Chapter 113: Photos, the Night Sky (Long Chapter)
After chatting with Haruno for a while, she gave a small wave and excused herself, citing the mountain of work she still had to settle.
Following her departure, Chishima Akishin and the others lingered for a bit longer with Hachiman and Yukino before eventually going their separate ways.
"To think Onii-chan could actually be friends with someone as amazing as Yukinoshita-san... Komachi is so relieved."
Komachi let out a theatrical sigh and wiped at the corner of her eye—not that there were any actual tears there. She was playing the part of the mature sister, sticking close to Akishin and the other person to ensure she didn't get in her brother's way.
Akishin looked at Komachi and offered a small smile. He knew she was putting on a bit of a front; he still remembered clearly what she had said back during that incident with Kawasaki Saki.
'...That's why Komachi is always grateful to Onii-chan.'
They did one more lap around the shopping center, stopping to admire several interesting cats and dogs, before finally dropping Komachi back off at Hachiman's side to say their goodbyes.
During the exchange, Hachiman mentioned that Yui was supposedly somewhere in the area too, but unfortunately, they never ran into her.
As they were heading toward the exit of the mall, Akishin's eyes caught on a photo booth. Seizing the moment, he reached out and took Shizuka's hand.
"Shizuka-chan, Shizuka-chan, how about we take a few photos together?"
After spending half the day together, Shizuka no longer seemed to mind the physical contact with Akishin. Yet, feeling that slightly rough palm against her own, she still felt a flicker of bashfulness. It was one thing for her to lead him by the hand, but it felt entirely different when he was the one pulling her along.
Shizuka glanced at the booth, which wasn't particularly large. A few couples were already lined up, waiting for their turn. Her face flushed a faint shade of pink, but she gave a soft nod. "Okay."
Giddy with excitement, Akishin led Shizuka over. He inquired about the price, and then the two of them sat down on a bench to wait.
It was a booth in the simplest sense—a temporary structure—but the design was undeniably charming. The blue exterior was covered in cartoon characters and stylized lettering, and a cardboard cutout of a cartoon girl holding a camera stood sentry outside.
The owners appeared to be a young couple, likely capitalizing on the dog and cat expo to run a pop-up booth for some extra income.
The woman was in charge of taking the shots, while the man handled the editing and printing according to the customers' requests.
Akishin stared at the camera and murmured under his breath, "Taking photos, huh? It feels like it's been years since I've done this..."
He realized he had almost never taken a photo purely for himself. If he was in front of a lens, it was usually for an ID card or a school graduation portrait.
He owned exactly three of those: middle school, high school, and university. Up until the moment he had died, those photos had remained tucked away in a drawer, rarely seeing the light of day. He had never reached out to the people in those pictures, either.
The reason was simple; once enough time passes without seeing someone, the urge to reconnect fades as new social circles and friends take their place.
Aside from those, there were the orphanage family photos.
Those were the ones he treasured most, neatly framed, yet kept at the very bottom of his drawer.
Life in an orphanage wasn't quite as bright and beautiful as the dramas on TV made it out to be, but it wasn't terrible either. At the very least, he had survived and made it through school...
As for any other photos, there weren't any.
He didn't have any personal snapshots of himself, so naturally, a photo with a girl he liked was out of the question.
But now, he had the chance.
Hearing Akishin's voice, Shizuka turned to look at him. She saw him gazing at the camera with a faint, distant smile. For some reason, a pang of sympathy tightened in her chest. She reached out on her own initiative, taking hold of Akishin's wrist, and spoke softly. "It's okay, Chishima-kun. I haven't taken many photos in years either. Let's take a few."
Taking photos here was different from a quick snap on a phone; here, the result was something physical, something you could hold.
"You said it yourself, then."
"...Right, I did."
Finding herself facing Akishin, who had suddenly turned toward her, Shizuka looked away quickly, though her voice remained firm.
"Alright, let's take ten then."
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
"That's way too many."
"How about eight?"
"Still too many."
"Then how many do you think we should take, Shizuka-chan?"
"At most fi... no, just three!"
"Three it is, then!"
Akishin let out a breath, his face settling into an expression of genuine contentment.
Soon enough, the three couples ahead of them finished up, and it was Akishin and Shizuka's turn.
"Welcome! What kind of background would you two like?"
The girl running the camera asked brightly, gesturing toward a variety of options: rolling meadows, a beach by the sea, a starry night sky, and a lush forest. Behind the photography area, there were over ten different curtains representing various scenes, most of them drawn in a beautiful, aesthetic anime style. These scenes would be layered into the final prints.
Akishin and Shizuka looked through them and eventually settled on a field of flowers, the night sky, and a bus stop. All of them featured very high-quality artistic illustrations.
The girl quickly set up the first backdrop.
First was the flower field. Akishin and Shizuka stepped into the center, standing side-by-side with stiff, polite posture.
Click.
The shot was taken. The girl checked the result. There was a noticeable gap between the two of them. Even with the lovely flowers behind them, it looked more like a formal employee ID photo than anything romantic or sweet.
She showed the photo to Shizuka and Akishin, asking if they wanted a retake and explaining that there was no extra charge until the final printing.
Shizuka hesitated for a moment but felt it wasn't necessarily "wrong," so they decided to move on.
The second photo was the bus stop.
The girl behind the camera stared through the lens for a few seconds. Akishin and the woman beside him were still standing in the same rigid positions. She couldn't help but pipe up. "You two could hold hands, you know. It'll make the photo look much better!"
She had assumed they were a couple from the start—out on a Sunday date, her beautiful and him handsome, standing so close and looking only at each other. If they weren't a couple, what were they?
Surely they weren't siblings?
If you asked anyone else, they would definitely agree that Akishin and the woman next to him looked every bit the pair.
In their eyes, there was only each other.
Akishin and Shizuka locked eyes. He gave her a questioning look and extended his hand. Shizuka stared at that palm, her face heating up again. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and placed her hand in his.
Their hands clasped together.
In an instant, Akishin's breath hitched. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on that soft hand.
The tips of Shizuka's ears turned a vivid red. Her gaze grew a bit unfocused, and her posture swayed ever so slightly.
"Perfect! I'm taking it now."
The photographer pressed the shutter with a cheerful smile.
Click.
The image froze, capturing the moment forever.
In the photo, Akishin's eyes were shining like stars. He looked handsome with a warm smile, his head tilted slightly as he gazed tenderly at Shizuka.
Shizuka had her head bowed slightly, not quite daring to look back at him, revealing the elegant line of her neck. Her hand was gripping his tightly, and her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson...
Behind them was a stylized anime bus stop, with pale golden sunlight spilling over them as they stood hand-in-hand, waiting for a train that would never come.
"This one is great! Take a look."
The girl showed them the preview. Both Akishin and Shizuka looked at it and felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Even if Shizuka was still dying of embarrassment.
Finally, it was time for the third photo: the night sky.
A night sky overflowing with stars, where a comet streaked across the zenith, leaving behind a curved trail of silver-blue light as if a deity had dragged a pen across the heavens.
Beneath the starlight was a dark meadow. You could almost see the blades of grass swaying in the wind, with fireflies drifting between them like tiny lanterns.
Chishima Akishin and Hiratsuka Shizuka stood before the curtain once more, still holding hands.
The photographer looked at them, then pulled out a sample photo and showed it to them. "If you two could try this pose, I guarantee it will look stunning."
The sample was an illustration of two characters. The background was the same night sky as their backdrop. The man and woman stood in the meadow under the stars, their fingers interlocked, gazing intensely into each other's eyes while fireflies swirled around them...
Even as a drawing, the aesthetic beauty of it was undeniable.
Shizuka stared at the image for a moment, imagining herself and Akishin in that exact pose. Her head felt like it was about to start emitting steam.
Just holding hands was already pushing her limits; interlocking fingers was... Shizuka didn't dare let her imagination go that far.
Akishin, on the other hand, was very interested. He looked at Shizuka and asked softly, "Shizuka-chan, how about we try it like this?"
Shizuka was still in a daze. Hearing his voice, she almost agreed instinctively, but she caught herself and shook her head. "No, no... that's... it's too embarrassing... we're just out for fun..."
Akishin watched her reaction with a smile. Without waiting for her to finish her sentence, he shifted his grip and threaded his fingers through hers. Shizuka's words died in her throat instantly, as if someone had hit a pause button on her entire being.
Akishin turned to the photographer. "Let's go with this. We'll do this pose."
"You got it, sir! I'll make sure it's a masterpiece."
The girl gave Akishin an 'OK' sign and scurried back to her camera.
Akishin turned back to Shizuka, his smile soft and gentle. "Shizuka-chan, lift your other hand."
Being fixed in Akishin's gaze made it difficult for Shizuka to even breathe. She felt overwhelmed by his presence—Akishin stood nearly 180 cm tall, while Hiratsuka Shizuka was 170 cm at best. Her head only reached his chin. When he stood this close, her usual authority naturally withered away.
Perhaps because she really was in a trance, Shizuka lifted her other hand. Akishin hesitated for a split second before capturing it, interlocking those fingers too.
Ten fingers, completely entwined.
Akishin mimicked the character in the sample, staring down at Shizuka. Shizuka, caught in the gravity of the moment, looked up. She met his eyes and saw her own reflection mirrored in them...
Click.
The image was captured, preserved for eternity.
Under a canopy of stars, Akishin and Shizuka stood with fingers locked, lost in each other's gaze, surrounded by the dance of fireflies and the light of a passing comet...
...
When they finally stepped out of the booth, the afternoon sun felt warm against their skin. Akishin and Shizuka each held a small package containing their three photos.
Shizuka still looked a bit dazed, but...
Looking down at the three photos in her hand, she couldn't help but smile.
They really had turned out beautifully.
Akishin tucked his three photos away with extreme care. He decided then and there that as soon as he got home, he would frame them. The night sky photo would go right by his bed so it would be the first and last thing he saw every day. He glanced over at Shizuka and asked quietly, "Is something wrong, Shizuka-chan? Are you unhappy?"
He knew he had been a bit impulsive back there, but the result was worth it! He was one step closer to her now. It turned out the books were right: dates really were the best way to strengthen a bond. He was learning.
"What do you think?"
Shizuka shot him an annoyed glare—that jerk, he totally took advantage of the situation—but then she, too, carefully put her photos away.
Akishin feigned ignorance, pulling out a map and pointing to a red dot. "Next, let's head to Chiba Park. I heard the lotus flowers are in full bloom."
...
The sun began its descent in the west, painting half the sky in the fiery hues of dusk.
A gentle breeze blew through the air as birds returned to their nests, chasing the setting sun. Cars passed occasionally on the road, and the rooftops on either side caught the golden reflection of the evening light.
Akishin and Shizuka walked side-by-side, enjoying the final moments of peace with the glow of the sunset at their backs.
Neither of them spoke. After wandering through Chiba Park, they had shared coffee at a cafe, eaten dessert together, and visited a ramen shop Shizuka had recommended...
It was already five in the evening. They had made it back to the nearest train station and were now walking slowly toward home.
The road felt incredibly long, yet far too short; it felt like they hadn't walked far at all, yet they were already at the end of the line.
"Chishima-kun, I have to head inside. Today was really fun. Thank you."
Standing at the intersection between the small villa and the main road, Shizuka took the initiative to open her arms. Akishin was stunned for a moment, then he mirrored the gesture and pulled her into a hug.
"Shizuka-chan, I had a great time today too. Thank you."
There was no lewdness in the air, no lingering embarrassment—only the warmth of two people who cared for each other. Even the most beautiful days have to end. It was time to say goodbye.
The hug didn't last long; after a few seconds, they pulled apart.
Shizuka was wearing a sun hat. Under the fading light of the sunset, she smiled and waved at Akishin.
"Chishima-kun, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Akishin watched as Shizuka jogged toward the gate of the villa. She opened the door, turned back one last time to wave, and then disappeared inside, closing the door behind her.
Akishin turned and headed toward the next intersection where it would be easier to hail a taxi.
Today had been a good day.
His relationship with Shizuka had taken a massive leap forward.
However, he hadn't confessed yet. There were plenty of moments where he likely could have succeeded, but he chose not to...
He wasn't ready to say it, and Shizuka wasn't quite ready to hear it.
He would wait for next time—wait until he had a gift ready; wait until she could truly accept it from the bottom of her heart, not just caught up in the emotion of a single moment.
Companionship is the most enduring confession, and protecting someone is the quietest form of companionship.
He couldn't remember who had said that.
But Akishin agreed wholeheartedly.
...
Later that night, Akishin looked at the three photos, now neatly framed. He placed the bus stop and flower field photos on his desk and set the night sky photo on his bedside table.
Meanwhile, inside the small villa...
Shizuka looked through the three photos one by one. When she reached the last one, she went silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, she buried her face in her hands, dove into her blankets, and started rolling around on her bed.
"Eeeh~!"
A few minutes later, she propped herself up, her face still bright red. Then, with a shy smile, she tucked the three photos carefully behind her pillow.
...
The Hikigaya Household.
"Onii-chan, how far have things progressed with Yukinoshita-san? Are you guys dating yet?"
"Dating? Don't talk nonsense. We're just normal friends."
"Which means you like each other! Or maybe it's Yuigahama-san? Onii-chan, you aren't allowed to two-time. If you do that, Komachi will actually hate you."
"What's this? What's this? Hachiman has a girlfriend at school?"
"I'm not sure yet, Mom, but Komachi thinks it's very likely. Yukinoshita-san and Yuigahama-san are both such amazing girls."
"Is that so? Hachiman's all grown up. Bring them home sometime so Mom can see."
"Komachi, shut it. Stop making things up."
Poke!
"Ugh~! Onii-chan is bullying Komachi~!"
"Hachiman! You dare bully Komachi? You want to die, don't you..."
"Dad, you... ah, forget it! I'm done with all of you!"
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