Shiraishi Asuka lifted her gaze to Shikime Natsu, her face still red,
as though it had been scorched by fire, the color spreading from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.
Seeing her like that, Shikime Natsu smiled, then spoke slowly, his tone perfectly relaxed, as if he had no idea at all how much of a shock his words had just dealt her.
"Shiraishi-san likes the sound of my singing, doesn't she?"
He paused, those pale golden eyes fixed straight on her.
"So... I recorded it too."
Shiraishi Asuka froze. She wanted to say something, but the words died on her tongue and slipped back down.
Shikime Natsu watched her, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening.
"Shiraishi-san, do you like it?"
Do you like it?
That question... how was she supposed to answer it?
Shiraishi Asuka studied that smiling face and began to think. So Shikime Natsu really had heard, hadn't he?
And yet she had no way to be sure. Why would Shikime Natsu just happen to have that exact clip of audio on hand?
Wasn't that far too much of a coincidence?
But... looking at the expression on his face, she was certain he had heard. Otherwise there was no way he'd be smiling like that.
Still, how could Shikime Natsu have known she'd be sitting here listening to his singing, and then have this particular recording ready at precisely the right moment?
No matter how she turned it over, it seemed impossible.
Shikime Natsu wasn't some god. How could he have predicted in advance that she'd be here listening to him sing, and that he'd walk right into her while she did it?
But... if he hadn't predicted it, then why had he prepared that recording ahead of time?
Surely he didn't just carry around recordings of his own singing wherever he went?
Shiraishi Asuka's head was a mess, all sorts of thoughts tangling together until calm thinking was out of the question.
And besides... if Shikime Natsu had known all along that she'd been secretly recording his songs, then her poor heart really was going to burst — especially if he also knew she fell asleep to his voice on repeat, night after night. At that point she wouldn't be able to stay here a second longer.
But... he hadn't said it outright, and so Shiraishi Asuka had no intention of bringing it up herself either. She drew in a deep breath, trying to quiet the heart hammering in her chest.
Then she stammered out an answer, her voice so small it was almost impossible to catch.
"I... I like it."
Of course, Shikime Natsu heard her anyway, and a flicker of amusement crossed those pale golden eyes.
The moment the words were out, Shiraishi Asuka dropped her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
The flush on her face showed no sign of fading. If anything, it had deepened.
For someone like her, this sort of thing was simply too much stimulation — especially now, when she had absolutely no idea what was going on inside this boy's head.
What was he thinking? Why had he recorded his own voice? Why give it to her as a present now, of all times?
Did he really just want to give her a Christmas gift?
Or... did he mean something more by it?
Before her brain could finish processing any of it, Shikime Natsu spoke again.
"Shiraishi-san likes that song, and so do I. But that isn't actually my present to you."
"Hm?"
Shiraishi Asuka lifted her head, confusion flickering in those purple eyes, and blinked at him.
Seeing her puzzled look, Shikime Natsu didn't explain right away. He only smiled, picked up his phone, and tapped the screen a few times.
A moment later her phone buzzed again. She glanced down, startled — another audio file.
Shiraishi Asuka raised her head, puzzled, and looked at him. Shikime Natsu met her eyes, a faint smile curving his lips.
"Give it a listen."
At that, she nodded slightly and tapped the file open. The next instant a very familiar voice came out of the phone — wasn't that her own voice?
And more than that... it was her singing at karaoke. Shiraishi Asuka went rigid, eyes going wide, those purple irises full of disbelief.
When on earth had Shikime Natsu recorded this? Hearing her own voice play back, her pretty face went scarlet. She had no idea when he'd captured it.
Back at the karaoke place, she'd never once noticed him doing anything of the sort.
After all, she'd been busy with her own little scheme — secretly recording his singing the whole time.
Precisely because she'd been paying him such close attention, she should have been the first to notice.
And yet nothing had registered at all. Shiraishi Asuka combed carefully back through the memory of that evening, and sure enough, came up with nothing.
Could it be that Shikime Natsu had started recording before they even walked into the karaoke room, and simply waited there for her to sing?
If that was the case, then this boy was far more calculating than he let on.
Then again, she thought, she was hardly one to talk.
She had, after all, secretly recorded his voice too.
So really, that made them even.
But what did it mean, him recording her voice like that?
Surely he hadn't been quietly listening to it on his own?
Besides, Shikime Natsu didn't have time for that sort of thing. He was surrounded by all kinds of cute girls; just dealing with them every day had to keep him busy enough.
Secretly listening to her voice... that couldn't possibly be it, could it?
Still, this was her own voice. If Shikime Natsu was sending her a recording of herself as a Christmas present, that hardly counted as a present at all.
"Shiki-san, this doesn't count as a Christmas present, you know~"
Hearing that, Shikime Natsu smiled.
"I know. That's why... this isn't your present."
He paused, those pale golden eyes on her, the smile at his lips deepening.
"After all, Shiraishi-san has my voice on her phone. I'm simply showing you that I have yours as well."
And with that, Shiraishi Asuka understood. He had known what she'd been doing all along — and just now, he'd heard what was playing through her earphones.
Maybe it was time she invested in a pair with better sound isolation.
Her gaze settled on him. This boy really did have a wicked streak.
Even so, now that he'd said it outright, a certain weight lifted off her. Sneaking around the way she had been, every listen came with a nervous flutter of guilt. Not anymore.
Noticing her stare, Shikime Natsu smiled at her and went on.
"This next recording is the Christmas present I'm giving Shiraishi-san."
"?"
She blinked, those purple eyes full of confusion.
There was more?
A third recording?
When he'd finished sending it, Shiraishi Asuka stared at the new file on her phone and sat stunned for a moment. Honestly, her feelings right then were complicated — she had no idea what this audio could possibly be.
Still, he'd said it was his Christmas present to her. Surely he wouldn't pull too many tricks with something like that?
She tapped it open, and a melody flowed out of the phone — a song she had never heard before.
The intro was completely unfamiliar, and yet even so it settled over her comfortably, easy on the ears.
Then Shikime Natsu's voice came in, warm, carrying a force that struck straight at the heart. As she listened, Shiraishi Asuka sank into it entirely.
She was certain no such song existed on the market. If it did, there was no way it could have gone unnoticed — one listen was enough to tell her it had the makings of a runaway hit.
As she listened on, she realized it was a love song. A song about the first flutter of a heart, steeped through with the flavor of romance.
Shiraishi Asuka had never been in a relationship in her life, yet hearing this song made her feel like a girl in the throes of love, utterly enchanted. Her face bloomed red, and something new and lovely stirred in those purple eyes.
While the song played, she felt as if she'd stepped into another world — a world where the only two people in it were Shikime Natsu and herself, where he was singing this song for her alone, pouring out his feelings, his affection.
It was so vivid it was almost like a vision made manifest. Shiraishi Asuka felt as though she were dreaming.
When the song ended, she slowly lifted her eyes to him, something complicated swimming in that purple gaze.
"What's wrong, Shiraishi-san? I wonder whether this Christmas present is to your liking?"
Shikime Natsu smiled at her, as if he already knew perfectly well that she could never dislike a song of his.
At the sound of his voice, Shiraishi Asuka nodded. She could hear her own heartbeat now, thudding away.
"I love it. I love this Christmas present from Shiki-san."
"Really?" Shikime Natsu said with a smile.
"Of course it's true."
She nodded, a flash of seriousness in those purple eyes.
Hearing that, Shikime Natsu laughed softly.
"Good."
With that, he sat down quite naturally on the bench beside her.
The distance between them shrank all at once.
Shiraishi Asuka felt the warmth radiating from her side, and her pulse quickened another notch.
Just as he settled in, she spoke up again.
"Shiki-san, did you write that song yourself?"
"Mm."
Shikime Natsu nodded, his tone matter-of-fact.
She had half prepared herself for that answer, but hearing him actually say it still left her stunned.
Producing something like that alone was enormously difficult — an ordinary person simply couldn't manage it. And this song had gone straight to her heart besides.
"Shiki-san really is amazing, being able to do something like this."
The admiration slipped out of her before she could stop it.
"Mm, it's nothing much. I just have a bit of a knack for it."
Shikime Natsu said it with a smile, and Shiraishi Asuka covered her mouth and laughed lightly.
"Only a bit, really?"
Her eyes curved into crescents; she looked thoroughly delighted with the conversation. Then she spoke again, slowly.
"Shiki-san, there's one more thing I want to ask. Is that all right?"
"Of course. Go ahead," Shikime Natsu said with a nod.
"Then... I'll ask."
"Ask away."
Shiraishi Asuka drew a deep breath and turned to look at him.
"How did Shiki-san come up with the idea of giving me a present like this? It's quite an unusual gift."
"I looked into what Shiraishi-san likes. Didn't you say you liked the sound of my voice? And then you invited me to karaoke. So I thought, if I gave Shiraishi-san a song outright, you'd probably like it."
Shikime Natsu explained it with a smile, those pale golden eyes resting on her lovely face.
At that, Shiraishi Asuka fell silent. She looked at him, something shining in those purple eyes, warmth welling up inside her.
For her, this gift was singular. A Christmas present that belonged to her and no one else — wonderful, and full of meaning she would keep.
The thought tugged the corners of her mouth upward. The girl was clearly in very good spirits.
Truly an unexpected present.
Then Shiraishi Asuka spoke once more.
"Shiki-san."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
She said it to him with complete sincerity.
"Thank you... for giving me such a wonderful present."
"No need to thank me. Shiraishi-san gave me a very fine Christmas present too. I like yours a great deal as well."
And at that moment Shiraishi Asuka turned slightly, bringing her shoulder closer to his, then tilted her head to look at him.
"Shiki-san said this song was a gift for me, right? Then what the song is singing about is meant for me too, isn't it? It's a love song, you know. What ever should I do? This is my first time being confessed to in a way like this. But... I think it would be better if I accepted. What does Shiki-san think?"
Shiraishi Asuka smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks — and a girl's blush is the finest confession of all.
"Mm, I think that sounds good. Then, I'm in your care from now on."
"Asuka."
Hearing the new way he'd said her name, Shiraishi Asuka froze for a beat — then broke into a delighted smile.
"Mm. Then I'm in your care as well, Natsu."
Shiraishi Asuka's eyes shone as she looked at him. Since her mission was to enjoy high school life, then... falling in love with someone she liked counted as enjoying it too, didn't it?
____
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