The seven-day luxury cruise finally came to an end. After indulging in every entertainment facility on board, the students eventually returned to Advanced Nurturing High School.
After that, life got simpler again. The school wasn't as extravagant as the cruise, of course, but the students still had plenty of energy—constantly traveling in groups between the dorms and the Keyaki Mall to hang out and have fun.
That was just how students were. Give them a break and they want to go out. Especially at a place like this—where it wasn't only academic stress, but special-exam stress too. A chance to relax this freely didn't come often, and nobody wanted to waste it.
In the middle of all that, Yukio got invited by Ichinose to visit the Keyaki Mall—apparently to pick out a gift.
Yukio waited inside the shopping complex for a bit, and soon Ichinose hurried in from outside.
"Sorry, sorry—I'm late!"
She looked genuinely flustered. A thin sheen of sweat glimmered at her forehead.
Yukio took out his handkerchief and carefully dabbed it away. "It's fine. I just got here too."
Feeling him wipe her sweat so gently, a rosy blush immediately spread over Ichinose's cheeks. She was absurdly happy—and for a split second, she even thought…
If I sweat a little more, he'll keep doing that…
But then her brain caught up.
No—if a girl sweats too much, it can smell. That's gross. He'd hate it.
So now she was torn. Part of her wanted to take out her own handkerchief and wipe again just in case… but doing that would make it look like Yukio hadn't wiped properly.
She went back and forth—smiling, then worrying—adorably conflicted.
In the end, she didn't pull out her own handkerchief. Instead, she planted herself right under the mall entrance's air-conditioning vent.
"Ahhh… I'm alive again."
Yep. That was her solution.
If she couldn't wipe, she could at least let the cold air blow the sweat smell away.
Yukio glanced outside. The August heat shimmered, so intense it looked like the air itself was warping. And this was with ANHS's obsessive greenery—if they were in a steel-and-concrete city with the heat-island effect, it'd be the kind of weather that made you question your life choices.
He pulled his mind back and looked at Ichinose—only to catch her doing something not exactly elegant.
She was tugging at her collar a bit, clearly trying to let the A/C blow down inside.
Ichinose noticed his gaze and froze.
Her face stiffened. "I-I'm still kind of hot… just getting some air…"
The more she spoke, the quieter she got. The redder she got. The guiltier she looked.
Yukio blinked—then his eyes flicked down, and he understood immediately.
When it was hot, girls with… a lot going on up there… were going to sweat more.
That, he could understand.
And yeah—someone like Sakayanagi wouldn't have this problem.
Seeing Ichinose looking like she was about to steam herself to death, Yukio didn't tease her. He just changed the subject.
"Come on. We're picking a birthday gift for your little sister today."
Right—Ichinose's sister's birthday was in a few days.
Now that Ichinose had earned forgiveness, she'd gradually stepped out of her old shadow. And with her sister's birthday coming around again, she wanted to send a present… but the school's isolation rules made it hard to ship anything out.
Fortunately, Yukio was Yukio.
Between Student Council authority and his connection to Tsukishiro, it was basically just "say the word" and it would happen. So he brought her here to choose something in person.
Ichinose finally snapped back to the mission, peeled herself away from the A/C, and started shopping with him—bright-eyed and visibly excited.
She dragged him around a gift store, then picked up a pair of city-lady glasses—sleek, businesslike, rose-gold, light and refined. The kind that screamed professional.
She put them on and turned to him, eager.
"How is it, Yukio-kun? Does it suit me?"
Yukio's mind immediately went places.
Ichinose, who was normally pure sunshine, suddenly looked like a polished corporate ace with those glasses. If she paired it with a fitted blazer, a clean skirt, black stockings, and heels…
…Yeah. That was dangerous. He forced himself back to reality.
"Ahem. Isn't this for your sister?" he said, keeping his voice steady. "We should focus on what she likes. Even if it suits you, it doesn't mean it'll suit her. Also… is your sister even nearsighted?"
"That's true…" Ichinose tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Kozaki isn't nearsighted. Okay—let's look at something else~!"
She set the glasses down and moved on.
Yukio casually pointed at the glasses and gave the clerk a look.
The clerk immediately understood—bowed slightly and began packaging them, thinking to himself that youth really was something.
"Yukio-kun, what about this? And this one?"
Ichinose was fully in the zone now, picking up gift after gift and asking his opinion.
Yukio's cheek twitched a little.
In her left hand: a wind-up sunglasses grandpa doll that danced if you twisted it.
In her right: a fancy aromatherapy candle set.
His expression drifted dangerously close to old man on the subway staring at someone's phone.
Ichinose… you're still mad at your sister, aren't you? He almost asked.
Almost.
Instead—
"Honami," Yukio said, reaching up to a shelf. He took down a glittery gold-pink headband… and without hesitation, stepped closer and tied it into her similarly colored hair.
"!"
Ichinose's face went scorching hot.
Every time Yukio got close, it felt like heat surged up inside her and rushed straight to her cheeks.
He was standing right in front of her, hands moving carefully as he tied it. Ichinose could only steal quick side-glances around the store—there were a few other students nearby, maybe upperclassmen, maybe underclassmen, maybe peers…
But their attention was clearly on her.
That made her even more embarrassed.
She'd never been good at handling this kind of thing.
And with Yukio so close—so gentle—her heartbeat went wild.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She secretly looked up at him.
And when she saw how focused his eyes were as he tied her hair—so serious, so attentive—Ichinose felt like she might drown in that gaze.
So… happy…
"Hm?" Yukio finished tying it, then picked up a small mirror the store provided so she could see herself.
But instead of reacting normally, Ichinose was smiling like she'd been handed the entire summer in one breath—like her smile alone could wash away the heat outside.
Yukio paused. "What is it?"
"Nothing~" Ichinose shook her head lightly, then leaned closer to him, eyes shining like starlight spilled across calm water.
"It's just… I really, really love it."
"Like… really love it."