow. I mustn't rush my words. I need to slowly persuade Asu with my charms; after all, Asu is the type to be stunned only for a few seconds before returning to normal and possibly reflecting the attack, the type of boss monster that's the hardest and also the most interesting to defeat.

I licked my lips and closed my eyes, readying myself. While I hate to admit it, I suppose I'm a bit nervous since this would the first time that I…

However, Asu's quivering shout interrupted my concentration. "Hey! Hurry up!"

Upon opening my eyes, only her mass of curly blonde hair was visible, and her shiny sapphire eyes were nowhere to be seen.

… Was she going to leave?! No! She can't! I haven't told her yet! Did I have a lapse in judgement? Was I going too slow that she became bored of me?

"I don't have all da— kya!" Almost instinctively, I pulled her back, not allowing her to finish. Change of plans. I'm not going to stall this any further.

Trapping her with my arms, I locked eyes with her. As I leaned towards Asu, I could smell her scent of fresh strawberries. It smelled nice.

Blushing furiously, Asu's lips trembled as she looked away in panic. "W-W-W-What are you doing?!"

Hm?

I blinked, before letting out a low chuckle. What do you think? Of course, I'm thinking of—

"H-H-Holding hands is BARELY acceptable… b-but, no k-k-k-k-k-k-kiss!" Her voice was quivering, and her words came out slurred.

"Kiss?"

Was I thinking of kissing her? I blinked again, and this time, I was enlightened. Kiss! I should've taken advantage of the situation and taken her first kiss! It was my golden ticket into her heart! Why was I lingering for so long?!

My eyes were feverish as I looked at Asu in a new light. As expected, Asu is a genius beyond compare. As expected of my one and only love!

"N-No!"

Huh? It took me another moment to realize she was still talking about the kiss that never happened. Why has my brain become so slow and muddled? Is this a side effect of love?

I frowned inwardly while facing Asu with a sly smile. "Kiss? I-I… I wasn't gonna request a kiss… I-I wanted to… yelp!"

Asu… why is your heel so sharp?! I… I didn't even get to kiss you, yet I'm suffering from the consequences of doing so…

Whether it was from the regret of losing the opportunity to kiss or from the indescribable pain, I whimpered in sorrow as I gently massaged my toes, forgetting the passing of time…

"H-Hey… C-Can you stand?"