Late March.
The Sunday after White Day.
“…Excuse me for intruding, Yuzuru-san.”
“Yeah, come on in.”
Just as always, Arisa came over to Yuzuru’s house.
Yuzuru greeted her in the same easy manner as ever…
But Arisa seemed oddly fidgety.
“…What’s wrong? Arisa. Something on your mind?”
As she sat down restlessly, Yuzuru handed her a cup of coffee and asked.
Arisa’s cheeks tinged faintly pink as she toyed with her flaxen hair before answering.
“U-um… we really did become proper fiancés, didn’t we? I mean… lovers.”
“Huh? Ah, yeah… I suppose so. Does that make this our first date as a couple?”
If a stay-at-home date counted, then today was something of a milestone.
Though, Yuzuru hadn’t really thought about it that way and hadn’t prepared anything special.
“…Did you want to do something more like a proper date to commemorate it?”
“N-no, not at all, it’s not like that…”
At Yuzuru’s slightly concerned question, Arisa hurriedly waved her hands in denial.
“It’s just… now that we’re lovers, I wondered if something might change… just a little.”
“Ah… I see.”
Yuzuru couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
Up until now, they had been “fake” fiancés.
But now, both in name and in reality, they were truly engaged—and a couple.
…And yet, so far, only the label had changed.
In truth, even before they confessed their feelings and officially started going out, Yuzuru and Arisa had already done plenty of things couples do.
In practise, nothing had really changed.
“What do normal couples… even do?”
“What do you mean? Hold hands, maybe?”
“We already do that.”
“Well… yeah.”
Yuzuru couldn’t remember when they had first held hands.
He did recall naturally taking her hand during the summer festival…
And reaching for her hand himself during the New Year.
(We’ve… hugged too.)
He remembered holding Arisa at Christmas.
She had been so warm… and soft.
After holding hands and hugging…
“…Kissing, maybe.”
Arisa murmured it under her breath.
And then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.
Her face flushed bright red in an instant.
“N-no, I mean, that was just… j-just an example, I don’t mean I want to or anything like that…”
Flustered, Arisa tried to take back what she’d said.
Yuzuru, his own face slightly flushed, asked her:
“…You don’t want to?”
“I-it’s not that…”
“I want to.”
As he said it, Yuzuru took her hand.
And then he looked straight into her face.
Faced with those sapphire-blue eyes fixed on her, Arisa averted her own emerald gaze, shimmering behind long lashes.
She lowered her head slightly, her eyes darting about in embarrassment.
“I-it’s not that I don’t want to…”
“So which is it?”
Yuzuru tightened his grip on her hands.
Meanwhile, Arisa, pressed by him, searched desperately for an escape with her eyes—
But with her hands held, there was nowhere to go.
“…”
With a fragile expression, Arisa slowly lifted her gaze.
Looking up at him through her lashes, her glossy lips parted.
“I… want to.”
They stared at each other.
It was unbearably embarrassing, almost ticklish, and she wanted to look away… yet for some reason, neither of them could.
Silence filled the room.
The only thing marking time was the pounding of their racing hearts.
“…May I?”
Yuzuru was the first to speak.
In response, Arisa said nothing.
Slowly, Yuzuru leaned closer.
Towards her soft, glossy lips, he brought his own—
—just before they touched, he stopped.
Arisa had placed her hands lightly against his chest and pushed.
It was weak, almost without strength…
But it was still a clear sign of refusal.
“…Didn’t you want to?”
Concerned, Yuzuru asked.
Arisa, her face still bright red, shook her head.
“N-no… it’s not that I didn’t want to. It’s not, but…”
“But?”
Arisa lowered her face slightly, then looked up at him through her bangs as she answered.
“I-it’s just… I’m embarrassed…”
She covered her flushed face with both hands, trembling.
At the sight of her, Yuzuru muttered without thinking:
“…Cute.”
“Fweh!?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
He hurriedly brushed it off, inwardly letting out a small sigh of relief.
At the very least, it didn’t seem like Arisa disliked him or feared physical intimacy.
“Well… yeah. It is embarrassing.”
Yuzuru spoke as if to share her feelings.
It wasn’t that he felt no embarrassment himself… but his desire to be close to her outweighed it.
Even so, he had no intention of forcing things against her will.
He didn’t want a situation where Arisa, out of consideration for him—or fear of being disliked—went along with his kiss despite not truly wanting to.
“Um, I really don’t hate it, you know? It’s just… it’s embarrassing…”
Arisa spoke as if making excuses, as if trying to smooth things over.
Her expression seemed to search his face for reassurance.
There was a hint of anxiety and fear in her jade-green eyes.
“Yeah, I know. It’s alright.”
As if to dispel her unease, Yuzuru spoke gently.
Then he softly stroked her hair.
As if reassured, her eyes melted into a dreamy haze.
Relaxing completely, Arisa leaned against his chest.
“…Let’s take it one step at a time. We’ve got plenty of time.”
“Yes.”
Clutching his clothes tightly, Arisa replied in a small voice.
Then she looked up at him again from below…
“Um… would you… practise with me?”
