From being moved to taking action was just an instant. Tachibana Rui couldn't quite explain why she had such strong emotions.
After returning from the countryside to the apartment, after Mom and big sister left home one after another, being alone at home, thoughts of Murakami Yuu flooded overwhelmingly through her heart.
This longing was the fuse, overstepping boundaries to give instructions in place of her brain, making her uncontrollably send messages on her own initiative.
To hell with restraint and reserve - after all, her relationship with that guy had long since reached that point.
With a red face and ears as if self-destructing, she sent what was almost an explicit hint, and when she noticed his interest in her between the lines, the corners of her mouth nearly rose to the sky.
He's thinking of me too.
She decided this.
She smiled happily in front of the phone screen, and though the messages she sent were coquettishly presumptuous, she ultimately couldn't resist the feelings of missing him.
The meeting time was set for 7 PM. There was still plenty of time. She could first take a bath and change into a nice matching set of underwear.
After blow-drying her hair and changing into a dress, she spun in a circle before the full-length mirror, nodded with satisfaction, and looked at the time - not yet 6 o'clock.
She suddenly regretted saying the time was 7 o'clock. She should have made it earlier.
She ran to lie flat on the bed to clear her thoughts, grabbed the bear-shaped doll on the bed to hold in her arms, and methodically organized her psychological expectations for tonight, her face gradually flushing.
Right, she didn't know if he had them at home. Just in case, she needed to prepare those...
If she went now, she'd probably arrive around 6:30, then buy those at a nearby store. The timing should be about right.
Having made up her mind, she got up and walked out the door with light steps.
...
After finishing his business and leaving school, Murakami Yuu immediately boarded the train home. After getting off at the station, he headed non-stop to the supermarket to buy ingredients.
Considering they hadn't seen each other in a long time and tonight's atmosphere might be extraordinary, he chose steak for dinner as it would save time and effort.
He selected two pieces of good quality marbled beef with evenly distributed fat for the main meal, a little Dutch potato and mushrooms as side dishes, a small pumpkin to mash and make into soup, and a box of ice plant with salad dressing as an appetizer.
The main purpose of tonight's meal was to replenish energy, so Murakami Yuu felt the above was sufficient. No need to waste too much time in the kitchen, so he didn't continue worrying about the traditional Western appetizers and desserts.
Complicated things could be made slowly later. Tonight should be simple - after all, there were other delicacies for him to enjoy after dinner, right?
After selecting the ingredients, on his way to the cashier, he casually picked up a box of 0.01s.
The thinner the better.
Murakami Yuu walked out of the supermarket carrying his things. After seeing the time on his phone reach 6:20, instead of going straight home, he came to the exit of the train station near his house and stood at a position clearly visible whether entering or exiting the station.
A strange feeling - so even he could be sentimental for once.
Thinking this, Murakami Yuu took out his phone and casually browsed to pass the time, though his gaze would occasionally turn toward the entrance and exit.
...
Tachibana Rui struggled to squeeze out of the train. She somewhat regretted not leaving earlier. The number of people on the train during rush hour made her despair.
Her pretty little dress - whether it was psychological or not - felt somewhat wrinkled too. Her mood slightly low, she followed the crowd toward the exit.
She took her phone from her lady's handbag to confirm the time, then locked the screen and used the screen as a mirror to arrange her hair and bangs. At this time, her ears heard two OLs in uniform in front of her excitedly talking to each other:
"Aaah! I can't take it! Look, look! That guy standing over there is so handsome!"
"He's carrying things so he must be waiting for someone. I want to go talk to him. Holding him in my arms would probably be so healing!"
"Forget it, your age already counts as obasan to him."
"You're the same!"
Tachibana Rui's mind only held thoughts of Murakami Yuu whom she was about to meet. She had no interest in the handsome guy they were talking about and no thought of looking up in that direction.
Her darkened phone screen lit up. The notification bar showed a message from Murakami Yuu. In a very good mood, she quickly opened it - two simple yet striking words:
[Look up.]
???
Tachibana Rui blankly complied. What met her eyes was the bustling crowd. The corner of her vision caught something unusual, drawing her neck to turn to the side. There stood the person she'd been missing, looking at her and smiling while waving.
The two OLs in front misunderstood, almost crazed to the point of dizziness.
This situation of being separated for several days yet meeting unexpectedly made Tachibana Rui's heartbeat suddenly accelerate.
After a brief moment of dizziness, her brain realized that the figure she thought of every night and morning these days was right there not far away.
He wore the school uniform - a very ordinary style, yet completely impossible to look away from.
The crowd on the street was the night sky picture, while he was that star with radiance.
The noisy, chaotic external sounds were gradually fading. Slowly, there was only one person in her eyes.
Tachibana Rui's body relied on instinct to walk automatically. Before she knew it, she had come before Murakami Yuu.
Having finally escaped two overly enthusiastic OLs who automatically turned into fangirls, Murakami Yuu met Tachibana Rui's gaze.
Looking down, the two faces drew close. At such close range, his first words were:
"Welcome back. I missed you a bit."
Thunder exploded in her chest. Tachibana Rui became extremely confused all at once. She tried hard to calm her emotions. Only after a moment did she recover to her usual self, feigning dissatisfaction:
"Only a bit?"
Murakami Yuu was somewhat taken aback, but quickly curved the corners of his mouth.
"It would come up a little bit anytime, anywhere. After accumulating for so many days, there's probably already very, very much."
Somewhat dizzy, probably because her face temperature was too high.
Having not seen him for just a few days, he seemed like a different person. Was Murakami Yuu originally such a lethally powerful existence?
Tachibana Rui didn't dare look directly at him anymore and changed the subject.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Not really, just twenty minutes."
Murakami Yuu didn't intend to hide it from her.
"Why didn't you go home first?"
"I just roughly thought you should be coming soon. I felt it would be good to wait here - I could see you earlier and be happier."
Saying this, he grasped her hand - small and soft.
Murakami Yuu's action was natural. That matter-of-course attitude made Tachibana Rui tense up for an instant, but after feeling the warmth of his palm, she gradually became reassured.
"Let's go home first."
Murakami Yuu pulled her hand.
Following obediently for a few steps, Tachibana Rui suddenly thought of something.
"I haven't bought those yet."
"Which ones?"
"That is, that is..."
As she spoke, her voice gradually lowered.
Murakami Yuu's hand tightened a bit. He smiled wickedly by her ear.
"One box has six pieces of gum. Is that enough?"
...