A few days after the beach trip—
“H-hey… Yuzuru-san! Delete that photo!”
“Eh…? Come on, it’s fine. You said I could take it, didn’t you?”
The two of them argued while looking at his phone.
On the screen was Arisa, smiling shyly in that same revealing swimsuit.
A photo from the beach.
“I-I’ve changed my mind! I-it’s way too embarrassing…!”
“N-no, but… it’d be a waste…”
“A waste? What are you planning to use it for?”
“Huh? N-no, it’s not like that…”
Yuzuru averted his gaze.
Seeing that, Arisa’s face flushed bright red.
“Absolutely not!”
She reached for his phone.
Yuzuru quickly raised it high to keep it out of her grasp.
Arisa stretched up after it, practically climbing over him.
As he fell back, trying to push her away with one hand—
He accidentally grabbed her chest.
“Ah—h-hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”
Blushing furiously, Arisa covered her chest with both hands and jumped back.
Taking the chance, Yuzuru slipped out from under her.
“You were the one trying to force me to delete it. It’s just a photo, isn’t it?”
“If it’s ‘just a photo,’ then delete it. The real thing is right here, so that should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, but… it’s not like I get to see you in a swimsuit often…”
“You can see it every summer from now on.”
“And besides…”
Her cheeks reddened slightly.
“If you really want to, if you ask… I might let you see it.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I’m your fiancée, after all. …Isn’t the real thing better than a photo?”
She whispered that into his ear—
And quietly reached for his phone again.
“So… let’s delete it, okay?”
“Ugh… I don’t know…”
“Please? Look… unlike a photo, the real thing—you can touch it.”
As she said that, she pressed her chest against him.
The soft sensation made Yuzuru waver.
“See, Yuzuru-san… you love this, don’t you? You touched it earlier too.”
“Th-that was an accident, not on purpose…”
“Then don’t you want to try properly? You’re curious, aren’t you?”
She tapped her own chest lightly.
Through her white blouse, the camisole underneath was faintly visible.
“N-no, not really…”
“You shouldn’t hold back.”
Taking his hand, she gently guided it to her chest.
Without thinking, he applied a bit of pressure.
Soft.
“Mm… how is it?”
“…Soft.”
It was the kind of feeling you didn’t want to let go of.
Addictive.
Without realising, he kept touching.
Arisa, face flushed all the way to her ears, allowed it for about five seconds.
Then—
“You touched it, right? Now delete it.”
“…You tricked me, Arisa.”
“It’s your fault for only thinking about pervy things.”
In the end, Yuzuru reluctantly deleted the photo.
Still, being completely outplayed didn’t sit well with him.
“You call me pervy, but you’re the sneaky one, aren’t you?”
“W-what are you saying!? How am I…!?”
“That outfit—you’re showing it to me on purpose, right?”
“Th-this is called sheer fashion! It’s a proper style! I wear something over it outside, so it’s not improper at all—”
“But you don’t wear anything over it in front of me.”
“Th-that’s because… it’s that kind of fashion… Do you… not like it?”
Yuzuru shook his head.
“No, I don’t mind.”
“Then it’s fine. …I’m just accommodating your tastes.”
She smiled.
“You’re lucky I’m your fiancée.”
“…Yeah. If you weren’t… that’s a scary thought.”
He pulled her closer—
And kissed her.
She accepted it without hesitation.
Then she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Um… Yuzuru-san. This is about… much further in the future, but…”
“Yeah?”
“…Do you want children?”
“C-children!?”
His heart skipped at the sudden question.
“I-I mean… you know, we talked about it before… during that board game.”
“Ah… yeah, I guess.”
“Do you… want them?”
She looked up at him.
For a split second, Yuzuru almost misunderstood her intentions.
But no—
They were still high school students.
This had to be about the future.
“Of course.”
Personally, he wanted children with the person he loved.
And as the heir of the Takasegawa family, there was also a sense of duty.
“I see… that’s good.”
“Good?”
“I’ve heard some people don’t want them these days… Oh, and of course, I… want them too.”
She said it shyly.
That word—want—made his heart flutter a little.
“Then… would you prefer a boy or a girl? And how many?”
“One of each, maybe.”
“Why?”
“That’s what my family is like. It just feels standard. …What about you?”
“I don’t really mind gender… no, actually, I’d like both too. As for number… maybe three.”
“Yeah, three sounds lively.”
With two siblings, it felt just right—
But adding one more might make it even better.
“But… three means we’ll have to… try hard…”
She said it, blushing.
After all, she would be the one giving birth.
“That’s true, but… no need to rush. It’s still far off.”
“When do you think, then?”
“At least after graduating university…?”
Having children while still studying would be far too problematic.
“A-after graduation? That’s… quite far away.”
“…Would you prefer sooner?”
“N-no, not that… but, you know… if we can’t when the time comes, that’d be a problem… so maybe it’s better to start practising early…”
“…Practising?”
“Yes. Like with kissing… we’ve done that. Our relationship has progressed, so… maybe it’s time to… you know…”
She glanced up at him nervously.
And Yuzuru realised they weren’t quite on the same page.
“Ah—right! I see. That’s what you meant… Yeah, maybe it’s about time to start ‘practising.’”
“…What did you think I meant?”
“…Trying for a baby.”
She lightly punched his chest.
“T-there’s no way! I mean, it’s not completely unrelated, but…!”
“S-sorry, it’s just… the way you started made it sound like serious family planning…”
“C-consider the mood before that! It was that kind of atmosphere…!”
Her shoulders trembled in embarrassment.
Which, in a way, proved his earlier point.
“Sorry, sorry. …Well, I do want to. If we’re aiming for three, we’ll both have to work hard.”
“Yuzuru-san, you idiot!”
She pouted and hit his chest repeatedly.
“I mean… talking about children is something for much later anyway. We might not even have them…”
“Huh? So you’re hesitant?”
“No, I want them, but… I can’t really picture it yet.”
Becoming a mother still felt unreal to her.
To be fair, Yuzuru couldn’t quite picture himself as a father either.
“And besides… I think spending some time just the two of us first would be nice.”
“Yeah. Once we have kids, things will get busy.”
No matter what his family might say—
Time with his future wife mattered more.
“Anyway, these are things to seriously consider after graduation and starting work, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
For high schoolers, it was far too early—
Even if they were technically engaged.
“By the way… what are you planning to do after graduation?”
“Huh? Work? Probably join a Takasegawa-affiliated company first… or maybe go abroad where the family influence is weaker.”
The end goal would be the same—
But the latter might be better for his own growth.
“O-overseas… I’ll need to work on my English…”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Written exams and actual conversation are different…”
It sounded like she planned to follow him.
Yuzuru silently resolved not to disappoint her.
“…Do you think I should get some kind of qualification?”
“A qualification?”
He tilted his head.
“I mean… as your future wife! I was wondering if there’s something I can start doing now!”
Clenching her fists, cheeks slightly flushed, she spoke earnestly.
It hit him harder than expected.
“Hmm…”
Pretending to think, he leaned in—
And suddenly kissed her.
“Mm!?”
Startled, she pushed him away.
“W-what was that for!? Honestly… I can’t let my guard down for a second…”
Blushing furiously, she glared at him.
He grinned.
“You just looked too cute.”
“J-just answer seriously!”
“Hmm… well, if we’re talking about my mum—”
“Yes?”
She listened intently.
“…She has a driver’s licence?”
“…Anything else?”
“Ah, I think she also has a curator’s licence.”
“Does that relate to your family’s business…?”
“Not really.”
He tilted his head.
“My mum just does what she likes. So you should do what you like too.”
“What I like…? But I…”
Before she could finish, he gently pulled her into an embrace.
“I’m happy just having you by my side.”
“…Really?”
She smiled—
But a faint hint of dissatisfaction flickered before she buried her face in his chest.
There was still a small gap—
In how they thought, how they felt.
They both sensed it—
And quietly chose to ignore it.
