Chapter 5

RAW

(…………?)

Though it was the same room as always, my body felt something different in this familiar space, a sensation that I could sense even in my drowsy state.

As my consciousness gradually awakened, I felt the dryness in my throat from the intense heating, the soft touch, and the warmth that wasn’t the bed. I opened my eyes.

"…………!"

I gasped.

In front of me was Chinatsu's sleeping face, and I was fully awake now.

When I looked down, I saw my lover, completely naked, lying beside me, and I was at a loss as to where to look. Almost mesmerized, I quickly pulled the blanket over her and heard the rapid beat of my heart.

"Mm…………uh?"

Chinatsu stirred, and despite everything that had happened last night, my body was still reacting to the morning's natural urges, her knee brushing against me.

She was probably still half-asleep, trying to figure out what had touched her, her consciousness gradually returning.

Then, with a slight snap, Chinatsu’s eyes opened, and we locked gazes.

Her gaze, following the feeling of her knee on me, slowly traveled downward to check something, her face flushing from her cheeks to her ears. It was the first time I’d seen someone's face blush like that up close.

So that's why they call it "blushing," like the tide rising, I thought, oddly understanding.

"Good morning, Hajime. …Umm, I’m fine, but it’s morning, so how about we have breakfast and go to the shrine first, and then…"

Chinatsu greeted me with a good morning, then, in a voice so small it could have been easily missed, added that.

"…………"

Hearing Chinatsu's words on our first morning of the year, I felt like the luckiest man alive.

◇◆

We each took a shower, had a light breakfast, and headed to a nearby shrine.

"You know, I actually wanted to wear a kimono and look really sharp, but I don’t have one, and my mom’s not around either," Chinatsu said.

She was dressed in her usual modest style, wearing a puffy coat, while I was layered up, with a knit hat and coat, prepared for the cold winter morning. We probably looked like any other random couple unless someone got really close.

It was incredibly crowded at the shrine, as it usually was on New Year’s Day.

"Hajime! Let’s draw an omikuji! Oh, and there are food stalls, that’s pretty awesome," Chinatsu exclaimed.

There were several old shrines in the area where I lived, and during this season, many local vendors set up stalls selling takoyaki, sweet sake, and suzukas. It was quite festive.

"We’ll check them out later. For now, let’s do our prayer at the main hall," I said, leading her to the line for our first shrine visit of the year.

"Let’s be generous with our offering this year," I added.

"Generous?" she asked.

"Yeah, I usually put in just a few coins, but this year, I’m going to go all out and throw in all the small change I have," I said.

"Ahaha, how much is that, exactly?"

"Let’s see, 395 yen. Oh, and that’s a good omen, don’t you think? 'Thank you for the connection.'"

"…………"

"Aren’t you cold? Come on, you’re my boyfriend, so don’t ignore me," she teased.

"…………I just couldn’t think of anything to say! And there’s no such thing as a 'role' for a boyfriend to comment on!" I shot back.

While we bickered in a playful way, we reached our turn.

I performed the ritual of two bows, two claps, and one final bow, as I had looked up beforehand.

"Don’t we also have to say our address?" I asked.

"Yeah, that’s right," Chinatsu confirmed.

Following her lead, I threw all the change into the offering box. It was my first time putting in a 500-yen coin. Lately, there have been a lot of firsts.

I prayed in gratitude for the past year and, glancing at Chinatsu, who was fervently praying, I made my wish for the year.

"Now, let’s draw our omikuji!" Chinatsu urged.

"By the way, I put all my small change in. Does that mean we get change back from the omikuji?" I asked.

"Ah…! Why did you have to throw in all your small change, too?!"

"Heh, well… let’s get some takoyaki or sweet sake and get our change, then we’ll draw our omikuji."

— A simple exchange like this, I hope it continues like this forever.

"By the way, Hajime, what did you wish for?" Chinatsu asked.

"Well, of course, it was for you and me... but now that I’m saying it, it feels a little embarrassing. What about you? You said you were being greedy."

"For me? I wished that my mom stays healthy. And that my grandma lives a long life. Also... that my little brother is born safely."

"Ah… I see."

"Greedy, huh? But of course, I also wished for you and me to be happy together. Hehe, and I have a feeling you wished for the same thing, too."

"I only wished for that, but maybe I should’ve prayed for my uncle’s health like you did. You’re really amazing, Chinatsu… I think it’s great. And I hope I can pray for the same things, just like you did."

We smiled at each other, sharing our deepest wishes.

If there is a god,

Thank you so much for last year, and please continue to watch over us this year.

— I hope that we can always be happy together, side by side, from now on.