I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Thinking this angrily, Isshiki took a deep breath, suddenly quickened her pace, and rushed towards his broad back.

"Hey!"

However, without turning his head, as if he had anticipated that she would launch a surprise attack, he squatted down the moment she jumped up to pounce on his back, and then reached back with both hands in a smooth and fluid motion, like a robot combining, and placed her steadily on his back.

"I knew you'd do this." He weighed the soft, elastic flesh in his hand and gave a smug hum.

For some reason, the girl behind him suddenly stiffened, hanging motionless like a statue.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

Seemingly ignoring his question, Isshiki lowered her head silently, burying her face in his neck, her hands gradually tightening around his shoulders, but she couldn't exert much strength.

The sensation from near her hamstrings made her feel weak all over, as if all her strength had been drained in an instant. She could only blush and fall against his back, letting out cute panting sounds like a kitten whimpering.

"Senior, your hand... please move it a little, a bit..."

Even through the bathrobe, his large hands were still frighteningly hot, the heat seeming capable of completely scorching a girl's delicate skin.

Tenkuji Yuu remained silent for a long while.

"Sorry, it was an accident."

As long as you're not embarrassed, then the only one who's embarrassed is her.

He moved his hand with a calm expression, supporting his much thinner knees with his arm. He could feel the slight trembling gradually returning to normal, and his hair was being teased by a sigh of relief.

"Idiot, pervert, lecherous senior."

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"They deliberately touched me, so please take responsibility."

"That was really an accident... If it had been intentional, I might have pinched it a few more times."

"Senior, did you know that there's still a signal here? The police can probably come up and arrest you in about ten minutes."

"Don't just casually bring up the police to threaten people..."

The faint, almost imperceptible sound of heartbeats overlapped as I walked.

Isshiki Hachiman slowly relaxed her tense body, lying against his broad, thick back without resistance, her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

Despite the heat and excitement of direct skin-to-skin contact through the yukata and casual clothes, a constant stream of sensation flowed into my heart.

—How annoying, I'm the only one who's so shy, doesn't that make me look like an idiot?

She thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile, but her hands, which were on her shoulders, unconsciously wrapped around his neck, as if she wanted to completely pull him into her embrace, so tightly that her whole body trembled slightly.

Iroha Isshiki didn't know his current expression, nor did she know if he really intended to date her, which was why they had come to this point.

Perhaps it was just a fling, or perhaps he just wanted to give her hope before harshly rejecting her and making her give up completely.

Regardless, Isshiki Hatake reaffirmed her feelings for him through that reassuring warmth.

—As expected, I still prefer my senior!

She hopes that he, who always teases her, also likes him when he's willing to carry her on his back.

My senior doesn't have a girlfriend, so it doesn't matter if I like him!

If she could still make wishes now, Isshiki Hatake would like to ask the gods for two more, even though she knows it's impossible—

'I wish this road could go on forever.'

May this time never end, never move forward, never go backward, may the two of them stay together forever, and may the story end with this scene...

That would surely be the happy ending that countless girls dream of, right?

'And if only my seniors could think that way too…'

Isshiki Yu slowly closed her eyes.

She mentally emptied her mind as if in prayer, resting peacefully on his back, her consciousness gradually drifting into a hazy state.

Holding him, embraced by his breath, it felt as if the world had shrunk to just the two of us...

Soon, she would fall asleep in this small sense of happiness.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Clues Discovered, and Then, Moving Forward

What followed seemed to unfold much more logically.

Just like in countless romance comics and novels, as the fireworks were in full bloom, Iroha Isshiki tugged at his sleeve and whispered her feelings in his ear.

"Senior, I like you."

The fireworks lit up the night sky, but they couldn't wake the dreamy girl; instead, they gave her the courage to go even further.

Isshiki Hachiman wanted to become the most important person to her senior, and wanted to have a place in his heart.

Then, a soft whisper, carrying sweet warmth, brushed against my cheek.

Bathed in the firelight, her eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed, and she stared directly into his eyes with an air of daring—she was breathtakingly beautiful.

"There can't be... any answer other than 'yes,' right?"

She seemed to want to relax, but she was so nervous that her lips trembled slightly and her heartbeat was almost louder than the exploding fireworks.

If Yuu Tenkuji had remained silent for a little longer, perhaps she would have given up first, forced a pale smile, laughed it off, and let the matter drop.

The magic of enduring courage will vanish the moment the night sky falls silent.

—So, Yuu Tenkuji didn't keep her waiting long.

"Of course, I don't want to become the biggest scumbag in the eyes of my juniors... So, Aya, from now on, I'll have to ask for your guidance."

With a soft laugh, he embraced the girl's slender body, which was dressed in a yukata, and melted away all her unease, trembling, and fear with the warmth of his embrace.

And those distances that were once maintained, those fleeting moments of tenderness, are now nestled in his arms, imbued with his unique scent.

"..."

The girl stood frozen in place for a long time before slowly relaxing her stiff body in his embrace.

Her arms awkwardly climbed up his back, and then Iroha hugged him tightly, trembling involuntarily once again.

This time, however, the trembling was born of joy.

It felt like reaching a mountaintop you thought you couldn't climb, like seeing fireworks you thought you couldn't see.

It felt like embracing the person I loved most in a landscape I had never imagined.

She couldn't help but laugh, but her voice trembled with a hint of tears: "W-what is it... If you're going to say yes, just say yes already! You're scaring me... You mean-spirited senior, I hate you the most!"

"Girls really do change their minds faster than turning the pages of a book..."

Yuu Tenkuji helplessly touched the back of her head. He could feel that his back was already soaked, but he didn't hear any crying. He only heard sobs that were both happy and reassuring, which she was trying to suppress.

Is using tears to make herself feel even more reluctant to part with her a girl's little trick?

Whether it is or not, I suppose that Iroha is made of sugar, spices, and something even more wonderful.

That's why I want to hold this sweet and lovely girl in my arms now, and embrace her tightly under this grand fireworks night, inseparable.

"Yeah, girls are such complicated creatures, aren't they?"

She rested her head on his shoulder, and Iroha squinted her wet, swollen eyes, giggling happily, "So, senpai, as punishment for making me worry and be afraid for so long, please tell me your ten favorite things about Iroha-chan!"

"Ten places? Is it that simple?" Tenkuji Yu smiled easily, his fingers slowly sliding from the ends of her hair to her shoulders, gently caressing the girl's round and slender shoulders.

"First, Iroha is very cute."

"Wow, the first requirement is so straightforward... But it's acceptable!" Iroha Isshiki commented seriously. "I don't dislike honest men, and if you were any uglier, I probably wouldn't be able to fall in love with you so willingly... Hmm, that's the unspoken understanding between lovers, right?"

"Secondly, Isshiki Iroha's voice is very beautiful," Yuu Tenkuji continued, listing her favorite lines.

But before she could finish speaking, Iroha Isshiki said warily, "Wait, you're not going to say next that I have a great figure, are you? That would be too perfunctory."

"That's not the case."

"What do you mean?!"

Ignoring her protests, Yuu Tenkuji simply slid his thumb along her waist, which was cinched by a belt, as she tried to pinch the soft flesh around her waist, and then breathed softly into her fair and delicate earlobe.

"Mmm~"

After a cute moan, the little devil junior sister completely collapsed, hanging on him with her body burning hot, unable to move.

"S-Senpai... You've only just started dating, and you're already doing this to your girlfriend... You're such a pervert..."

"Third, Isshiki Hana's figure is very much to my liking."

With a serious tone and a composed expression, Tenkuji Yu continued, "Fourth, I like the expression on her face when she's being affectionate with me. Fifth, I like her pure and innocent personality, even though she often teases others. Sixth, I like how she seems lazy, but she's always working hard behind the scenes. Seventh, I like her forced smile, even though she's not that strong. Eighth, I like..."

"Wait, wait, senior, that's enough! I already know how much you like me! You don't need to say anymore!"

Being confessed to like this, point by point, is even more embarrassing than I imagined.

In fact, when she heard the fifth one, Iroha Isshiki was already blushing and wanted to bury her head in his arms. She was so ashamed that she didn't dare to face the fireworks that lit up the entire night sky.

If she heard all ten of these points, she would be so happy she'd be dizzy, but at least until they parted tonight, she probably wouldn't dare to meet his gaze.

"Huh? Is that enough?" Hiding a smile from the corner of her mouth, Tenkuji Yu feigned surprise, "I haven't even brought up the things from the past yet, like when and where you did something that made my heart flutter..."

"So, that's the end of the confession!" Iroha shouted in frustration, then pouted in resentment. "Ugh... Senpai always does this, always using these inexplicable ways to make people like you more... Is this what a born scumbag is like?"

"You're about the same, aren't you?"

Under the cover of night, the two embraced each other with no distance between them.

Tenkuji Yu inhaled the scent of her hair, which carried a faint smell of sweat, yet it was an addictive fragrance that grew stronger with each inhalation.

The reason I listed so many things I like about Iroha Isshiki wasn't just to make her shy; it was also a process for Yuu to confirm his own feelings and whether he truly liked her.

His only prerequisite for having a girlfriend is that he genuinely likes her and that the feelings are mutual.

He used to think that he just doted on this junior schoolmate and never considered her as a potential romantic partner, even though he knew she had a crush on him.

Now he realizes that it was just that he had gotten used to the feeling of being liked by her, and it was just a kind of arrogant self-deception of being popular.

Just as humans get used to air and fish get used to water, perhaps only when she leaves her to fall in love with another man can Tenkuji Yu understand that suffocating feeling.

At this moment, as he peeled back his feelings for Isshiki Hatake like an onion, he suddenly realized that he truly loved her.