Especially—
Yuigahama Yui and Miura Yumiko.
They both thought of the same thing at the same time.
The only difference was that Yuigahama Yui assumed it was Yukinoshita Yukino who would bring it up, while Miura Yumiko believed it was Akira Fujimiya.
.....
Sunset,
Shizuka Hiratsuka's tutoring session had just ended.
Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina walked into the Kawasaki family's kitchen, while Yuigahama Yui stayed in the living room playing games with little Kawasaki Keika.
In the kitchen, the two girls quickly began preparing ingredients for dinner.
Ebina Hina glanced at her best friend beside her and whispered, "Yumiko, leave the rest to me. Go upstairs and check on Akira-kun."
"Hina, I…" Yumiko Miura's face flushed red instantly.
"Be bolder," Ebina urged. "Even Sensei already knows about it, and Yui didn't say anything either. That means she has accepted it. The only one feeling guilty here is you, Yumiko. Don't hesitate."
"I… I'm the latecomer. If I get too close to Akira-kun, Yui will definitely—" Yumiko bit her lip, her voice conflicted.
"Yui won't be jealous of you. Trust me," Ebina said softly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "If you miss this chance, you may never get another one."
"I… I'll try," Yumiko finally said, her hands trembling slightly.
Ebina smiled, her eyes filled with quiet support.
Slowly, Yumiko left the kitchen, stepping out into the hall.
When, She saw Yui still playing with Keika, laughing softly.
"Yumiko, could you call Akira-kun for dinner?" Yui said suddenly, without turning around.
"....okay" Yumiko replied, nodding after some hesitation.
As Yumiko climbed the stairs, Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at Yui and sighed quietly, a bittet smile curving her lips.
If I were in Yui's position…
Then Akira Fujimiya might already be in the emergency room.
.....
In front of Akira's room,
Yumiko knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
No response.
After waiting a few seconds, she hesitated, then slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
She changed into house slippers at the entrance and approached the bedroom.
Just as she was about to knock again, the door suddenly opened from the inside.
Akira stood there, looking calm and composed, and smiled faintly at her.
"Come in," he said softly, turning back toward his desk.
Yumiko lowered her hand and stepped into the room.
Memories of the last time she had been here flashed in her mind, but now she felt more certain about her feelings.
"Sit down. Dinner will take a while. I'll be done soon," Akira said without looking away from his sketch pad.
"..can I…help?" Yumiko asked gently.
Akira chuckled lightly.
"No need. But you probably know a bit about the work of a manga assistant, right?"
Yumiko blinked in surprise. "How… how do you know that?"
"You're gentle like Yui, but proactive like Yukino," Akira said, still sketching. "Knowing I'm a manga artist, you'd naturally want to help me. Just like when I gave you a chance — you brought me a handmade bento the very next day."
"I… I thought maybe I could be useful," Yumiko murmured, her voice soft and shy.
In truth, she had been studying.
She'd researched what manga assistants did, learned the basics of inking and toning, and even bought several guidebooks.
Her drawing skills had improved considerably — enough to support Akira if he needed it.
Akira finally paused his pen and turned to face her.
Under his gaze, Yumiko lowered her head again, flustered.
"Don't overthink things because of me," Akira said gently. "If you put me before yourself, you'll lose sight of your own path."
"No… it's okay," Yumiko whispered. "I'm not busy now. And when I am, I'll still work hard."
Akira smiled faintly, stood up, and walked over to her.
Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.
"I didn't respond to your feelings properly last night," Akira said softly. "I was still uncertain then. But now… I want to respond to your feelings properly."
"I… I like you," Yumiko blurted out, summoning all her courage.
Akira wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
She froze at first, then slowly responded — clumsy, but heartfelt.
It is a gentle kiss, soft and warm—As they slowly taste each others lips. Yumiko's ears has turn bright red as she unconsciously bring her arms around Akira.
Pressing her chest against his.
The kiss lingered for several minutes.
When Akira finally pulled away, Yumiko's face was glowing crimson, her heart pounding wildly, as she quickly release the hug.
At this moment, she felt truly happy.
.....
Dinner time,
After they finished eating, Akira walked Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina to the station.
But—
This time, he didn't let go of Yumiko's hand.
Ebina noticed this but said nothing, smiling teasingly.
Yumiko's cheeks burned, her eyes cast downward — The warmth of Akira's hand made her both nervous and happy.
Last night, she'd talked with Ebina for a long time — about feelings, relationships, and courage.
She had noticed that Ebina's tone was different — Hina didn't like Akira as much as she thought, it feels more like admiration than romantic feelings.
Yumiko didn't mind either though.
She knew she'd been late to realize her feelings, but she no longer intended to step back.
When they reached the station, she hesitated to let go of Akira's hand.
Ebina smiled and nudged her. "If you don't mind, you could follow Akira-kun back to Sakurasou, you know."
"Hina…" Yumiko murmured, blushing even harder.
As she finally let go of his hand, both begin to walk together with Hina teasing Yumiko, and Yumiko blushing and averting her eyes.
Akira watched the two girls disappear into the station and waved before turning back toward Sakurasou.
.....
When he arrived home, Akira opened his door and blinked.
Standing in the entryway was a girl dressed in a cute maid outfit.
"Welcome back, Akira-sama," Yuigahama Yui said sweetly. "Do you want dinner first? Or a bath first? Or maybe…"
She didn't finish the last line, her cheeks already red from embarrassments.
Akira smirked. "A clumsy maid shouldn't be greeting me here," he said teasingly. "You should be hiding under the blanket, waiting for me to find you."
Yui's face went bright red.
Akira stepped forward, scooped her up effortlessly, and carried her toward his room.
Once inside, instead of heading straight for the bed, he walked to his desk.
"Akira-kun, what are you doing?" Yui asked, puzzled.
"Watching anime with you," he replied calmly.
"Eh? Can't we watch a movie instead? There's one I've been dying to see," Yui pouted.
"Movies are fine too." Akira looked down at her, eyes gleaming.
A few minutes later, Yui finally realized what he meant by "movies are fine too."
(Note: I don't feel like you all want to know what they are doing right? Used your imagination - they are not having intercourse tho)
...
The next morning.
Everything returned to normal.
Morning run. Breakfast. Then school.
Same routine.
Yumiko didn't prepare a bento this time — Saki Kawasaki had already made one, and Akira couldn't possibly finish both everyday.
With exams coming up the next day, the class atmosphere felt unusually quiet.
Most students were reading and revising diligently.
Akira, however, was doing something else entirely.
....
Lunch break,
Akira went to the teachers' office to borrow the printer.
Shizuka Hiratsuka raised an eyebrow, confused.
Until she saw the stack of papers in his hand.
Her expression froze.
"Wait… these—"
"What's wrong, Sensei?" Akira asked casually.
"Ah, n-nothing," she stammered, quickly making copies for him.
After he left, she rushed to the locked cabinet containing the upcoming monthly exam papers.
All were still sealed.
She exhaled in relief.
"So he really just guessed the questions…" she muttered. "That guy… can he actually surpass Yukinoshita's results?"
.....
Service Club,
Akira arrived and handed out the copies to the girls sitting around the room.
Yukinoshita Yukino took one, curiously, scanned it briefly, and neatly placed it aside.
"These are the key points I compiled this morning," Akira said, sitting down. "They should cover most of what'll appear in the exam. Study them carefully."
"Are these really possible questions?" Ebina Hina asked, slightly astonished.
"What Akira-kun wrote is very useful," Yukinoshita said, her tone serious. "You should go through them before bed."
"Since Yukino said so," Yui grinned, "I'll definitely study them!"
The others nodded, already flipping through the papers, while Akira took his bento and started walking towards the door — a small, confident smile tugging at his lips as he secretly glanced at Yukino.
Tomorrow's test would decide everything — and perhaps, one promise between him and Yukinoshita Yukino.
...
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.....
Bonus Chapter:-
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6 Bonus Chapter at 100 powerstone