In a secluded corner of the school building,
Eriri held tightly onto Yukima Azuma's wrist.
He blinked in surprise, but his gaze slowly fell on her earlobes peeking out from under her golden hair—flushed a delicate pink.
A wave of relief washed over him.
Yes, this was still the Eriri he knew.
Nothing had changed—except today, she'd mustered up the kind of courage she rarely showed.
Even he hadn't expected her to go this far.
Moved, Yukima gently reached out and ran his hand through her golden twin tails, feeling the soft texture of her hair.
Eriri, who had come prepared with a mountain of things to say, instantly forgot every word.
Her mind went blank.
Completely blank.
Say something! Anything! Now, Eriri!
Her heart screamed.
But this time, she didn't hesitate.
Instead, she threw herself into Yukima Azuma's arms.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I… I was so stubborn before! I'm sorry!"
Halfway through her apology, her voice cracked.
Yukima could feel the warmth of her tears soaking through his uniform.
Holding her tightly, he let her cry.
Her body trembled, but she clung to him as if trying to wash away all her regrets in one embrace.
When she finally calmed down, her eyes—still wet—looked up at him.
"Azuma… can you forgive me?"
Her voice was so fragile, like she was bracing herself for heartbreak.
Even though his arms were wrapped around her, part of her was afraid it wasn't real.
Only now did she realize how deeply she had hurt him—how selfishly she'd relied on his affection, taking it for granted.
"With a heartfelt apology like that… how could I not forgive you?"
Yukima smiled softly.
Eriri's eyes widened.
In those deep blue irises, her reflection shimmered—full of pure, overflowing joy.
"Ayaya… Eriri, that's cheating. You know I can't say no to you when you cry."
He leaned down and whispered into her ear.
His breath brushed lightly against her skin, making her shiver.
She had finally let go of her pride, and Yukima was willing to start over.
Because for a girl like Eriri—even one step forward was huge.
And this wasn't just a step.
It was a leap.
Later, Yukima took Eriri to the restroom to wash her face.
He carefully wiped away the traces of her tears.
Right before they returned to the classroom, he said casually, "By the way, I'm forming a game club. Want to join?"
Eriri froze.
Unpleasant memories flickered in her mind—but when she looked at the boy in front of her, they all faded.
"Tch… If you're going to invite me, at least act like you mean it," she muttered, cheeks puffed.
She'd changed a little—but not too much.
"Eriri-sama, in my game club, only you can handle the character designs. I'm begging you—please lend me your genius."
Yukima didn't hold back on the flattery.
She'd already taken the first step—what were a few sweet words in return?
The moment he said "can only be you", Eriri's face turned beet red.
"F-Fine… I'll join!"
She nodded, a little too forcefully.
Back in the classroom, Eriri sat down, cupping her face in her hands.
She was beaming. Practically glowing.
Her golden twin tails seemed to radiate sunshine.
Azuma, Azuma, Azuma… Hehe, he called me Eriri again!
'Can only be you. Can only be you. No one but me…!!!'
Her inner monologue was practically singing with joy.
That is, until—
"Azuma-kun, good morning."
Eriri: !!
Her eyes snapped wide open.
She turned toward the source of the voice.
It was her.
They had met only yesterday—but now, looking at her more carefully, Eriri realized something.
She had no solid memory of this girl. No impression at all.
It was almost as if this was their first real meeting.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was what she had just heard.
"Good morning, Megumi-san," Yukima replied naturally.
Eriri froze.
She hadn't misheard.
Kato Megumi placed her bag down casually and asked, "How's Shiratamaru doing? Settling in okay?"
"Yeah, no signs of resistance. Looks like it's already figured out the litter box."
"Oh? That fast? Shiratamaru's really smart. Most cats take way longer to learn that."
"I think so too. No wonder it bonded with me."
"Azuma-kun, don't brag in front of other girls. You'll get hated."
"Of course. I'm well aware."
Eriri suddenly shot to her feet.
Finally—finally—the two of them looked her way.
Standing stiffly at her desk, Eriri's eyes were slightly red again—not from tears this time, but sheer disbelief.
"W-Wait a minute! Hold on! Who—who the hell is Shiratamaru?!"
There were plenty of things to question in that conversation just now.
But above all else, that stood out.
"Oh, Shiratamaru's the cat Megumi-san and I picked up yesterday after school," Yukima said casually. "I brought it home. Gave it the name myself. Super cute. Wanna see?"
He was already pulling out his phone.
Eriri: o.0
Her brain short-circuited.
Picked up a cat together?
Named it?
Adopted it???
How much had she missed in just one day?!
She felt like she hadn't skipped a class—she'd skipped a whole arc.
"Wanna see?" Yukima asked again, noticing her stunned expression.
Eriri wanted to say no. Desperately.
But her curiosity got the better of her. She took the phone.
On the screen, Shiratamaru—white as fresh snow—was stretching its tiny paws out from a cat shelf.
Its heterochromatic eyes—one green, one gold—sparkled like tiny stars.
Eriri felt an arrow pierce her heart.
Too. Freaking. Cute.
Tears almost welled up again—not from sadness, but sheer regret.
Why didn't I come to school yesterday?!
"If you want, you can come to my house and play with Shiratamaru sometime," Yukima said.
"Really?" Her eyes lit up.
"Of course. Megumi-san's okay with it too, right?"
He glanced at Kato.
"Mm, I think Shiratamaru would like you, too, Sawamura-san."
Megumi's voice was calm, as always. Kind, even.
She never made things difficult for others.
"That's amazing! I'll definitely come! Azuma, you're such a good person!"
"Be sure to thank Megumi-san too."
"Mm! Kato-san, let's be good friends!"
In the middle of Eriri's excitement, a faint sense of unease lingered in her chest.
But at this point…
Agreeing to visit and cuddle a kitten definitely felt like the right call.
And Kato-san?
Yeah—she was a good person.