Chapter 111 – Starry

"Okay, that should do it."

Takei clicked send on a text that was directed towards all of the other members of the beach excursion group.

It was a detailed text asking for some forgiveness because he wanted to spend tonight alone with Akari.

As if they were already expecting this, all of the members replied back with a thumbs up emoji and some encouraging words.

I have some good friends.

Takei smiled to himself and then turned off his phone as he took in the vast landscape in front of him.

There was a hill nearby the hotel that they were staying at, which overlooked the whole beach area and gave a great view for the surroundings around them.

Beforehand, Takei had researched the area online and found this place on accident which ended up working wonders for him since he wanted Akari to have a good time.

After Takei had scooped Akari up, they went to the hill and finally reached the area just before the moon finally made its appearance in the night sky.

Once they reached the top of the hill, both of them laid down on the soft grass and stared silently into the ephemeral night sky.

There was a calming silence that was neither awkward or forced, which brought a smile to Takei's face.

"Y'know, I didn't think I could ever be this happy and content with life."

Dispersing the silence, Takei began to tell Akari about the happiness inside of his heart.

"You, Akari Akazawa, have been the catalyst to this big change in my life, and I will forever be grateful. That's why..."

As Takei's voice began to trail off, Akari noticed that there was something changing in the night sky.

The previously dim black sky was now lit up with tiny stars that illuminated the whole world around them.

Typically, stars would not be that vibrant and noticeable at night, but tonight was a different case.

Tonight's unusually bright starry sky was surely a phenomenon that Akari had never seen before.

"Have you noticed the absence of all the streetlights? The reason why the stars are so vibrant in this location is due to the lack of light pollution in the area."

Looking around, Akari realized what Takei was talking about.

In the beach-side town, there were almost no lights that were visible from her current location.

"The town will periodically switch on and off the lights during the night, as well as staggering the turn on times for the lighting and turning off unnecessary lights, in order for a reduction in light pollution to happen."

Explaining why such a beautiful phenomenon had happened, Takei happily blessed Akari with his wisdom.

Akari's eyes sparkled as she took in the beautiful scenery that Takei had introduced to her.

The vast night sky with twinkling stars was something that everyone dreamed of, but few got to ever truly experience.

With a warm feeling in her heart, Akari turned towards Takei and gently smiled at him.

"Thank you for showing me this."

A short and sweet response to Takei's goodwill was all that Akari needed to say, in order for her message to get across.

"No problem, I just felt like it was something that I needed to show you before we left."

Takei cusped Akari's cheek with his left hand as he stared adoringly into her eyes.

"I love you, truly. You are the brightest star in my life."

He ever so carefully rubbed the palm of his hand against Akari's soft face to ensure that his heartfelt emotions would get through.

Sure enough, his feelings did get through to her.

"It's the same for me, I can't even begin to tell you how much love this heart holds for you."

Akari earnestly replied to his sincere feelings with some of her own.

She then leaned her forehead against Takei's forehead and let out a happy sound.

Seeing her lovingly nuzzle against him caused Takei to feel a great amount of endorphins surge throughout his body.

They were rapidly exiting his body which ended up leaving him with a surplus of happiness.

I have seen the light. I can die happy now.

Takei cheerfully responded to Akari's nonverbal request to spoil her with his classic combo of head patting, hugging, small kisses, and basic skinship.

While the romantic mood was steadily building, a single and random thought came to Takei's mind.

"It's almost like destiny brought us together..."

"You sure it wasn't because of the rain?"

"That too."

Takei wondered if destiny had played a part in bringing him and his soulmate together, even while Akari had refuted his idea with hard logic.

Seeing the confused expression that was on Takei's mind made Akari slightly chuckle.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Destiny or not, we still met each other and fell in love. That's something that won't change."

Akari decided to explain to Takei about the true root of their romance, in order to assuage Takei's ridiculously curious mind.

"Hm, I guess you're right. I can't imagine being with anyone else than you."

Takei was once again convinced of their eternal and undying love after Akari showed her cool side to him.

Both of them got even closer to each other and were brought into an even tighter embrace as a result.

With the stars shining brightly above them, the two lovebirds peacefully fell asleep in each other's arms and brought the eventful night to a close.

---

Idiot Couple Meter: 74 -> 77%

Destiny is their best friend.

Serious-san: We reached the end of the arc already?

Sugar-chan: Yep, we're moving forward to the next one now!