One day, my best friend suddenly turned into a sickly girl from the TS

“Ah, right, I won’t be making lunch tomorrow, okay?”

“Eh?”

At dinner, my mom suddenly mentioned this. I wondered if she had started disliking me, but seeing my worried expression, she chuckled.

“Don’t look so worried. It’s Yoru’s idea.”

“Yoru’s telling me not to eat?”

“No, silly. Yoru-kun is going to make the lunch.”

“…Really?”

This was news to me.

I recalled Yoru telling me to look forward to today when leaving her house, but I didn’t realize it meant this. Yoru choosing to tell my mom instead of me seemed like she was aiming for a surprise. She sure does things in her way.

“…A lunch, huh.”

A girlfriend’s homemade lunch is something many dream about. I wasn’t exactly counting down the hours, but I was excited. And while it might not be equivalent to lunch, I had also bought something to give to Yoru.

“Talking to Yoru-kun on the phone… it feels like she’s become a girl. She seems to care a lot about you, Yuki. I even ended up saying, ‘Please take good care of my son in the future.'”

“Ha?”

Future? That implies…

Imagining Yoru and me together in the future made my face turn red. My mom saw this and giggled.

“What do you think she said?”

“…No idea.”

“She said, ‘Leave it to me. I’ll take care of Yuki.'”

“……………”

I was happy to hear it, but her phrasing made it sound like I was a child, which irked me a bit. Still, it was nice to listen to her say that.

After that, I went back to my room and immediately called Yoru.

“Hey, you free now?”

“Totally. I was just thinking about you.”

“……………”

“You’re blushing.♪”

“Shut up.”

As if I wouldn’t be embarrassed!

I couldn’t help but laugh, hearing Yoru’s joyful laughter on the other end of the phone.

“Hey, Yuki, did you hear about tomorrow?”

“The lunch? I’m already excited about it, my girlfriend’s lunch!”

“…I’m making it for the first time with my mom, so go easy on me.”

“I’m happy just to have it, don’t worry.”

“Okay. That makes me feel better.”

Who would complain about a girlfriend’s lunch unless it was intentionally bad?

“…It’s because you’re like that. I want to do more for you.”

“I’m not that special.”

“That’s not true. Yuki, you saved a person… You’re my cool boyfriend.”

…Oh no, my brain’s about to overheat from embarrassment and happiness.

I figured I’d get quite an earful from her mom when I visited next. After a bit more chat, I ended the call.

“Damn, I fell for her…”

Thinking about seeing Yoru tomorrow, I drifted off to sleep.

The next day, I left home and headed straight to Yoru’s place.

As I arrived, Yoru was just coming out the front door and ran over when she saw me.

“Good morning, Yuki.”

“Good morning, Yoru.”

Walking side by side, I decided to take something out of my bag.

“What’s that?”

“This. I bought it a while ago… It’s a sort of present.”

Handing a small paper bag to Yoru, she immediately opened it to see what was inside. She pulled out a hairpin – not too expensive, but I thought it would suit her.

“It’s not exactly a thank-you for the lunch, okay? I bought it before that.”

“……………”

Yoru stared intently at the seemingly ordinary hairpin.

“…Yoru?”

“…I’m happy. Thank you, Yuki.”

She then clutched the hairpin close to her chest. Yoru didn’t usually wear hairpins or ribbons. This black hairpin might enhance her beautiful, silky brown hair with its subtle sparkle.

“Let me hold your bag for a second.”

“Sure.”

Yoru handed me her bag and promptly pinned the hairpin into her hair. As I expected, it suited her and changed her overall look. She was even cuter.

“…How is it?”

“It suits you perfectly.”

“…♪♪”

…Good, my first time giving a girl a present, and it seems to have been well received.

Yoru was in high spirits afterward, occasionally touching the hairpin and grinning. Her glances at me were also endearing.

“Yuki♪ Yuki♪”

“…It’s almost foolish to deny it now.”

Even as we approached the school, Yoru remained in high spirits, never letting go of my hand. We would probably be seen as a couple, but that was okay.

As we entered the classroom, all eyes were on us.

“Good morning, you two.”

“Morning, Kanase♪”

“…You seem very happy, Asahina-san.”

“Of course♪”

Yoru happily shared with Kanase that I had given her the hairpin. Kanase seemed impressed.

“You did well, Uozumi-kun.”

“Yuki is a wonderful person.♪”

…I decided to retreat from their conversation.

But Kanase seemed eager to hear more, and Yoru was too happy to share. They soon engaged in a lively chat nearby.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Look how happy she is

Kanase patted Yoru on the shoulder, to which Yoru nodded in agreement.

“Hey, Yuki and Yoru!”

“Good morning.”

“Morning… What’s with that?”

…And now there’s more.

Naturally, this led to Yoru proudly talking about her happiness. I sighed softly, yet felt genuinely glad to have given her the gift, seeing her this happy.

…Well, now I’m curious about the lunch… Remember this, everyone, next time, I’ll be the one overflowing with happiness.