Work Text:
The usual road to home from school. The usual companion, walking beside me silently and wouldn't talk unless I started a topic. The usual time of the day.
It's as if the day will end as another ordinary day for me.
But, I had decided since this noon that it shouldn't end as it is. So, I gathered my courage and called out,
"Nee, Hajime."
As a response to me calling out his name, Hajime only turned his head slightly to look at me, and hummed a soft, "Hmm?", as if urging me to continue speaking.
"… We are dating, aren’t we?"
Hajime finally fully turned his head to look at me, and I saw his facial expression turned into a mix of bafflement and embarrassment. Cute!... is what I want to say, but Hajime will probably flick my forehead if I do.
"Of course we are. We confessed to each other last month, remember?"
"Yeah, I do remember. But, you know…"
I bit my lower lip lightly, hesitate if it’s alright to say the rest of my sentence. But I already said so far, and I’m sure Hajime wouldn’t simply let me go if now I backed down. So I took a breath and heaved it slowly, gathering my courage once again and finally said it,
"… it doesn’t feel any different from when we were just best friends."
Hajime looked surprised at first, but that expression slowly wore off, and he once again looked as calm and composed as before. "... What brought this up?"
"... Uhm... I was talking with my friends during lunch today..."
That's right. It all started out because of what supposed to be a casual chat over lunch.
.
.
.
I had my lunch with fellow members of Student Council because we had just finished a meeting about club budgets. When a bunch of girls gathered together, it couldn't be helped that they end up talking about love life, either ones from their own experiences or gossips about someone else.
"So, I heard that Etou from the first year had started dating with one of our OB!"
"Eeh, really?"
"Yeah, my junior in the club said that she saw him cling to her so closely~"
"So, it's not the girl who cling to the boy, but the boy who cling to the girl..."
All this time, I was only able to participate as a listener, throwing in my two cents now and then. I planned to continue doing the same, as I don't really like flaunting about my relationship developments or problems. Then again, when I think about it again, probably the fact that nothing like that happening between Hajime and I also played a part in how I preferred to remain passive when the topic rolled around.
"... All things considered, don't you think that the numbers of couples are growing lately?"
"Well, when you think that it's nearing the end of the year, and many couple-exclusives events are going to be held..."
"Aa~ I know what you're saying. The cold weather also helps in making people wants to get all chummy with their darlings, right?"
"Right, right! Speaking of chummy, though... aren't you wondering if this particular someone here who is chummy with her boyfriend all year round will finally fill us in with juicy stories about her experiences with him?"
As if the words were their cue, they turned their head and suddenly all attentions were directed at me. I wasn't expecting it at all, so my mind wasn't working quick enough to get what they meant and all I could say was, "Huh?"
"We're talking about you, yes, Yayoi Haru!" Okui, the Student Council President and the one who sat closest to me, grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer to her. As she kept me close, she started narrating, "Our beautiful Vice President! The lucky girl who got to date the best gem from our school's boys section, Mutsuki Hajime! The King! Don't lie to me now, I clearly saw you going and leaving school grounds together with him, like, everyday!"
"And having after school dates everyday!"
"And chatting together like you're having so much fun the whole time until you need to go different ways!"
One by one the other members started to chime in, what they deemed to be me getting chummy with my boyfriend. But I let out a restrained laugh before replying, "But, that's what we've been doing since Hajime and I started becoming friends in middle school! And you guys have known all about it, I see. What is there left for me to tell?"
Okui keep smiling mischievously at me. It seemed she wouldn't let me go anytime soon. "Really now?"
"Yes, really."
"Oh, come on, Vice Pres~ we're fine with stories about your kissing experiences or the likes, if you don't want to tell us anything hardcore."
"Kiss-!?"
I could feel my face heating up quickly at the mention of the word. Don't get me wrong, I'm embarrassed not because it sounds too vulgar to me. With these sort of lively, open-minded girls in my circle of friends, I heard the words spoken often enough in our conversations. It's just... you know. Since we're talking about my kissing experiences with Hajime, isn't it normal for me to get embarrassed?
My eyes were glancing left and right, trying to avoid the expecting stares that they all directed to me. A futile attempt since I felt it pricking me intensely. "There's... none I can tell you girls. So stop grinning like that, please."
"Oh, don't be so stingy, Haru~!" Okui pressed her cheek against mine, and I felt my glasses slipped a little because of that. "Just a little commentary about when and where it happened is good enough for us. Right, girls?"
"""Right~!!"""
"But, there's really nothing for me to tell!"
"Really now~?"
"Really really!"
Judging from the look on their face, those were still not enough to convince these girls, so I decided to give up and give them straight explanations after heaving a sigh.
"We still haven't kiss yet. Hajime and I. I still have my first kiss safe."
Seeing that it managed to wipe off the silly grin from their face, I thought that I really should've be honest about it from the very start. Then as they seemed to freeze in surprise from the revelation, I tried to get out from Okui's grip. Unfortunately, just as I was about to shift away, they snapped out from the reverie and shouted altogether.
"""""EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!?!?!?!?!??!?!"""""
"You're kidding, right!?"
"It's been a month since you officially dating and you haven't kissed!?"
"That must be a lie! Definitely a lie!"
"It's not!" My voice sounded almost like I'm whining. Once again feeling deeply embarrassed for acknowledging the fact that in the seventeen years of my life I still haven't had a first kiss yet, I covered my face with my hand. "In... in the first place, Hajime isn't the type who is interested in that sort of thing, so there were never any chance for it..."
Once again silence befell the Student Council Room where we gathered, and as if realization sink in them at the same time, they muttered almost in unison, "Now that you say that..."
"But, Haru." I felt Okui once again placed her hand on my shoulder. "Even if he's not interested in the romantic stuffs, you're actually interested in it, right?"
"... Well, is there any girl who isn't interested in that kind of thing?" I let out a small, bashful chuckle.
"Right! That's why, if he's not going to take the initiative, then you take the initiative!"
"E-... eeeeehh!?"
.
.
.
... And that's what happened.
But, I couldn't possibly say the details so frankly to Hajime, so I just told him that my friends were simply commenting that it's weird if nothing changed ever since the two of us started dating and advised me to bluntly 'invite him' to 'improve' our relationship.
Hajime looked like he was seriously pondering about it. That's his good point, really. Facing everything seriously. But that seriousness is also accompanied by denseness and innocence that sometimes amused me and other times exhausted me. This time too, I wonder if those two factors will hinder him in noticing what I actually wanted by bringing up this topic.
I waited patiently for what Hajime will say next, all while thinking that maybe I should outright say that I want him to kiss me, just like what the girls told me to do. But before I can reach my conclusion, he finally speak,
"... So, you want us to take one step further in our relationship?"
I nodded to answer him, and, I couldn't believe my eyes, but after seeing my answer, Hajime once again looked a bit embarrassed and glanced away while saying, "... I get it."
Really? He gets it??
My expectation had already went up with that single statement. I totally thought that he'll go in for a kiss. But what he said next threw the rhythm of my heartbeat out of the loop.
"Will your parents be home tomorrow?"
"E-...?"
Why is he asking about my parents? Well, since tomorrow is weekend and there's no family outing scheduled, my parents will be home. But asking about it, could it be that Hajime wanted to visit my house? What for?
... It couldn't be because he wanted to-
No, no, no! This is Hajime we're talking about. The straightlaced, innocent King of our school's boys section. He couldn't possibly be thinking something dirty like that!
......... But, let's at least hear what he planned to do.
"Y-yes, they'll be home tomorrow. Do you... want to see them?"
"Yeah. Good thing if they'll be home the whole day."
... See? He really didn't have any impure intentions.
All while scolding myself inside for almost getting too overboard with my expectations, I tried asking him again. "But, why do you want to see them? I thought you agreed to make our relationship more intimate than already is..."
Would meeting my parents help in anyway?
I mean, we've been friends for years. We'd visited each other's house, either to just spend day-offs together or working on assignments, and obviously we'd got acquainted with each other's family members. I don't see how it can count as something that a 'step up'.
"Why, you ask... of course it's to introduce myself to them. ... Not as your friend, that is."
......... Ah.
Yes, that sure counted as a 'step up'.
"I... I see." Letting out a small chuckle, I found myself couldn't look at Hajime's face. He looked so serious about it. How charming. Even though usually I can endure it, I couldn't help the heat I felt on my cheeks. "But, even if you don't do that, I already told them that I've started dating you, you know...?"
"Even so, I need to see and tell them myself. That I'm taking this seriously and will take away their eldest daughter someday."
"...!"
......... Really, this King is...,
"... Haru?" Probably because I didn't say anything again even after some time passed away after what he said, I heard Hajime calling my name with hints of concern in his tone of voice. But it seemed he noticed that I couldn't bring myself to look at him, not without getting redder than I already was, his voice was then laced with ill-meanings. "What were you imagining, hm?"
"What, you ask... nothing weird? Just... Hajime had been thinking that far ahead, huh~... that sort of thing..."
"Are you saying that you don't want to become my wife?"
"Wha- no, I mean, of course I want to!"
Thanks to him edging me with his questions, I finally tilted my head up and looked at Hajime again, wanting to tell him that I meant my words. Although I had expected it, seeing him smiling mischievously while enjoying my reaction sure made my heart thumped fast.
"Then, it's settled. Don't forget to tell your parents I'll be visiting tomorrow, na, Haaru?"
His hand then just casually went and held mine, and I could do nothing other than nodding to his words. He seemed satisfied enough with it, probably glad and thinking that he'd solved the problem I brought up. Even though it's not the result that I was expecting for, well... I'm not dissatisfied with this outcome.