Confession (4)

"I only like you, that's all."

Marie slowly leaned her upper body back as she said that, then quietly took her seat. Afterward, she even smiled brightly as though nothing had happened. It was such a beautiful smile that the word 'beautiful' hardly seemed sufficient.

For about five seconds, I blinked in confusion, unable to understand the situation, then unconsciously touched my lips. If the bold move Marie had made moments ago had been nothing but my imagination, then the sensation I felt on my lips now had all been a lie.

But this sensation was definitely not my imagination. The soft, pliant feeling I had felt on my lips for that brief moment lingered vividly in my mind.

'So... Marie just...'

Had she kissed me? Not a deep kiss, but the kind of kiss commonly called a bird kiss?

I could not say a word in the face of this reality, which was so difficult to believe. Just then, Marie looked at my face and opened her mouth with an embarrassed air.

"How was it?"

"... ..."

"No matter what you say, this is my answer."...