Extra 1: When I wake up, I hope to be with you again...

"You don’t have to join them over there."

That was the first time I met Sumire-chan.

While everyone else ran around outside, I sat crouched alone in the sandbox, left out of the group. That’s when a girl approached me and spoke.

"Even if I go, they won’t let me join…"

"They sound mean. Well then, how about you play with me instead? We’re both outcasts, after all."

"O-outcasts…?"

"Yeah, outcasts. People who’ve been left out."

And so, the two of us played together, collecting seashells and shaping little worlds in the sand. The others ran past without a care, but with her, I didn’t mind. That was the day she told me her name.

"Onodera Sumire."

"You can call me Sumire-chan."

Sumire-chan spoke in a strange way—like a grown-up. She knew a lot of words, like the teachers did, and every time we talked, I’d come across words I didn’t understand. Half the time, I had no clue what she was saying.

But just having her around made me happy. She was my first friend.

Sumire-chan was a mystery. She always wore a blank expression, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. She never spoke to the other kids, always sitting alone in the corner of the room.

To be honest, she scared me at first. I had never seen her have a real conversation with anyone before, so I didn’t understand why she had chosen to approach me.

But the more time we spent together, the less it mattered.

She never smiled, and I often struggled to keep up with her words, but she was kind.

"Did they take your toy again? Oh well, let’s go do some origami instead."

Whenever the other kids stole my toys, leaving me on the verge of tears, Sumire-chan would show up like it was the most natural thing in the world. And somehow, after a while, I stopped caring about their bullying altogether.

In fact, I started feeling happy when it happened—because it meant Sumire-chan would come to my side.

Before I knew it, being together became natural.

Even the teachers started treating us as a pair.

But the bullying never really stopped.

If anything, the others seemed even more amused by the sight of the two loners sticking together. Yet, no matter what happened, Sumire-chan never left my side. She always protected me.

"It’s okay, it’s okay. Those guys are just like pill bugs. You don’t have to be scared of them."

She would pat my shoulder as she said this, always so confident, so reliable. I didn’t really know what pill bugs were, but watching her stand her ground—chasing off the bullies without hesitation—made me feel like maybe they really weren’t so scary after all.

Then, one evening, as I sat outside waiting for my mom to pick me up, wiping away the remnants of my tears, Sumire-chan looked at me with an expression I’d never seen before.

Serious. Unshakable.

The orange glow of the setting sun cast a soft light over her face, and at that moment, her deep, beautiful eyes locked onto mine. For some reason, I couldn’t look away.

"I’ll protect you… forever, okay?"

She smiled—a quiet, mysterious smile—and wrapped her arms around me.

Looking back now, maybe that was the moment I fell in love with her.

"Then I’ll protect you too, Sumire-chan."

I remember saying it back, trying my best to sound cool, even though… in the end, I never really got the chance to protect her.

---

"Wow, this brings back memories."

After returning to Grandma’s house from the observatory, we settled in the living room, flipping through an old album. Apparently, my mom had secretly shared some photos, so there was an entire collection of me here at Grandma’s house too.

The room was a traditional tatami-mat space, and we sat side by side on cushions next to the table, shoulders lightly touching.

"You were such an expressionless little kid back then, Sumire."

"Ahaha… I didn’t have much room for emotions back then…"

"You were way too smart for your age, now that I think about it…"

As he said this, Ren reached over and ruffled my hair. The sudden contact caught me off guard, but—oh, right. We’re a couple now. As his girlfriend, I shouldn’t be startled by something like this. I’ll have to get used to it, little by little.

Still, it felt new. Different. Strange, in a way that made my chest tighten.

Meanwhile, Ren pulled his hand back as if nothing had happened, turning his attention back to the album. How unfair. Even though we were at the same experience level when it came to relationships, he always acted so smugly.

Feeling a bit annoyed, I decided to get back at him. I placed my hand gently over his—the one that wasn’t flipping through the album. I didn’t hold it, just rested mine lightly on top, tracing my fingertips along the back of his hand every so often. Somehow, this felt more suggestive than simply holding it.

I glanced at Ren’s profile. His face remained neutral, but the tips of his ears had turned bright red.

Hah. Weakling.

I continued playing with his hand for a while, enjoying his subtle reactions. Eventually, though, he slipped his hand free, probably because it was too ticklish. But instead of pulling away completely, he laced his fingers with mine.

"You know, almost every photo in here has the two of us in it. Though Ichinose-san shows up in a few, too."

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess so. Well, we really were always together."

I had been too focused on teasing him to properly look at the album, so I finally turned my attention back to it.

Every photo was a piece of our past—a snapshot of a moment we’d long forgotten.

A birthday party at Ren’s house.
A trip to the aquarium.
The two of us napping side by side in kindergarten.

I hadn’t realized just how many memories we had together.

Looking at these photos, a faint restlessness stirred in my chest. As I reminisced about the past, a quiet unease crept in—the fear that even this very moment, right now, would soon become just another memory.

To shake off that loneliness, I leaned my head against Ren’s shoulder.

"Hey, since we’re at it… why don’t we make our own album? We have plenty of photos on our phones."

"That kinda sounds embarrassing… but… fine. We can share our photos later, I guess."

Just as we were indulging in our little moment, the sliding door suddenly creaked open.

My mom peeked in from the other room, blinking once before slowly breaking into a knowing smirk as she took in the sight of us sitting so close together.

"Oops, didn’t mean to interrupt~"

And with that, she smoothly retreated, disappearing behind the door.

…What did she even come here for?

Ren and I exchanged glances. He looked a little awkward and subtly pulled his hand away, but before he could fully escape, I caught his fingers and intertwined them with mine once more.

No way I was letting him get away that easily.

"Once school starts, everyone's gonna see us together anyway. No point in getting embarrassed now."

"You say that, but your face is bright red, Sumire."

"Shut up."

After flipping through the album, we started looking up how to make one ourselves. A quick internet search pulled up countless results. Having spent most of my previous life buried in studies, I wasn’t well-versed in things like this. Ren seemed just as clueless, so we scrolled through articles together, reading about cute and creative ways to put an album together.

The modern world really was convenient—anything you wanted to know was just a search away.

Then, we started sharing photos from our phones. Surprisingly, there were quite a few pictures we had never exchanged before.

Ren, for some reason, was acting suspiciously as he selected which ones to show me. It was painfully obvious—his phone was probably filled with those kinds of pictures.

Yeah. I was definitely going to check it out later.

As we got lost in our little activity, the night grew late. The bath had already been drawn, and it was probably time to start winding down for bed.

I poked Ren’s shoulder lightly, pulling him out of his phone screen.

"Hm?"

"Want to take a bath together?"

"Huh!?? No, no, no, that’s way too much of a distance jump!"

"Haven’t we already gotten past that?"

Ren flailed around, his eyes darting everywhere in panic. It had been a while since I’d seen him like this. Seeing him all flustered reminded me of how, back in the day, even the slightest brush against him would have him turning bright red—like some inexperienced kid.

…Actually, thinking about it, it wasn’t even that long ago.

Things had just escalated so much recently that my sense of time was completely off.

"Aww, so you’re not coming in~?"

"I— I’m not mentally prepared for that yet… Maybe another time."

"Hmmm, so you’re planning on doing it someday… how lewd."

"Shut up."

He waved his hand, shooing me off like he physically couldn’t deal with me anymore.

I pouted, but honestly, I was starting to get bored of teasing him. So, with a small hum, I turned and went to grab my change of clothes.

When I reached the room where I left my things, my eyes landed on the box sitting beside my bag—a telescope.

My fingers traced the edges of the box, and in that instant, memories from just a few hours ago resurfaced.

Ren’s eyes, filled with quiet determination, locked onto mine as he spoke his confession. The warmth of his embrace. The way our lips met, soft and hesitant, yet filled with meaning.

Finally, finally, we had become a couple.

And yet, only now did the realization truly sink in.

Up until this moment, it had all felt like a hazy dream, like something too good to be real. But holding the telescope against my chest, I felt it—the undeniable warmth of reality.

A quiet smile tugged at my lips.

Ren still had to take his turn in the bath, though. Placing the telescope back where it was, I made my way toward the bathroom.

In the mirror of the washbasin, my reflection stared back at me.

My expression, softened by unmistakable happiness, made it clear—this was real.

---

After both of us got out of the bath, we set up our futons side by side in the same room, just as I had told Grandma in advance. Honestly, I hadn’t expected her to actually allow it, but when I asked, she simply smiled and gave her permission. Grandpa, as usual, had his signature “do whatever you want” attitude.

"Ehehe."

"You seem pretty happy."

"Well, yeah."

With the futons arranged and our teeth brushed, we turned off the main lights, leaving only the night lamp on. Lying down and facing each other like this, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited, and a smile naturally formed on my face.

"No doing anything pervy, okay?"

"…I know."

"This is still Grandma’s house, after all."

We spent the next while chatting lazily, talking about whatever came to mind. How long had it been since I last did this—just lying in bed, talking idly with someone before drifting off to sleep? Probably not since the school trip back in middle school.

There was a similar moment the last time I stayed over, but this—**actually lying side by side, watching the dim glow of the night lamp as we talked—**felt like something different. Something special.

Sleeping at Grandma’s house only made it feel even more like a nostalgic school trip.

Even though we often stayed up late talking on the phone, this was different.

After a short silence, Ren suddenly spoke, his voice lifting slightly as if something had just come to mind.

"By the way..."

I turned to him, blinking. "Hm?"

"So in the end, why did we come all the way to your grandmother’s house?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, um... hmm."

He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. But I knew exactly what he wanted to ask—why had I dragged him all the way out here just to confess?

The truth was simple: I needed courage.

I wanted Grandma and my parents involved—to make it impossible for me to back out. This was all part of Kanna-chan’s advice—"Just create a situation where you can’t run away, no matter what."

And besides—

I grinned.

"Don’t you think confessing under the stars is super romantic?"

I had always dreamed of this—a confession under a starry sky.

And when it came to places nearby where the stars shone beautifully, this was the only one that came to mind. There was no other choice.

Besides, this place made it easier for my dad to come along, and if I wanted permission for a late-night outing, this was the only way to get it.

"Also… I read online that this was one of the best places for a confession…"

Ren blinked before letting out a soft laugh. "Hah, that’s so like you, Sumire."

I grinned. "Eh-hehe."

"Still, you were kinda pushy about it. I mean, suddenly asking me to stay over at your grandmother’s house? That’s a pretty high hurdle, don’t you think?"

"It’s fine! It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?"

With that, the two of us chuckled softly together.

It still felt like a dream.

Was it really okay for me to be this happy?

Life was still so long, yet it felt as if I had already reached my destination.

If things continued like this… what would happen next?

Now that we were together, there would be so many experiences waiting for us.

Maybe I should start with something I hadn’t been able to do back then.

With that thought, I slowly wriggled out of my futon and crawled over to Ren. Without hesitation, I threw myself into his arms, wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"Hug me."

He stiffened slightly. "…Didn’t we go through the trouble of setting up two futons?"

Whether out of embarrassment or just habit, he mumbled that complaint—yet his arms still wrapped around me in return.

"Tighter."

"L-like this…?"

The hesitation in his voice only makes me want to hold on even more.

His arms tighten around me—not too much, just enough that I can feel his presence, just enough to make me a little breathless. Enough to reassure me that he's really here.

I remember that night on Christmas Eve. Back then, he didn’t hold me back. But now, though he’s still a little hesitant, he's definitely holding me. And that alone makes me unbelievably happy.

We stay like this, wrapped in each other’s warmth, until that gentle heat starts to lull me into drowsiness. My eyelids grow heavier, my thoughts blur at the edges, and before I know it, sleep is pulling me in.

I decide to let go and close my eyes.

"Good night."

"Good night."

I hope that tomorrow—and all the days after—will be just like this.