Yu’s gaze happened to pass over Marin’s fingers.
He suddenly noticed that the pink crystal manicure she had once treasured was completely gone.
Only her bare nails remained, with a little mud still lodged beneath them.
“What happened to your manicure?”
Yu pointed toward her hands.
“Hm?
Oh, this?”
Marin followed his gaze and looked at her dirty fingers.
She seemed slightly embarrassed at first, but her expression quickly became matter-of-fact.
“I removed it myself.
My nails kept scraping against the ground while I was digging, so I could not apply much force.
Mud also kept getting trapped underneath them.
It was really inconvenient.”
She held out the back of her hand.
“Since they were already like that, I decided to…
peel them all off.”
Something stirred faintly within Yu.
“But you liked them, did you not?
You were heartbroken when one of them chipped before.”
“Yeah, I really liked them.”
Marin nodded.
“But this was a task you entrusted to me, Yu-kun!
You asked me to collect Stone and Clay, so I had to do it properly.
Otherwise, I would be betraying your trust.”
She lifted her chin slightly.
“I can always get another manicure when we have the chance!”
At that moment, a powerful impulse surged through Yu’s mind.
He reached out and cupped Marin’s cheeks.
Caught completely off guard, her eyes widened.
Her hands rose instinctively and hovered in the air, uncertain where to go.
Yu gave her no time to think.
He leaned down and pressed his lips against those two soft, pink petals.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, entwining with hers.
When they drew apart slightly, both were breathing faster.
Marin’s face was flushed all the way to her ears.
Her moist eyes stared blankly at Yu, who was only inches away, as though she still had not understood what had happened.
“Wh-What is wrong, Yu-kun?”
She could not understand why he had suddenly acted that way.
Seeing her bewildered expression did nothing to calm the emotions surging within Yu.
Instead, they grew even stronger.
He did not tell her about the danger he had encountered.
Yu simply wrapped his arms around Marin and held her tightly.
He buried his face in her sweat-dampened golden hair and drew a deep breath.
She did not question him again.
After hesitating, Marin slowly raised her mud-stained hands and returned the embrace.
She rested her face against his chest and listened to his unusually rapid heartbeat.
Yu finally loosened his arms after a long while and whispered something to her.
“Eh?” Marin froze again, her reaction even more pronounced than it had been during the kiss.
Her eyes widened, and the blush that had just begun to fade from her face flared up again, more intense than before.
“H-Here?!
N-Now?”
In the middle of this desolate wilderness, right by the riverbank…
Though no one was around, this was just too…
“That’s right, right here.” Yu gazed at her with a burning intensity.
“What’s wrong?
Don’t you want to?”
“N-No, it’s not that I don’t want to…” Marin’s face was hot enough to fry an egg.
Her gaze darted away, unable to meet Yu’s eyes, which seemed ready to ignite her.
“It’s just…
so sudden, and…
this place…”
“Then let’s do it.” Yu cut her off.
He bent down, slipped his arms under her knees, and lifted her off the ground with a single, effortless motion.
“Wah!” Marin cried out in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around Yu’s neck to keep from falling.
The position left her dangling in the air, completely reliant on Yu’s support.
“W-Wait!
I-I haven’t even taken off my clothes!
I’m covered in mud!” she cried out in a panic.
“You don’t need to,” Yu said, still holding her.
“As long as we don’t get it wet, it’s fine.”
“Eh?
N-No clothes?” Marin was even more confused, but then, certain embarrassing images from the previous night flooded her mind uncontrollably.
She seemed to understand.
“Are we…
using that position from last night?”
Yu had already shed his pants.
“Exactly.”
He held her face-to-face, suspending her in the air with his arms hooked under her knees.
“S-Slow down…
Yu-kun…” Marin buried her burning cheek in the hollow of Yu’s shoulder, her voice breaking.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on her smooth forehead and the tip of her nose, mingling with the scorching sweat on Yu’s own body.
“What’s wrong?” Yu panted heavily, though his movements were anything but slow.
“T-Too fast…
get used to it…” Marin said, tightening her grip around his neck.
Yu slowed his pace at her request, transitioning from a torrential downpour to a gentle drizzle, giving her more room to adjust.
However, this slow, lingering affection didn’t last long.
Moments later, perhaps having reached his limit of endurance, Yu’s breathing suddenly deepened.
His movements abruptly turned fierce again without warning, becoming even more intense than before.
“Ah!”
Caught off guard by this sudden and violent assault, Marin’s mind went completely blank, leaving her unable to think.
Her slightly bent legs snapped straight, and her toes curled tightly.
She felt a powerful electric current surge from the base of her spine upward, instantly sweeping through every cell in her body.
She came…
At the very peak of this passionate chaos, the accident happened.
Yu had tried to move her toward the shore, but his foot suddenly slipped.
In the instant he lost his balance, he instinctively pulled Marin tighter against his chest, twisting his body with all his might so that his back would take the fall.
Splash!
Water sprayed everywhere.
The two fell together into the shallow edge of the riverbank.
Fortunately, Yu reacted quickly, using himself as a cushion.
Combined with the shallow water, Marin’s clothes and hair were only splashed.
Yu’s back slammed hard against the cobblestones on the riverbed, and a dull ache shot through him, but his main concern was Marin’s well-being.
“Cough, cough…
Are you all right?
Marin?” Yu choked on some water and hurriedly sat up while coughing.
But for Marin, the impact had driven him even deeper inside her.
Her vision suddenly went black, as if a flash of white light had exploded, and her consciousness momentarily went blank.
Immediately afterward, a powerful, electric-like stimulation surged through her, instantly washing over her limbs.
Her body couldn’t stop shivering violently, like a leaf trembling in the cold wind.
“Marin?
Are you okay?” Yu immediately pulled her soaked body tightly into his embrace, supporting her back with one hand while gently patting it with the other.
He felt it clearly himself—at that split second, it seemed he had entered a much tighter place.
Marin didn’t answer.
Her consciousness was still drifting, her body shivering.
As she felt Yu draw closer, his warm chest pressing against her, she helplessly touched his broad back, scratching aimlessly.
It was as if she were trying to divert the pleasure surging from deep within her.
Yu held her tight.
He didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but he was certain the impact had caused her immense stimulation.
After all, he’d never seen her react like this, not even last night.
It was as if there were an internal space inside Marin, connected only by a narrow gap.
The tremendous force from the impact had directly pried open that tiny opening, pushing his member into the threshold of that hidden chamber.
Now, his little brother was caught right in the middle of it, and it felt…
pretty good.
It encourages me!