Ah, Souta? Can you wait there for a moment?”

I was just about to knock on the door, as I always do.
I was a little surprised when Yuika called out to me from behind the door.

How did you know I was here when I hadn’t knocked yet? I wonder if she could tell by the sound of my footsteps on the stairs. Even if so, this is the first time I’ve been approached before entering.

“Okay, but what is it? I don’t want King Arthur flying in out of nowhere again.”
“No, I won’t. I just wanted to take a deep breath. I’m still a little nervous…”

… Seriously?
I’m nervous, too. But don’t bother saying it out loud. ……

To be honest, I was pretty sure that Yuika’s statement yesterday would never be allowed to be remembered. It’s the pattern of that time when King Arthur flies in and I get blackmailed by a mysterious legendary assassin. But it seems that’s not going to happen this time.

“… You can come in now.”

After I heard the sound of deep breathing, I was allowed to enter the room.
What if Yuika’s family overheard our conversation so far? I mean, it’s so loud that you can hear it all the way outside the door. No… don’t tell me it is easy to just stay when they could be listening. That itself is a problem.

With this in mind, I opened the door.

“… Yuika?”

I was speechless.

“Welcome, Souta!”

Yuika wasn’t wearing pajamas.

She was wearing a neat white dress.
It was sleeveless, with a dark blue ribbon wrapped around her waist as an accent.

Her black hair was in a ponytail.
The swaying tips of her hair and the white nape of her neck are dazzling.

Yuika spun around on the spot. Her skirt danced lightly, and her ponytail spun with her.

“What do you think? Today’s me.”
“Wh-what I think…”

It was a little too cute for words. My childhood friend has always been this cute, but today she was even more dainty, beautiful, and way cuter.

My heart is beating so fast.
She has only been in her pajamas for the past year and a half, and now she’s suddenly going all out in this way…

“… Wh-what’s up, are you going out somewhere?”
“Haha, no way I’m going out. What are you talking about, Souta? I’m a recluse, you know. Use your common sense.”

I don’t know what’s common sense…?
Yuka plucked at the skirt of her dress and giggled.

“This is my treat for Souta.”
“A treat? For me…?”
“Yeah♪”

She nodded and interlocked her fingers in a fumbling motion.

“I really wanted to make dinner for you, but I might meet my mom if I was rummaging around in the kitchen at night. … So I dressed myself up in a cute outfit instead.”

She approached me with her skirt fluttering and looked up at me.

“How’s it? Are you happy?”
“…”

I’m so, so happy!
But for some reason, I couldn’t say it properly. I couldn’t look Yuika in the eye.
I averted my gaze to the dawn and avoided saying anything.

“It’s creepy that you’re suddenly being treated. What are you up to?”
“Of course I’m up to something.”

She gave me the cutest smile.
The slightly embarrassed expression on her face was like a swarm of Cupids raining down arrows.

 

“This is a part of the ‘Operation to make Souta fall in love with me.’”

 

I already love her!
Dang it, today’s Yuika is too cute. I can’t help but faint in agony.

To look at my face, Yuika bounced around.

“Hey, hey, am I cute? Tell me what you think of my one-piece dress. Is it cute? Say it’s cute!”

It’s so cute! It’s so cute that it makes my heart jump out of my chest!
It’s not just the way she looks, but the way she acts is super cute!

“… Doesn’t it look good on you?”

I turned my head towards dawn again and muttered bluntly like a clumsy protagonist in the throes of puberty.
Immediately, Yuika erupted. She laughed so hard that her ponytail swayed left and right.

“Ahahaha, the way you said it! The way Souta just said that! Ahahahahahaha!”
“Guh…”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“I’m embarrassed.”
“That’s how much you’re in love with me?”
“That’s how much I’m in love with you.”

By parroting back, I somehow managed to convey the message in a straightforward manner.
No, this is much more embarrassing…

But when Yuika turned her back with a satisfied look on her face, she made a small “I did it” pose. Oh my god, she’s really cute!

“You know, Souta.”

She flipped her ponytail, turned around, and took aim with a finger puppet.

“I’m going to keep going and going, so be prepared, okay?”
“Seriously…”

Dear Family.
I’m about to be cooed to death by my childhood friend.