Kirigiri-san! PLEASE!!!

Admiration to Love (Part 7)

[Kirigiri's POV]

Prequel to marriage...

"...Kirigiri-san, I like you," Naegi-kun repeated just as I was getting ready to leave.

I decided to sit back on his bed and caress his head.

"...I heard you the first time...Why do you like me?" I asked quietly. I can hardly remember when was the last time I was especially nice to you or did anything great to earn this many confessions in one night. "Why are you always telling me that you like me?"

Suddenly, he pulled me by my arm. I found myself laying underneath Naegi-kun. He looked at me with dazed eyes.

"...Naegi-kun, are you sober right now?" I asked.

"...I'm sober," Naegi-kun said.

"Then, what are you doing now?" I asked.

"...I am not sure," Naegi-kun said.

That definitely sounds like what a drunk person would say...

"...Naegi-kun, you finally have a girl underneath you on your bed. Are you going to chicken out right now?" I asked teasingly.

He suddenly leaned in towards me and held my face with both hands.

I gasped slightly in surprise.

If it were the usual Naegi-kun, he would have blushed and jumped off of me right away.

Maybe, I teased him too much?

"Naegi-kun?" I said nervously.

"Kirigiri-san, how can you always be so pretty?" Naegi-kun asked as he touched my lips with the pad of his thumb. "You have such pretty purple eyes...hair that's fine like silk, and pretty pink lips...You are always so beautiful, Kirigiri-san."

"...Do you only like me for my looks?" I asked.

"No...there are so many things I like about you. I like how dependable you always are...I can always count on you whenever I am in a tight situation. You can remain cool under pressure," Naegi-kun said as he laced his fingers with mine and leaned in towards me.

I could not help but stare at his lips and wonder how soft they were as they slowly approached mine. I could feel his breath tickle my skin. He was close enough for us to share a single breath...

Naegi-kun suddenly stopped in his tracks and passed out over my shoulder.

"...Even when you are drunk, you are still a coward," I said with a disappointed sigh.

Hm? Disappointed?

I lightly pushed him off to the side and freed myself from his grasp before leaving an unopened water bottle on his nightstand.

Why did I let him do so much to me? He is obviously much weaker than I am. I could have easily pushed him off of me.

Was I mesmerized by his lips? They did look soft and tender...Am I disappointed that nothing happened? That cannot be right...We are only friends. Friends do not usually kiss each other nor do they tell each other that they like each other all of the time, but the person in question is Naegi-kun...He is stupidly honest at times.

After I got to my place, I took off my clothes and noticed an unfamiliar scent. It was Naegi-kun's smell. Oddly enough, I did not dislike it...

In the morning, I dressed myself and got ready for work.

"K-Kirigiri-san!" Naegi-kun called out to me.

"Naegi-kun?" I said as I turned around to face him.

I gave him a moment to catch up to me with his poor running form. He was terribly slow and had to take a break by bending over and holding his knees as he tried to catch his breath.