courage dear heart | Yuki Ishikawa

19

Ishikawa's POV

Filming didn't last long. After a few runs at the snowpark, some of them had to split off from us to do interviews and photoshoots.The rest of us decided to wait inside, taking the opportunity to grab something warm to drink.

While we were sitting at the table, Ran pulled out a banana from who knows where and started eating it.

Does he carry bananas around in his pockets?

Seeing my expression, he raised an eyebrow and handed me another banana that he had in his pocket.

I chuckled and took it, starting to eat.

"By the way, watching them makes me want to try snowboarding," Ran said between bites.

I just furrowed my brows as I continued eating.

"Now I understand why they train so intensely. It must be really tough to pull off those jumps, and if you fall badly, that's it... what would you do if you got seriously injured?" he grimaced, probably imagining the scenario.

"I'm kidding, I don't want to try anymore... if I got hurt, I wouldn't be able to play volleyball," he added, finishing his banana.

Yuji burst out laughing, giving Ran a gentle pat on the back. "Ran, are you just talking to yourself now? You're having a whole conversation on your own!" He laughed even harder. "You've definitely spent too much time with the quiet ones."

Mayu and Tomo were just watching, chuckling softly.

Ran pouted, "Yeah... now that Yuki-san is always caught up with Chō, he's barely with us anymore. But I've made friends with the others on the snowboarding team; their captain is pretty cool."

Yuji snickered, "Ran, leave Yuki alone. He's almost thirty; it's normal for him to spend time with a woman. But what about you? Is there anyone who's caught your eyes? There are two entire female teams, after all," he said, placing a hand on Ran's shoulder and raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Tomo chimed in, "Our Ran is like Chō—he's got his own fan club in the dorm! Practically all the gymnasts are crazy about him!"

Yuji gave Ran another pat on the chest, making him smile sheepishly. "Nice, Ran-chan!"

I just watched them with a smile.

Same as always

"That's not true!" Ran protested, trying to push Yuji away.

"Yes, it is! The girls are always talking about you and Hiro. They say you look like a prince, while Hiro has that mysterious charm," Mayu commented, surprising me.

Huh?

"Ehh? Now you're a prince?" Yuji continued, shaking Ran playfully.

I decided to add a little fuel to the fire. "Ran, where do you disappear for hours while we're all in the break room?"

Everyone looked at me, confused, except Ran, who stared at me in shock, as if I had just exposed his secret.

I just laughed while Yuji tried to pry an explanation out of me.

Soon after, the snowboard team's manager came to tell us it was time to head back to the dorm.

The last ones to get into the van were Chō's team since they had to change. I had saved the seat next to mine for her.

As she walked toward me, I saw her glance at the people sitting in front of us, and I noticed a small smirk that she quickly hid.

Curious, I craned my neck to see who she was looking at and saw Reira sitting next to Ran. Not that she had much choice—his seat was the only one left.

I raised an eyebrow at Chō, silently asking for an explanation, but she just shrugged as she sat down.

"Tired?" I asked, taking her hand; her hands were as cold as always. She shook her head and then rested it on my shoulder.

Within minutes, she was already asleep. I smiled, trying to adjust her to a more comfortable position.

                             - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When we arrived at the dorm, I couldn't bring myself to wake her.

She looks too cute when she's asleep.

So, I carefully lifted her into my arms to carry her to her room.

I heard someone chuckling behind me, so I turned around.

Ayuno and Yuji were grinning at each other. They both held up their phones, showing me the screens where I could see that they had taken photos and videos of us.

"Send them to me? I want them too," I said, still walking ahead, a smile tugging at my lips.

As I spoke, Chō stirred in her sleep. Still half-asleep, she instinctively wrapped her arms around my neck, snuggling closer to find a more comfortable position. The way she held onto me filled me with a warm feeling in my chest.

When we got to her room, I gently laid her down on her bed. But as soon as I did she jolted awake.

I caressed her cheek. "It's just me."

She looked at me with slightly wide eyes, and I had to muster all my self-control to resist the urge to pull her into a tight embrace because of how adorable she looked.

But then she sat up. For a moment, our gazes locked, and the room started filling with a quiet tension.

Chō reached out, grabbing my hoodie, and pressed her lips to mine.

I responded instinctively, one hand finding its way to the back of her neck.

She tried to pull me closer, but I knew it would be hard to hold back if I stayed on the bed, so I grabbed her legs and wrapped them around my waist to lift her up.

I set her down on her desk.

I stayed slightly distant, with one hand resting on the desk behind her and the other at the base of her neck.

I felt her smile against my lips, so I pulled back just enough to look at her with slightly furrowed brows.

"Am I making you laugh?" I asked, feigning sadness.

She laughed softly and ran her fingers through my hair, instantly making me relax.

"It's not you that's making me laugh, but the fact that you're staying two meters away from me like I disgust you."

I frowned in confusion and looked down; there really was quite a bit of space between us.

I raised my eyes back to hers. "Because I'm not sure I could resist you. After all, I'm no saint."

I saw her pupils dilate, and she parted her lips, but then a smirk spread across her face. "I don't recall ever saying you were a saint... or is that just an excuse?"

She's going to be the death of me one day.

I'm not sure if it was my competitive nature or because I wanted to wipe that teasing smile off her face, but I grabbed her hips and pulled her against me so she could feel how hard I was for her.

Her mouth fell open as she inhaled, her cheeks turning pink and her eyes slightly glossy. Without giving her time to say anything, I kissed her again.

I slipped my bottom lip beneath hers and sucked gently. She tugged on my hair, trying to pull me closer with her legs, and a deep groan escaped from the back of my throat.

Her phone rang, interrupting us, and I rested my forehead against hers with a sigh.

Again...

"The only thing I hate about you is your phone," I muttered.

She laughed and slid off the desk to answer that damn phone.