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On Monday morning, I arrived a little too early at the intersection where I was meeting Shiori.
After getting home, I kept replaying yesterday’s date over and over in my mind. The book Shiori had picked out at the bookstore. The hamburger steak we’d split in half at the Western-style restaurant. The metal bookmark we bought at the variety store. None of these were major events, but every time I thought about them, I felt a flutter deep in my chest.
I’d gone home with someone or stopped by somewhere before. But those were mostly times when I was just tagging along to help with their errands—carrying their bags, listening to their problems, or going grocery shopping. If I did something, it helped them out. So it was easy to understand why I was there.
Yesterday was different.
I was doing things for Shiori, but at the same time, she was paying attention to me too. When I fumbled, she’d stop me; when I got nervous, she’d laugh; and when I gave her a present, she genuinely seemed happy.
I still haven’t quite processed all of that.
“Good morning.”
I looked up at the sound of Shiori’s voice.
She was wearing her usual school uniform. Her hair was tied back low, different from the casual clothes she wore yesterday. But the metal bookmark I’d bought was peeking out just a little from the outer pocket of her bag. She must have tucked it into a book. She wasn’t deliberately showing it off. That naturalness actually tugged at my heart.
“Good morning. You’re actually using that thing from yesterday, aren’t you?”
When I pointed at it, Shiori glanced down at her bag for a moment.
“Yes. I put it in the book I was reading on the morning train. It’s thinner than I expected, and really easy to use.”
“I see.”
“Besides, it’s something you picked out for me, Minato-kun.”
Her voice was matter-of-fact.
But that single sentence left me at a loss for words. It felt similar to when she told me she liked me. It was a little too dazzling to take head-on, and I reflexively wanted to deflect it with a joke. But I felt that doing that to Shiori would be treating her kind words carelessly.
“……I’m still not used to that sort of thing.”
“That sort of thing?”
“Being told things like, ‘I’m happy because you picked it out.’ Until now, I’ve mostly heard things like ‘That really helped’ or ‘It’s convenient.’”
After I said that, I wondered if I’d made the conversation too heavy so early in the morning. But Shiori didn’t look upset. As we started walking, she fixed her gaze straight ahead, as if deep in thought.
“Well then, you’ll just have to get used to it.”
“Don’t make it sound so easy.”
“I don’t think it’s easy. But I’m going to keep saying it. If I’m happy, I’ll say I’m happy, and if I like you, I’ll say I like you. If that makes you uncomfortable every time, I’ll just get to see that troubled look on your face more often.”
Shiori said that with a serious expression.
I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. She wasn’t teasing me, yet she’d firmly cut off my only escape route. That was so typical of Shiori.
“Do you want to see that flustered look?”
“A little.”
“Just a little?”
“Not all the time. I want to see you looking genuinely happy, too.”
Hearing that, I found it hard to reply again.
When we arrived at school, the atmosphere in the classroom was a little calmer than before. Since the rumor about Mei had spread, fewer students were keeping their distance from me. Tanabe casually asked, “How was your date yesterday?” and I choked on my words without thinking. Shiori sat next to me, acting completely unfazed, though her ears were slightly red.
During lunch break, we went to our usual courtyard.
As we unpacked our lunches, Shiori took a paperback book out of her bag. The bookmark I’d bought for her yesterday was tucked inside. The thin metal leaf glinted faintly in the midday light.
“You’re really using it.”
“I told you that this morning.”
“No, I know, but… seeing it just now gave me that weird feeling again.”
Shiori tilted her head slightly as she opened the lid of her lunchbox.
“A strange feeling, you say?”
“It feels like something I gave you has become part of your daily life. I can’t quite put it into words.”
Shiori stopped eating. She didn’t brush off my words; she looked at me as if taking them seriously. Her gaze was so direct that I instinctively lowered my eyes to my lunch box.
“I’m happy about that feeling,”
Shiori said quietly.
“Me using the things Minato-kun picked out for me. I want to do more of that, little by little. Not just things, but things like our walk home, our lunch breaks, or where we go on our next day off.”
My heart grew warm deep inside.
Being in a relationship probably doesn’t end with just confessing your feelings. I realized it’s about spending more time together and having the things you choose gradually blend into each other’s lives. Since I knew almost nothing about that, I found myself surprised by every little thing.
“I think my reactions are probably weird.”
“I know.”
“Please deny that.”
“But I don’t mind those weird reactions. I can tell you’re really trying to accept them.”
At that, Shiori lowered her eyes, looking slightly embarrassed.
“I like that side of you, Minato-kun, too.”
I almost dropped my chopsticks.
No matter how many times it happens, I never get used to being told “I like you” straight to my face. Plus, Shiori doesn’t say it in a casual tone. She thinks carefully about how to phrase it, and then delivers it without backing down. That’s why, as the one receiving it, I can’t back down either.
“……Thank you.”
I finally managed to say it.
Shiori looked up.
“You didn’t run away just now, did you?”
“I wanted to run away, though.”
“Well, that’s quite an improvement.”
“That doesn’t feel like a compliment.”
“I am complimenting you.”
Shiori said it with complete sincerity.
The afternoon classes ended, and it was time for after-school. We changed our shoes at the entrance and walked side by side toward the school gate. On the way, we passed Rino. She glanced our way for a moment but didn’t say anything. Mikoto was also on the other side of the hallway, but she didn’t come over to talk to us.
That struck me as a little strange.
A walk home where no one called out to us. An after-school time where no one asked us to run errands for them. Time that used to feel like a void has now become time spent walking with Shiori.
Just as we stepped out of the school gate, Shiori asked,
“Can I stop by the bookstore in front of the station today?”
“Sure. To pick up where we left off yesterday?”
“Yes. I’m going to buy the book I was hesitating over yesterday.”
“Then I’ll take a look, too. It’s not just about updating the image of me in Shiori’s mind—I need to update the image of Shiori in mine, too.”
Shiori’s eyes widened slightly, and then she gave a small laugh.
“Well then, make sure you watch closely.”
Hearing that, I nodded.
I still haven’t gotten used to being told that someone likes me. But I can practice accepting it without running away. As I walked beside Shiori, I decided that this time, I’d watch closely from the very beginning to see what kind of book she’d choose.
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