The morning of the fourth day of the holiday.
Yuzuru was the one who woke up first.
After stretching, he turned his gaze to the side.
As expected, there was his fiancée, still wearing that adorable sleeping expression.
With her eyes closed, it was even more obvious—
her eyelashes were incredibly long.
Yuzuru gently poked her cheek.
“Mm…”
She let out a small groan.
Her body shifted slightly.
Then, slowly, she opened her eyes.
Her jade-green gaze met his.
“…Mm… good morning…”
Rubbing her eyes, Arisa sat up.
She still seemed half-asleep.
“Yeah… good morning.”
Yuzuru said that—and lightly kissed her cheek.
Her face instantly flushed bright red.
She was awake now.
“Um… about what I said last night…”
At breakfast, Arisa fidgeted as she spoke.
Her cheeks were faintly tinted pink.
“Please forget I said any of that.”
“Alright.”
At Yuzuru’s reply, she looked relieved—
but then immediately a little anxious again.
“It’s not that I disliked it or anything… I just…”
She stumbled over her words, trying to explain.
“I understand.”
Yuzuru spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.
“Let’s keep things… properly high school. A platonic relationship.”
“…Yes.”
Arisa nodded softly.
That day, they went to practise swimming once more.
The remaining challenges were her kicking, breathing, and pulling through the water.
“…How was it?”
“You did well. You were actually swimming.”
At Yuzuru’s answer, Arisa’s face lit up.
Thanks to her natural athletic ability, once she got the hang of it, she improved quickly.
Now she could swim about half of twenty-five metres.
“At this rate, one more session should do it.”
“Yes… I feel relieved now. I think I’ll be fine for swimming class.”
At their school, students were required to take swimming at least once during the three years.
Arisa seemed intent on getting it out of the way in her second year.
“You must be tired today too. …Shall we head to the baths and then go home?”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
They warmed themselves up in the baths before leaving—
not that they were particularly cold after being in a heated pool.
“…I’m a bit hungry.”
Arisa said that casually.
Yuzuru felt the same.
It was already nearing evening, so dinner wasn’t far off—
but a small snack wouldn’t hurt.
“Want to grab some ice cream?”
“Are we stopping by a convenience store?”
“No, I was thinking of that.”
Yuzuru pointed at a vending machine.
It sold ice creams for under two hundred yen.
“Ah… I see. That sounds nice.”
Arisa’s voice lifted slightly.
“What’s the difference between these ones?”
Looking at the pictures on the machine, she asked.
As expected, it seemed to be her first time buying one.
“This one’s on a stick, that one comes in a cone, and this one’s like a tube. …First time?”
“Yes. I’ve never had the chance. Do you eat these often, Yuzuru-san?”
“Not really… probably the first time in about a year.”
He wouldn’t go out of his way to find one—
but if he saw one, he’d buy it.
Especially after exercise.
They really know what they’re doing, he thought, watching Arisa press the button with determination.
After buying their ice creams, they sat side by side on a bench.
Yuzuru chose grape.
It tasted… like perfectly ordinary grape-flavoured ice.
Nothing special.
“Yuzuru-san, Yuzuru-san.”
Arisa tugged lightly at his sleeve.
“Want some?”
“Yes.”
When he held it out, she opened her mouth slightly.
Crunch.
She took a bite.
“Would you like some of mine too?”
“Sure.”
He took a small bite of hers.
It tasted like… perfectly ordinary chocolate.
Sharing bites like that, the two of them finished their ice creams.
“It was better than I expected.”
It seemed Arisa quite liked her first vending machine ice cream.
She looked satisfied.
“I’d like to try a different flavour next time.”
“Yeah… I think they had these at that entertainment complex we went to before. We can get one next time.”
They were also sold at some stations.
If you looked, they weren’t that rare.
“Shall we head home?”
“Yeah.”
Walking hand in hand in the evening glow—
Arisa suddenly spoke.
“Today is technically our engagement anniversary.”
“Huh? …Oh, right.”
At her words, Yuzuru remembered.
It was the day they had become engaged.
Strictly speaking, it was only a “provisional” engagement.
“…You forgot, didn’t you?”
At that, Yuzuru scratched his head.
“…Yeah.”
He wondered if she’d be angry—
but Arisa simply let out a soft laugh.
“Well, that’s fine. …Compared to Christmas or birthdays, it’s not that important.”
It didn’t seem like she particularly cared about celebrating it.
“This sleepover is more than enough. Being like this… together, is what makes me happy.”
As she said that, she squeezed his hand tightly.
It felt like she was saying, I don’t want to let go.
“There’s somewhere I’d like to stop by. Is that alright?”
Looking up at him, she asked.
“Of course.”
Yuzuru squeezed her hand back.
