In a daze, Kasumigaoka Utaha drifted into a dream.
In it, someone gently held her, whispering softly in her ear.
She couldn't quite catch the words, or perhaps she simply couldn't remember them.
All she felt was the warmth of that embrace—so tender it made her never want to let go, wishing she could stay wrapped in it forever.
Utaha didn't understand why her dream-self clung so desperately to such an ordinary hug.
Maybe it was the scent lingering around her nose... a hint of sunshine mixed with fresh citrus. It was a smell she loved.
Though the comforting embrace lulled her, Utaha still desperately wanted to see the face of the person holding her.
Would it be that boy... the one who lingered in her memories and constantly caught her attention?
The next second, dream-Utaha slightly lifted her face from his chest. Her wine-red eyes, filled with an unnameable emotion, widened slightly, as if trying to etch the face before her into her mind.
Yet, just like the faint words from before,
even though she felt she had seen his face, the image in her mind was shrouded in a hazy fog.
Seen, yet unseen... what a strange feeling.
「Who are you? Why are you in my dream?」
Lost in the dream's tenderness, Utaha pouted playfully, her tone sounding almost like a spoiled child's plea.
The person didn't answer. They just smiled silently.
Seeing his silence, her thoughts grew oddly childish and dependent, and she grew more dissatisfied.
Sensing her mood, the figure in her dream hugged her a little tighter.
Then, raising a right hand, they gently tucked a stray strand of hair away from her cheek, carefully weaving the locks caught between slender fingers behind her ear.
In that moment, a blurry name surfaced in Utaha's heartbeat.
But just as she instinctively tried to speak it,
the words that should have been easy became impossibly heavy... as if something was blocking her throat, refusing to let the sound escape.
Why?
It's just a name.
Why... why... why can't I say it?
Unwilling to give up, Utaha forced her tightly pressed lips open, gathering every ounce of strength to shout it out.
「Ara....」
The next second.
Kasumigaoka Utaha woke up.
Still caught in the afterglow of her dream, a faint mist of sleepiness lingered in her wine-red eyes.
Yet, even so, the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was a blazer draped loosely over her.
It was a familiar school uniform jacket. A boy's jacket.
So, whose is this?
Her thoughts still foggy, Utaha instinctively raised her hand. As she did, the jacket, simply draped over her, slid off naturally.
Catching the falling fabric, she was about to lift it for a closer look when a familiar scent quietly drifted into her nose.
Is that... citrus? Why does this clean scent carry a feeling of sunshine?
Even though this spot gets no direct sun, why does it feel so warm?
She recognized it clearly. She knew exactly what kind of scent it was.
Yet, Utaha couldn't place where she'd smelled it before.
Frowning slightly, her mind now much clearer, she slowly sat up. Draping the boy's blazer over her left forearm, she placed her right hand on the floor and leaned against the wall, slowly pushing herself up from the concrete.
"Haa..." Letting out a quiet breath, she instinctively looked around her.
If her guess was right...
then the person who lent her his jacket should still be here.
Under the sunshade... empty.
Near the stairwell door... empty.
Then... in the shaded area, on the same side as her but further down.
If nothing unexpected happened... it should be... hmm, someone?
Finally spotting the boy who had "lent" her his jacket as a blanket, Utaha couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.
Good. He's still here.
Otherwise, she really wouldn't have known how to find him.
She couldn't possibly go classroom by classroom, could she? If she did, Utaha could already imagine the rumors that would spread.
Looking at the boy leaning against the wall, head bowed, looking utterly relaxed,
Utaha guessed he had probably fallen asleep too.
So, instead of walking quickly to him, she slowed her pace, trying her best not to make a sound as she approached.
Just as she was planning to "quietly leave the jacket beside him and slip away," a familiar face drifted into her wine-red eyes.
"Aragaki-kun..." The suppressed whisper escaped her lips before she could stop it.
Realizing she'd spoken, Utaha instantly clamped a hand over her mouth, freezing in place.
She held her breath, terrified that her unintentional voice might wake him.
A few seconds passed.
The deeply sleeping Aragaki Miyahito showed no signs of waking.
This brought Utaha a massive sigh of relief.
Phew... Almost woke him up.
Gently patting her chest, she carefully, quietly crouched down, one hand holding her skirt in place.
Gazing at the sleeping face reflected in her eyes, a barely perceptible curve touched the corners of her lips.
Really... sleeping just like a little kid.
Actually, when she came to school this morning, she'd already "accidentally" seen him asleep.
But back then, he was lying on his side, face buried in his arms.
So, she hadn't seen him fully.
Now, even though he was sitting upright, chin tucked, in a deep sleep, it was enough for Kasumigaoka Utaha to clearly imprint this version of Aragaki Miyahito into her memory.
He looks... kinda cute. The longer she looked, the harder it was to look away.
Resting her elbows lightly on her thighs, chin in her palms, Utaha tilted her head slightly... her gaze at the sleeping boy gradually growing soft and hazy.
Smiling in his sleep.
Mou, what kind of sweet dream are you having, Aragaki-kun?
Her lips kept curving upward as a sudden impulse washed over her.
I kinda want to pinch his cheek.
Before the thought even fully formed, as if acting on a sudden whim, her hand moved on its own, gently resting on Aragaki Miyahito's cheek.
Just as she imagined.
Cool to the touch, with a faint, pleasant roughness.
But of course. He was a guy, and an athletic, sunshine-type guy at that.
His skin wouldn't be as soft as a girl's.
She hadn't even been stroking it for long when
the sleeping boy suddenly shifted slightly.
Instantly mistaking it for her waking him, Utaha snapped out of her trance.
Realizing what she'd just done, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably. In a panic, she hastily folded the jacket, placed it carefully beside him, and didn't linger. She quickly stood up and hurriedly fled down the stairs.
Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha disappeared down the stairwell,
Aragaki Miyahito, who should have still been fast asleep, opened his eyes.
Watching Utaha's retreating back as she practically fled, a complex, unnameable emotion flashed through his gaze.
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