What does it mean to hold your girlfriend's ring finger?!
Yui Yuigahama was stunned at first, but when she saw Kotomi's radiant smile and recalled what Kotomi had said earlier, she gradually understood what it meant to hold her girlfriend's ring finger.
"Hehe..." Yui Yuigahama's cheeks flushed red as she lowered her head slightly, letting out a silly, happy giggle.
Seeing Yui's shy yet delighted expression, Kotomi felt a soft part of her heart being gently touched.
Yui's love for me is so unreserved... so clumsy, yet so overwhelming. It even makes me feel a sense of guilt. No matter how many sweet words I say, it can't hide the fact that I've let her down... Kotomi thought to herself, watching Yui with a hint of remorse.
"How did I end up falling for such a silly girl..."
Kotomi gently held Yui's ring finger and murmured softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Hehe... being liked by you, Kotomi, is the luckiest thing in my life—there's no greater fortune. And if this luck comes from me being silly, then I wish I could become even sillier." Yui said softly, her cheeks slightly red, her voice full of happiness.
"Yui..."
Kotomi looked at Yui's faintly flushed cheeks, her vision momentarily blurring. She opened her mouth, only to realize she didn't know how to continue.
"Ahem."
At that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita let out a soft cough. Kotomi instantly reacted as if electrocuted, quickly releasing Yui's finger and subtly pulling away from her.
Feeling the warmth of Kotomi's hand disappear, a trace of loneliness appeared in Yui's eyes. She wasn't angry at Kotomi—she knew Kotomi had let go so quickly to avoid being noticed by Yukino. If Yukino hadn't spoken just now, their sweet moment could have lasted longer.
If Yukino hadn't made a sound just now...
Driven by that thought, Yui subconsciously raised her head and glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita. A faint sense of complaint arose in her heart, yet she also felt helpless. If only Yukino knew that Kotomi was my girlfriend... Yui thought to herself.
Not just now—there had been several times when Yui had wanted to tell Yukino about her relationship with Kotomi. Yukino was her best friend, and Yui wanted her blessing. But every time that thought arose, Kotomi's repeated warnings echoed in her ears.
—You absolutely must not let anyone know that we're dating!
Although Kotomi had never said what punishment there would be if others found out, just recalling the serious expression on her face when she said those words made Yui feel uneasy. She had a vague sense that if their relationship were exposed, something very bad might happen.
Whenever she thought of this, Yui would repeatedly remind herself to listen to Kotomi. Until Kotomi gave permission, she absolutely could not let anyone else know about their relationship.
Yui silently took a deep breath and once again buried the thought of telling Yukino deep within her heart.
Neither Kotomi nor Yukino knew what was going on in Yui's mind at that moment.
After pulling away from Yui, Kotomi first pretended to calmly take out her phone and glance at the time. Only then did she turn to Yukino and ask with concern:
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"It's nothing. Probably just the cold weather making me want to cough," Yukino Yukinoshita replied calmly.
Her expression remained composed, but her heart was far from calm.
If I don't interrupt them, their relationship will keep deepening. At that point, I might not even have room to interfere anymore...
I actually had such a thought just now. And instead of calmly thinking it through, I followed that instinct and coughed to interrupt them.
Is it jealousy?
Heh... if jealousy could really distort one's appearance like in novels, then my face must be twisted and ugly right now because of it.
Thinking this, Yukino let out a faint laugh, filled with self-mockery.
"The train will depart in five minutes. If you're feeling unwell, make sure to say something," Kotomi reminded her, subtly explaining her earlier action of checking her phone—silently implying that she hadn't been pretending to stay calm, but was simply checking the time.
"I'm fine," Yukino Yukinoshita said, shaking her head. Then she looked up at Kotomi and, in a rare moment, smiled lightly.
"However... if I do feel unwell during the ride, can I ask you to take care of me?"
"Of course," Kotomi replied without hesitation. This wasn't a moment to show any doubt.
"Yukino, I'll take care of you too!" Yui suddenly chimed in.
Neither Kotomi nor Yukino had deliberately lowered their voices just now, so Yui had naturally heard their entire conversation.
Kotomi had simply forgotten to speak quietly, while Yukino... seemed almost intentional, as if she wanted Yui to hear every word she said. Her voice had been slightly louder than usual.
Yui glanced at Kotomi, then at Yukino, before Yukino calmly said:
"Is that so? Then I'll be in your care, both of you."
After a while, an announcement sounded inside the train carriage.
"Dear passengers, thank you for choosing the Shinkansen. Your support and trust drive us forward. The train is about to depart. Passengers traveling with children, please take care of them. We wish you a pleasant evening."
As the announcement ended, the Shinkansen began to move, accelerating smoothly at high speed toward Tokyo.
Kyoto — Shinkansen Station.
After walking out of the station, the middle-aged woman held Yuki and Tomoe's hands. Yuki turned back to glance at the station and murmured:
"Kotomi-nee and the others should already be on the train back to Tokyo..."
After saying that, Yuki withdrew his hand from the woman's grasp. Seeing this, Tomoe also pulled her hand away and walked to Yuki's side.
"Yuki, where are we going next?" she asked.
"To my house."
Yuki wore a bright smile as she spoke, then turned to look at the middle-aged woman with unfocused eyes.
"But before that, we should thank this auntie and help her regain her senses. Thanks to her just now, we were able to explain everything smoothly."
After saying that, Yuki bowed deeply to the middle-aged woman and sincerely said:
"Thank you, auntie."
"Thank you, auntie. I wish you happiness in your future," Tomoe also bowed.
"Alright, let's head off first," Yuki said to Tomoe, extending her small hand toward her.
"I heard Kotomi-nee say before that holding hands in winter makes both people gradually feel warmer. Even though we can't feel cold or hunger anymore, I still want to try it. Is that okay?"
Tomoe nodded hazily. "Of course."
With that, she reached out and placed her small hand in Yuki's.
The two little girls walked hand in hand toward the bustling city of Kyoto.
Their backs looked lonely—yet not lonely at all.
...
After standing there for a while, the middle-aged woman suddenly shivered, and her eyes regained their clarity.
She rubbed her forehead and looked around in confusion, muttering:
"That's strange... I was clearly waiting at the station entrance for my husband to come out. How did I end up in the parking lot outside? Am I hitting menopause and starting to lose focus? Is my brain not working properly anymore?"
As she spoke, she walked back toward the station entrance. This strange occurrence would likely trouble her for quite some time.
...
Yuki and Tomoe walked hand in hand along the bustling streets of Kyoto.
"Yuki, where are we going now?" Tomoe asked. With her small hand held by Yuki, their direction was entirely guided by her.
"To my home!" Yuki said with a light laugh, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Your home?"
Tomoe felt confused. Although she hadn't known Yuki for long, perhaps because they were both spirits, she could vaguely guess that the reason behind Yuki's death—and why she still lingered in this world—was related to her family.
Or rather, her parents.
After thinking for a moment, Tomoe still asked:
"But your home..."
"You might not believe it, but the home I live in now was built by my own hands," Yuki said, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
"Eh?!"
Yuki's words startled Tomoe—even though she was already a ghost.
Tomoe was a few years older than Yuki and had learned more, so she knew that building a house usually required several adults working together, using many tools and taking a long time, along with knowledge of construction.
How could a little girl like Yuki possibly build a house by herself?
Noticing Tomoe's shock, Yuki smiled sheepishly.
"Haha, I know why you're surprised, but I don't think now is the best time to explain. Let me keep it as a surprise—once we get there, you'll understand."
At that, Yuki looked at Tomoe meaningfully and added:
"Seeing it with your own eyes is much clearer than explaining it with words."
Tomoe blinked her pretty eyes and looked at Yuki in confusion, voicing her thoughts:
"I'm older than you, but why do the things you say feel deeper than mine? Yuki, did you lie about your age earlier?!"
"No, no!" Yuki quickly shook her head. "Th-that sentence was something a big sister told me a long, long time ago."
"I see. What kind of big sister was she?"
"Hmm... it's been so long, let me think—"
Yuki's cute little face turned serious as she tried hard to recall.
The two girls continued walking hand in hand for over ten minutes. When they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, Yuki suddenly exclaimed:
"Ah! I remember! The big sister who told me that was wearing a red kimono, and she was carrying a wooden box on her back!"
"A wooden box?"
"Yeah, a dark-colored wooden box. I was curious and asked her what was inside.
She just smiled gently and said, 'Inside the box is my only family.'
I didn't think much of it back then, but now that I look back... was she playing a riddle game with me? How could someone's family be inside a wooden box?"
"Yeah, that's true," Tomoe nodded, agreeing with her.
"But even so, I'm kind of living in a box now too. It's just not a wooden one—it's cardboard."
"Hm?"
Tomoe was puzzled and was about to ask more when Yuki suddenly stopped at the entrance of an alley.
There were no lights inside—only faint moonlight mixed with darkness. Compared to the neon-lit, bustling city outside, it felt like an entirely different world.
"Let's go. My home is inside. It's a bit dark, so watch your step," Yuki said with a smile.
"O-okay," Tomoe nodded obediently, letting Yuki lead her into the alley.
After walking for who knew how long through the quiet alley where moonlight and darkness intertwined, Yuki finally stopped—and Tomoe stopped with her.
"Tomoe, look. This is my home. Just like I told you, right?"
Yuki raised her other hand and pointed ahead.
Following her gaze, Tomoe saw that Yuki's so-called home was made of several large cardboard boxes pieced together.
The boxes were stacked together, and on top of them were two large layers of plastic sheets, as if shielding the boxes—and the little girl living inside—from the wind and rain. It looked like discarded items waiting to be collected, yet also like a home built entirely from cardboard.
"Is this... Yuki's home?" Tomoe murmured.
"Yep. It took me nearly half a month to collect all these boxes. I had to find them first, then drag them back here.
"After sealing the open sides with tape, I didn't have to sit on the ground anymore. But I still found some clean old blankets and spread them inside.
"Even though I can't feel cold or hunger after becoming a ghost, sitting or lying on the blankets feels much more comfortable than sitting directly on the ground or on the cardboard.
"Once I had blankets, I wanted a quilt, so I found a big old one and an old pillow too.
"When I used to sleep under the quilt alone, it always felt empty. But now that you're here with me, Tomoe, it shouldn't feel empty anymore."
Yuki excitedly gestured as she introduced the home she had built with her own hands—a place she was proud of—to her new friend, Tomoe.
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