(M?) Chapter 13 – Awkward Situation
Chapter 2, Part 4
Novel Title: 融愛~Melt Down~ (Melted Love ~Melt Down~)
Author：風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)
Illustrator：雅良 水名瀬 (Masara Minase)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 葉越海理 (Yougoshi Kairi -MC), 葉越翼久 (Yougoshi Tasuku -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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The strength drained from his hand, and the jacket he had been holding fell to the floor with a soft thud, swallowed by the darkness. Black ripples spread from where it had landed. The world began to crumble apart.
“Tokiya-san!”
The weighty pause oozed into his mouth, sticky and slow. Thick darkness slid down his throat like tar, dripping into his lungs.
It wasn’t just coming from the outside.
He could feel something thick and black, like a heavy sludge, being squeezed out of his heart.
Being consumed from within and without.
His sense of self was dissolving.
“No… no…”
“—Kairi.”
He felt a hand grip his shoulder. It pulled him back, separating his shoulder from the engulfing dark.
“Kairi… just a little.”
A low, sweet voice whispered in his ear. Kairi collapsed into Naofumi’s arms. He realised he had been pushed down when he felt the hard floor against his back. Long fingers roamed over his face, searching for his lips. And then a warm, wet sensation covered them. Already suffocating from the darkness crushing his lungs, Kairi could barely stand being forced into a kiss.
Something hot and slimy slipped between his lips. It slid past his teeth and swirled deep inside his mouth like a soft creature.
―—Tasuku…
Yes. Even ‘that time’, all Kairi could think about in the darkness was Tasuku. He had always thought of Tasuku when surrounded by darkness. As the terror of the dark gripped him, Kairi squeezed his eyes shut.
Naofumi’s raw, sensual kiss was slowly erasing the lingering sensation of the kiss he had shared with Tasuku.
“Mm… nn…”
Through his dress shirt, Naofumi’s large hand traced up from Kairi’s waist to his chest. His fingers brushed against Kairi’s fear-stiffened nipples, catching on the hardened buds. When Naofumi pinched them between his fingertips and kneaded the stiff cores, they hardened further.
A feverish numbness spread from his lips and chest, rippling outward. Kairi could only feel his existence in those places where the numbness took hold.
Naofumi’s tongue retreated from his mouth, trailing down his throat and brushing his neck. He fumbled with the tie, loosening it. The buttons of Kairi’s shirt were undone one by one, exposing his bare skin to the dark.
“No… Tokiya-san… I’m scared.”
“You make such a cute sound… Don’t be scared, Kairi.”
Naofumi knew that Kairi was afraid of the dark. But he didn’t know the extent of Kairi’s phobia. Kairi wanted to tell him. But his tongue was stiff, his body numb, and he couldn’t get the words out.
As Naofumi licked the contours of Kairi’s face, his fingers pinched both of Kairi’s bare nipples.
“Ah…!”
“…I might not be able to stop.”
His left nipple felt wet.
Kairi wanted him to stop. He grabbed Naofumi’s firm hair, trying to pull him away from his chest. But his fingers were too weak.
While Naofumi continued teasing his chest, Kairi’s gaze wandered, searching for salvation. Then, he noticed a faint light seeping through the gap in the curtains. It hadn’t been there before. Now that he thought about it, the sound of rain had stopped. The rain must have let up. The moon peeked through the clouds. He traced the weak particles of light that fought through the darkness.
Strength returned to his fingers as they pulled on Naofumi’s hair.
“Tokiya-san.”
This time, his voice was steady.
“Tokiya-san, please stop…”
Kairi glanced toward the living room, where the moonlight was now pooling in the centre, and his breath caught in his throat.
There was a figure lying on the sofa.
Two eyes were staring straight at him.
―—……!!
An electric shock jolted through Kairi’s mind.
In the next moment, he shoved Naofumi off him with all his might.
―—Why…- why is he here?
The figure on the sofa rose with a slow, deliberate motion. The pendant light hanging from the ceiling flicked on. The sudden brightness overwhelmed Kairi’s eyes, making his vision swim.
Under the light stood a young man dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans. His slightly wavy, lustrous pale hair fell around his face. The cold, disdainful gaze he directed toward Kairi was frozen in place… Kairi had never seen such a harsh expression on his younger brother’s face before.
It felt as if an icy hand had gripped his heart. Kairi fumbled to explain.
“It’s not what it looks like. I was… just a bit drunk, and we were messing around.”
Naofumi, who was sitting beside him, gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You must be Kairi’s brother. I’m sorry for the awkward introduction. I’m Tokiya Naofumi, Kairi’s colleague at work. Nice to meet you.”
Despite the situation, Naofumi introduced himself in a calm, smooth voice.
Tasuku’s gaze slid over to Naofumi. Unexpectedly, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“Thanks for taking care of my Aniki. I’m Yougoshi Tasuku. I work as a host in Kabukicho.”
Formal greetings were exchanged, at least on the surface.
…Was it possible that Kairi was the only one who was shaken? Maybe the terrifying look on Tasuku’s face was just an illusion conjured by his guilty conscience.
Perhaps that was it. Naofumi and Tasuku weren’t exactly being friendly. But they were conversing calmly.
“I’m in the middle of trying to pursue your brother right now. What just happened was a bit of a false start. Sorry for startling you.”
“It’s fine. I don’t have any prejudice against men being with other men.”
“Oh? That’s pretty open-minded of you.”
“I just don’t care. Those kinds of societal values… As long as the people involved are okay with it, that’s all that matters.”
“I agree.”
Kairi felt a sense of anticlimax, his mind going blank.
Now that he thought about it, maybe it was his own reaction that had been out of place. The moment he realised that Tasuku had seen him being pinned down by Naofumi, he felt as if he had been caught cheating by a lover.
He became scared of how distorted his own perception was.
“As much as I’d love to stay the night, I’m not so shameless. So I’ll be heading out.”
“…Um, I’m really sorry.”
As Kairi escorted Naofumi to the entrance, he apologised. Naofumi, looking slightly embarrassed, softly replied, “I’m the one who should apologise. Sorry for getting all worked up so suddenly.”
“Well then… Yougoshi, remember, we’ve got work tomorrow. Be ready for that weekend shift.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Kairi shut the door and locked it.
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*Translator’s Note: The way I see it, in this story, Kairi also seemed to have feelings for Tasuku but he’s in denial. Well, from his behaviour and thoughts it appeared that way, though. -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Onii-san / Onii-chan / Nii-san / Nii-chan / Aniki = (Big/Elder) Brother
☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation.
Illustration 4:
Next update: 2025.01.08
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