I am the emotional sustenance of your deceased

　But even so, I never regretted the decision I made that day.

　Hi! Do you know the story of Don Quixote?

　Don Quixote's spear could not defeat the windmill, but at the moment he rode his horse to charge... in Don Quixote's eyes, he was still a hero who upheld the dignity of a knight.

　So you won't know until you try it. Even if it's just letting that girl experience a moment of freedom... I will be able to smile knowingly.

　As long as she is happy, everything is worth it.

　I really wish I hadn't...

　[Today, I kidnapped the girl in the back row who was covered in wounds.]

　She wasn't wearing a medical patch; she was wrapped in bandages, like some idiot dressed up as a mummy for Halloween.

　On the Shinkansen, a young girl wearing the short-sleeved shirt I bought for her leaned against me. At that moment, I suddenly realized what my father meant by enthusiasm.

　In a world where even the slightest revelation of the truth can chill people to a chill, perhaps only the resounding beat of a passionate heart can bring hope to the world.

　【I want to save Chitose Noshiro. 】

　"Sui Sui, we're almost at the station, wake up quickly."

　Aine gently pushed the girl’s shoulder.

　When Youyou woke up, Chitose rubbed Aine's arm with her little face, as if she was reluctant to leave the gentle paradise created by her beautiful dreams and Aine.

　"Is it almost time... This is incredible... Soon, we can start a new life."

　Two girls, fourteen years old, a little savings... the elopement constructed with these elements is really ridiculous and dreamy.

　But, as long as it's impressive enough, that's enough.

　It was already dark, and Chitose didn't know which city Aine had taken her to.

　But surprisingly, I wasn't panicked, instead I felt at ease.

　"It's so free, love... I feel the breath of freedom for the first time."

　Noshiro Chitose let go of Aine’s skirt and followed her out of the station.

　Freedom is a priceless gift from heaven, beneath the earth and under the sea

　It is greater than all the treasures buried in the depths.

　Freedom and dignity are equally worth fighting for. To be deprived of freedom and enslaved at the same time... is simply the most miserable thing in the world.

　"Don't worry, Xiaosui, I will protect you well this time!"

　At this moment, Aiyin was like an old general on the stage, having already planted flags all over the stage.

　"Do I look uneasy? Seriously, don't treat me like a child, Xiao Ai... With you by my side, I feel so at ease for the first time."

　Walking close to Aine, Chitose felt that the girl's blush was more scorching than the neon lights at night.

　She heard it.

　In this strange city, she heard the ding-dong of the convenience store's automatic doors, the sound of coins being inserted into the night bus, the laughter of passers-by, and Chihaya Aine's breathing interweaving into a melody.

　"Love, you know."

　Noshiro Chitose turned around and stood in front of Chihaya Aine.

　"You're so noisy... Your heartbeat is so loud, even louder than the chirping of cicadas in the summer! But surprisingly, I don't mind it."

　"It's my first time traveling far away... I'm so happy! I'm even happier with you, love."

　"Hey, I'm super happy too."

　Aine thought of something and took out the ticket from her pocket.

　"Here's a gift for you! Keep it as a keepsake! It's a symbol of our elopement."

　The ticket was small but not wrinkled. It was well preserved and looked like a work of art.

　"Yeah! Let's go to the hotel."

　“Today will also be my first time staying in a hotel…”

　"My...Aine."

　The silver-haired girl placed the pink-haired girl's hand on her chest.

　Chihaya Aine's pupils shrank. It was not until this moment that she realized that the girl's heartbeat in front of her was not even a bit slower than hers.

　What is beating and active is their young hearts.

　……

　"Is this the smell of a hotel? I still prefer the smell of Xiao Ai's home... Home is so warm. Will we have our own home in the future?"

　As soon as Chitose arrived at the room they booked, she threw herself on the bed.

　Lying down and swinging her legs, she looked like a delicious dish.

　"Yes, everything will be fine!"

　Facing the girl's innocent question, Chihaya Aine replied with a complicated expression.

　She actually didn't know what their future would be like.

　She also didn't know...when she would be taken home by her parents.

　My parents would never, ever allow me to get married to a girl and run away when I was in junior high school, and I have no reason to let them down after they raised me for so many years.

　The lies she told her mother would soon be exposed. What should she do then?

　[Forget it, I'll keep it a secret for as long as I can.]

　[At worst, if she gets caught, she'll fight Chitose's adoptive mother! She's determined to take care of Chitose Noshiro!]

　While thinking, Aine subconsciously grasped Chitose's ankle.

　In just a moment, the girls froze at the same time.

　"What are you...doing! We're not even together yet... If you really want it, all I can offer you is a light kiss on the lips."

　"Huh? Huh! I...I just subconsciously..."

　Aine wanted to explain but was left speechless by Chitose’s next words.

　"Then why don't you let go?"

　"I…"

　Tsk.

　Chihaya Aine, who was originally thinking seriously, puffed up her cheeks in anger.

　She decided to go all out and just rode on Chitose and started tickling him.

　"S-Stop, don't tickle my waist...it's more...ow."

　Qiansui tried to resist, but when he thought about his current status, it seemed more suitable for him to accept it...

　[No, I can’t stand this grievance! ]

　She immediately reversed her position, clamped her legs around Aine's waist and began to pinch her face.

　"You idiot, you actually touched my waist with the hand that touched my ankle! I won't forgive you!"

　-

　I'll continue to update tomorrow! Please send me some comments and vote for me!

　Ch296. I will choose you as firmly as you choose me

　What does a hotel room smell like at night?

　After washing up, the two of them lay on the same bed.

　There are so many stories that happened today that I can’t recall them all from the beginning.

　Since we can't start over, let's remember it from now on.

　"Sui, tell me, should we take a day off tomorrow or continue on our journey?"

　If you are going to Hokkaido or Sapporo, you must go there.

　Once you go there, all your troubles seem to be solved.

　Just go to that place!

　"Hurry! I... don't want to go near Tokyo anymore. It's not fun there at all... Can you still run away with me?"

　"Ok!"

　"Then, let's continue to escape together."

　What does a hotel smell like at night?

　The peach scent of Chihaya Aine's shampoo, the rust smell oozing from Chitose Noshiro's wound, the subtle sour smell of the bread she brought with her...they all mixed together.

　They fermented into something dangerously sweet in this warm spring room.

　"Love, I will remember you forever."

　Chitose, who was looking at the ceiling with Aine in the dark night, suddenly broke the brief peace between the two.

　"If you can't find me in the future, please

　Write down the smell. This is the smell of our memories."

　This memory of smell may become an opportunity to take the story to the next level in a few years.

　Noshiro Chitose thought to herself.

　"Okay...it's just that I won't be able to find you. What nonsense are you talking about?"

　Aine stopped looking at the ceiling, and when she turned her head, she saw Noshiro Chitose staring at her.

　"When did you turn your head... Ah, so you've been staring at me all along?"

　"Sorry, Xiao Sui."

　"Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"

　The curtains were wide open, inviting the moonlight from outside to come in and add to the sticky atmosphere between the girls.

　They interlocked their fingers and looked at each other seriously——

　Look at the person who accompanied the other person away.

　"Because I usually spend money a bit lavishly. If I had saved money from the beginning, we could have stayed in nicer hotels... and solved the problem of food and clothing in the future... So, I did a terrible job."

　"No," Noshiro Chitose narrowed her eyes as she smiled, her tone so gentle, "It's really great here. It's really nice to have you by my side."

　"Well, Sui Sui, actually... I still want to apologize to you."

　"What's the reason this time?"

　"I...I don't know either, but I feel a lump in my stomach. Are you feeling lump in your stomach too?"

　Aine pointed to her chest and then poked Chitose's heart.

　Although Aine said so, Noshiro Chitose felt that Chihaya Aine might just be making excuses for her own groping behavior.

　"I...actually, I don't know what my feelings for you are like... I'm 20 years old, and I don't know what love is, or what love is, but I feel...I feel sad when I think about not being able to see you again in my lifetime."

　Aine lowered her eyes and her eyelashes trembled a few times.

　There seemed to be crystal tears hidden there.

　"Tell me... am I really that bad? Many times, I just want to possess you... I was attracted to you in the beginning because you only had me in your life... I am really the bad woman you said, right? I am so despicable, such a scumbag..."

　"But when I think about you, who only belong to me, being snatched away... I feel inexplicably uncomfortable. I don't have this feeling when I'm with other friends. I think my relationships with everyone are normal, but it's only when I'm 18 that things change."

　"Actually, I wanted to kiss you on the lips that day at my house...ah, am I saying too much...but, I really wanted to kiss you."

　"You kissed me during the student council today... It was only for less than a second but I was deeply moved, 20-year-old."

　Noshiro Chitose could clearly feel Aine's hands trembling.

　They turned over, their heads touching each other, and at the same time they held each other's hands.

　Holding hands has become a common practice for them.

　"I...seem to have discovered that I really do like you...I want to protect you and take care of you for the rest of my life...Is this possessiveness? I feel so sad when I think that I'm the only one in your world. Because your life would be so much more monotonous, but at the same time, I'd feel a kind of pleasure that makes me sick."