The first thing I registered was the oppressive, satisfying warmth. The second was the dizzying, specific scent of Jun—salt and old cedar. The third, most terrifying realization was something pressing on my chest.
My eyes snapped open. I was not in my bed.
Sometime during the deep, healing sleep I hadn't realized I needed, I had completely migrated from my carefully placed futon on the floor and somehow—like a sleepwalking parasite—climbed right into Jun's. Even worse, I was draped across him, my chest flush against his, my arm hooked over his stomach. My beautiful, stubborn façade of solitude just crumbled onto his chest.
Panic, cold and sharp, instantly replaced the warmth. If Jun woke up and saw this, the teasing would be relentless. The one night I allowed myself to fully collapse and rest, and it was going to be the source of my eternal embarrassment. I started the intricate process of extraction, slowly sliding my hip off his, trying to levitate myself backward without friction.
It was too late.
A low, amused groan rumbled beneath my ear, followed by the deep, familiar vibration of his voice.
"I told you that extra bedding was useless," Jun murmured, his voice husky with sleep. His left arm, which had been pinned beneath my torso, shifted and then wrapped firmly around my back, sealing me in place.
My breath hitched. He had been awake. He must have felt me move. He's been awake this whole time, just letting me sleep on him.
I felt his lips press lightly against the top of my head, a casual, easy gesture that ripped right through my composure. "Good morning, Yui."
He knows I'm awake. The sheer, overwhelming tenderness of the gesture—a gesture that assumed this level of intimacy was normal, was expected—made my cheeks instantly burn. I couldn't look him in the eye. I couldn't let him see me this flustered. I had no choice but to deploy the only escape tactic left: deception.
I wiggled slightly, forcing a confused, sleepy mumble. "Umm… Jun?" I squinted, pretending to be disoriented by the morning light. "When are you coming to school today?"
It was the perfect question. It disguised my current position as part of an innocent sleepwalking haze (neboukeru) and focused on the only thing that mattered to both of us today: the exam. My brilliant, reckless Jun, convinced he could pass the test to be reinstalled in my grade. I had absolutely no doubt he would succeed.
"The Principal told me ten o'clock sharp," he replied, his voice back to its normal, playful tone. He loosened his grip just enough for me to breathe. "The catch-up exams should take about two hours. Maybe we can have lunch together afterward?"
"Umm, I see," I answered, still muffled into his collarbone. "Do your best."
I ceased all movement, sinking back into the warmth, pretending to drift off again, using the heat of his chest to hide the furious blush spreading across my face. I was the Silent Princess, and the Silent Princess was asleep. Just a little longer. Let this stolen moment be mine before the day begins.
The silent minute that followed was agonizingly sweet. I felt his fingers gently thread through my hair, stroking the back of my head with a feather-light, possessive affection. Then, his hand slipped into my sleepshirt and moved onto my back. His warm palm flattened against my bare skin, moving up and down my spine in slow, hypnotic sweeps. God, I missed this. I missed the feel of him being real. The contact was so intimate, so perfect, that my entire body tensed, secretly begging him not to stop.
He knows. He absolutely knows I'm awake.
I didn't move. I wouldn't. This was my silent reward for two years of loneliness. I kept my breathing steady and shallow, continuing my perfect impersonation of a girl lost in sleep, secretly savoring the feel of his skinship.
*
I looked out the classroom window, tracing the line of the old cedar fence with my gaze. The beautiful, chaotic truth of the morning had faded into a mundane, disappointing reality. I hated that we hadn't walked to school together. It was such a small, normal thing, and yet every missed opportunity to reclaim a piece of our stolen life felt like a genuine loss.
The school was buzzing, the energy frantic, and I was the eye of the storm. The rumor—that Jun Kuroda, the infamous missing boy, the subject of two years of tragic town mythology, was coming back—had completely shattered the quiet rhythm of the school day.
"Hanamura-san, is it true?"
"They said he was found on the beach, but he hasn't aged?"
"He's going to be in the same class right?"
The questions hit me like a barrage of pebbles, but I only offered the polite, distant half-smile of the Silent Princess and gave non-committal murmurs. The homeroom bell saved me, the loud clang cutting through the noise and allowing me to retreat behind the safety of the teacher's monotone lecture.
But my mind was an hourglass, and the sand was moving too slowly.
10:00 AM: The exam starts now. Math first, I bet.
11:00 AM: Halfway done. He's probably finished the general science already.
11:45 AM: Almost over. Just the essay left. He writes fast when he's focused.
I was so focused on the imaginary clock on the Principal's wall that I didn't hear Mr. Yamada call my name.
"Hanamura? Yui Hanamura! Can you state the primary cause of the Meiji Restoration?"
I snapped back to reality, my head whipping up. The entire class was staring at me. "I… I apologize, sensei. I was distracted." The words came out quick and high. My face flushed, not with shame, but with the sudden, harsh realization that I had betrayed my own facade. After two years of perfect composure, I let a boy's exam make me look foolish. The Silent Princess never lost her focus.
Finally, the secondhand on the clock hit twelve.
The moment the bell rang, I grabbed my lunch bag—two matching bentos, one for me, one for Jun—and headed straight for the Principal's office. It was a terrible, desperate march across the entire school building, but I didn't care. I needed to see him, to protect him, and to collect my payoff.
When I rounded the corner, a massive crowd had already gathered. It wasn't just the curious girls; it was a wall of students, all straining to glimpse the legendary boy who had returned. I pushed through the crush, a fierce, protective energy flooding my system. He belongs to me. Get away from my Jun.
I was standing right in front of the door at 12:10 PM, my posture rigid, my heart hammering like a desperate drum. The crowd fell silent, sensing the climax.
Then, the door swung open.
Standing there was a tall, familiar figure in a black tracksuit. He can't have many choices. After all, all of his uniforms are too small now. Jun was impossibly handsome, his hair slightly rumpled, his expression carrying the air of profound, intellectual exhaustion. A collective, stunned gasp rippled through the gathered girls.
I looked up at him, my throat suddenly dry.
Jun spotted me instantly. His expression softened into a brilliant, radiant smile that only I was meant to see. He then bowed down, leaning close until his mouth was right next to my ear.
"Please take care of me, Yui," he whispered, the formal Japanese phrase—Yoroshiku onegai shimasu—carrying the unmistakable subtext of triumph. I passed. I'm staying with you.
The last, fragile remnants of the Silent Princess shattered. The public facade, the careful control, the years of denial—it all dissolved into one single, powerful emotion: Happiness.
I didn't think. I lunged forward, throwing my arms around his neck in a desperate, powerful hug. This wasn't the tentative embrace in the hospital or the quiet intimacy of my bedroom floor. This was different. This was public. It was a possessive, triumphant claim in front of a dozen witnesses, a loud declaration that this boy, the impossible miracle, belonged only to the girl who had waited. Let them all stare. He's mine. My proof. My future.
I felt his arms wrap around my waist, his hold instantly firm, answering my silent demand. He buried his face in my hair, his body a solid, immovable anchor. I got you back. I got you back.
We finally pulled apart, and Jun gave me his signature, slightly smug grin.
"Wow," he said, shaking his head. "I'm starving after using all that brain power. That was quite the exam."
I took his arm, my hand instinctively intertwining our fingers. I tugged him gently away from the stunned crowd. "Come on, idiot," I said, letting the happy, unguarded affection flood my voice. "Let's go find our quiet spot."
My contract was secured. Our future was back on track.