“We’re here. Get out.”

“.....”

Miyuki just stares blankly ahead.

Considering we’ve been holding hands for nearly five minutes, it’s

understandable.

I’m tense myself; I can only imagine how she must feel.

I’ve held Miyuki’s hand a few times before—like when we went to the hospital

after I was beaten, or when we stood up after eating lunch on the rooftop. But

back then, it was more of a light grip; we weren’t sharing each other’s warmth

or feeling the sweat form on our palms like today.

My current feelings...

They can only be described as “fluttering.”

After a moment spent gathering my whirlwind emotions, I snap my fingers in

front of her.

Snap!

“Uh...?”

Focus returns to Miyuki’s eyes, her gaze darting around as if waking up from

hypnosis.

So, what does that make me, a hypnotist? Not a bad role-play, I guess.

I break into a slight grin and say, “I told you, we’re here.”

“Already?”

“Why, you wanted it to last longer?”

“What? No, why would I...!”

Miyuki, visibly flustered, grabs her handbag. She opens the passenger door,

steps out of the car, and looks back at me.

“...Matsuda-kun, um...”

“What is it?”

“No, never mind... Just go safely.”

Hesitating, she speaks in a muted tone.

Are you hiding something?

Whatever it is, it’s definitely not bad if it involves me, right?

With a knowing smile directed at Miyuki, I drive away.

Inside the car, a subtle scent of plum wafted through the air.

It came from my right hand, the one that had been holding Miyuki’s.

Did we just share hand… cream?

Chuckling to myself like some kind of pervert, I immediately called Miyuki as

soon as I got home.

After a few rings,

-“Yeah, Matsuda-kun. What is it?”

Miyuki picked up the phone. Judging by the echo in her voice, was she in the

bathroom?

If you’re about to take a shower... can you send me a nude pic?

“Why does it have to be, ‘What is it?’ I called you just because.”

-“Ah... are you home?”

“Yeah. What are you up to?”

-“I was about to take a shower... did you get home okay?”

So she really was in the bathroom.

Her voice seems particularly cautious today. She sounds like she’s so shy she

could die, but that reaction isn’t so bad either.

“I just got in.”

-“I see... You didn’t forget about our dinner, did you?”

“You mean the one your parents invited me to?”

-“Yes.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

-“So, would you like to come over this weekend?”

Look at that forwardness. Extending my hand during the car ride was the right

move.

“You should check with your parents first.”

-“They said anytime is fine.”

“Alright, then. Saturday? Or Sunday?”

-“Hmm... Saturday seems good.”

“Got it. I’ll keep my schedule open.”

-“You’re usually free, Matsuda-kun. Why pretend to be busy?”

Miyuki starts to tease me a bit. Annoyed, I retort,

“Are you picking on me again? Want me to scold you?”

A tiny laugh comes from the other end of the phone. She must be feeling more

relaxed. Once she lies down in bed, she’ll probably start thinking about the

fact that we held hands.

Going forward, just seeing something like a carousel will probably remind her

of today’s events. For example, like the merry-go-round at the playground.

-“Sorry. I need to take a shower, so I’ll contact you later.”

“Alright.”

-“You’re always ticking away... like a fool.”

“What? Hey, you—”

Click.

Before I could even finish my sentence, Miyuki hung up on me.

Cheeky. I’ll make a mental note of that.

**

“Miyuki.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you seem so out of it today? Did you stay up late studying last

night?”

At Tetsuya’s question laden with concern, Miyuki, who had been trudging along

with slouched shoulders, shook her head from side to side.

“It’s just... I have a lot on my mind.”

Miyuki had dark circles under her eyes since she left her home. A clear sign

she didn’t sleep well. She probably stayed up until dawn, lost in her

thoughts.

For a moment, Miyuki’s gaze darted in my direction. After scanning the

expression on my face, she let out a small sigh. Considering she has so much

weighing her down, she must find my serene demeanor vexing.

“You should catch some sleep before class starts.”

At Tetsuya’s considerate suggestion, Miyuki managed a weak smile and

responded.

“I’m fine... but thanks for worrying about me.”

“Alright... Should I get you a warm drink then?”

“In this weather?”

“Maybe not, huh?”

Listening to their fruitless conversation, I silently followed behind. Then, I

discreetly opened the front pocket of Miyuki’s bag and slipped in a jelly.

Soon, we made our separate ways to our lockers in the hallway.

After pulling out my textbooks for class and entering the classroom, I noticed

Miyuki, already seated, holding the jelly in her hand.

She was gripping a packet adorned with a big plum drawing. When she saw me,

she broke into a genuine smile, a sight so enchanting it was hard to look

away.

I settled into my seat with a deliberately unimpressed expression just as my

phone buzzed.

[Thanks for the jelly, but don’t go opening other people’s bags.]

A message so like Miyuki, who has a bit of a righteous streak, had arrived.

Suppressing a chuckle, I tapped out a reply on the keypad.

[Give it back then.]

[Nope.]

Along with her firm refusal, arrived an emoticon of a cute rabbit smiling.

Lifting my head slightly to look at Tetsuya, I see he’s absorbed in his book,

oblivious to everything else.

It’s oddly thrilling, as if I’m secretly dating Miyuki.

Leaning back in my chair and stretching, I hear,

“You’ve been coming in early these days, Matsuda.”

Startled, I straightened up and responded to the professor, who seemingly

appeared out of nowhere.

“I’m a student, after all.”

“Does that mean you were not a student last semester when you were making a

habit of being late and absent?”

Well, I was trash back then. Still am, to be honest.

As I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck, soft chuckles erupted from

various corners of the classroom.

Even if I’m not well-regarded among other classes or upperclassmen, in this

classroom at least, the walls people have built up against me have

considerably lowered.

It’s nice, I suppose, but there’s a tinge of bitterness—like I’m losing my

identity.

**

Miyuki’s head slowly rises and then abruptly falls—her drowsy nods are

adorable.

“Should I wake her? We need to go eat...”

Tetsuya pondered as he watched Miyuki’s slumbering figure.

“We’ve got plenty of time, let’s let her sleep a bit more.”

“Alright. I’ll run to the convenience store. I should probably get her some

kind of energy drink or something.”

“Good idea.”

After sending him off, I walk up to Miyuki and my eyes catch something

interesting. A doodle is sketched in the corner of the notebook on her desk.

The female character gracefully declines the date request from the male

character who looks like a mischief-maker.

It was a charming doodle, making use of the pre-printed letters in the

top-right corner of the notebook meant for the date and page number.

As I looked closely at the drawing, I couldn’t help but smile.

It was clear at a glance.

These male and female characters represented Miyuki and me.

If there’s a flaw, it’s that the drawn characters have different hairstyles

from reality... But it was likely an unavoidable choice to capture the

adorable art style.

‘Quite skillful.’

It seems hastily drawn, but the quality is good.

She was scribbling something during the break in the third period; she must

have been drawing this.

It’s so adorable, it’s driving me mad.

As I gently gazed at Miyuki, who was lightly dozing with her mouth slightly

open, I pulled the textbook over to cover the drawing.

“Hmm...”

Did she sense my movement?

Miyuki’s eyes fluttered open.

Rubbing the corners of her eyes, she looked around.

“Why is everyone gone?”

“It’s lunchtime.”

“Really...? What about class?”

“You dozed off. Don’t you remember?”

“I, I didn’t know... Why did the professor just leave me?”

“You started dozing off about five minutes before the class ended. The

professor said to just let you be.”

She let out a sigh of realization. “Ah...”

“Tetsuya-kun...?”

“He went to the store to buy you some energy drink.”

“Really? He didn’t have to do that...”

Miyuki trailed off, beginning to organize her desk.

Then she noticed that her textbook covered her notebook, and her expression

turned puzzled.

It was as if she couldn’t remember whether she had covered the notebook or

not.

I should pretend I didn’t notice.

Maybe I’ll tease her about it when we hang out at her place over the weekend.

“Why are you fidgeting?”

Caught off guard by my question, Miyuki twirled her hair between her fingers.

“Ah, no... I’m just hungry...”

“When Miura gets back, let’s go eat.”

“Sure... oh, Matsuda-kun, this...”

Rummaging through her desk drawer, Miyuki pulled out a small container and

offered it to me.

Upon opening it, I found three cookies inside.

“What’s this? Cookies?”

“... You gave me cake, so I wanted to give you a thank-you gift. The top one

is chocolate, the middle one is cranberry, and the bottom one has nothing in

it.”

“Alright... I’ll enjoy them.”

“If it’s not enough, just tell me... I have more at home.”

I was about to grab a cookie when I hesitated.

A thought fleetingly crossed my mind.

‘She has more at home?’

Inspecting the cookies, I noticed that the edges were slightly uneven and

protruding.

They were cute enough, but not exactly a masterpiece. Clearly not something

you’d sell in a store.

That left only one possibility: Miyuki had made these cookies herself.

“Hey, Miyuki.”

“What is it?”

“Did you make these?”

“Yeah... they don’t look great, do they? But they taste good, so try one.”

Was it because of these cookies that you’ve been whining so much today, and

even dozing off in class? And when you hesitated before getting out of the car

yesterday... was it because you wanted to ask if I liked cookies?

I’m touched by the effort. It makes the cake I bought for her seem even more

worth it.

I looked into Miyuki’s eyes, shining with anticipation, and took a bite of the

chocolate cookie. I began to chew with gusto. She asked, seemingly perturbed:

“Why are you eating it like you’re going into battle?”

Having swiftly devoured one cookie, I nodded.

“I was hungry. This is incredibly good.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it is. Bring all the ones you have at home tomorrow.”

Miyuki recognized the sincerity behind my brusque words. Her tired face

instantly brightened.

“I can give them to you when you come over for dinner this weekend.”

“What about tomorrow? You want me to starve?”

“Starve? These are just snacks...”

“Do you really take all my words that seriously?”

“How could I not take it seriously when you look so serious...! Anyway, I’m

glad you enjoyed them. I should let Tetsuya-kun try them and get his opinion.”

She’s saying something I can’t just let slide.

“Why would you give them to Miura?”

“Yes? Well, I made a lot, so naturally...”

“Weren’t these made for me?”

“Well, yes, but I can also give them to a close friend...”

Tetsuya isn’t a friend, he’s a rival, okay?

I glared at Miyuki for a moment, then relented.

“Fine, you can share them. But make sure you save some for me,” I said, and

after a second, added—a little more generously. “Then just give him one.”

“...Why are you so stingy?”

“One.”

“Matsuda-kun, do you realize how childish you’re being right now?”

“One and a half. No more than that.”

“Isn’t it better to give one than to give half more...? Not that I’m saying I

will.”

“Fine, then. One it is.”

“This is ridiculous...”

“Anyway, what time should I come over on Saturday?”

When I swiftly shifted the topic, Miyuki quickly responded.

“Ah, I asked my mom about it this morning. She said noon should be fine. How

does that work for you?”

“Noon? Doesn’t matter. I’ll come at noon, then.”

“Right. And you do know noon means 12:00 PM, not 1:00 PM?”

She still remembers the ignorant mistake I made during vacation. Must have

left quite an impression.

Wearing a resigned expression, I wordlessly ate the second cookie.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵