Volume 15.5, Epilogue: When Hearts Touch One Another

After our holiday on the luxury cruise ship ended, we boarded a bus and returned to the Advanced Nurturing High School.

Since then, I spent my days going back and forth between the dormitory and Keyaki mall. You could almost call it lazy and self-indulgent, and I think Ive spent the time rather insipidly.

During that time, the number of people I hung out with increased incomparably to last year.

There were the members of the Ayanokouji group, Sudou and Ike, who Id been friends with from the beginning, Ishizaki and Hiyori from another class, and in the end, I even had a little chat with some members of Ichinoses class. Even if I told myself from last year, I wouldnt have believed all the things that had gone on.

And then

Ahh, todays the last day of summer vacation

Sitting down on the bed with a poof, Kei looked up at the ceiling and muttered gloomily.

My girlfriend, Karuizawa Kei, and I had been regularly going on secret dates so that we could reveal our relationship once the second semester started. Today would be the last one.

While we shared a somewhat uninvigorating time; it was by no means an uncomfortable one.

If we had been friends who hadnt known each other for a long time, I mightve been impatient to say a few words and felt a bit muddled.

From tomorrow, its okay for me to tell others about my relationship with you I feel kinda nervous.

Theres no need for you to force yourself to tell people. I wont be held responsible if your status drops.

Ill absolutely tell them. Even if something happens, youll protect me so Ill be fine. Right, Kiyotaka?

Kei said it jokingly, but they were unmistakably her true feelings. By clinging to a strong host, parasites were able to protect themselves.

I finished the last sip of my coffee and sat down next to Kei.

I squeezed her slender hand and she gently squeezed it back.

Kei.

At that moment, I pressed my lips on her soft lips.

K-Kiyotaka

Were you surprised?

Y-yeah, I was surprised. C-couldnt you give me a little moreadvanced notice?

Rather than with words, I answered her question with actions.

I grasped her shoulders gently and pulled her close.

Mmm!

A second kiss. The moment out lips touched, Keis shoulders jerked upwards slightly, and I could feel her surprise.

I quickly separated from her lips, and while relieved, she looked at me with eyes that seemed to regret it.

You caught me off guard again.

Really? I thought it was rather normal.

The only way to learn the timing was to repeat it over and over again.

At least, my heart wasnt ready for it

Then, are you ready for it this time?

Eh?Yeah

With that, she nodded her head and closed her eyes, showing a gesture of acceptance, and I kissed her again.

The previous two kisses only lasted for a second or so, but this time was different.

Five seconds, ten seconds and longer.

And then, moving our lips little by little, we repeated the kiss like little birds pecking at one another.

In that passage of time that felt like only Kei and I were frozen in place

It was the last day of the summer vacation of our second-year in high school. Kei and I learned about kissing and took another step forward together.

The first half of the curriculum of love had finished and we moved into the second half.

From now on, we would go about our school lives with pride as lovers.

By doing that, it was possible that we may get into a bit of trouble.

Even so, we would face up to the challenge hand in hand.

Slowly but surely, one step at a time, as the seasons change from summer to autumn, from autumn to winter.

Our relationship would be imbued deeper and deeper and become indispensable to us.

While tasting her lips repeatedly, my thoughts involuntarily drifted off into the distant future.

Before long, when the season of farewells approached, this romance would enter its final phase

Because its a given that it will face an arduous trial.

When Karuizawa Kei is separated from her host, she will have to stand up and look forward on her own.

That was the most important thing in this curriculum of love.