Part-2 Ch-08 Ep-02

“It’s spring, huh.”

“No, it’s already autumn according to the calendar. It’s just hot.”

I ignore Maki’s calm correction and take a deep breath of the fresh morning air drifting in through the window.

“Haa… It’s spring.”

“No, like I said, it’s autumn. Are you listening?”

It is true that all the summer events have ended, and according to the calendar, the autumn equinox has long since passed.

Even so, spring was unmistakably spreading all around me.

Well, in reality, even though it is already October, the temperature remains warm, or rather, the hot days have continued without much change.

I, Nagase Mari, have started dating my childhood friend, Ichinose Maki.

“I like you too. I’ve felt this way for a very, very long time.”

I recall the words Maki spoke when I confessed to her.

At the time, I was anxious and terrified, but the look on Maki’s face when she asked, “…Is it a secret again?” made it seem like she might burst into tears at any moment.

Before I even realized it, I had summoned the courage to confess. And the courage I wrung out of myself while trembling was fully rewarded by Maki’s words, turning into tears of relief.

I love Maki so much.

And now, my heart feels warm, as though spring itself has arrived, leaving me lightly elated.

“Hey, Mari, where are we going?”

Maki asks this as she puts on her shoes at the entrance.

“How about we watch a movie first? Then we can go to a café afterward.”

“That sounds good. Oh, how about that café we talked about going to someday, the other day?”

“Okay.”

We casually decide our destination as we leave my house together. At a glance, it looks like the same easy conversation we have always had as childhood friends, but inside, I am nervous.

I steal a glance at Maki walking beside me.

…Should I compliment her outfit today?

I should have told her first thing this morning that her hairstyle is cute.

Was suggesting “a movie for now” too plain? What movies are even playing right now? I should have checked secretly beforehand…

Things I never paid attention to before when we were together are suddenly bothering me.

Or rather, up until now, if there was even the slightest change, like dressing up, Maki would always be the one to bring it up first.

Most of the time, she would proactively say something like, “I got my hair cut yesterday. What do you think?” and I would casually reply, “It’s cute.”

So seeing Maki put this much effort into looking cute without saying anything herself makes me think that maybe she is nervous too.

“Mari, you look a bit more mature today. It suits you.”

Maki says this while glancing at me repeatedly.

“Eh, really?”

That is what I say out loud, but inside I am thrilled, thinking how glad I am that I chose calm-colored clothes, and that I went with pants instead of a skirt. But she complimented me before I could compliment her. She beat me to it.

I have not complimented Maki even once today.

“Ah, I’m no good…”

“Hey, you’ve been kind of off in our back-and-forth for a while now.”

With her lips pursed, Maki pokes my arm with her index finger.

“Talk to me properly.”

That sulky gesture is unbelievably cute. It is cute, but…

As I turn toward Maki, something enters my peripheral vision behind us. I say, “Maki, come here for a second,” and pull her closer.

“Eh.”

Maki stumbles slightly, but obediently settles into my arms. Right after that, a bicycle coming from behind glides past the two of us.

As I watch it disappear down the street, I realize my reaction may have been a bit excessive. I glance at Maki’s face and say, “Sorry, that was sudden.”

“…I-it’s okay. Yeah.”

Her reply comes out a little higher-pitched than usual.

“What do I do? I can’t stop grinning.”

Maki pinches and rubs her own cheeks, squeezing her eyes shut as if she is trying to endure something. Since she suddenly starts doing that in the middle of the sidewalk, I say, “It’s dangerous,” and gently pull her farther to the side again.

“Honestly. I knew you were the type to do things like this without realizing it. But now that you’re doing it again, I really feel like I’ve been getting special treatment from you all this time. It makes me so happy that I can’t stop grinning, and that’s kind of a problem.”

“…”

“…What was that pause for? You haven’t done the same thing with other girls, right? It’s just me, okay?”

“I-I haven’t! It’s only you, Maki!”

“Mmm.”

Maki nods, clearly satisfied. Her cheeks are faintly red. If it is embarrassing, she really should not say things like that.

“Also, now that we’re dating, it’s not just about being protected. I’ll protect you too, Mari. If there’s anyone you don’t like, tell me, okay?”

My girlfriend raises her clenched fist and smiles confidently. As expected, she still cannot quite shake her hot-blooded side. Thinking that, I feel laughter rise inside me.

Yeah. Somehow, things are starting to feel like they usually do.

“Maki, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Gathering a bit of courage, I hold out my left hand. Maki takes it with her right. Like this, we will probably continue taking small steps of courage together, moving our relationship forward little by little.

“Maki.”

“What?”

“You look really cute today.”

“…I’m always cute. Always.”

Even as she says that, not just her cheeks, but her entire face turns bright red. It’s spring, huh, I think. Between Maki and me, spring was definitely spreading.