Part-3 Ch-05 Ep-05

 Maki’s POV

“Alright, that should do it.”

I murmured to myself as I looked over the handmade crafts neatly arranged in front of me.

A classmate who had been placing price tags beside them nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it looks great, doesn’t it?”

“Sales team, we’re all done with preparations!” the girl in charge of coordinating our group called out to the rest of the class.

“We’re finished here too!” other groups responded one after another.

Blackout curtains had been hung all around the room to dim the light, and with only the faint glow of indirect lighting, the classroom had taken on a properly mystical atmosphere. When the soft, healing background music began to drift from the speakers in the corner, the transformation into a spiritual space was complete.

Out in the brightly lit hallway, students from other classes hurried back and forth. From somewhere in the distance came the clatter and thud of heavy equipment being moved, mixed with people calling out to one another. Every voice I heard was bright, lively, and full of excitement.

The school was a little noisy today.

But it wasn’t an unpleasant kind of noise—it was light, airy, and cheerful. The entire campus was wrapped in a mood that made you feel like breaking into a dance.

To be honest, my heart was racing quite a bit today too.

“Oh, it’s almost time.”

At someone’s voice, everyone in the class turned their eyes toward the wall clock. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Mari doing the same—and I saw her give a small, quiet nod.

She looks a little nervous.

I’ll make sure to go talk to her later.

When Mari glanced up at the clock, I caught a brief, fleeting glimpse of the mark on the back of her neck. It sat right along the edge of her uniform collar, faint enough that you wouldn’t notice it unless you were really looking closely—the lingering traces of my teeth, and a hickey.

It was a mark I’d left behind, proof that Matsuri belonged to me.

—This is bad. If I’m not careful, I’m going to end up grinning like an idiot.

Seeing the traces I’d etched into Matsuri’s skin made my chest swell with a deep sense of satisfaction. Still, if I push things too far, she’ll really get fed up with me, so I’ve got to be careful and stay balanced on that fine line.

Mari had been unbelievably cute that day. Even if I might’ve gone a little overboard this time.

But then again, they teach you in elementary school to clearly write your name on the things that belong to you. Especially on the things you treasure. That’s why I left my mark on Mari’s body—to show that she’s mine.

Mari isn’t some object, which only makes it harder to keep her by my side. If I let my guard down even for a second, someone might try to make a move on her regardless of how we feel about it, so even though we’re dating, I’m constantly on edge.

Even now, a full year after we started going out, I still haven’t found any real peace of mind. If I could, I’d put a collar on her; if it were up to me, I’d lock her away in a room for the rest of her life.

I let out a wry smile at the sheer depth of my own obsession.

But that’s just how much Mari means to me. It’s exactly because I refuse to let her go that I’ve become this desperate. And it’s that very desperation that’s been starting to worry me lately.

"Well then," I said, clapping my hands together to shift my mood.

The bracelets laid out on the desk sparkled brightly.

The chime that would usually signal the start of class now rang out to announce the beginning of the school festival.

"It’s about to start."

The beginning of the very last school festival of our high school lives.