Chapter 11: Wish

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Translator: Soafp

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“So? What game are we playing?”

He’s definitely the person I’m closest to.

And yet, right now, he feels so far away.

That's how it feels.

“How about this one?”

“Wait—before that, your room’s a disaster. Shouldn't we clean up first?”

“I’m just gonna use the bathroom. Asano, tidy up for me.”

“Hey! Don't just run off! …What a pain.”

I never fully believed that story he told. Only took it half-seriously at best.

And yet, something about it felt eerily real—It sent a chill down my spine.

“What's this? A diary?”

While clearing off the mess on the coffee table, I stumbled upon a diary.

I guess… even back then, I already liked her.

That’s what I think now.

---

“Ha…ruki… Haruki. Get up!”

“Huh…? Oh, morning…”

Her loud voice pulls me out of sleep. Sunlight pouring in from the window makes me squint.

“Seina… morning.”

“This isn't the time for a lazy good morning! You're gonna be late for class!”

Yawning, I head to the sink, wash up, and grab my bag.

“You were up late studying again, huh?”

“Yeah. Job hunting season's coming up. Gotta put the time in while I can.”

We leave the apartment and head to the station together, walking side by side.

Winter's behind us, and the spring breeze feels gentle.

“Hey Haruki, can I stay over tonight?”

Seina walks next to me, framed by the full-bloom cherry blossoms. Still as beautiful as ever.

“Sure. Wanna study together?”

“Let's play a game instead! I got a new one recently.”

Now in our fourth year of college.

And Seina's still here with me, just like back in high school.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Hmm… anything's fine if you're the one cooking.”

“Aww, you sweet talker. Alright, hamburger steak it is!”

We graduated high school without any hiccups and enrolled in the prestigious Koo University.

I actually got into a cheaper national university too,

but Seina's family decided on Koo, so I followed suit.

She insisted—“We're going to the same college, no matter what!”—and that gave me the drive to study hard.

“It's crazy, huh? Only one year left ‘til we graduate.”

“Yeah, it is.”

A fifteen-minute train ride and a short walk later, we reach campus.

“Hey, isn't that Endo-san? Man, she's gorgeous. Heard she's super smart too.”

“Yeah, I heard she aces the hardest classes with top grades. The professors are all singing her praises.”

Even in a crowd of students, Seina stands out.

People passing by keep stealing glances and whispering compliments.

“Asano's pretty good-looking too. I bet they're a couple.”

“Of course. They're always together.”

I even hear comments about myself sometimes—just for being around her, I guess.

It's like a ripple effect.

Funny how back in middle school, I was the target of all kinds of ridicule.

Feels like a distant memory now.

“You're done by noon today, right Haruki?”

“Yeah. You've got teaching courses this afternoon, right?”

Surprisingly, Seina's been taking teacher training classes.

Apparently, her father's already lined up a job for her at his company after graduation, but she's not on board with it.

She doesn't actually want to be a teacher—but maybe those classes are her way of pushing back.

“Ugh, yeah. Got student teaching next month too. Such a drag.”

“C'mon, don't say that. I'll wait for you to finish.”

Being from a well-off family isn't all sunshine, I guess.

“Haruki, here!”

She suddenly spreads her arms wide, wanting a hug.

“H-Hey… Again? There are tons of people around…”

“I could go for a kiss instead, you know.”

Pretty sure stuff like this isn't appropriate on campus…

“Come on, come on!”

She leans in closer, undeterred by my hesitation.

“Yeah yeah…”

With people streaming by around us, I hug Seina tightly.

She wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my chest.

“Ahh… I feel whole again.”

Doing things like this with her makes her happy.

And that makes me happy too.

Even if I feel a little self-conscious about the stares…

“They're at it again.”

“Hot and heavy, first thing in the morning, huh.”

I don't know if people are laughing or just exasperated.

But feeling Seina's warmth in my arms makes it all seem trivial.

“Okay, I'm recharged! Time to go. You got this too, Haruki!”

“Yeah. See you later.”

Just one more year of this college life left.

---

That afternoon, while waiting for Seina to finish her class,

I spend time in the library pulling together a paper and sorting out job-hunting info.

Around this time of year, you start seeing students who've already landed job offers, enjoying the rest of their college days stress-free.

“Asano-kun! Yoo-hoo!”

The loud voice breaks the quiet of the library.

Of course.

Only one person would blow off common sense like that in a library.

“You free right now, Asano?”

“Does it look like I am, Shiraki? And keep your voice down—this is a library.”

Middle school, high school, now college…

For some cosmic reason, this guy's been stuck with me for years.

“You haven't changed a bit, still the serious type.”

“You should consider studying more. Didn't you almost flunk out last year?”

“I'll be fine. As long as I've got baseball, I'll manage.”

Shiraki got in on a sports scholarship, and every year he's fighting just to scrape by on credits.

Being a recommended athlete doesn't mean the school's gonna hand you grades for free.

“So, what do you want?”

“Ah, actually… I've got a favor to ask.”

A Favor?

Whenever this guy asks for a favor or advice, it's never anything good.

Back in high school, it was “lend me your notes,” and in college, it was “help me study,” and so on.

“Ah, hang on a sec. I just got a message from Seina, so I'm heading out.”

“You two are as close as ever. Alright, hear me out next time, okay?”

I wrapped up the conversation with Shiraki and made my way toward the front gate of the university.

The timing of Seina's message couldn't have been better. I just managed to dodge another round of trouble.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Seina. Shall we go home?”

“Yeah.”

We walked home hand-in-hand, chatting about nothing in particular.

Seina's hand was so warm. Touching her no longer caused any sort of discomfort in my body. Not anymore.

“Hey, let's stop by the convenience store on the way back.”

“Sure. Let's go see the manager—it's been a while.”

When I had just started college, I got my first part-time job at a convenience store about ten minutes from my apartment.

It was my first time working and earning money. Even though I was just a part-timer, I learned how hard it is to make money.

When I told my dad I wanted to go to a private university, he smiled and supported me right away. I'm truly grateful that I can attend college without any financial hardship.

“Long time no see, Manager.”

“Oh, Asano and Endo. Been about a month, hasn't it?”

The manager had really helped me out back then.

I was clumsy in a lot of ways, and he always kindly covered for me.

“Ever since you two quit, we've been short-staffed—it's been rough.”

Seina's dad had apparently told her, “You don't need to work part-time,” but she completely ignored that and declared, “I'm working with Haruki!”

Now that we're in our fourth year, we decided to quit last month so we could focus on studies and job hunting.

“Asano, you were nervous around female customers until the end. Have you gotten any better with women?”

“N-No… I think I might just be like this forever…”

“You talk just fine with Endo though.”

“Seina's… special to me.”

“You two are such a hot item.”

While I was chatting with the manager, Seina was loading up on snacks.

She had mentioned wanting to play games tonight, so it looked like we'd be pulling an all-nighter.

---

“Phew, I'm back!”

“That was fast, Seina.”

“I ran home to grab a change of clothes!”

She'd gone home to grab her clothes and games, and must've sprinted back—she was out of breath and sweating.

“You didn't need to rush back like that, you know?”

“It's our first sleepover in a while! I'm hyped!”

What exactly she was hyped about, I had no idea…

“Go take a shower first. I'll get dinner ready.”

“Okay~!”

The past few weeks had been hectic with company info sessions and such, so it had been a while since we could relax together like this.

That said, “getting dinner ready” wasn't anything fancy.

Just cooking some rice and chopping vegetables—basic stuff anyone could do.

“Maybe I should cook extra rice… she eats like a horse.”

Seina eats more than I do, and then she still snacks afterward.

And yet somehow, she keeps an amazing figure. It's a mystery.

“Haruki~”

I turned around at the sound of Seina's voice—and just like always, I sighed.

“Why do you always come out naked after your shower?”

“Well, it's hot right after you get out, you know?”

At university, she's even been called “Miss Koo” (the most beautiful student), but around me, she's totally carefree.

“You're still wet.”

“I left the water on me ‘cause I wanted you to dry me off~”

What is she even talking about…

While I was drying her off with a bath towel, our eyes naturally met.

Before we even had time to stare at each other, our lips touched.

“We've really gotten good at kissing, huh.”

“Well, we've had plenty of practice.”

Seina took my hand and pulled me toward the bed.

“Hold on. I haven't even taken a shower yet.”

“It's fine, don't worry about it…”

“But we don't have any c*ndoms.”

“I bought some at the convenience store.”

She was clearly already in the mood. Not that I was in any position to talk.

“Haruki… let's do it…”

We ended up completely forgetting about the hamburger steak we planned to make, and the games we meant to play.

All we did was confirm our love for each other, over and over again.

That moment, without a doubt, was our own slice of happiness.

And in the back of my mind, I kept hoping that this relationship would never fall apart.