By the way, Yukima Azuma had always scored perfect marks in both math and English since he was young.
His Japanese literature scores were a bit low at first, but in the past two years, he had achieved excellent results.
After all, he was a reincarnate.
In his previous life, he had completed a master's degree.
Revising middle school and high school work wasn't difficult for him.
.....
By the time they finished dinner, the sky had turned completely dark.
They walked together to the train station.
As Eriri looked at Yukima Azuma waiting for the train with her, her eyes sparkled with joy.
When they were still together, Yukima Azuma had lived in a neighborhood near her house.
But then he suddenly moved away.
Even now, Eriri had no idea where Yukima Azuma was living.
Since they were riding the same train... asking him casually shouldn't be that weird, right?
"Hey, by the way, where are you getting off?"
"Shibuya Station."
Eriri softly said, "Oh."
Shibuya Station was quite far from her house, about ten kilometers away.
At least it was in the same direction.
When the train arrived at the station, both of them got on.
Since it was rush hour in the evening, there were no seats available on the train.
In fact, the train car was very crowded, a little stuffy even.
Eriri is 158 cm tall.
Although she can reach the hanging handrails,
it's actually a bit difficult, requiring her to straighten her body and stretch her arm out.
She had to maintain a very tiring posture.
About 20 minutes passed,
and Eriri felt that her arms and legs were completely sore.
Just then, the train jerked suddenly.
"Oh my god!"
With a sudden exclamation,
Eriri lost her balance and tilted to one side.
If she had fallen to the floor, it would have been painful, but that wasn't the worst part.
The most embarrassing thing would have been falling into a stranger's armsit would have been extremely awkward.
But that didn't happen.
Eriri felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.
From the point of contact, a warm sensation gradually spread throughout her body.
This feeling was very familiar to Eriri.
She just hadn't felt it for a long time.
"Hey, your hand..."
Eriri whispered, her cheeks flushing.
Yukima Azuma used his arm to hold her, gently guiding her to a corner of the train car.
It was a spot where Eriri wouldn't be pushed around by the crowd.
But to keep her balance, she could only hold onto Yukima Azuma's arm.
"I've been wanting to ask this since earlier, what does 'hey' mean? Isn't that kind of rude?"
Yukima Azuma let go of Eriri and gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
"Ah!" Eriri raised her hand to cover her forehead. "I told you not to tap me!"
After a brief moment of resistance,
Eriri finally paid attention to Yukima Azuma's question.
As for the form of address...
Eriri wanted to call him "Azuma" like she used to.
Because that was how she called him, and using each other's names would make things feel more intimate.
But!
"Sawamura-san," he called her that.
Every time she thought about it, Eriri got angry.
"Yukima-kun, is that okay?"
Eriri said, carefully watching Yukima Azuma's expression.
She wanted to see some sign of disappointment on his face.
However, much to her disappointment,
Yukima Azuma didn't change his expression at all.
Eriri felt a bit let down.
'Doesn't he care about me?'
While she was thinking this, the train jerked again.
Eriri suddenly leaned against Yukima Azuma's arm, which was pressed against the wall of the train car.
Yukima Azuma's arm and the train wall formed a small safe space.
Eriri was inside it, feeling incredibly at ease.
'Isn't he the kind of person who's a "tsundere"?'
Chapter 20: Where Dreams Begin
'Shibuya Station! Shibuya Station has arrived! Passengers disembarking at Shibuya Station, please prepare!'
The announcement echoed through the train car.
Eriri glanced at Yukima Azuma with slight disappointment.
She noticed that Yukima Azuma still hadn't moved.
Outside the train window, she could see the statue of the loyal dog Hachiko.
'Why isn't he getting off the train?'
Eriri's big eyes blinked rapidly.
Until the train doors closed and the train started moving again, Yukima Azuma still hadn't made a move.
"You're going to miss your stop," Eriri whispered.
"Why didn't you remind me sooner, before the doors closed?" Yukima Azuma responded.
"Umm..." Eriri didn't want the person in front of her to leave, but she couldn't say that out loud. "I'm not obligated to remind you!"
Because she was being prideful.
Immediately, Yukima Azuma tapped Eriri's forehead with his finger again.
"Ah! You tapped me again!"
Three times was more than enough. Eriri got angry and slapped her golden hair against Yukima Azuma.
She did it while making a sound, 'WRYYYYYY.'
Her silky smooth hair brushed against him, not painful, just a little itchy.
Yukima Azuma enjoyed it for a moment, then grabbed Eriri's small head and casually said:
"I promised Sayuri-obasan that I would take care of you, so I'm walking you home. It's getting late, and it might be dangerous for you to go alone."
"Hum!" Although Eriri still made a humph sound, she was incredibly happy inside.
'Gakuin Shita Station! Gakuin Shita Station has arrived! Passengers disembarking at Gakuin Shita Station, please prepare!'
The loudspeaker announcement came again.
Both of them got off the train.
Outside the station, it was already pitch black.
The orange streetlights couldn't fully light the path.
So, Eriri unconsciously stepped a little closer to Yukima Azuma.
They turned a corner.
Both of them came to a slope.
The place where dreams begin: Detective hill.
Eriri's house was at the end of Detective hill.
In the past, the two of them often took walks here after dinner.
Now, everything felt as though it had changed.
...
They reached the front door of Eriri house.
As Eriri pressed the doorbell,
Yukima Azuma waved his hand, preparing to leave.
The result was that the large door to Eriri house entrance nearly opened immediately.
Sayuri appeared at the entrance.
"Oh, you're back! Did you forget something?"
As she spoke, Sayuri tapped her forehead.
"Right, I forgot. Here's Eriri ID."
Eriri immediately snatched the ID from Sayuri's hand.
She opened her mouth, showing her small fang, and glared at Sayuri with a slightly aggressive expression.
Eriri is super scary.jpg.
"What are you talking about, Mom! Why would I need my ID! Just go home!"
The ID was, of course, for opening her dorm room.
Sayuri glanced at Yukima Azuma with a somewhat reproachful look.
Yukima Azuma couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
Was she blaming him for bringing Eriri home?
Sayuri, it seemed, wanted him to take Eriri out to "eat" her and not return home tonight.
"Yukima-kun, come inside and sit for a while."
Sayuri invited.
"No, no, I've safely brought Sawamura-san here, if I don't leave now, the train will stop running."
Yukima Azuma waved his hand to decline.
Today was enough.
Taming Eriri wouldn't be successful if rushed.
Sayuri didn't insist further.
Although she wanted to connect these two,
she knew it wasn't the right time for them to just meet again and immediately kiss.
"Sawamura-san, goodbye."
Yukima Azuma waved.
Eriri ground her teeth.
This guy!
"Hmph, Yukima-kun, goodbye!"
Eriri emphasized the four words "Yukima-kun" very clearly.
...
Back at his apartment,
Yukima Azuma helplessly shook his head.
Because of the unexpected encounter with Eriri,
everything had gone off track and disrupted his original plans.
The promise to bring a gift to Kasumigaoka Utaha was now off the table.
However, a mature Yukima Azuma naturally had backup plans to handle unexpected situations.
Yukima Azuma opened the mailbox outside his apartment.
He took out a small gift box from inside.
This was the gift he had prepared for Kasumigaoka Utaha.
It wasn't meant to be given just yet; the timing wasn't set.
It could be for her birthday, or for Christmashe had just prepared it in advance.
Now, it was the perfect time to give it.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome home."
As soon as he opened the apartment door, Yukima Azuma saw Kasumigaoka Utaha sitting on the living room sofa.
It was clear she had been waiting for him.
Under the fluorescent light, Kasumigaoka Utaha lazily leaned against the sofa.
Her long black hair flowed naturally beside her, so soft it made one want to touch it.
Her red wine-colored eyes were slightly open, looking tired but trying not to fall asleep.
She looked like a wife waiting for her husband to come home.
Seeing this scene,
Could someone who didn't bring a gift even speak?
After changing into slippers, Yukima Azuma entered the living room and handed the small gift box towards Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately opened her red wine-colored eyes wide.
Her long, white hand quickly took the gift box.
"Can I open it?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, but in reality, her hands had already started unwrapping the gift.
The question was merely a formality.
Unlike the reserved manner typical of Japanese people when receiving gifts, who often wait to open them later,
Utaha wanted to open it right then and there.
When the wrapping was removed,
Inside were two white silk-like bands.
"What is this?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, slightly surprised.
"This is a wrist guard, officially called a wrap-around wristband."
Yukima Azuma said, then took one of the bands, gently pulling Kasumigaoka Utaha's hand closer.
Her fingers were long and slender, her wrist delicate, with such pale skin that the veins were visible. It was truly perfect.
This was a work of art, making one want to test their "hand control."
Yukima Azuma slid his fingers over Kasumigaoka Utaha's, wrapping the band around her thumb.
He could feel the warmth from her fingers and the slight tingling sensation as he passed over her palm.
Kasumigaoka Utaha's heartbeat began to quicken.
— — — — — — — — — — —
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Chapter 21: In Conclusion, Just Wanting to Show Off!
She could feel the temperature from the tips of her fingers.
Kasumigaoka Utaha heartbeat started to accelerate.
The sound of 'thump-thump' in the quiet living room tonight was quite loud.
Anyway, Kasumigaoka Utaha could hear it very clearly.
Yukima Azuma wrapped a bandage around the thumb of Kasumigaoka Utaha, then wrapped it two more times around her wrist.
Finally, he secured it.
Then, he let go of Kasumigaoka Utaha hand and showed her the bandaged wrist.
She could feel Yukima Azuma hand letting go.
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a little lost.
If only time could last a little longer.
Or rather if they could just hold hands, it would be nice to keep holding them.
She brushed away the feeling of disappointment in her heart.
Kasumigaoka Utaha began to admire the pristine wrist guard on her hand.
"This can protect the wrist, especially when doing meticulous tasks; it can reduce the strain on the wrist."
"Kasumigaoka-senpai is a light novel author, so you often have to type, right? Typing so much, your wrist must hurt a little, huh?"
"At first, it shouldn't be too serious, but if you're not careful, it could lead to tendinitis, and that would be really serious."
Yukima Azuma explained the function of the wrist guard.
Listening to Yukima Azuma's words, Kasumigaoka Utaha gently traced the pristine wrist guard with the fingers of her other hand.
She did occasionally feel some pain in her hand.
But, she didn't pay much attention to it.
But Yukima Azuma gave her this gift.
So, the joy of the gift was surpassed by the happiness she felt.
It was the feeling of joy in her heart when she sensed the care from someone else.
Kasumigaoka Utaha extended her other hand in front of Yukima Azuma.
To hide her embarrassment, she casually said:
"I thought ex-boyfriend-kun would only bring takoyaki as a gift."
Changing the way she addressed him to a teasing tone was a sign of their close relationship.
Because Kasumigaoka Utaha never teased people she didn't care about.
"If it weren't someone close, I would definitely bring takoyaki from Takomasa."
Yukima Azuma took the remaining bandage, this time wrapping her hand very slowly.
"But if I brought that for senpai, I'd definitely get scolded."
"Am I someone so stingy in ex-boyfriend-kun eyes?"
"So, that means I won't get scolded, right?"
"Yeah, senpai will forgive my kouhai-kun silly actions, and at most, I'll just step on you once."
"Isn't that worse?"
"Oh, is there a problem if I step on you?"
"Absolutely not!"
Though the movement was slow, the length of the bandage was limited.
With each word, the bandage was being firmly secured together.
Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her hand, looking at the pristine wrist guard on her wrist, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved up.
Under the light, her long hands, like a piece of art, were even more beautiful with the bandage adorning them.
"Take a picture for me."
Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly said, pointing at her phone on the table.
Yukima Azuma picked up Kasumigaoka Utaha's phone.
"Give it to me, I'll unlock it for you"
Before Kasumigaoka Utaha could finish her sentence, she heard the 'click' of the phone unlocking.
Her words stopped, and her heartbeat sped up again.
'This time, it only took one try to unlock, and he didn't even ask!'
The password for Kasumigaoka Utaha's phone was the day they met.
Yukima Azuma moved behind Kasumigaoka Utaha, extending his hand over her shoulder.
He found a suitable angle with her hands raised, then pressed the shutter button.
After receiving the phone back, Kasumigaoka Utaha stood up.
She walked up the stairs, but before leaving, she turned back.
"I really like the gift. I'll give it back to my ex-boyfriend-kun, but it took some time to choose the gift, so I'm not sure when I'll give it."
