After waking up in the morning, the pattering rain outside the window had stopped at some point. The sky was almost completely clear, the sun was slowly rising from the east, and the leaves of the plane trees along the street rustled, with hardly any trace of raindrops left.
Akira looked out the window, feeling an endless expanse of greenery slowly fill his somewhat conflicted heart. The boundless blue sky connected with the endless azure, and he felt the knots in his heart slowly transform into flying catkins, scattered by the wind in mid-air.
Akira got up, made himself breakfast, changed into his casual clothes, and then headed to Sajuna's house.
Sajuna's Mom opened the door with a smile. Seeing Akira's serious expression, Sajuna's Mom patted Akira's shoulder.
"You've been here so many times, Akira-kun, and you're still just as nervous."
"I'm sorry, Auntie."
Akira apologized.
Following Sajuna's Mom into the living room, there was no one else there, only Sajuna's Mom busy preparing breakfast.
"Auntie, has Uncle not returned recently?"
"Hmm, he's still very busy recently," Sajuna's Mom nodded, walking into the kitchen to cut the ingredients that needed to be prepared. "Recently, there's been an unusual amount of work at the magazine, and Uncle happens to be in a position where he might get promoted, so to compete for the promotion opportunity, he inevitably has to work more overtime."
"Then I wish Uncle all the best in his career."
"Thank you for your blessings, Akira-kun."
Sajuna's Mom's laughter drifted from the kitchen.
"Oh, right, Akira-kun, next time you come, just use the key. I had a new key made, and I've already told Sajuna-chan to give it to you."
"Auntie, I…"
Akira hesitated. He was just Sajuna-chan's boyfriend, not a childhood friend who had known Sajuna-chan for over a decade.
Could she really trust him that much?
Was she really not afraid that he might have any bad intentions?
Akira was a little bewildered for a moment. Was Sajuna's Mom being too good to him…
"Don't refuse, Akira-kun."
"Since you are Sajuna-chan's boyfriend, if you feel unworthy of this trust, then strive to do things that make you feel deserving of it in your heart."
Sajuna's Mom poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at Akira. The potato stew cooking in the kitchen emitted an inviting aroma.
"Akira-kun would never do anything to disappoint us and Sajuna-chan, right?"
"Never."
Akira nodded.
"Speaking of which, we've gotten to serious topics," Sajuna's Mom smiled. "Akira-kun, don't worry too much. Go to the bedroom and see if Sajuna-chan is awake."
"It rained for quite a while last night, I wonder how Sajuna-chan slept? If she didn't stay up too late, she should be waking up soon."
Akira then walked to Sajuna-chan's bedroom door and gently knocked twice. There was still no response, so it seemed she was still sleeping.
Akira grasped the doorknob and pushed it gently; the door opened. Either she had forgotten about Akira waking her up last time, or she simply didn't care about her boyfriend entering her room, as Sajuna-chan's bedroom was still unguarded.
Through the slightly open curtains, Akira could see Sajuna-chan's peaceful sleeping face. The girl's sleeping face was so soft, her chest gently rising and falling with her breath.
Akira sat by the bed and saw Sajuna-chan's hands tightly gripping the edge of the comforter. He wondered if it was because of the rain last night, that she needed to hold onto something to feel secure.
Suppressing the urge to tease Sajuna-chan again, because there was something important to do today, Akira gently leaned close to Sajuna-chan's ear and called her name.
"Sajuna, Sajuna, Sajuna-chan."
As if hearing a comforting voice, the hands gripping the comforter slowly relaxed. Sajuna-chan's brows furrowed then smoothed out, and finally, she slowly opened her eyes, seeing the source of that comforting voice.
"Aki-Kun…"
When Sajuna-chan opened her eyes again, she wasn't as groggy as last time; a smile even played on her lips.
"This shouldn't be a dream, right? I saw Aki-Kun first thing…"
"Wake up, Sajuna-chan, stop giggling."
"Mm…"
Sajuna-chan propped herself up from the bed, then playfully blamed Akira for what he had just said, "Aki-Kun actually said I was giggling, but I was just happy to see Aki-Kun."
"But Sajuna-chan isn't fully awake yet, she looks silly."
Akira replied.
"Hmph hmph…"
Sajuna-chan hugged the comforter and hummed twice, then leaned into Akira's embrace, completely relaxing.
"Is Sajuna-chan going back to sleep for a bit?"
"No, I just want to stay in Aki-Kun's arms for a while."
Sajuna-chan said with a dependent tone.
After about three minutes of snuggling, Sajuna-chan emerged from Akira's embrace, then hugged the comforter and looked at Akira.
"Aki-Kun, I need to change, can you step out?"
"Mm."
Akira obediently left the room, not saying any mischievous words about helping her dress, and stood by the door, waiting for Sajuna-chan to finish changing.
Not long after, Sajuna-chan, dressed, walked out of the bedroom. Although she had just woken up, Akira felt that Sajuna-chan's cheeks were rosy and tender, and her previously sleepy eyes now looked sparkling.
"Aki-Kun, what are you looking at?"
Sajuna-chan reached out and took Akira's hand, asking as she looked up.
"I feel like Sajuna-chan's skin is really good."
Akira praised her. Sajuna-chan was clearly a little happy to hear the compliment, and couldn't help but swing their clasped hands. He brushed against the skirt Sajuna-chan was wearing, and as his hand brushed the hem, Akira realized that Sajuna-chan wasn't wearing tights, but still those thigh-high socks that cinched her legs.
It was just that this pair of white stockings was a bit longer than her previous over-the-knee socks. The hem of her skirt covered the part where the socks gripped her thighs, making them look like integrated tights.
The two walked hand-in-hand to the living room. Sajuna's Mom had already prepared the meal, and Shinju had also woken up and was sitting at the dining table, waiting to eat.
"Akira-kun, your relationship with Sajuna-chan is truly unbelievably good," Sajuna's Mom smiled, then asked, "Akira-kun, have you eaten?"
"I already ate before I came."
"That's a real shame then."
After watching the three finish their meal, Akira helped Sajuna's Mom in the kitchen to wash the dishes.
"Auntie, there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh? Is it something important, Akira-kun?"
Sajuna's Mom turned her head. Could it be about their relationship?
"Auntie, I'll be going back to the countryside in a couple of days to spend some time with my grandfather."
Akira looked up at Sajuna's Mom, his eyes full of sincerity, "I hope to bring Sajuna-chan with me so my grandfather can meet my girlfriend."
"Considering that Auntie might be worried about Sajuna-chan's safety, I'll also invite my friends, including some girls, so…"
"You can!"
Before Akira could finish speaking, Sajuna's Mom answered Akira's request with a smile.
"Huh?"
Akira's expression froze on his face.
"I said, you can."
Sajuna's Mom repeated herself.