Pounced On by the Golden Sun
Our home sat at the very edge of the countryside, so it took a full day by train to reach the academy. That meant we had no choice but to sleep on the train. I stared endlessly at the darkened scenery rushing past the window before finally drifting off…
“…What the hell?”
The person who should have been sitting across from me—Lucia—was now sleeping right beside me. Not only that, she had her head resting on my shoulder, clinging to my right arm, snoring away without a care in the world.
She’d stayed wide awake until I fell asleep last night. So this had been her plan all along.
“…”
I glanced around. It was still early, so everyone else was asleep. Thank goodness. If Heidi had seen this, it would have been a complete disaster.
That said, this was more uncomfortable than I expected. My shoulder felt like it was about to pop out of its socket.
“Huuuam… Puuu…”
She was using me as a pillow without the slightest guilt, sleeping like a baby. This called for some payback.
I scanned the area for something to tease her with, then looked down at my left hand. Why bother searching when I had the perfect weapon right here?
It couldn’t kill anyone, but it would ruin her mood instantly. A solid forehead flick.
“Hnnngh…”
I steadied my breathing, wrapped my trapped right arm around her waist to keep her from pulling away, then poured every ounce of strength from my body down to my fingertips. I pulled my finger back as far as it would go and snapped it forward like pulling a trigger.
THWACK!
A crisp sound rang out, followed by a refreshing jolt that spread through my entire body. All the stress I’d built up vanished in one glorious instant. I felt reborn.
“Kyaaah!”
Watching Lucia wake up instantly, clutching her head and groaning, was deeply satisfying. She’d spent all day clinging to me, acting spoiled, and now she was even sneaking over to sleep on me. Seeing her on the verge of tears felt… good.
Wait. On the verge of tears?
“Huuu…”
Was she actually about to cry? For real?
Watching her eyes well up, I felt a forgotten sense of danger surge back. Had a single forehead flick been enough to make the daughter of a marquis cry? In the original story she had some real presence, but apparently she was a total crybaby. This was bad. I’d given her my handkerchief last time and hadn’t brought another one…
‘Is there anything useful…?’
I rummaged through my pockets and felt something. The lemon-flavored candy she’d given me yesterday.
“This should work…”
There was probably something inside the candy, but stopping her tears was the immediate priority. And if eating it caused problems, she was the one who’d given it to me. She’d have it coming.
I quickly unwrapped it and tossed the lemon candy into her whimpering mouth.
“…Mmph.”
She chewed. The moment the candy hit her tongue, Lucia’s expression softened. She savored the lemon flavor as the tears that had been threatening to spill vanished like magic.
But that peace lasted only a moment. Soon enough she shook off the candy’s spell and began glaring at me with terrifying intensity.
Hey, you started it, you jerk. Why are you looking at me like that?
“Youuu come here.”
Her pronunciation was slurred—probably from the candy or just waking up—but she raised her hand, clearly intending to deliver a revenge flick.
No way in hell was I letting that happen.
I jerked my head left and right, dodging her attacks. Lucia’s competitive spirit kicked in and she pressed forward, fingers flying.
“…!”
After dodging and dodging, I eventually found myself backed against the wall. She was relentless. Most people would have given up after dozens of misses, but she was dead set on landing one.
But this had become a matter of pride. I couldn’t back down now.
‘She got me once when I was defenseless, so counterattacking is impossible…’
The wall behind me meant no more evasive maneuvers. ‘Blocking is the best option.’
Her hand would hit something, so she’d at least feel like she got a hit in. If I added a little reaction, she might feel satisfied.
Then we could smooth things over, I’d eat a lemon candy, and we’d end on a warm note.
The time between decision and action was short.
The moment I made up my mind, both of Lucia’s hands flew toward me. I caught them both perfectly.
What I hadn’t expected was—
-Crash!
Because she’d gotten too close trying to flick me, we both tumbled over, ending up in the classic romance pose: the heroine pushing down the male lead.
Even at a glance, the picture was wrong. I was half-lying against the wall, and somehow Lucia had ended up sitting on my lap.
‘Oh, shit.’
I wasn’t usually the type to swear, but lately there had been far too many occasions for it.
Just looking at our current position was humiliating enough. My upper body was completely exposed and pinned. But the real humiliation was that the wall behind me made it impossible to shift my center of gravity. I couldn’t move.
“Um… could you please get off?”
I was forced to make that embarrassing request. But what Lucia said while straddling me was, in its own way, even more mortifying.
“…Don’t wanna?”
Having confirmed I couldn’t move, Lucia pressed her thighs firmly against my waist to keep me from struggling, then slowly leaned down until her face hovered over mine.
‘This is insane.’
If I screamed “No! Stop! Help!” would someone save me? I wasn’t sure.
The closer her face got, the stronger the lemon scent became, making my head spin. Was I really about to fall for this girl, body and soul, just like the protagonists in those comics featuring the Golden Sun?
‘That would be absolutely terrible…’
I’m sorry, Mom and Dad. It looks like I won’t be able to protect my purity.
While I trembled helplessly, she drew close enough that our faces were less than ten centimeters apart. Bracing for what was coming, I closed my eyes…
“…?”
Nothing touched my face for a long time.
Wait… wasn’t she going to force a kiss?
If not, that was a relief. This wasn’t a drama, after all. I opened my eyes, reassured.
“Poo!”
The moment I did, Lucia blew gently on my lips as if she’d been waiting for it, then pulled back with a mischievous grin.
And then, to me—whose brain had frozen in shock—she said:
“It’s starting to hurt now, so I won’t flick you. Can you let go of my hands?”
“Ah… ah! S-sorry!”
I let go in a panic. Red marks from my grip remained on her wrists. I was worried I’d grabbed too hard when she pointed at her reddened wrist, then poked my cheek.
“My wrist and your cheek are exactly the same color right now.”
With that, she returned to her seat with a light chuckle, rested her chin on her hand, and gazed out the window.
‘Damn it…’
Not only had I been completely toyed with by the Golden Sun, but my face was now burning red like some lovesick teenager. And look at her expression—pure, unfiltered triumph. She had seen me completely dazed and stupid!
Yeah. I should just die. This was what it felt like to have every last shred of human dignity stripped away.
‘If there is a god…’
I prayed desperately, even knowing it was futile: that when I opened my eyes I’d be back before the forehead flick, that the feeling I’d had when she pounced on me wasn’t excitement, and that the lemon candy she’d put in my mouth yesterday contained a fast-acting poison.
‘Ugh… I’m insane!’
I hadn’t meant to go that far. I’d gotten caught up in the moment and completely overdid it.
‘I’ve never even properly held a guy’s hand before…!’
I’d always enjoyed stealing men, but I hated skinship with guys I wasn’t interested in. Even after stealing them, I rarely let them touch me. They’d come running anyway if I just kept an appropriate distance and acted like I might give them my heart. That was enough to satisfy me. There had never been a need to do anything more intimate.
‘But just now…’
Not only had he grabbed my wrist, but the way Jack looked so flustered while pinned beneath me had made the atmosphere so charged I’d nearly kissed him. Thank goodness I’d come to my senses at the last second and played it off. If I’d gone any further, it would have been a total catastrophe.
“Huu…”
I stared out the window, trying to calm my racing heart, but it kept pounding wildly as it replayed the scene. It was inevitable. A handsome man lying helplessly beneath me with two buttons of his shirt undone, wearing that desperate expression in such a seductive atmosphere—who could possibly stay calm?
Even a saint, let alone a nun, would have devoured him on the spot. It was that provocative.
‘I thought he was just a dense iron fortress…’
I had been very, very wrong. Jack must have planned this from the moment he flicked my forehead. He deliberately moved us to a secluded spot, dodged every single flick, and then lay there like he was begging to be taken. He’d seduced me.
‘Maybe even last night…’
Honestly, I hadn’t originally planned to sleep next to him. He’d just been sleeping so far to the left that the right side was empty. For some reason my own seat felt unusually cold, and I didn’t have a stuffed animal or anything to hug… so I’d simply chosen the option that could provide both warmth and comfort.
But now that I thought about it, even that seemed like something he had anticipated.
‘He’s a total fox…’
Even now, watching him sit there looking completely innocent, I could almost imagine a fluffy tail swaying at his waist. To think he could charm someone as cool-headed and sharp as me in a single moment. He wasn’t a fox—he was a full-blown enchantress.
And look at him over there with two buttons undone, showing off his collarbones. Who did he think would like that…?
“Slurp…”
Ah. Drooling.
Anyway, I’d been shaken by the unexpected situation, but my goal remained unchanged. I would seduce Jack so thoroughly that he couldn’t live without me. The difficulty seemed much higher than I’d first thought, but…
‘Well, I can manage.’
As long as I didn’t fall for him first, it was possible. And I was a woman with an iron wall. There was zero chance I would fall first. I would definitely make him kneel before me, begging me to look at him…
“Hehehe…”
While I was lost in those delightful fantasies, the train’s announcement played.
Our train will be arriving at Campbell Academy shortly. Please prepare to disembark. Thank you.
Oh, right. We were on our way to the academy.