CH 37

We got off the Ferris wheel and headed home as planned.

I had a feeling that it would be okay to take a little detour, but I was afraid to say so.

I don’t think we need to be in such a hurry.

I’ve had a lot of time to spend with her so far.

Considering that, I felt this was enough for today.

“… Hey, Haru-kun.”

“Hmm?”

We were on our way to the station after leaving the amusement park.

There was an indescribable feeling of embarrassment floating between us as we walked in silence, both of us looking down at each other.

Then, unexpectedly, Ageha made a whispering sound.

When I asked her back, she hesitantly whispered to me while fiddling with her hair.

“Can I hold your hand?”

I, who was insensitive to women’s hearts, thought, “What are you doing now?”

I had held hands with her many times before.

But when I saw her reddish face, I realized that it was different from before.

Unlike before, from now on we would be holding hands in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

It would be different from what it had been up to now.

Realizing this, I felt a bit embarrassed to hold hands, and involuntarily looked around me.

I looked around and saw young couples walking around, holding hands or holding each other’s arms.

They say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and… okay.”

I get into the swing of things, even though I feel like I’m using it in a slightly different way.

Then, I grabbed the right hand of Ageha with all the momentum I had.

“I’m sure it’s fine….I’m Ageha’s boyfriend.”

“Yeah!”

I felt a tight, firm grip.

I tried to show my manliness and said it with gusto, but it was extremely embarrassing.

While I was looking at the sky, feeling my face burning, I felt a tremor in my hand.

Her thin, soft fingers alternately intertwined with mine.

This is what is called a “lover’s connection.”

I thought and hurriedly looked at her.

Ageha was looking at me.

At first, she looked up at me with an expression of shame on her face, as if she was anxiously waiting for my reaction.

But the moment her eyes met mine, she smiled her usual teasing, provocative smile.

I was taken aback by the expression on her face, which seemed to be a mixture of the ordinary and the extraordinary.

In the end, I firmly intertwined my fingers with hers and walked straight ahead to the station.

◆

I get off at the nearest station to my hometown and walk to the house of Ageha.

It was completely dark, and the lights from the outside lamps dimly illuminated the familiar path.

I still felt flustered, probably from the train ride home.

I was so strangely nervous that I had fallen completely silent, but since we had left the station, Ageha, who was standing next to me, had been occasionally letting out a mysterious “Fuhe, fuhehe.” sound.

After the tenth time that voice leaked out, I finally turned to look at her.

“Ageha, are you okay from earlier?”

“What?”

“Your voice is leaking.”

When I pointed it out to her in a straightforward manner, she froze for a moment and then hurriedly pulled my hand away and covered her face with both hands.

“Oh, I was talking out loud…”

As if to cover up her embarrassment, she said in a slightly louder voice, “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.”

It was cute to see her like that, but it didn’t help my question of what was wrong with her at all.

As I remained silent, I caught a glimpse of her through the gap between her fingers that were covering her face.

Then, she hesitantly asked me.

“… Um, can you promise not to pull back?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah”

I nodded vaguely, wondering what on earth she was talking about.

“Um, huh? I was just thinking about it for a bit. I wondered what Haru-kun and I would do as lovers from now on. When I did that, I couldn’t help but be happy…”

“… Don’t just think about it, talk about it. I want to do a lot of things like being a lover with Ageha. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could talk like that to each other?”

The words were slipping out of my mouth.

I thought she was cute and lovely, and at the same time, I wanted to make her happy.

At my words, she froze for a moment, as if she had been caught off guard.

Then, her expression gradually changed.

The smile I love on her face.

“Yes!”

I was dazzled by her carefree smile, and I turned my face away.

Then, trying to cover up my embarrassment, I coughed and said a few words in a slightly dressed-up manner.

“… In the meantime, I think I’d like to re-hold your hand, what do you think?”

There was no reply.

Instead, I felt her hand on mine.

We didn’t exchange another word, and before I knew it, we were in front of her house.

Perhaps it was because I was so excited, but I felt as if I had arrived there in an instant.

I let go of Ageha’s hand with a sense of regret.

After opening the gate and stepping inside, she turned around with her hand on the front door.

“See you later. Haru-kun.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

After exchanging greetings, Ageha opened the door.

“Ah, Ageha. Welcome home.”

“I’m home.”

Just then, Karen was there.

Karen, who greeted Ageha, seems to have recognized my figure in the back.

Looking over Ageha’s shoulder, she called out to me.

“Hru-kun? I’m sorry that you have to sent Ageha home.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who’s been with her this long.”

“That’s right, Onee-chan. It’s Haru-kun who’s at fault.”

“Hey!”

Karen admonishes her sister, who is also smiling, but only in a token way.

After watching the exchange between the sisters, I simply said, “Well then,” and headed back to my house.

◆

As soon as I got home, I took a shower.

Then I dried my hair and ate my dinner.

When I entered my room, the short hand on the clock read the number nine.

As soon as I fell into bed, a sense of exhaustion overcame me.

A lot had really happened today.

I had a lot of fun with Ageha, but it seems that I had been so uptight that I didn’t even know it.

I pick up my phone, burying my chin in the pillow.

Then I saw a notification on Nyain.

I opened it and found a picture sent to me from Ageha.

A while after we hugged on the Ferris wheel and passed the top.

It was a picture of the two of us taken together, with Ageha hurriedly saying, “I have to take a picture.”

Between the two of us, you can see the view outside the Ferris wheel.

I was looking more at her face than at the picture.

Her reddened eyes and happy smile.

I couldn’t help but smile and save the picture.

I also received a message from her.

“Thanks for today! See you tomorrow, Haru-kun!”

For some reason, I could imagine the expression on Ageha’s face as she typed this message.

I lay down on my back, put my phone on my chest, and meditated for a while.

I reflected on the day behind my eyelids.

Then I sent a message back to her.

“I am the one who should thank you. I love you, Ageha.”

I knew I was in a strange mood today.

But I had no regrets.

I was so incredibly happy that I closed my eyes again.

Before I knew it, I had thrown myself into a dream.

It was only in the morning that I realized that I had received a phone call from Ageha.