Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 4===

The round wall clock's hands were nearing eleven o'clock at night. The living room, furnished in light brown, was quiet and filled with a familiar atmosphere. Naoto poured himself a cup of Earl Grey milk tea from a borrowed mug and sat down on the white sofa in front of the large TV. He stared blankly at the blank LCD screen.

This wasn't Naoto's home. It was Haruka's.

Originally, he was supposed to stay at home, semi-camping in his relatively undamaged bedroom, while Raquel stayed with Haruka. But Haruka had strongly insisted that he couldn't allow that, and so he had ended up staying at her place.

The Haruka family occupied the entire top floor of the apartment building, so there was more space and more rooms than Haruka and her mother, Yuki, needed. Naoto was allowed to use one of the spare rooms.

Currently, Haruka was in the bath with Raquel. Well, Haruka thought they were enjoying themselves together, but Raquel had protested that she felt uncomfortable with her pale, tense face. However, Haruka had insisted that she endure it as part of her lodging fee.

Left alone in the living room, Naoto was leisurely enjoying his before-bed tea. The tea in the cup was still warm, and as he sipped it, the soft scent of milk and the bergamot of the Earl Grey filled his nose. The tea leaves were a bit old, but the aroma was still strong. It must have been well-preserved. But Naoto's mood was anything but calm. When given such a quiet night, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened.

(Thinking back, I only met Raquel yesterday...) He sighed deeply, leaning back against the sofa and gazing up at the ceiling. It was hard to believe, but he had met Raquel, seemingly died and come back to life, seen magic in the abandoned apartment complex, been nearly killed by Valkenhayn in the city, found Clavis waiting for him at home, and then his house had been half-destroyed by Clavis, Valkenhayn, and Relius. On top of that, that strange woman, Kiiro, had broken into his house. All of this had happened yesterday and today.

"Ah... My head is about to explode," he muttered. Naoto put his cup down on the table and lay down on the sofa. There was too much going on, and he couldn't sort it all out. The events were swirling around in his head, but that was all. The only thing he could understand was that he had been caught up in something completely insane. Sighing again, Naoto lifted his right arm and looked at it. He rolled up the sleeve of his T-shirt.

(I think... it was cut around here.) 

He could roughly pinpoint the location, but when he looked at it, he couldn't tell where his own arm ended and the artificial one began. There was no strange feeling when he touched it. It was an arm made from Raquel's blood, modified in some way by Clavis.

"A vampire... an immortal... a threat," he murmured. He let his guard down, speaking out because Haruka wasn’t there. Even now, when he looked in the mirror, he could clearly see the number "0" above his head. It was a sign that he had changed. But he didn’t feel that he was “not a normal human.” Perhaps it was because of his peculiar eyes; he had never thought of himself as “normal” to begin with. Now, he simply had the added trait of regenerative abilities. He felt that he, Naoto Kurogane, hadn't changed that much.
 
But that was only for a year.

In a year, Naoto would change. He would become something other than human. Something other than Naoto Kurogane. He had no idea what form he would take or what kind of monster he would become.

“Azure…” He lowered his raised arm limply and covered his eyes, unconsciously speaking the name. If he had the Azure, he could return to being a normal human. He could live beside Haruka as he always had. He could remain unchanged. But if he really had the Azure, would that solve everything? After all…

(Does the Azure even really exist…?)

He had no idea where it was or what it looked like. There was almost no information available. Raquel had said the same. What also troubled him was that woman from the Mitsurugi Agency, Kiiro Hikagami.

“Hikagami… there’s no way she’s just a coincidence.”

Everything felt so confusing. He was exhausted. He was even tired of thinking… Naoto felt the weight of his arm as he sank deeper into slumber, gradually slipping into sleep.

...He could hear singing.

While still half-conscious, lost in the drowsiness that was melting his senses, Naoto muttered to himself.

(Ah, I… must have been asleep.)

As he wandered the boundary between dream and reality, he understood. The sound he heard was a lullaby. It wasn’t really a lullaby, just a simple children’s song, but Naoto knew someone who always thought of it as a lullaby.

It was Haruka.

Originally, it seemed her mother, Yuki, had sung it to her as a lullaby. That’s why Haruka always sang it when lullabies were mentioned. The gentle melody invited sleep, a sweet song.
Drawn by that voice, Naoto suppressed his desire to sleep fully and slowly opened his eyes.

“...Whoa. You surprised me,” he exclaimed without thinking. The first thing that caught Naoto's eye when he opened his eyes was Haruka's pink pajamas. The thin fabric softly bulged outward, her breasts partially blocking his view of her face. Because of that, he couldn’t immediately see her expression.

The distance to the curves was surprisingly close, and if Haruka bent down even a little, they seemed like they would fall right onto Naoto’s face. More than that…

(I never really noticed before, but... she has surprisingly large breasts.)

The silhouette visible through the pink fabric looked different from when it was supported by a bra. She probably wasn't wearing one. Thinking that, Naoto couldn’t help but be distracted by the mounds so close to his face.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" Noticing him, Haruka stopped singing and looked down at him from between her two generous breasts. Naoto jumped slightly. ...They swayed.

"No. You should wake me up. I haven't taken a bath yet," he said casually, avoiding her gaze.

It was then that he realized his situation. He must have fallen asleep on the sofa and Haruka, having just come out of the bath, had found him and used her knee as a pillow.
No wonder his head felt warm. The scent of soap and shampoo made his fingertips tingle slightly.

Haruka had her hair down. It had been a long time since he had seen her like that. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he had spent the night in this house.

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"I thought you looked tired. Oh, but I was going to wake you up at twelve."

“R-really?” Naoto replied casually, but he was unsure of what to do. Should he wake up or just stay like this? It felt awkward to force himself awake and push Haruka away, but remaining in this position was also uncomfortable.

As if gently calming Naoto's thoughts, Haruka's hand brushed through his hair. She sank her fingers into his locks like she was soothing a child, stroking his hair slowly. Without thinking, Naoto let out a deep breath. Haruka's touch felt strangely comforting. Pushing aside feelings of shyness or embarrassment, he found himself at ease with the soft sensation of her hand.

Listening to the gentle sound of her fingers running through his hair, Naoto looked up at Haruka with a furtive glance. Once the explanation from the Mitsurugi Agency was over, it was determined that the chaos in Naoto's room was caused by an accident involving a drone. He thought it was a ridiculous and far-fetched story, but Haruka accepted it. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say she had no choice but to accept it. It was just as impossible to affirm it as it was to deny it. That was the logic they had presented.

Haruka didn’t remember anything about Clavis. According to Raquel, that was part of the magic. So far, there were no signs of any abnormalities in Haruka. Given what Clavis had done, it seemed unlikely that there would be any negative effects in the future. At least, that’s how Naoto felt.

“It feels nostalgic having you stay over at our place, Nao-kun.” With a soft smile, Haruka murmured as she continued to stroke his hair. 

"..... It's been about three years, hasn't it?" Naoto replied, nodding. 

Haruka nodded vigorously. It wasn't the last time he had stayed over. Until three years ago, Naoto had lived in this house. But he had asked to move to a different room.

"Why don't you just live with me again? There's a spare room," Haruka said, her tone tinged with a hint of sincerity. Naoto furrowed his brow.

"Hey, that's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Why not... well, we're both adults now. It would be... complicated."

"It wouldn't be," Haruka replied, her answer unexpectedly quick and straightforward.

"Huh...?" Was it his imagination? Haruka's voice seemed unusually serious, and Naoto replied in a dumbfounded tone. Looking up at Haruka, he saw that she was staring at him intently. Her large, dark eyes seemed slightly moist, perhaps due to the warmth of her body after her bath.

The gentle hand that had been stroking Naoto's head in a steady rhythm suddenly stopped, as if holding its breath.

“I’m not troubled at all. What about you, Naoko-kun... are you troubled?”

"Haruka..." Naoto tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. Above Haruka's upturned face, the number was rising. It was 20. Haruka's hand, which had been in his hair, slowly, hesitantly, and timidly touched Naoto's cheek. Her fingertips were warm.

“Naoko-kun, I…” She probably hadn’t intended to finish that sentence. Or perhaps her emotions had overwhelmed her. She slowly closed her eyelids. Her long eyelashes lifted at the tips, and her eyes seemed to be drawn to Naoto, as if she were trying to embrace something very important.

The scent of soap made him dizzy. The soft chest touching his cheek conveyed the steady beat of the heart hidden within it. The pounding heartbeat was a sign of tension. Was this heartbeat Haruka’s or his?

(Oh no, this is bad)

He couldn't resist the current that seemed to be pulling him down. He couldn't even think about whether he should resist it. Just as he breathed in…

"What are you two doing?" A voice, so innocent and casual, interrupted them, and Naoto's heart, which felt like it was about to burst from the tension, actually felt like it had burst.

“Wha—!?” Naoto hurriedly twisted his body and slipped off the sofa—or rather, fell off from his back. He hit the floor harder than he expected and writhed in pain. Meanwhile, Haruka looked around nervously, her face flushed bright red, and hurriedly got up.

"R-r-r-Raquel!" Her tongue got tangled, and she tilted her head in confusion. Raquel looked at the flustered Haruka curiously and tilted her head in the opposite direction. Sliding down the floor, Naoto moved a couple more steps away from the sofa and pressed his hand against his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart.

(That was a shock... That was a shock, and it was dangerous too...)

Just a few seconds ago, right there, on the sofa where he had sat countless times with Haruka watching TV, what was about to happen? Naoto's brain was sending out danger signals, telling him not to think about it. But he couldn't help it.

Just now, he and Haruka had…

“By the way, Haruka, Naoto, there’s something I want to ask you,” Raquel said, clearly noticing something was off with both Haruka and Naoto, her curiosity piqued.

"She probably just sees me as a plaything. Oh well," Raquel said indifferently, losing interest and turning her attention to her own business. She tossed her still slightly damp blonde hair over her shoulder like a veil, letting it shimmer in the living room light. Then, she turned and pointed.

“Who is that woman?”

"Huh?" Naoto and Haruka both looked in the direction Raquel was pointing, toward the living room entrance. There, hidden in the shadow of the door between the hallway and the living room, was a woman. She had short, bright brown hair that almost looked orange, and she was wearing a pantsuit. Her eyes were narrowed as she watched them with a curious gaze. 

Naoto was speechless and nearly fainted at the sight of her, while Haruka blushed even redder and cried out, "M-Mom!"

The woman there was Haruka's mother, Yuki Hayami.