I heard the sound of a soft kiss, and then a bit after, some sort of sticky noise.

     Along with the sound, I felt the sensation of something I could describe as both pleasant and unpleasant run up the inside of my legs. I instinctively tried to sit up, but I was unable to and my attention was strangely drawn toward my inner thighs.

     「You’re awake, Master.」

     A sweet voice.

     I immediately knew it belonged to Sera, but my mind wasn’t quite prepared. I dazedly stared up at the ceiling to realize that I was in her house.

     Right.

     She had invited me over today. I think she had said she bought some especially delicious tea and wanted me to come over to try it.

     「Sera.」

     「Woof.」

     「Why are you licking my legs?」

     「Well, that’s because you weren’t waking up, Master. I thought that you’d wake up if I licked you like this.」

     Her tongue slowly moved from the inside of my thighs over toward my waist. Sticking her head under my skirt, she continued to lick at my legs, just like a puppy. My hips began to tremble as her tongue came closer and closer to my underwear. I tried to back away, but once I reached the edge of the sofa, I had nowhere left to go.

     「Dogs don’t lick places like that.」

     「They lick everywhere.」

     「Wai—….」

     What was normal was for a dog to wake up its owner by licking at their face. But, well, Sera wasn’t a normal dog, so maybe it couldn’t be helped that she wasn’t behaving normally. But the intent of licking there was clearly for something different.

     She swiftly took off my skirt and tried to reach for my underwear.

     It was then that I realized she already had a collar and leash around her neck. I quickly grabbed the leash and pulled it. Because she was leaning forward, she fell right into my chest.

     「Jeez. You shouldn’t be playing pranks like that, Mizuki.」

     As I said this with a sigh, she raised her gaze at me. In her eyes — which seemed to be dyed in all the colors in the world, yet filled with a shade indescribable with mere words — I saw my reflection.

     「Sorahashi, Sera.」

     Saying this, her face came closer to mine.

     I’d known her name for so long already. Why was she saying it now?

     Such doubts quickly melted away from my thoughts as she brought her lips to mine.

     I wasn’t sure why she kissed me. It was out of nowhere the first time this happened, too. Ever since that day, she’d begun to randomly kiss me like this every so often. It was such a soft, warm feeling — and yet, so frightening.

     For some reason, when I felt her pale skin, it scared me. I worried that something might break apart.

     But I didn’t think lips were such fragile things that they would tear just from a touch.

     「Do you remember my name?」     

     「Huh?」

     「I’m Sorahashi Sera, not Nabana Mizuki.」

     「…? Ah.」

     Had I called Sorahashi-san “Mizuki” just now?

     I hadn’t noticed at all.

     I jumped up to my feet and bowed my head at her.

     「…Sorry. I guess I was still half asleep.」

     「It’s fine, but… Were you dreaming about Mizuki?」

     Her eyes had returned to their usual color.

     I brought my hand to my chest, letting out a small sigh.

     「Yeah, sorta.」

     「What was the dream?」

     Her gaze was earnest.

     「It was about when we were young. We were playing cat’s cradle, and I was telling her a secret.」

     「A secret?」

     For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

     At that time, I’d told Mizuki I wouldn’t tell anybody else but her. But surely she had forgotten by now. My secret, my promise, all the rest — they had all been forgotten and left in the past.

     My stomach felt heavy, and so did my chest.

     What was Mizuki up to right now?

     「In truth, I actually wanted to rely on someone and be spoiled by them, I think. …Hehe. Those sorts of secrets from when you’re little are so cute, right?」

     Right now, I had a secret that I could never let out.

     It was that Sorahashi-san and I were doing strange things with each other after school. If were to say anything about it to anyone, it’d all be over.

     Compared to that, the secret I held back then was so cute that I couldn’t even call it a secret.

     「Kurumi.」

     I felt her suddenly pull on my shoulders.

     When I realized this, my stomach suddenly began to lighten up. While I wondered why I had such a fluttering feeling in my stomach, my feet left the floor. I felt similar to how I used to feel on roller coasters.

     Before I knew it, I was being carried in Sorahashi-san’s arms.

     And this wasn’t just any plain sort of carry.

     「Then it’s okay to let me spoil you, okay? You may be my master, Kurumi, but… just for now, try being a princess.」

     「A princess…」

     I giggled.

     The princess here was Sorahashi-san. In fact, I’d heard people call her that before. I wasn’t the type to be called a princess. I didn’t stand out. I was plain, and not nearly as charismatic as she was.

     I knew she was stronger than she looked, but I didn’t know she was strong enough to princess carry me. To be honest, it was hard to remain calm because this was my first time being carried like this.

     「Come now, Kurumi. Why don’t you let me spoil you? In this moment, rather than your puppy, I’ll be your prince!」

     She said this as she spun us around.

     I couldn’t imagine this behavior to be very princely. I laughed, finding it a bit silly. It’s not like I wanted to be spoiled or rely on someone anymore. But the fact that she was trying to make my wish come true made me genuinely happy.

     I gently looped my arms around her neck.

     「Sorahashi-san.」

     「Yes?」

     「Thank you.」

     「It’s still too early to be thanking me.」

     「Hm? Woah—」

     She began to take some light steps. I felt waves of something different from usual coming from my body, and that fluttering feeling became even stronger. She seemed to be enjoying herself today too. Seeing her walk around with that beautiful, princess-like smile on her face made me feel as if something was slowly beginning to overflow from my chest.

     It was hard to tell what this feeling was. I was becoming more and more lost. It was so easy to tell when I wanted to discipline her, because that sort of feeling came at me like a massive wave, but this…

     Why was it that at times like this, I felt so small and weak?

     After a while, Sorahashi-san seemed satisfied and gently lowered me back to the floor.

     The sensation of my feet on the ground already felt so nostalgic, and I smiled.

     「Was I heavy?」

     「Not at all. I could lift three of you at once.」

     「Three of me would be over a hundred kilograms.」

     「It’s all about willpower.」

     「Could you do that with just willpower…?」

     「Well, in any case, I’m going to brew some tea. I have something incredible today! I’m sure you’ll love it!」

     「Is there something I can help with?」

     「Just sit right there and wait. You’re a princess today, Kurumi.」

     I felt impatient. Maybe she was being considerate.

     I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t lonely. I’d felt like that ever since Mizuki stopped being at my side. Ever since she’d stopped calling me Onee-chan, there had been a big hole in my heart.

     But that didn’t mean I wanted to rely on or be spoiled by anyone.

     I just wanted to be depended on… No, maybe the dependent one was me.

     As I was lost in my thoughts about Mizuki, my phone suddenly vibrated. I looked to see that Mizuki was calling me. I quickly tapped to answer.

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