Maybe it was because it was a summer night.
Holding each other like this for too long would inevitably make even a beautiful girl sweat... and Utaha, having just taken a bath, really didn't want to have to shower again once she got back upstairs.
"Miyahito, it's getting a bit hot."
Her voice, soft as a whisper, brushed against Miyahito's ear like a fluffy cotton ball.
Hmm, a bit ticklish...
Not sensing any intention of letting go from the boyfriend holding her, and feeling increasingly warm, Utaha "struggled" to loosen her arms slightly around his waist, gently pushing against him with her body.
Little did she know, that single movement sent a massive shock through Miyahito, a healthy teenage boy in the prime of youth.
"Utaha... don't, don't move..." Gritting his teeth slightly, trying to suppress the sudden flutter from the soft impact against his chest, Miyahito awkwardly loosened his embrace.
Catching the unusual tone in his voice, and completely unaware of how her actions were affecting him, Utaha lifted her face, flushed with affection. She looked at him with a slightly dazed, innocent expression, watching as he clenched his jaw, seemingly enduring something.
"What's wrong, Miyahito?"
"Give me a minute... to calm down." Finishing the sentence, he took a sharp, deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away.
Ahh... I saw it... I saw it! Damn it, calm down! Calm down!!!
As his inner monologue screamed in panic, he couldn't stop the image from replaying in his mind: the moment Utaha tilted her head up, revealing that breathtaking, fair vista through the loose neckline of her hoodie dress.
Hold it in, hold it in, hold it in!
Watching her boyfriend's face grow increasingly red, looking like it might explode, Utaha—still somewhat dazed and swept up in the moment—worriedly raised her hand.
Placing her warm palm gently against his slightly cool cheek, she used her thumb to wipe away a bean-sized drop of sweat.
"Miyahito, your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Uh... I-I-I'm f-fine..." "Just let me... recover for a second. Just a bit longer."
It was embarrassing to admit, and it definitely gave off the impression that "Miyahito is a desperately thirsty guy." But honestly, Utaha was just simply wiping his sweat... Yet faced with such a mundane gesture, his heart pounding faster and faster, Miyahito instinctively leaned back slightly, his posture becoming rather ungraceful as his hips shifted forward.
Noticing him leaning forward slightly, Utaha—still not fully processing what was happening—blinked her wine-red eyes and let out a confused "Hmm?"
Naturally, her gaze slowly drifted down from his strained expression. Then, her eyes involuntarily landed on a certain teenage boy's noticeably tense lower abdomen.
In an instant, the air froze.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Miyahito struggled to open his eyes a crack. The first thing he saw was his girlfriend in his arms, head bowed, her gaze seemingly fixed on a specific area. His breath instantly caught.
Oh no... Oh crap!
Feeling like he was suffocating from sheer embarrassment, Miyahito parted his lips, which felt glued together, but couldn't utter a single word.
Utaha, seemingly catching onto his predicament, lowered her pretty face and spoke softly.
"Um... after all, Miyahito is just a normal... normal teenage boy...."
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything. The moment those words left her mouth, Miyahito wanted to dig a hole on the spot and bury himself.
Simultaneously, they let go of each other. One turned his head away, daring only to look at the streetlamp's glow on the pavement. The other lowered her head, hands fidgeting nervously behind her back.
After standing face-to-face in silence for a short while.
"Even though it's a bit late." Taking a small, deep breath to somewhat calm his flustered mind, Miyahito handed the bento box to Utaha.
"You still need to eat a proper dinner, okay? Utaha."
"Mhm." Taking the box with both hands, Utaha nodded. Then, tilting her face up, she spoke with a troubled tone.
"But... but I don't really know how to cook..."
After saying it, a wave of worry welled up in her heart.
After all, even though she was a girl, she couldn't cook at all... That was honestly a bit hard to justify in this country.
She worried that Miyahito might think less of her for this flaw, or even look down on her.
But in reality, none of Utaha's worries existed at all.
"Then I'll just cook for you." Miyahoto replied without a second thought, his tone as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'll make it for you every day."
Utaha's expression blanked for a moment. She looked down at the bento box in her hands, then back up at Miyahoto, who wore an utterly matter-of-fact expression.
Then, lowering her head again, she suddenly asked in a small voice.
"Is that really okay?"
"Hm?" Miyahoto didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Even though I'm a girl, I can't cook." Her fingers tightened nervously around the bento box handles as she continued. "And I'm not very good at housework either."
"Is that really fine? Miyahoto, do you seriously think that's okay?"
"What's the problem?" Miyahoto's counter-question made Utaha instinctively look up, her eyes wide with surprise at his smiling face.
Seeing her stunned expression and bewildered gaze, he smiled.
Reaching up, he gently brushed her bangs aside, adjusted the hairband on her head, and said with a smile.
"You don't know how to cook. I do."
"You don't know housework. I do."
"Hey, don't make that face, okay?" Flicking her forehead lightly with a curled finger, Miyahito's smile deepened with doting affection as he spoke firmly. "I'm Utaha's boyfriend. Aragaki Miyahito. Loving you, spoiling you, making you happy and joyful... isn't that exactly what a boyfriend is supposed to do?"
"So, please don't hold back any worries. Just stay by my side, let me hold your hand, and keep walking forward. Understood? Utaha."
After hearing his words, Utaha fell silent. Miyahito didn't say anything more either, just smiling quietly and staying by her side.
After a moment.
"Hey, Miyahito." Slowly lifting her face, her wine-red eyes shimmering with light as they reflected his features, Utaha spoke softly. "We're dating, right? We're a couple, right?"
"Hmm? Why ask that all of a sudden?"
"I haven't heard you say you love me yet." The corners of Utaha's lips lifted, her eyes curving unconsciously as her tone filled with anticipation and joy. "Say it!" "Say it loudly that you love me!"
"Eh?" Caught off guard, Miyahito looked around at the quiet surroundings, a bashful expression crossing his face. He hesitated before asking, "Right now? In the middle of the night? I'll disturb the neighbors if I shout..."
"I don't care!" Suddenly acting spoiled, Utaha set the slightly heavy bento box on the ground, then gently pinched Miyahito's cheeks and pulled them outward. "I want to hear it! I want to hear it right now!"
"I-I get it." Faced with her sudden willfulness, Miyahito—who had just declared spoiling her was his responsibility—nodded helplessly. "I really can't win against you, Utaha."
Seeing this, Utaha let go triumphantly, then looked at him with eager anticipation.
Taking a slow, deep breath to steady himself, he said, "I love you, Utaha."
He said it calmly, but Utaha felt not a single hint of dissatisfaction. Because she saw the deep affection and unwavering resolve shining in his eyes.
"In this world, I love you more than anyone else, and I want to be with you more than anything."
Having crossed two worlds, walking through over thirty years of time.
Finally, I stand before you.
So.
I love you more than anyone.
Therefore.
Aragaki Miyahito loves Kasumigaoka Utaha.