After the four first-year classes finished choosing opponents, they started thinking about what project contents to set so that, if drawn, their class would be sure to win.
They discussed it late into the day; even while eating lunch in the cafeteria, everyone kept turning ideas over in their heads, and only after returning to the classroom did the heated discussion resume.
By afternoon, most of it was settled, and all that remained was to use the time left to practice their own class's events diligently.
So once Yukio decided on his projects, he left straight away and told Shiina and Ibuki they didn't need to prepare his dinner that night.
Ibuki wanted to ask him something, but Shiina tugged her sleeve, signaling that they should just let Yukio do as he liked tonight.
Yukio bought ingredients and went back to the dorm building. Other classes were probably still discussing projects, so the first-year dorms were extremely quiet, allowing him to slip, nice and easy, into Karuizawa's room.
He'd been here once during the big water outage, and just like last time, Karuizawa had left without locking the door today. When Yukio walked in, he found it the same—a decidedly girlish décor.
He set out the ingredients, then stretched out on the sofa for a while, until he heard the soft click of the door. When he stepped out to look, he happened to catch Karuizawa squeezing in like a thief.
She only dared open the door a crack, afraid someone in the hall might see inside her room, then squeezed through with difficulty. You really did have to say, that was just like Karuizawa—if it were Sakura or Ichinose, they definitely wouldn't have made it through.
Karuizawa shut the door in a hurry, knocked off her outdoor shoes with a quick double kick, didn't even bother with slippers, and pat-pat-pat took two little running steps—like a swallow returning to its nest—straight into Yukio's arms. "Did you wait long?"
Her pretty face, hidden against his chest, was full of girlish delight and laughter.
"A little while. But today, you come first. Happy birthday, Kei."
March 8th—an international holiday—and also the birthday of the blonde girl before him.
The boy's clear, pleasant voice rang in Karuizawa's ear, making her feel utterly happy.
She had originally planned to have dinner out with her girlfriends, but since Yukio wanted to celebrate for her, she turned down the dinner, settling for coffee and sweets with them in the afternoon.
Even then, she'd been absent-minded; after chatting less than half an hour, she'd hurried back, leaving her girlfriends baffled.
Now, with her little head nestled to Yukio's chest, listening to that strong, utterly reassuring heartbeat, Karuizawa's own heart seemed to fall into the same rhythm. "Thank you~ I'm really so happy!"
"Back home, March 8th was usually Mom's holiday, and mine was my birthday, so my birthday dinner was always especially lavish."
"I thought after entering this school, I'd never have such a happy birthday again."
Karuizawa lifted her head from his arms and studied Yukio closely. Those sky-blue eyes radiated a dreamy attachment, and her dazzling golden hair hung down; as Yukio breathed, a few strands swayed gently—as if plucking at the surface of Yukio's heart-lake, sending ripple after ripple across it.
Catching her meaning, Yukio bent to place a light kiss, then after a moment patted her back. "Hang on—I'll go make dinner."
Since most of it was already prepped, the meal was ready quickly. When Yukio brought it out, he also set down a small sealed jar.
Which made Karuizawa intensely curious. "What's this—some special dipping sauce?"
"Pff—" Yukio was directly amused into laughing aloud. This thing wasn't for dipping at all! His laugh brought a flush to Karuizawa's cheeks and a look of displeasure.
Only then did Yukio pat Karuizawa's smooth hand, place the sealed jar in her palm, and close his larger hand over hers to help her hold it. "Your birthday present—an ointment from home. The ingredients are rare, and it's very effective for removing scars."
"!" Karuizawa instinctively clutched the jar, and in the very next second let go in a panic, afraid she'd squeeze too hard and crush it—a perfect picture of being torn between desire and fear.
Fortunately, Yukio's hand around hers kept hold of it; otherwise, with that sudden release, it would have dropped straight to the floor.
Not that a drop was anything to worry about—the jar was excellent quality. It looked like ceramic on the surface, but it had a coating outside and reinforcement within—sturdy and drop-resistant.
"R-really?" Karuizawa could hardly believe it, like someone in the midst of a beautiful dream—so beautiful she didn't dare believe, afraid that the moment she raised even the slightest hope, she would wake up…
In the past, Karuizawa might have done anything for a medicine like this.
But things were different now. With Yukio's help, she felt reborn.
The knife scar on her left abdomen no longer cast a psychological shadow; she no longer felt that fear and nausea whenever she saw it.
Still, she had new worries—worries that Yukio might mind the scar, that in summer she could only wear a school swimsuit and wouldn't dare wear a really cute one, worried about being seen.
But now—was there hope it could be removed?
"Of course." Yukio understood Karuizawa's little thoughts, moved the jar to the table, and held her again. "I don't mind the scar, but I know you still do."
"If you want to remove it, I can't just stand by."
At that, Karuizawa met his gaze and clearly caught the tender indulgence in his eyes. She hugged him back—and hugged him hard, as if she wanted to melt entirely into him, to pour her whole self into this embrace.
She felt truly happy now—not because the gift could remove that scar, but because, even though she almost never showed it, Yukio knew this wish of hers.
With hearts so in tune, she even felt an exaggerated satisfaction—this life, no regrets.
Perhaps carried by emotion, perhaps because her feelings had climbed to their peak, Karuizawa couldn't help blurting out something perilous. "Yukio-kun, I… I want to… from now on… celebrate both—birthday and holiday."
Yukio thought for several seconds, then raised a hand to stroke the single ponytail of gold at the back of her head. "We can—but could you switch to twin tails?"
Karuizawa didn't know what he was thinking and was a little curious. "I remember you told me before that you sometimes like twin tails. So it was true, huh."
With that, she obediently undid the high ponytail, then used a new hair tie to make two—twin tails that set off her own cuteness even more.
And then she understood why Yukio had made that tiny request.
...
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