Oregairu (One shots collection)

What happened after the bridge's scene?

The bridge, usually bustling with cars and pedestrians, is eerily quiet.

Yukinoshita... Our relationship was always complicated, tinged with ambiguity and unspoken feelings. Yet, here on this bridge, something has changed.

That's what it took me to stay with her. Was going that far worth it? Absolutely. Now she's here, closer to me than she ever was.

And I know that she'll remain close to me in the future, as I desired.

"Please, allow me to have your life."

I slowly and carefully wrapped my left arm around her. The slight tenseness in her back was felt, but she didn't pull away. So, I wrapped my arm around her completely and pulled her closer to me.

She buried her head in my shoulder, and the silence enveloped us without any uncomfortable feelings.

The wind whispers in my ears, reminding me that tonight marks a turning point. I take a deep breath, letting the breeze carry away my doubts and fears. We still have a lot to learn and understand, but for the first time, I am ready to face it all with her by my side.

Now, what should we do? It's already been a few minutes; at least we're staying like this. It's not that I don't like it, but, I mean, we should go sooner or later.

"Yukinoshita..."

She opened her eyes, as if waking up from a long sleep, and looked up at me.

"I don't think we should stay here for too long." She said as I slowly let go of her.

I retrieved my bike, which I had parked a few minutes earlier, while she picked up her bag that had fallen on the ground earlier.

I walked back to her, she was staring up at the dark sky illuminated by the moon. I followed her gaze; the starry night was as beautiful as her.

Her long black hair was fitting perfectly with the nocturnal environment.

Without realizing it, my eyes landed on her figure. Maybe she was a sight more interesting to observe than the moon.

It might be so.

Yukinoshita finally looked back at me and said,

"The moon is lovely, isn't it ?"

I smiled and agreed.

"Yeah, this night especially. The moon is beautiful."

"You were looking at me, so how did you know how the moon was?" She teased.

"Then what should I have said?"

"You could have called beautiful what you were really looking at..." She said, a small blush creeping on her cheeks as she looked away.

"Sorry, I thought the word 'beautiful' wasn't strong enough to describe it."

She tried to make me flustered, but it seems that she became the one all blushing. The redness of her cheeks deepened. It was so cute to watch.

"A-Anyway..."

Yes, yes, anyway...

"Let's not stay out too late."

I walked past her, still holding my bike, as she followed.

"You took a lot of risks earlier. You might wake up with a lot of hikigerms on you tomorrow."

She chuckled softly and sighed.

"Then I guess I'll just have to get used to it." She said, with a knowing glance thrown at me.