Vol 2 Chapter 5 – Autumn Leaves【Volume 2: The Flirting-All-Over-the-Place Second Semester Arc】

The memorial park had a scattering of visitors.

True to its reputation as the classic autumn date spot, couples were everywhere — some walking hand in hand, others sharing conversation on benches, each pair settled into their own quiet pocket of time beneath the falling colors.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Yeah…”

Sandai and Shino walked slowly through the park, fingers laced together, taking in the leaves at an unhurried pace.

The air around them was still.

There was something deeply calming about simply letting time pass through them like this — and Sandai found himself thinking that an afternoon like this wasn’t a bad way to spend time at all.

By the time either of them noticed, it was already evening.

The sun was going down, the world around them fading into dusk — and then the autumn leaves were lit up from below, warm light rising through the canopy.

“They turned the lights on.”

“They did.”

The two of them stood there, watching the illuminated leaves in silence.

Just standing beside each other. Just looking at the same thing together. And somehow, the distance between them — already close — felt like it was closing just a little more.

After wandering around for so long, Shino had tired herself out considerably, and by the time they were heading home she had started yawning.

“Haaahh…”

“Tired?”

“A little…”

“Can you make it back okay? You’re not going to fall asleep on the train and miss your stop, are you?”

“…Can’t promise anything.”

Shino rubbed her eyes sleepily.

“…You should rest a bit. Here — climb on.”

Letting her keep walking in this state seemed like an accident waiting to happen. At some point she was going to wander into a wall or a utility pole. Sandai crouched down and offered his back.

Shino clambered on, slowly, arms draping around his shoulders.

A faint, familiar scent drifted past him.

Shino’s. He couldn’t have described it exactly — but there was always something about her that was gently, quietly calming. A soft warmth that seemed to settle something in him.

“…Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I’ll wake you up when we get to the station. Sleep until then.”

“Mmm…”

Her chest pressed against his back, but unlike earlier, it didn’t register the same way. His whole focus was on her right now — on wanting her to rest, to recover — and there was no room left for anything else to sneak in.

The walk to the station took about thirty minutes.

He kept his steps measured and even, trying not to jostle her, not wanting to break the soft sound of her breathing against his neck.

By the time the train arrived, it seemed to have worked — she’d gotten enough rest to be back on her feet properly, walking steadily beside him.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow. …Goodbye kiss.”

With the station announcement playing overhead, they shared a soft, brief kiss — light and unhurried, like something that simply belonged there.

☆

After seeing Shino off, Sandai noticed that he himself was fairly tired, and went straight to the bath when he got home.

Sinking into the warm water, he felt the fatigue gradually easing out of him.

“…Ahh.”

He’d been having genuinely good days lately. Fulfilling ones.

The reason wasn’t hard to identify. Having someone to come home to — having Shino — had given his days a shape they hadn’t had before.

She really had changed things for him. All of it, for the better.

Sandai stared up at the bathroom ceiling and thought:

Shino is the one giving me these days worth living. I want to thank her — not just with words, not just with actions, but with something she can hold onto.

Vol 2 Chapter 6 – A Small Visitor【Volume 2: The Flirting-All-Over-the-Place Second Semester Arc】

“Something she can hold onto… the classic move would be a gift, right?”

He murmured it to himself — and then it hit him that next month was December.

December meant Christmas.

The timing couldn’t be more convenient.

A Christmas gift. That felt right — no awkward framing needed, no explaining the occasion. It simply fit.

The date was set. Now the question was what to actually give her.

“It has to be something Shino would genuinely be happy to receive.”

He sat with that for a while, but nothing came to him.

Knowing Shino’s personality, he could easily imagine her responding to practically any gift with an enthusiastic “Thank you~!” And that, paradoxically, was exactly what made this harder.

If anything would do, then he had to search through infinite options and find, on his own, the one that would make her happiest. No shortcuts. No settling.

He didn’t want to pick something at random and call it done. That wasn’t gratitude — that was just going through the motions.

This was going to be a serious undertaking.

☆

A few days passed, and Sunday arrived.

Shino worked a full day on Sundays, so Sandai had the time to himself until he picked her up in the evening. He’d been using it to keep turning the gift question over in his mind.

“Alright…”

He started with what seemed like an obvious first step: searching online for gift ideas that women liked. He found several sites and read through them carefully.

And promptly became confused.

Every site had a different answer for what the best gift was — and their reasoning contradicted each other completely.

One site said: Accessories she can carry with her always are the best choice. Every time she sees it, she’ll think of you. A girl never wants to forget the guy she loves. ♡

Another said: Practical items like skincare products or cosmetics she’ll actually use up are the way to go. Trinkets and accessories are low-key a burden for your girlfriend to deal with. A thoughtful man gives gifts that don’t create emotional obligation. ★

Which one was actually right?

“Ugh…”

The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock.

And then — the intercom buzzed.

Someone was at the door.

Sandai set the question aside for now and went to answer it.

“Hey~ Onii-chan~”

It was Miki.

No one else with her, as far as he could tell. She’d apparently come alone.

“Miki-chan…?”

“Yep, it’s Miki.”

“You came by yourself? Was the train okay?”

“Miki can take the train by herself, you know. …Can I come in?”

She was Shino’s little sister. And more to the point, he couldn’t exactly send a small child who’d walked all this way back out the door. Sandai nodded slowly.

Miki’s face broke into a bright grin, and she darted inside.

“So — what brings you all the way here out of nowhere?”

He handed her a can of juice and asked. Her answer was wonderfully simple.

“I just kind of felt like visiting.”

Apparently that was the whole reason. And honestly, looking at her — dressed in a roomy pair of overalls clearly chosen for maximum freedom of movement — she did look exactly like someone who had come over for no particular reason at all.

“…Hm? Onii-chan, what’s this?”

Miki took a long sip of her juice and glanced at the computer screen on the desk.

The gift research page was still open. She seemed interested.

“Are you getting Onee-chan a present?”

“Something like that.”

“…Miki’s guess is that Onii-chan can’t figure out what to get her.”

She had hit the mark. Sandai gave a dry, defeated little smile — and Miki puffed up her chest proudly.

“This is Miki’s moment to shine. Should Miki tell Onii-chan what Onee-chan would be happy to get?”

Sandai blinked — and then thought: actually, that might be exactly what I need.

Miki was Shino’s little sister. They got along well. She probably knew Shino’s tastes better than almost anyone.

An unexpected — and perhaps perfect — ally had just walked through his door.