When Shikime Natsu and Matsushita Chiaki returned to their original spot, Karuizawa Kei and Satou Maya still hadn't come back.
Matsushita Chiaki stood beside Shikime Natsu, her gaze sweeping around the area. After confirming that she couldn't see those two familiar figures, she couldn't help thinking to herself that her two best friends really had given her more than enough time.
She lowered her head and glanced at her phone. The screen displayed the time — nearly twenty minutes had passed since she'd sent the two of them away.
Matsushita Chiaki quickly opened the little three-person group chat with Karuizawa Kei and Satou Maya, her fingers tapping rapidly across the screen as she typed out a line.
[Matsushita Chiaki: Kei, Maya, where are you two? We're already back.]
As soon as the message was sent, it quickly showed as read.
Then Karuizawa Kei replied.
[Karuizawa Kei: Coming right back!]
It was followed by a sticker — a little rabbit hopping and bouncing along.
Looking at that sticker, the corners of Matsushita Chiaki's mouth curved up ever so slightly, revealing a faint little smile.
She put her phone away, then lifted her head and glanced at Shikime Natsu standing beside her.
Shikime Natsu was also looking at her, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of gentleness.
The two of them met each other's gaze, and Matsushita Chiaki's face flushed again. She hurriedly looked away, her eyes falling to the ground beneath her feet.
Her heart was brimming with sweetness.
That feeling was like being soaked in honeyed water — sweet through and through, making it impossible not to smile.
It didn't take long before Karuizawa Kei and Satou Maya's figures appeared once more at the corner of the hallway.
Karuizawa Kei walked in front, her golden high ponytail swaying gently behind her head, the hem of her white skirt fluttering in the breeze — she looked absolutely full of energy.
Satou Maya walked beside Karuizawa Kei, her light brown long hair draped over her shoulders, her light pink sporty outfit making her look remarkably youthful and adorable.
Each of them held a bottle of water, walking in the direction of Shikime Natsu and Matsushita Chiaki.
Once she got closer, Karuizawa Kei's gaze swept between Shikime Natsu and Matsushita Chiaki, those purple eyes carrying a hint of keen perception.
Then her expression changed, and a look of surprise appeared on that cute little face.
Because she saw that the distance between Matsushita Chiaki and Shikime Natsu was noticeably closer than before.
And on top of that, Matsushita Chiaki's face was flushed red, with a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth that she couldn't suppress no matter what.
That kind of smile — Karuizawa Kei knew it all too well.
Because every morning when she looked in the mirror, the very same smile was hanging on her own face.
It was the smile of someone in love.
Satou Maya noticed it too. Her steps faltered slightly, her gaze falling upon Matsushita Chiaki, those blue eyes filled with disbelief.
So out of the three of them, only she and Shikime Natsu had made no progress at all?
Satou Maya thought to herself, her mood suddenly turning rather complicated.
Her gaze settled on Matsushita Chiaki, exchanging a look with her, as if asking whether she had already gotten together with Shikime Natsu.
Matsushita Chiaki felt Satou Maya's gaze. She lifted her head and smiled at Satou Maya.
That smile was very sweet, carrying a hint of shyness.
Everything was said without a single word.
Satou Maya understood the meaning of that smile, and the whole of her froze for a moment.
Then her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Even though Satou Maya had also been hoping that Matsushita Chiaki and Shikime Natsu would get together — after all, the three of them were all best friends, and if they could all become Shikime Natsu's girlfriends, then they'd have even more things to chat about in the future.
But seeing that Matsushita Chiaki really had gotten together with Shikime Natsu, Satou Maya still felt a stir of some indescribable emotion in her heart.
She was clearly the one who had made her move first, yet she hadn't gotten anywhere, and had made essentially no progress with Shikime Natsu at all.
Meanwhile Matsushita Chiaki had gone straight to becoming boyfriend and girlfriend with Shikime Natsu.
Of course, the most, most, most crucial thing was that she had absolutely no idea how Matsushita Chiaki had pulled it off.
The least she could do was give her some reference material to work with.
Satou Maya had originally assumed that Matsushita Chiaki sending her and Karuizawa Kei away was because she wanted to make an attempt — but even so, that attempt wasn't guaranteed to have such a high success rate.
Yet who would have thought that this secret operation of Matsushita Chiaki's would just succeed outright.
Of the three of them, she was the only one who seemed like an outsider now.
Satou Maya thought to herself, and couldn't help biting her lip.
No, she absolutely had to act as soon as possible.
If she kept dragging things out like this, then maybe Karuizawa Kei and Matsushita Chiaki would have already developed things with Shikime Natsu to a stage she couldn't even imagine, while she was still stuck marching in place.
Satou Maya took a deep breath, and a flash of resolve crossed those blue eyes.
Then her gaze fell upon Shikime Natsu, looking at him with burning eyes.
"Natsu."
"Hm?"
Shikime Natsu turned his head and looked at her.
"Well, um…"
Satou Maya hesitated for a moment, then asked.
"So, um, where are we planning to go next?"
Alright — the words had barely left her mouth before Satou Maya quickly chickened out. Shikime Natsu and Matsushita Chiaki had only just confirmed their relationship, so it wouldn't really be right for her to launch an offensive of her own now, would it?
Shikime Natsu looked at Satou Maya, then glanced at Karuizawa Kei and Matsushita Chiaki.
His gaze swept lightly over the several of them, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, revealing a gentle smile.
"If you don't mind, you could come to my dorm."
He paused, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
"I have a few things I want to give you."
Upon hearing these words, the three girls' reactions could be said to each be entirely different.
Karuizawa Kei's face flushed, and a flash of shyness crossed those purple eyes, but it was quickly replaced by delighted surprise.
She had been to Shikime Natsu's dorm before and knew what it was like there — and moreover… the last time she went, a few heart-racing things had happened between the two of them.
Matsushita Chiaki's face flushed too, flushed until it burned.
The scenes from her dreams couldn't help but surface in her mind — in Shikime Natsu's dorm, the two of them cooking together, bathing together, together… doing those things that made one's face burn red.
What did Shikime Natsu's dorm from the dream look like again?
Would it be the same as in reality?
Satou Maya's face was flushed to an absurd degree, so red it looked like it might drip blood.
Her heartbeat quickened — thump, thump, thump — like a drum being beaten.
Shikime Natsu's dorm…
That was Shikime Natsu's dorm, after all!
If she went, might something strange and unusual happen?
Like… when two people were alone together…
No, no, it wasn't two people alone together, it was all four of them together.
But even if it wasn't being alone with him, just being able to enter Shikime Natsu's dorm, being able to see the place where Shikime Natsu lived, being able to smell the scent of Shikime Natsu's room…
At the thought of this, Satou Maya's heart pounded even faster.
The three of them glanced at one another, and none of them refused.
"Okay."
Karuizawa Kei was the first to nod, that sweet smile on her face.
"I'll go too."
Matsushita Chiaki nodded along as well.
Satou Maya took a deep breath, then nodded firmly.
"I… I'll go too!"
There was a hint of nervousness in her voice — the current her couldn't afford to fall behind any further.
And so, the four of them walked together toward Shikime Natsu's dorm.
Along the way, Karuizawa Kei walked beside Shikime Natsu, their shoulders lightly brushing against each other, looking rather intimate.
Matsushita Chiaki walked on Shikime Natsu's other side. Although she wasn't as close to him as Karuizawa Kei, the distance between the two of them was still much closer than before.
Satou Maya walked at the very back, looking at the backs of the three people ahead of her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Her own progress bar was still at 0.
Karuizawa Kei, meanwhile, was already at 100.
Matsushita Chiaki, too, was already at 100.
As for her… she hadn't even reached 1.
Thinking this to herself, she couldn't help but quicken her steps, wanting to get a little closer to Shikime Natsu.
Soon, the four of them arrived in front of Shikime Natsu's dorm.
Shikime Natsu pulled a key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, and gave it a gentle turn.
With a click, the door opened.
He pushed the door open, then stepped to the side, letting the three girls go in first.
"Please, come in."
His voice was very gentle, very gentlemanly.
Karuizawa Kei was the first to walk in, an at-ease expression on her face — after all, this wasn't her first time here.
She changed into slippers, then walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa, her movements quite natural, as though she'd returned to her own dorm.
Matsushita Chiaki was the second to walk in. Her gaze swept around the dorm, and then the whole of her froze.
Because Shikime Natsu's dorm was exactly the same as in her dream.
The layout of the entryway, the position of the shoe cabinet, even the pattern of the curtains were all identical.
There wasn't a single difference.
Matsushita Chiaki stood there, a flash of dazed bewilderment crossing those blue eyes.
She couldn't help but think that the dream had simply been too real.
Could it be that she hadn't actually been dreaming, but that her soul had left her body directly?
But… could you even do those embarrassing things while your soul was out of your body?
At the thought of this, Matsushita Chiaki's face flushed again, flushed until it burned.
She hurriedly lowered her head, changed into slippers, then walked briskly into the living room and sat down beside Karuizawa Kei.
Satou Maya was the last one to enter. Her steps were somewhat hurried, and her heartbeat was still racing.
This was her first time coming to Shikime Natsu's dorm.
Her gaze roamed all around, wanting to commit everything here to memory.
Shikime Natsu's dorm was very clean, very tidy, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air — the scent that came from Shikime Natsu himself.
Satou Maya took a deep breath, feeling that her heartbeat had grown even faster.
She changed into slippers, then walked into the living room and sat down beside Matsushita Chiaki.
The three girls sat side by side on the sofa, their eyes all falling upon Shikime Natsu.
Shikime Natsu walked over to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out three small boxes from inside.
Then he walked over in front of the three girls and handed each of them one of the small boxes.
"Open them and take a look."
He said, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of anticipation.
The three of them took the boxes, then opened them.
Inside were three keychains.
On the keychains were three chibi figures, wearing cute school uniforms, their expressions quite vivid.
One chibi figure with golden hair, tied up in a high ponytail, hands on her hips, that signature gyaru smile on her face.
One chibi figure with brown hair, long hair flowing, hands clasped behind her back, a gentle smile on her face.
One chibi figure with light brown hair, the ends slightly curled, making a peace sign with both hands, her eyes curved into little crescent moons.
Three chibi figures, wearing the same style of school uniform, but with poses and expressions all different.
And what's more, when the three keychains were placed together, the three figures could combine into a single scene perfectly — the golden-haired figure on the left, the light-brown-haired figure on the right, and the brown-haired figure in the middle, the three of them holding hands, all with smiles on their faces.
It looked quite adorable, quite thoughtfully made.
"This is…"
Karuizawa Kei looked at the keychain in her hand, a flash of delighted surprise crossing those purple eyes.
"Is this… us?"
"Mm."
Shikime Natsu nodded, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
"I made these by hand, all designed based on how you three look. Though it's my first time making this kind of keychain, so they should be passable at least, right?"
"First time? I love it! Natsu, you made them so beautifully!"
Karuizawa Kei nodded firmly, a brilliant smile appearing on her face.
She cradled the keychain in her palm, gazing at the chibi version of herself, unable to put it down, her eyes sparkling as if she were looking at some precious treasure.
Matsushita Chiaki also looked at the keychain in her hand, a thin layer of misty tears welling up in those blue eyes.
She hadn't expected that Shikime Natsu would give a gift like this.
That chibi figure really did look just like her — especially the expression, the pose — it was practically as if it had been cut straight out of a photograph.
"Thank you…"
She said softly, a hint of emotion in her voice.
Satou Maya also looked at the keychain in her hand — that light-brown-haired chibi figure making the peace sign — and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
In her heart, that complicated emotion had been diluted quite a bit by her being touched.
At the very least, among Shikime Natsu's gifts, there was one for her too.
That meant that in Shikime Natsu's heart, she held some place as well, right?
Thinking this to herself, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve up slightly.
"Thank you, Natsu!"
She said, a hint of joy in her voice.
The three girls each cradled their keychains, looking at them again and again, touching them over and over, liking them beyond measure.
Karuizawa Kei looked for a good while, then lifted her head and looked at Shikime Natsu.
Those purple eyes of hers were brimming with love.
Then she walked over in front of Shikime Natsu, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss onto his lips.
"Thank you."
She said softly, then retreated back with a flushed face.
That kiss was very natural, very sweet, just like the ordinary interactions between lovers.
Matsushita Chiaki watched this scene, and a stubborn, unwilling-to-lose feeling couldn't help but rise up in her heart.
She'd kissed him many times in the dream, and just now she'd kissed him too, so… what would be the harm in one more kiss?
She stood up and walked over in front of Shikime Natsu.
She lifted her head, those blue eyes carrying a hint of shyness.
Then she too stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss onto Shikime Natsu's lips.
That kiss, like Karuizawa Kei's, was very light and very gentle.
"Thank you…"
She said softly, a hint of shyness in her voice, then retreated back with a flushed face.
Satou Maya sat on the sofa, the whole of her frozen stiff.
Her eyes were opened wide, watching Karuizawa Kei kiss Shikime Natsu, then watching Matsushita Chiaki kiss Shikime Natsu.
Then she looked at the keychain in her hand, then looked at Shikime Natsu.
They'd both kissed him.
Karuizawa Kei had kissed him, and Matsushita Chiaki had kissed him too.
So what about her?
Satou Maya's heart was pounding absurdly fast, her hands gripping that keychain tightly.
In her mind, two voices were fighting.
One voice said: "Go on, you go kiss him too, otherwise you'll be missing out."
The other voice said: "No, no, you and Natsu aren't even that kind of relationship, how can you just casually kiss someone?"
Satou Maya bit her lip, a light of conflict flickering in those blue eyes.
Then she took a deep breath.
The "go kiss him" voice won.
She stood up and walked over in front of Shikime Natsu.
Her face was flushed and burning, her heart pounding as though it might leap out of her chest.
She kept her head lowered, not daring to look into Shikime Natsu's eyes.
Her hands hung at her sides, her fingers ceaselessly rubbing at the fabric of her skirt.
"Um…"
She spoke up, her voice very small, so small that almost only she herself could hear it.
"Can I too?"
There was a hint of nervousness in her voice, a hint of anticipation, and a hint of the anxious fear of being rejected.
Shikime Natsu looked at her in this state and laughed softly.
He nodded, those pale golden eyes carrying a hint of tenderness.
"Of course."
Just two simple words, yet they gave Satou Maya enormous courage.
She lifted her head and looked at Shikime Natsu.
In those blue eyes welled up a thin layer of misty tears, sparkling and glistening, moist and gleaming.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, revealing a smile.
Then she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss onto Shikime Natsu's lips.
It was only a brief instant before she pulled away, then hurriedly lowered her head and, with a flushed face, ran back to the sofa.
She sat on the sofa, both hands covering her face, the whole of her trembling ever so slightly.
Her heart was pounding absurdly fast, her cheeks burning as if they were on fire.
But her heart was brimming with delight.
She'd kissed him.
She'd finally kissed him.
Even though it wasn't Shikime Natsu who took the initiative, she was the one who did, so it still counted as a kiss.
And Shikime Natsu had agreed… this kiss — did it also mean that he'd agreed to be with her?
Karuizawa Kei watched this scene, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly, revealing a smile.
Matsushita Chiaki also watched this scene, those blue eyes carrying a hint of tenderness.
Three girls, three keychains, three kisses.
All four of their faces carried smiles.
This scene could be called harmonious — all three of them stood before Shikime Natsu, wearing faint little smiles.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan — Patre*n🔥👻
🔥 New history: Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — now on The_Mikudayo
📚 Walnut-chan → 40 chapters ahead + you're funding the next translations
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone