Chapter 34: One Year Later – Epilogue End

About a year has passed since then.

Haru and I moved up to our third year of high school.

I was genuinely relieved that I ended up in the same class as Haru again. I felt like I could finally breathe easy.

Although we were put in a different class from Nozomu, Koharu ended up in the same class as us, which also gave Haru peace of mind—and it gave me a sense of security too.

Now then, about why I said I was relieved...

Since then, Haru has only become more and more beautiful—rapidly so.

Her pale, translucent skin is naturally flawless, but on top of that, it’s unbelievably smooth, firm with a soft springiness that makes you want to touch it forever.

Her big, bright double-lidded eyes with long lashes, her small, elegant nose, those soft, glossy pale pink lips that seem to draw you in—all of her expressions are both adorable and stunning.

Her originally beautiful long black hair has become even more refined—thin and silky like a child’s, smooth and lustrous, so immaculately kept it’s almost shocking. And it smells amazing.

Speaking of smell—her cleavage smells incredible too. Just burying my face there and being enveloped in her makes me feel like I’ve ascended to heaven. I also love nuzzling into the side of her neck. The mingling scent of her hair and natural fragrance gives off such a rich, soothing aroma, like lying in a field of flowers.

Her legs are long, slender, yet with firm volume—and the curve from her hips to her thighs is a true work of art.

And the fact that I’m the only one in the world who gets to experience all of this—that’s what makes me the happiest man alive.

Why has Haru become this beautiful? Well, aside from the fact that her natural features were already top-tier, she learned how to do makeup and take care of her skin and hair from Koharu and her mother. She absorbed it all like a sponge.

Because her base is already amazing, even a little bit of makeup creates a dramatic effect, and the reactions from those around her changed drastically—more than even she herself realized.

To put it simply, people started to notice her—she became popular.

Haru, now stunningly pretty, also has the unique trait of being a former boy, which gives her a naturally closer distance to guys than other girls, and her way of speaking doesn’t create much emotional distance. That makes her incredibly appealing to guys—and also easily misunderstood.

Even though I’m always by her side and everyone knows we’re dating, guys still keep confessing to her, one after another.

Every single one of them is completely serious about asking her out.

Incidentally, Haru’s relationship with the girls in class has gradually improved as well. Personally, I don’t see that as a good thing.

All the girls already know she’s completely devoted to me, and more importantly, she’s on a whole different level of cuteness and beauty.

Plus, the fact that she’s close friends with Koharu also seems to play a big role.

She’s started having more chances to talk with other girls too, and seeing her being accepted by them makes me happy as well.

But I don’t want her to let her guard down. I don’t want to see Haru get hurt.

If someone were to hurt her—emotionally or physically—I honestly don’t think I could hold myself back.

It’s not just at school where she gets attention—it's the same outside.

Even when we’re out together, people claiming to be from talent agencies or modeling scouts come up to her. It’s gotten to the point where even when we’re enjoying time together, we’re constantly getting interrupted.

Luckily, Haru doesn’t seem to have any interest in that kind of stuff and completely ignores them.

Even if I just step away for a moment, she gets approached. I really can’t take my eyes off her for a second.

Honestly, even I have to admit—when she’s in a crowd, she naturally draws attention. That’s how radiant she is.

That’s why, given all this, I truly wasn’t confident that I could stay sane if we’d ended up in different classes. So being together again this year—it’s a huge relief.

When Haru’s in a clingy mood, she doesn’t just lean her body against me—she leans her head in too. It’s really cute, and very easy to understand.

Depending on the situation, if we’re in public, I’ll pull her close with an arm around her shoulder to make her feel safe. If we’re somewhere private, I’ll gently wrap her up completely from the front, hold her head close and stroke her hair, and then she’ll wrap her arms around my back, bury her face in my chest or neck, and snuggle even more.

Sometimes, when we’re hanging out at Haru’s place playing games or chatting, she’ll suddenly sit on my lap or nestle herself between my crossed legs, resting her body and head against me.

If she’s facing forward like me in those moments, it just means she wants to be spoiled.

But if she’s facing me—well, that means she wants me.

I always try to switch gears right away, pamper her as much as possible, and respond to what she needs.

And, well... I don’t say this often, but sometimes I’m the one who wants to be spoiled too.

When I’m wrapped up in Haru’s warmth and gentleness, all five of my senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste—are completely fulfilled, and it’s like my heart melts in a dreamy haze. It’s addictive.

Once you’ve felt that, you’d never want to be apart from Haru again.

Haru and I often go grocery shopping together.

Ever since we started dating, she’s been making a conscious effort to expand her recipe repertoire and improve her cooking skills.

I told her there’s no need to overdo it, but she said that someday, she wants to start making bento lunches too.

When I told her, “You could just use frozen side dishes for that kind of thing,” she shot back, “That’s a last resort!” So yeah, we’ve gotten into the habit of going to the supermarket together after school.

Maybe it’s because we’ve been there so many times, but the way she picks out vegetables, meat, and seasonings looks totally natural now. The only thing that makes it stand out is that she’s doing it in a school uniform—which, honestly, gives off this vibe of a young wife or a newlywed bride.

Apparently, she often goes shopping with her mom too, and she says that’s when she learns tips about what to look for.

And then, after winter break ended, she finally brought homemade bentos to school.

Not just for herself—but for both of us.

Tamago-yaki, mini hamburger steaks, octopus-shaped sausages, spinach ohitashi, pickled takuan, and rice topped with furikake.

It was the exact image of the perfect bento lunch I always imagined.

When I asked, she said she had gotten up early to make them, as expected.

Just hearing that made me tear up.

Our classmates were full of envy. A bunch of guys kept saying, “Haru-chan, make one for me too!” But she flatly told them, “This is only for me and Kiri. Ask your own girlfriend.”

That one sentence alone made my heart feel like it was going to burst. She’s seriously the best.

And of course, the bento itself was insanely good.

Apparently, I was crying without realizing it, because Haru called me out like, “You’re seriously crying over this?” But hey, I couldn’t help it. It was Haru’s homemade bento, you know?

And ever since then, she’s been making bentos for us almost every day.

I always make sure to say it’s delicious and thank her properly.

Because it is delicious, and more than anything, I want to show her that I appreciate all the effort she puts in.

Last summer break—including a bit before that—we had about four chances to wear swimsuits.

Two of those times were with Nozomu and Koharu, the other two were just the two of us.

We went to both the beach and the pool.

In my memory, going to the beach or pool was all about checking out girls in swimsuits. And well, in a way, that hasn’t changed—but this year, my eyes were locked on Haru the entire time.

Her swimsuit looked absolutely amazing. Not only that, but her curvy figure—large chest, narrow waist, long legs—was just ideal in a way that really stood out. Yeah. Really stood out. That’s why I couldn’t look away.

During summer break, Haru also got a yukata from her mom, and we went to a fireworks festival and a summer fair together.

It’s nice to see her in something other than skirts every once in a while—especially something more modest.

That said, Haru’s neck and nape have this almost supernatural allure to them, and, well… during those times, I couldn’t help but latch onto her neck and nape like crazy. And of course, afterward she scolded me with, “Seriously!? You left so many hickeys!”

We also picked up darts as a hobby.

Most amusement centers have a darts corner, and unlike bowling, it’s not so reliant on upper body strength, so there’s not much difference between me and Haru in terms of ability. I think that’s why she enjoyed it.

It didn’t take long before we bought our own set of darts together.

Someday, I’d love to go to a darts bar and enjoy a game while having a drink with her.

By the end of summer, darts and karaoke had become our go-to activities whenever we hung out.

When it comes to darts, Haru is actually better than me—for now, anyway.

But since we’re pretty evenly matched, that makes it even more fun.

As for karaoke—that’s something I especially look forward to.

Because Haru’s singing voice is absolutely enchanting.

To me, it’s the perfect voice. So pleasant to the ear, so soothing that I could listen to it forever. It’s mesmerizing—like a siren’s song. Not that I’ve ever heard a real siren sing, of course.

Even her normal speaking voice is amazing—clear like a bell, soft and composed, and she can whisper sweetly into your ear in this gentle, whispery tone. And of course… that voice of hers drives me crazy in that way too.

So yeah, karaoke is definitely one of my favorite things.

And Haru seems to enjoy it now too, especially since she can sing female vocal songs she couldn’t sing before. Win-win.

Around the end of summer break, the four of us went camping as a family.

By “family,” I mean Haru, her mother, her father, and me—just the four of us.

By that time, we had already come clean to her dad about our relationship, and he’d accepted it.

When he learned that I was the same Kiriya who used to be friends with Haru, he understood. He listened to my story—how my parents are divorced, how I don’t see my biological father, and about my mom’s situation—and he really took it all to heart.

Now, I feel like we’ve become genuinely close… or at least, I hope so.

During the camping trip, we set up two tents: one for me and Haru’s dad, and one for Haru and her mom.

That night, we had a barbecue, had a great time, and seeing how well Haru’s parents got along made me feel genuinely happy… and a little envious.

Inside the tent, as we were going to sleep, I ended up having a long talk with Haru’s dad.

We talked about Haru, about the future—about all kinds of things.

That night, it truly felt like I had become part of their family.

And I reaffirmed my resolve: someday, I’ll officially join this family as their son-in-law.

Since then, whenever there was a family event—Christmas, New Year’s shrine visits, day trips—Haru’s dad would invite me over, and I was treated like a full member of the family.

“I was really sad when Haruto became a girl… but if Kiriya-kun’s here, I guess it all balances out. No—actually, it’s a plus! It’s like I gained a daughter!”

He said that on New Year’s Eve while Haru and her mom were busy preparing food in the kitchen.

And then he added:

“Haru just keeps getting prettier and prettier. Honestly, I don’t want to give her to anyone… but if it’s you, Kiriya-kun, I’ll allow it. However! If you ever make her suffer, I’ll have you break up on the spot!!”

Of course, my response was:

“You can count on me. I’ll make sure she’s happy—without a doubt. And… I plan to join this family as your son-in-law, so I’ll work hard to make sure you and your wife can rely on me too, not just Haru.”

When I said that, he started tearing up.

He said something like, “Man, I’ve gotten too old—cry at the drop of a hat these days.”

After the New Year, the four of us went for hatsumōde, and during the winter break, Haru and I took a two-night, three-day trip together.

We stayed at a traditional inn that her dad’s company offered as part of their employee benefits, which made it really affordable.

It was just the two of us, with nothing to worry about except buying souvenirs. Everything else was ours to enjoy—uninterrupted, unfiltered time together.

And we enjoyed it to the fullest.

It was indulgent. It was happiness. It was the perfect private time for just the two of us.

People always say it’s hard to leave when a trip ends—but this one was the strongest I’d ever felt that.

When Haru said, “Let’s go on another trip, just the two of us,” I nodded emphatically.

During spring break, before we moved up to our third year, Haru told me she wanted to start a part-time job and begin saving money.

Of course, I had no reason to stop her. The only thing I insisted on was that I’d be the one to drop her off and pick her up.

When I told her that, she smiled brightly and said, “Then I’ll feel safe!”

That smile… it dazzled me. In that moment, I felt like the happiest person in the world, knowing Haru trusted me completely.

A side note: we were having this conversation during pillow talk after the fact, while she was in my arms. That smile quickly turned into heat, and I ended up showing Haru just how happy I really was.

And then, just as Golden Week began in our third year, Haru finally started her part-time job.

It was at a café. She’d go straight there after school and work until evening.

Naturally, I handled her drop-offs and pick-ups.

When I dropped her off or picked her up, I made sure everyone at the café could tell that she had a boyfriend—very much on purpose.

I also made sure Haru knew to mention she had a boyfriend if it ever came up.

When I asked Haru why she wanted to get a part-time job, she said she wanted us to go to the same university if possible—and live together too.

To do that, she’d need to move out, so she wanted to start saving money now and gain some real-world experience. I had no counterargument to that.

As for me… I’ve been living off my grandpa’s support in one way or another.

Given what my mom’s like, Grandpa has shown a fair amount of understanding—but still, I can’t depend on him forever.

Not to mention, I’m planning to marry into Haru’s family. After sponging off him all this time, I can’t exactly say “Thanks and goodbye.”

So, yeah… I started thinking I should get a part-time job too.

Of course, I’ll still be driving her to and from school—that’s non-negotiable.

Luckily, I was able to pick up a short-shift factory job on weekdays, and some heavy-lifting work like moving jobs on weekends.

Maybe now I can finally start pulling my weight a little.

And now it’s June of our third year in high school—almost a year since Haru and I started dating.

But if you count the time we’ve been close as best friends, it goes back to sixth grade in elementary school, then second year of middle school, and now a year in high school—that’s nine years total.

It’s a long time, but in the grand scheme of life, you could also say it’s short.

We’ve still got a long life ahead of us, but I believe that Haru and I can stay happy together the whole way.

Because I’ve got Haru—my personal sunshine girl. No, my sunshine goddess.

I want her to keep shining on our future so that our lives can stay bright and clear. And I’ll do my part too.