Chapter 116
Fated Valentine’s Day (2)
“Will you… accept it? My chocolate. It’s still the 14th, after all.”
I pulled my hand away from Tsukiyo’s cheek. Her face had regained some color, and I could tell she had warmed up a little.
I took the paper bag she handed me.
Right away, I pulled a white box out of the bag and opened the lid.
“Y-you don’t have to eat it right now, you know…”
“I want to eat it now.”
Inside the box were four compartments, each filled with a rectangular block of dark chocolate.
They were brownies, I think. They were really beautifully made. Each piece had white letters written on it. You could tell at a glance that they were handmade.
I picked up one of the four. Large nuts and dried fruit were arranged on the surface, giving it a vivid, colorful look.
“It’s beautiful…”
“……”
I glanced over at Tsukiyo.
She looked embarrassed, but also happy… her lips tightly pressed together, both hands held against her chest.
I don’t cook much, so I don’t really know how difficult chocolate brownies are to make, but I’m sure Tsukiyo worked really hard on them all week.
Just thinking about that made my chest feel warm.
I put half of the brownie into my mouth.
Ah… it’s so sweet…
“It’s delicious…”
“R-really…?”
I nodded and put the rest into my mouth, chewing slowly. The rich sweetness of the chocolate blended perfectly with the other sweetness from the nuts and fruit—it was truly delicious.
More than anything, the fact that Tsukiyo made this for me…
That made me incredibly happy.
“This is the first time in my life I’ve ever received chocolate this delicious and this meaningful. Tsukiyo, thank you so much!”
So this is how naturally people can smile.
I was wearing such a big grin that even I could tell.
“Hah…!”
Tsukiyo clutched her chest with both hands, breathing heavily.
I thought it was a little strange… but I continued anyway.
“I’m really happy. I’ve never felt this happy before. Ever since I met you, Tsukiyo… it’s been nothing but happy moments.”
“Hah… hah…”
“Meeting you tonight made all the painful things… all the sad things… just blow away.”
“…gh…”
“Tsukiyo, you’re really kind… You’re the most special person to me.”
“STOP!!”
Tsukiyo screamed in a harsh voice, almost like a cry of despair.
Startled by the sudden change, I shut my mouth and blinked several times.
“Why would you say something like that…?”
“Huh, Tsukiyo?”
Still clutching her chest, Tsukiyo lifted her face sharply.
“If you say things like that… I’ll just fall even more in love with you. I… I love you. Taiyou… I really love you!”
Her voice rose higher and higher.
“I love you, I love you, I love you so much I can’t stand it! Ever since that summer day when I fell in love with you, I’ve longed for you every single day!”
“And yet you tell me we should ‘keep things the way they are’… I don’t understand!! I care about you this much, and you care about me too, don’t you!? What does ‘we’re not well matched’ even mean!? Think about that after we start dating!”
“But because I love you, I endured it. I tried to suppress these feelings that keep overflowing and won’t stop… but I can’t. New Year’s shrine visit, my birthday… and even this Valentine’s Day—every time I see you, I fall in love with you all over again!”
“I dress up so hard because I want you to call me cute. I stick close to you even though I’m embarrassed because you get flustered and I want your attention. I cook so much because you say it’s delicious. I take care of my hair for so long because you say it’s beautiful!”
“I hate this ‘status quo’! I want to hold hands, link arms, hug, kiss, and even do more than that. I want you to stroke my hair. I want to take photos with you. I want you to tickle me. I want you to tell me my cooking is delicious. I want you to call me cute. I want you to call me beautiful. I want you to look at me more and more!”
“And yet the only people who confess to me every day are men I don’t even want to talk to. There’s only one person I truly want to confess to me! And you won’t take that step forward! Why!?”
“If you only see me as someone to play with, that’s fine. If you want me to leave you alone, it would be sad, but I’d accept it. So tell me properly! If you don’t want me close to you, then push me away clearly! Don’t come halfway into my heart like this! Your ‘thank you,’ your ‘I’m happy,’ your ‘you’re kind,’ your ‘you’re special’—they all reach straight into my heart!! It hurts, it hurts so much. I didn’t know love could make your chest hurt this badly.”
“If it’s this painful, I wish I’d never fallen in love. I should have died back then, in July. Don’t confuse me anymore!!”
I… couldn’t respond to a single one of Tsukiyo’s words.
I had no idea she was suffering this much…
“I’ve had enoughhhhh!!”
Tsukiyo clutched her head, crying and screaming, and ran off in the opposite direction from me.
I had to chase her.
But… my legs wouldn’t move at all.
What have I… done?
No, that’s wrong.
I did nothing.
I just grew accustomed to Tsukiyo’s kindness, avoided facing her feelings, and let time pass by.
My body collapsed, my arms hitting the ground as shock washed over me.
“I’m… the worst…”
“So it ended up like this after all.”
Still on all fours, I slowly turned around.
Standing there was someone with the exact same face as Tsukiyo, chestnut-colored medium-length hair looking down at me—
my best friend, Kaminagi Seiya.
“Seiya…”
“What a pathetic sight, Taiyou.”
“Punch me. For hurting Tsukiyo… the girl you treasure… punch me.”
Seiya let out a short sigh.
“I’d just hurt my fist, so no thanks. You were screaming in the middle of the night… you’re a real nuisance to the neighbors. Let’s move somewhere else.”
