Chapter 58: The Next Morning (Ginji's Perspective)

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Translator: Soafp

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The Next Morning (From Ginji's Perspective)

That morning, Ginji had woken up ridiculously early. There was no way he could sleep. The feeling of Sora's lips still lingered on his own—and after the kiss, she had run off, hiding her face.

“…How am I even supposed to face her now?”

Trying to distract himself, he did pull-ups on the iron bar mounted outside their house. After finishing his workout, he took a bath to wash off the sweat. At the sink, as he washed his face, his fingertips brushed against his cheek.

Even now, he could still feel that soft sensation.

He got dressed and went into the kitchen. While making breakfast for his little brother, his hands moved fluidly even as his mind kept circling back to yesterday.

Frowning deeply, he shook his favorite cast iron pan. He ended up slightly burning the fried eggs.

After finishing breakfast, he slid the door open with determination, shoved his bag into the bike basket, and got on.

He was heading out way earlier than usual—but that was so he could get to the meeting spot ahead of time and wait for Sora. Since he was up early anyway, he figured he might as well wait for her, just this once.

“Yo, Sora. Are you always this early?”

And yet—he was surprised to find Sora already there, much earlier than he had expected.

“…Why are you here so early!?”

Yesterday's memories came flooding back—not just the feel of her lips, but the way she'd buried her face in embarrassment, and probably even how she'd gotten upset thinking about him. It all made Ginji's heart waver.

“Well… I don't know. I just couldn't settle down.”

Seeing Sora—who looked even cuter than usual—Ginji couldn't help but feel flustered. Sora wobbled a bit as she walked over, carefully set down her bag, and clung to him.

“Too cute!!”

No, it's you! Ginji screamed internally. Luckily, there was no one else around.

Had she always come this early just to wait for him? Her ever-changing expressions were amusing, and the growing clarity of her feelings for him made Ginji's heart beat even faster.

“What's wrong?”

“I mean, Ginji's just… cute—pugya!”

Sora's swirling eyes were too adorable, and Ginji couldn't help but sandwich her cheeks between his hands.

“You shouldn't be saying that kind of thing to a guy first thing in the morning…”

“Mmph… It's your fault. Your face… you've got cream on…”

“Oh, sorry. By the way, that bag—yesterday I thought it had art supplies, but it's really just lunch, huh? Here, take this.”

He handed her an envelope with a casual motion.

“I don't need it. I've eaten so many meals at your house too.”

“Yeah, but if you count the bento too, I'm definitely the one getting more. Just take it.”

To be honest, Ginji had been feeling like Sora was taking on too much. Even if she didn't seem to mind, Ginji wanted to take care of their relationship properly—so he pushed the envelope on her insistently. Even if she hesitated, he wanted her to accept it.

“I'll make something really good.”

Sora replied with a smile, and Ginji turned his face away in embarrassment. Without saying a word, he placed her bag in the basket and took the lunchbox in hand.

“It's sweet how much you like doing things for others, but I'll make lunch sometimes too, alright? Tell me what you like. If I keep making only my favorites, you'll get sick of them.”

He couldn't bring up the moment when they'd parted the day before—but even without mentioning it, this small, closed distance between them was enough. It was an unspoken answer that felt right to both of them.

“That's not really true.”

Why do you smile at me like that—so happily, like I'm the only one in the world?

He wanted to say it. But saying it now felt selfish. It felt like cheating.

“Huh?”

“It's nothing. Hey, let's go shopping together after school. Let's make lunch together.”

“Sure. Let's stop by the supermarket. Tetsu asked me to run an errand for him. He's making tonkatsu today.”

“Why don't we make it for him instead?”

“I said the same thing, but he wants to do it himself once in a while.”

“He's such a good little brother.”

“Seriously.”

As they walked side by side, Ginji glanced over—Sora really was cuter than usual today. That made him nervous. His heartbeat felt different now. A little warmer, a little ticklish—and it told him something between them had shifted.

For crying out loud… just once in a while, let me be the one to take care of you.