Yukinoshita Yukino leaned into Akira's arms.
"Shy Yukino Is so cute," Akira teased with a faint smile.
"Jerk.. " she murmured, her voice barely audible.
"...Let's talk about business, shall we?" Akira said after a short pause.
"Is it about Yui's birthday?" Yukino asked softly, guessing his thought.
"Well, I came up with a plan…" Akira began.
.....
Yuigahama Residence,
In the Kitchen—
Yuigahama Yui was busy making cookies in the kitchen.
The sweet aroma filled the air as her mother, Yuigahama Asuna, watched with a gentle smile.
"Tomorrow is your birthday. Did Fujimiya-kun ask what kind of present you want?" Asuna asked softly.
"It seems Akira-kun doesn't know anything," Yui said, stopping her hands for a moment, her voice soft.
"How could he not know? Maybe he's planning to surprise you," Asuna replied with a knowing smile.
"Really?" Yui's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"You don't have to come home tomorrow night," Asuna said suddenly, giving her daughter a teasing smile.
"Mom!" Yui said shyly, her cheeks turning red, before she lower her head not willing to faced her mother.
Asuna watched her daughter and then leaned closer, whispering something into Yui's ear.
Yui's face turned crimson in an instant, as she fumbled with the cookie, unable to reply.
Asuna blinked, surprised by her reaction. "Akira-kun didn't treat you…"
"Akira-kun is very good to me. He doesn't bully me," Yui said quickly, turning her head away.
"You silly girl. Even if he hasn't confessed, you should make your relationship clear," Asuna said, slightly worried.
She thought about Yukinoshita Yukino and felt a faint sense of anxiety.
"It's okay. I can wait. Akira-kun said he'll marry me, and I… I believe him," Yui said softly, a trace of guilt flashing in her eyes for not being able to reveal everything.
Akira did say he would marry her—but that was after Yukinoshita Yukino and he got married.
She didn't know how to tell her mother that.
One thing was certain—her mother would be furious if she ever found out about it.
"I believe in Fujimiya-kun too," Asuna said seriously, "but there are a lot of girls around him. If you don't take the initiative, someone else might."
"It's okay. Yukinon…will help me," Yui said in a small voice.
"That Yukinoshita-san is the one you should be most careful about!," Asuna warned.
"It's okay, Mom. I trust Yukino. She's my best friend," Yui said quickly, almost defensively.
"Mom used to think the same," Asuna said, her voice softening. "In the end, me and my best friend became strangers…"
Yui frowned slightly. "Dad… did he like someone else?"
"Yui, that's not what I meant—"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that," Yui interrupted, lowering her head.
"When your father was young, he was as handsome as Akira-kun," Asuna said with a nostalgic smile. "Many girls liked him…"
"Mom, you're lying again. You can't even look me in the eyes while saying it," Yui puffed her cheeks and looked at her mother suspiciously.
Asuna's eyes flickered, avoiding her daughter's gaze.
"Okay, Mom was wrong," she admitted with a sigh. "But listen—what I said is true. If both you and Yukinoshita-san fall in love with Akira-kun, one of you will end up hurt."
"No, Yukinon and I will definitely be happy," Yui said with a bright, innocent smile.
"What did you say?" Asuna was taken aback, by her answer.
"...I mean, Yukinon already has someone she likes," Yui quickly corrected herself. "Her family arranged a fiancé for her. She won't like anyone else."
"Is that so?" Asuna asked, still suspicious.
"Yes! When I get the chance, I'll invite Yukino over so she can tell you all about her fiancé," Yui said, trying to sound confident while her heart pounded nervously.
Just then, the phone rang.
Ring-Ring-Ring-
Yui looked down at the caller ID—Yukinoshita Yukino.
"It's Yukinon calling," Yui said nervously.
"Answer it. I'd like to talk to Yukinoshita-san myself," Asuna said.
"Uh…" Yui hesitated, sweating a little.
"What's wrong? Were you lying just now? Does Yukinoshita really like Akira-kun?" Asuna asked sharply, her eyes narrowed.
"Of course not! I didn't lie," Yui said quickly as she answered the call.
She prayed silently that nothing would go wrong.
"Yuigahama-san, would you like to come to my apartment tomorrow?" came Yukino's gentle voice from the phone.
"..Are we going to Yukinon's apartment?" Yui looked at her mother.
Asuna nodded approvingly.
She knew about Yukino's family background and fully supported her daughter's friendship with her.
"Of course," Yui replied cheerfully.
"That's good then—" Yukino began, but Yui interrupted suddenly, remembering her earlier excuse.
"Oh, by the way, Yukino! You said your fiancé is as handsome as Akira-kun, right? Is that true?" Yui said in a rush.
"Eh? …Yes, it's true," Yukino replied after a short pause, slightly confused.
Yui quickly blinked at her mother as if to say, See? I told you so!
Asuna finally relaxed, letting out a relieved sigh.
She knew that if Yui and Yukino were to become rivals in love, Yui would stand no chance of winning.
{T/N: ... Believe in you daughter, ma'am}
.....
Library—
The next day, the quiet library was filled with a calm, comforting silence.
Akira Fujimiya and Yukinoshita Yukino sat together, reading.
Recently, Yukino had been busy with work, and it had been a while since she could relax like this.
So, she suggested coming to the library, and naturally, Akira agreed.
For two full hours, the two read side by side.
Eventually, Yukino lifted her head, looking at Akira's focused face.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips.
"What's wrong?" Akira asked, noticing her gaze.
"It feels like we've gone back to the past," Yukino said softly.
"Before, when I read in the club room, I would sometimes feel you glance at me… Now, your attention seems completely on the book."
Akira reached over and took her hand gently.
"Before, when I looked at you, I admired you—and I was afraid to miss even a second," he said quietly. "But now, when I look at you, you're already a part of me. You're in my eyes and my heart."
"Y-you say that kind of thing to other girls too, right?" Yukino's face turned red as she looked away.
"Except for you, there's probably no other girl who'd quietly read with me," Akira said with a chuckle.
"...I thought you'd be bored," Yukino murmured, her voice faint.
"Being with you, no matter what we do, makes me happy," Akira said, gently, as he reach out and took her hand.
"You like me that much… so why do you like other girls too?" Yukino's tone held a trace of hurt, as she tighten her hand.
"This… is my fault," Akira admitted honestly — he knows what he is doing is not right.... But he can't help it—he doesn't want to make anyone close to him sad.
"Then put me first," Yukino whispered, leaning closer to his ear.
...
After leaving the library, they had lunch at a small restaurant nearby.
For the afternoon, Akira had arranged something special—he brought Yukino to the arcade.
The game center was lively, filled with laughter and the sound of machines.
There were competitive games, shooting games, and cooperative challenges.
Yukino, though not very athletic, was sharp and quick — As Yukino and Akira played against one after another, He quickly realized the truth—
Yukino was strong—
After losing several times in a row, Akira studied her patterns and managed to win in one round, earning a small, proud smile on Yukino's face.
When they switched to cooperative games, their teamwork was impeccable.
Akira often let Yukino take the lead, making sure she enjoyed every moment.
After their final match, Yukino stepped forward, smiling shyly.
"This is your reward," she said and —
Muah~!
Kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Then I should reward you too," Akira said, before pulling her into his arms and kissing her softly, this time in her mouth.
Kiss~!
Yukino didn't resist— she was already getting used to his antics,
A few minutes later, he looked at the flushed, shy Yukino in his embrace, and his expression softened.
...
Later that evening,
The two went to the cinema.
The theater was dark, and an animated movie played on the screen.
As Akira watched the vibrant visuals, a thought crossed his mind—a name, or rather, a series.
That series was famous for its breathtaking animation.
Many of its scenes could be used as wallpapers—they were that beautiful.
If Flash animation dares to invest in it, he thought, maybe we could create a film like this too.
The truth was, producing an animated movie was far more expensive than creating a TV series.
Most studios preferred TV series because they could more easily recover their costs.
A successful animated movie was a rarity—something that might only happen once in a decade.
Flash Animation had experience making theatrical animations, and their quality was always high, but a feature-length animated film would be on a completely different level.
To make it happen, Akira knew he would need to discuss it seriously with Takahashi Kanae, and perhaps even Hayama Riko.
They'd have to study everything from script structure to its pacing.
I should talk to them first before deciding, Akira thought to himself as the movie's ending song began to play.
Yukinoshita Yukino leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes half-closed, and whispered,
"Akira… thank you for today."
Akira smiled softly and held her hand tighter.
...
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Word Count — 1,613