Mid-October, as autumn deepened.
That day was Yuzuru’s birthday.
“So, Yuzuru-san… um, I baked you a birthday cake.”
As soon as she stepped inside, Arisa handed him one of the two paper bags she’d brought.
He’d already guessed it might be cake from the faint sweet scent—but—
“You baked it?”
“Yes.”
“Who did?”
“I did.”
That made Yuzuru’s eyes widen in surprise.
In all his life, he’d never once had a homemade cake.
In his family, cakes were something you bought.
“…I feel kind of bad.”
“No, you’ve done so much for me already, Yuzuru-san. …And the other day as well.”
“Ah… right…”
The other day—
Arisa had stayed over at his place.
Though from Yuzuru’s perspective, she’d already repaid him by making him breakfast the next morning.
“Well, anyway… since you went to the trouble, mind if I have some now?”
“Of course.”
With her permission, Yuzuru opened the bag.
Inside were cooling packs and a cake box.
He took out the box and opened it.
“Oh… this looks proper.”
Inside was a whole chocolate cake.
Slightly too large for two people—but anything left could be eaten tomorrow.
Yuzuru fetched a knife from the kitchen and cut the cake.
He prepared some coffee, then brought his hands together.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
He cut into the cake with his fork and took a bite.
A rich, refined chocolate flavour spread across his tongue.
“Well? How is it?”
“It’s delicious. Goes perfectly with coffee.”
At his praise, Arisa averted her eyes slightly.
Her cheeks were tinged red.
“I see… thank you very much. Though compared to something made by a professional, I’m sure it’s not as good.”
“Really? I think it’s just as good.”
“That’s probably because I adjusted it to suit your taste, Yuzuru-san. I thought about what kind of flavour you’d like with coffee. I’m glad you like it.”
Professionals made their cakes to appeal to as many people as possible.
Arisa, on the other hand, only needed him to enjoy it—so she tailored it specifically to his preferences.
Even if her technical skill didn’t match a professional’s, the end result felt just as good to him.
“…That’s incredibly thoughtful. Though… I’m impressed you even know my preferences.”
He’d lived sixteen years, yet couldn’t precisely put his own tastes into words.
“We’ve spent over half a year together now.”
Arisa smiled.
Yuzuru instinctively scratched his cheek.
She remembered his preferences—and cooked to match them.
It made him genuinely happy.
…But it also made him feel like he might misunderstand things.
(That’s no good… I can’t let that happen.)
He cant’t fall for her.
As long as this “engagement” continued, that was a line he couldn’t cross.
“Why don’t you have some too?”
“Alright.”
To distract himself from his thoughts, Yuzuru suggested it.
Arisa picked up a fork and took a bite.
“Well? What do you think of your own cake?”
“An eight out of ten.”
“Not full marks? That’s harsh.”
“I did my best. But… I think there’s still room for improvement.”
It already tasted more than good enough.
Yet Arisa still aimed higher.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright? I think you could stand to relax a bit more.”
Of course, being too carefree like Yuzuru wasn’t ideal either.
But Arisa always seemed to be holding herself under too much pressure.
“It’s not really about pushing myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cooking for you is fun, Yuzuru-san. And seeing you happy makes me happy. So… it doesn’t feel like hard work.”
“Well, if that’s how you see it.”
If she truly enjoyed it, then there was no reason to stop her.
Still, he intended to keep reminding her not to overdo things—so it never became something she felt obligated to do.
“Oh, right. Yuzuru-san… I’ve prepared a birthday present for you as well.”
Saying that, Arisa took out a neatly wrapped box from the other paper bag.
It was decorated with a cute ribbon.
“It’s nothing special, but…”
“Thank you. …A cake and a present—really, you didn’t have to. Mind if I open it?”
“Please do.”
Yuzuru carefully removed the wrapping and ribbon, then opened the box.
Inside—
“A bracelet?”
It was a stylish bracelet made from braided leather cord.
At a glance, it was clearly quite intricate.
“Yes… I thought about buying something, but I couldn’t decide. When I asked Ayaka-san for advice, she said handmade was best. It might be a bit crude, but… what do you think?”
Instead of answering immediately, Yuzuru tried it on his left wrist, where he wore his watch.
He took some pride in that watch—but the bracelet matched it surprisingly well.
It looked good.
And it suited his taste.
“Thank you. I really like it. I’ll wear it from now on.”
At his response, Arisa let out a small sigh of relief.
Even so, she still looked slightly uneasy.
“I’m glad you like it… though it’s not particularly well-made, so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself to wear—”
Before she could finish, Yuzuru reached out and gently placed his hand on her head.
He softly stroked her flaxen hair.
Her jade-green eyes softened slightly.
“There’s no man in this world who wouldn’t be happy receiving something handmade from you. I’m lucky. …I’m really happy.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Arisa narrowed her eyes, looking quietly content.
