When Amane woke up from the bed,
She still felt a bit of a headache.
It was like sleep fatigue caused by oversleeping.
Just as Amane was about to stretch her body,
She found something soft in her arms.
She looked down.
A sleeping Horikita was obediently holding Amane's waist.
From her even breathing, it was clear that Horikita was sleeping soundly.
Amane checked the time.
It was already eight in the morning.
This time was already past Horikita's biological clock of six o'clock.
This indicated that Horikita was so tired that even her own biological clock couldn't correct her sleep duration.
Did something happen yesterday? For Horikita to be this exhausted.
Suddenly, scenes from yesterday replayed in Amane's mind; she seemed to have been... slightly, just a tiny bit, out of control yesterday.
So... what was the outcome?
Amane cared more about the result than the process; if she was lively at first but then got severely bullied back by Horikita, that would be too embarrassing.
Although from Horikita's expression, she seemed satisfied, even her little face was red.
So it should be her victory, right?
Just as Amane was about to move her body slightly,
Horikita seemed to be startled by Amane's movement, her pretty eyebrows twitched, and then a pair of somewhat dazed eyes looked at the two lumps in front of her... "Suzune, are you awake?"
Amane's familiar voice made Horikita snap back a little.
At this moment, Amane slid down, allowing herself to make eye contact with Horikita, and then, while Horikita wasn't fully awake, she gave her a strong peck on the cheek.
Thump.
A dull thud came from Amane's forehead.
Amane covered her head with a wronged expression.
"Boohoo, Suzune, why did you hit me?"
"I told you we can only kiss after washing up. Do I have to remind you every time?"
Horikita gave Amane a helpless glare and sat up from the bed. Amane also quickly sat up and hugged Horikita.
"Oh, it's all the same, isn't it?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to wash up right now!"
Amane jumped off the bed in a bit of a panic.
Then she rushed to the bathroom in a hurry.
Horikita couldn't help but smile at Amane's eager demeanor.
Stretching comfortably, Horikita then picked up her phone.
She saw that the time had already passed her alarm.
Horikita Suzune was not surprised; just from the bright light, she could tell that she must have overslept.
Horikita got out of bed and pulled open the curtains.
Bright light instantly illuminated the room.
She also opened the window.
A gentle breeze, mixed with a hint of grass and earth, blew into the room.
Making the somewhat embarrassing smell in the room dissipate a little.
It seemed she would have to thoroughly clean some bedding again today.
While Amane was washing up, Horikita heated milk and bread. Because yesterday was quite satisfying, Horikita specially prepared a super large piece of thick-cut beef for Amane as a sandwich filling.
After receiving the milk, Horikita tentatively checked its temperature.
It was a bit too hot; Amane preferred room-temperature milk. Putting it in the refrigerator now would affect the temperature inside the refrigerator.
Horikita simply placed the milk on the windowsill.
By the time Amane was almost done washing up, the milk's temperature would be just right.
After preparing everything, Horikita waited for Amane outside the bathroom door.
What would her first words be?
Amane's silly smiling face appeared in Horikita's mind.
Her first words should be:
"Suzune, I'm done washing up, I'm coming!"
Probably something like that.
"Suzune, I'm done washing up, I'm coming!"
As Horikita expected, a grinning face rushed out of the bathroom.
Then, as expected, Horikita, who was lying in wait, reached out and cupped that still-grinning face.
Then... soft, with the cool sensation of toothpaste, a faint minty scent began to spread.
After a long while.
They slowly separated.
"Amane, good morning."
"G-good morning."
Amane was caught off guard by the proactive Horikita.
She became a little uneasy.
"You go eat first. The milk is on the windowsill. You don't have to wait for me."
After Horikita pinched Amane's soft and warm cheek.
She entered the bathroom.
Then the sound of the water heater came on.
Is she taking a shower in the morning?
Amane tilted her head, a little confused.
Walking to the window, a bird, attracted by the sweet smell of milk, fluttered its head eagerly outside the window, its small eyes fixed on the milk in the glass.
Amane opened the window, letting the little bird fly in. Amane found a mineral water bottle cap, poured a little milk for it, then ran to get her sandwich, planning to break off some crumbs for it.
It was then that Amane noticed today's sandwich seemed a bit off.
She opened it to look.
A large piece of beef was sandwiched between plain toast slices.
"Wow, eating this first thing in the morning, it feels a bit extravagant, hehehe."
Amane sat by the window, breaking off breadcrumbs for the little bird while taking big bites of the beef.
When Horikita came out of the bathroom, wiping her wet hair with a towel imprinted with a brown bear.
She saw a scene that even surprised her.
Golden light spilled onto Amane's silvery-white long hair.
The gentle summer breeze stirred up waves, constantly caressing Amane's long hair.
Amane gently cradled the little bird, letting it taste the breadcrumbs in her palm, while biting her sandwich. Amane was so focused that she didn't even notice the salad dressing on the corner of her mouth.
"Suzune showered so quickly? Just in time..."
Before Amane could finish her sentence, the bird flapped its wings and flew away through the gap in the window.
"What a shame."
Amane looked at the bird's retreating back with some disappointment.
This made Horikita unable to help but curl the corners of her mouth.
"It just came to freeload food and drinks. Are you planning to keep it forever?"
Horikita said pointedly.
Her gaze was directed at Amane, clearly implying that the freeloader she was referring to was Amane.
But to her surprise, Amane nodded.
"Of course."
Does Amane like keeping small animals?
Horikita became a little interested. Amane had never told her these things before. To be honest, Horikita currently only had a vague impression of all of Amane's preferences. She always felt that Amane's inner self gave off a hazy feeling.
"Birds are free and unrestrained. If you keep it, someone will be sad for it."
Horikita Suzune just said it casually.
But to her surprise, Amane's expression began to resemble how it was last night.
"But I like it. If it can satisfy me, then even if it loses its freedom, it doesn't matter. And... hahaha, I'm just kidding. I would never lock up a cute bird. Suzune, hurry and eat, the milk will get cold, you know."
Horikita's pupils contracted slightly.
She could tell that the first part was not a joke at all.
Amane..
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