Volume 4 - CH 1

Late March.

The Sunday after White Day.

“…Pardon my intrusion, Yuzuru-san.”

“Ah, come on in.”

As before, Arisa came to Yuzuru’s house.

While Yuzuru responded in the same tone as before…

Arisa seemed to be somewhat fidgety.

“…What’s wrong Arisa?　Are you concerned about something?”

Yuzuru asked her while serving coffee as she sat down restlessly.

Arisa blushed slightly and answered while playing with her flaxen hair.

“Um, you know… we’re really engaged now, aren’t we?　I mean, lovers.”

“Eh?　Ah, yeah… Well, that’s right. It’s our first date as lovers, I guess.”

If you can consider a date at home as a proper date, then this is a memorable date.

But Yuzuru, who hadn’t really thought about it, hadn’t prepared anything.

“…Did you want a proper date to commemorate?”

“No, not at all. It’s not really like that at all…”

When Yuzuru got a little worried, Arisa denied his question, waving her hands in a panicked manner.

“Um…I was wondering if being lovers would change anything… a little bit.”

“Ah… I see.”

Yuzuru couldn’t help but chuckle.

Up until now, Yuzuru and Arisa had been false “fiancées”.

But now, in name and in reality, they are real fiancées and lovers.

…but for now, it’s just a change of title.

In reality, Yuzuru and Arisa have done enough lover-like things even before they expressed their feelings to each other like this and started an official relationship.

The fact is, for now, nothing has changed.

“What do ordinary lovers do…?”

“Things like… holding hands, maybe?”

“We already do that, don’t we?”

“Well, yes.”

Yuzuru couldn’t remember when was the first time he had held hands with her.

He remembered naturally holding hands during the summer festival…

And he remembered that on New Year’s Day, he actively asked for Arisa’s hand.

(Hugging… We’ve already done that too.)

Yuzuru remembered how he had hugged Arisa at Christmas.

He remembered how warm and soft she was.

After hand-holding and hugging, the next step was…

“…Kissing, maybe.”

Arisa muttered to herself.

Then she immediately covered her mouth.

In an instant, her face turned bright red.

“N-no, T-that was just an… example. It’s not like, you know, wanting to do or anything…”

Arisa looked flustered and denied what she said.

In response to this, Yuzuru asked, his face slightly red.

“… Do you not want to?”

“N-no, I mean…”

“I think I would like to.”

Yuzuru said and took Arisa’s hand.

Then he gazed at her face.

In contrast to the blue eyes that looked straight at her, Arisa’s green jade eyes, which sparkled behind her long eyelashes, turned slightly away.

Her eyes were slightly downcast and she swept her gaze shyly.

“Um… It’s not like that, but..”

“Which is it?”

Yuzuru strengthened the power of his hands.

On the other hand, Arisa, who was being pressed by Yuzuru, looked left and right as if looking for an escape route…

Since Yuzuru was holding her hand, there was no way for her to escape.

“…”

Arisa raised her gaze slightly with a weak expression.

Looking up at Yuzuru, she moved her glossy lips.

“I w-want to do it…”

The two of them stared at each other.

It was so embarrassing and disconcerting that they wanted to look away, but somehow… they couldn’t look away from each other’s eyes.

Silence reigned in the room.

The only thing that marked the time was the beating of their hearts, beating furiously in sync with each other.

“…May I?”

Yuzuru was the first to break the silence.

In response, Arisa was… silent.

Yuzuru slowly brought his face closer to Arisa’s.

Pressing his mouth to those glossy lips…

Just before he reached the destination, Yuzuru stopped moving.

It was because Arisa pushed Yuzuru’s chest slightly with both hands.

It was very weak and not at all forceful, but…

It was a sign of rejection.

” …Did you dislike it?”

Worried, Yuzuru asked Arisa.

Arisa, on the other hand, shook her head with her face bright red.

“N-no… I don’t dislike it… It’s not that I dislike it, but…”

“But?”

Arisa turned her face down slightly and answered while looking up at Yuzuru through her flaxen bangs.

“I-It’s embarrassing…”

Arisa then hid her bright red face with her hands and quivered.

Seeing Arisa like that, Yuzuru couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

“…cute.”

“Fu~e!?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

While covering up the impression that had escaped him, Yuzuru inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

At least there was no indication that Arisa disliked or was afraid of having sexual contact with Yuzuru.

“Well, that’s true… It is embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Yuzuru uttered a sympathetic response to Arisa’s reply.

It’s not that Yuzuru’s own feelings were not entirely without embarrassment… but more than that, the desire to touch Arisa prevailed.

However, it was not his intention to bend Arisa’s will and force her to proceed.

That’s why, thinking that Arisa, out of concern for Yuzuru or fear of being disliked, might accept Yuzuru’s kiss even though she was not willing to… he expressed his understanding.

“Um, well… I-it’s not that I don’t like it, okay? It is just that …it is embarrassing…”

On the other hand, Arisa said this as if she was trying to make up an excuse.

Her expression was as if she was trying to gauge Yuzuru’s mood.

Her jade-green eyes were filled with anxiety and fear.

“Yes, I know. It’s fine.”

As if to counteract Arisa’s anxiety, Yuzuru said in a calm voice.

Then he gently stroked Arisa’s hair.

Her eyes began to dilate as if she was relieved.

Arisa relaxed her body and reclined against Yuzuru’s chest.

“…Let’s take it one step at a time. We have plenty of time.”

“Yes.”

Arisa replied in a small voice as she gripped Yuzuru’s clothes.

She then looked up at Yuzuru with upturned eyes…

” Um, shall we… practice.?”

And made such a suggestion.