Stargazing

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[-Continuation-]

[-Location : Chiba Village-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

"Enjoy yourself." I said, before walking toward the door, guiding myself in the dark.

As I reached for the exit door, I heard a few murmurs from behind me.

"Ahaha… it's a bit embarrassing."(Totsuka)

"How come?! Don't be shy."(Ryota)

Ignoring their banter, I gave a subtle nod to myself and opened the door with a twist, stepping out into the night.

–*creak!

The faint sound of creaking wood and scratching fills the air.

"....." Glancing back twice to ensure the door was properly shut, I finally looked around carefully for the first time since stepping out.

And the only thing that crossed my mind was that -It was dark… like really.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I pulled out my phone from my shorts and unlocked it with a soft click, casting a dim glow on my face.

I checked the time, expecting it to be late, but to my surprise, it wasn't even [10:28] yet.

Activating the flashlight with my phone in hand, I carefully made my way through the shadows, adding a new source of light to the faint glow of the moon.

I heard some noises, like owls hooting and leaves rustling, but I tried not to let them bother me. Steeling myself, I moved forward, navigating through the darkness.

"....." After a few meters, I paused to scan my surroundings once more.

While searching, my eyes held a clear hope and longing to see someone else. However, it was just me, the darkness, and the sounds of the night.

Then, my sight focused on a certain big tree in the distance.

Without much thought, I strolled further until I reached it, finding a comfortable spot beneath its branches and leaning against its sturdy trunk.

Then I pulled out a pocket-friendly binocular(:monocular) from another pocket. Its size was enough to serve its purpose.

Through my lenses, I looked up, observing the full moon hanging in the dark sky.

The moonlight tried its best to illuminate the darkness, but, as always, it wasn't enough.

As I looked around aimlessly for a while, a reminiscent memory crossed my mind, disturbing me.

"...when is she coming…" I whispered to myself, expressing my longing for a certain person.

During the past few weeks I spent at home, I realised just how much I missed her.

Exactly twenty-one days, actually.

And with that realization came a deeper understanding of my feelings for her. I cherish our constant rambling, her presence, care about her, and, well, maybe even 'love' her…

So yeah, I have decided to loosen up a bit.

That's not to say that I will confess my feelings to her right away, but I won't hide my interest in her any longer.

Yeah, definitely not. It's time to be honest about my feelings and start showing them more openly.

"On that note, I am getting her number today, no matter what." The determination in my voice is evident.

The time slipped by... seconds to minutes.

…minutes to a few minutes, slowly.

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[-After A While-]

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–ruffle~

In the stillness of the forest, I suddenly heard slow, unsteady footsteps - or rather, the disturbance caused by dry leaves and small branches snapping.

"..." Turning in that direction, I forgot to remove the binoculars and continued observing through them.

It took me a moment to realise my mistake, but in those fleeting moments, I was mesmerised by the beauty before me.

The binoculars were aimed straight at the person's face, and I couldn't help but think the zoom function was working unnecessarily well.

The only thing I could make out was the faint outline of their face, illuminated by the light of the moon.

…

But as a second passed, a hauntingly beautiful image came into view as the moonlight shone gently upon her pale skin.

My heart throbbed violently as I removed the binoculars, gazing directly at her with my naked eyes.

…..and there she stood within the cluster of trees, her long black hair dancing in the breeze like a dark veil.

The breeze played with her hair, making her look like a fairy bathed in the moonlight.

Then she opened her soft cherry lips and began to ….sing – softly.

♫ Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum ♫

♫ Hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum ♫

Oh, so softly. In the chilly darkness of the forest, her quiet singing voice felt unusually pleasant to my ears.

"....." For my part, I merely gazed at the once-in-a-lifetime scene.

If I make the slightest bit of noise, I might destroy the Eighth Marvel in front of me, though it is a simple humming of the Rhyme - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

"..." With that thought in my mind, I sat back and admired the music.

Nevertheless, the singing soon came to an abrupt halt.

??..?? With startled moments, she immediately looked in my direction without a second thought, as if she could feel my gaze.

"…" - "…"

One, two, and three seconds passed – the bare minimum amount of time for us to recognise each other's presences.

"...Hikigaya, is that you?" The voice was that of an ordinary girl – Yukinoshita Yukino.

What's with that disappointing tone of her's?

"Why would you ask the same question as before?" I muttered, recalling her earlier inquiry.

With a sigh, I stood up from my spot, stepping out of the shadows to reveal myself to Yukinoshita.

"What are you doing out here at this hour? You ought to be having your eternal sleep." She questioned.

So stop tilting your head, damn it. Her face was cute.

"Can you stop announcing my death so casually?"

"Were you stargazing?" Yukinoshita probed with a doubtful voice, noticing the binoculars in my hand.

She then averted her eyes without waiting for my reply. Instead, she chose to gaze up at the sky.

Why bother asking when you don't even give them a chance to explain?

When I looked up and followed her eyes, the entire sky was twinkling with stars.

"Well, yeah…" I replied with a shrug, stating the obvious.

I can't say I was waiting for her all the while, and it is true that I was looking at the stars, though that was not my main objective.

"I didn't know you had a 'decent' hobby like this." She said her tone was neutral but definitely pushing buttons.

"Oh, what? You thought all you'd find under my bed were dirty magazines?" I shot back with a smirk.

Just so you know, I have plenty of hobbies that are considered 'decent' by most standards.

And why are we only talking about my hobbies anyway?

"That wasn't even remotely funny." Yukinoshita deadpanned in response.

"I wasn't trying to be." I retorted.

"..." - "..." Then silence settled over us again.

However, in the next moment, she looked away as if signalling to change the topic.

"That song you sang was really good." I blurted out in a moment of randomness.

"I know." Instead of getting flustered, she replied as if I had stated a universal fact.

Damn, that confidence.

And she is the one who lectures me about not having a trait called -Humbleness.

"Your dress is also nice." I complimented her once again.

??..!! This time, she was genuinely surprised.

However, instead of her usual excited self, it was more like a 'seriously?' type of surprise.

She even checked out her dress twice, but no matter how she looked at it, it was just her regular, plain sleepwear.

"It's nothing special." She deflected modestly. Then she added with a hint of curiosity. "What's with the sudden flattery?"

"It's not flattery." I persisted, a hint of transparency creeping into my tone.

Wanting to steer the conversation in a different direction, I shifted gears. "So, how have you been?"

"Ehh-um?" Yukinoshita responded, sounding a bit taken aback.

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[To be continued….]

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