Wow, he actually fell asleep, Yui thought as she looked down at Yuuki’s peaceful form planted in her lap. She’d been joking from the start, but things had gotten out of hand, and Yuuki had successfully talked her into it. I’d hate for someone we know to see us right now. She envied how seemingly unconcerned Yuuki was about how others viewed him.
Yui’s paranoia got the best of her, and Yui took a quick peek around her. She was relieved to find that it was mostly deserted, save for a few elderly people sitting around on benches and some little kids running around. Getting seen by any of these people probably wouldn’t cause her any problems.
Nobody our age is around, so there’s nothing to worry about, right? Did he plan this from the very start? Yui seriously considered the possibility of Yuuki being a genius strategist for a moment, but quickly scrapped that idea when she again looked down and saw him napping peacefully.
“He’s knocked the heck out. Maybe I should take a picture,” she thought, her hand already moving toward her bag. Ultimately, though, she decided against it for fear of accidentally waking Yuuki up.
Though Yui didn’t actually have a genuine reason to cater to Yuuki’s comforts this much, she couldn’t help it. The sight of his serene sleeping face and the sound of his quiet, measured breathing made it difficult for her to disturb him, even if she wanted to.
He’s sorta cute, she thought. If only he was this quiet and harmless when he was awake. The more she looked at him, the more Yui felt a strange urge to pat his head and stroke his back. Before she knew it, her heart was racing like crazy.
Eventually, she couldn’t take it any more and began to shakily extend her hand in order to fulfill her deepest desires. Fortunately—or otherwise—she came back to her senses and stopped herself just before her fingers made contact. Her conscience admonished her, harshly informing her that she’d have no excuse if her impulsive actions ended up rousing him.
“Oh yeah, ‘you were so cute I couldn’t stop myself.’ Great excuse, Yui,” she admonished herself. She wasn’t entirely sure she’d have the guts to say that to his face if push came to shove. Why do you get to be the one asleep when I’m just as drowsy?
Yuuki’s invitation had been completely unexpected for Yui. They had agreed to pretend that they were dating only in front of his sister, but the fact still remained that they were out on an honest-to-goodness romantic date right here and now. Yui had been so anxious about today that she’d gotten barely any sleep.
It was a mistake to go to Maki for advice. She’d totally panicked when he texted her yesterday, and her sister had taken the opportunity to blow the thing entirely out of proportion. Maki had sprinkled in half-truths and misleading advice that all led Yui to believe that a date was more akin to some sort of terrifying ritual than anything normal.
She got me again. Damn it! she bristled. Turns out dates are pretty fun. It’s like I have this fluffy and warm feeling inside all the time, and sometimes my heart just skips a beat—like now.
Her rapidly pounding heart eventually settled down as time moved on, and an extreme feeling of sleepiness overcame her senses. It was as if Yuuki’s sleeping face was beckoning her into the land of dreams.
The tranquil environment around her didn’t help much either. Yui put up a valiant fight against the drowsiness while she looked at him. However, the sandman always wins, and she eventually nodded off alongside Yuuki.
Yui blinked. As she came back to her senses, she realized that she’d been leaning against something, and she sleepily raised her head to see what it was.
“Ah, you’re up,” spoke someone right next to her.
Yui slowly realized that the voice belonged to Yuuki, who was now sitting upright on the bench. Any leftover sleepiness that still lingered in her vanished in an instant following the realization that she had been sleeping on his shoulder the entire time.
“Wh-Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?!” she asked red-faced and embarrassed.
“I felt bad about waking you up. Also, you looked cute while sleeping,” he said, flashing a smile. Yui could feel her face turning more and more red, like all the blood in her body was rushing to her head.
“H-How long was I out for?”
“Some time, actually. I woke up because I felt something soft on my face. Turned out to be your chest. Smelled pleasant, felt pleasant... other than the fact that I was being smothered to dea—”
“Okay, you can stop now.”
Having Yuuki thoroughly explain what happened with his opinions mixed in felt especially humiliating for Yui. It would appear that Yui had accidentally performed some very shameless acts while she’d been asleep. Judging from the fact that the sun was beginning to set, she guessed that this semi-lewd nap had lasted quite a long time.
This is awful... Maki wouldn't let me hear the end of it if she ever found out, Yui thought. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep like that.”
“Nah, don’t worry. I did it first, after all. It’s kinda funny how we went on a date just to nap, though,” Yuuki couldn’t help but chuckle as he tried to reassure her.
His carefree tone made Yui breathe a sigh of relief, accompanied by a fuzzy sensation in her chest. She immediately recomposed herself, returning his smile with one of her own.