“Huh…”
After standing frozen for a long time, a hollow laugh escaped him.
In his ears, the words Julia had just shyly whispered—”I love you”—replayed over and over.
And on his lips, the soft and elastic sensation of Julia’s touch remained vividly clear.
He had only expected Julia to say she loved him with a bashful expression.
But an unexpected surprise kiss?
Just imagining the courage it must have taken for Julia to make such a bold move filled him with happiness from head to toe.
‘The fact that I couldn’t see her expression when we kissed… I’ll regret that for the rest of my life.’
The one thing he felt was a shame was that he had closed his eyes and missed Julia’s face in that moment.
Did she have a stiff, nervous expression?
Or were her eyes darting around in embarrassment?
He was dying of curiosity.
Next time they kissed, he vowed to make sure he saw it.
For now, though, he was still reeling from the impact of the kiss, and another crucial fact had been momentarily pushed aside.
The words “I love you” that Julia had said…
The more he thought about them, the more they made him grin like a fool who had just taken a hit to the head.
Sure, he had asked her to say it.
But she hadn’t shown even a hint of reluctance.
She had simply spoken from the heart, though her naturally reserved personality had left her blushing furiously.
He really owed Yuri a hundred thank-yous for making this moment possible.
‘Of course, it was more of a lip bump than a full-on kiss, but still…’
Even so, unlocking a new form of affection was something to celebrate.
If they continued at a steady pace, step by step, eventually, every door would open.
Of course, there were age restrictions on some things, so there was no point in rushing.
‘So this is what small happiness feels like…’
Such innocent happiness could only be savored by cherishing the present.
When time passed and they grew older, moments like these would be gone.
So, just as he was about to etch this feeling into his memory—
“Mister!”
“…!?”
BANG!
The door slammed open, and as always, a bright, energetic voice rang out.
Thump, Thump, Thump!
Charlotte dashed into the office and settled onto his lap in one swift motion.
But instead of sitting with her back to him, she sat facing him directly.
…Had she heard about the kiss with Julia and rushed over?
The thought sent a jolt through his body, making him tense up involuntarily.
“W-What is it?”
“Something’s wrong with my balloons. I can’t make them properly… So I came to learn some tricks! But why do you look so nervous?”
“Huh? Nervous? Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“I’m not nervous at all.”
“Hmmm…?”
“…”
Charlotte stared at him with suspicious eyes.
This was bad.
Charlotte was at a skill level close to a Sword Master.
Reading people’s emotions from their expressions and reactions was child’s play for her.
Of course, she didn’t have Laura’s Eye like Irene, or the Spirit’s Eye that his Imperial sister possessed.
But at the very least, she could easily tell that he was hiding something.
“Well, if Mister says so, I must’ve been mistaken!”
“…”
Surprisingly, Charlotte let it go with a bright smile.
Had she simply trusted him too much to question it further?
The thought of deceiving someone as pure-hearted as Charlotte sent a pang of guilt through his chest.
“Teach me how to tie balloons! No matter what I do, I keep messing up!”
“What exactly are you doing wrong? Show me first. It shouldn’t be that difficult…”
“Okay!”
Whew!
With a deep breath—
Charlotte blew into the balloon, inflating it in an instant.
…Wait, did she just puff it up in a single breath?
For a moment, he was too stunned by Charlotte’s lung capacity to speak.
Then, with her tiny hands, she fumbled with the balloon’s end, trying to tie it.
‘She seems to be doing fine…?’
Watching her hands, he could tell she was a bit clumsy, but not to the point of failure.
After all, tying a balloon didn’t require any extraordinary skill.
He couldn’t understand why she was struggling.
“Ah!”
“…”
POP!
The balloon suddenly burst at her fingertips.
Charlotte flinched, frozen in shock.
“See? It keeps popping! Julia’s didn’t pop at all! My pride won’t let me ask her for help!”
“I think I see the problem.”
“Really!? What is it!?”
“You’re too strong.”
“Huh?”
That was the issue, plain and simple.
Charlotte couldn’t tie balloons because her grip strength was too overwhelming.
“You probably think you’re being gentle, but rubber balloons are thinner and more fragile than you realize. You need to use much, much less force when tying the knot.”
“Aaaaah…!”
“Hold the balloon and completely relax your grip. I’ll move your fingers to show you the right amount of pressure.”
“Okay!”
He took Charlotte’s small hands in his own, guiding her fingers as they tied the balloon.
When they finished, she gripped the completed balloon with a shiver of excitement.
Immediately, she tried again.
The first two times, she either popped the balloon or let it slip away due to using too little force.
But by the third attempt, she succeeded.
Then, one after another, she kept succeeding—until the entire office was cluttered with balloons.
“I did it! I did it! Mister, I nailed it!”
“Impressive. But listen, you shouldn’t go around blowing up balloons in public.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“That’s… never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“Eh? Is it some kind of hard-to-explain reason?”
“…”
“Well, I’ll listen to you anyway! I won’t blow up balloons outside!”
“…Thank you.”
As balloons popped right in front of his face, a realization struck him.
The air inside those balloons was entirely Charlotte’s breath.
When he focused his sense of smell, trying to perceive it consciously—he could clearly sense the faint, sweet scent of Charlotte’s breath.
If someone were to exploit this…
There was a chance that someone might try to get hold of Charlotte’s balloons just to experience her breath.
That was a scenario he couldn’t allow.
That was why he had told her not to blow balloons outside—but explaining that was way too embarrassing, so he had given up.
Fortunately, Charlotte was so good-natured that she agreed without questioning the reason.
“Hehe~ Ah!?”
“…”
She had been about to hug him when—
Pop! A balloon stuck between them burst, making Charlotte flinch in shock.
She must have popped at least ten balloons today alone, and yet she still got startled every time.
As she stood frozen in surprise, he reached out and nudged her, prompting her to start moving again.
But then, as if sensing something odd, Charlotte tilted her head.
She sniffed the air a few times—
“Hmm?”
“…!?”
Lick.
She suddenly licked his lips.
For a moment, he froze completely in shock.
“I thought I smelled Julia from somewhere… So it was from Mister’s lips! Mister’s lips taste like Julia!”
“Uh…”
Did I seriously just get caught like this?!
Before he could fully process what had happened, Charlotte smacked her lips a few times—
Then her eyes grew as wide as saucers.
“Wait, why does Mister’s mouth taste like Julia!?”
“…”
“You kissed Julia, didn’t you!? Right!?”
“…”
Without a word, he gave a small nod.
At that moment, a mixture of excitement and frustration spread across Charlotte’s face.
“Hmmm… So Julia went ahead and did it first, huh…? I thought she’d be too shy to even try, so I was taking my time… I was too late….”
“Are you really sure it was too late?”
“Huh?”
“It wasn’t on purpose?”
“…!?”
Charlotte’s cheeks flushed a deep red in an instant.
It was an extremely rare sight—
Charlotte, embarrassed.
“E-Erm? No, it wasn’t!”
“Really? Were you not holding back a little to give Julia some room because she was too timid?”
“N-Nooo…”
“Look me in the eyes and say that again.”
“…”
“Is that really the truth?”
“Ughhh…”
She kept avoiding his gaze.
So, he gently cupped her cheeks, forcing her to look straight into his eyes.
Unable to meet his gaze and tell a lie, Charlotte let out a tiny, defeated whimper.
He had already suspected it from the faint glow of excitement in her expression when she realized Julia had taken the initiative.
Rather than being upset that Julia had “beaten her to it”, Charlotte had been genuinely happy that Julia had finally mustered the courage to act.
Her friendship was unwavering, as always.
“Well, I let it slide this time… But I won’t just keep giving up the ‘firsts’ forever. If Julia keeps getting ahead, she’ll get all smug and overconfident. She’s the type who only moves forward when she feels some competition.”
“…”
…That was a disturbingly accurate analysis.
Charlotte truly was the one who knew Julia best.
“So… from now on, I’ll be the one taking the lead on other things.”
“…?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ lets out a scream of delight, drunk on happiness!]
Suddenly—Squeeze.
With a look of pure determination, Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck—
And pressed a kiss onto his lips.
Wait.
Other things?
What exactly did she mean by “other things”…?
His heart started pounding hard, curiosity overtaking him.
But then, something felt off—
‘Huh? When is this kiss… no, this peck, going to end?’
A few more seconds passed.
And then it hit him.
His heart wasn’t pounding from excitement—
It was because he was running out of air.
His consciousness was beginning to fade…
“Hhhuuuah!”
“Look forward to it, Mister?”
The moment Charlotte finally pulled away, he gasped for air like a drowning man.
Meanwhile, Charlotte flashed a mischievous, almost devilish smile—
Then slid off his lap and skipped out of the office, leaving him utterly speechless.
