“Milady, you should go take a nice hot bath.”
Koichi Kimijima curved his lips into a relaxed smile, his tone light and casual—like nothing had happened.
“I’ll change into dry clothes and help blow-dry your hair later.”
He said it so naturally, like he was just going through a to-do list. No hesitation, no emotional shift.
It was only then that Suzuran suddenly realized—
Koichi was completely soaked.
His hair stuck to his forehead, his dress shirt clung to his chest, made transparent by rain and outlining the faint lines of his torso.
His silhouette, sharp and defined, rose and fell with every breath beneath the wet fabric. His pants were speckled with bits of grass and mud.
From the moment she fell, he hadn’t done a single thing for himself.
All of his attention—every action—had been for her.
A sharp tug pulled at her chest, like something clutching her heart.
“…Koichi.”
She lowered her head, voice so quiet it was nearly muffled by the blanket.
“You should take a bath too… You’ll catch a cold.”
He paused.
Then he heard her mumble again, trying and failing to sound casual:
“I’ll just… have the maid, Sisimi, blow-dry my hair later…”
By the time she finished, her entire face was buried in the blanket—only the tips of her glowing red ears peeked out.
Kimijima stood silently beside her. For a brief second, his eyes softened—but his voice, as usual, carried its familiar restraint and humor:
“Our spoiled little lady has finally grown up, huh? Starting to think about the wellbeing of your servants.”
“…!”
Her face flushed to her ears—and the next second, a pillow went flying at him.
“Don’t come back!! Ever again!!”
She hurled the pillow at him to mask her pounding heart, her shout hiding the warmth blooming in her chest.
Kimijima caught the pillow effortlessly, standing at the door with a faint smile.
“Well then, I’ll see you at dinner, milady.”
He turned and left, the door closing gently behind him.
She stayed buried in the pillow, mumbling:
Does this guy even have a heart...?
Rolling herself deeper into the blanket, her thoughts drifted again to his rain-soaked face, his still-dripping hair—
—and her heart caught fire all over again.
Steam filled the bathroom. Warm water flowed down her shoulders as Suzuran leaned against the tub’s edge.
Her cheeks were still flushed, and her ears were as red as cooked shrimp.
Pouting, she opened her eyes and stared at the back of her hand—the one that had been kissed.
…The spot still felt warm.
She stared at that patch of skin for a long moment, then muttered softly:
“What does he mean, ‘the one I cherish and respect the most’... Stupid Koichi…”
Her tone was pouty and annoyed—but the ending melted into the softness of cotton candy.
What was that kiss even supposed to mean?14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF42ffq5dS
And that gentlemanly smile—what was that about?
And his hands—so warm. His lips—so soft… Was that all on purpose?!
Her face exploded red again. She dove back into the bath bubbles, hugging her head, even her toes curling up in embarrassment.
…Stupid butler.
Do you even know… how long I’ve had a crush on you…?
Since the fifth year after her father brought him home.
Since the moment he knelt in that gray vest, took her hand, and solemnly swore:
“I pledge my entire life to protecting you, milady.”
From that moment—her heart had never belonged to herself again.
Every time he got close without realizing, brushing her bangs aside as he dried her hair;
When he braided it, and his fingers barely grazed behind her ears, feather-light and electrifying;
Every time she was hurt, and he tended to her silently, gently wiping away her tears with his thumb;
Every time they practiced piano together, and he leaned forward to turn the page—
His arm would graze her shoulder. His breath would brush against her.
And every time—she held her breath, pretending like nothing had happened.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUi42A06yxt
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Every time he fastened her seatbelt…
He’d lean in, just enough—always cautious, always measured.
His breath would warm her skin. She could almost feel the heat of his chest.
But she never dared say it out loud—
Every time you buckle my seatbelt,
I want to kiss your hair.
Just once.
You won’t feel it. You won’t even know.
It’s just a tiny bit of selfishness. A quiet, secret kind of love that belongs to me alone.
And now you go and say it’s all because of respect…
So… all those things that made my heart race and my face burn—
Were all because you “respect” me?
You make it sound like I’m some kind of little princess or something…
But I—I just wanted you to love me back.
She slapped the water, splashing her face and tangling wet hair across her brow.
She bit her lip. Her voice broke into a whisper:
“…It hurts, you know. My heart.”
The bathroom was quiet, except for the soft sound of water dripping.
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She buried her face in her arms, breath unsteady, eyes burning.
Koichi Kimijima… you heartless, oblivious idiot…
What do I have to do… for you to see—
That I already love you so much… I can hardly hold it in anymore.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvUR5saqFP
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If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZhyEbCtsr
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