"What I'm about to say, Eriri, you can just think of it as me venting. Don't worry about any hidden meaning, and don't feel like you have to respond. This is just me talking to myself."
"Mhm..."
"So far, I can say I've had a happy life, without too many complaints about the day-to-day. But after meeting you, I realized that life could be even more enjoyable."
"Whether it was drawing, studying, or anything else, just thinking about you gave me the motivation to keep going, no matter how tough it was."
"But, like a child seeing a toy they really want, they wouldn't be satisfied just admiring it through the window. They'd want to buy it and make it their own."
"That's when I started feeling that way, and I acted on it."
"I knew it wasn't the right thing to do, but I still did it. I wanted to catch your attention, Eriri, and I wasn't satisfied with just being friends anymore."
"Luckily, you didn't get mad at me, but looking back, I think I just assumed you wouldn't really hold it against me, and that's why I dared to act so boldly."
"In a way, I might really be a despicable person…" Chisato chuckled slightly at the end of his monologue.
"That's not true!" Eriri heard Chisato's soft laugh and couldn't stay silent any longer, so she interrupted him.
She felt a heaviness in her heart that she couldn't quite describe.
But one thing was clear—she didn't like this feeling, and she didn't like Chisato using such negative words to describe himself.
"Chisato, you're not a bad person!"
"You've always been so serious and worked so hard to help your friends."
"You even spent so much time and effort helping Tomoya realize his dream, even though it was just a passing fancy."
"You secretly asked your mom to make sure he wasn't overworked at the farm and to pay him more. I heard everything you and your mom talked about in the kitchen that day."
Chisato just smiled gently. His expression didn't change at all, despite what Eriri had said.
He shook his head.
"That doesn't really mean anything. Maybe it was just a small pang of conscience?"
"No, it wasn't…" Eriri felt her nose turn sour as drops of tears slipped out of her eyes.
"Hey, don't start crying now. I didn't bring any tissues, so you'd have to use my shirt to wipe your nose."
"Who's crying?!"
"I thought I heard someone sniffle just now."
"It was just a bug flying up my nose."
"Ouch, I suddenly feel a bit jealous of that bug. What should I do?"
"Pfft... Stop making such gross jokes!"
The mood lightened a little, and Eriri lay back down.
They lay side by side again, looking up at the starry sky.
After a while, Chisato spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate, "Eriri Sawamura, there's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I want to hold your hand."
"!!!"
"I've waited a long time, so I might hold your hand for a while. And just so you know, because I'm nervous, my hand might be a bit sweaty."
"So, if you don't want to, it's okay. I'm going to slowly reach over with my left hand now, and if you don't want to, you can just move away."
"..."
His left hand moved from his chest and slowly reached out to hers.
He touched her small hand. She didn't pull away.
Instead, as soon as their hands touched, she hooked her pinky around his.
Chisato smiled silently and filled the spaces between her fingers with his.
They held hands tightly.
"You… you don't even have sweaty palms. You liar, you weren't nervous at all." Eriri tried to cover her embarrassment by talking.
"I'm really nervous. I just don't show it. My heart is racing. You can feel it if you want."
"I don't want to..."
"Okay."
"...It's probably time to go back to our rooms and sleep, right?"
"We'll go back through the side entrance of the hotel. No teachers will see us."
[You reached out to hold Eriri Sawamura's hand, and to your surprise, she didn't resist. She even took a small initiative, which made you overjoyed.]
[While walking down the mountain, there was a strange noise from the bushes, and Eriri was startled. She lost her balance and twisted her ankle.]
[You felt a bit frustrated because Dark Wing had gone a little too far, and things didn't go as you expected. Eriri didn't just jump into your arms out of fear, she's injured instead.]
[But it's okay. You carried Eriri all the way down the mountain on your back.]
[She wrapped her arms around your shoulders while you held onto her, occasionally lifting her higher.]
[Although Eriri was a little embarrassed, this night definitely brought you closer together.]
[On the seventh day of the trip, Eriri couldn't join the group activities because of her sprained ankle.]
[She stayed in her room to rest. You took a sick day and went out to buy some ointment.]
[You brought it to her room, had her take off her shoes and socks, and carefully applied it to her ankle.]
[While doing so, you touched her leg and ankle, and you could feel that her resistance to you had noticeably weakened.]
[On the ninth night of the trip, Eriri's ankle had healed, and you invited her out for a walk.]
[This time, you didn't even need to ask. Your hands naturally found each other's, and she didn't mind at all—as long as no one else saw.]
[You had a great time together, even taking a picture in front of a local landmark, looking like a couple in love.]
[After the trip, everything returned to normal. Tomoya Aki finished his work at the farm and lost some weight but earned a lot of money.]
[He was so happy that he wanted to treat you to a meal to thank you, but you politely declined.]
[Day by day, summer break was getting closer. Now, whenever you and Eriri are alone together, holding hands feels completely natural, and she doesn't resist at all.]
[Sometimes, when she's in a good mood, she'll even playfully tickle your palm with her fingers.]
[You think it's time to take the next big step. You have a few ideas, but you're still deciding which one to go with...]
[1. Eriri, let's go to the aquarium this summer.]
[2. Eriri, come to my family's farm this summer.]
[3. Eriri, teach me how to draw manga this summer.]
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