Kiyono set down the meat bun, considered the girl's worries, and said slowly, "Effort in love might yield no results—and might even annoy the other person. But without effort, there will definitely be no results."
"It's like running: if you don't even have the courage to stand on the track, how can you possibly succeed?"
The gloom between the girl's brows seemed to lift.
So that's how it is.
"It turns out I did stand on the track."
She felt a little less afraid.
Creak, creak.
The swings made a cheerful sound.
Children's playful figures were already darting about in the distance.
"Thanks, Kiyono. It's a good thing I ran into you today."
She spoke vaguely.
"Hmph, I—I didn't do this especially for you; it was just for the meat bun."
She feels… not as tsundere as Yanami.
Lemon swung high, her dazzling smile seeming to sweep away the dark clouds in the sky.
"By the way, you still owe me a favor."
Kiyono pulled a mischievous face, eyeing the girl like a minor villain who wouldn't last two episodes.
"It's okay, I trust you. Whatever you ask, I'll do it!"
She agreed cheerfully; Yanami had often told her about Kiyono's pure love stories.
Damn it, what's with this inexplicable sense of defeat…
The creak of the back seat under shifting weight was exceptionally clear.
Yakishio Lemon sat in the back, one slender finger pointing forward like a pirate sighting treasure. "Let's go!"
"Why do I have to take you home too…?" Kiyono pedaled, looking glum.
"Because I can't run anymore."
The athletic girl answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, one hand curiously testing the muscles at his waist.
The bicycle wobbled. Kiyono's eye twitched. Mind the distance between men and women! Learn from Yanami!
…Wait, if she learned from Yanami, she'd already be beyond saving, wouldn't she?
Somewhat used to it by now, Kiyono kept a straight face and continued his role as an emotionless driver.
Under the heavy clouds, the girl took a Snickers from her pocket and bit into it, her warm knee brushing his waist by accident.
As she ate, she hummed an off-key jingle, her warm breath skimming his ear with the sweet scent of chocolate.
She hoped tomorrow would be a clear day.
…
"It should be tomorrow, right…?"
Yanami checked her phone for the seventeenth time to confirm the date, muttering softly.
Just then, the ring of a bicycle bell sounded. She turned; the moment she saw the familiar figure, a charming smile bloomed across her pretty face. She jogged over, the breeze at her skirt's hem carrying the coolness of mint candy.
"Ya-hoo, Little Senior, good afternoon—hmm?"
Her smile vanished.
From the corner of her eye, she'd caught something in the bicycle's front basket.
Kiyono parked in front of the restaurant and greeted her. Yanami, as always, smiled like cherry blossoms in spring—and carried a convenience-store plastic bag. Wait—today's bag was twice the usual size! How much did you buy?!
"That's not important; what matters is…"
She set the bag down, reached into the basket, and pulled out a small item—a girl's hair tie, two dandelion fluff tufts wrapped around a yellow ribbon.
"What is this?"
She stared straight at Kiyono.
For some reason, he instinctively stood up straighter. After a moment's thought, realization dawned. "Oh, this must be something Lemon forgot today."
"Lemon? You two met today?" The blue-haired girl mused.
"Yes," Kiyono said, briefly explaining his morning.
"Eh, ah, well…"
The chain of little exclamations betrayed her shifting mood. Hands on hips, she huffed, displeased, "Why didn't you call me! My best friend's happiness is my happiness too!"
"There was no need, and you were definitely sleeping at that hour." Kiyono looked helpless.
"Hmph, I'll let it slide this time."
In an instant, Yanami was back to her lively self. She tucked the hair tie into her pocket to return to Lemon later, while Kiyono casually picked up the plastic bag—heavy!
Hands clasped behind her back, Yanami followed him to the lounge, sat to the side, and kept frowning at her phone.
"Good afternoon, Komari-san," Kiyono greeted the gloomy lone wolf curled in the corner.
"G-good afternoon…"
She bit her tongue.
He smiled, choosing not to tease Komari Chika further, and picked up a book on the table, reading with interest.
The socially anxious girl, who had been sneaking glances at him, also saw the cover—When the Stars Fall… Th-that was a light novel she really liked!
Komari Chika stared, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. In her eyes, Kiyono was undoubtedly popular and sunny, with a huge status gap between them. She never expected he'd share her hobby…
She couldn't help letting out a silly giggle.
Kiyono heard the sound and turned slightly, only to find Komari Chika silently drawing closer behind him. How do you walk without making a sound?!
But for someone with social anxiety to approach at all, she must have mustered a lot of courage. He softened his tone, as natural and gentle as he could: "Are you interested in novels, Komari-san?"
Their eyes met.
Komari Chika immediately retreated, hiding behind a chair.
Good! He declared that the cute daily-serialized manga before his eyes had gained another heroine!
Just as the atmosphere began to wobble toward awkwardness, rumbling footsteps sounded in the lounge. When Kiyono looked up, Yanami's uniform tie hovered before his cheek, trembling slightly with her breath.
She stood before the table, leaning in, her expression solemn.
She asked, slowly, "Little Senior, what day is your birthday?"
—Normally, a teen girl asking a boy's birthday is ambiguous enough to conjure gifts, fortune-telling, and all sorts of developments.
But Kiyono thought nothing of the sort.
Because Yanami's expression was less "shy girl preparing a secret present" and more "doctor taking a patient's age."
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "September fourteenth…"
"Mmm-hmm, so that's Virgo, right?"
Yanami immediately looked it up on her phone, then turned and precisely fished an orange jelly and a red-bean bun from the giant plastic bag.
"What's wrong—mmph, mmph!"
He had barely opened his mouth when she stuffed a large bite of bun between his lips. The bun carried the faint fragrance of the girl's fingers.
Feeding him, Yanami gazed up with lake-blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Kiyono, eat—eat quickly!"
A complete role reversal.
Kiyono chewed, dazed. What sudden fever had taken Yanami?
Komari Chika, watching their odd interaction, was equally puzzled. With Yanami's phone lying right in front of her, curiosity won—she peeked at the screen.
"Today's lucky items for Virgo are: jelly and a bun… mmph, mmph!"
She read the lines softly, one by one. Before she could finish, her mouth was clapped shut from behind by a mortified Yanami.
"Idiot—don't say it out loud, it won't work if you say it!" Yanami hissed, face flushed pink.
Quick! Let me go—I can't breathe!
The hand finally released her. Komari sank to the floor, gulping air, while Yanami pulled a color printout from a fortune-telling site and carefully double-checked:
"Hmm—face southeast, take three deep breaths, then eat dried eel, and you'll receive the favor of the God of Novels…?"
"Is this the right direction?"
"No."
"It should be… this."
Kiyono followed the steps like a puppet under a spell.
Constantly fed, he finally understood why Yanami had bought that outsized bag of snacks. These were materials for an evil ritual! He was going to be sacrificed by Yanami! Komari—save me!
Under the slanting sun, Kiyono let out a desperate, muffled groan like a humiliated knightess.
Twilight washed the lounge in mandarin orange; a gentle breeze rustled the pages on the table.
After the chaos subsided, Kiyono downed a big gulp of water—only to feel even more stuffed. Yanami had tirelessly fed him a mountain of snacks.
"So excited—are you an elementary school kid on a field trip?" he quipped.
Yanami hummed lazily through her nose.
His gaze drifted to her.
She looked tired too, sitting in a daze with her chin propped on clasped hands. The setting sun cut diagonally through the window, washing her hair in a translucent maple-syrup glow. Her cherry-colored lips gleamed with a clear sheen in the twilight, as if scented; a crumb clung to her cheek.
Sensing his gaze, Yanami turned and smiled softly.
…He felt dazzled.
Kiyono turned his face away without thinking.
"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" she asked, voice clear and airy.
He knew exactly what she meant. Returning to his chair, he covered his face with the book; after a moment's hesitation, he answered vaguely:
"Probably another day or two."
It was a little lie. He knew the verdict on his manuscript would come tomorrow, but… he avoided a definite tone because he feared Yanami would ask to go with him.
Though confident, what if the editor was blind and he failed…? A man's small stubbornness.
He could accept failure, and the comfort that followed—but he still didn't want his failure to be witnessed.
"I see."
Yanami's gentle smile didn't waver.
In truth, she'd understood everything.
She was a little displeased by the lie—but she understood the feeling.
It's okay.
She told herself quietly:
I'll wait for you.
Whether you succeed or fail—I'll be with you.