The Goddess Needs A Break!

"Huh, where am I?"

Opening his eyes, Takei realized that he was no longer at the Tanaka residence.

Since he just woke up, there was still a haze over his consciousness which resulted in his inability to comprehend his surroundings.

"We're on our way to the park right now."

Airi answered him as his senses started to finally recover.

He looked around the minivan that his father had rented earlier in the morning and noticed that both households were comfortably situated in the van.

Akari was snoozing off while his parents were engaged in a conversation with Akari's parents.

He had no idea how he ended up in the car after he had fallen asleep on Akari's lap, but he didn't intend to ask.

In the end, Takei concluded that Yuuto and Haruto most likely carried him into the van after Airi finished getting ready.

It was a bit embarrassing, but it was in the past already so Takei didn't care as much.

Looking at the seating arrangement, it seemed that the adults positioned themselves closer to the front of the van, while the kids were in the back.

Takei was sitting in between Akari and Airi in the very back seat.

If any other guy were here, they would've cursed at him to blow up simply due to the fact that he had a flower in each arm.

Airi was currently playing a game on her phone, while Akari was sleeping peacefully.

She looks really cute...

There was an extremely tranquil expression on Akari's face. The light snoring only further emphasized this.

Ensuring that no one else was paying attention to him, Takei reached out and pinched her cheek.

"It's soft and fluffy."

He knew that it was bad to touch a girl while she was sleeping, but Akari would surely forgive him since she liked to touch him a lot too.

As he was enjoying the soft texture of Akari's cheeks, Airi looked up from her game with a deadpan expression.

"You look like a real pervert right now, you know?"

"..."

Realizing that he had been found out, Takei could say nothing in response.

As if understanding his plight, Airi could only nod acknowledgingly.

"It's okay, I won't tell her."

Surprisingly, Airi promised to Takei that nothing would be said about this situation.

At such benevolence, Takei smiled and thanked her.

"I'll buy you some snacks later."

"You know me so well."

Since they were siblings, Takei knew that Airi wanted snacks from this give-and-take relationship.

It was a mutually beneficial relationship between both parties, so there was no reason to refuse.

After the exchange, both Takei and Airi went back to what they were doing until the adults up in front told them that they were finally here.

Takei woke up Akari and then helped the men unload all of the cargo that was brought.

There was a cooler for drinks along with many other quality of life items.

The ladies set out the picnic sheet and began to take out the food from the basket.

Unknowingly, Takei began to smile at the sight of Akari preparing the food.

In his opinion, she looked like a housewife doing her best to make sure that the day was successful.

Once everything finished being set up, everyone sat down on the picnic sheet.

"This is odd..." Takei mumbled.

For some reason, a distinct distance was formed between Takei and everyone else. Everyone else, but Akari at least.

Him and Akari were sitting next to each other, but they were a bit separated from the rest of the group.

Almost as if it was planned beforehand...

Takei suspiciously looked at the culprits, which resulted in Yuuto and Flora turning their heads and whistling.

The surprising thing was that Haruto and Yuriko also decided to join in on the prank. He didn't expect Akari's parents to go along with his parents' flow.

Airi was pretty much a given though, she refused to go near the encroaching sugary atmosphere. At this point, she had grown a natural instinct to be able to instinctively feel a sugary atmosphere in advance.

Sighing to himself, Takei looked down at the sandwiches laid out in front of him.

There were many different flavors such as tuna, chicken, and beef.

They all looked delicious, so Takei had no idea where to start.

"How about this one?"

Akari picked up a roast beef sandwich and held it out to Takei.

"Sure, thank you."

Takei went to go grab the sandwich, but Akari pulled her hand back.

"Wha-?"

He couldn't understand why Akari would offer him a sandwich, and then take it back.

"In return for the suggestion, let me feed you."

As expected of the war goddess, Akari decided now was the best time to go on the offensive.

Takei felt a bit embarrassed about Akari's wish, but it was something she really wanted to do.

Despite the obvious stares from his family, Takei decided to go through with it.

"Alright, go ahead."

It seemed that Akari wasn't surprised about his decision, since Takei had been more proactive as of late.

Smiling radiantly, Akari moved the sandwich towards Takei's mouth.

Takei took this as a sign for him to start eating, so he took a bite out of the sandwich.

A juicy, tender meaty feeling began to spread through his mouth.

There was a perfect mix of the meat and vegetable flavor that was infused through the perfect harmony of the sandwich.

Takei could tell that this sandwich was definitely made by Akari.

"It tastes amazing. Thank you so much for making this."

He thanked her for her hard work, which made Akari extremely happy.

"Will I get a reward for my hard work then?"

Usually, Akari would not ask for a reward, but she really wanted to be spoiled by Takei today.

Of course, Takei had no plans to deny her.

"Sure, what do you want?"

"How about a lap pillow?"

Akari decided to ask him for the same thing that she had given him earlier in the day.

Takei didn't see the appeal in a boy giving a lap pillow, but she asked for it so he had no choice.

"Okay, come here."

He patted his lap and invited her to lay her head down.

As instructed, Akari laid down and rested her head on top of his lap.

Now it was her turn to be embarrassed about the heart throbbing situation.

Takei greatly enjoyed Akari's half satisfied and half embarrassed expression, as he began to stroke her hair.

It was evident that both sides were very happy as a result of the current situation.

Akari gently smiled and looked into his eyes. "Your lap feels really reliable..."

"Um, thanks?"

He didn't know how a lap pillow could feel so reliable, but Takei didn't dare ask.

As a result of Takei giving Akari a lap pillow, both families were warmly observing them.

The only thing on their minds was the question of when the wedding would be.

---

Akari's Final Affection Meter: 22 -> 25%

I think these two are now addicted to lap pillows.

Serious-san: You got that right...

Sugar-san: I see nothing wrong with it.