The one pressing down on me is a kitten… The one pressing down on me is a kitten… I am the Floor… I am the Floor… I am the Floor…
After a long round of self-hypnosis and comfort, Aphrodite still… couldn’t manage to fall asleep.
Of course! There’s a whole person lying on top of me, and in such a strange position—how could anyone possibly fall asleep like this?!
Aphrodite couldn’t help but mutter complaints to herself.
After all, the way the two of them were positioned really was improper.
Before the girl lost consciousness, she had been straddling Aphrodite’s waist and abdomen. Because she had dodged at the last second to avoid a kiss, she was now lying completely sprawled out on top of Aphrodite.
The soft and springy Cotton on the girl’s chest pressed tightly against Aphrodite’s equally soft chest, bringing with it an indescribably odd sensation.
Her cheek was buried at Aphrodite’s neck, her warm breath brushing against Aphrodite’s ear and the hollow of her neck, endlessly stimulating every single nerve.
Because she was originally straddling Aphrodite, after fainting, the girl’s lower body—especially her hips—remained slightly raised, her knees curled up on either side of Aphrodite’s body.
At first, Aphrodite could barely force herself to ignore the awkward feeling of two bundles of Cotton pressing together, and the mingling of their breaths.
But as time passed, all sorts of discomforts became increasingly impossible to ignore.
The worst of them all was breathing!
The girl’s upper body weight was pressing down hard on Aphrodite’s chest, so that every breath took far more effort than usual, making each exhale feel labored and constricted.
Maybe her brain was starting to lack oxygen, but Aphrodite even began to have an absurd and horrifying delusion.
If things kept up like this, if the girl really slept for several hours, would she become the first person in history to die from “chest suffocation” caused by a beautiful girl collapsing on her?!
At the thought of such a possibility, Aphrodite instantly realized that her plan to lie still and wait for rescue was far too risky.
Her survival instincts—and her desperate wish to avoid a social death—once again sparked her potential. She began trying to shift her body.
However, she vastly overestimated her own strength at this moment, and underestimated the weight of the girl on top of her.
Her waist and abdomen only tensed up slightly; not only did she fail to roll over, but her feeble effort actually shook the unconscious girl, making her lose what little balance she had!
And so—
The girl’s lower body, which had been slightly lifted due to straddling, now slid down naturally with gravity following Aphrodite’s useless “arch”!
Her legs were no longer curled at Aphrodite’s sides but relaxed completely, hanging naturally and nestled outside of Aphrodite’s thighs.
The whole posture changed from “straddling sprawl” to “fully sprawled”—now, she was completely, seamlessly lying flush atop Aphrodite!
The pressure on Aphrodite’s chest instantly intensified.
Where before there had been slight gaps due to the angle, now every bit of space was pressed out of existence.
The soft curves of the two female bodies were pressed even closer together, and Aphrodite could even more clearly feel the faint vibration of the other’s heartbeat through their clothes.
What’s more, this new position… was even more suggestive than before!
From head to toe, the two of them were now pressed tightly together. The girl’s cheek was still buried at Aphrodite’s neck, her scattered hair tickling Aphrodite’s chin and cheeks.
The girl’s body was pressed so close it felt like her shape was stamped onto Aphrodite, and their legs were entwined.
“Ugh…!” Aphrodite let out a muffled groan, caught off guard by the sudden pressure and increased intimacy. Breathing grew even more difficult, and her cheeks began to burn uncontrollably.
She felt a wave of regret for bringing this upon herself.
Yet, just as that regret rose—
The girl lying on top of her suddenly let out a faint, sleepy little sound through her nose.
“Mmm…”
Next, Aphrodite could clearly feel that the weight pressing down on her seemed… ever so slightly… to move, like an unconscious wiggle.
It wasn’t caused by her own struggling, but rather… a tiny adjustment, coming from the girl’s own awareness!
There’s movement—she’s waking up?!
This thought sparked a surge of hope in Aphrodite’s heart!
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the girl on top seemed to be gradually regaining consciousness.
She first moved her head a little in confusion, her cheek rubbing gently against Aphrodite’s neck, then—her arms, which were on either side of Aphrodite’s body, began to push down, ready to prop up her upper body.
The weight pressing on Aphrodite’s chest finally lessened a bit.
Aphrodite greedily drew in a breath of air that didn’t require so much effort, feeling like she had been given a new lease on life.
She watched as the girl shakily and sluggishly pushed herself up with her arms, finally sitting upright atop her, straddling her waist.
The girl still looked groggy from just waking up, and absentmindedly lifted a hand to rub her sleepy eyes, her long lashes trembling gently.
Wonderful! She’s awake!
Aphrodite was overjoyed, almost to the point of tears. She couldn’t wait to speak, her voice still a bit breathless from the earlier pressure:
“You finally woke up! Thank goodness! Quick, help me up!” She was completely exhausted and couldn’t move herself—she badly needed help.
However, upon hearing her voice, the girl—who had just sat up and was still rubbing her eyes—froze in place.
She lowered her hand from her eyes, her gaze confused as she tilted her head and stared in puzzlement down at Aphrodite.
In those eyes, there was no longer the coldness or wariness from before, nor the frenzy and hunger of her Heart-Eating Sickness attack. Instead, they held a pure, unadulterated confusion, and a touch of childlike innocence.
Seeing this strange look, so different from before, Aphrodite felt a jolt in her heart, and the joy that had just risen was instantly replaced by a sense of foreboding.
After a severe episode of Heart-Eating Sickness, it sometimes didn’t go away cleanly, but could leave behind short-lived, odd “aftereffects” or “side effects.”
The symptoms differed from person to person: some would fall into deep sleep, some would have temporary amnesia, and others…
A ridiculous and terrifying thought flashed through Aphrodite’s mind!
Could it be…
As fate would have it, the thing she feared most came true. The girl sitting on top of her stared for a few seconds, and then those confused eyes suddenly shone with a light like stars—a dazzling look of delight!
“Ah!” The girl let out a short, joyful cry.
Then, as Aphrodite stared in shock, unable to react at all, the girl seemed to recognize someone of the utmost importance.
With arms flung wide, she threw herself forward again like a swallow returning to its nest!
“Mama!”
The girl’s clear voice, thick with affection and longing, exploded in Aphrodite’s ear like a thunderclap!
“You finally came back! Lia missed you so much!”