The sun had hidden more than half of its figure, burning the sky crimson. If you look at the distant sky, it is dyed purple, and the curtain of night is about to fall. In the time between day and night, Haruto walks alone through a quiet residential area. “Tōjō-san’s hand, it was soft…” Haruto naturally relaxes his mouth at the warmth of her hand he felt just moments ago. Haruto brings his left hand, which she had been holding the entire time while watching the movie and while walking Ayaka home, before his eyes. Then, along with the joy of the fact that they were holding hands like lovers, embarrassment also wells up, dyeing his face red. “If Tōjō-san was my girlfriend, it would be the best…” A beauty that makes everyone turn around, and outstanding style. If he could make such a girl his girlfriend, the sense of superiority would be immeasurable. However, regarding Ayaka’s appearance, Haruto didn’t have that much of a special feeling. Of course, there is no doubt that her appearance is very attractive, but what Haruto found most appealing about Ayaka was the atmosphere she possessed. The feminine gentle atmosphere he came to know through housekeeping, the maidenly Ayaka that couldn’t be imagined from her appearance at school. Haruto was beginning to be slightly drawn to that gap. “But well, getting into a relationship… that’s not happening… I guess.” Having spent the whole day with Ayaka, Haruto was certain that he had made a good impression on her. However, he honestly didn’t know whether that was romantic affection or not. Although their acquaintance is still short, through their interactions so far, Haruto anticipates that there’s a high possibility that Ayaka is a naturalairheaded type of girl. The good impression Ayaka has of Haruto is likely as a friend, and she might not see him as a member of the opposite sex. Yet, the possibility of

mistaking ‘love’ and ‘like’, confessing, and being shot down is certainly conceivable. “If that happens, the housekeeping part-time job after that will become hell…” Haruto’s back, imagining that moment, became chilly cold despite it being midsummer. “Tōjō-san, what does she… think of me, I wonder…” Just as Haruto muttered that quietly, the smartphone in his pocket vibrated with a buzz. Thinking it might be Ayaka, he hurriedly took out his smartphone from his pocket and checked the caller. Then, his tension dropped all at once at the name Akagi Tomoya displayed on the screen. Haruto tapped the screen with a slightly careless gesture to connect the call with Tomoya. “Stop messing around, Tomoya.” —“Huh!? An insult out of the blue!? Are you in love with me!?” To Haruto, who was taking it out on him, Tomoya also gave a rather nonsensical reply. “Calling me out of the blue, do you have some business?” —“No, it’s not business. Actually, there’s something I really wanted to tell Haru.” “Something you wanted to tell me?” Hearing Tomoya’s uncharacteristically serious tone over the phone, Haruto frowned. “What is it that you wanted to tell me?” —“Actually… today, at my house…” Haruto felt uneasy at his serious-sounding best friend’s voice, wondering if something had happened at Tomoya’s house. As if to fuel that feeling, Tomoya continued to speak in a slow tone. —“Dinner is… Sukiyaki!!” At Tomoya’s words, which changed abruptly from a serious atmosphere to a bright tone, Haruto almost slammed his smartphone onto the ground. “You bastard!! Give back my worry!!” Haruto somehow managed to resist slamming his smartphone and instead shouted at it with anger. —“What’s more! The beef we’re using is A5 rank!!” “Shut up!!” Haruto vehemently retorted to his best friend’s mysterious dinner introduction.

—“Well, my mom won it as a prize at the department store today. It’s Japan’s finest black wagyu, you know? I just had to brag about it to Haru, that’s what I thought.” TL/N: Wagyu (和牛) literally means “Japanese beef” and refers to highly marbled, tender, and flavorful beef from specific breeds raised in Japan under strict regulations. It’s prized for its rich taste and melt-in-the-mouth texture! “Oh, is that so. Good for you. See ya.” —“Hold on, hold on! You’re too blunt, aren’t you? Be more envious!” “What kind of request is that…” Haruto made a stunned face at his best friend’s words. —“You’re envious, right? It’s A5 rank, you know? Isn’t that amazing?” “Yeah yeah, amazing amazing, ah, I’m really envious~” To Haruto, who said it in a complete monotone, Tomoya still spoke as if he was in a good mood. —“Right, right? You’re envious, right?” Tomoya continued to speak as if teasing Haruto. —“You’ve probably been staring at your textbooks all day today, right? While you’re having such a boring day, I’m having black wagyu. Life is unfair, isn’t it?” Haruto slightly flinched his temple in annoyance at his best friend, who said that and laughed. “Life really is unfair, isn’t it? Maybe I got punished because I went to see a movie with Tōjō-san.” —“Yeah, you probably got puni… Huh? A movie with Tōjō-san? Hey, what’s that!? I didn’t hear about this! Tell me the details!!” “You’ve got high-grade black wagyu waiting for you, right? It’d be bad to talk for too long, so I’m gonna hang up now. See ya.” —“H- hey! Hold on a sec! Huh? Did you go on a date?” “Well, yeah.” —“Are you dating?” “That’s not the case.” —“Why not!!?” Haruto unconsciously moved the smartphone slightly away from his ear at Tomoya’s loud voice, which was half a scream. —“That’s a date with that Tōjō-san!! Why didn’t you confess!? You’re wasting a chance!!” “Wasting a chance, you say… It hurts my ears, so don’t shout too much.” —“Of course I’d shout!! The other person is that school idol!!”

Haruto forced a smile at his best friend, who was extremely excited. “Right, she’s that school idol who never said yes no matter which guy confessed. So even if I confessed after just one date, I’d just be crushed.” —“Then invite her on dates many times! Besides, Haru, you’re going to Tōjō-san’s place for your part-time job, right? Isn’t this a chance?” “I’m not doing the part-time job for that reason. Work is work, after all.” Tomoya sighed at Haruto, who gave such a serious reply. —“Anyways, hey. Did Haru invite her to that movie?” “No, Tōjō-san invited me.” When Haruto replied that, Tomoya, who had been silent for a while, spoke in a serious voice. —“About that, isn’t there a possibility that Tōjō-san likes you?” “…………That can’t be.” Haruto’s heart pounded as Tomoya put into words the slight hope he had held in a corner of his heart. —“Is that so? But suppose Tōjō-san really does like Haru, wouldn’t it be rude not to confess after even inviting you to a movie?” “You’re saying that, but you just want me to confess, right?” —“Well, yeah.” This time, Haruto let out a grand sigh at Tomoya, who gave such a carefree reply. “You just shut up and eat your sukiyaki.” —“Okay! I’ll eat heartily! If anything develops with Tōjō-san, let me know!” “I’ll never tell you.” Haruto threw a parting remark at his best friend and then hung up the call. He walked along the narrow path in the darkening residential area, looking at his left hand again. In his head, the words he had just heard were swirling around. “Isn’t there a possibility that Tōjō-san likes you?” He remembers Ayaka walking beside him with a seemingly happy expression on her face all day today. Forcing his mouth corners, which were rising on their own against his will, back to their original position with his index finger and thumb, Haruto muttered to himself. “Somehow, Tōjō-san seems likely to appear in my dream tonight…”

After letting out that mutter, Haruto’s face turned even redder at the content of his own words. ※※※ Tōjō Ayaka That night, the day after watching a movie with Ōtsuki-kun. Before going to bed, I lay on the bed and opened my smartphone. ──Today, I went to see a movie with Ōtsuki-kun!! I immediately sent a report message to Saki, who is both my best friend and my master of romance. As an extra, I also sent a bear sticker giving a brave salute with a crisp “zubishi”. Then, a call came from Saki immediately. I tapped the smartphone screen to connect the call, and Saki’s cheerful voice jumped out. —“Congratulations! How was your date with Ōtsuki-kun?” “Yeah, a success… I think.” We even held hands, so it’s okay to say it was a success, right? —“Oh! You did it!” “Yeah, thank you!” —“So? With today’s date, has your distance with Ōtsuki-kun shrunk a little?” “Probably… it shrunk to the point where we held hands?” —“Huh!? Eh? Hands? Eh? Eeeeh!!?” It’s like Saki got a disease where she can’t speak more than one character. —“Wait a minute? Eh? You went on a date holding hands with Ōtsukikun?” “Yeah, we were holding hands even while watching the movie?” —“Hold on, hold on, hold on! What’s that? Eh? Could it be that you’ve already started dating?” I also get confused by Saki’s confused voice. “Eh? No, not yet? Because Saki said not to confess yet.” —“O- okay… Is that so… You’re not dating yet…” I feel a little uneasy at Saki’s bewildered reaction. “C-could it be that holding hands on the first date was bad?”

For me, who has absolutely no dating experience, dates are an unknown thing and I don’t know the common standards. Saki even told me not to use manga or novels as reference the other day. —“No, it’s not bad… or rather, it’s good… well, how should I say it, your sense of distance is a bit bugged?” “My sense of distance is bugged…” As expected, maybe suddenly holding hands on the first date was weird? Wh- what should I do… If Ōtsuki-kun thinks I’m a weird person… “S- Saki… did I… screw up?” —“Well, um… I wonder? For now, what was the sequence of events that led to you holding hands?” When Saki asked me, I spilled everything, from holding hands after getting hit on to holding hands like lovers at the end of the movie. —“Hmm, I see, I see…” “Wh-what do you think?” As Saki seemed to be thinking deeply, my anxiety grew more and more. —“Ayaka-san, you went quite on the offensive, didn’t you?” “…Di- did I go too far?” —“Well, yeah, you went too far. This isn’t the world of manga, so suddenly holding hands like lovers, it makes people think, ‘Just hurry up and date already!’ you know.” “Eh? Can we… start dating already?” Going on dates to various places, holding hands like lovers with Ōtsukikun every time we go out, like today… Just imagining it makes me feel happy. —“Ōtsuki-kun’s reaction when you held hands wasn’t bad, right? Then, well, the possibility of success if you confess is probably high, isn’t it?” “Th-then! I’ll confess tomorrow──” —“Hold it!!” Saki sharply stopped me. —“The possibility of the confession succeeding is high, but it’s not one hundred percent. Is that still okay with Ayaka?” “Eh, but… if the possibility is high──” —“If you get rejected, that’s the end of Ayaka’s first love, you know?” At Saki’s words, I felt my chest become heavy with a dull thud. Love ending. That means, no more dates with Ōtsuki-kun, no getting closer, no deepening the relationship. No holding hands with him like today… None.

Just imagining such a future makes tears well up in my eyes. “No way… I definitely don’t want that.” —“Right? Then you want to increase the possibility even a little, right?” “Yeah, but… what should I do?” In my mind, the only method I can think of is honestly conveying these feelings to Ōtsuki-kun. —“Listen, Ayaka. When it comes to romance. Going on the offensive is important, but sometimes it’s important to not just push, but also pull, you know?” “Not just pushing, but pulling?” Pulling, does that mean suppressing my feelings for Ōtsuki-kun? —“With this date, Ōtsuki-kun must have become conscious of Ayaka.” “I-is that so?” —“Of course it is. It was holding hands after you declared him your boyfriend, right?” “Ah, that was because the people hitting on us were persistent…” Somehow, thinking back on that moment now makes me incredibly embarrassed… While I was agonizing with a red face, Saki spoke with certainty. —“But you held hands even after watching the movie, right? And with the lovers’ hold at that. This is basically stating clearly to Ōtsuki-kun, ‘I like you very much!’ isn’t it?” “Th-that’s too much, saying ‘like you very much’… Well, it is true… but ‘like you very much’…” Having it put into words again is really embarrassing. Well, I admit I like him, but “like you very much” is still a little… Hehe… —“Honestly, you held hands like lovers on the very first date, yet you’re getting shy about this.” “B- but~” —“Yes yes, and so. Ōtsuki-kun must have thought that Ayaka has feelings for him.” Saki gave a stunned reply and continued the conversation plainly. Ugh… my romance master is strict… —“But he couldn’t have been certain about Ayaka’s feelings. After all, it was nominally just to ward off men.” “Hmm. Is there a connection between that and ‘it’s important to not just push, but also pull’?”

—“Absolutely. If you can’t be certain, you get curious, right? Like, ‘Does she like me? No, but…’ And if you pull back a little there, it makes them even more curious. ‘Huh? Was I mistaken after all?’ you see.” “Isn’t that counterproductive? Ōtsuki-kun will lose interest in me.” Besides, now that I’ve realized I like Ōtsuki-kun, acting so indifferent towards him seems like it would be quite painful. —“Well, going too far will be counterproductive as Ayaka says. But if this goes well, Ōtsuki-kun will keep thinking about Ayaka and become endlessly preoccupied with her.” “Ōtsuki-kun thinking about me… endlessly…” —“Right! And before you know it, Ōtsuki-kun’s head will be filled with Ayaka!” “Ōtsuki-kun’s head is filled with me… filled with me…” —“And before he realizes it, Ōtsuki-kun will also become very fond of Ayaka!!” “Ōtsuki-kun… me… l- li-… Ugh~…” What should I do! Just imagining being confessed to by Ōtsuki-kun makes my body wiggle on its own! —“So, from now on, keep actively appealing to Ōtsuki-kun. But, occasionally, pull back a little. Keep constantly swaying Ōtsuki-kun’s heart! Got it?” “Yeah! Got it! If I do that, Ōtsuki-kun will come to like me, right?” —“Well, it’s not a certainty, though.” Maybe, even now, Ōtsuki-kun is thinking about me? If so, I’d be very happy. “I’ll do my best! I’ll push and pull Ōtsuki-kun and sway him!!” —“Right. Well, since Ayaka is currently in ‘Ōtsuki-kun Love Mode’, she might think she’s pulling when she’s actually pushing, but that might be okay too.” “Ō- Ōtsuki-kun Love Mode… I’m a woman, you know?” —“…Right. Well, if anything else comes up, I’ll give you advice.” “Yeah, thank you.” —“You’re welcome. Well then, good night.” “Good night.” After exchanging goodnight greetings, I ended the call with Saki. Not just pushing, but pulling is also important, huh… Romance is difficult, isn’t it? But…

If that goes well and this love is fulfilled, I can go on a date holding hands with Ōtsuki-kun again. At that time, as real lovers. If that happens, I want to go to various places. Shopping together, going to the beach… I want to see a movie together again. Holding hands, of course. Ōtsuki-kun’s hand, it was big and warm… Lying on the bed, I recall the sensation of Ōtsuki-kun’s hand. A hand that gently wraps around. The hand of someone I like, someone I have feelings for. Just holding hands makes my heart pound so much, yet I also feel a sense of security and happiness. Through our joined hands, my whole body is filled with joy. In the deepening drowsiness, I pulled my right hand, which I had held with Ōtsuki-kun, to my chest and wrapped it with my left hand. By doing so, I felt like I could meet him even in my dream… Today might have been the happiest day of my life. But, if I could date him, if we could become lovers, I bet that happiness would easily surpass today’s. Dreaming of such a future, I slowly closed my eyelids, believing in the amulet of my right hand held against my chest, and entrusted the continuation of this happy day to my dream. ──If only I could meet you, even in a dream…