A Flutter

Kiyoko had just walked into the living room in the slippers Hayato had prepared for her when she saw the busy young man. The pot had already been placed in the middle of the table, while the other ingredients had been sorted onto plates and arranged around it.

The clean-cut young man wore a navy-blue T-shirt printed with cloud patterns and loose gray shorts. As he laid out the bowls and chopsticks, he heard her footsteps, looked up, and gave her a smile as bright as sunshine.

"Kiyoko-senpai, you've worked hard. Just wait a little longer and dinner will be ready. What would you like to drink? Coffee or barley tea? The water's boiled, so I can make you whatever you want."

Looking at the young man whose smile held not a trace of gloom, Kiyoko recalled the past: the little boy who, because his father was too busy with work, had been bullied by other bad kids for not having a mother. He would hide beneath the slide at the park and cry alone, and whenever she found him, he would hold back his tears and tell her,

"Kiyoko-senpai, I'm fine."

That sensitive yet resilient little boy had now grown into such a sunny, handsome man.

"All these years, you're the one who's had it hard."

Her voice carried a faint sob. Kiyoko did not know why she felt so sad, and hurriedly turned away so Hayato would not see the tears about to fall.

Hearing her say that, Hayato was suddenly drawn into his own memories. Though those days had not been experienced by the current him, he was still affected whenever he recalled them. He shook his head, tossing those unpleasant memories to the back of his mind.

"It's nothing. It's all in the past. Kiyoko-senpai, you still haven't told me what you want to drink."

Having regained his composure, Hayato asked gently.

"I'll get it myself. You, on the other hand, should go take a bath."

Wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye, Kiyoko turned back and urged Hayato to bathe as well.

"Huh? No need, right? I've already changed clothes."

"How can that be? What if you catch a cold? The bathwater is ready too. Hurry up... go."

As she finished speaking, Kiyoko suddenly realized that she had just used the water in the bathtub. Now that she was urging him to bathe so anxiously, wouldn't that mean...

"Kiyoko-senpai has a point. Then I'll go. Oh, right, Kiyoko-senpai, I'd like some barley tea~"

Noticing Kiyoko's embarrassment, Hayato spoke to her in a relaxed tone. After she nodded, he headed into the bathroom.

"Kiyoko Shimizu, calm down! You've embarrassed yourself enough today!"

Once Hayato had left, Kiyoko gritted her teeth and complained to herself. After finally calming down, she did not forget to make him tea. She opened a tea bag and poured the boiled water into a cup. The tea bag quickly floated to the surface, and the aroma of barley spread under the heat.

"Mmm, it smells so good."

Since Hayato still had to bathe and all the preparations had already been finished, Kiyoko could only make herself a cup of barley tea as well, sit down in a chair, and drink it in small sips.

Boys generally finished bathing faster than girls. Before long, Hayato came out of the bathroom, still wearing the same clothes as before, though his hair was slightly damp.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's eat~"

Kiyoko shook her head to indicate that she had not waited long. Once Hayato announced dinner, she helped him put the ingredients into the pot. After the two of them enjoyed a steaming hot sukiyaki meal, the heavy rain outside showed no sign of stopping.

After discussing it, they decided to go to Hayato's room to study and pass the time.

Other than the first time she had come to help clean, this was Kiyoko's second time entering Hayato's room. Its layout was not complicated. Near the door on the left were quite a few pieces of sports equipment. Farther ahead, a bookcase and wardrobe stood against the wall, filled with manga as well as professional books and magazines about volleyball and basketball.

On the right was a bed slightly larger than a single bed. Its head rested against the corner wall, while its foot faced the desk used for studying.

Directly opposite the door were two sliding glass windows.

After drawing the curtains, Hayato took out a small desk and floor cushions. He sat on the side facing the door, while Kiyoko sat opposite him. As they studied, Kiyoko discovered that Hayato sometimes even knew third-year material, which surprised her greatly.

Hayato could hardly tell her that he had already learned all this before, so he could only use the excuse that he had previewed higher-grade material in advance.

Time slowly passed, and the only sound in the room was that of mechanical pencils gliding across paper.

"Come to think of it, Kiyoko-senpai, why do you always wear black tights?"

Hayato's sudden question startled Kiyoko. Her hair had completely dried by then and hung loose around her shoulders. She tucked the strands by her cheeks behind her ears and calmly began talking about her past.

Back in middle school, Kiyoko had been in the track and field club. Because she exercised often, her legs were always covered in scrapes and bruises. Gradually, those wounds turned into scars, so showing her legs was not a good thing for her. She had no choice but to cover the scars with black tights.

Hayato had known about this for a long time, but he still listened attentively until she was done. When Kiyoko gave a bitter smile and pointed to the scars on her knees and calves, asking whether they looked ugly, Hayato shook his head.

"Those are proof that you worked hard, Kiyoko-senpai. They aren't ugly. They're your medals. I only think they make you even more beautiful. How could I possibly find them ugly?"

After saying that, he deliberately looked at Kiyoko's exposed calves and knees. Since she was not wearing socks and her slippers had been left by the door, Hayato took in her slender, pale feet and her jade-like, rounded toes.

"W-Wait, no. Don't look at me like that."

Under his gaze, Kiyoko immediately tugged down the oversized T-shirt, trying to block Hayato's view. Little did she know that this only highlighted her innocent yet alluring charm even more.

A gulp suddenly echoed through the already quiet room. Kiyoko, who was still blushing, could not hold back her laughter.

"Wait, Hayato, just now you..."

"I didn't. It wasn't me. You heard wrong."

His triple denial could not save Hayato from his social death.

"Really~?"

After that little incident, Kiyoko had completely let herself go. She asked in a slightly coquettish tone, only to see a streak of bright red blood flow from Hayato's nose.

"Pfft, hahahaha! You... you got a nosebleed, Hayato."

Hayato pulled out a tissue from the desk and wiped his nosebleed, awkwardly wanting to scream. Honestly, he was not some inexperienced virgin, but Kiyoko's destructive power was just too great. No one could withstand this.

After wiping several times without getting it clean, Kiyoko could not stand watching any longer and pulled out a tissue.

"Honestly, let me help you."

With that, she came over and began wiping his nose. Since Hayato was still taller even while sitting, Kiyoko had no choice but to remain on her knees and straighten her upper body so she could reach him properly.

But Kiyoko had forgotten that she was currently wearing only the white T-shirt Hayato had given her, with nothing underneath.

The moment she straightened up, her full figure was immediately accentuated, and even certain things that could not be spoken of became visible.

How could Hayato endure that kind of stimulation? He directly reached out and wrapped his arms around Kiyoko's slender waist. The warmth of his hands passed through her shirt and straight to her skin.

Gradually, both their breaths became rushed. Kiyoko even closed her eyes, but at that moment Hayato came to his senses instead. He quickly withdrew his hands, placed them on Kiyoko's shoulders, and pushed her a little farther away.

Kiyoko, having been pushed away, first realized what she had done and flushed bright red. Then, when she realized she had been rejected, her face turned pale.

Knowing what she was thinking, Hayato hurriedly explained before things could get worse.

"It's not like that, Kiyoko-senpai, listen to me. We may be childhood friends, but we've only been reunited for a few days. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or maybe it's our feelings from the past, but that's why we ended up like this. Still, I don't want things to happen in such a muddleheaded way. You're the person I value most, so... let's wait a little longer."

After saying it all in one breath, Hayato did not know whether the part of him struggling to make this decision was the original Hayato or the current Su Yun. Perhaps it was both. But after saying those words, Hayato could feel that he had truly relaxed a great deal.

"So... you weren't rejecting me?"

Once Hayato had finished, Kiyoko recovered as well. After settling her emotions, she asked him directly.

"Of course not. At this point, I'm not afraid of embarrassing myself anymore. I've liked you all the way from childhood until now, Kiyoko-senpai. I even used to think about marrying you."

With both their memories, Hayato no longer cared whether it was embarrassing. He told her everything he remembered from his childhood.

"Th-then... that's good."

Kiyoko let out a sigh of relief and slumped down weakly. Everything that had just happened had been too sudden. Though the atmosphere had pushed them along, the fact that she had closed her eyes proved that she had not been entirely unwilling. From the tenderness she had felt for him as a child to the flutter in her heart now, Kiyoko could not deny that she had developed new feelings for Hayato as well.

Now that they had laid everything bare, the atmosphere became awkward again. After all, they had nearly stepped into the realm of adults.

Kiyoko was the first to stand up. Using picking flowers as an excuse, she hurried downstairs with a rapid patter of footsteps.

Hayato simply fell backward.

"That was way too intense. My God, that was close. Heh, you're more energetic than I am."

Feeling a certain part of himself, Hayato twitched his lips and complained helplessly.

Still, what he had said just now had been his true thoughts. There had indeed been a little ambiguity between him and Kiyoko these past few days, but there was still some distance between that and love, so Hayato did not regret what he had done. Most importantly, they had not even confessed yet—doing something like that first was wrong no matter how he looked at it.

Meanwhile, Kiyoko stood in the bathroom, silently scolding herself in the mirror above the sink.

"No matter what, I shouldn't have closed my eyes. Wasn't that basically giving my consent?"

Pinching her cheeks twice, Kiyoko said in embarrassed irritation.

"But... that's what Hayato was thinking."

Bracing herself against the sink with one hand, Kiyoko's gaze drifted into the distance.

After a long while, the sound of a door opening rang out. Having composed herself, Kiyoko returned to Hayato's room. Neither of them mentioned what had happened again, and after studying for a while longer, it was time to sleep.

Since the other bedroom had not yet been cleaned up, Hayato could only give the bed to Kiyoko and prepare to make a bed on the first floor. To his surprise, Kiyoko grabbed the hem of his shirt and said that he could sleep in the room.

Thus, Kiyoko lay on Hayato's bed while Hayato made a bed on the floor in his own room. The light switch clicked off, and the room sank into darkness.