▣ KO-FI ▣ DISCORD ▣

Chapter 11: A Christmas Redo

At the Marunouchi South Exit of Tokyo Station.

I was standing just outside the ticket gates.

The Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station, commonly known as the “Red Brick Station,” has been restored to its former Tokyo Station style.

And this Marunouchi South Exit really captures that atmosphere.

The ceiling is a dome reminiscent of the old deer cry pavilion.

I was looking up at the various sculptures decorating the dome.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

A bright voice called out. It was Senior Sakurajima.

“What were you looking at?”

“The dome above. I was just thinking how intricate it is.”

I pointed up to the ceiling.

“Yeah, the reliefs here are famous.”

“What are the birds and the round things?”

“The round ones are zodiac reliefs. And those birds, are they eagles?”

Huh, I thought they were chickens.

“Over there is a relief of a sword,” Senior Sakurajima pointed to the semicircular part.

That was a sword? It looked just like a pattern to me.

Convinced, I turned my gaze to Senior Sakurajima.

Today, she wore a white, thick high-neck sweater as an inner layer, a brown mini-skirt with fine pleats, and a salmon pink, thick half-coat.

She usually dresses chicly, but today’s outfit was more girlish.

It felt a bit embarrassing, being different from her usual self.

“Shall we go then?” I said, trying to hide my embarrassment.

First, dinner. I had reserved a restaurant for this occasion.

After much deliberation, I chose a bistro. As Karen said, me being a “romance novice,” I thought it best not to try too hard and pick somewhere safe.

The waiter came to take our drink orders.

I could only choose non-alcoholic, but Senior Sakurajima also ordered the “same.”

“Don’t hold back on my account, order what you like.”

But Senior Sakurajima just shook her head.

“It’s a special date. It’s better to order the same thing. Alcohol can wait until you turn twenty.”

“Ah, that’s still over half a year away.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“October 4th.”

Actually, my birthday is close to Karen’s. I don’t really care about my birthday, and I completely forgot about it after that incident.

“Then, how about we go drinking together on your landmark twentieth birthday?”

“That would be the best birthday ever, spending it with you, Senior Sakurajima!”

“Really? So you don’t want a birthday present?”

She said with a mischievous smile. But I didn’t care about that.

“I don’t need a present. Instead, promise me we’ll go drinking on my birthday!”

“Okay, it’s a deal. Though it’s still quite a ways off.”

Senior Sakurajima said, smiling.

“When is your birthday, Senior Sakurajima?”

“August 3rd. Right in the middle of summer vacation. I never really celebrated it with friends as a kid.”

“Then I’ll celebrate your next birthday!”

“Really? But will you remember? It’s right after college exams.”

“I won’t forget! I’ll schedule it right now!”

“Okay, I’ll look forward to it.”

She said, smiling gently at me again.

The food arrived.

Trout terrine, marinated purple cabbage and carrots, smoked duck meat with prosciutto and cheese, spinach potage, penne all’arrabbiata, hanger steak, and more.

“How about we do the first event before dessert?”

I suggested during a break in the meal, and Senior Sakurajima agreed, opening her handbag.

I also took out a wrapped box from a paper bag I had brought.

“Let’s reveal them on the count of three. Ready, set!”

Following Senior Sakurajima’s cue, we both presented our gifts.

A gift exchange.

“What did you get for me?”

“Don’t expect too much, please. It’s nothing extraordinary.”

Indeed, it wasn’t anything extraordinary. One reason for that was Senior Sakurajima’s earlier suggestion:

“Let’s not go for anything too pricey. How about we limit it to 5,000 yen?”

Senior Sakurajima had proposed this, likely considering my financial situation.

Unwrapping the present, I found a fancy ballpoint pen inside.

Senior Sakurajima was the first to express her thoughts.

“Wow, a photo frame. It’s adorned with seashells around it. Cute!”

“I thought something unobtrusive yet memorable would be nice.”

“Thank you. I wanted it to display a photo from our Bōsō day trip. I’ll put it up as soon as I get home.”

“I’m happy to receive such a fine ballpoint pen. Thank you.”

“I thought a pen would be useful since you’ll be dealing with a lot of paperwork when you become an adult.”

As she said this, dessert was served.

We talked about our ski camp and university life while eating dessert.

…Senior Sakurajima smiles a lot…

When I saw her from a distance, I honestly thought she was a “cool beauty.”

But talking like this, she smiles naturally and unreservedly.

I wanted to keep seeing her smile like that.

After chatting for about an hour, we left the restaurant.

The main event of the evening was to see the illuminations.

We walked from Tokyo Station towards Hibiya, under the LED-lit street trees.

“Wow, it’s beautiful. They called it ‘Champagne Gold,’ and it really does look like champagne.”

“Yes, it’s like the trees are adorned with champagne bubbles.”

There were quite a few others also admiring the illuminations.

Among them were couples who, like us, seemed to be on a date.

Real couples were either holding hands or walking arm-in-arm, which I envied.

…Maybe it would be alright to hold hands…

I had been thinking about that for a while.

“Oh, right!”

Senior Sakurajima’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

She started rummaging through her handbag again.

“Here, this is for you.”

What she handed me was, again, a wrapped box, about the size of a book, adorned with a ribbon.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Senior Sakurajima said with a shy smile,

“A belated Valentine’s gift.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I stared at the box in my hands for a moment.

“I didn’t expect to receive anything from you, Senior Sakurajima.”

Inwardly, I had hoped that maybe she would give me something for Valentine’s Day, but since nothing happened on February 14th, I had given up.

“Actually, it would have been better to give it on the day. But I thought calling you out just for that might be bothersome.”

“That’s not true. But I’m happy to receive it.”

“I’ve never given Valentine’s chocolates to a boy before.”

Senior Sakurajima showed a bashful expression.

“In middle and high school, there were girls who got excited about Valentine’s, but I never joined in.”

“You don’t seem like the type to get carried away with that kind of thing.”

“But, you know, winter has a lot of couple events. When everyone else is out on dates and I’m just at home, it feels a bit lonely.”

…That’s right. We arbitrarily made her the “senior we admire,” but Senior Sakurajima is just a normal girl…

“So, this is my first attempt at homemade chocolate. It might not look great, so please forgive that.”

“Any chocolate from you, Senior Sakurajima, is precious. I’ll treasure it.”

“Don’t just keep it; eat it soon,” she said with a wry smile.

“Senior Sakurajima, did you ever bake sweets for Senior Kamokura?”

I blurted out something unnecessary.

Senior Sakurajima’s expression clouded over.

I realized my mistake as soon as I said it. Was I unconsciously aware of Kamokura?

“I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

“It’s okay. It would be a lie to say I don’t care. I never made anything for Tetsuya. Except for the lunch for that plan. We never had events like Valentine’s.”

After saying this, she looked up at the sky.

“But it’s strange. I never felt like putting much effort into cooking for Tetsuya. Though he asked me several times to come over and cook.”

Her voice trailed off slightly.

“But with you, I think, ‘I want to make something for him. I want him to eat it’…”

I bowed my head, a mix of happiness and embarrassment welling up inside me.

“And I was also scared to go to Tetsuya’s apartment.”

Hearing that, I said, trying to hide my embarrassment,

“So, is it because I’m a safe, harmless guy?”

“Who said that?”

“Ishida was just teasing you with that,” I replied.

“Being a safe and secure guy isn’t bad, right? No, I think it’s a compliment. Men who make girls feel uneasy are the real problem, aren’t they?”

My embarrassment slowly turned into happiness.

Why do Senior Sakurajima’s words resonate so deeply with me?

“I like that about you, Isshiki-kun.”

…I also really like that about you, Senior Sakurajima.

“But, you know, it’s okay to be a little assertive sometimes,” she said with a laugh.

Music started playing from somewhere.

It was the same song that played when we were in the open-air bath.

“It’s ‘Moon River.'”

Just like that time, Senior Sakurajima named the song.

“It’s the song you wanted to do the air folk dance to at the hot springs, right?”

After a moment of silence, Senior Sakurajima spoke up.

“Shall we hold hands?”

…Eh…?

I looked at Senior Sakurajima in surprise.

She was looking at me too, and seemed a bit flustered as she spoke next.

“See, at the hot springs, it was just a psychological test, right? So, let’s do the dance we didn’t do then. We can’t really dance here, but…”

“That’s right.”

I should let the lady say such words, not me.

While I inwardly berated myself for my own cowardice, I took Senior Sakurajima’s hand.

Her hand was slender, soft, and warmly moist.

Perhaps feeling shy, Senior Sakurajima and I walked silently amidst the illuminations for a while.

“Everyone was really happy you joined the training camp, Senior Sakurajima.”

As we neared Hibiya, I broke the silence.

“Everyone?”

“Really, everyone. Even the alumni and graduate students came to the camp because you were participating.”

“Who told you that?”

“Nakazaki-san did. Initially, the participant count was low, and they were struggling. So, they asked me to convince you to join, saying, ‘After all, Senior Sakurajima is the goddess of our circle.'”

There was no immediate response.

“Did you invite me just because of that?”

She sounded slightly disappointed.

I quickly clarified.

“No, that’s not the only reason. I myself wanted to go with you, Senior Sakurajima.”

Senior Sakurajima looked down for a while.

“I’ve said it before, but I wish you’d stop with the goddess talk. I’d rather be cherished by one person than adored by many.”

Senior Sakurajima stopped walking, and I did the same.

She looked at me.

“I want to be someone who is truly needed and cherished by someone I care about.”

Our gazes intertwined, seeming to carry a subtle warmth.

“That’s why… I…”

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

My heart felt like it would stop at the sudden vibration of my phone.

Startled, I reflexively picked it up, unwittingly answering the call.

“Yū, do you know?”

It was Ishida.

“Eh, what’s up? You’re being abrupt.”

The interruption to my date with Senior Sakurajima made my voice sound annoyed.

Before I could hang up, Ishida’s excited voice came through.

“You know about the university’s new event ‘Miss Muse,’ right?”

“Yeah.”

I had just heard about it at the recent camp.

“Senior Sakurajima is entering ‘Miss Muse’!”

“Eh?”

I instinctively looked at Senior Sakurajima.

She seemed to have heard the conversation and was equally surprised.

“Check out the university’s circle council’s SNS.”

After saying that, the call from Ishida ended.

A URL was sent in a message.

I clicked on it.

It was the latest post about “Miss Muse” from the circle council.

──── (Don’t remove this)

“Entry for ‘Miss Muse’ by Sakurajima Tōko, a second-year student from the Faculty of Science and Engineering!

The first attempt at ‘Miss Muse.’

This initiative, aimed at showcasing the diverse charms of women, is distinct from the traditional ‘Miss Contest.’

It appears that this year, a notable figure has joined ‘Miss Muse.’

Sakurajima Tōko-san!

Known for her intellectual beauty and outstanding proportions, as well as her modest demeanor and pure aura, she was highly regarded as the ‘true Miss Metropolitan University.’

Unfortunately, Sakurajima Tōko-san has never participated in the cultural festival’s Miss Contest, to everyone’s knowledge.

However, she is participating in this ‘Miss Muse.’

It’s truly delightful news for our committee, dedicated to exploring the diverse charms of women.

Her participation will undoubtedly add excitement to ‘Miss Muse.’

──── (Don’t remove this)

“Senior Sakurajima, are you participating in ‘Miss Muse’?”

I asked in surprise, having never heard such a thing before.

Senior Sakurajima had apparently found the article on the university’s SNS as well.

“That’s… it can’t be true. I never said anything like that. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Then why is there such an article?”

I was shocked. How could she be entered without her knowledge?

“I don’t know. But why…”

Senior Sakurajima looked confused and said, “It doesn’t make sense.”