The car engine clicked off, leaving only the quiet hum of the street outside. You leaned toward Isagi, pressing a quick but tender kiss to his lips—soft, passionate, enough to make his breath catch. Then you pulled back, reaching for the door handle, ready to step out.

But Isagi didn’t move. He sat frozen in his seat, eyes wide, lips parted as if the kiss had short‑circuited his entire system.

"Why… why did you do that?" he asked, voice trembling with surprise.

You turned back, brows raised.

"What’s wrong with that?"

Isagi shifted uncomfortably, his hands gripping the steering wheel though the car was already off.

"I thought you wanted us to hurry up. We’re late. And then… you just kissed me."

You blinked, incredulous. Then you really understood the situation. Oh, hormones. A faint laugh escaping.

"Seriously? Just for a kiss?"

His cheeks flushed crimson as he rocked back and forth in his seat, muttering under his breath.

"My dead grandmother, my dead grandmother, my dead grandmother…"

You stared at him, confused.

"What are you doing?"

Isagi squeezed his eyes shut, his voice rushed and awkward.

"I’m trying to distract myself. If I don’t, I won’t be able to get out of the car yet."

He paused, then tried another mantra, his voice rising slightly.

"Noel Noa’s goal, Noel Noa’s goal, Noel Noa’s goal…" A beat of silence. He groaned, shaking his head. "It’s not working. I’ll just go back to my dead grandmother."

And so he kept muttering, rocking back and forth, repeating the words like a desperate chant.

"My dead grandmother, my dead grandmother, my dead grandmother…"

You sat there, half‑amused, half‑bewildered, realizing that your kiss had completely undone him. Outside, your parents’ house waited. Inside, Isagi was locked in a battle with his own flustered heart, trying to wrestle it back under control.