Episode 11

I think I was having a dream. I can’t remember what it was about. But I had this feeling that it was warm the whole time.

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar sleeping face right in front of me and was momentarily taken aback. Even in her sleep, she looked so perfect, I didn’t even feel a twinge of jealousy.

We’d been out celebrating, missed the last train, and I ended up staying at Seriha’s place. I remember it all. I feel like I drank quite a bit, but apparently I’m not the sort to black out.

Besides, I was only drunk until I got off the train. I can say that with confidence.

Yesterday, or rather, in the early hours of this morning, so many things really did happen.

Listening to Seriha talk, and telling her my own story.

The sensation of her cherry-blossom-coloured lips flits through my mind, and my face grows hot.

Why did I… kiss her back then?

　My body moved of its own accord, but I don’t think I did it on a whim.

I stare intently at her as she breathes softly in her sleep right in front of me.

I gently tuck her fringe behind her ear and stroke her cheek softly so as not to wake her. She’s mumbling in her sleep, but shows no sign of waking up; perhaps she’s not much of a morning person.

My eyes are drawn to her cherry-coloured lips. If I did it now, she wouldn’t notice…

“Senpai.”

“Good morning.”

Our eyes meet as she lies there, wearing that endearing smile.

“G-good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“…Yes. You were so warm and wonderfully fluffy and squishy. I actually wanted to sleep a bit longer.”

“I see. I slept well too. I wonder what time it is…”

　As I raise my arm to sit up, she grabs it. Just as I instinctively turn my gaze towards her, a whisper laced with her breath washes over my ear.

“I was really happy, but surprise attacks like that aren’t fair, senpai.”

Her voice resonates through my whole body, making me jump slightly. No matter how hard I try to keep my wandering gaze in check, my body won’t obey me.

Was she awake…? She’d been snoring, so it must have been my imagination. I must have misinterpreted something.

‘What on earth are you talking about…? It’s already three o’clock.’

As if to hide my fluster, I muttered, turning my face away from her.

‘You’ve slept quite a lot, haven’t you? Shall we have something to eat in a little while? And…’

Just as she closed her eyes and stretched widely, she brought her face close to my ear again, a defiant smile playing on her lips.

‘If you’re going to play innocent, you’ll need to do better than that, Senpai.’

Along with her sweet voice, her lips touched my cheek. Hearing the deliberately loud smacking sound, I felt a heat rise deep within me.

It seems she sees right through me. Does she have no weaknesses at all?

　　　　◇

We spent a carefree moment together, eating the hot sandwiches Seriha had made for us. The pancakes she made before were delicious, but these are just as good. I’m impressed; she really is a good cook.

‘Come to think of it, have you stopped drawing manga?’

Fiddling with the mug decorated with a penguin, I suddenly ask the question I’d missed asking last night.

‘I don’t draw it anymore. Or rather, I haven’t drawn any since middle school.’

‘Is that so? It’s a bit of a shame, as you were quite good at it.’

I’d assumed she’d kept it up until about high school.

‘So, once you finished that manga, that was it?’

“No, that manga just stopped after I showed it to senpai.”

“Is that so?”

That’s surprising. I was sure she would have drawn it up to the climax, so I assumed she’d finished it. That doesn’t seem like her, she’s usually so meticulous.

“Why did you stop?”

“If I’d finished drawing it and shown it to senpai, I felt like our relationship would end there. So, because I didn’t want it to end, I stopped drawing.”

　So that’s why she never came back to me. I’d thought I’d simply forgotten about her, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

“And,” she continued in a cheerful voice.

“Although that story ended there, I’ve carried their intentions forward. It sounds a bit romantic, but that’s how I feel.”

“So perhaps the continuation of that story is me, just as I am now.”

　A bright, refreshing smile. The brooding expression that used to flicker across her face now is gone.

“I think that’s absolutely lovely.”

That manga ended halfway through. But it wasn’t abandoned. The will of those two has been passed on to a person named Ichikawa Seriha, and now it continues as a story with a person named Takemi Hiito.

“I might draw something again if I feel like it. How about a manga based on you and me?”

“That might be a bit… embarrassing.”

I’d love to read it, but we can just keep weaving our story together. There’s no rush to turn it into a manga just yet.

As if what happened in bed had never occurred, we spent a while chatting about trivial things.

Every time I looked at her, I felt my face growing hot, so I averted my gaze, but even so, I felt so at ease that I wanted to stay here forever.

　We finished the washing up together and got ready to leave. Before I knew it, it was past five o’clock and evening was drawing in. It seemed we’d spent quite a long time together.

I suppose you could say I was reluctant to leave, or perhaps I just didn’t want to go home.

“Senpai. Let’s go on a date sometime.”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by a topic I hadn’t expected, I let out a rather silly sound.

“A date. We’ve only ever had stay-at-home dates so far. I’d like to spend a whole day together outside.”

As for what I’d done with her, apart from work, it was just weekday lunches and spending time in this room. It feels like the order of things is all a bit wrong.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

We aren’t officially dating yet. I’ve been putting off her request for ages.

But I think this is a good opportunity. In a proper setting, I’ll tell her my answer, the one I’ve thought through properly and arrived at myself.

“Really! Yippee!”

“Leave the date planning to me! All you need to do is turn up looking your absolute best!”

That smile that blooms like a flower. But today it was blooming wider than I had ever seen it.

“‘Looking my absolute best’… that’s actually the hardest part.”

A flutter deep in my chest makes my hand pause as I organise my bag.

When will we go? Where will we go? I want to go tomorrow.

　I’m brimming with a feeling like a child on the eve of a school trip, unable to wait a single second longer. I want to spend as much time as possible with Seriha. If I could, I’d never want to be apart from her.

I realised that such greedy feelings — wanting so much, so unlike the Takemi Hiito I usually was, were welling up inside me.