Chapter 1220 - Spring Sky Love Degree
""—......................""
Thus, if one were to compare the reset atmosphere to a color, what would it be?
"...Haru's way of being like that, failing to look cool at key moments here and there."
"Yes."
"I've occasionally started to suspect you're doing it on purpose, you know. Me."
"I have no excuse, but embarrassingly enough, it is my natural self..."
Distinguishing it or expressing it is, well, a difficult thing. Being partners, being a boy, being a girl... fitting for us with our rather complex relationship, multiple colors overlap, presenting an aspect of chaos.
However,
"Geez..., ......"
A small hand tugging at the sleeve of me, who had jumped up upon sneezing. While complaining, while being exasperated, sky-blue eyes looking up at me in the posture of having been vigorously pushed down.
And me, attracted to such a girl as if my eyes and heart were being drawn in.
The color, at any rate.
"......As expected, I feel like this is bad. In various ways."
"...Didn't you do it, Haru? Don't leave it half-baked and vague."
As for the heat, without even needing to distinguish it, I feel it directly on my skin.
Because of that, remaining with my sleeve being tugged. I let my body fall back onto the bed again.
""............""
Close proximity. This time, as expected, I didn't cover her, but right next to her. Placing our heads on both ends of the pillow, at a distance so close that, conversely, we couldn't see each other's faces well... without even looking at each other.
Closing our eyes, we gaze at each other.
Without knowing who started it, we reached out our hands, and our fingertips intertwined in the middle between us without missing each other.
And then, just like that. A quiet time continued for a while—
"...Haru."
"...Yeah."
When I answered upon my name being called, Sora tickled my palm.
With a meaningless, sweet playfulness, as if to fill each other's hearts. Or perhaps, as if trying to carry warmth and trust beyond words onto the words.
"......I love you."
"......I love you too."
By no means is it a confession. It is not even a confirmation, just whispering to each other what we already know.
"...When you, Haru, talked about yourself here."
"Yeah...? Yeah."
Thus, while also talking about our feelings with our intertwined fingertips at the same time. With our eyes closed, while calming our hearts with each other's breathing, we gently, gently exchange words.
"Um... I felt like I was going to cry."
"......Not that it was because of my talking about myself, but didn't you actually cry?"
"Tch... That's why, I'm saying I felt like crying at your talking about yourself as well."
While sandwiching playfulness as partners. While also mixing in jokes between people close at heart.
"Thinking, just how far... is this person a reassuring presence to me."
Perhaps harboring emotions that revived after the passage of time, I receive her slightly trembling voice.
"Even I intended to have overcome various things and started walking."
"............"
"But, in the end, not at all. Deep in my heart, I was dragging it along to a pathetic degree."
"............"
"Thinking, who am 'I'. ...No, that's not it, is it okay for this 'I' to be here—in this body (here). In someone's (Sora's) body..."
While trembling, while being frightened.
Without ever showing any sign of running away, I snuggle up to the heat that continues to hold my hand.
"The same as Haru."
A slight vibration, and then—to my forehead, probably Sora's forehead touches.
"Me, who was walking while pretending to have overcome it well on my own... you..."
When I gently lift my eyelids.
"Because you shook me with all your might, made me stumble, made me fall... and took my hand."
As expected, sky-blue eyes were staring at me.
"......Haven't I done bad things for more than half of that?"
"Fufu... Of course. Haru is a bad boy, right?"
Because I was being stared at so directly, I became slightly embarrassed and unconsciously tried to avert—my gaze, but due to the zero distance, there was no escape.
"...But, to a useless child who acts like an adult, feels like they've attained a philosophical outlook, intends to have swallowed everything, and in the end ends up hating themselves and sinking on their own,"
Like a whole sky of blue. While the eyes shining in front of me charmed me.
"To a helpless degree, you were a wonderful, bad person."
She confesses the me reflected in those eyes.
"You lost sight of yourself. I couldn't see myself."
"............"
"You shook it off and started walking. I escaped completely and started walking."
"............"
"You kept running even if you went astray. I... when I went astray, I was at a loss."
"............"
"...Very similar, and not similar at all."
"............"
"Everything you told me. Every appearance you are showing me—much, much more than you think you know, Haru... it is becoming my courage, you know?"
The figure of me that she has reflected in those eyes.
"The figure of Haru, who is just a little bit stronger than me, and just a little bit better at living... all of it, all of it, is becoming my reassuring guidepost. Did you know?"
At such a distance that our heartbeats could reach each other. With eyes and a voice filled with heat—
"Sora."
"Yes."
If so, I.
"Marry me."
"......It's ruined. Haru, you idiot."
I don't know why, but it seems I missed the timing grandly.
"Eh............ No, eh...... What, wasn't that completely a confession of love?"
"It was, but it's not. Just now was not the time."
"Did you say 'it was'? Can I take that as an answer to my proposal—"
"Please don't. Also, you're close, and Kisu (Whiting) is still no good, okay?"
"Did you say 'still'???"
"You're close! I said!"
"In the first place, the one who approached super close was you, Sora...!"
Our fingers were untangled, and her delicate hands pushed my face away without hesitation.
My proposal was brushed aside, I even got criticized, the cute Angel's face moved away, and I was knocked off the pillow—it was terrible. While letting out a sigh, wondering if this was the will of the world toward a man who couldn't read the room...—but, even so, however.
"...Oh, my."
"What is it?"
"It is nothing."
If you were to ask if the sweet heat had dispersed, there was not a shred of such a fact.
The previous reversal, though she didn't do something as unseemly as straddling me, which is the prime NG action for a young lady, Sora filled my field of vision in a posture where she twisted her body and pressed me against the bed.
"...I've already half given up."
"......Meaning?"
Thus, a deadpan look of sheer earnestness. Was it due to the slight fever she suffered from, or was another reason the main one? While exposing cheeks flushed vermilion, the Angel looked down upon the fool with dignity.
"I could absolutely never fall in love with any man other than Haru anymore, anyway."
"............Th- Well, um......"
"And you too, Haru, surely... th-that...... m-me... never mind."
"Well, yeah, that's right. I guess I can't live without Sora..."
"I don't need this kind of telepathy!"
With a smack. While also receiving divine judgment on my face.
"......It can't be helped anymore, can it? Surely, we—"
Peeking through the gaps of her delicate fingers, her unbearably adorable expression,
"—no matter what... will be together for the rest of our lives, right?"
Along with her unbearably lovely voice of conviction, I enjoy it to the fullest.
"............S-......"
"...S?"
"Tch..., ............S-So"
"............So?"
Thus... Sora pulls me up, as I am about to die in various senses. Pulling me up, we face each other once more. As if snuggling up, but to convey certain words.
After a brief pause, staring at me, the girl mutters.
"......................Birthday."
Mutters, softly.
"It's coming soon, right...?"
"...Y-Yeah. For both of us."
When I scoop up the spilled words without dropping them,
"The order, too... um, isn't it just right?"
"...?"
"So, um......"
As expected, it is too fragmentary to guess. Sora probably knows that too, even if she doesn't get angry... but, impatiently.
As if burned by shyness, dyeing even her neck vermilion.
"P-......—Let's exchange presents."
"......?"
"F-First, Haru, to me, once again. Um, yes."
"...?"
"Then, I, um, the order..."
"............"
"Since I will return it......"
"............"
"...If you would... receive it......"
........................................................................................—!!!
"Eh, ah."
How should I put it, it's at a level where I want to praise myself for guessing. Including the conviction that I probably didn't misunderstand the meaning, it's at a level where I want to praise it as expected of our telepathy.
Surely, an ambiguous wordplay that could only be understood between the two of us.
Because of that.
"Eh, ah... Ah, e-ehhhhh...!!!!!"
Having accurately grasped Sora's true intention, I safely went mad within a tenth of a second of understanding—
"......Um, Haru."
"Yes...!"
"...Your face is scary, so please leave for a moment."
"Yes!"
Having smartly sensed danger, Sora kicked me out of the room without mercy.
...Of course,
"Sora-san!"
"Y-Yes."
"A promise! Is that okay...?!"
"...Today's Haru is really not cool at all."
"Is it—"
"It's fine! Just go cool your head quickly!"
"Yes...!"
Without forgetting, at least, to make the pinky promise.
And so, the continuation goes to the birthday that seems to be somewhat close.