If I Go, I’ll Protect You from Growing Up for the Sake of the Stars

"There are only two things in this world that we should deeply respect. The first is the brilliant starry sky above our heads, and the other is the noble moral law within our hearts."

The three of them sat on the starlit grass. Apart from the chirping of insects and birds, the surrounding environment was filled with the tranquility of nature.

Shinichi grasped the damp grass with his hand, sighing without paying attention to the two girls beside him who were immersed in the beautiful scenery before them.

"I've only ever seen such a beautiful starry sky in books or on TV."

Both of them shifted their attention to him, somewhat surprised.

"I know about the Autumn Quadrangle and Winter Oval. I've heard that if you're lucky, you can also see the Leonid Meteor Shower, right? But I find it not surprising enough, so I fast forward to the end after watching it."

"However, even though the correct shapes and colors can be known from the data, only the size cannot be specifically imagined."

Shinichi leaned his upper body back, enjoying the feeling of being enveloped in starlight, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

The starry sky in front of him was much broader than he had imagined.

Even without a meteor shower, such a beautiful sight still amazed him.

"Fumino, what do you like... about starry skies like this?"

"...Me?"

Facing her bewildered side profile, Fumino was surprised to hear this.

Then, she lowered her gaze and smiled helplessly.

"Well... I like it."

"I like it the most!"

Even though she had thought about giving up, until now, it was still the thing she loved the most and least wanted to let go of.

Truly...

She was so happy to have endured until now.

From now on, into the distant future... she wanted to continue to cherish this feeling of love.

"Phew…"

Fumino turned her face away and wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye.

She remembered that she had never told Shinichi that she liked starry skies.

Maybe she found out on her own, or maybe it was Rizu who told him.

But for Fumino now, the surprise she gave was so touching that she no longer had time to think about unnecessary things.

Tonight's starry sky was not only very beautiful.

"Now, let me tell you a story, would you like to hear it?"

She also held her hand back, regained her cheerful smile, and looked at the two starry skies in front of her.

Shinichi and Rizu glanced at each other, nodded simultaneously, and took positions to listen.

So Fumino spoke slowly, letting her soft voice flow with the wind.

"My mother loved stars very much. Even though her health was not good, she often took me to see the starry sky on the rooftop all night long. She wouldn't change even if scolded by my father."

"Maybe because of her connection, unknowingly, I fell in love with the starry sky, its beauty, its brilliance, and its beautiful stories."

"I couldn't read very well at that time, so I couldn't understand many books about stars. I always asked my mother to explain them to me, and then I immersed myself in the magnificent and romantic star legends."

"Around when I was seven years old, my mother passed away due to illness."

"My father started to distance himself from me after my mother's death, and our relationship became very stiff. So since then, there was no one to accompany me to see the stars, and no one could explain those difficult books to me."

"I like stars, but the stars don't want to stay with me. The distance is too far... Looking back now, childhood like this was truly lonely."

She spoke softly, but there was no sadness on her face, just a nostalgic smile.

"Maybe you've thought about this before? My mother once said this to me before she left…"

"Mother won't disappear. I'll turn into a star and watch over you in the sky, as written in the book."

"So…"

Fumino reached out her hand, letting the soft starlight overflow between her fingers.

"On starry nights, you have to find me."

After her words were spoken softly, Fumino smiled shyly.

"Because of this sentence, I plan to pursue a career related to astronomy, hoping that one day I can find the star that is my mother's place."

"Hehehe... Isn't this a bit childish?"

"No!"

Rizu shook her head and looked at Shinichi seriously.

"Even though I've said it once before, I still want to say... Fumino, your dream is not naive at all, it's much bigger than mine!"

Fumino blinked, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Ricchan."

"Have you found your mother's star..."

Shinichi's murmuring came from the side, looking at her as he held his chin, with a serious expression on his face.

"In this case, there are two more suitable methods... The first is to find a star that has not been discovered by anyone and make breakthrough research progress, and the other is to buy the naming rights of a star, but stars with higher visibility have long been purchased. Yes, but the price is very high... No, money is not a problem. As long as I can buy it and name it after Fumino's mother, Fumino's dream will come true..."

"Hey, what are you thinking?"

Fumino tapped him, then looked at him strangely.

"Ways to make your dream come true."

"That's too realistic!"

"Let me put it another way." Shinichi looked straight into her eyes with affection.

"Whether you're naive or not, I'll use my method to support your dream. So don't worry, Fumino, just go ahead!"

"You're the one who makes me worry! What you say is so enticing, so you better pay attention to the atmosphere before you speak!"

Fumino complained, her cheeks flushed clearly under the starlight, but she turned her face away.

"Well, I am very happy... thank you very much."

Fumino looked at the starry sky reflected in the pool and couldn't help but laugh.

"Especially you, Asada-san, you specially prepared this surprise... Are you trying to apologize for what happened on the Ferris wheel? Or do you just want me to 'cheer up and return to my usual smile'?"

Listening to her slightly teasing tone, Shinichi's expression darkened.

"Can I say... Both?"

Fumino freed herself from his grasp, then looked past him towards Rizu.

"So, Ricchan, have you forgiven him?"

Rizu also smiled.

"If Fumino forgives, I'll forgive."

"Really, you're too kind..." Fumino shook her head and looked at Shinichi again with a pale face.

"Don't be too proud of yourself, thank Ricchan a lot! Otherwise, you'll be a playboy, especially a multi-talented one. Even if you want to date both of us at the same time, it'll be impossible for you!"

"Hah... Thank you very much. My life finally has meaning again..." Pretending to be touched, Shinichi rubbed his chest and felt happy.

Fumino was about to say something, but her expression changed, and Shinichi looked at her with a cheerful expression.

"By the way, about Fumino, I didn't expect you to have tsundere attributes? You're clearly very touched that you want to forgive me, but you still say that—"

Fumino squeezed the flesh around her waist and turned it 180 degrees clockwise.

She tilted her head, her long hair slightly lifted, and under the starlight, her smile was gentle, and her figure was pure and beautiful like a goddess of the lake.

"Don't push yourself too hard, you jerk."

But the words that came out of her mouth were very cold.

"Yes, I understand..."

Seeing his tense face and unwillingness to resist, as well as his continued hissing and breathing, even though she knew Shinichi was only pretending to pity her, Fumino still pulled her hand.

After hesitating for a moment, she rubbed the spot where she had just pinched.

Stretching her legs, the girl looked towards the lake and murmured.

"Idiot..."

Shinichi bowed his head and looked at his reddening ears.

But before he could do anything, the feeling of flesh on the other side of his waist being pinched made him give up.

Rizu stared at him intently, puffing her cheeks, with an unhappy expression like "I'm still here, don't ignore me."

Shinichi touched his head and immediately turned around, letting the bright starry sky clear his mind.

After being silent for quite some time, Fumino suddenly asked with hesitation: "Asada-san, did you bring us here just to give me this surprise?"

Shinichi shook his head.

"There's one more thing I want to say. I didn't have the chance to say it at the Ferris wheel, so I want to tell you now."

"What happened at the Ferris wheel that you didn't have the chance to talk about...?"

The two girls could only look at each other, then at Shinichi.

"The reason is a bit complicated, but in short..." A slightly bitter smile appeared on his face, and Shinichi sighed with a complicated mood.

"A few days ago, I was kicked out of my house by my parents, and now I'm renting a house on my own."

The words fell.

The edge of the lake fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, an extraordinary scream woke up the forest in the night.

"Kicked out of the house————!!??"