Volume 5 - CH 2

The fun date passed in a flash.

The two of them changed out of their workout clothes into normal clothes and left the facility.

On the way home.

They walked down the street, holding hands.

“A year ago, I never thought I’d have this relationship with you.”

Yuzuru muttered to himself.

Arisa giggled in response.

“That’s the same for me as well… We used to be so awkward with each other.”

“Haha… We used to go on dates to demonstrate our intimacy.”

There is no need to pretend that they are close now.

As a matter of fact, they are quite intimate.

“…this might be a strange thing to ask right now.”

“Yes?”

“How was it… back then?　You know, the whole going on date with me thing.”

Regardless of now.

At the time, Arisa must not have liked Yuzuru.

As far as Yuzuru could see, she seemed to be enjoying herself in her own way even then…

“I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you if I wasn’t having fun, would I?”

“Ahaha… well, I guess that’s true too.”

Yuzuru couldn’t help but chuckle.

And then he scratched his cheek, half embarrassed.

“No, well… I mean, playing in general entertainment facilities and such was fine. But, you know… didn’t you think that swimming pools and such were unpleasant at first?”

“Well, that’s… I did think something like ‘Eeh!’ at that time.”

Arisa said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Going to the pool with a man who wasn’t her boyfriend was a little hard.

But…

The fact that she actually went there means that she was able to overcome that hurdle.

“In retrospect, though… I’ve liked you since that time.”

“Eh? …is that so?”

As far as Yuzuru can recall, the first time he felt something like “love” from Arisa was during the summer festival.

At the time of the pool, it had never occurred to him that Arisa had taken a liking to him.

“No, of course… I didn’t expect to have the relationship that we have now, but…”

“But…?”

“Um, I did think of you as a wonderful person.”

Arisa said this while looking away in embarrassment.

Then, for some reason, she glared at Yuzuru with a slightly angry expression, lifting her eyes slightly.

“So, Yuzuru, how was it for you…?”

“What do you mean, how was it..?”

“Isn’t it unfair that I told you and you didn’t tell me?”

In other words, exactly one year ago from now.

This was about how he felt about Arisa.

“…right”

When did he start to want to be the lover of Arisa?

When he thought back on it… it was still after the summer festival.

However, that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t aware of Arisa as a member of the opposite sex at that earlier point.

“I might have… liked you too.”

“What do you mean you might have?”

“N-no… Well, I tried not to think about it too much at that time.”

Arisa was a lovely girl.

That was and still is the case… Of course, strictly speaking, she’s cuter now.

It would be a bit of a stretch to say that he could never consider her as the opposite sex.

“… tried not to think about it?”

“It was on the pretext of a fake engagement, after all… If I thought about these things too much, I’d probably regret it, wouldn’t I?”

As Yuzuru said this, Arisa raised the corner of her mouth slightly.

“So, in the end, did you regret it?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Yuzuru answered clearly and without hesitation.

He squeezed Arisa’s hand tightly.

“It became like  I don’t want to give you to anyone else… I ended up wanting you.”

“I-I see”

Perhaps it was a stronger statement than she had expected.

Arisa’s voice was a little high as she was perplexed. 

“….hypothetically.”

“Hmm?”

“What would you do if I had said ‘I don’t want to be with you.’ ?”

In response to Arisa’s question, Yuzuru gave a small smile.

“Even if you had told me that you don’t like me… what I’ve fallen in love with is what I’ve fallen in love with. I wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“…You mean you would try your best to seduce me?”

“That’s natural”

The corner of Yuzuru’s mouth naturally rose.

“I’ll use every means to get you.”

“That’s …”

All kinds of methods.

Needless to say, Arisa could tell that this included forceful methods.

“Oh no, if Yuzuru-san gets serious…”

Arisa turned her blushing face to Yuzuru.

Her eyes were moist.

She moved her lips seductively.

“I won’t be able to run away, will I?”

Needless to say…

Between the Takasegawa and the Amagi, the former is much more powerful.

It would be difficult for Arisa to escape from Yuzuru, who would use ‘every means‘ at his disposal.

“I have no intention of letting you escape…. from now on as well.”

Yuzuru, on the other hand, said that in a joking tone, but in all seriousness.

Then he asked Arisa.

“Or are you planning to run away?”

“No way.”

Arisa shook her head from side to side.

“I’m also… not going let you escape, okay?”

Looked like they were on the same page on that front.

Yuzuru and Arisa both smiled together.

“Well…  you have already captured my stomach.”

“I’ll make you miso soup at least until you die.”

“I’ll be counting on you even in heaven.”

“Heaven is… well if there is one… It should be there, right?”

“That, well… We’ll have to die to find out.”

As they were talking about heaven like that…

They arrived in front of Arisa’s house.

This was where they parted ways.

“Then, Arisa. I’ll see you at school…”

“…please wait.”

Arisa grabbed Yuzuru’s clothes as he tried to leave.

Yuzuru tilted his head.

“…Would you like to talk some more?”

As for Yuzuru, it was hard for him to leave Arisa as well.

Of course, he wanted to talk to her a little more.

…However, standing around forever talking was not an option.

“No, well, that’s not what I meant… Look, I haven’t told you my request yet…”

“Request…? Oh, from tennis. Yeah, yeah, I remember that.”

Yuzuru, who had forgotten all about it, stated as if to cover it up.

On the other hand, Arisa glared at Yuzuru with fierce eyes.

“Geez…”

“Well… so what is it? … I’d appreciate it if you’d go easy on me.”

When Yuzuru said that…

Arisa, for some reason, turned to the side.

She then pointed her finger at her cheek.

“…Arisa?”

“Um, the farewell thing…you know, that thing…”

“…that thing?”

When Yuzuru asked back in a hushed tone, Arisa turned to face him, her face turning bright red.

“Like I said, the farewell ki…”

Arisa couldn’t finish the words.

It was because Yuzuru’s lips were covering her lips.

“…!?”

The suddenness of the situation made Arisa’s eyes go blank.

While this was happening, Yuzuru pulled Arisa tightly into his arms and hugged her.

The pleasant scent of antiperspirant tickled Yuzuru’s nostrils.

He savored Arisa’s softness and warmth with his whole body.

“… Hey, Yuzuru-sa…!”

Arisa twisted her body and closed her lips again in protest.

As if to show that he will not let her go, 

He embraced her tightly.

Then pressed his lips to hers.

…In total, it took about 20 seconds.

Yuzuru finally let Arisa go.

“Will this do?”

Yuzuru’s voice was calm.

But his face was red as he said this.

…He was also embarrassed.

“…”

But Arisa was even more embarrassed.

She glared at Yuzuru while her face turned bright red.

“…Next time, please say something before you do it.”

Yuzuru, on the other hand, smiled wickedly.

“You were the first one to tell me to kiss you, weren’t you?”

“W-what I wanted was… a kiss on the cheek, not on the lips…”

Yuzuru pressed his lip against the cheek of Arisa, who was voicing her protest.

“Are we good now?”

“…Hah~.”

Arisa sighed loudly as if to deceive.

Then she turned on her heel and…

Before opening the door of the house, she looked back at Yuzuru.

Then with an angry look on her face, she said.

“You’re forgiven.”