The Promised Kiss
After our kiss ended, we held hands and spent the night together.
Her breaths were somehow sweet, yet fleeting.
“I never thought I would have a boyfriend. I always believed I wasn’t worthy of loving anyone or being loved. If people knew about what happened to me, about my family, they’d leave me. Just like back in middle school… After rejecting a confession, someone told me I was like a robot, a girl with an unlikable face destined to live alone.”
The beautiful junior murmured those words. I understood why—because she carried too much on her own. The wounds she bore ran far too deep. The thought of punching the person who said that to her filled me with rage. She hadn’t chosen to live alone; she had been forced to. I wanted to correct that misunderstanding. If someone was confessing to her, why couldn’t they see Ai-san’s true nature?
“If I had been there, I would’ve beaten that guy to a pulp. Honestly, I think I’m the lucky one here.”
She chuckled softly at my little joke but firmly denied it.
“That’s not true. I’m the lucky one. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Her grip on my hand tightened, as if to convey her unwavering determination.
“Please, don’t ever think about dying again. Not for your mom, not for anyone else—but for me. I’d be the saddest of all.”
“And you’re the one telling me that, Senpai? I’d feel the same way if I lost you. I know all too well the pain of losing someone precious.”
We kissed again. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a promise—a vow that we’d never let go of each other. No matter what misfortunes awaited us, we would face them together. In a way, it felt like an even heavier vow than the kiss exchanged at a wedding.
I wondered if it was right to make such a serious promise in a place so devoid of romance. But then I realized, this was the only time and place we could make such a vow.
“This was supposed to be just sleeping next to each other, but we ended up kissing.”
“That’s true.”
We laughed together, hiding our mouths beneath the futon.
“Why are you always like this? Not just now, or today, but also on the day you confessed, and that day on the school rooftop. Why are you always here for me, Senpai?”
It was all a matter of chance. But I was grateful to the god who had arranged those chances—because I had been able to save her.
“That’s my line too, you know.”
Thank you for being where I could find you. I conveyed that message with just my gaze.
“After the accident, everyone around me seemed like an enemy. I hated everything. But then…”
“But then?”
She hesitated for a moment before seemingly making up her mind. Turning toward me, she spoke. We were so close that our breaths mingled, her gaze locked onto mine.
“You were the only one, Senpai. Ever since we met, I never once thought of you as an enemy.”
Then, my junior leaned her soft body against me and whispered, “I love you.”