The cozy afternoon light filtered through the crochet workshop as usual. Aira stood at the front, her fingers gently guiding the yarn, surrounded by giggling little girls who sat on mats, including Yuu, quietly focused on his work. He was trying hard to stitch a perfect row, tongue slightly sticking out as he concentrated, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Aira whenever she wasn't looking.
Just like every day, her presence calmed him. Watching her teach, her gentle voice, her soft smile—it all made him feel at home.
That's when one of the cheeky little girls leaned toward Aira with a grin.
"Sensei, do you and Yuu-oniichan like each other?" she teased playfully.
Another joined in, giggling, "You both look at each other when the other one isn't watching!"
Both Aira and Yuu froze.
Their eyes met.
Then quickly looked away.
Both of their cheeks turned pink.
Aira tried to smile, her heart thumping fast, "A-Ano… let's focus on this new stitch now. It's incredibly difficult, so we really need to concentrate."
"Yessss~ it's soooo difficult~" the little girls sang, clearly just teasing now.
Aira puffed her cheeks a bit in fake frustration while Yuu kept his head low, completely red.
The class continued, their hearts quietly thudding in rhythm under soft yarns and giggles.
—
After class, as everyone was heading out, Aira and Yuu stepped out together. They weren't holding hands, but their glances spoke everything. They admired each other's presence quietly, stealing glances as if trying to memorize each other's face under the golden sky.
But suddenly, Yuu noticed someone coming ahead—a man, someone older—walking directly toward the workshop, glancing around as if searching for someone.
Yuu's heart jumped. That man seemed familiar… wasn't he someone from Aira's neighborhood?
Thinking fast, he gently tugged Aira's clothes—not touching her body at all—and pulled her softly beside him. Before she could ask anything, Yuu quickly wrapped his jacket around her upper body, hiding her face and hair completely. The jacket smelled like forest and sunshine.
To the man walking by, it looked like Yuu was just kissing a girl and protecting his own privacy.
The man blinked, looked slightly uncomfortable, then walked away in another direction.
As soon as he was out of sight, Yuu quickly unwrapped the jacket from Aira, still unaware of what it must've looked like.
"Ah... sorry. I thought he might recognize you," he mumbled, slightly worried.
Aira's cheeks were as red as her yarn basket.
She couldn't stop her heart racing.
Trying to hide her emotions, she looked away and said, "I... I was just looking for my uncle. You should go home now."
And then she ran—ran like the wind.
Yuu blinked, confused. "Ehh? Did I do something weird?"
—
That night, Aira lay on her bed, face buried in a soft pillow. Her lips were curved into a shy smile, still feeling the warmth of his jacket around her.
"He was trying to protect me... but that moment... it felt so warm."
In another corner of town, Yuu sat on his desk, trying to practice the new stitch Aira taught him. But his mind kept drifting back to that moment—when she was hidden under his jacket, standing so close...
Then it hit him.
His eyes widened.
"I... I-I made it look like we were k-k-kissing?!?!"
He covered his face, fell onto his bed face first, groaning softly into the pillow, then curling into a ball of embarrassment and innocent joy.
And just like that, under the same sky, two hearts beat a little faster... and felt a little closer.