Now Hold Hands

The summer vacation was almost over and today was the summer festival.

Minato and Airi couldn't dress themselves in yukata, so Minato asked Kazuma's parents to dress him, and as for Airi, she asked Momose's parents to dress her.

Their parents' houses were next door to each other, so in this case, it was very much appreciated.

Now that Minato and Kazuma had finished their preparations, they were waiting for the two girls in front of Momose's house. It's normal for girls to take longer, so they didn't have any complaints.

However, it was very depressing for Minato to see Kazuma next to him with a grin on his face.

"How'd it go? Did you enjoy your date?"

He must have heard from Momose that Minato and Airi had gone out.

He knew it was inevitable that the word would get out when he contacted them to make sure they were on the same page, and he knew it would.

But Kazuma's teasing smile still disturbed him, so he turned away and said something back.

"It wasn't a date. It was just shopping."

"You two picked out each other's yukata in private, didn't you? That's already a date, you know."

"…Sure I did choose it, but she just wanted a man's opinion."

He knew that they had bought yukatas when they went out as a matter of course, but there was no other time to buy them, and maybe Airi had told Momose on the phone.

He couldn't really deny what Kazuma said, and he tried to tell him not to misunderstand, even though his reaction was delayed, but Kazuma gave him a look of dismay.

"Even though Ninomiya-san has a curt attitude towards boys?

"…That's…"

His words were similar to the problem that had been plaguing Minato lately, and he couldn't say anything back.

Minato rarely saw Airi being cold to boys other than him, but as Kazuma had told him, she treated Minato pretty differently from the rest.

And Minato doubted that she, who was very cautious, would have excessive skinship with him, even if he was the one she trusted the most.

In addition, the other day they touched each other even though she was aware that he was conscious of her as the ideal opposite sex, and she didn't get angry at all even though it could have been irreversible if she was not careful.

The answer to why she did those things was predictable, and the other day's incident only strengthened that prediction.

But did Airi really have the convenient feelings that Minato thought she did? Wouldn't that be impossible?

"Minato, don't turn your back on her feelings."

As he was troubled by his unanswered suspicions, a voice spoke up as if it could see through Minato's inner thoughts.

"I'm not turning my back on…"

The words deflated as he questioned the words he himself had released.

Minato wondered if he was really turning his back on her. Shouldn't he be keeping a lid on his feelings because he was the only one whom Airi trusted the most?

Kazuma, who had only met her not that many times, noticed something and warned Minato. So, it must be something that others could see clearly.

Would Airi really touch me with only trust and faith? Would she say words like that?

Minato knew that Airi trusted him. He wasn't about to question that now.

But she wouldn't normally stay excessively close just for that reason.

He didn't think he would overly touch her just because he trusted her, much less because she was the most important person in his life.

If that were the case, she would have the same attitude toward Momose, who was of the same sex, in no small part. However, he had never seen her like that.

And the distance between Minato and the others had shrunk a lot just in the short time of summer vacation. That was certain, and a lot of disturbing words had been said.

Then maybe it's not wrong.

Minato's doubts were easily cleared up. It was a shameful thing that he was finally able to face it after Kazuma's warning, but it must mean that he was able to spend that much time with Airi.

When he looked up from his prone position after answering the question, he saw Kazuma staring at him with a serious expression.

"When Shiori and I started going out, you pushed me to do it, even though it might have changed the relationship of the three of us as childhood friends. So now it's my turn."

"I didn't do much. I just did what I could."

Minato had been asked for advice by Kazuma and Momose when he was in middle school, and he gave them his backing. He couldn't help them much, but Kazuma didn't seem to think so.

As a result, since Kazuma and Momose started dating, they didn't spend as much time together as they used to, but they could confidently say that they were important childhood friends.

He shook his head as if to say it was nothing to worry about, and Kazuma smiled brightly.

"Then I'll just do what I can, which is to push your back. So think hard about the meaning of Ninomiya-san's expression and attitude after spending time with you."

"Alright. …I guess you know how I feel."

Minato didn't remember telling Kazuma about his feelings for her.

But, of course, the fact that he loved Airi was known.

When he pointed this out to him with a stare, he got a dumbfounded look in return.

"Of course. How many years do you think I've been looking at your face?"

"I guess you're right… Thanks, Kazuma."

"It's a small price to pay."

To be honest, thanks to Kazuma, Minato had already answered most of the questions in his mind.

But it wouldn't be too late to make sure of that after he got a good look at Airi today.

No matter what choice he would make, he could hurt her if he didn't know how she felt.

As the two men were laughing at each other while thinking this inwardly, the door to Momose's house opened. Kazuma said, "Keep this between us," and waited for the two girls.

"Sorry we're late."

"I'm sorry."

The two girls who appeared in front of Minato and Kazuma, combined with the pattern of their yukata, looked like vividly blooming flowers, even in the evening.

As Momose asked Kazuma what he thought of the yukata, Airi also looked up at Minato anxiously, as if she wanted him to tell her what he thought.

"Um, what do you think? Does it suit me?"

"Ah, I'm sorry to be so cliché, but it looks good on you. You're beautiful."

Although he had seen it once before, the purple fabric of the yukata, decorated with lilies, combined with Airi's hair and eyes, made it very beautiful.

Her hair, which was usually kept long and straight, was tied up today with a hairpin that she had borrowed from Momose, giving her a different kind of innocence.

As he apologized for not being able to express himself well, Airi smiled softly, as if she was satisfied with Minato's poor compliment.

" Fufu , thank you very much. It looks good on you too, Minato-san. You look cool."

"Don't flatter me. This is just normal."

"No matter what other people think, it's the coolest to me. Please be confident."

"…Thanks."

Airi's straightforward and sweet words caused his cheek to heat up.

As they complimented and stained each other's cheeks, Kazuma and Momose looked at the two of them with smirking eyes.

"You've already complimented each other, so that's great, but we're running out of time, so let's go."

"You're right."

Minato could tell that if he were to touch Kazuma's and Momose's expressions in any way, he would be teased. So Minato didn't react to anything, and the two of them walked off hand in hand as a matter of course.

Not wanting to be late, Minato and Airi decided to follow suit, and Minato extended his hand to Airi.

She didn't seem to understand why he held out his hand to her, and tilted her head curiously.

"Um… This is?"

"We can't get separated like we did during the fireworks display. I'm sure there won't be as many people as there were then, but you can never be too careful, right?"

During the fireworks display, she had grabbed the hem of Minato's shirt, but as a result, she veered off.

Although he didn't think it would be so crowded that they couldn't resist the flow of people this time, it was better to be sure.

When he explained this, Airi smiled softly and happily.

"That's true, then yes, please."

"Yeah."

He walked behind Kazuma and Momose, holding her thin, soft hands.

Next to him, Airi was happily playing with Minato's hand, changing the strength of their connection. She would make it harder, weaker, and would even stroke Minato's hand to see if he could feel it, which made him very ticklish.

Although he knew she wouldn't refuse, it was worth saying it if she was this happy.

When he felt relieved that he had done the right thing, a lively voice came from beside him.

"I wasn't expecting Minato-san to hold hands with me. Thank you for caring about me."

"The last time it happened, it was because I was selfish. I do care."

"I don't think Minato-san was being selfish. If anything, it was me who asked for it."

"Still, I thought it would be better to do this, so this time I said it."

"But is this okay? People will see, you know? If we're not careful, they'll talk about us."

Airi looked at Minato with concern.

In fact, that was how he had refused the request last time. Minato smiled, finding it funny that their positions were reversed from before.

Either people would talk about it and Minato and Airi would be in trouble, or they would go off without holding hands. It was obvious which was better.

Even if the people around them found out about it, they could just say that it was a countermeasure to the incident at the fireworks display. Even if it became a big deal, the rumors would naturally disappear if they stayed away from it.

However, that was something that only Minato was comfortable with, and he had to get confirmation because it would bother her as well.

"It's okay, I'm much more worried about Airi going off and getting into trouble."

"…I-Is that so?"

"But it would definitely be a topic of conversation if someone from the same school saw us. It's going to cause a lot of trouble, are you okay with that?"

"Yes, no problem at all. Please make sure you hold me firmly, okay?"

She didn't care at all about being the topic of conversation or causing trouble, which she used to hate so much. On the contrary, she even smiled happily.

Minato's answer was becoming more and more convincing, but he didn't show it and firmly affirmed Airi's words.

"Yeah, leave it to me. It's the least I can do."

"No, you're wrong."

"Eh?"

"This is something only Minato-san can do, you know?"

"…I see."

The sweet voice that tickled Minato's heart reached his ears.

He walks down the street at night, thinking back to the charming expressions, words and actions of Airi so far today.

He prayed that they could be alone together outside, just for now.

Happy Valentine's Day!