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.
âA year ago, I never thought Iâd have this relationship with you.â
Yuzuru muttered to himself.
Arisa giggled in response.
âThatâs the same for me as well⊠We used to be so awkward with each other.â
âHaha⊠We used to go on dates to demonstrate our intimacy.â
There is no need to pretend that they are close now.
As a matter of fact, they are quite intimate.
ââŠthis might be a strange thing to ask right now.â
âYes?â
âHow was it⊠back then?ăYou know, the whole going on date with me thing.â
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 thenâŠ
âI wouldnât have fallen in love with you if I wasnât having fun, would I?â
âAhaha⊠well, I guess thatâs true too.â
Yuzuru couldnât help but chuckle.
And then he scratched his cheek, half embarrassed.
âNo, well⊠I mean, playing in general entertainment facilities and such was fine. But, you know⊠didnât you think that swimming pools and such were unpleasant at first?â
âWell, thatâs⊠I did think something like âEeh!â at that time.â
Arisa said with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Going to the pool with a man who wasnât her boyfriend was a little hard.
ButâŠ
The fact that she actually went there means that she was able to overcome that hurdle.
âIn retrospect, though⊠Iâve liked you since that time.â
âEh? âŠis that so?â
As far as Yuzuru can recall, the first time he felt something like âloveâ 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.
âNo, of course⊠I didnât expect to have the relationship that we have now, butâŠâ
âButâŠ?â
âUm, I did think of you as a wonderful person.â
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.
âSo, Yuzuru, how was it for youâŠ?â
âWhat do you mean, how was it..?â
âIsnât it unfair that I told you and you didnât tell me?â
In other words, exactly one year ago from now.
This was about how he felt about Arisa.
ââŠrightâ
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 doesnât mean that he wasnât aware of Arisa as a member of the opposite sex at that earlier point.
âI might have⊠liked you too.â
âWhat do you mean you might have?â
âN-no⊠Well, I tried not to think about it too much at that time.â
Arisa was a lovely girl.
That was and still is the case⊠Of course, strictly speaking, sheâs cuter now.
It would be a bit of a stretch to say that he could never consider her as the opposite sex.
â⊠tried not to think about it?â
âIt was on the pretext of a fake engagement, after all⊠If I thought about these things too much, Iâd probably regret it, wouldnât I?â
As Yuzuru said this, Arisa raised the corner of her mouth slightly.
âSo, in the end, did you regret it?â
âThatâs exactly what I mean.â
Yuzuru answered clearly and without hesitation.
He squeezed Arisaâs hand tightly.
âIt became like I donât want to give you to anyone else⊠I ended up wanting you.â
âI-I seeâ
Perhaps it was a stronger statement than she had expected.
Arisaâs voice was a little high as she was perplexed.
ââŠ.hypothetically.â
âHmm?â
âWhat would you do if I had said âI donât want to be with you.â ?â
In response to Arisaâs question, Yuzuru gave a small smile.
âEven if you had told me that you donât like me⊠what Iâve fallen in love with is what Iâve fallen in love with. I wouldnât give up so easily.â
ââŠYou mean you would try your best to seduce me?â
âThatâs naturalâ
The corner of Yuzuruâs mouth naturally rose.
âIâll use every means to get you.â
âThatâs âŠâ
All kinds of methods.
Needless to say, Arisa could tell that this included forceful methods.
âOh no, if Yuzuru-san gets seriousâŠâ
Arisa turned her blushing face to Yuzuru.
Her eyes were moist.
She moved her lips seductively.
âI wonât be able to run away, will I?â
Needless to sayâŠ
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 âevery meansâ at his disposal.
âI have no intention of letting you escapeâŠ. from now on as well.â
Yuzuru, on the other hand, said that in a joking tone, but in all seriousness.
Then he asked Arisa.
âOr are you planning to run away?â
âNo way.â
Arisa shook her head from side to side.
âIâm also⊠not going let you escape, okay?â
Looked like they were on the same page on that front.
Yuzuru and Arisa both smiled together.
âWellâŠÂ you have already captured my stomach.â
âIâll make you miso soup at least until you die.â
âIâll be counting on you even in heaven.â
âHeaven is⊠well if there is one⊠It should be there, right?â
âThat, well⊠Weâll have to die to find out.â
As they were talking about heaven like thatâŠ
They arrived in front of Arisaâs house.
This was where they parted ways.
âThen, Arisa. Iâll see you at schoolâŠâ
ââŠplease wait.â
Arisa grabbed Yuzuruâs clothes as he tried to leave.
Yuzuru tilted his head.
ââŠWould you like to talk some more?â
As for Yuzuru, it was hard for him to leave Arisa as well.
Of course, he wanted to talk to her a little more.
âŠHowever, standing around forever talking was not an option.
âNo, well, thatâs not what I meant⊠Look, I havenât told you my request yetâŠâ
âRequestâŠ? Oh, from tennis. Yeah, yeah, I remember that.â
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.
âGeezâŠâ
âWell⊠so what is it? ⊠Iâd appreciate it if youâd go easy on me.â
When Yuzuru said thatâŠ
Arisa, for some reason, turned to the side.
She then pointed her finger at her cheek.
ââŠArisa?â
âUm, the farewell thingâŠyou know, that thingâŠâ
ââŠthat thing?â
When Yuzuru asked back in a hushed tone, Arisa turned to face him, her face turning bright red.
âLike I said, the farewell kiâŠâ
Arisa couldnât finish the words.
It was because Yuzuruâs lips were covering her lips.
ââŠ!?â
The suddenness of the situation made Arisaâs eyes go blank.
While this was happening, Yuzuru pulled Arisa tightly into his arms and hugged her.
The pleasant scent of antiperspirant tickled Yuzuruâs nostrils.
He savored Arisaâs softness and warmth with his whole body.
â⊠Hey, Yuzuru-saâŠ!â
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.
âŠIn total, it took about 20 seconds.
Yuzuru finally let Arisa go.
âWill this do?â
Yuzuruâs voice was calm.
But his face was red as he said this.
âŠHe was also embarrassed.
ââŠâ
But Arisa was even more embarrassed.
She glared at Yuzuru while her face turned bright red.
ââŠNext time, please say something before you do it.â
Yuzuru, on the other hand, smiled wickedly.
âYou were the first one to tell me to kiss you, werenât you?â
âW-what I wanted was⊠a kiss on the cheek, not on the lipsâŠâ
Yuzuru pressed his lip against the cheek of Arisa, who was voicing her protest.
âAre we good now?â
ââŠHah~.â
Arisa sighed loudly as if to deceive.
Then she turned on her heel andâŠ
Before opening the door of the house, she looked back at Yuzuru.