I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 59
Episode 59: An Everlasting Light
“…Should I have said it in a more atmospheric way?”
I said as I scratched my neck.
Aoba shakes her head vigorously.
“It’s totally fine! Anything is fine!”
Tears well up in her eyes as she jumps into my chest.
This is the moment, I think. Now, in this natural flow, I can do it. I reach into my chest pocket and fumble with the box I had hidden there, trying to open it without taking it out.
“What are you doing? Keito-kun.”
…She noticed. It seems like the bar is too high for someone like me to pull this off.
Aoba steps back a bit and tilts her head.
“…Can you turn around for a bit? And close your eyes too.”
“Okay, but why?”
“No reason.”
Aoba, still frowning, does as I ask and turns her back to me.
Once I confirm this, I pull out a necklace from my pocket. It’s not a four-leaf clover, but an emerald green charm shaped like a leaf.
After the reunion yesterday, I went to the shopping mall to get this.
I agonized over it for a long time before deciding. If I had gone to the after-party, I probably wouldn’t have been able to decide.
With trembling hands, I undo the clasp. Then, I wrap my arms around her neck and put it on.
I move to the front to make sure it’s properly fastened.
“It’s okay now. You can open your eyes.”
As I say this, she slowly opens her eyes. She looks down at her chest and lets out a small gasp.
“Keito-kun… this is.”
She then looks up and gazes into my eyes. Trying to escape her gaze, I look at the trees around us as I speak.
“The necklace I gave you before was meant for my ex. So this time, I wanted to give you one properly, from me. That’s what I thought.”
It might have been a bit too cheesy, even for me. Saying it now, I feel a bit embarrassed.
And there’s no response for a while. When I glance at her, I see her gripping the charm tightly and holding it to her chest.
“…ppy.”
“Um, what now?”
“…I’m happy. Really, really happy. That’s all.”
Her voice was sweet, very sweet. That sound continues to linger gently in my ears.
Caught in that lingering sound, I was half in a daze when,
“I’ll cherish it, for sure. This is the happiest gift I’ve ever received in my life!”
Aoba held up a charm towards me and smiled.
“…It’s not much of a gift.”
“It’s not about the money. It’s valuable because I think it is.”
“…That’s so like you, Hikari.”
“So? I haven’t heard your answer yet.”
“Eh? I thought I said it earlier.”
“Nope, you forgot. That… the question about us dating.”
Come to think of it, I might not have answered…?
As I look back over the conversation.
“Wait, are you going to reject me after all this!?”
Aoba starts to misunderstand on her own. At this point, whether I said it or not is trivial.
“I’m not rejecting you. I want to be with you, too.”
It’s not something that takes courage anymore, so I say it properly. I can’t help but anticipate how she might react.
“…Understood.”
Her response is just a single word.
With just that, Aoba looks down.
Aoba’s attitude is completely different from the one she had just now.
I’m bewildered by this sudden change.
“……Hey.”
A few seconds later, she speaks up. When you ask me what.
“Are we dating now?”
There it is.
“I guess, technically, we are.”
“Oh, I see. Sorry, I’ve never dated anyone before, so I wasn’t sure if this is how it’s supposed to be.”
“I think it’s fine, however it is.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
This exchange, even as I was doing it, felt frustratingly slow.
I mustered a bit of courage to look at her. Just then, Aoba also looks at my face.
For a while, we gaze into each other’s eyes.
Then, in the midst of the new green wind, we become embarrassed and laugh.
I scratch my temple and shift my gaze to the sky.
I don’t know what will happen to us in the future.
But there’s hope.
In the future, like the sun that shines brightly in the blue sky above, there is a dazzling light.
And as long as Hikari Aoba is there, that light will surely never fade.
“Hey. Can I hug you again?”
“…No one’s around, so I guess it’s fine. We are dating after all…”
“Yeah, we are dating, right.”
Saying that, Aoba spreads her arms wide.
Then, taking small, quick steps, she clings to me.
She keeps trembling.
And her whole body is hot. The warmth is apparent as soon as she clings to me.
Her cheeks are colored like overripe apples, so much so that I can’t help but poke them lightly with my finger.
“What are you doing, Keito-kun?”
“…Sorry. It was too red, so I got curious.”
“Hmph, you’re just as red, you know? Here, let me poke you too!”
…This creature is too cute.
No, my girlfriend is too cute.