Saki suddenly stopped.
The sound of her footsteps ceased all at once as she lifted her head and looked straight into Hiroki's eyes.
It was as if… she wanted to hear something from him. Something hidden deep in his heart, yet still unspoken.
Hiroki was surprised. He couldn't understand why Saki had stopped with such a serious expression.
The silence grew heavier.
Finally, Saki parted her lips.
"So," she said softly, "what's my reward?"
Hiroki froze for a moment.
Reward?
There wasn't really any reward. He had never thought she would take it this seriously.
What should I even say now… I haven't thought that far, he thought to himself.
Then he forced a small smile.
"Well… are you curious about your reward?" he said.
He put his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat.
"I can't tell you yet because…"
Before he could finish, Saki's face darkened slightly.
A hint of sadness appeared at the corner of her lips, and her gaze slowly fell to the ground.
Hiroki took a deep breath.
"Your reward… will be something really nice," he said. "But it's not ready yet. I promise I'll give it to you soon."
Saki lowered her head and quietly murmured, "Okay…"
At that moment, Hiroki's chest tightened.
I think I disappointed her…
He took a step closer and whispered,
"I don't want you to be sad, Saki… I'll make it up to you."
But Saki suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.
Hiroki's breath caught.
It was so sudden, so sincere, that he could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat.
After a few seconds, he managed to collect himself…
and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Time seemed to stand still.
Only the echo of their heartbeats existed between them.
Then Saki pulled away.
Her cheeks were bright red, her eyes darting away.
"Today was really fun… thank you," she said shyly.
She turned around and started walking away.
But after a few steps, she looked back again.
"Until I get my reward… I won't accept the next mission!" she said, then quickly ran off.
Hiroki stood there, watching her go.
What am I going to do now… she was actually serious.
Saki soon arrived in front of her house.
As soon as she closed the door, she threw herself onto her bed.
She buried her face in her pillow and took a deep breath.
"Why did I hug him… ah, that's so embarrassing!" she muttered, her face burning red.
But after a while, a small smile crept onto her lips.
She hugged her pillow tightly.
And in that moment… she began to recall every second of the day—Hiroki's gaze, his voice…
Her heart whispered softly—
Maybe this feeling… is more real than I thought.
That night, Hiroki was getting ready for bed, planning to go to school the next day.
Just as he was about to turn off the light, his phone buzzed.
The name on the screen was familiar: Miyuki.
He hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"Hello, Miyuki. I didn't expect you to call this late," he said in a tired voice.
Miyuki's cheerful voice rang through immediately.
"Hey, Saki! What's up?"
Saki smiled, leaning back against her pillow.
"I'm fine, Miyuki. How about you? Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. But tell me—did you have fun today?"
Saki chuckled softly. "Yeah, it was really fun…"
"Of course it was~ that's just how we are," Miyuki teased. "You're home now, right?"
"Yeah, I just got back."
Miyuki's tone suddenly changed.
"So… is Hiroki with you?"
Saki blinked in surprise.
"What? Of course not, why would he be?"
"I know, I'm kidding." Miyuki giggled. "He just told me how he convinced you to go out to eat. But I guess… he still hasn't given you your reward, huh?"
Saki's eyes widened.
"Yeah… I actually thought the reward was the dinner."
"Nope, that's not it." Miyuki's tone turned teasing again.
"He really wants to give you a reward. He's texting me right now, asking what you might want."
Saki swallowed hard.
"W-what could I even ask for?"
"I don't know. You tell me. He said it could be anything."
"I… really don't know, Miyuki."
Her voice softened, shy and flustered.
"Honestly, I've been avoiding him ever since…"
"Ahaha, classic you," Miyuki said, clearly smiling.
"Alright, think about it. We'll talk tomorrow at school. Good night~"
Before Saki could reply, the call had already ended.
She stared at the screen in silence for a while.
Then she thought to herself,
I wonder what the reward will be…
She leaned back against her pillow.
But… a stuffed bear wouldn't be bad, right? she thought, smiling faintly.
She thought about texting Miyuki again, but remembered how abruptly the call ended and gave up.
"Ahh… how am I supposed to sleep now, with all this curiosity…" she murmured to herself.
She slipped under the blanket, a strange excitement fluttering in her chest.
Closing her eyes, she eagerly awaited tomorrow.
Morning came.
Saki woke up early and got ready for school, still thinking about the same thing:
The reward… what could it be?
She looked in the mirror, fixing her hair, a small smile forming on her lips.
She felt a little better than usual.
As she walked through the school gates, her heart was beating fast.
When she opened the classroom door, a familiar sound reached her ears—
A guitar melody.