Aoshi’s heart pounds wildly.

He’s pinned to the ground by Eliss, completely immobilized, her body pressed tightly against his.

"A-Aoshi... I tried to hold back... but... I can’t anymore... forgive me..."

Eliss leans in — her lips just a breath away from his, so close Aoshi can feel her warm breath against his face.

"Aoshi... am I not attractive enough for you? Is that why you keep pushing me away...?"

"Y-You know that’s not the reason... I’ve told you a thousand times — you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. You’re kind, smart, funny, caring — you have so many wonderful qualities it would take me all night to name them... and that’s exactly why I’m fighting so damn hard not to lose control and do everything every cell in my body is screaming at me to do!"

"Tell me something, Aoshi. When you started dating that bitch, Miori, did you really think she was the woman you’d spend the rest of your life with?"

"W-Well, that’s what I hoped. That’s normal, right? When you start seeing someone, you want it to last forever..."

"And yet it didn’t, right? She used you, then threw you away after just a month! Relationships aren’t supermarket products — you can’t check an expiration date to know when they’ll go bad and decide ahead of time whether to buy them or not! One day, the magic that binds me to you will break, and I’ll stop feeling anything for you. But isn’t that what happens all the time? Couples breaking up simply because, over time, they realize they don’t feel anything anymore."

"You don’t understand... you can’t know what it feels like to be abandoned by someone you truly believed was special. Like I told you, when I was with Miori, I imagined a whole life together — growing up side by side, growing old together. You’re right: most couples break up, that’s just how it goes. But if there’s one thing they all share, it’s the hope of not being among those who end up parting ways. That’s something I can’t have with you. I’d live our relationship already counting down the days until it ends, knowing it will happen no matter what I do — without even a shred of hope that one day we’ll become two grumpy old people who spend their time bickering. I’m not afraid of suffering, Eliss. I’m afraid of having nothing left to hope for."

"And who says you need to hope for anything? You’re not obligated to return my feelings. You could simply... go along with them, right? In your world, you call it ’friends with benefits,’ I think — two people who have fun together, no strings attached. We could try something like that. One step at a time: we start with simple kisses and see how it goes. If nothing grows on your side, then we move on to sleeping in the same futon, and then... everything else. What do you think?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess that could work, but... what happens when the spell breaks? The Eliss who won’t be in love with me anymore — won’t she try to get back at me, accuse me of taking advantage of the situation? I mean, it’d be like sleeping with a drunk girl who throws herself at you at night and then accuses you of assault the next morning! And I’m definitely not the kind of guy who takes advantage of a girl who isn’t fully in control of herself — especially if she’s a demon!"

"Ugh... Aoshi, you’re so complicated! It’s my feelings that are affected by the spell, not my memory! I’ll remember every single word I’ve said and how stubborn you were about not giving in — so why would I ever hold it against you?"

"Y-Yeah... in that case, I guess there’s no problem... but the moment I realize I’m starting to feel something for you, we take not one but eighteen steps back, got it?"

"Deal, my sweet, beloved Aoshi."

Without another word, Eliss’s tongue finally slips into Aoshi’s mouth.

The cool night air fills with the soft, wet sounds of their lips and tongues meeting, intertwining.

Aoshi begins to move his hands cautiously, feeling blindly along Eliss’s body, unsure of where to touch.

He lightly wraps his fingers around her waist, his hands sliding gently along her sides. Slowly, carefully.

"Mh—"

Eliss shudders as Aoshi’s fingertips brush the thin strip of bare skin between the hem of her shirt and the waistband of her leggings. Yet she doesn’t pull away — if anything, her tongue moves in his mouth with even more passion, and the soft moans slipping from her lips grow sweeter, deeper.

A clear invitation for Aoshi to be bolder.

His hands drift lower, reaching the start of the curve of her buttocks.

I can’t believe it... I’m about to touch Eliss’s butt! The first one I’ll ever touch in my life — and it belongs to the most beautiful girl in the world?! Calm down, Aoshi, don’t lose your head now or you’ll ruin this perfect moment! Just because I don’t want — no, must not — start feeling something for her doesn’t mean I should act like some out-of-control pervert.

"Aaah..."

A sharp, breathy moan slips from Eliss’s lips the moment she feels Aoshi’s fingers tighten around her perfectly round, firm butt.

"A-Aoshi... if you keep touching me like that, I can’t promise I’ll stop at kisses..."

"S-Sorry..." he murmurs, pulling his hands away at once.

They should really build me a statue for this level of self-control... I mean, seriously, I’m pretty sure no one else in my position would’ve held back after hearing that "if you keep going like this, we’ll end up having reckless sex."

"A-Aoshi... I feel... something..."

"Well, it’s only my second kiss ever, and you’re lying right on top of me. It’s normal for my body to, uh... react like this..."

But that’s not what she meant — Eliss suddenly looks too serious for it to be that kind of reaction.

"Aoshi... do you feel it too?" she asks, her voice low and cautious.

"Feel what...?" Aoshi repeats, confused.

Then he forces himself to focus and listens.

She’s right. I can hear it now. That sound... footsteps? Yeah, no doubt about it. And it’s not just one person.

Could they be patrol officers, making sure no suspicious types or horny couples sneak into the park at night? It’s about time the Nagano Prefectural Police did something!

Wait — right now, we’re the shameless horny couple! Damn it, if they catch us like this, I’ll be living on rice and water for a year to pay the fine!

Panic hits Aoshi like lightning. He quickly slips out from under Eliss and brushes the dirt and grass off his clothes.

And that’s when he sees them.

Five shady figures — two to the left and three to the right — stand around them, blocking every way out.