"I'm about to break the sound barrier. Get ready…"
Haizaki had ulterior motives. This time, his goal was to put Utaha through hell—relentlessly push her until she couldn't stand steady or even walk after getting off the plane.
If it didn't reach that level, he wouldn't stop. This time, he was determined to let the girl deeply experience the charm of high altitude, and then never want to board a fighter jet again.
"I know…"
No sooner had Utaha spoken than she suddenly felt a massive force surge from her back. Her chest felt heavy, her breathing labored, as if she couldn't catch her breath.
In an instant, she could no longer hear the engine. It was as if all sound had vanished.
Her heart felt tightly clenched, and the violent turbulence made her feel completely unwell.
Breathe.
Deep breaths.
Utaha kept reminding herself.
Seeing this, Haizaki reduced speed. After maintaining a certain flight distance, he executed another tactical maneuver—an abrupt turn. The fighter jet rolled laterally, completing a tight-radius turn as a whole.
A powerful centrifugal force followed, and Utaha felt even worse.
Afterward, seeing that the girl was only gripping tightly and stubbornly holding on, Haizaki could only proceed with the next maneuver.
If he didn't achieve his goal, he wouldn't stop.
Five minutes later, the fighter jet came to a smooth stop at the airfield.
"Get down. I'll catch you…"
Dizzy and slightly disoriented, Utaha climbed out of the cockpit. Seeing Haizaki below, she shook her head and jumped down.
She jumped in the wrong direction—fortunately, Haizaki had already been prepared.
"All right."
Haizaki found it amusing, yet he was also worried.
"I'm going to throw up. Move aside—quick…"
Struggling out of Haizaki's arms, Utaha removed her helmet and oxygen mask, bent over, and vomited heavily.
Thankfully, Haizaki had reminded her before departure to eat less breakfast. Otherwise, she would have suffered even more.
"Here, rinse your mouth…"
Haizaki unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and handed it to her.
The girl shook her head, trying to clear her mind, then tremblingly reached out to take the bottle.
After rinsing several times, Utaha recovered somewhat.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
If it hadn't been deliberate, she would be willing to fly again.
"Those were normal maneuvers. A fighter jet isn't a passenger plane. Comfort isn't its priority."
She couldn't quite understand Haizaki's interest in this.
But she also knew she couldn't stop him.
"Do you still want to go up again?"
Haizaki asked the question he most wanted an answer to.
"No. Just be careful in the future. If possible, I hope you can stop flying altogether. Without complete logistical maintenance, the likelihood of malfunctions keeps increasing."
Utaha hoped Haizaki would agree and stop flying fighter jets from then on.
"I understand. I'll be careful."
Just as she had expected, this man still refused to give it up.
"I'm going back."
She felt unbearably uncomfortable.
"And you need to take responsibility for what you did."
"Take responsibility?"
Haizaki asked tentatively. What responsibility was he supposed to take now?
"Don't tell me you don't want to take responsibility. You took me flying, then kept tormenting me until I can't stand straight or walk. What a terrible man…"
With his mouth twitching, Haizaki understood what Utaha was implying.
"I'll carry you back. Please stop talking."
But his heart sank.
Those ambiguous, seductive words showed that the girl's attitude toward him had undergone a drastic change.
Since the end of their cold war, Utaha had become noticeably more intimate with him.
For him, this was not a good thing.
...
Carrying the girl on his back, Haizaki felt the soft warmth of her body and casually asked,
"What do you want for lunch today?"
"Tomato and scrambled eggs…"
"We don't have eggs."
They had tomatoes due to their planting and harvest, but eggs were truly unavailable. The broiler chickens they raised could be slaughtered, but for some unspeakable reason, they couldn't be. As for laying hens, it would take at least two more months before they started producing eggs.
"Then tomato soup!"
Utaha didn't make things difficult for him.
There really was no way to get fresh eggs right now.
"Nothing else?"
A mischievous smile flashed across Utaha's lips. With both arms wrapped around Haizaki's neck, she leaned close to his ear. Her red lips parted slightly, warm breath brushing his earlobe as a seductive voice followed.
"I want to eat you. Is that okay, Yusuke… kun?"
"Sorry. I'm afraid of pain. I can't be eaten."
Another failure. A trace of dissatisfaction appeared on Utaha's face.
Feeling indignant, she tightened her arms and playfully traced around Haizaki's neck.
"If you keep this up, I'm going to die."
"Serves you right for making me angry. Hmph…"
Even after loosening her arms, Utaha still hadn't calmed down. The frustration in her heart continued to make her uncomfortable.
"If I can't eat you, I can bite you!"
With a sudden snap, Utaha bit Haizaki on the neck.
"Are you a dog or something?"
Soft lips, hard teeth. Haizaki struggled, expressing his refusal.
"Don't go too far, Kasumigaoka-san."
"I'm going too far? When you bullied me, why didn't you say you were going too far then?"
"I didn't bully you."
"Then where is your hand right now? I allowed you to carry me, but I didn't allow you to touch my butt. What—are you trying to deny it, my dear Yusuke-kun? Taking advantage of me without my consent—how is that not bullying?"
When a woman starts being unreasonable, she can really find all kinds of excuses.
"I apologize…"
Haizaki immediately withdrew his hand. Utaha's body sank downward, and she instinctively hugged him tightly. Unexpectedly, the two of them lost their balance.
Thud.
They fell to the side together.
Haizaki stared blankly at the girl beneath him.
She's kind of heavy. She actually pulled him down.
"Sorry…"
Coming back to his senses, Haizaki hurriedly apologized and withdrew his right hand from an unspeakable part of Utaha's body.
"Wait…"
The girl reacted even faster. She grabbed Haizaki's right hand and stopped him from getting up.
For a hundred days and nights, she and he had lived together day after day. Two weeks had passed since their conflict was resolved, yet Utaha had faintly sensed Haizaki's avoidance of her.
Faced with her teasing and hints, he always refused to respond directly, as if he were deliberately delaying something.
Clearly, only the two of them remained in this world. Shouldn't their relationship naturally and steadily develop until they were together?
So why did Haizaki seem to be holding back, avoiding her because of something?
"What are you hesitating about?"
The suppressed emotions that were about to erupt were ultimately pulled back under Utaha's rational control.
What was the point of saying it now?
Without understanding Haizaki's true thoughts, saying more would only be futile.
"You can get up now."
"Oh…"
After standing up, Haizaki reached out his hand, but Utaha refused it.
A woman's emotions really were like June weather—changing at a moment's notice. Or was it her period? No, Haizaki remembered that her cycle was—
At that thought, he stopped thinking further.
On the drive back, the only thing between them was silence.
"I'm still a bit dizzy. I'll go upstairs to rest first. No need to prepare lunch for me."
After getting out of the car, Utaha said softly to Haizaki and walked straight toward the villa.
Haizaki only watched as the girl disappeared from view, saying nothing.
...