[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
I just got a review!
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 59Just So You Know, I'm Gonna Do My Best!
(D*mn, it's so squishy and soft...)
That was the only thing going through Hayato's head right now.
Maybe it was the nerves, or maybe he just wanted to break Haruki out of her shell, but when Hayato tried pinching her cheeks, her skin—so smooth it practically clung to his fingers—was as elastic as mochi, stretching and changing shape however he wanted. He totally lost himself in the feel of it.
When Haruki let out a 'Mya!' with a look that was clearly a protest, Hayato's urge to mess with her just surged even more, and he couldn't hold back his mischievous side anymore.
"Haha, look how far these stretch!"
"Haih, Hahyaho--! ('Wait, Hayato--!')"
Hayato didn't give a d*mn about who was watching.
Hayato was just completely obsessed with messing around with Haruki's cheeks.
It was just like some elementary school boy teasing a girl he has a crush on. Definitely not the kind of thing a high schooler should be doing.
As expected, Himeko couldn't just stand there and watch anymore, so she tried to step in.
"H-Hey, hold on, Big Bro! You can't just treat a girl's face like tha—"
"Huhi'!! (Good grief!!)"
"Wait, what?!"
"Haru-chan?!"
But Haruki wasn't about to just sit there and take it forever.
"Gugigi"
"Gununu"
Launching her counter-attack, Haruki pinched Hayato's cheeks right back, twisting them around to provoke him.
Hayato doubled down, pulling and squishing Haruki's cheeks even harder in return.
It was, quite literally, just a pair of kids messing around with each other.
Both Hayato and Haruki were being stubborn as heck, but with grins on their faces, they kept up their childish back-and-forth.
Even Himeko, who had planned to shut it down, just lost all her energy and stood there dumbfounded by their antics, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
With no one left to stop them, their little mess-around was interrupted in the most unexpected way.
"Haha, ahahaha!!"
"Hah? ('Dad?')"
"Uhle? ('Uncle?')"
"Dad?"
Out of nowhere, Hayato and Himeko's Dad just burst out laughing at the top of his lungs.
Clutching Dad's stomach like it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, his eyes darted back and forth between Hayato and Haruki.
The three of them were totally stunned, but they could tell from the incredibly warm look in Dad's eyes that he was totally down with what was happening.
"Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking, you guys are still as close as ever, just like the old days."
"I-It's not even like that, Dad."
"U-Um, it's, you know, that! That thing!"
"Big Bro, Haru-chan..."
As soon as that was pointed out, both Hayato and Haruki scrambled to let go of each other, faces turning bright red as they tried to argue back, while Himeko just kept sighing in disbelief.
"...E-Eh, I'm heading back to finish dinner."
"Oh, here! The yogurt you asked for!"
As the two of them retreated to the kitchen like they were on the run, Himeko caught them on camera, sneakily snapping a photo with her smartphone.
◇◇◇
Dinner was a different story tonight—there were four of them at the table.
The awkward tension from earlier was long gone, replaced by a super chill and cozy vibe. Haruki was also back to her usual self.
"And then, you won't believe it, but Hayato was totally ogling this girl's melons, like, staring her down!"
"Haha, of course Hayato was."
"Wait, Haru-chan, I need the full tea on this right now!"
"...Man, give me a break."
Haruki was the life of the party, and the conversation was mostly all about what Hayato gets up to at school.
Himeko and Dad were all ears, loving every bit of these stories about Hayato they usually never get to hear. For the man himself, though? It was straight-up torture.
Haruki kept on rambling about how Hayato's cooking was so good it made her and Himeko gain weight, and how she went for seconds today 'cause it was too d*mn tasty, totally wrecking her diet. Pretty much everything coming out of her mouth sounded like some kind of complaint.
But even a bystander could tell that it all came from the solid trust and the deep bond those two shared.
And just like that, time flew by. Before they knew it, the night had completely settled in.
Himeko and Dad both told Hayato, "Make sure you walk her home properly, okay?"
Even without them nagging him, Hayato was already planning to do just that.
The rhythmic click-clack of footsteps on the asphalt echoed through the quiet residential streets.
Hayato was even starting to get used to the starless night sky lately.
"..."
"..."
Maybe it was the backlash from talking so much earlier, but they were both dead silent now.
It wasn't an awkward silence, though.
If anything, Haruki actually seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
That's why Hayato felt like it'd be a total vibe-k*ll to say anything.
"...You know, I think I'm actually a pretty high-maintenance person."
"Huh?"
Haruki just blurted it out of nowhere.
Unlike the mood they had going before, this sudden spill of self-deprecating emotion caught Hayato completely off guard.
Hayato couldn't help but peek at Haruki's face, and just as he thought, her expression had flipped—she looked dead serious now, like she was carrying something heavy on her mind.
"Hayato, you never ask me anything, do you? How come...?"
"What do you mean 'How come'...?"
It was true, a good amount of time had passed since Hayato'd reunited with Haruki.
They both had that gap in their lives where they were apart, and a lot of things had changed. It'd be a total lie to say Hayato wasn't curious. In fact, Hayato couldn't deny that he'd been worried about Haruki, especially after seeing how his Dad reacted earlier.
So, Hayato thought about it.
Thinking it through, Hayato started putting it into words as if to straighten out his own thoughts, weaving together what was in his heart.
"Back then—well, even now, actually—I didn't know anything about your family situation or why you weren't coming to school."
"...Yeah, that's true."
"But even so, hanging out with you was so much fun that I didn't even care... ...Oh, I get it now. I thought those things were just trivial details, and I still feel the same way today. So, yeah... ...I guess that's just how it is."
"...Pfft, what even is that?"
"What? You got a problem with that?"
"Nah, it's just so 'you,' Hayato."
With that, the smile returned to Haruki's face.
That familiar look Hayato knew so well.
Sure, a lot of cr*p happened today.
But Hayato figured that if he could end the day seeing Haruki smile, then it wasn't a bad day at all—and before he knew it, the words just slipped out.
"Haruki, you look better when you're smiling like that."
"...Wait, what?"
Those words came straight from Hayato's heart.
Walking side-by-side, messing around like idiots, and just laughing together.
Hayato's face probably had a grin just as big as hers right now.
But even with the streetlights, tonight was a new moon. It was too dark to really see each other's faces clearly.
"...."
"...."
A brief silence drifted between them.
It wasn't a bad kind of silence at all.
"Hey, Hayato."
"Yeah?"
"I think... ...on top of being selfish, I'm probably pretty greedy too."
"Hah, you're just realizing that now?"
"Ahaha, I guess it is a little late for that, huh?"
Haruki suddenly blurted that out.
To Hayato, who'd been jerked around by Haruki more times than he could count, that was so obvious it wasn't even worth confirming.
Then, just as Hayato thought Haruki'd suddenly come to a halt, he felt a tug on his sleeve that brought him to a stop.
When Hayato turned back to see what was up, he saw Haruki with a deep flush on her face, her voice trembling as she made a request.
"Can we... ...hold hands?"
"...Hands?"
"Is that... ...a no?"
"I mean, I don't really have a reason to say no, but..."
"Well then, pardon me."
"—?!"
No sooner had Haruki said it than she grabbed Hayato's right hand, interlacing her slender, smooth fingers with his. It was a way of holding hands they'd never tried before.
Holding hands wasn't exactly a first for them.
They'd done it back in Tsukinose, and even after reuniting, they'd grabbed each other's hands in the heat of the moment.
But this? This was the first time they'd ever held hands with this much intimacy.
The feel of Haruki's fingers—a bit chilly and so soft it was almost unnerving—was a constant, heavy reminder that Haruki was, without a doubt, a girl.
(Haruki, what the heck is she even doing...?!)
Hayato tried to peek at Haruki's face to figure out what was going on, but it was just too dark to see anything.
But—
"Just so you know, I'm gonna do my best."
When Haruki said that in such a sincere voice and squeezed Hayato's hand tight, he completely lost his words.
"...I see."
"Yeah."
Hayato had no clue what Haruki was gonna "do her best" at.
But Hayato could tell that Haruki was trying to change again, taking that next step forward.
Then, without either of them saying a word, they both slowed their pace. It was like they didn't want the night to end, heading toward Haruki's place at a literal snail's pace.
Author's Notes:
Once I got those reviews, there was no way I couldn't write the next part... ...huff... ...puff... Yeah, I totally crushed it!
Reviews really hype up Author's mood,
And they definitely boost the update speed.
That much is crystal clear.
So, for real this time, I'm headed back to the front lines.
As a Warrior of Light to save the world.
It might take a while before the next update drops.
If any of you readers are fellow Warriors of Light,
I'll see you on the other side. Treat me well!
Meow!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→
(D*mn, it's so squishy and soft...)
That was the only thing going through Hayato's head right now.
Maybe it was the nerves, or maybe he just wanted to break Haruki out of her shell, but when Hayato tried pinching her cheeks, her skin—so smooth it practically clung to his fingers—was as elastic as mochi, stretching and changing shape however he wanted. He totally lost himself in the feel of it.
When Haruki let out a 'Mya!' with a look that was clearly a protest, Hayato's urge to mess with her just surged even more, and he couldn't hold back his mischievous side anymore.
"Haha, look how far these stretch!"
"Haih, Hahyaho--! ('Wait, Hayato--!')"
Hayato didn't give a d*mn about who was watching.
Hayato was just completely obsessed with messing around with Haruki's cheeks.
It was just like some elementary school boy teasing a girl he has a crush on. Definitely not the kind of thing a high schooler should be doing.
As expected, Himeko couldn't just stand there and watch anymore, so she tried to step in.
"H-Hey, hold on, Big Bro! You can't just treat a girl's face like tha—"
"Huhi'!! (Good grief!!)"
"Wait, what?!"
"Haru-chan?!"
But Haruki wasn't about to just sit there and take it forever.
"Gugigi"
"Gununu"
Launching her counter-attack, Haruki pinched Hayato's cheeks right back, twisting them around to provoke him.
Hayato doubled down, pulling and squishing Haruki's cheeks even harder in return.
It was, quite literally, just a pair of kids messing around with each other.
Both Hayato and Haruki were being stubborn as heck, but with grins on their faces, they kept up their childish back-and-forth.
Even Himeko, who had planned to shut it down, just lost all her energy and stood there dumbfounded by their antics, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
With no one left to stop them, their little mess-around was interrupted in the most unexpected way.
"Haha, ahahaha!!"
"Hah? ('Dad?')"
"Uhle? ('Uncle?')"
"Dad?"
Out of nowhere, Hayato and Himeko's Dad just burst out laughing at the top of his lungs.
Clutching Dad's stomach like it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen, his eyes darted back and forth between Hayato and Haruki.
The three of them were totally stunned, but they could tell from the incredibly warm look in Dad's eyes that he was totally down with what was happening.
"Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking, you guys are still as close as ever, just like the old days."
"I-It's not even like that, Dad."
"U-Um, it's, you know, that! That thing!"
"Big Bro, Haru-chan..."
As soon as that was pointed out, both Hayato and Haruki scrambled to let go of each other, faces turning bright red as they tried to argue back, while Himeko just kept sighing in disbelief.
"...E-Eh, I'm heading back to finish dinner."
"Oh, here! The yogurt you asked for!"
As the two of them retreated to the kitchen like they were on the run, Himeko caught them on camera, sneakily snapping a photo with her smartphone.
◇◇◇
Dinner was a different story tonight—there were four of them at the table.
The awkward tension from earlier was long gone, replaced by a super chill and cozy vibe. Haruki was also back to her usual self.
"And then, you won't believe it, but Hayato was totally ogling this girl's melons, like, staring her down!"
"Haha, of course Hayato was."
"Wait, Haru-chan, I need the full tea on this right now!"
"...Man, give me a break."
Haruki was the life of the party, and the conversation was mostly all about what Hayato gets up to at school.
Himeko and Dad were all ears, loving every bit of these stories about Hayato they usually never get to hear. For the man himself, though? It was straight-up torture.
Haruki kept on rambling about how Hayato's cooking was so good it made her and Himeko gain weight, and how she went for seconds today 'cause it was too d*mn tasty, totally wrecking her diet. Pretty much everything coming out of her mouth sounded like some kind of complaint.
But even a bystander could tell that it all came from the solid trust and the deep bond those two shared.
And just like that, time flew by. Before they knew it, the night had completely settled in.
Himeko and Dad both told Hayato, "Make sure you walk her home properly, okay?"
Even without them nagging him, Hayato was already planning to do just that.
The rhythmic click-clack of footsteps on the asphalt echoed through the quiet residential streets.
Hayato was even starting to get used to the starless night sky lately.
"..."
"..."
Maybe it was the backlash from talking so much earlier, but they were both dead silent now.
It wasn't an awkward silence, though.
If anything, Haruki actually seemed to be in a pretty good mood.
That's why Hayato felt like it'd be a total vibe-k*ll to say anything.
"...You know, I think I'm actually a pretty high-maintenance person."
"Huh?"
Haruki just blurted it out of nowhere.
Unlike the mood they had going before, this sudden spill of self-deprecating emotion caught Hayato completely off guard.
Hayato couldn't help but peek at Haruki's face, and just as he thought, her expression had flipped—she looked dead serious now, like she was carrying something heavy on her mind.
"Hayato, you never ask me anything, do you? How come...?"
"What do you mean 'How come'...?"
It was true, a good amount of time had passed since Hayato'd reunited with Haruki.
They both had that gap in their lives where they were apart, and a lot of things had changed. It'd be a total lie to say Hayato wasn't curious. In fact, Hayato couldn't deny that he'd been worried about Haruki, especially after seeing how his Dad reacted earlier.
So, Hayato thought about it.
Thinking it through, Hayato started putting it into words as if to straighten out his own thoughts, weaving together what was in his heart.
"Back then—well, even now, actually—I didn't know anything about your family situation or why you weren't coming to school."
"...Yeah, that's true."
"But even so, hanging out with you was so much fun that I didn't even care... ...Oh, I get it now. I thought those things were just trivial details, and I still feel the same way today. So, yeah... ...I guess that's just how it is."
"...Pfft, what even is that?"
"What? You got a problem with that?"
"Nah, it's just so 'you,' Hayato."
With that, the smile returned to Haruki's face.
That familiar look Hayato knew so well.
Sure, a lot of cr*p happened today.
But Hayato figured that if he could end the day seeing Haruki smile, then it wasn't a bad day at all—and before he knew it, the words just slipped out.
"Haruki, you look better when you're smiling like that."
"...Wait, what?"
Those words came straight from Hayato's heart.
Walking side-by-side, messing around like idiots, and just laughing together.
Hayato's face probably had a grin just as big as hers right now.
But even with the streetlights, tonight was a new moon. It was too dark to really see each other's faces clearly.
"...."
"...."
A brief silence drifted between them.
It wasn't a bad kind of silence at all.
"Hey, Hayato."
"Yeah?"
"I think... ...on top of being selfish, I'm probably pretty greedy too."
"Hah, you're just realizing that now?"
"Ahaha, I guess it is a little late for that, huh?"
Haruki suddenly blurted that out.
To Hayato, who'd been jerked around by Haruki more times than he could count, that was so obvious it wasn't even worth confirming.
Then, just as Hayato thought Haruki'd suddenly come to a halt, he felt a tug on his sleeve that brought him to a stop.
When Hayato turned back to see what was up, he saw Haruki with a deep flush on her face, her voice trembling as she made a request.
"Can we... ...hold hands?"
"...Hands?"
"Is that... ...a no?"
"I mean, I don't really have a reason to say no, but..."
"Well then, pardon me."
"—?!"
No sooner had Haruki said it than she grabbed Hayato's right hand, interlacing her slender, smooth fingers with his. It was a way of holding hands they'd never tried before.
Holding hands wasn't exactly a first for them.
They'd done it back in Tsukinose, and even after reuniting, they'd grabbed each other's hands in the heat of the moment.
But this? This was the first time they'd ever held hands with this much intimacy.
The feel of Haruki's fingers—a bit chilly and so soft it was almost unnerving—was a constant, heavy reminder that Haruki was, without a doubt, a girl.
(Haruki, what the heck is she even doing...?!)
Hayato tried to peek at Haruki's face to figure out what was going on, but it was just too dark to see anything.
But—
"Just so you know, I'm gonna do my best."
When Haruki said that in such a sincere voice and squeezed Hayato's hand tight, he completely lost his words.
"...I see."
"Yeah."
Hayato had no clue what Haruki was gonna "do her best" at.
But Hayato could tell that Haruki was trying to change again, taking that next step forward.
Then, without either of them saying a word, they both slowed their pace. It was like they didn't want the night to end, heading toward Haruki's place at a literal snail's pace.
Author's Notes:
Once I got those reviews, there was no way I couldn't write the next part... ...huff... ...puff... Yeah, I totally crushed it!
Reviews really hype up Author's mood,
And they definitely boost the update speed.
That much is crystal clear.
So, for real this time, I'm headed back to the front lines.
As a Warrior of Light to save the world.
It might take a while before the next update drops.
If any of you readers are fellow Warriors of Light,
I'll see you on the other side. Treat me well!
Meow!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→