Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 71 – A Brief Agony Before Landing

“Kyosuke, Kyosuke.”

While calling out the name of the sleeping partner, Yuu’s delicate fingers lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Ngh… ah, have we arrived?”

Being in an unfamiliar place, Kyosuke’s consciousness immediately surfaced, and he questioned Yuu with a sleepy look in his eyes.

“Nnn, we are not there yet.”

As the answer contradicted his expectation, he brushed his bangs back and pressed his forehead to sweep away the drowsiness. He turned around to have a look at how the others were doing, only to note that they were all asleep. Leaning back against the back recliner as if he were collapsing, he stared at Yuu, whose eyes were wide-awake beside him.

“Then… why did you wake me up?”

His voice was husky from sleep, and he raised the question. To this, the other party’s reply was very simple and clear.

“Because I woke up.”

“I see…”

Hearing the reason, his yet-unawakened thoughts began to falter again. He concluded that this was not necessary to arise. As both of his eyelids slowly close, Kyosuke shifted into a sleeping position.

“No, don’t go back to sleep.”

When he puffed out his cheeks and became sullen, Yuu tried to rouse him by rocking his shoulders once more. For Kyosuke, this was an eventful day to confront his parents. If he could sleep, he really wanted to fall back asleep.

“… Let me sleep.”

As he mumbled a plea, the hand that had been on his shoulder moved away.

“Kyosuke… but I don’t like staying up alone…”

“… In that case, why don’t you go back to sleep, too?”

If I was the first one who happened to wake you and snapped you out of your sleep, you would be pissed off, wouldn’t it?

While inwardly musing and keeping his eyes on his adorable partner with pouting lips, a low voice echoed from behind as if to offer a helping hand.

“We’ll probably be there in a few dozen more minutes. Is Yuu feeling lonely? You can come over my lap if you want.”

“! No way. I want Kyosuke.”

At the sound of Natsume’s half-smiling and amused voice, Yuu widened his eyes before instantly declining, leaning sideways from his seat and hugging Kyosuke’s neck with a clanging sound, then peeking backwards over the back recliner to cast a displeased glance at Natsume.

“Mmm…”

“Oh, I’ve been dumped.”

Adjacent to Natsume, who was smiling in a funny way, was Tomoya, looking comfortably asleep. It was as if he was on the depths of a peaceful dream. Finding himself somewhat pleased by Yuu’s immediate dismissal of the invitation, Kyosuke re-opened his eyelids, which had been shut to drift off to sleep.

“… Okay, I’ll stay up with you.”

“Hmm.”

After hearing Kyosuke’s wisecrack, Yuu, who remained hugging his neck, shot a derisive look at Natsume. At the sound that escaped from his nose, Kyosuke, who could imagine how he looked, touched Yuu’s cheek and held him with one arm, drawing the other’s gaze back to him.

“Yuu, don’t agitate Natsume.”

He silently appealed that Natsume was not someone who could be defeated by agitating.

“It’s your fault that you won’t wake up anytime soon.”

“…”

After a few moments of being speechless at Yuu’s sulky words as they exchanged glances, he then said, “Is it my fault?”

“Hmph.”

Yuu puffed his cheeks out, furrowed his neatly shaped brow, turned his head away moodily, and looked behind the back recliner again. As if to express his affectionate feelings, Yuu retained a strong grasp on him.

“I know that Yuu is solely interested in me. You don’t have to hug him that intensely to let me realize it.”

As he softly patted the back of the person he was firmly embracing and tried to appease, a low voice delivered from behind the back recliner as if to tease and dismay him.

“I can tell that you’re in love with me. When we get home, I’ll do you.”

The only person who was looking behind him was Yuu.

Apparently, the words were meant for Yuu, not Kyosuke, who was still facing forward, and even if they were aimed at making fun of him, it was of no relevance to Yuu, who strained his arms to hold Kyosuke’s neck as if to exhaust his irritation, while his eyes narrowed as he stared at Natsume.

“Shut up… why don’t you do yourself?”

“… Yuu!”

When Kyosuke hurriedly slapped his partner’s arm as he complained about the pain, he whispered, “Oh, I’m sorry,” and the strangulation eased up.

“Ha, ha…”

While holding his throat with his hand, he adjusted his breathing.

What the hell is this…?

While working through his sleepy thoughts, he snuck a peek at Yuu’s expression as he worried over the person behind them. Although Yuu’s lovely profile was partially hidden by an eye patch, a tsundere and cold look came across. It was evident that he was caught up in an exchange of arguments between the two of them. In the seat, out of sight from Natsume, Kyosuke was nearly rendered dazed, and he hastily peeked his head behind the back recliner.

“Is it okay? Well, I’m going to make Tomoya cry mercilessly.”

Kyosuke called out to Natsume, sensing that his friend was in peril as Natsume who was stroking Tomoya’s cheek with a devilish smile on his face while the latter was sleeping.

“Ah, um, please don’t do that to him.”

For the moment, he got in the way of the two them wo were in a good relationship and pulled Yuu, who was concerned about the situation behind him, back toward the inner back recliner.

“Yuu, you’ve got to stop now. No matter what you say, Natsume will only ridicule you.”

“Because… it’s irrelevant to Natsume that I’m lonely or otherwise.”

At the contents of the complaint, which was uttered in a small volume with pouting small lips, Kyosuke’s eyes widened.

“You were angry over that point?”

“Yeah. It kind of pissed me off.”

Natsume, who must have heard the conversation as well, was no longer involved and looked at Tomoya with an oblivious face. With a huff, Kyosuke’s expression softened.

“… Yuu, you’ve changed.”

“Why?”

Even though he was questioned about his sudden calmness, Kyosuke paid no mind to it.

“The old Yuu was so indifferent to others that he would just give a cold look, but lately I feel like you have been more verbal.”

“Really?”

Kyosuke’s tone, as if he knew him better than himself, prompted Yuu to tilt his head back and arch an eyebrow.

“I’m glad you’re talking a lot now, Yuu.”

“… Idiot.”

Perhaps the words that were spoken while he was staring straight at his partner induced a sense of embarrassment, for Yuu turned away with a trace of blush on his cheeks, leaving Kyosuke to laugh under his breath as he lifted the corners of his mouth.

By that time, Tomoya also woke up, but he was lying on his back with the recliner folded down, and Natsume’s kisses caused his rationality to be deactivated and his consciousness hardly evoked, resulting in him involuntarily embracing his brother’s back and their bodies being even closer together when the landing jolted.

As soon as the plane shook, Kouki woke up and learned from his father that the plane had landed from behind, so he stood up, only to accidentally catch sight of the brothers embracing and locking lips with each other. He was in a bind as to where to direct his gaze, so he turned on his heel and looked at his father with a wry smile.