I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 62: Yukitsuki Shigure's Confession.

Yukitsuki Shigure’s Confession.

“Then… once more, properly this time—there’s something important I want to tell you, Tsubame.”

“Okay.”

Tsubame smiled and gave a small nod, quietly waiting for me. She held my hand tightly and looked straight into my eyes.

“I…”

I opened my mouth to speak—but stopped. The words I’d carefully prepared for today vanished into thin air. New words rose to the surface, only to disappear again.

—A confession is a way to confirm that your feelings are mutual.

That thought came to mind. And yes, it made sense that I’d feel uncertain.

We had both believed our feelings were mutual. No—we thought so, even if fear made us hesitate. If that weren’t true, I couldn’t have come this far.

And yet, something inside me still wavered.

“I’m the kind of person I just described earlier.”

The words that followed were nothing like what I had planned to say today.

“I’ve always liked helping people. I liked hearing ‘thank you.’ I liked making people smile. …But all of that was really just for my own satisfaction.”

People have often called me kind. Remarkable, even.

But I never liked hearing that.

Because all of it—every act of kindness—was rooted in my own self-interest. I did it for me.

To go even further… when I met Tsubame again, all of that ‘kindness’ had simply been a means to an end—to avoid feeling ashamed in front of her.

I couldn’t help but feel that it was an insult to people who were genuinely kind. Truly good people.

And now, those impure motives are nothing but a weight on my back—fueling my fear.

“My selfishness… it’s what ended up hurting Kizuki-san—”

“—But it’s also what made her incredibly happy.”

Before I could finish, Tsubame interjected.

“Even if it was for your own satisfaction, that doesn’t change the fact that you brought happiness to so many people. It doesn’t change the fact that you saved me. All those people you helped—that reality won’t disappear or be erased.”

Even as my gaze faltered, her eyes held mine firmly. And with that gaze, the confidence I’d lost slowly started returning to its original shape.

—That’s right. The past doesn’t disappear. And it doesn’t change.

“…Thank you, Tsubame.”

“You’re welcome.”

She said it with pride and smiled again, waiting patiently for me to continue.

Talking about the past had reminded me of something else.

I’m… really heavy.

All of this—for a girl I met back in elementary school, when we were just kids. A girl who moved away. I didn’t even know if we’d ever meet again. And yet, I did all of this… just for her. Because I thought she’d moved far away—not physically, but in terms of the gap between us.

Honestly, anyone would be weirded out by that. The reason I couldn’t return Kizuki-san’s feelings was because I still had feelings for a girl I hadn’t seen in years.

It’s incredibly heavy. Almost disturbingly so… and all of it, in the end, was completely one-sided. Because Tsubame was never the kind of person who cared about things like that.

Even so—thinking back to what she said just now, I can’t say any of it was meaningless.

In fact, my feelings for her only grew stronger after meeting her again.

If earlier, when Arisaki said what she did, Tsubame hadn’t been able to refuse… I’m certain I would’ve stopped her. If she’d gone without telling me, I might’ve chased her down, no matter where she went. That… kind of makes me sound like a stalker. Maybe I should stop that train of thought.

Anyway—yeah, I’m heavy. Really heavy.

But… even so, I know Tsubame can handle it.

In fact, I think it’s better if I’m a little heavy. Because Tsubame is so kind, she might sacrifice herself to save others. If I’m heavy enough, maybe my feelings will reach her clearly. It’s better than being too light to notice.

—Yeah. I’m okay with being who I am.

“…Tsubame.”

I opened my eyes as I said her name. She responded softly with a “Mhm,” and smiled.

“I love you.”

It had taken me such a long time to say it—but finally, the words came out.

“I want to stay by your side from now on. Always. …I want to be the man who stands closest to you.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine that there had been many proposals to Tsubame before—just like the one today. And probably more to come in the future.

“Maybe the ones who propose to you will be foreign princes or oil magnates or high-ranking nobles… with money, status—and maybe even better personalities than mine.”

Compared to them, I probably don’t even deserve to stand next to you. That’s how big the gap is.

But even so—

“I believe I can make you happier than any of them. No matter what happens, I’ll make you happy.”

That might be the only way I can win—but that’s enough for me.

“So please… would you go out with me?”

Tsubame said nothing. She simply looked me straight in the eyes, listening in silence.

My heart pounded so loud, it was deafening. Would I even be able to hear her response?

But that worry quickly disappeared—because her face moved closer.

“…!”

“Mmm.”

It took several seconds to realize her lips were pressed against mine. My mind went blank, and I barely even noticed her holding my hands.

And then… I realized we were kissing.

Strangely, I didn’t panic.

“…Hehe.”

While our lips were still touching, she giggled—quietly, but happily.

About ten seconds passed before she pulled away, smiling brighter than I had ever seen before.

“I finally got to kiss you.”

Her lips curled into a soft, playful grin. She stuck out her tongue ever so slightly and ran it along the edge of her lips.

“Now we can kiss anytime, anywhere… Oh, right—I haven’t answered you yet.”

“…You’re saying that now?”

“I was just too happy, that’s all.”

Tsubame giggled, then pulled her face back slightly and cleared her throat.

“I may be a bit clumsy, but I hope we’ll be together for a long time. …Oh, and by the way, I also think I’m the one who can make you happiest. We’re the same that way.”

It felt like she skipped a few steps in her reply—but it didn’t matter anymore. My heart was overflowing with warmth.

Then Tsubame leaned in again, bumping her forehead gently against mine.

Her eyes sparkled like a starlit night sky—right in front of me.

“…”

“…”

“Can I… kiss you again?”

“Mhm. This time, I want it to come from you.”

It was clear now—we were on the same page. That made me indescribably happy.

That said… a kiss, huh? How do people usually kiss?

…How do couples actually kiss, anyway?

I had no idea. But I leaned in and kissed her again. Just our lips touching—like kids playing house.

And yet… that simple act filled my heart with a quiet, radiant warmth.

“We can take the next step forward now.”

“…Yeah.”

“Or the next four or five steps, even.”

“We should be careful not to stray off the path, though.”

She giggled softly at that, then wrapped her arms around me. A hug that felt familiar, yet somehow different this time. And then, it really sank in.

“—So I’m… dating Tsubame now.”

“Yup. And I’m now Shigure-kun’s girlfriend.”

Hearing her say it out loud, something occurred to me.

“Tsubame.”

“What is it?”

“This might be a dumb question, but… we’re keeping this a secret, right?”

We’d been seen together plenty during her official work—but still, making this public didn’t seem like a great idea.

There were school rules, too. We should talk about all that. That’s why I asked—but Tsubame just looked at me intently.

“There’s something I just thought of.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember what Usui-san said earlier?”

I tilted my head, trying to recall. She’d said a lot…

“There are two problems we need to solve. Even if we deal with the crown prince, other invitations will keep coming. So it doesn’t solve the root issue.”

“Oh, that part. Yeah, I remember.”

When she brought it up, I got what she meant. Tsubame nodded once, then continued.

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since. …And if you help me, Shigure-kun, I think we can actually do it.”

She held out her hand—and when I took it, she grasped mine tightly.

“So help me, okay? Shigure-kun.”

She wasn’t asking—she already assumed I’d help. And of course I would. But the way she said it… made me feel even closer to her than before.

“Yeah. I’ll help with anything.”

“Great. Then let’s go talk to Usui-san.”

With a firm squeeze of my hand, Tsubame stood up. I followed behind her, as we walked together toward Shirao and the others—hand in hand.