“Wow! It’s so beautiful!!”
After the sun had set—
Arisa watched the illuminated parade, filming it on her phone as she spoke excitedly.
“Yeah, it really is. Cute.”
Yuzuru replied while watching her bounce with excitement.
To be honest, he wasn’t nearly as interested in parades or illuminations as she was—
But just seeing his fiancée so happy was more than enough for him.
And before they knew it, the parade was over.
Closing time was approaching.
“Hmm… it’s a bit shaky…”
Checking her phone, Arisa muttered with a dissatisfied tone.
She’d been jumping around so much while filming that the footage hadn’t turned out very well.
“If it’s burned into your memory, isn’t that enough?”
It seemed better to have enjoyed it too much to film properly than to be so focused on filming that you didn’t enjoy it.
“That’s true, but… I should’ve taken photos too.”
“I did take some.”
“You did!?”
At her reaction, Yuzuru nodded and showed her his phone.
On the screen was Arisa—
Holding her phone, smiling brightly, mid-jump.
“W-I made that face…?”
“You look cute. I’m thinking of using it as my home screen.”
“Absolutely not.”
She shot him a glare, her voice low.
Yuzuru thought it was a great picture—
But Arisa clearly wasn’t satisfied with how she looked.
Probably because she hadn’t been posing for it.
“Besides, you barely captured the parade itself.”
“What matters is the memory, right? Isn’t it more important to have proof that you were there?”
“Then you should be in the picture too, Yuzuru-san.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
They’d taken plenty of photos together throughout the day—
But none properly capturing the parade itself.
“Then next time, we’ll take proper ones.”
“Next time… yes!”
She smiled brightly at that—
Then her expression softened, just a little.
“…Well, shall we head home for today?”
“Yeah. It’s better not to stay out too late. Let’s grab some souvenirs and go.”
Reluctantly, they made their way back.
By the time they arrived in front of Arisa’s house, it was already quite late.
“Thank you for today. I had a wonderful time.”
Arisa gave a small bow.
This whole date—the planning, the reservations—had mostly been Yuzuru’s doing.
Though they’d split the costs.
“No, I had fun too. Thanks to you.”
At their age, going to an amusement park wasn’t that common anymore.
For Yuzuru, it had been years since he last went with his family.
If not for Arisa, he probably wouldn’t have gone at all.
She’d given him this chance.
“I’m glad to hear that. …I’d like to come again next year. Maybe in summer.”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
Winter and summer would offer completely different experiences.
Different events, different atmosphere.
“…And maybe we could try the one in the west next time.”
“The west? Ah… I see. That sounds nice too! I’ve never been there.”
“Let’s find the time and go to lots of different places.”
There would be plenty of opportunities.
Yuzuru told himself that.
Still, there was one small lingering thought—
(Maybe we could’ve done something a bit more… romantic.)
Something like sharing a sweet kiss in a romantic setting—
They hadn’t really had that.
The only kiss had been the usual “goodnight.”
(She was more childlike than I expected.)
He smiled wryly, recalling how she’d been all day.
Her innocent excitement had swept him along.
Of course, he was happy—
Seeing her so joyful and carefree.
It was easily a 120 out of 100 kind of date.
But still—
It hadn’t quite been what he’d imagined.
“…Yuzuru-san?”
“Hm? Ah, sorry. Did you say something?”
Before he realised it, Arisa had stepped closer.
She looked up at him, her eyes fixed on his.
“No… I didn’t say anything…”
She blushed faintly and looked away—
Then, as if gathering her resolve, she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“A-Ari—”
“Mm…”
Before he could finish—
Her lips met his.
For about five seconds, they shared a lingering kiss—
Then she slowly pulled away.
Taking three small steps back, she turned around.
“…See you tomorrow.”
“Y-yeah! See you tomorrow.”
Almost as if fleeing, she slipped inside her house.
Left alone, Yuzuru touched his lips.
Her warmth still lingered.
“…Maybe Arisa felt the same way.”
That kiss had been longer than usual.
Surely—
That meant she’d been feeling something similar too.
Hoping that was the case, Yuzuru turned and headed home.
