The Sunday right after the opening ceremony.
Yuzuru stood waiting at the station, dressed in fairly active casual wear.
As he kept checking the time restlessly—
“Yuzuru-san.”
“Wah—!”
Someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
Startled, Yuzuru let out a yelp and turned around.
There stood his fiancée, wearing a cute little grin, going “ehehe.”
“Don’t sneak up on me. You gave me a fright.”
“It’s your fault for leaving yourself open, Yuzuru-san.”
Arisa was dressed much like him—slightly active clothing.
Jeans on the bottom, paired with a shirt and a cardigan.
And on the ring finger of her left hand, the proposal ring Yuzuru had given her sparkled.
She didn’t wear the ring to school.
…Naturally, wearing an expensive engagement ring at school would raise concerns about safety—and more than anything, it would stir up questions about who gave it to her.
While it was already common knowledge that Yuzuru and Arisa were dating, being engaged was an entirely different matter.
Better to keep that quiet.
“I see… so it’s the one who leaves themselves open that’s to blame.”
A mischievous thought crossed Yuzuru’s mind, and he gently took Arisa’s left hand.
Arisa, likely assuming he was just going to hold it like usual, offered her hand without hesitation.
…She was completely defenceless.
Yuzuru lifted her hand as if scooping it up, raising it slowly.
Huh? Aren’t we just holding hands and heading off on our date?
That was the look on Arisa’s face as he gave her a faint smile—
“Ah…”
Then, on the back of her hand—
he softly pressed his lips.
Arisa’s body gave a small shudder.
Her porcelain skin flushed faintly red.
Unbothered, Yuzuru placed a second kiss on her ring finger.
“Nn… ah…”
Arisa let out a breathy, unfocused sound.
As if her strength had left her, she swayed and collapsed lightly against him.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-you can’t… do things like that… where people can see…”
Held in his arms, Arisa looked up at him with moist eyes as she protested.
Despite her words, she didn’t seem to dislike it.
If anything, to Yuzuru, she looked like she wanted more.
“The one who lets their guard down is at fault. Isn’t that right?”
Yuzuru gave a teasing smile.
Arisa puffed her cheeks slightly and tapped his chest.
“Honestly… idiot.”
She said it with a relieved expression—yet somehow still unsatisfied.
After that, the two headed to a park near the station.
It was a reasonably large park, filled with beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Yes—today’s date was the long-awaited hanami.
“Where should we sit?”
“Let’s see… I think that spot over there looks nice.”
Fortunately, there was a good spot open.
Yuzuru spread out the picnic sheet he had brought.
His role was the sheet and the drinks.
Meanwhile, Arisa’s role was—
“I went all out making these.”
With a bright smile, she brought out one, two, three large stacked lunch boxes.
Opening them one by one, they revealed an assortment of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes, along with small, adorable onigiri and stylish sandwiches packed tightly inside.
“O-oh…?”
…That’s a lot.
The honest thought almost slipped out, but he masked it with admiration.
“I may have made a little too much.”
Arisa giggled.
Yuzuru wasn’t entirely convinced it was just “a little.”
“Well… if there’s leftovers, I’ll take them home.”
“I’d be happy if you did. …For dinner tonight, or tomorrow’s breakfast—it should keep until then.”
“Sounds good.”
Apparently, in Arisa’s mind, Yuzuru’s role was “the one who eats.”
More importantly, getting to eat her cooking for dinner and breakfast was something Yuzuru welcomed.
“Alright then—let’s eat. Itadakimasu.”
“Itadakimasu.”
They put their hands together.
Figuring they should start with things that might spoil easily or lose quality if frozen, Yuzuru reached for a sandwich.
“Well? How is it?”
“Yeah… it’s good.”
The crisp texture of lettuce and cucumber, the fresh acidity of tomato, the mild saltiness of ham, and the softness of the bread—
And the sauce spread on the bread tied it all together.
“…Did you change the sauce?”
This wasn’t the first time he’d had Arisa’s sandwiches.
But he noticed the flavour was slightly different from before.
“Yes, I adjusted it a bit. What do you think?”
She seemed pleased he noticed, though there was a hint of nervousness in her voice.
“I think I like this version better. The slight kick—it adds a nice accent.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Arisa smiled happily.
They moved on to the other dishes.
“This ebi chilli is great.”
“I got some advice from Ayaka-san.”
“And this hamburger steak—it’s not tough even though it’s cold.”
“Chiharu-san taught me a trick.”
It seemed that while he hadn’t seen her for a while, Arisa’s cooking had improved.
Perhaps because it had been so long, his chopsticks kept moving steadily.
And then—
“We actually ate quite a lot…”
“Yes… though I’m completely stuffed.”
They had managed to finish about two-thirds of the food.
The rest would be Yuzuru’s dinner.
“Thanks for the meal, Arisa. It was delicious. I’ll enjoy the rest at home.”
“Yes… thank you for eating it all.”
After finishing, the two looked up at the cherry blossoms again.
Their hands had naturally intertwined.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
After agreeing with her, Yuzuru glanced at Arisa beside him.
She was already looking at him.
Their eyes met.
They both let out small laughs.
“…I’m a lucky man. Getting to marry someone this beautiful, this cute, and such a good cook.”
As Yuzuru spoke earnestly, Arisa’s cheeks turned red.
Looking up at him through her lashes, she gently leaned closer.
“I’m… happy too.”
She moved until their shoulders touched.
Yuzuru wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close.
“Nn…”
Arisa didn’t resist.
She gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Her beautiful flaxen hair tickled his neck.
Then, Yuzuru softly took her hand—
and whispered into her ear.
“Shall we… practise?”
“…Yes.”
With a warm breath against him,
Arisa answered in a quiet voice.
