The first day back at school after the New Year holidays.
As usual, Yuzuru was eating lunch with his friends.
“That looks warm.”
Soichiro eyed Yuzuru’s lunchbox with clear envy.
Yuzuru nodded as he sipped his hot consommé soup.
“Yeah. Being able to eat warm food and soup in winter is great.”
The lunchbox Yuzuru used was a thermal one that could hold soup as well.
Naturally, its contents were a homemade lunch prepared by Arisa.
The rice, the side dishes, even the soup—everything was still warm.
Until recently, he’d just used whatever lunchbox he had at home, but he’d replaced it over the winter break.
“Maybe I should get one too… By the way, what about summer? Doesn’t it spoil more easily?”
“Apparently, if it’s kept hot, bacteria don’t grow as much, so it’s actually safe. Letting it cool halfway makes it spoil faster, or so I’ve heard.”
It seemed Arisa used a similar thermal lunchbox.
Her knowledge of cooking really was impeccable.
(So… if I can marry Arisa, I’ll be able to eat like this for the rest of my life.)
Conversely, if he let her go, he’d lose all of this.
Yuzuru renewed his resolve—he would make her his, no matter what. He would make his proposal succeed.
“Why are you grinning like that? It’s kinda creepy…”
“My bad. I was thinking about Arisa.”
When Yuzuru answered so openly, Hijiri made a face as if he’d just eaten sugar cubes soaked in honey.
He took a sip of tea, as if to wash it away.
“My class has P.E. after this…”
He muttered, clearly trying to change the subject.
His expression said it all—he was dreading it.
“Right after lunch, huh…”
“That’s rough. Especially this time of year.”
Yuzuru and Soichiro both sympathised.
The reason it was especially tough at this time of year—
“…The marathon’s such a pain.”
At Yuzuru’s school, a marathon event was held in early February.
Around this time, nearly all P.E. classes were devoted to endurance running in preparation.
“If I remember right… ten kilometres for boys, seven for girls?”
When Yuzuru said that, Soichiro nodded.
“Ten kilometres is longer than it sounds.”
Yuzuru didn’t hate exercise.
He even ran long distances for his health sometimes, so he had a fair amount of stamina.
But that didn’t mean he loved marathons, nor that he trained seriously on a daily basis.
And the same went for Soichiro and Hijiri.
“Well… if you keep thinking about how many kilometres are left, it feels long, but if you just run without thinking, it’ll be over before you know it, right? At least, that’s how it feels.”
“You’ll just get bored that way… Marathons are dull.”
Hijiri sighed.
Whether people liked long-distance running or not varied from person to person.
But at the very least, Hijiri clearly wasn’t a fan.
“Really? I like long-distance running. You can just empty your head and run, and it’s over. It’s easier than sports where you have to think about every move.”
That was Soichiro.
He looked serious at first glance, but in truth, he was surprisingly lazy.
At the same time, he was efficient.
(I could just think about Arisa while I run… no, I’d end up grinning. Better not.)
A guy running with a grin on his face would look, at best, unsettling.
Yuzuru decided to restrain himself.
“Well… just running aimlessly is boring too. How about we make it interesting? Let’s have a competition. Whoever’s slowest treats the other two to a meal. What do you say?”
At Yuzuru’s suggestion, both of them smirked.
They were clearly on board.
“I’m down.”
“Same here… Yeah, having a goal does make it more fun.”
And just like that, their “competition” was set.
Even though he’d been the one to suggest it, Yuzuru resolved to take P.E. a bit more seriously.
After school.
Yuzuru stood alone in front of the school gates.
After waiting a while, a group of girls approached.
They were girls from his class.
And among them, blending in with a polite smile, was one particular girl.
(…Looking at it like this, she doesn’t actually stand out that much.)
Watching Arisa chatting with the others, Yuzuru found himself thinking that.
She was undeniably beautiful—
Yet when she was in a group, she didn’t stand out as much as one might expect.
It was likely intentional.
At first glance, she seemed to be enjoying the conversation, but if you looked closely, she kept herself half a step back, mostly listening.
The smile on her face was clearly a practised one.
It was probably her way of navigating social situations.
With looks like hers, she was bound to attract jealousy or resentment—perhaps even bullying.
If she were the group’s leader, that might be different, but Arisa didn’t seem suited for that.
So instead, she chose not to stand out.
From the other girls’ perspective, having someone as pretty as Arisa remain quiet and positioned slightly “below” them might feel comfortable—
…though perhaps that was reading too much into it.
Having thought that far, Yuzuru pulled out his phone and idly scrolled through it as he waited for Arisa to part ways with the group.
He’d already confirmed that she headed in a different direction from the others.
Soon enough, Arisa saw the other girls off and turned back.
That was when Yuzuru called out to her.
“Arisa.”
“Fweh!? …Yuzuru-san, why are you here?”
Arisa’s eyes widened in surprise.
Suppressing his nerves, Yuzuru spoke as calmly as he could.
“I wanted to walk home with you.”
Originally, he’d considered calling out to her in front of their classmates to make things public by force…
But he decided against it, thinking it might cause her trouble.
Of course, before long, he intended to make it widely known at school that Arisa was—soon to be—his girlfriend.
“…Is that not alright?”
When he asked, Arisa shook her head so vigorously it looked like it might come off.
“N-not at all! It’s completely fine, but…”
Her cheeks were faintly red as she glanced at him uncertainly.
“Then let’s go, Arisa.”
With that, Yuzuru started walking alongside her, matching her pace and making sure she stayed on the safer side of the road.
“Um… Yuzuru-san. Why today, all of a sudden?”
“I just felt like walking home with you… And I was thinking, if our schedules match, I’d like to keep doing this. Is that alright?”
At that, her face flushed even deeper.
She gave a small nod.
“Y-yes… that’s fine. But, um, about our classmates…”
“Got it. I’ll just lie in wait out of sight.”
“…That sounds a bit like a stalker.”
Arisa let out a small laugh.
Yuzuru smiled in return.
Keeping just enough distance for their shoulders to brush, they walked together.
At first, they chatted pleasantly, but as they neared the station, Arisa began to speak less.
Her expression grew distant, as though her thoughts were elsewhere.
“Arisa. Is something bothering you?”
This was Yuzuru’s real reason for walking home with her.
Lately, she’d often seemed absent-minded.
He knew because he’d been watching her during lessons even before the winter break.
She used to take notes diligently, but recently, she often stared blankly into space, lost in thought, before hurriedly copying from the board.
At first, he’d found it fresh—endearing, even.
But now, it seemed more like she had something weighing on her mind.
When she drifted off like that lately, her expression carried a faint shadow.
“Eh? …No, I’m fine.”
Arisa shook her head.
But it wasn’t really a denial—it sounded more like reassurance, meant to put Yuzuru at ease.
“I see.”
To be honest, she didn’t look fine at all.
But he couldn’t just decide that for her.
When she said she was fine, it likely meant she didn’t want him prying too deeply.
Right then, they arrived at the station gates.
Arisa turned to face him and gave a small bow.
“Well then, Yuzuru-san. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. …Arisa.”
As she was about to leave, Yuzuru stopped her.
Then he gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
“U-um…”
“I’m on your side. If there’s ever anything I can help with, tell me anytime.”
Arisa’s jade-coloured eyes wavered.
They glistened slightly with emotion.
“Yes, Yuzuru-san. Thank you.”
Then she gave a small nod.
