Chapter 26: Chapter 26 : A Faithful Encounter
The fresh morning air wrapped around Haruto as he strolled along the narrow path by the vegetable fields. Rows of tomatoes, eggplants, and leafy greens shimmered with dew, and the greenhouse glass reflected the soft sunrise. The peace of the countryside seemed endless—until a harsh, desperate noise cut through the stillness.
Haruto froze. It wasn’t an animal. It wasn’t the wind. It was the sound of splashing, choking, gasping. His pulse quickened.
He sprinted toward the noise, his shoes kicking up dirt. And then he saw her.
In the narrow irrigation canal—a channel built to carry water to the fields—a girl was thrashing helplessly. The current pushed against her, her body sinking, her mouth dipping under water as she struggled for breath. For a split second, Haruto’s heart lurched. She’s drowning.
Without a thought, he lunged forward, his arms plunging into the cold water. He grabbed her arm—slippery, trembling—and hauled her up with all his strength. The girl collapsed onto the grassy bank, water streaming from her hair and body, her lips pale, her breaths shallow.
Haruto knelt beside her immediately. Her chest barely moved, her breathing faint. A jolt of panic surged through him. She’s not breathing properly...
"Hang in there," he muttered, steadying himself. He pressed his palms against her chest, giving firm compressions, then bent down and sealed his lips over hers. The warmth of her mouth against his was startling, soft but lifeless. He exhaled carefully into her lungs, then pulled back to press again, repeating the rhythm—push, breathe, push, breathe.
Finally, she jolted, coughing violently, water spraying from her mouth as her body convulsed. Her eyelids fluttered, then opened slowly, dazed and shimmering with tears from the burn of swallowed water.
Haruto exhaled in relief, but then his eyes caught something—her state. Her soaked clothes clung so tightly to her body they were practically see-through. Her bra hugged her chest so snugly that her cleavage spilled out vividly, heavy and round, droplets running between her breasts. The thin fabric was plastered against her skin, faintly revealing the dark outline of her nipples beneath.
Her panties, too, were sticking to her hips, the curve of her waist and the softness of her thighs exposed in the morning light. Haruto instinctively averted his gaze for a moment, but it was too late—he’d already seen more than he should. His heartbeat pounded harder, not just from the rescue.
The girl coughed again, one hand clutching weakly at the grass, her chest heaving with each breath. Her lips trembled as she looked up at him, her soaked body still shivering under the sunrise.
Haruto leaned closer, steadying her shoulder with his hand, his voice low but firm.
"You’re safe now... don’t force yourself. Just breathe slowly."
Her dazed eyes lingered on him, as if trying to process both his words and the intimacy of what just happened.
The girl pushed herself up slowly, her long hair sticking wetly to her cheeks and neck. She quickly folded her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself as best as she could, but the soaked fabric clung to her body, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. Flustered, she turned slightly away from Haruto, cheeks red, clearly embarrassed by how exposed she was.
Haruto, without hesitation, slipped off his jacket and draped it gently over her shoulders. "Here," he said calmly, as if nothing was out of place. "You’ll catch a cold otherwise."
She held the jacket tightly around her, lowered her gaze, and whispered, "...Thank you."
Haruto gave a small chuckle, tilting his head. "So... now I can laugh, right?"
She looked up at him in confusion. "Huh? Why would you laugh?"
He smirked, pointing at the shallow canal behind them. "Because this isn’t even a pond. The water’s not that deep—you could’ve just stood up. Honestly, how does someone manage to drown here?" He shook his head dramatically. "You reminded me of that Konosuba anime—you know, the main guy who died from shock, not from the actual accident. Watching you, I couldn’t help but think... this is that all over again."
Her face went even redder—not just from embarrassment this time, but from indignation. "I-I wasn’t just drowning for no reason!" she shot back, hugging his jacket closer. "I slipped and hit my leg... I got a cramp. That’s why I couldn’t move properly!"
"Ohh, I see..." Haruto tapped his chin, pretending to think deeply. "So it wasn’t stupidity—it was bad luck."
She pouted, her wet bangs sticking to her forehead. "Y-you’re so rude..."
Haruto couldn’t help but laugh softly, though his tone was gentler now. "Hey, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m glad I came when I did. Otherwise..." He gestured at the canal, smiling. "...you might’ve actually ended up as a headline: ’Girl drowns in knee-deep water.’"
That finally earned a small, reluctant laugh from her, though she quickly tried to hide it.
Haruto stood there on the edge of the canal, watching her walk away. The wet earth squelched softly under her bare feet, her figure covered only loosely by his jacket. She didn’t say much—just offered a quiet thanks, then turned her back and left, her hair dripping down her shoulders like strands of black silk.
He hadn’t even asked her name. A part of him thought to call out, to stop her, but instead he shoved his hands into his pockets and simply let her go. If she’s meant to cross my path again... fate will take care of it.
But as her silhouette grew smaller, Haruto felt something else stirring inside him. The image of her clinging clothes, the curves outlined so vividly by the water, burned itself into his mind. Her bra had been practically transparent, the pale swell of her breasts almost completely exposed. He could still see the deep line of her cleavage, the fabric straining to hide what it barely could. The memory alone sent a sharp throb through his lower body.
Haruto clenched his jaw as heat coiled in his stomach. His cock pressed uncomfortably against his pants, growing harder the more he replayed the sight in his head. Damn... she was so close. If only... He shook his head but the thoughts kept pushing in, wild and shameless.
He imagined stepping closer back at the canal, peeling away that soaked bra, watching her breasts spill free, round and soft. He could almost taste her skin in his mouth—imagined burying his face in them, sucking, kneading, teasing until she moaned. Then, lower—his lips trailing to her belly, sliding down, parting her legs. Just thinking about pressing his tongue against her warm, wet pussy made his pulse race. He could almost hear her gasps, feel her thighs tightening around him, her body shivering against his mouth.
Haruto exhaled roughly and ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the open countryside sky. The fields were quiet now except for the chirping of crickets and the faint rustle of leaves in the evening breeze, yet his body was restless, throbbing with need.
"...Tch," he muttered under his breath, forcing himself to turn back toward the path. "What the hell am I even thinking?"
But no matter how hard he tried, the image of that girl—her wet, nearly naked body, the sweet vulnerability in her eyes—wouldn’t leave him.
Haruto stopped walking for a moment, his shoes sinking slightly into the damp soil of the countryside path. His body was still restless, the memory of the drenched girl’s curves refusing to fade, but a different thought suddenly began to weigh heavier in his chest.
He frowned, pressing a hand against his sternum, almost as if trying to ground himself. Why... why do I keep thinking like this? Every time I see a girl, every time I touch one... my mind runs straight to their body. Their breasts, their lips, their warmth. His throat tightened. But what about their heart? What about the person they are, beyond the skin?
The image of Kana’s trembling smile flickered in his memory, followed by Ayaka’s fragile eyes. Both of them had given him something real—moments where it wasn’t just flesh meeting flesh, but emotions spilling through the cracks. He remembered how Kana had fallen asleep against his chest, how Ayaka’s voice had carried fear and longing. Those weren’t things a man should ignore.
Haruto exhaled deeply, watching the steam of his breath fade into the cool air. "If I keep chasing only their bodies... I’ll lose myself. I’ll become nothing more than some hungry beast." His words were quiet, but they rang with a raw honesty.
He tilted his head back, letting the pale morning light wash over his face. The canal water still rippled faintly behind him, reflecting the early sun like fractured glass. In that stillness, Haruto made a vow—not out loud, but deep within himself.
From now on... I’ll listen first. I’ll understand. I’ll learn their heart before I ever touch their body. If I hold them, it won’t just be for lust. It will be because I respect them... because I want to carry their heart, not just their skin.
His hand tightened into a fist at his side. A strange sense of calmness spread through him, as though a knot inside had finally loosened.
The arousal still lingered, yes, but it was tempered now by something greater—responsibility, and the faint hope of becoming more than just a man who takes. Haruto turned back toward the path, his steps lighter, his resolve firm.