Comics, daily stories

"Stop being so cheeky," Yukino Yukinoshita said helplessly.

"Oh." Nomiyama quieted down and released Eriri's leg as well.

Then came a quiet time, with everyone sitting on the carpet, watching the fireworks bloom and fade in the sky.

While watching, Nomiyama tilted his head and took a bite of the snack that Megumi handed him.

Hui knows him quite well in this regard, after all, the last time he participated in such an event, it was actually with Hui.

He wasn't actually interested in the fleeting fireworks in the sky.

He only glanced at pretty things; after all, beauty can't fill an empty stomach. He preferred eating.

After biting off most of the banana that was handed to him, Nomiyama stared wide-eyed as Megumi took a small bite of the rest.

Yeah, and it's quite interesting to do bad things secretly in front of Yukinoshita.

He moved his hand and silently covered Hui's palm, then her fingers tickled his palm.

The two looked at each other, then looked away.

Yes, in times like these, you have to act like nothing's wrong.

"The wind blows early."

"Ok?"

Nomiyama turned his head and looked at Eriri, who was standing a few steps away.

"The fireworks are over." Eriri Sawamura turned her gaze away from the sky, seemingly with a touch of melancholy.

"You can still watch it next year. If you really want to see it, I can learn how to make fireworks in a few days." Nomiyama said dismissively.

“Kazehaya, you’re always like this.” Eriri Sawamura stood up, her voice lowered. “You say such strange things as if they were perfectly normal.”

"?" Yukinoshita Yukino.

"?" Sawamura Sayuri.

"?" Kato Megumi.

"?" Yukinoshita Yono said.

Nomiyama turned his head and looked at Eriri, who had stood up, and realized something.

But he wasn't sure.

So he just watched.

"It was like this when I was a kid. Actually, back then, all I had to do was make a phone call and have my driver come over so I could take a hot bath or something. There was no need for that, since we weren't even that close."

"But you feel that if I don't get rid of the cold quickly, I'll easily get sick."

Eriri Sawamura turned her head and looked at him.

Nomiyama remained silent for a moment, then stood up and looked at her quietly.

Kato Megumi felt his hand leave, frowned, glanced at Yukinoshita, and quietly got up and went to the other side.

Silently sitting next to Senior Yang Nai, she looked over there, lost in thought.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Eriri, who seemed somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar, and the unease surging in her heart gradually found its direction.

She stood up and naturally stood in front of him, looking at Eriri.

"The wind blows early in the mountains."

"I like you."

I've liked you for a very long time. You were the first person I liked, and you're my favorite.

Eriri Sawamura grinned, looking at her friend in front of her, her gaze seemingly passing through her and looking at the person behind her.

Her gaze was generous and natural, gentle yet firm.

Article 231 is not a solicitation, but a notification.

Sawamura Sayuri was the first to react, and she was also the first to not react.

Her hand, which was waving a palm-leaf fan, paused, and she stared at the girl who was laughing generously with surprise and suspicion.

Surprise turned into doubt, doubt into confusion, and confusion into panic.

Why did you actually turn on Yukino?

Taking a deep breath, Sayuri Sawamura thought of her conversation with Nomiyama some time ago.

He had a vague idea of ​​Eriri's thoughts at the time.

But I didn't believe him, because I felt he wasn't really sure either.

Sawamura Sayuri acknowledges that Eriri has changed, and the change is quite significant.

She began to speak her mind, started to deduce his thoughts, would proactively give him space by keeping his editor's attention, would make requests of him, and would help herself in the kitchen when she got home, while also learning to cook. Although she was always flustered, she never showed any disappointment.

During this time, she stopped acting coquettishly and showed no signs of distress. She would just occasionally sit on the swing under the tree, as if she were thinking about something.

What exactly changed in those two days?

Sawamura Sayuri suddenly remembered what he said that night: "At first, I wasn't the one who liked Yukinoshita the most."

And Eriri's tearful voice saying, "He used to like me."

She pursed her lips, looked at Eriri and the two people in front of her, and remained silent.

Perhaps there are some things that only the three of them can truly understand.

But at this point, is it really okay for Yukino to suddenly turn on him?

......

Yukino raised a palm-leaf fan to hide her cold smile.

Childhood sweethearts? Innocent childhood friends?

At this age, when you're eight or nine, you might be able to beat Yukino. In your third year of middle school, if you have some guts, you might be able to sneak a bite.

But now?

However, let's fight it out, fight hard, and it's best to make a big scene and cause some trouble.

It's best to leave him clueless and sink him.

......

Kato Megumi glanced at the three people on the other side, her eyes flickering slightly.

As Kaze had said before, Eriri occasionally displays unexpected courage.

However, this kind of...?

Is he being too brave?

Kazehaya said Eriri had changed a bit, but the change was actually this drastic...

So the strange feeling I had on the way here was Eriri's doing. She deliberately provoked Kazehaya's emotions and then pulled him away from her to play around.

Her eyes gradually calmed down, and Kato Megumi took out the candy she had received from him and quietly unwrapped it.

Let's fight it out. After all, they're best friends. Maybe we can actually break Yukinoshita's defenses.

If possible, it would be best to sink Kazehaya as well. I haven't seen him in a low mood for a long time, and I can't find a way to comfort him and get closer to him.

......

Nomiyama looked over the snow at Eriri, his gaze settling on her eyes, which were filled with the bright sunlight.

Eriri, are you serious...?

He had a vague feeling about it, but he wasn't sure.

No one can be sure, after all, Eriri is Eriri.

He could see that Eriri had changed, and that she was no longer timid.

But he just couldn't be sure that Eriri would really dare to do that.

Among the girlfriends, Haruno and Miyabi are still insisting on not making things clear, as is Sayuri. Then, before Yukino could react, Mai-senpai used the school broadcast to make a decision, bypassing Yukino.

Currently, only Megumi is directly facing Yukinoshita.

Are you coming now?

Nomiyama and Eriri stared at each other in silence.

He couldn't respond immediately at that moment.

Because Yukinoshita was standing right in front of him.

......

"The wind blows early in the mountains."

"I like you."

I've liked you for a very long time. You were the first person I liked, and you're my favorite.

Yukino Yukinoshita listened to those unwavering words, staring at Eriri with a mixture of silence, confusion, and annoyance.

Yes, I like it. Eriri Sawamura likes Kazehaya Nomi.

This matter is right there, almost blatantly obvious, and everyone can see it.

He didn't know what to do at first, so he pretended not to see it and prepared to leave the matter to him to handle.

But then he changed, and so everything began to change.

Actually, everything was quietly decided that night when we were looking at the stars.

He offered to go to Tokyo to accompany Eriri to sell her doujinshi.

I didn't stop it.

Both of them tacitly accepted the development of the situation.

Yes, he kept lowering my bottom line, but that doesn't mean anything.

You can do that.

Even if you are Eriri, it won't work.

......

Eriri Sawamura withdrew her gaze from him, her expression gradually becoming composed, and finally met Yukino's eyes.

She exhaled, as if releasing years of pent-up emotions.

Slightly embarrassed, she looked at the other person and said, "I originally wanted to finalize things in Tokyo. Once it was settled, Yukino, you would definitely just let me and Kazehaya have our way in the end."

"But later I felt that this was too unfair to Yukino."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly: "So you chose to do this?"

"Eri, he is my boyfriend."

"I know, I know." Eriri Sawamura glanced at him, then looked up at the starry sky.

Finally, she lowered her head, put her hands behind her back, looking both charming and frank: "I just want to take this opportunity to make everything clear, about the three of us."

"We can't avoid it. If we just let it pass by in a blur, I'll always feel unsatisfied."

Yukino Yukinoshita looked into Eriri's unwavering eyes and let out a soft breath.

Nomiyama glanced at the two of them, moved his feet, bent down and picked up the half-eaten oden from the carpet. He picked through the food in the oden: "What does Eriri want to know?"

Eriri Sawamura glanced at him as he picked out the oden, then at Yukino who was staring intently at her, and said softly, "I want to know if Kazehaya liked me before. I want a definite answer."

Nomiyama paused in his hand, which was poking at the radish.

Yukino Yukinoshita squinted her eyes.

Eriri, if only you had been this brave sooner; these are the complex emotions in Sayuri Sawamura's eyes.

Oh wow, still making faces; this is Yukinoshita Haruno, whose smile is almost impossible to suppress.