Maki didn't realize that Mei was beside him and talking to him; his focus was completely locked onto the portal.
Then Mei asked, "Aren't you going in? You're the only one left here."
Maki didn't answer immediately. He was still mesmerized by the view. He was so entranced that he didn't even register who was speaking to him.
Then he bent down to Mei's level—and did something she didn't expect at all.
Maki knelt down and hugged Mei.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly and pressing her against his wide chest, and Maki said, "Hey, Nemu, you didn't tell me about the passable points I need to enter a class."
Mei was shocked by the hug. Her mind spiraled instantly—images of a wedding venue flooded her thoughts. This man she had just met… and her… engaged. White dresses, flowers everywhere, their hands intertwined.
Is this marriage…? The marriage…?
She was dreaming while awake.
But then she heard the name Nemu.
Her thoughts slammed to a halt.
Nemu? Who's Nemu? Wait—don't tell me…
Her eyes widened.
Is he mistaking me for someone else? And Nemu… does he mean Nemuri? Midnight?
Wait—does that mean he's the one Nemuri was bragging about?
Impossible.
How old is he? And how old is Nemuri…? That woman—I'll ask her later what's going on here.
Mei clenched her fists, but her face was still blushing. When she looked up at him, she saw that he was still staring at the Chamber.
He really had mistaken her for Nemuri.
This man dares to mistake me for another woman while hugging me…
Yet strangely, she wasn't angry. In fact, she liked the feeling—her body pressed against his.
Then Mei replied, "Well… it depends. But if you want to be in a higher class, you'll need at least 1,000 points."
Maki tightened his hold around her shoulders and said, "Nemu~ what about the lower class…?"
He asked the question without once looking down at the person he was holding.
Mei couldn't take it. She felt herself becoming addicted to the hug. Countless scenarios ran through her mind, and heat spread throughout her body 🥵.
Still, she forced herself to answer, her voice shaky.
"W-well… 300 or 500 p-points are e-enough."
Maki heard her voice—it was low—but he couldn't distinguish the difference. His attention was still not on her.
"Thank you, Nemu~," he said.
Then he lowered his head and kissed the woman on the forehead—his eyes still glued to the Chamber.
The moment his lips touched her forehead, he finally looked down.
What he saw shocked him so badly that it felt like his soul left his body and hovered in the air.
(￣ー￣)
[Maki's POV]
When we reached the tunnel, I saw something impossible.
A wide wall of swirling water.
Every time I looked at it, it felt more alive—like a beautiful, dancing vortex. It was a churning maelstrom. Each tactile impression felt viscous, aqueous, gelatinous, cool, and cohesive. Its visual presence was magnificent—iridescent, translucent, rippling, undulating, refractive. Its motion spiraled, surged, oscillated, and fluxed endlessly.
I couldn't take my eyes off it.
Time seemed to stop.
I heard voices, but who cared?
Minutes passed—but to me, it felt like seconds.
Then I heard a seductive voice, the same teasing tone as Nemuri's. She asked why I still wasn't going in. Like usual, I gave her a tight hug. I asked her a question, and I heard her shaky voice—but my eyes were still glued to the scenery, the water-like pool before me.
After a while, I decided to enter the Chamber. But before leaving, I needed to say goodbye to Nemuri.
I bent down and kissed her forehead.
And when I looked down—
It wasn't Nemuri.
They had the same height, the same long hair, the same curvaceous body, the same vibe—but the woman in front of me was different.
She had long auburn hair. In Shippūden, it was ankle-length, styled into a top-knot with a dark blue band. She had four bangs: two short ones, one covering her right eye, and two long ones crossing below her chin.
She had distinctive green eyes and fair skin.
She wore fuchsia or purple lipstick and dark blue nail polish. She wore a long-sleeved dark blue dress that fell below her knees, open on the front-right side from the waist down with a zipper. Under the dress, she wore brown mesh armor covering her upper body and mesh leggings reaching her knees. Lastly, she wore a belt with a pouch, high-heeled sandals, and shin-guards.
I stared at her—still not letting go.
The world seemed to stop.
She stared back at me.
We locked eyes.
My soul wanted to leave my body in embarrassment—but I grabbed it and shoved it back in.
Without another thought, I let go.
I stepped ten feet back from her.
Baaaaaaaang—
I dropped to my knees and slammed my head into the tunnel floor, leaving a spiderweb-like crack.
With a shaky voice, I apologized.
"P-please forgive my peccadillo… I-I didn't know… I thought y-you were someone I-I know."
I didn't raise my head.
I didn't want to see her reaction.
An unknown man suddenly hugging a woman like that—this was basically molestation in broad daylight.
I stayed there, forehead pressed to the ground, eyes closed, accepting whatever punishment would come.
Then I heard a cough.
"My… aren't you a fast mover?" she said in a flirtatious voice. "I hope you're this passionate about a wedding date…"
!!(゜ロ゜ノ)ノ
I was dumbfounded.
Then she continued, "You'd better go now… and maybe we'll have time together—just t-th-the t-w-o of us… fufufufu…"
Whooosh.
I heard the sound of wind passing.
When I looked up, no one was left in the tunnel.
I stood up, gulping, asking myself what had just happened.
I didn't know what was going on—or what would happen after that embarrassing moment.
But first, I needed to enter that portal.
Maybe sleep.
Maybe wait for someone to tell me this was just a prank.
Maybe this was all a dream… or an illusion.
I didn't think any further.
I moved my feet and slowly walked toward the portal.
(・・;)