Leave a comment

After being dressed up like a doll, we ate lunch and holed up in Ciel’s room, without the maids naturally. I’m alone in the large room with Ciel. It sounds questionable when I put it like that but it’s basically the same situation as this morning.

Nonetheless, we are already in our room and all but we still haven’t decided on what to do. With this being the case, there’s naturally only one thing for us to do, but then a great idea suddenly came to mind. It will need Fiiyanamiya’s permission though, so we’ll have to leave the room again.

「Why don’t we try asking if we can use the garden?」
「I see. That would be nice. I can’t wait.」

Just from those few words, Ciel seems to have understood my intention, causing her to stand up with excitement befitting of her age. At this rate, I have a hunch that Ciel might just take me by the hand and lead me running around the mansion to search for Fiiyanamia.

「I’ll ask her right now, so please wait a moment.」
「…? Ah, that’s right. Ain can contact Fii at any moment, right? I’ll leave it to you, good luck.」
「With that said, can we borrow the mansion’s garden?」

Since Fiiyanamia likely heard us anyway, I asked like so. And with the same method she used in the past, she gave her permission.

「It seems to be fine.」
「Then let’s go.」

Ciel took me by the hand and launched off energetically.

◇

As I thought, the garden of Fiiyanamia’s mansion is really beautiful. Viewing it from the terrace was nice too, but actually being in the middle of it has a different charm. Like the appearance and scent of the flowers can be distinguished now, unlike when viewing from afar.

It’s really impressive how the garden was not only made to be pleasing to the eye but also enjoyable to walk around in.

Now then, the reason we’ve come here to the garden isn’t really because we wanted to see the flowers. We also do want to see these flowers, but what we actually came here for is to sing and dance in the midst of these. I’m sure that singing in the middle of such beautiful scenery must feel amazing.

It seems like Ciel can’t wait to move as well, as it’s clear from her side glance that she’s definitely excited. Now, what should I sing? Just as I was pondering this, I heard a song riding the winds.

It’s sung by a gentle feminine voice. From what I can understand, Ciel can’t hear this mysterious singer. And this voice, for some reason, is really memorable.

I have a lot of songs I can sing and among them are a few in particular that I liked so much that I could sing it after the first hearing. The song I hear right now fascinates me almost equally as these songs, if not even more.

After all, despite the fact that the song is still ongoing, I already want to sing it. I should have no knowledge of the language, but I can’t help but want to sing it out.

It was refreshing like the blowing wind, gentle like the swaying of leaves, and warm like the sunlight passing through the trees. A song, a tune, like that of a forest.

With every note being of importance, this song reminded me of the joys of singing.

Before I knew it, I found myself singing a song that should have been unfamiliar, in a language I didn’t recognize. Although I should have been singing of my own volition, I wasn’t entirely sure why I was doing so. The melody flowed effortlessly from my lips, almost like a reflex.

Despite my confusion, I didn’t have the luxury to contemplate it at the moment. I simply loved singing, and as long as I was capable of doing so, everything else seemed inconsequential.

And I love watching Ciel dancing, so instead of pondering over my own singing, I’d rather imprint Ciel’s movements in my memory.

Matching my song, Ciel gracefully dances like a fairy prancing by a lake. With each movement, she exudes a contagious sense of joy, her petite frame fluidly swaying to the rhythm. The ground beneath her feet seems to illuminate with radiance, as if the flowers themselves are singing her praises.

Our gazes meet, and Ciel’s eyes light up with delight. In response, my own eyes instinctively narrow with joy. It’s a moment that can only be experienced through having a physical form, a smile that is uniquely mine to behold.

—Ah, what joy.
—It’s simply exhilarating, so much fun.

Before I realized it, Ciel had used sorcery. The large ball of water she abruptly launched to the sky falls down in the form of rain. Ciel dancing in the middle of it reminded me of a child playing in the rain. It’s quite adorable.

Then, as though to follow her movements, Ciel manipulated the water to leave trails behind as she moved. Due to the water glistening from the light of the sun, the dance became fantastical.

The flowing trail of water was like a serpent under Ciel’s control and the splashes that reflected sunlight seemingly served to highlight Ciel.

I’m also changing my singing to match Ciel’s dance. Naturally that would be impossible without ending the song, so I’ll try my best to end the song while matching Ciel’s timing.

I wonder how long we’ve continued like this? I’ve begun to see exhaustion from Ciel, so I stopped singing. Matching with me, Ciel stops dancing as well. In the end, I can’t remember how many songs we went through but seeing how Ciel’s shoulders are bobbing up and down as she breathes, I likely sang a lot.

If I had secretly added stamina recovery effects while singing, we probably would have likely continued until it got dark. Worse, we might have continued even beyond that. With Ciel’s skilled control over her magic, she could easily illuminate the area even at night while using the ability of Dance Princess. With the ambience slightly differing at night, I want to see Ciel dancing in the garden under the starry sky too.

As Ciel’s breathing settled down, she spoke to me.

「It’s my first time hearing Ain singing like this. What was that first song? It’s the first time I ever heard it. Also, it doesn’t sound like the usual words, is that right?」
「I heard a voice from somewhere, so I just tried singing along with it.」
「Is that so? I haven’t heard anything, you know?」
「It could be related to my current state then.」
「Right, right. How strange. Really strange. Still, it was a great song. Would you sing it again, Ain?」
「Yes, certainly.」

As we were talking, a pleasant breeze blew between us. I was wondering what we should do but since Ciel seems tired, and the scenery here is good as well, I beckoned her to my side. Despite being puzzled, Ciel went to me without any caution. And while she was doing so, I sat on the grassy floor.

As Ciel arrived before me, I made her sit down and gently laid her head on top of my lap. It’s the so-called lap pillow. Ciel’s body is quite thin, so I don’t really know if my lap can serve the purpose of a pillow. But since my lap does have the characteristic female softness, so it shouldn’t be too strenuous.

The way Ciel is in wide-eyed wonder on my lap is adorable.

「This wonderful position, what is it! What is it!」
「It’s a lap pillow. It seems like you’re quite tired, so please take a rest.」
「I see, that is true. I’ll take up the offer.」

While she said that, will Ciel really be able to rest with this excitement of hers? While singing an appropriate song so Ciel can relax even just a bit more, I continuously caress Ciel’s cheek. Ciel chuckles in a ticklish manner, so I might have just missed the timing to stop.

Before long, Ciel reached her hand to my cheek as well. Just as she was touching my cheek and enjoying its softness, she broke into a laxed grin. This side of Ciel is quite rare to see, so I just let her do as she likes. It’s hard to sing though.

After that, she then snuggled close to hold hands, so I handed over the right hand I was caressing her cheek with. After seeing Ciel hold my hand with a satisfied look, feeling her warmth, I closed my eyes, and began singing as I felt the breeze.

◇

Without noticing, it was already night. I suppose I only have a little time left to have a body like this. Will it end the moment I sleep today or will it keep on going until the date changes, I don’t know. Ciel, who was on my lap, fell asleep without me noticing, and as she woke up, she hugged me tight.

Before I died, I’ve never embraced someone else like this —though I can’t really say for sure, since my memories around elementary school aren’t really too vivid— so it’s a bit embarrassing. Even so, it’s extremely comforting. It’s not because of the body warmth or the softness of a girl’s body, but it’s because of the feeling of being physically together with Ciel. It’s extremely satisfying emotionally.

We can’t stay like this forever though, so I helped Ciel up while we embraced.

「It should be dinner sometime soon but I want to wash up before that.」
「I see. In that case, please take a bath-…」
「We’re going together, right?」
「Umm, right. If you don’t mind, then I’ll be accompanying you to the bath.」

I don’t know if we can just enter on our own, so I asked for Fiiyanamia’s permission before heading back inside the mansion. On the way, we encountered a maid, and she prepared towels and clothes for us. She suggested that they could help with the bath, but since Ciel and I want to be alone together this time, we declined.

Her absolutely disappointed look really left an impression on me, but let us off for today. It seems like the maids of this mansion really hunger for work. Fiiyanamia likely doesn’t really need assistance, so they probably want things to be busy with.

But I also don’t really need assistance myself. And in Ciel’s case, it’s probably enough to just prepare her food to eat.

After guiding us to the changing room, only Ciel and I entered inside. Undress and put the clothes in the basket. The things to do before entering the bathroom aren’t any different from the usual, but today is going to be my first time being naked in this body, so I’m nervous. Since this body is based on Ciel’s, I know that there’s nothing I should feel ashamed of, but this really rouses the shame that I originally had.

I know that what I’m saying is weird after having borrowed Ciel’s body and taken a bath together with Viviana. But it is embarrassing, so I turn my back on Ciel and timidly undress. Had I been given the dress from the final change during the dress-up show, I may have struggled to remove it on my own.

After undressing completely, I took a peep on how Ciel is doing. Ciel was already done undressing and was intently observing my body. Well, yeah. It’s practically her own body, so I don’t really mind much, but it’s really embarrassing. As I was enduring the embarrassment, 「So this is how my body looks like.」 Ciel said so with a strangely impressed tone.

「Ciel’s body is pretty, so it’s quite nice for me.」
「Then, has Ain seen a lot of female bodies other than mine?」

Hearing Ciel giggling as she asked, I’m stumped on how I should reply. There’s no doubt that despite how sheltered Ciel is, she knows what having seen a lot means with me being formerly male. Practically speaking, if I had to say whether I’ve seen some, I haven’t really seen that much. The only ones I’ve seen naked in reality, excluding Ciel and my family, is more or less Viviana.

Still, it’s not like I didn’t have any at all.

Ciel is only teasingly looking at me, and doesn’t seem to have a criticizing look, but I guess this is the negative side effect of me divulging that I was formerly male.

「Unfortunately, I haven’t seen enough to make any comparison. The only girls that I’ve actually seen naked are more or less Viviana and my mother. However, I do honestly think that Ciel’s body is pretty. So personally, I feel privileged.」
「Is that so? I see, I’m really glad that Ain likes it.」

I somehow managed to shake her off.

Putting myself aside, it’ll be bad for Ciel to stay naked here in the changing room for too long, so I suggested moving, 「Let’s enter now, shall we?」

「Let’s.」 Ciel took my hand and charged in.

Hiya~! And today, we just got even more AinCiel cuteness! As well as the first dancing scene in a while!

I don’t really have much to say in this chapter. In a sense, it’s a really action packed chapter, with a big portion allotted for the dance scene. Still, there are a few subtle things here and there. First is how, as usual, the two are really good at reading each other’s minds, which should be a bit obvious with all the dancing considered. Secondly, Ain just heard a strange song, what does that mean to say? Where does it come from? And such. Real mystery. Thirdly, the subtle difference with Ain and Ciel exchanging glances now since Ain has a body, that’s adorable. And possibly finally, Ciel just being so excited all the time in general, lol.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay clean, stay safe, and have a nice day~!