Chisato slowly opened the small box, revealing a finely crafted silver necklace.
The pendant was shaped like a sixteenth note, with a deep blue gemstone embedded at the bottom.
When Chisato held the necklace up, letting the pendant dangle in the air, Kazusa's heart trembled.
With a gentle smile, Chisato said, "To be honest, when I saw you playing the piano this morning after so long, I almost gave it to you right then and there.
The setting and atmosphere were perfect. But looking at it now, I'd say this moment isn't too bad either."
"…"
Kazusa didn't respond. But her eyes shimmered, her lips trembled slightly—everything about her reaction betrayed the joy and excitement swelling in her heart.
Chisato leaned closer, unfastening the necklace. His voice was husky.
"Can I put it on for you?"
"…"
Though slightly flustered, Kazusa still chose to cooperate. She stared at Chisato's approaching face, their proximity so close that she could feel his warm breath.
A cool sensation brushed against her neck, followed by the gentle lift of her hair and the faint touch of his fingers against her skin.
Once the necklace was secured, Chisato pulled back slightly, carefully observing Kazusa before nodding in satisfaction.
"As I thought, it suits you perfectly."
"…Why?"
Kazusa pinched the small pendant between her fingers. Though her heart was overflowing with sweetness, she still couldn't help but ask.
Chisato tilted his head.
"Why what?"
Kazusa turned her head slightly to the side.
"I mean… Why did you suddenly decide to give me a gift? Were you trying to win me over or something?"
"What are you talking about, Kazusa? Today is your birthday."
"…"
Kazusa froze for a moment before suddenly realizing.
Oh right, today's my birthday. I'm a year older now… Wait, no!
"How do you even know my birthday is today? I never told you anything like that. Did my mom tell you?"
"No."
Chisato shook his head.
"Do you remember when we first met? I once borrowed your phone in the music room."
Kazusa thought for a moment.
"That did happen."
"It was then that I asked you for your phone's unlock code. You gave me the numbers 0528—which is today's date."
"You…"
Kazusa was at a loss for words.
He had been paying attention to her this much even back then?
"But just to be sure and avoid any misunderstandings, I did ask Miss Youko for confirmation. That's how I was completely certain."
Compared to Kazusa's turbulent emotions, Chisato seemed quite composed. To him, remembering the birthday of someone he loved was just common sense.
But that was merely his perspective.
Compared to her thoughtful boyfriend, Kazusa suddenly felt overwhelmingly guilty. After all, she had no idea when Chisato's birthday was.
"…Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"I said, close your eyes!"
Though puzzled as to why Kazusa was suddenly acting so flustered over a simple necklace, Chisato obediently did as she asked.
And then—
The next moment, his lips were sealed by something soft.
Not only that, but something even softer pressed against him…
As far as he could recall, this was the first time Kazusa had ever been so passionate and proactive.
Chisato struggled to resist the urge to open his eyes, wanting to savor the moment for as long as possible.
But fate had other plans—the Ferris wheel had returned to the ground.
Before the ride attendant could remind them to disembark, Kazusa's bold kiss had already come to an abrupt end.
The night sky was clear, filled with countless stars.
On the way back, sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Chisato glanced at Kazusa, who had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder, and quietly closed his eyes as well.
By the time he escorted Kazusa home, it was already past eight o'clock.
Standing at the gate, he could see the house lights were on, a clear sign that Youko was already home.
Kazusa, who had been mulling over her thoughts the entire way, finally came to a decision at this very moment.
She stole a glance at Chisato beside her, letting out a silent sigh of relief, though she couldn't help but feel a slight grievance toward her mother.
If she was going to go out, she should have just stayed out the whole day...
"It's getting late. I won't go in."
"Mm..."
Kazusa agreed verbally, but her hand, which was holding his, showed no sign of letting go.
Chisato wasn't in a hurry either and half-jokingly said, "If you can't bear to part with me, I wouldn't mind staying over tonight. Of course, I'd need to get Miss Youko's approval first."
"You're dating me, not my mom. There's no need to ask for her permission on this."
"Then I'll stay tonight? Just like before, sleeping together?"
"Keep dreaming! You won't get a second chance at that."
"Ah, so you did know about that time, huh, Kazusa?"
"Enough with the chatter! Shut up!"
Flustered, Kazusa twisted the soft flesh at Chisato's waist until he cried out in pain, repeatedly begging for mercy before she finally let him go.
"Chisato, I need to tell you something important. Listen carefully."
"Alright~"
"Be serious! I'm not joking around!"
Kazusa's tone grew firm.
Chisato took a deep breath and lowered the hand that had been raised in a playful salute.
"Okay, I got it. Go ahead."
"The person I like is you, not... Hey! What's with that grin? Stop laughing!"
"Sorry, sorry..."
Chisato quickly covered his mouth, signaling that he wouldn't interrupt again and urging her to continue.
Kazusa repeatedly told herself to stay calm, and after steadying her emotions, she spoke again.
"The person I like is you, Chisato. Not those girls around you.
And because of your relationship with them, I really, really... really dislike them!
I don't want to make things difficult for you, but I also can't force myself to put on a friendly face around them. So I'm letting you know in advance."
Chisato, still covering his mouth, nodded to show he understood.
Kazusa continued.
"Also... I'm sorry, but I can't continue fulfilling your expectations anymore. Our promise... I don't think I can keep it."
Chisato blinked in confusion, unsure of what she meant.
Kazusa explained further.
"When I first got together with you, I was rebelling against my mom and gave up on the path of piano.
We promised to study hard together and get into the same university... But now I've realized that wasn't truly what I wanted for my future. I denied the very thing I love the most."
Chisato slowly lowered his hand.
Kazusa suddenly grew a little anxious.
"No, wait, Chisato, don't misunderstand... I'm not saying I don't want to be with you anymore. What I mean is, studying hard is what I want to reject—mmph..."
Her words were cut off.
Because Chisato, completely surprising her, took a step forward and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
"That's great."
"That's... great?"
The situation had gone off script, and Kazusa was momentarily stunned.
"I always thought so—Kazusa, your piano is the best. I've always believed that."
"Wait, no... Hold on a second."
Kazusa gently pushed Chisato away, but the genuine joy on his face left her utterly confused.
She took a deep breath, trying to sort out her thoughts.
"Chisato, I just told you I'm breaking our promise. I don't plan to waste any more time struggling with school. I want to return to the piano and step into the world of classical music."
Chisato smiled brightly.
"Yeah, I heard you. And I'm really happy."
"No, you should be mad!"
"Why?"
"Because I broke our promise!"
"What promise?"
"The one I just said! About studying hard together and going to the same university!"
"Oh, that? That was never a big deal."
"Not a big deal?! Not a big deal?!"
"Honestly, I always knew you wouldn't be able to give up the piano.
The reason I made that promise with you back then was just to keep you from wasting your time and to help you focus on something productive."
Chisato spread his hands in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Besides, even if we agreed to get into the same university, let's be real—given how much you hate studying, no matter how hard you try, there's no way your academic level could ever reach my level of excellence.
Unless I deliberately lowered my standards to match the university you could get into, it was never realistically going to happen in the first place."
Smack!
"Ow! That hurts!"
Chisato, who had been smugly and endlessly explaining his theory, suddenly crouched down, clutching his shin in pain.
It was no surprise—after all, in Kazusa's eyes, his arrogant attitude was infuriating.
"You didn't have to resort to violence just because you disagreed," Chisato hissed through gritted teeth as he struggled to stand up.
That kick really hurt.
Kazusa crossed her arms and spoke coldly, "Sorry for being such an idiot who can't study."
"Who said you're an idiot? In my eyes, Kazusa is a genius—a piano genius and a genius of hard work too."
Chisato took her hands into his.
Kazusa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"…You always know how to say nice things."
"I'm not just trying to make you happy. I've thought this way from the start."
"…Really?"
"Really."
"So, about breaking our promise…"
"You should just do whatever you want to do, Kazusa. I'll always put you first."
"…"
Kazusa stared at him silently, then stood on tiptoe.
She couldn't do anything more than that… but a small kiss as a reward was fine.
"Mmm…"
This was the second time today she had taken the initiative.
This time, with no one to interrupt, she could enjoy it to the fullest.
…
"Yo, welcome back, piano genius and hardworking prodigy."
With her face flushed red and her cheeks slightly sore, Kazusa had just stepped into the house when her mother greeted her with a teasing remark.
"Mom!"
Kazusa had already been sitting at the entryway, taking off her shoes, but upon hearing her mother's words, she immediately threw her shoe aside and jumped up.
"Were you spying again?!"
"What do you mean spying? The night sky is lovely tonight, so I was in the garden enjoying the moon.
Then, thanks to your complete lack of awareness, your conversation just found its way into my ears.
Why are you mad at me?
If anything, I should be the one complaining.
Here I was, trying to enjoy my evening, and you two had no regard for whether I wanted to witness such an overwhelming display of affection.
Especially that last part—nearly ten whole minutes of that sort of thing. Young people these days, really."
"…!!!"
"Well, since the sweetness of tonight's display was just right for my taste, I'll let it slide this time.
But don't do it again, okay?
Watching other people being lovey-dovey while I'm all alone is just too depressing and lonely."
"Ugh…!!!"
Kazusa raised her hands to cover her face.
Her mother was just too powerful—in every possible sense of the word.
She couldn't fight back, nor could she outtalk her.
What could she do? With only a single relationship's worth of experience, all she could do was angrily pick up the shoe she had just thrown away.
Watching her daughter, Youko crouched down beside her, her amused smile never fading.
"Still, why didn't you invite him inside? He walked you all the way to the door."
Kazusa responded in an exaggeratedly calm tone, "I don't want to talk about this right now."
She then got up and headed for the living room. Youko followed.
"Come on, don't be so stingy~"
"If you're bored, go find yourself a man! Stop pestering your own daughter all the time!"
"Funny thing—over the past few years, I haven't really been interested in that anymore. Maybe I'm finally hitting that age… menopause?"
"I think that's absolutely right!"
"Women going through menopause need extra care and patience. So, Kazusa, you should talk to your dear mother more often. Otherwise, I might fall into depression."
"…If you keep this up, I'll definitely go into depression before you do!"
Kazusa downed a glass of water and headed straight for the bathroom.
Youko's smile softened slightly, and she let out a quiet sigh.
When Kazusa finished her bath and sat on the couch eating fruit, Youko stared at the necklace around her daughter's neck and asked with a small smile,
"So, you've told Chisato that you're officially pursuing your piano dream.
But aside from that, when are you planning to tell him that at the end of this semester, you'll be heading to Vienna with me to study music?"
Kazusa's chewing came to a halt. After a brief pause, she resumed eating as if nothing had happened.
"I have my own plan. Don't mention it to him yet."
"Yes, yes~ My dear daughter has spoken, so of course, I'll obey. But you really made up your mind after hearing what I said, didn't you?"
"…Guh!"
Kazusa's pale face instantly turned a deep shade of pink.
"I hate you, Mom. Good night!"
"And I love you the most, Kazusa. Good night."
Placing a cherry into her mouth, Youko murmured to herself,
"She didn't deny it, that girl…"
Kazusa stomped up the stairs and into her room.
In the darkness of her bedroom, she flopped onto the bed.
Her bare feet, free of socks or slippers, kicked wildly at the sheets, the sound of the fabric snapping against her soles echoing in the quiet room.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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