NOVEL NEXT Chapter 404
#404
Is it Okay? (Illustration Included)
Against the backdrop of colorful fireworks lighting up the night sky, inside a secret base made of a tent, filled with childhood memories of Aris, two adult figures find it a bit cramped.
Inside, the sticky kisses continued.
Exchanging tongues and saliva, I pushed Aris down onto the old mattress.
“······!!”
Aris’s face turned red.
After a long time, our lips naturally parted.
She said something with a shy expression, but the noise of the fireworks drowned out her words.
In the tent of our secret base, I slowly began to remove her yukata.
She flinched.
Aris’s body trembled.
Our eyes met.
With a flushed face, Aris nodded.
Though I couldn’t hear her words, I understood.
It meant it was okay.
Having received her silent approval, I immediately took Aris, adorned in her festive yukata.
Aris’s silver eyes wavered.
Boom, bang.
“······Huh······. Huh······!!”
Amidst the firework noise, her moans intermittently echoed in my ears.
I gently embraced her.
Bang.
The last firework faded into the night sky.
The summer festival fireworks finally came to an end.
“······You······.”
Tears welled up in Aris’s silver eyes.
She reached out her white arms and wrapped them around my neck.
“······Make me more······ your woman······. Create new memories for me.”
Aris whispered in my ear.
Instead of answering, I kissed her again.
“Ugh······!”
Aris’s body shook.
I slowly and tenderly took Aris.
“Ugh······. Huh······. It feels······ strange······. Ugh······.”
Aris wept softly.
The festival had ended, and it was time for the street vendors to close up as the crowd began to disperse, but our festival was far from over.
No, it was just beginning.
I relentlessly continued to embrace the gasping and sobbing Aris.
The already cramped tent grew hotter from our rising body temperatures.
“Ugh······. Ahh······. Ugh······.”
“Ugh… Huh! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, w-we need to go home now. It’s getting late… Huh♡.”
In a deep forest.
Inside a small tent, Aris bit down on her white yukata, stifling her sounds as she gasped for air.
Her beautiful brows furrowed in pleasure as she desperately held back moans, making her even more tempting. I couldn’t help but feast my eyes on her.
Her pale skin, hair like moonlight, and silver eyes graced my sight, while a sweet perfume tantalized my nose.
After more than ten rounds, only then did I wrap up our encounter at Aris’s pleading.
“Ugh… Huh…”
With a flushed face, Aris coordinated her yukata, letting out soft sounds through her lips.
Her blushing nape looked absolutely enticing.
I felt an urge to do it again.
Despite that, I suppressed my desire.
Aris might have had family waiting for her at home.
But I couldn’t drag this on any longer.
Regrettably, it seemed today was a good time to end things here.
“Haah…”
Finishing her arrangements, Aris took a deep breath and held my hand.
Her cheeks turned red as our eyes met.
In a small voice, Aris mumbled, “U-um, th-that was good, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung…”
Aris slightly bowed her head.
Her ears were bright red.
Who would have thought the Student Council President, who always preached about wholesome relationships, would express her feelings like this?
Suddenly, mischief bubbled up inside me.
“You’re quite shameless, Aris-senpai.”
“Th-that’s not true! This… this is just… I read online that saying this kind of thing after a relationship ends helps with smooth married life… So that’s it! I’m definitely not shameless!”
Aris shook her head vehemently in denial.
Well, that’s part of her charm.
Without a word, I kissed her again.
“Mmm…!”
Aris’s body twitched slightly, but soon she welcomed my kiss.
Smooch, smooch.
Our tongues tangled together again, now with a familiarity that had developed since earlier.
I greedily explored her mouth before finally releasing her lips.
“…”
Aris’s eyes were spinning.
Looking at her flushed face that was clearly visible even in the dark tent, I took her wrist and said, “Let’s head out now, Aris-senpai.”
“…Y-you said to use casual speech, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung.”
“I’m just more used to this.”
After three years of treating her with utmost respect and honorifics, it felt awkward to suddenly switch to casual language now.
I held Aris’s wrist and stepped out of the tent that still held traces of our intimacy.
“…But… using formal language feels a bit distant, right? It’s so stiff… I—I want to get a little closer to you, like everyone else… casually…”
As we descended the mountain, Aris said this to me.
Suga said to me like this.
Was that her intention?
I never thought Aris was thinking like that.
We’re already close enough, and now she wants to become even closer.
Well, I guess it’s easy to have such misunderstandings.
I felt the need to correct her misconception.
I grabbed Aris’s wrist and pushed her against the sturdy trunk of a tree at the foot of the mountain.
“What does your tone matter? Senpai.”
“······.”
“What’s important is the heart. I like you, senpai. Was my feelings not conveyed properly earlier?”
“W-well, that’s not it…”
As I pressed on, Aris lowered her head deeply.
She seemed flustered, and her dialect slipped out.
Aris’s pretty face was now so close.
Her warm breath, sweet scent, and soft pink lips were right in front of me.
We were close enough for a kiss any second now.
Aris blushed shyly.
Her typical cool beauty transforming into such a cute and pretty face was thrilling for any guy.
“I’m glad you received my feelings. Let’s go home.”
I grinned and pulled away from her.
Aris bit her lips.
“Uh…”
“Is there something you feel is lacking?”
I knew what she thought was lacking.
I had created a mood that seemed like we were about to kiss and then deliberately didn’t, which must have left her feeling empty.
“No, nothing… I guess it’s late, as you said, Kim Deok-Sung, so let’s hurry home.”
Aris said with a slightly sulky expression.
Well, it was true that it was late.
The festival had long been over, and only the dark, deserted stalls remained behind.
Silently, Aris and I walked down the path between the rural fields.
Though we didn’t speak, Aris held onto my hand tightly, as if she wouldn’t let go.
So we reached Aris’s home on the country road in the dead of night, or rather, early morning, to find the lights off.
Maybe because we came back late, everyone seemed to be asleep.
“…I’m back.”
Just as Aris carefully spoke while opening the front door.
“Oh my. You’re back. Our Kim is here, huh? Hoho.”
Aris’s mother, with her petite stature, welcomed us with a cheerful voice.
“Huh, Mom?! You scared me. You’re still awake?”
Aris seemed flustered, speaking in her dialect.
To her words, her mother gave Aris a light swat on the back.
“As you get older, you lose sleep, you know. Hoho. Don’t worry, everyone else is asleep. Did you both enjoy the festival?”
“······.”
Aris nodded silently.
“Yes, thanks to you, we had a great time.”
I replied politely to her mother.
“Hoho. That’s a relief. Well then, Aris, you should go to your room now. It’s late, so sleep right away.”
“…Okay, Mom…”
Agreeing to her mother’s words, Aris let go of my hand that she had been holding.
“…Then I’ll see you again in the morning, Kim Deok-Sung.”
After whispering softly in my ear, Aris quickly disappeared down the hallway.
Oh, she vanished quickly.
Are we sleeping separately today?
Well, with the whole family here and Aris’s little brother and sister, it feels a bit weird to sleep together.
I was a little short earlier and was curious about what Aris’s room looked like in real life, but it can’t be helped.
“This is our son-in-law’s room over here.”
Mom smiled as she slid open the sliding door.
Inside was a typical rural guest room with a tatami mat.
“It’s humble, but I hope you sleep well.”
“No, this is more than enough. Thank you.”
“Hohoho, no need for thanks. Considering the kindness our son-in-law has shown me, this is hardly enough.”
Aris’s mom slapped my back and laughed.
Unlike three years ago, she no longer coughed or looked unwell.
That was all thanks to the Undertaker, Wilhelmina Heisenberg, whom I introduced, who treated her chronic illness through the Immortal Heart.
In the original work, whether she was treated or not was never revealed.
That’s because the original author abandoned all the other heroines after tying up Kusunagi and Yuji in the ending without even mentioning their epilogues.
So in the original story, Aris’s mom was just an extra character set up for Aris’s unfortunate past and background, which served as her redemption point.
Because of that, I felt disgruntled by the original author’s behavior in creating such a sad ending for my favorite character, Aris, and then just mentioning an “if” spin-off without actually writing it.
Aris’s family situation resembled mine even more because of this.
But here, this isn’t just a novel; I had the means to cure her illness.
So I did it.
Unlike the original, which was left unresolved, I hoped that here, Aris and her family would have a happy ending.
“No, there’s no need for thanks. It was just something I had to do.”
So curing her was something I felt obligated to do.
For Aris.
No, for all seventeen heroines I’ve decided to take responsibility for.
They all deserved a happy ending, unlike in the original.
Because I had resolved to bear the responsibility for their happiness.
So this wasn’t something to be thanked for; it was my duty.
“But being grateful is being grateful. Hoho. Our son-in-law…”
Swish.
Aris’s mom came closer to me.
She whispered in my ear.
“…It may be awkward to say this as a thank you, but we just finished soundproofing the house, so if you want, you can do that with A-chan tonight.”
What?
Y-Yobai?
The unexpected word slipped from her lips, and my mind froze.
No way, that’s a bit much.
“Hoho. You’re in your prime; I understand it fully. Don’t be shy. It’s okay since I’ve given my permission. So have a good night, our son-in-law.”
Smack.
After giving my back a playful slap, Aris’s mom winked at me and closed the sliding door.
Left alone, I sat on the bedding, deep in thought.
This…
Is it really okay to do this?