Chapter 76: Subtle Flavor

The moment Sua’s lips were about to touch mine—

“No.”

“……?”

Sua’s body suddenly stopped.

Just as her face was closing in on my lips, Harp quietly raised a hand to block her.

“That won’t do, Sua.”

“What? Why?”

Sua looked at Harp in disbelief.

But Harp simply gave a gentle smile and slowly shook her head.

“We can’t let Teacher’s first kiss be taken so carelessly.”

At that moment, Liel also chimed in.

“She’s right. This requires careful consideration.”

Liel glanced between Sua and Harp with a very serious expression.

“So, we need to decide first.”

“Decide what?”

“Obviously, who gets to have Teacher’s first kiss.”

For a moment, the air changed in a strange way.

I blinked in confusion.

Wait, why does that need to be decided?!

“It’s obvious, Teacher,” Harp said softly as she slowly stepped closer to me.

I swallowed nervously as I met their serious gazes.

“I mean, even if that were the case… isn’t this a bit much…?”

I struggled to come up with an excuse, but their eyes were unwavering.

“It’s necessary.”

Harp smiled quietly and lightly took my hand.

“We can’t just let anyone take Teacher’s first kiss so recklessly, can we?”

“Exactly!”

Sua folded her arms and nodded firmly.

“So, let’s settle this fairly!”

“…Fairly?”

“A competition!”

Liel crossed her arms and declared,

“A competition!”

“What kind of competition?” I asked with a forced smile.

At that moment, the three of them exchanged sharp glances.

“A ‘Who Knows Teacher Best’ quiz! We’ll test who knows the most about you!”

Sua proudly raised her hand as she spoke.

“Great! I’m confident in this!”

Harp also gave a quiet nod of agreement.

“Alright, first question!”

Liel called out solemnly.

“What is Teacher’s favorite thing?”

“This one’s easy!”

Sua shot her hand up first.

“Pudding! And not just any pudding—custard pudding!”

“Wrong.”

I answered firmly.

“Huh?”

Sua stared at me in shock.

“It’s not?”

“Yeah, I do like pudding, but it’s not my favorite.”

Harp asked quietly, “Then what’s the correct answer?”

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

“…It’s you all. You’re my favorite.”

“O…”

Sua stared at me blankly.

I gave an awkward smile and repeated,

“I mean it. You guys are what I love the most.”

At that moment.

“. . . . . . !!”

All three of their faces turned bright red at the same time.

“Teacher, that’s cheating!”

Sua’s face turned bright red as she shouted.

“T-That answer is… it’s totally unfair!”

“She’s right, Teacher.”

Harp, looking flustered, pressed her lips together tightly, trying to cool her burning face.

Liel went as far as to cover her face with her hands, mumbling,

“T-This answer is way too powerful…”

Watching the three of them struggle, I chuckled.

“But it’s true…”

“……!”

Sua clutched her head, trembling.

“No way…! At this rate, my heart won’t survive!”

“Looks like we’ll have one less competitor soon.”

“Hey, Harp!”

“Let’s move on to the next question.”

Harp quietly pressed a hand to her chest, steadying herself.

“This time, Teacher should ask the question.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.”

I thought for a moment before asking,

“What do I hate the most?”

Harp was the first to answer.

“Being alone?”

I blinked and looked at her.

She still had that gentle smile on her lips—a smile filled with certainty, as if she had known my answer all along.

“…That’s right.”

For a moment, silence fell over the room.

“Of course. Teacher hates being alone. You always try to stay close to us, and you’re always the first to reach out.”

At Harp’s words, Liel and Sua nodded in agreement.

“She’s right. Whenever we’re not around, Teacher gets restless, doesn’t she?”

“So, that means we’ll have to stay by your side, Teacher.”

…Wait a minute.

Something about this conversation was taking a strange turn.

Just as I started sensing that something was off.

Thud.

The door closed.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

A sudden feeling of unease crept over me.

But it was already too late.

Harp naturally raised a hand and cast a soundproofing spell, while Liel shut the window.

And then.

“Now, Teacher will never have to be lonely again.”

Sua grinned mischievously as she stepped toward me.

On instinct, I shrank back, hurriedly pulling the blanket up to cover myself. But—

“That’s against the rules, Teacher.”

Harp chuckled softly, gently grasping the edge of the blanket.

“N-No, wait!”

“Wait? For what?”

Sua smirked as she effortlessly lifted one side of the blanket.

“We need to stay close to make sure you’re never lonely.”

“That’s right.”

Liel also smiled quietly, grabbing the other side.

I desperately pulled the blanket over my head, but soon enough, I was completely surrounded and pulled into the covers by all three of them.

Inside the blanket, it was warmer than I expected.

Curled up, I tried to steady my breathing.

But soon, I could feel soft warmth pressing against me from both sides.

“Now, you can sleep peacefully, Teacher.”

Harp whispered softly, snuggling in closer.

“And don’t even think about running away.”

Sua added playfully, crossing her arms.

“We’ll make sure to hold you tight.”

Liel smiled gently, carefully stroking my back.

…So this is how it ends.

With a helpless smile, I slowly closed my eyes.

In the pitch-black darkness, soon, my lips were met with a variety of flavors.

A warm grape taste, a gentle lemon taste, and an unpredictable lime taste.

And then, morning arrived.

Soft sunlight seeped through the gaps in the window, gently illuminating the room.

The chirping of birds could be heard, and the familiar peaceful air of the orphanage filled the space.

I slowly opened my eyes.

My body still felt heavy.

I could feel someone’s warmth.

“Og…?”

In a daze, I looked around.

And then, memories of last night started coming back.

Inside the blanket, all of us had fallen asleep while huddled together.

On my right, Harp was lying quietly.

On my left, Sua had buried her face against me.

And then, wrapped around my arm—Liel.

They were all sound asleep, clinging to me tightly.

I suddenly felt my face heat up.

‘What is this situation…?’

Just to be clear—nothing happened.

Really.

All we did was share kisses for about an hour before falling asleep together.

…So why were my cheeks burning so much?

Feeling flustered, I carefully tried to move my arm.

At that moment—

“……Mmm…?”

Harp stirred slightly.

I froze, watching her nervously.

Sensing my gaze, Harp slowly opened her eyes.

“…Teacher?”

She blinked at me in a daze for a moment—

And then.

“Ah.”

In an instant, Harp’s face turned bright red.

“……”

We stared at each other in silence.

And then.

“Mmm…”

This time, Sua stretched and shifted her body.

“Haaahm… Hmm?”

As she slowly regained her senses, she glanced back and forth between me and Harp.

“Huh?”

And the moment she realized.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Sua clutched her face and shot up from the bed.

“W-What?! What is this situation?!”

Her face was flushed with panic as she screamed.

“C-Calm down, Sua…!”

I waved my hands, trying to soothe her.

But then.

“Why is it so noisy first thing in the morning…?”

Liel groggily rubbed her eyes, her hair a mess as she sat up.

She blinked at us, taking in the scene.

And then.

“…I see.”

Slowly but surely, her face turned red as well.

“……”

For a moment, the entire room was swallowed by silence.

Seriously, nothing happened.

Really.

All we did was kiss for a bit and fall asleep together.

But then, why.

“Uuu… this is so embarrassing…”

Liel murmured softly, cupping her flushed cheeks.

Harp let out a small cough and turned her head away.

Sua, meanwhile, had completely buried herself under the blanket, curling up tightly.

With even her face hidden, she mumbled from inside the covers.

“…This is way too embarrassing.”

“Is it really something to react this much to?”

Harp’s voice was as calm as ever, but her ears—now completely red—betrayed her true feelings.

She kept her head lowered, avoiding my gaze.

“Yeah. You’re all overreacting.”

Liel mumbled as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

But even as she spoke, I caught her sneaking glances at me.

I let out a deep sigh.

Exhale.

And then.

I smiled.

Because I loved these peaceful days so much.