I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 299: Hiyori-san, Me, and an Autumn Night.

Hiyori-san, Me, and an Autumn Night.

“Night walks are the best~! It’s getting cooler lately too, so it’s the perfect season to be out and about!”

“Yeah, true. Summer nights are still hot, so this time of year feels just right for going out.”

After dinner, Hiyori-san and I were out for our usual evening stroll.

It was part of her diet routine, but for us it had also become a quiet, precious time where we could talk at our own pace—something we both looked forward to.

Her goal weight had already been achieved, but wary of rebounding, she planned to keep this daily walk going for a while longer.

I didn’t mind in the slightest. On the contrary—getting to accompany her like this, almost like her personal bodyguard, was something I welcomed wholeheartedly.

“Whew… we’ve only been living around here for what, a month or two? But it’s already starting to feel familiar. Give it a little more time and I’ll probably be totally used to these streets.”

“You moved in at the end of summer break, so yeah… that sounds right. Hard to believe it’s only been that long though.”

“Isn’t it because I’m always with you, Yuusuke-kun? More time together means more memories piling up!”

Her steps bounced lightly—ton, ton—as she spoke, and I found myself nodding in agreement.

Thinking back, ever since she moved near my house, we’d had more moments than I could ever count. As if tracking my thoughts, Hiyori-san began listing them off one by one.

“Let’s see… there was the drinking incident at the takoyaki shop, then our Osaka trip, and the chaos during the cultural festival prep. Oh, and the time I stepped in between Yusa-kun and Yuuki when things got awkward between them…”

“We ran the takoyaki booth during the festival too, and wandered around together. And the after-festival party.”

“Basically, we’ve been together nonstop since summer vacation. Of course we’d end up with a mountain of memories!”

She said it playfully, and I chuckled, nodding again.

It had only been a few months, but it felt like we’d lived through enough memories to fill a year. As I reflected on that, Hiyori-san continued.

“And this whole diet routine too! Honestly, being with you turns even ordinary days into something fun.”

“Heh… hearing that makes me happy. I feel the same way—every day is fun when it’s with you.”

“Ehehe… that’s nice. Being able to spend every day grateful for each other—it sounds kind of beautiful, doesn’t it?”

It felt almost married-couple-like, the way she said it. Maybe she thought so too; her cheeks warmed with a faint blush as she smiled shyly.

“…It’s only been half a year since we met. Somehow, it feels like our days have been one whirlwind after another.”

“Ahaha! Right! We first talked back in April! So it’s been about half a year and a bit since then!”

“Half a year since we met, one or two months since you became my neighbor… and about four months since we became a couple, I think?”

“Eeeh!? Only that much? Didn’t it feel like we’d been dating for a whole year already?”

I almost nodded reflexively.

She was right—there was no way it had been only six months. It felt like we’d been together for far longer.

People say fun times pass quickly, but for us, it was the opposite.

Time moved slowly and gently, as if stretching itself out so we could walk through it side by side.

And there was nothing unfortunate about that. If anything, being able to savor that time together felt like happiness in its purest form.

I found myself hoping we could keep spending our days like this—when a small, adorable sneeze broke my thoughts.

“Achoo! Uu… it’s getting a little cold…”

“Well, winter’s almost here. Of course the wind’s getting chilly.”

Saying that, I held out my hand to her.

She took it with an eager, delighted smile, intertwining her fingers with mine as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Feel a little warmer now?”

“Nope! Not a little—a lot warmer!”

Her bright smile warmed me just as much as our joined hands.

Thinking it might be time to head back before she caught a cold, I looked up at the night sky—and spotted a full moon shining above us.

Almost without thinking, I murmured softly:

“…The moon is beautiful tonight.”

“Hm? …Hehe. Yeah. It really is a lovely moon.”

I didn’t intend any hidden meaning behind those words… but if she wanted to take it that way and feel happy about it, I didn’t mind at all.

I felt her small hand squeeze mine ever so slightly, and I gently squeezed back—as if to confirm the warmth resting in my palm.