Chapter 134: Half a Step
The two quietly embraced for a long time, when suddenly a bright light shone down from the sky.
Ishikawa Hayato looked up.
Clouds drifted past the bright moon, and moonlight, like snow, scattered into the cabin high in the sky.
They looked at the crescent moon from the cabin as it began its descent.
Ishikawa Hayato lowered his head, looking at Kita, who was gazing at the sky in a trance.
Her face was made even whiter and clearer by the moonlight.
Through her eyes, Ishikawa Hayato perceived that besides appreciating the beautiful scenery, she also carried some thoughts and expectations.
Soon, she noticed Ishikawa Hayato's gaze.
She subtly spoke the words she dared not think.
"Today, the moon is at its first quarter."
Ishikawa Hayato knew that the first quarter moon symbolized hope and anticipation—a gaze upward as one gradually moves toward reunion.
It represented a path gradually moving towards fulfillment after hitting rock bottom.
Ishikawa Hayato leaned towards her side again.
She thought it was another hug and smiled, leaning towards him as well.
But.
After a gentle touch, Kita stepped back a bit, widening her eyes and looking at Ishikawa Hayato.
Her gaze held confusion and panic, and she covered her cheeks with both hands.
"This doesn't count as a kiss, right?"
Ishikawa Hayato said in a gentle voice.
Kita relaxed slightly.
She lowered her gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at the ground, which was illuminated by white.
She said,
"Mmm, it doesn't..."
...
After getting off the ferris wheel, Kita looked in surprise at the long queue in front of them.
Among the queue, there seemed to be quite a few couples waiting.
She could feel the familiar atmosphere from them similarly to what it feels when she's together with Ishikawa Hayato.
However, while they wait for their turn, it seems likely it will wear away much of the romance and sweetness before they get on the ferris wheel.
She then smiled at the young man beside her, expressing satisfaction with his arrangements.
And what she saw was Ishikawa Hayato, who was already displaying a proud expression.
She smiled helplessly.
After leaving the amusement park, their conversation became more mundane.
Ishikawa Hayato, holding Kita's hand while she clutched the plush toy, teased her, saying,
"I didn't expect Kita to know such obscure knowledge. My eyes have been opened."
"Hmph, You're the one who’s surprising me here, Hayato-kun. You didn’t just find out about this because I mentioned it, did you?”
Kita smiled, her tone not yielding an inch.
"Don't underestimate my knowledge—I did take third place in the high school 1st year national ranking!"
"How amazing~"
Kita said, smiling sweetly and perfunctorily.
But as she spoke, she saw the hotel where Ishikawa Hayato had taken her when they arrived.
Her steps froze, and she pursed her lips, quickening her pace.
But suddenly, a force came from the hand she was holding with Ishikawa Hayato, pulling her towards that direction.
Caught off guard, she leaned against Ishikawa Hayato.
Suppressing her pounding heart, she looked up at Ishikawa Hayato.
Looking at his handsome face, she softly said,
"Hayato-kun, if you joke around now, I'll really get angry, you know."
Ishikawa Hayato looked at the unease in her eyes and said with a smile,
“Teasing Kita is the most fun thing there is to do.”
Kita angrily raised her foot and kicked his calf.
The two continued to walk forward, illuminated by the streetlights and the moonlight.
However, Kita, walking beside Ishikawa Hayato, slowly let out a sigh of relief.
If he had taken the opportunity to say some sweet words and coax her upstairs, she wouldn't have known... if she had enough willpower to refuse.
...
Back home, Kita placed the plush on the table, carefully confirming its spot in the room.
After finishing, she stepped back and looked at the scene, smiling foolishly.
After a while, she finally opened her phone to check the photos.
Because she had been playing all day, and many of the photos were taken by Ishikawa Hayato, she hadn't had time to update her Instagram.
So now she had to quickly organize and post those photos.
She had even prepared the captions in her mind.
After downloading all the photos Ishikawa Hayato had just sent her, she began to carefully select them.
Kita stared at her phone intently, her finger sliding across the screen.
This one looks good, this one's not bad either.
Hmm, why are the goofy photos Hayato-kun takes so cute!
So cute that she was troubled about whether to post them.
Finally, she saw the photo taken at the amusement park entrance after she and Ishikawa Hayato got out of the car.
In the photo, her hands were clasped over her chest, shielding herself, and Ishikawa Hayato, while he held her in his arms.
Her gaze was filled with shyness and unease, looking up at his face.
Kita's face flushed as she looked at herself in the photo.
Although she knew roughly what state she was in at the time, seeing the actual photo, she hadn't expected it to be so embarrassing.
And this photo had also been seen by Ishikawa Hayato...
After some effort, she finally finished selecting the photos, and it was terrifying when she realized that most of them were ones taken by Hayato Ishikawa.
.....'Now, the next step is editing!'
Kita quickly tapped the phone screen with both hands, beautifying each photo and enlarging parts that shouldn't be flat.
After she was done, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that it was getting late, she prepared to finish updating and go to sleep.
But as she entered the photos into the Instagram send bar, ready to post, she suddenly remembered.
'Ijiichi-senpai and Ryo-senpai both followed her Instagram account!'
'Ryo-senpai aside, Ijiichi-senpai was very likely to see it!'
As soon as she thought of this, she felt her whole body go numb.
Looking at everything ready, just a click away from sending, she froze.
'What to do, what to do!'
Hide the post from them...
But if they found out through other channels, or hear it from other people, she would be doomed!
Could it be... could it be that her only option left is not to post?
Thinking of this, Kita looked at the many beautiful photos with Ishikawa Hayato in the send bar.
She felt a numbness in her head, and her whole body trembled.
After a long internal struggle, with bloodshot eyes, she lay on the bed and furiously typed on her phone.
Meanwhile, Ishikawa Hayato's phone, placed on his bedside table, vibrated continuously with a soft hum.
But in the dark room, the boy was sleeping soundly.
Amidst the soft breathing, a happy smile graced his face, as if he had already met the four girls in swimsuits in his dreams, a preview of tomorrow.
Disaster may be delayed, but it could never be avoided.
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