SS: The Correct Way to End a Hug
Translated by 64990022
SS: The Correct Way to End a Hug
[TN: after the broadcast at the end of vol 1]
âUm⦠Minato?â
When I called her name, the girl in my arm replied with a discontented grunt.
Long after our conversation ended, she still clung to me. And I too, couldnât bring myself to uncoil the arms that looped her back.
âIsnât this like, the time to let goâ¦?â
She didnât respond this time, letting my brilliant suggestion be in vain.
âHey! Weâre not supposed to⦠like, if anyone seesâ¦yeah?â
It might be a bit late, but we were hugging each other, a real, genuine hug. Not that I object to us hugging, it was a natural development of things. I get it that she wanted support after an ordeal with Yamabukiâ¦
But, I could no longer ignore her smell, her subsiding sobs, her softness and so on. I have done my best, but after being practically glued to her, this was my limit.
So, letâs not go further.
âM-Minatoâ¦seeâ¦â
âDonât wanna.â
âWhy?! Youâre already done crying, right?â
âYes! Butâ¦â She buried her face deeper. âItâs kinda.. Embarrassingâ
ââ¦â
âDonât wanna look at your face⦠nor you looking mineâ
âUh⦠right, me too.â
This was my first time hugging someone outside my family. The same probably goes for herâ¦
So, what kind of face should I be doing when we part.
Smile? Should I smile?
âBut, we canât stay like this foreverâ¦â
âRight, butâ¦â
After the broadcast ruckus, the neighboring residents might come out to see what happened. If they happened to stumble here⦠Disengaging now was for the best.
âC-close your eyes.â
âHm?â
âWe both close our eyes, step back, then turn away immediately. Understood?â
If it was this way, it wouldnât beâ maybe a little embarrassing, but not as much.
âR-right⦠then, at your signal.â
ââKay.â
I felt her nod then I squeezed my eyes shut. I slowly pull my arms away from her. It was an awkward posture, but at the moment, I didnât care.
âYou free now?â
âYup.â
âGood, thenââ
âW-wait!â
Hm?
âIo⦠are your eyes really shut?â
âOf course, why would I lookâ¦â
âP-proof? Right! Let me check!â
âHuhâ¦â What is she⦠âThen youâd see my face! Not fair!â
âThat canât be helped! I need to check!â
âCanât you trust me?!â
âHow can I be sure! Are you planning on watching me!â
âAs if Iâd do it!â
I donât think we can get anywhere with this. I mean, this was a hopeless situation. She should have known that she was asking for too much.
âGive up⦠thereâs no choice but to trust each other.â
She sighed
âDonât sighâ Please donât, your hot breath fell on my neck, andâ¦
âEyes closed?â
âYup, okay, here we go.â
âHnâ¦â She nodded.
Good grief, why are we still in this position?
âBack away at once, then turn around immediately⦠Three, two, one!â
But right after, a thought occurred to me.
Supposedly, she was indeed closing her eyes, then sheâd neve know, right? A glimpse wouldnât hurt.
I donât know why butâ
ââ¦â
Our bodies parted from each other. Before she could turn away, I opened my eyes.
Naturally, I felt guilty.
But
âAhâ¦â
âAh.â
Our eyes met.
Her eyes shot wide, her mouth like a goldfish gulping for air.
âY-y-youâ¦!â
âYou too! Thatâs because you did too! If you donât then this wouldnât happen!â
I quickly said my defense. Because I donât think sheâd listen to me anymore.
âI say donât loooooook!!â
Really, what are we doingâ¦
[TN: Actually, this is one of the four SS (cutscenes), the others are limited to bookstores in Japan, so this is the only one I could get my hands on. If anyone happen to have the others, you can send it to my discord and Iâd gladly translate.]