The Nonfiction That Only You Know

Chapter 26

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/06/19

Chiho watches from inside the car as fluffy white snowflakes descend from the sky in a dance.

The weather forecast was surprisingly accurate and a white Christmas has come as predicted.

"Pretty..."

She has never been this excited to see snow before.
Maybe it's because she'll be spending the day with the person she loves that these minor details make her so happy.

Her work ended on schedule so she's in the middle of returning to school by car.

"The lights are on even in daytime..."

She watches the twinkling lights from the car as it snows.

She thought they would only light up at night, but they sparkle in the daytime as well.

"You will be making an appearance on a music show tomorrow for your next job, so don't get too crazy just because it's Christmas."
"I wouldn't do that."
"Well, I'm sure it will be fine since it's you, Minami."

Chiho feels slightly guilty while looking at the smiling manager.
Thanks to her usual behavior, he doesn't monitor her as closely as the other members.

The person she'll be with is the same sex and her love is unrequited, so there definitely shouldn't be a problem. She desperately lines up such excuses in her mind.

Looking out of the car again, she sees a man and woman happily walking along while holding hands.

She envies them terribly.
She ends up uncharacteristically thinking, "Ah, that's nice."

She wants to watch the lights together with Mii like that.
She wants to hold hands with her while walking together.

Next year as well and beyond.
She wants to be together with Mii.

Chiho is filled with so much love for her.
She once felt so much contempt about the other members having boyfriends. She never thought she would understand their feelings one day.

Suppressing such painful feelings can not be done with an ordinary amount of willpower.

Even she can't control her own feelings. If she drops her guard for even a moment, she feels like she'll get swept away.
This must be what it means to love someone.

After returning to her dorm, Chiho extends her bangs with her hair straightener.
She makes them straight to hide her eyes and then puts on a mask.

This will be her first time wearing personal clothes to meet Mii instead of her uniform.
She doesn't want Mii to think she was too fired up, so she settles on a long skirt and a short-knit sweater. She comes up to Mii's door wearing casual clothes.

Using her index finger which has a fake nail tip attached, she slowly presses the intercom button.　

In her left hand, she holds a package of ddungcarons (Korean-style macarons) she bought from a famous store beforehand as a present.

"Welcome, Chiho-chan."

Chiho couldn't help but stare at the girl who came out to greet her.

She had seen Mii in her personal clothes many times.
Mii always dresses cutely whenever she meets Minami at handshake events.

However, she never thought that Mii would dress up in the same way for Chiho as well.

Mii is wearing the tight one-piece dress that Chiho only saw for a brief moment during a handshake event.