After Reaching the Happy Ending, I Was Locked up by the Extremely Possessive Heroines I Had Conquered - Chapter 41: When I Proposed Leaving the Island to My Scheming Junior

Chapter 41: When I Proposed Leaving the Island to My Scheming Junior

Mahiru was next, but now it was time to convince Toa.

Honestly, with Toa, she seemed like the type who would follow me without me saying a word. Still, since I had once tried to leave the island without telling anyone and ended up getting locked up for it, I planned to explain everything carefully.

That was why I called her to my room after lunch, but…

“Senior, why don’t we move to a different spot?”

She suggested that right after walking in.

“Move?”

“I want to talk just the two of us.”

“I think we’re already plenty alone…”

“You get it. Come on, let’s go.”

She took my hand and headed down the stairs with light steps.

“Big brother?”

Mahiru poked her head out from the living room while we were changing shoes at the entrance, but if she grabbed my hand again, it would take over an hour to shake her off, so I just gave a quick wave and left the house.

She pulled me along through the residential streets.

I wondered about her faster-than-usual pace, but she was probably just on guard against Satori’s surveillance.

As I walked behind her, watching her back, we arrived at the children’s home where Toa used to live.

“This place is outside Satori’s jurisdiction, so we’re good here.”

“Jurisdiction?”

I couldn’t help asking, and Toa let out a small breath before smiling.

I didn’t quite get it, but I sort of understood, so I let it go.

Once inside the building, a warm smell hit me.

It must have been lunchtime.

The hallway was empty, and children’s voices echoed from the distant dining hall.

The clatter of dishes brought back nostalgic memories of school lunches.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

We reached Toa’s room without running into anyone, and she sat on the bed.

As I stood there looking at her, she patted the spot next to her twice.

It was a signal to sit close.

I sat down a bit away on purpose, and she pouted like she wasn’t happy, then threw her arms around my arm full force.

In the midst of that soft feeling and sweet smell taking over, she looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Are we… leaving the island, by any chance?”

That was an unexpected line.

“How did you know?”

“Mahiru-chan was acting weird. She’d been agonizing over the most efficient way to empty the fridge.”

“Oh. That’s why you kept cooking even after lunch.”

That explained why her eyes were so bloodshot.

I was too scared to say anything to her, since she might come at me with the knife in hand.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Toa buried her face in my arm and sniffed me, sniffs and all. Our bodies were pressed close, and various parts were touching.

Then she took a deep breath.

“And you’ll… take me with you, right?”

She lifted her face and murmured softly. Her voice was sweet but trembling a little.

The hand gripping my arm shook just a bit, and her eyes mixed anxiety with fear.

She must have been terribly, terribly anxious.

So, to reassure her, I said,

“Of course that’s the plan. I was going to suggest it myself.”

I touched her hand lightly as I spoke.

In that moment, her warmth reached me, and I noticed her heart pounding hard.

“Hey, Toa.”

I called her name slowly, then made my proposal again.

“Won’t you leave this island with me? Won’t you spend the time ahead together, away from here?”

Those words could come off as a proposal or a confession.

It felt a little heavy for something to say to a junior, but I had to say it that way or she would get anxious. She wouldn’t show me her smile if she was anxious.

That’s why I said it to make her feel secure.

“Senior.”

Toa squeezed my arm tight once more, then looked only at me with her eyes.

“Will you promise never to abandon me?”

“Promise to never abandon me forever, no matter what, and never let go?”

“Will you stay my senior forever and ever?”

Toa pulled back a little and pressed her hands to her chest. They trembled faintly, and her eyes wavered.

“This is a pact. An absolute pact.”

“So if you’re serious about promising, kiss the back of my hand.”

She held out the back of her hand gently.

My gaze fell on that white skin. It gleamed beautifully in the light from the window, and I couldn’t look away.

A kiss.

It was a vow, proof of resolve, a pact.

Once done, it could never be undone. It couldn’t be broken. An absolute act.

To be honest, I was embarrassed beyond words. I didn’t think that was my style.

But if it would reassure Toa, I would steel myself. I would show my resolve with action.

“Got it. I promise.”

I took her hand and brought my lips closer to the back of it. The nearer I got, the faster my heart beat.

“…”

And then, gently—I touched my lips to it.

In that instant, along with the warm sensation, Toa’s body jolted.

But I had no intention of letting go.

I wouldn’t stop the kiss until she was satisfied. I had no plans to stop until she felt secure.

That was my resolve.

“…S-Senior. That’s enough now. I get it, so can you let go?”

After a while of silence, Toa murmured that with her face bright red.

She was sending her gaze off into the distance, clearly flustered.

“……………………Huh?”

As I tilted my head at her sudden agitation,

“It’s just… the stares from around us are bothering me. I’m so embarrassed I could die.”

“Stares?”

I reflexively looked up and turned around.

“Huh!?”

And there were the kids from the home.

They had their faces peeking through the door crack, staring hard at us. Their mouths hung open, eyes wide.

They looked like they’d seen something they weren’t supposed to.

“……………………”

Yeah, this was embarrassing. So embarrassing I wanted to bolt from the room right then.

My face was probably as red as Toa’s.

“K-Kiss!”

One kid suddenly shouted.

That sparked it, and the children started buzzing all at once.

“Kiss?”

“They’re being all lovey-dovey.”

“Super in love.”

“Kissing brings the stork with babies.”

“That’s kinda pervy.”

“So romantic~”

It was total chaos.

They were saying whatever they wanted, and Toa and I both felt like our faces were on fire.

“N-No! It’s not like that—it’s a vow… yeah, like a vow thing, definitely not like we’re lovers or—”

“We’re married, right?”

“Toa!?”

Toa cut off my desperate explanation with a casual line.

“We’re married. Because Senior made the pact with me.”

She flashed a devilish grin at my flustered look, then declared it loud enough for the kids to hear.

“We’re senior and junior. And the ones who made the pact—husband and wife!”

She said it with a big smile. It was devilish, but overflowing with joy she couldn’t hide.

And so I succeeded in convincing Toa.

Or had I been convinced again? It was unclear, but that was our way.

“Senpai!”

“Kissing gets the stork to bring babies, apparently?”

That aside, wasn’t she being a bit too much of a little devil?

Saying that in front of kids was bad for their education.

“Want to test it out?”

It seemed Toa had just a touch of excessive senior-love.