Episode 220: The Word Love

………

I wonder what time it is…?

I can’t hear the alarm yet, but I’ve got a feeling it’s about time for morning. Still, I’m not really in the mood to move my body yet.

I was mentally wiped yesterday, so as soon as I crawled into bed and got my promised「Sara-san cuddle」, I went down hard (and no, I don’t mean my self-restraint failed), I just passed out in like two minutes.

…It feels like a waste, but then again, this is going to be a nightly thing now. Am I going to be okay…?

Right now, I’m pretty much awake. Between the soft, warm, premium feel against my face and the familiar rhythm of someone stroking the back of my head, if I’m not careful, my consciousness is going to drift right back into a second sleep…

Beep beep beep… beep beep beep…

The heartless, mechanical sound of the alarm faint in the distance, and the hand stroking my head pulled away. The alarm eventually stopped, but I could tell Sara-san was starting to move so she could get up.

Five more minutes…

I didn’t say it out loud, but hoping to get my point across, I indulged in the softness right in front of me. The hand came back to stroke my head again.

…Haa… this is bliss…

「Fufu… Kazunari-san, you’re such a spoiled brat when you wake up… We still have time, so please rest for a little longer…」

She whispered sweetly into my ear, and between that and the sheer comfort, I started to drift off again.

「…If you want a cuddle, I can even give you one at school, you know? Just say the word.」

I appreciate it, but I’m terrified that if I do that, I’ll actually turn into a useless human being.

I know I’ve already done plenty of questionable things, but getting used to this is probably a bad idea… yeah.

Chu………

When I opened my eyes, Sara-san’s face was right there, which gave me a bit of a shock.

I knew immediately she’d kissed my cheek, but seeing her tuck her beautiful hair back with her hand made my heart skip a beat.

「Good morning… Dear.」

Dear.

Being called that made the reality sink in; yesterday wasn’t a dream.

Even if it’s just a promise for now, we really did become fiancés…

「Is something wrong?」

She tilted her head and asked, probably wondering why I was just staring blankly.

「No, I was just thinking that yesterday wasn’t a dream after all…」

「…Yes. Kazunari-san asked me to date him on the premise of marriage. So, I also promised to become Kazunari-san’s wife in the future. My parents have given their approval too.」

Seeing Sara-san give a beaming smile like a flower in full bloom, I realized all over again that everything from yesterday was real.

Engagement… Marriage… Wife…

Even if I don’t strictly understand what all of that entails yet, the important thing is that this happy life with Sara-san continues. I’ll just focus on that for now.

「As long as I can stay with you forever, Sara-san, I’m happy with any form it takes.」

「Yes, I feel the same way. However, I still… well, officially, becoming your wife…」

As she said that, Sara-san turned bright red and looked down.

The last part was a whisper and hard to catch, but I think I know what she wanted to say.

And when I imagine that…

The two of us are sitting here turning bright red first thing in the morning. What are we even doing…?

「Good morninnng!!!」

When we met up at the convenience store, Natsumi-senpai was more high-energy than I’d ever seen her, to the point where Sara-san actually flinched a bit.

「G-Good morning, Natsumi. You seem to be in a remarkably good mood today.」

「Good morning, Natsumi-senpai.」

Even as we greeted her, Natsumi-senpai was grinning at us with everything she had, her gaze darting back and forth between Sara-san and me.

「You two look happy, and that’s what matters! Mmm-fufu, I can’t believe you guys actually got engaged. High schoolers getting engaged? What kind of YA novel is this! You guys are moving way too fast.」

「No, well…」

Sara-san isn’t used to being teased like this, so she looked pretty flustered and didn’t know how to react.

「I honestly want to hear all the details, but it wouldn’t be fair if I heard it all first, so I’ll hold back for now.」

Natsumi-senpai backed off surprisingly easily, but that just means I’m going to get grilled during the report session. I mean, what am I even supposed to talk about?

「Just this one thing though… Sara, I’m happy for you. Are you happy?」

「……Yes, I’m truly happy. Natsumi, thank you so much.」

「Yeah, that’s all that matters. Well, shall we head to school?」

Natsumi-senpai and Nishikawa-san were the ones who helped Sara-san get back on her feet. And since Sara-san showing up there made everything go so smoothly, I should probably thank Natsumi-senpai properly later too.

Rattle…

「Morning.」

「Morning, Takanashi-kun!」

「Yo, Takanashi.」

「Morning.」

I’ve gotten used to this lately, so I can greet everyone loudly when I walk into class without it bothering me.

Plus, I’m grateful that everyone, guys and girls alike, greets me back.

When I headed to my seat, there was a small crowd gathered. Hanako-san was probably surrounded.

「Ah, morning Takanashi-kun!」

「Hanasaki-san, Takanashi-kun is here~」

「Hope we’re not interrupting…」

「Morning…」

「Morning, Hanako-san. Thanks again for yesterday.」

It was her usual blunt greeting that could be mistaken for being in a bad mood if you didn’t know her.

As I sat down, I added a quick thanks to my greeting, and surprisingly, she gave me a faint smile.

「It was nothing special.」

「That’s not true. You really saved me.」

「I see. Well, that’s good then. You did your best.」

!?

Hanako-san smiled…

She’d smiled like that recently too, but it’s a seriously cute smile. Hanako-san barely ever showed a smile even to us before, so maybe she’s starting to change for the better, bit by bit.

The people around us seemed to have their breath taken away by her cute smile, too, as they stood there speechless with red cheeks. Looking closely, even the guys who had been keeping an eye on us were just staring blankly, totally captivated by that smile.

Meanwhile, Hanako-san, who didn’t care about the surroundings at all, stood up and stepped toward me…

Pat, pat…

She slowly stroked my head.

Sara-san strokes my head all the time, but do I really look that much like a kid…? I’m happy about it, though.

「…Hanasaki-san is way too cute when she smiles…」

「…Any guy would be a goner for that.」

「…That gap moe is real.」

「…Those two are definitely lovey-dovey…」

「Hanako-san?」

Pat, pat…

「I’m looking forward to the report later.」

As she said that with a smile, Hanako-san looked just like a real Onee-chan.

Ding dong…

Fourth period ended, and the chime signaling the start of lunch break echoed through the school.

Since Hayato and Todo-san didn’t come by during the shorter breaks today, we didn’t have the usual chaos. Still, the crowd around Hanako-san every break was still a thing.

Rattle…

「「 Excuse us! 」」

Just as I was thinking about that; speak of the devil, the two of them showed up together.

「Takanashi-kun, Hanako-san, it’s time for lunch!」

「We came to get you two.」

Todo-san is always bright, but today she seemed even more energetic than usual. She must be in a great mood.

The way she gave Hanako-san a light hug as a greeting showed how close they’d become. Then again, Todo-san is an angel, so I feel like she could get along with anyone.

「…Whoa, a collab between the Angel and the Little Angel today.」

「…My buddy told me that girl Todo-san is the secret number one most popular girl in her class.」

「…Makes sense. She’s literally an angel.」

「…Damn, I’m so curious about her relationship with Yokogawa!」

…I see, Todo-san is popular too. Hayato better stay on his toes.

「Alright, let’s head out.」

「Yeah. Hanako-san, Todo-san, shall we go?」

「Yeah.」

「Got it.」

The people around us probably see us as a pretty unique group of four. We were drawing plenty of curious stares as usual.

When we got to the flowerbed, things seemed to be ready already. Sara-san and Natsumi-senpai were sitting on a bench waiting for us.

Natsumi:「Good work~」

Todo:「Sorry, did we keep you waiting?」

Hayato:「Good work today.」

Hanako:「Hello.」

While everyone was greeting each other, Sara-san stood up and approached me with a smile.

Sara:「Good work today, Kazunari-san.」

Kazunari:「Sorry I’m late.」

Sara:「It’s quite alright. Now, shall we have lunch?」

Sara-san pulled my hand and led me to the sheet.

The bentos were already set out where I always sit. The preparation was perfect.

Natsumi:「Honestly, Sara’s even more fired up than usual. She was even obsessing over the angle of the bento boxes!」

Sara:「Wait, Natsumi, I told you not to say that…」

Sara-san tried to stop Natsumi-senpai with a panicked look. She looked a bit embarrassed, with her face slightly red.

Todo:「Now, now, let’s eat!! I want to hear the story from you two as soon as possible!!」

So that was the reason behind Todo-san’s weirdly good mood. Giving a wry smile at her enthusiasm, we all opened our bentos and started lunch.

………

Todo:「So, um, you two really got engaged, right!?」

Once everyone had settled into their meal, Todo-san broke the ice like she couldn’t wait another second. You could tell just by looking at her how excited she was.

Sara:「…Yes. Though we haven’t received official permission from Kazunari-san’s parents yet…」

Kazunari:「Oh, based on my talk with them, it sounded like it’ll be fine.」

My Okan was already basically okay with it, and my old man sounded like he was pretty much giving the green light when we talked. So my parents should be fine.

Sara:「Fufu… I want to meet your Father and Mother soon. Especially since I haven’t had a chance to talk to your Father yet…」

Kazunari:「My old man seems to be looking forward to meeting you, too. I’m looking forward to not giving him much info and seeing him fall over when he sees how beautiful you are on the day of the meeting.」

Sara:「I’m happy to hear that, but playing tricks on your Father is… a no-no, okay?」

She was scolding me, but she had a small smile as she poked my forehead with her index finger. Sara-san is just way too cute, even when she’s trying to be strict…

Hanako:「…That’s a pretty cute lecture.」

Hayato:「…Nah, that’s just them flirting…」

Todo:「Father and Mother… Satsukawa-senpai, you’re really going to marry Takanashi-kun… It’s so amazing that people close to me are having that kind of talk. It doesn’t even feel real.」

Sara:「Yes, there are times when I still feel like I’m in a dream.」

Natsumi:「For me, having seen the old Sara, I still have a hard time believing it…」

Natsumi-senpai and Nishikawa-san probably feel that way the most.

Sara-san was kind to me from the start, but I know she was harsh with everyone else. It’s only natural for someone who watched that to feel this way.

Natsumi:「The Sara who used to tell guys they were eyesores or to go back to elementary school and try again… she’s the first one to get a boyfriend and get engaged? It’s impossible…」

Sara:「Natsumi, would you mind not comparing Kazunari-san to everyone else anymore?」

Sara-san made no effort to hide her displeasure as she called Natsumi-senpai out.

Seeing her feel so strongly about it made me happy, even if that might be a bit inappropriate.

Natsumi:「Sorry, sorry, but that’s just how shocked I am. I mean, thinking about your old self, don’t you find it strange too, Sara?」

Sara:「……True. If I think about myself before I met Kazunari-san, I never would’ve dreamed that a day would come where I’d even consider marriage.」

Hanako:「I kind of understand that feeling. Which is exactly why the conversation becomes about how good it is that you met Takanashi-kun.」

Hanako-san is somewhat similar to Sara-san in some ways, so maybe they connect on an emotional level. Come to think of it, those two seem to have reconciled, or rather, they’ve really hit it off.

Todo:「I didn’t know the old Satsukawa-senpai very well, but it just means you love Takanashi-kun that much, right!?」

Sara:「Fufu… you’re right. I don’t care about my old self anymore. The person I am now, the person who loves Kazunari-san; that is everything.」

As expected of Todo-san and her reputation for purity, she dove straight into the heavy topic. Her innocent comment seemed to draw the sting out for Sara-san, who returned to her usual gentle tone.

Hayato:「…She just said ‘I love him’ so naturally, didn’t she…」

Natsumi:「…She did. In Sara’s mind, they’ve completely moved past being just lovers…」

Todo:「Love is so amazing, isn’t it? I understand the word ‘like,’ but ‘love’ feels so special.」

Sara:「I can’t explain it well, but the word ‘like’ isn’t enough to describe my feelings for Kazunari-san. So, this word feels more right…」

I feel like I understand what she means about the word「like」not being enough. I’m not saying it’s a light word, but it’s not enough to express something deeper. It’s like a higher form of expression…

Todo:「Love is what people who are getting married or married couples use!」

Sara:「Yes. Since I also… well, promised to become Kazunari-san’s wife…」

Todo:「KYAAAAA!!」

Todo-san let out her biggest high-pitched scream of the day. I’m really glad this is a deserted spot…

Natsumi:「…W-Wife… to think I’d hear such a word from Sara’s mouth…」

Hanako:「…Yeah, that’s not normal at our age…」

Hayato:「…True…」

Lost in embarrassment, I couldn’t even find a way to join the conversation between Sara-san and Todo-san…