Chapter 17 - Until Next Time

According to a post Leo had once seen in an online community, a first kiss was supposed to feel like hot pollack roe.

Hot pollack roe?

Leo had no idea what that was supposed to mean. He'd never even had pollack roe before, so how was he supposed to understand the comparison? The metaphor felt like something only a science major would come up with.

But none of that mattered now.

The reason his mind had suddenly wandered was because he felt like he was about to have his first kiss.

Iris, her face as red as a ripe apple, closed her eyes tightly and leaned in. Her lips, slightly trembling with anticipation, were pursed as she leaned toward him.

Leo's thoughts froze.

He didn't like to repeat himself, but she was so damn pretty.

When Leo was in high school, there had been a kid in his class so obsessed with idols that he would skip school to attend concerts, fan signings, and events. At the time, Leo had thought, Is he insane?

But now, he thought he understood. Most idols wouldn't even dare to stand next to someone like Iris. She was so beautiful that even a fairy standing beside her would seem ordinary.

"Will I...?" Leo whispered, unsure of what to do.

Iris gave no verbal answer, but her actions made her intentions clear.

"...Wait a minute," Leo muttered to himself. His breaths came out short and uneven.

'Do I have bad breath?'

Haa, haa. He carefully checked but didn't notice anything unpleasant. Just as he was reassuring himself, another, far more pressing worry crossed his mind.

'But how far should I go?'

Leo knew he couldn't just go for a deep kiss like in the adult videos he'd seen. But a simple peck on the lips seemed too basic given how close they'd already gotten.

'Isn't a kiss this simple too childish?'

Yet, before he could act, a more fundamental question took root in his mind.

'Can I use my tongue or not?'

Leo debated with himself.

'Iris was the one who asked me to kiss her first, so wouldn't it be okay to use my tongue?'

But the more he thought about it, the more hesitant he became.

'No, a woman's heart is far more complicated than that. I can't just assume things. You should never take a woman's words and actions at face value without considering the bigger picture. ...Let's not take risks.'

It was regrettable, but Leo decided not to act impulsively. After all, there would be time later. For now, it seemed like the best course of action was to end the moment gently. He leaned in closer and placed a light kiss on Iris's lips.

When the mood threatened to spiral, Leo quietly let out a deep breath.

"Whew..."

Iris overreacted to the sigh Leo let out from his nervousness. As anyone could tell from her blushing face, Iris was incredibly nervous.

Iris looked to be about 170 cm tall, but since Leo was about 190 cm tall, he had to bend down slightly to get to eye level with her. He saw Iris purse her lips at her lower eye level than usual.

"Her eyelashes... are really long."

Thump thump thump.

That's strange. Even when Leo touched Iris's chest, her heart didn't beat this loudly. Now, it was pounding so hard that it wouldn't be strange if it burst into a circle at any moment.

As they became close enough for their breaths to touch, Leo carefully grabbed her chin with his hand. Soon, he felt like his nose was going numb from the fragrant scent coming from her, and at the same time, he sighed.

'I lost my reason.'

The skin beyond the thin dress, which was impossible to hold with one hand, was incredibly stimulating, just like when he touched her breasts.

"Huh, huh, uh..."

As time passed, his hands became more and more unrestrained.

Leo didn't just knead her butt, but also stroked her waist like a lover and intentionally pulled the area commonly called the buttocks together to feel the bouncy, jelly-like sensation.

Every time he did that, Iris flinched, but as expected, she didn't stop him. Instead, she just clung to him earnestly, as if asking for more.

Then suddenly, Leo became greedy.

No matter how thin it was, wouldn't it be much softer and more pleasant to touch her bare skin directly rather than touching it over her clothes?

His thoughts were short, and his actions were quick.

He stroked her thighs and slowly swept up her dress as well.

The dress that had been blocking exposure at the source began to roll up, exposing her pure white ankles, shins, knees, and white thighs.

"Leo, that is..."

Iris, who seemed like she would stay still no matter what Leo did, called to him with a slightly trembling voice.

Leo understood. Her dress had already become like a miniskirt. If he went up a little more, the entrance to the secret garden that no woman should ever reveal would be exposed.

"Ugh... Is this it?"

It was a pity, but forcing himself to push someone who said no was a bit much. No, if it was another woman, Leo would have just stopped, but Iris's innocent eyes stimulated his already worn-out triangle of conscience.

Maybe it was because of Iris's voice that caught him, but he felt the heated atmosphere cool down.

"I... I'm sorry..."

"Oh, no!"

She bowed her head briefly.

It was the same when she touched his chest, but she suddenly gave him a deep kiss and touched his butt as she pleased. It was an obvious mistake.

"...Please raise your head. I really don't care."

Her generous appearance forgiving him for his mistake made him feel a strange sense of déjà vu.

As Leo made eye contact with the kind Iris, his lower body, which had been swollen to the point of pain since earlier, began to tremble.

"Then can I touch you again?"

"T-not now...!"

'Oh, that's too bad. But since not being able to do it now means they'll allow it later, I guess that's a positive reaction?'

As Leo was lost in his own delusions of joy, he suddenly remembered the time limit and hurriedly took out his phone.

[00:03]

"Ah."

[00:02]

He clearly didn't do anything besides kissing and a little skinship, but he ended up burning more than 10 minutes with that.

[00:01]

"But, next time, I-I'll go all the way with you…"

[00:00]

[Returning to Earth]

As if the monitor that had been showing a fancy screen had lost power, the moment the timer reached 0, Leo was back in his room.

"...I didn't get to say goodbye."

They would meet again soon, but Leo still regretted not being able to say a proper goodbye.