So Warm

I finished up the meal Natsuki made for me ravenously. Admittedly, Natsuki was right in saying it was better to eat the food hot rather than cold. My gnawing hunger was sated while a warm feeling filled up the rest of my body.

I picked up the dishes and went to wash them at the sink.

After finishing with that, I walked up to Natsuki still sitting at the table. She was sound asleep, resting the side of her head on her arms and letting out faint snores. I brought my face a little closer to hers.

At first, I just planned on having a glance at Natsuki's sleeping face, but I couldn't help but continue staring.

There was something about her that was entrancing. Natsuki's tiny cheeks were always cute, but they looked even softer than before. She had a faint blush that made my heart race ever so slightly.

My face slowly got closer.

And I eventually realized why I wanted to stare so much at Natsuki.

This was the first time I saw her without that small frown on her face. Although Natsuki only had a neutral expression, there was something about how peaceful she looked that made her so precious.

Before I knew it, my face was right next to Natsuki's. I could feel her gentle breaths brush by my face. It tickled, almost like a feather was touching my face. If Natsuki was awake, this would definitely be embarrassing.

Well, I still ended up blushing from embarrassment, but I wouldn't have been able to keep my face close.

I found that my own eyes began closing on their own. Seeing Natsuki like this made me want to sleep too. But I didn't want to leave Natsuki sleeping on the chair here. At the same time, I had no plans of waking her up.

And so, I decided to carry out my plan.

To sleep together on the same bed.

Natsuki adamantly refused when I brought it up earlier, but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't help but smile when I thought about how angry she was going to be at me once she woke up.

After taking a deep breath, I slowly put my hands underneath her legs and a hand behind her back. The clothes were soft while her skin was pudgy.

With a tiny grunt, I lifted up Natsuki. I rested her head on my shoulder so that her head didn't hang down, but that also meant her warm breaths continuously brushed by my face, making it feel numb.

My heart raced.

Natsuki almost felt like jelly in my arms and made me feel all fuzzy with her heat. I zoned out for a moment and almost forgot my initial goal. After gathering myself, I made my way to my room.

I definitely wasn't the strongest person. In fact, I was probably much weaker than most already feeble people. However, Natsuki herself was also very small and thereby very light.

As such, I was just barely able to hold on.

If it was someone like Yuri, or even Monika, I would probably break my arms before carrying them up to my room.

By the time I reached the side of the bed, my arms were trembling while my breaths were ragged. That was both because I was tired, but also because Natsuki's breaths were numbing.

At this point, I couldn't feel the majority of my face and even some of my neck.

I laid Natsuki in the bed and tucked her in. She immediately curled up and grabbed onto the edge of the blanket tightly. Natsuki almost looked like a newborn baby.

I took off my jacket before getting to the other side of the bed.

Then froze.

When I suggested sleeping in the same bed as Natsuki earlier, I did so confidently. But it really was too embarrassing.

...Was I going too far?

Maybe.

Yet, as I told her before, there really was no other solution. I didn't have a couch, not even a spare blanket to sleep on the ground.

I decided to shut my eyes and pretend Natsuki wasn't there. It was far easier to convince myself to get into the bed now.

First I pulled up the covers, then got in myself.

It was just me getting into my bed, alone. That's what I told myself.

But it didn't really work.

After all, it was just too hard for me to ignore the comforting warmth radiating from the side. I took a few deep breaths, calming myself down.

Then, I looked over to Natsuki. Though I laid her down on the back, she ended up turning to her side, towards me.

That adorable face caught me in a trance once more, like I was being hypnotized.

Before I knew it, I reached out one hand from under the sheets and gently touched Natsuki's cheek.

It was even smoother than I thought it would be. I doubted silk would be smoother.

Both of our breathing got a little heavier.

Then, out of nowhere, Natsuki lunged towards me. She wrapped both her arms and legs around my body.

The sudden stimulation was overwhelming. My mind went blank while my thoughts lost any semblance of coherence.

Natsuki rested her head on my neck. My chin conveniently fit with her head shape. It was as though they were puzzle pieces coming together. Her soft hair rubbed against my skin, which felt surprisingly nice.

Natsuki's hold simply got tighter with time, almost like she was afraid of me leaving. Her body pressed against mine firmly, making my head spin.

At this point, I wanted to push her off. Yet, my body wouldn't respond. It was as though it had melted to putty.

My thoughts began to slow down. I felt really really comfy and cozy.

It was so warm.

So, so warm.