Ameri Azazel had faced many trials in her life. She had stood before roaring crowds as student council president, her spine straight and her voice unwavering. She had wrestled with paperwork that threatened to consume entire afternoons. She had even–with great emotional fortitude–read scandalous human romance manga without combusting on the spot.
Yet none of those challenges compared to the indignity she currently endured.
"...Iruma." "Yes?", Iruma replied immediately, posture straight and hands folded politely in front of him like he was awaiting judgement. Ameri looked down at him. And down. And... down. Her crimson eyes narrowed, not in anger at him, but at the universe itself.
"I am...", she said carefully. "Going to kiss you." Iruma blinked. His face turned a bright, catastrophic red. Steam might as well have come out of his ears. "Y-Y-Y-You are?!", he squeaked.
Ameri straightened abruptly, fists clenched at her sides. "Yes! That is what I just said! Please don't make me repeat myself! It's hard enough as it is!" Iruma nodded frantically. "S-Sorry! I just, um, well, I... okay! I'm ready!" He shut his eyes tightly and leaned forward a little, clearly bracing himself like someone about to receive some sort of impact.
Ameri stared. The problem was pretty obvious.
Iruma... was short.
Not merely "short" in the abstract sense, but specifically, tragically shorter than her in a way that made romantic gestures deeply impractical.
She bent her knees slightly. Iruma, sensing movement, peeked one eye open. "P-President?" "I told you", she snapped, flustered. "You may call me Ameri when we are alone!" "S-Sorry, Ameri!" It didn't help with Ameri's concentration. She crouched a little more, lowering herself inch by inch. Her cape pool awkwardly behind her, and her posture was beginning to resemble a gargoyle.
Iruma tilted his head up. Their faces were still not aligned. "This is harder than I anticipated", Ameri muttered. "If this is too much, we can stop", said Iruma. "We don't have to-."
"No!", exclaimed Ameri, immediately mortified. She slapped her hands over her mouth, then coughed and composed herself. "I mean... no. I wish to do this. I simply did not account for the... logistics." She bent further. Her knees protested. Her pride screamed. Iruma watched her wobble slightly, panic overtaking his embarrassment. "Ameri! You're gonna fall!" "I will not fall!", she insisted through clenched teeth.
She leaned forward and he leaned up until their noses brushed. Both froze. Their eyes met at a distance so close that Iruma could see the faint tension in Ameri's brows, and Ameri could see every expression on his soft, earnest face.
The boy's heart was trying to escape his ribcage. "S-Sorry!", he blurted back an inch. "No, that was...." Ameri stopped herself, being flustered again. "That was acceptable." She then tried again. Her knees bent even more, but this time, her balance betrayed her. "Ah-!"
Iruma reacted on instinct, arms shooting out to steady her. He barely managed to catch her forearms, eyes wide. Ameri froze, inches from his face, crouched awkwardly, held up by him. The irony hit her like a truck.
"This is unacceptable", she whispered. Iruma gulped. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!" Ameri straightened abruptly, breaking contact and turning away, her face burning hotter than fire. "No, Iruma. This is my fault. I should not have underestimated the height disparity." She crossed her arms, cape swishing dramatically. "How do human couples manage such differences?"
Iruma hesitated. "Um... ladders?" Ameri turned sharply. "Ladders?" "Sometimes?", he added weakly. The two of them stood in silence for a moment. The Iruma suddenly perked up.
"Wait!", he said. "I have an idea!"
Ameri eyed him suspiciously. "Iruma Suzuki, your ideas have historically resulted in chaos." "This one is safe!", he promised. "I think...."
He hurried off, nearly tripping over his own feet, then returned a second later dragging a sturdy wooden chair from the corner of the room. He positioned it carefully in front of her, then stood behind it, hands on the backrest.
"If I stand on this", he said, beaming nervously. "Then we'll be the same height! Or closer at least!" Ameri stared at the chair. Then at Iruma. Then back at the chair. Her mind reeled. "You would elevate yourself... rather than ask me to crouch?" Iruma nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! After all, it's not fair that you have to always bend just because I'm short!"
Short. He said it so casually, without shame. Ameri's chest tightened in a way she did not dislike. "Iruma...." "Yes?" "That is... remarkably thoughtful." He scratched his cheek, a sheepish smile on his face. "I just want you to be comfortable."
Iruma climbed onto the chair carefully, wobbling slightly before steadying himself. Ameri looked at him at eye level, and her heart skipped. "We're the same height now", said Iruma. "Well, almost." Ameri hummed in agreement. "Indeed."
She reached out, hands resting lightly on his shoulders. He stiffened at first, then relaxed under her touch, eyes shining with nervous excitement. They were close now. Close enough that she didn't have to bend. Close enough that she didn't have to strain upward. Ameri inhaled, steadying herself.
"Do not move", she said firmly. "I-I won't!", stuttered Iruma. The demoness leaned in. Slowly. Carefully. Iruma mirrored her movement, eyes fluttering shut. Their lips met–soft, hesitant, warm. Then it lasted longer. Ameri was finally kissing her lover the way the couples she has seen in her manga do, and she was going to enjoy this moment. She wrapped her arms around Iruma and leaned in a bit closer. Iruma hooked his own arms under hers and rested his hands on her back.
When they parted, the boy was glowing like he'd won the Demon King's approval. Ameri straightened, hands covering her mouth, eyes wide. "That", she said, voice trembling just a little. "Was effective." Iruma grinned. "So the chair works?" "Yes", Ameri said decisively. "We will be keeping it." "For kissing?", he asked.
Ameri looked to the side, her cheeks reddening. "That is what its purpose was at this moment, yes." Iruma let out a laugh. That was a sound Ameri always loved. And she found it sounding more beautiful with him standing at an equal level to her ears.
