Midnight.
Perhaps because sleeping while sitting up was never as comfortable as lying down, Yukino Yukinoshita's dream ended prematurely. The moment her dream faded, she slowly opened her sleepy eyes and woke up.
As her awareness returned, she first felt the soft weight of a blanket draped over her body. It carried a familiar scent—the faint fragrance of Kotomi Izumi—so Yukino could easily guess that Kotomi was the one who had covered her with it.
Honestly… even though her girlfriend was sitting right next to her, Kotomi still went out of her way to cover her with a blanket. Was she really not afraid of Yui getting jealous? Yukino smiled wryly at the thought, yet couldn't help but take a small breath, letting the subtle scent fill her nose.
That scent, left behind unconsciously by Kotomi, felt to Yukino like a precious treasure that must never be desecrated.
She turned to glance at the two sitting beside her—Kotomi Izumi and Yui Yuigahama. The two of them were now lying together as if sharing a bed, Kotomi's arms gently wrapped around Yui, both breathing quietly in peaceful sleep.
As Kotomi's official girlfriend, Yui had every right to sleep in her arms. Their lips were so close that it seemed a small movement could bring them together in a kiss.
Just watching them like that made Yukino wonder—would it be like this every night, a few years from now, when Kotomi and Yui are married? Would they always fall asleep side by side, in each other's arms?
After less than a minute, Yukino quickly turned her gaze away. Though the train cabin's light was dimmed to the ideal brightness for rest—dark but not too dark—seeing the two of them curled up together made her eyes feel almost painfully dazzled.
Yes, she was jealous. Yukino Yukinoshita was jealous of Yui Yuigahama.
Compared to Yui, who could fall asleep in Kotomi's arms, she felt utterly alone. She wanted to be held by Kotomi too—to rest in that same warm embrace.
But then she mocked herself inwardly. Kotomi and Yui were such a sweet couple; what right did she have to feel jealous? If there was anyone to blame, it was herself—for not realizing her feelings for Kotomi sooner, for lacking the courage to confess before Yui did.
Ever since the day she saw Yui confess to Kotomi by the fountain, that thought had often haunted her. If she hadn't gone to buy drinks back then… would it be her in Kotomi's arms now, instead of Yui?
Yukino had never been particularly interested in time-travel stories—those novels about going back to the past to change fate. She had never really understood the literary appeal of that kind of narrative.
After all, in Japan, such stories were usually commercial in nature—popular fiction rather than pure literature.
Yukino didn't dislike those novels; she even read a few from time to time. But compared to commercial fiction, she preferred literary works. Not because she wanted to learn about the era or environment the author lived in, but because reading literary novels always made her heart feel still and calm.
Once, she had described her feelings while reading to Kotomi Izumi like this:
"It feels as though the world around me goes quiet. The ticking of the clock on the wall, the time on my phone—everything seems to stop the moment I open the book. Time only starts moving again when I close it. In that stillness, it feels like even my heart stops beating for a while."
When Kotomi had listened to her explanation, she did understand what Yukino meant… though the last part had made her feel just a little uneasy.
Still, Kotomi hadn't teased her about it. Instead, she had given Yukino a nickname—one that only the two of them knew: The Literary Girl.
At the time, Yukino hadn't commented much on the title. But Kotomi could tell that she liked it.
Every time Kotomi tried to say it aloud, though, Yukino would flusteredly stop her, face blushing red as she shook her head in protest.
Back to the matter of Yukino Yukinoshita's lack of interest in time-travel novels—well, that wasn't quite accurate anymore. It would be more precise to say that she used to have no interest in that genre.
Ever since she personally witnessed Yui Yuigahama confessing to Kotomi Izumi by the fountain, followed by their kiss, Yukino had found herself gradually drawn to stories where the protagonist, for one reason or another, travels back in time to make up for regrets.
The novel Yukino had been reading before she fell asleep was also about traveling through time. It wasn't very long—just two volumes—and she was currently reading the first.
The story followed the heroine, now a company accountant, who lived a monotonous nine-to-five life, constantly working overtime until late at night.
She had never dated or found a boyfriend, because in her heart lived a boy—the novel's male lead. Even though they hadn't met in years, her feelings for him had never changed. She loved him deeply but was too timid to confess. For an entire year, she secretly loved him in silence, never daring to tell him how much she adored him.
She had thought about confessing many times, but each time she would lose her nerve before even beginning—comforting herself in her mind with the same words again and again: Next time. Next time, I'll tell him.
She couldn't even remember how many times she had made that same promise to herself.
Just as she was once again gathering her courage for that "next time," she received a letter—an invitation.
It was from him.
Excited, she opened it, only to find a wedding invitation inside. The groom was the man she had loved for an entire year. The bride was a name she didn't recognize. And she herself—she was merely a guest.
She couldn't remember how she had made it through that wedding. Sitting in her seat, she could only stare blankly at the man she loved, standing joyfully on stage beside his smiling bride.
At that moment, she realized—the sweetest candy in the world was the wedding candy from his ceremony, and the most bitter wine was the celebratory drink she had there.
She didn't know how many glasses she drank that night. She only remembered stumbling home afterward, clutching the toilet as she threw up for what felt like forever. When she finally staggered out, dazed and dizzy, she saw the man she loved standing on her balcony.
Her heart leapt. She swayed forward, wanting to reach out and hold him—just for one night, even if it meant being called a homewrecker, she just wanted to spend that beautiful night with the man she had secretly loved for so long.
But for some reason, no matter how far she walked, he still seemed so far away.
Refusing to give up, she kept moving toward him—until a sudden, searing pain shattered the haze of her drunkenness. In that instant of clarity, she realized—she had fallen from the 17th floor.
And then, she died.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back—thirteen years in the past. Back to the time when she and he were still high school classmates.
Having returned to the past, the heroine finally understood—if she kept her feelings buried, he would never know.
But she didn't know how to pursue a boy, either.
So, on her first day back—at the entrance ceremony of their high school—she got so excited she nearly tripped several times just walking. Stumbling forward awkwardly, she went straight up to him… and in front of everyone, she kissed him.
From that moment on, she and the male lead became instantly famous.
In the days that followed, the heroine pursued him in a clumsy, innocent, yet fiercely determined way.
From the moment she traveled back to her school days until the end of the first volume, the tone of the story remained lighthearted and heartwarming. The writing was fairly standard—not particularly poetic or groundbreaking—but it had a gentle, soothing quality that made the reader feel at ease.
Even scenes already read once were worth revisiting, again and again.
Yukino especially loved the novel's theme: the heroine traveling back in time to boldly chase the one she loved, doing everything in her power to mend the regrets of her past.
As she read, Yukino often found herself thinking—if she could travel through time, she wouldn't need to go back far. Just enough to return to the day Yui confessed to Kotomi. If only she could confess first—then wouldn't she be the one to become Kotomi's girlfriend?
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