Translator: Ranzan

  Editor: ryunakama

  「What are you saying, spouse?!」


  「Huh? You don’t want to spend more time with her?」


  「That…」


  She began to speak, but then seemed to stumble over her words.

  THAT’S NOT TRUE! Is what she had started to say, but then realized she wasn’t totally against it.

  She moved her lips like a goldfish, unable to find the correct words.

  Taiyou sat down next to her, and squished her cheeks with his fingers.

  「You know…there’s something I was always wondering.」


  「W, what?」


  「Why are you calling me spouse all the time?」


  「Huh?」


  「Like what are you saying, spouse, are you being stupid, spouse, I really HATE YOU SPOUSE, and so on.」


  「I’ve never said the last one!」


  She denied as strongly as possible.

  It was cute, so Taiyou softly smiled at her.

  「Really? Well, whatever, that’s not a big a detail as you calling me spouse all the time.」


  「But you always call me you, instead.」


  「Well, yeah, if you’re right in front of me, I do. Otherwise I always use your name. What do you do? Like if you’re talking to Kohaku and I’m not there and something about me comes into your conversation.」


  「Um…」


  「Like, do you say, that guy, or something?」


  「Well…」


  「I mean, it’s no big deal to me, do whatever, but you could be a little more intimate when you talk to me.」


  「Well, I don’t know what to say to that.」


  Youran puffed out her cheeks a bit and turned her face away.

  Her face was flushed red, and where Taiyou touched her was hot.

  She must have been quite embarrassed.

  「Well, let me give you an example, and you can think it over.」


  「Example?」


  「For example, I usually call you Youran when you’re not around, but maybe I’ll call you Ran-chan instead from now on?」


  「R…Ran-chan?」


  「Or maybe Yuri-chan…like Hera calls you.」


  「Stop…really, I want you to stop.」


  「Or maybe Shingetsu-sama?」


  「I don’t like that either.」


  「You really are stubborn. Then Ran-tan?」


  「Even worse.」


  「My lovely angel Ran-tan…」


  「Why do you call me Ran-tan?!」


  「I guess you don’t like stuff like that, huh?」


  Usually Kohaku or Hera would get into conversation like this, Taiyou thought, laughing.

  「Well, let’s stop joking then. Just think it over. I just don’t want us talking like some kind of old couple already.」


  「…」


  Youran stretched out and looked up at Taiyou.

  She looked totally changed, with silent eyes.

  She must be thinking it over, Taiyou thought as he looked her over.

  They looked into each other’s eyes, quietly, for a time.

  Finally, Youran opened her mouth to speak.

  「If you call me like that, you won’t mind?」


  「Hm?」


  Taiyou looked at her, confused, wondering what she meant.

  「I’m okay with anything.」


  「Yeah…」


  「What, what is it that you want me to call you?」


  「Well…」


  「Say it! Say it, and I’ll see how I feel about it.」


  「No, nothing…never mind. I’ll think of something else.」


  「Yooouran…」


  She tried to turn away from him, but he put both arms around her and turned her back.

  He looked straight in her eyes and said,

  「Tell me.」


  「Ya…」


  She seemed to squirm, uncomfortably.

  She must be extremely embarrassed to say it, and she was genuinely flustered.

  Seeing that made Taiyou even more intent on hearing what she had to say. What was she thinking about? He had to know.

  He got on the bed, crawled over her, and looked down on her.

  「Say it…」


  「Uh…」


  「If you don’t…I’m going to do something really crazy.」


  「R…really crazy?」


  He saw her gulp, silently.

  「Yeah, like carry you in my arms and run in the city marathon or something.」


  「Whaaaaa?」


  「Yeah, even holding you I think I could finish a complete marathon. Well, even holding you, still, all the other runners would do so well, maybe the running and holding you wouldn’t have enough impact.」


  「It would! It would be embarrassing.」


  「It’s fine, don’t worry. I wouldn’t be embarrassed.」


  「You SHOULD BE!」


  「Maybe I should…maybe if I wore just underwear with panties over my face, and then with your wrists tied together, I could run the marathon? I guess that would have enough impact, right?」


  「Stop that! If you do something like that, I’d die of embarrassment!」


  「Then you need to go ahead and say it!」


  「Um…」


  「So you really don’t want to tell me?」


  「I…I can’t.」


  She glared at him, a bit scared.

  「You were just threatening me, right? You embarrassing me like that in front of others, there’s no way you’d do something like that.」


  「Yeah, not in front of other people…」


  「Right?!」


  「Well, then let me change my approach.」


  「Huh?」


  She was confused. He kissed her.

  Not on her mouth, but just below it.

  He had kissed her softly on the chin.

  「W…what are you doing?」


  「Kissing you…right?」


  「Why…are you doing that?」


  「Heh heh」


  He laughed, and kissed her again.

  Not on the lips, but this time a little off, just on the corner of her mouth.

  「Why are you doing that to me, spouse?」


  「It’s a kiss, right?」


  「But why there?」


  「I can keep going…」


  With that, he rained down kisses on her.

  First on her chin and the side of her mouth, her cheeks and the tip of her nose, beside her eyes and temples, and all the places around her face.

  The sound of kisses filled the nurse’s office.

  Her face was covered in a rain of kisses, but there was only one place that he didn’t kiss her.

  Her lips.

  He continued kissing her, purposefully avoiding her lips.

  At first it just seemed strange, but after a bit it seemed a switch in her was thrown, and she desired him to kiss her.

  Even so, he avoided her lips.

  He completely avoided them, as he kissed her for over 30 minutes.

  「Hey…please…」


  「Hm?」


  「Kiss…kiss me…」


  「I am…kissing you.」


  「That’s not what I mean…kiss me where you’re…avoiding kissing me.」


  She was begging him. She had totally fallen into the mood.

  As he lay above her, he now looked down at her again.

  「Then…say what you were going to say.」


  「Um…」


  「If you do, I’ll kiss you.」


  「I will, but promise you’ll kiss me…」


  「Then say it.」


  「My dear Master!」


  「Wha?」


  「Kiss me…my dear Master.」


  He was a bit surprised by her reaction…