127 - From Now On, Together

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“Mmm~ salmon really is delicious!”

Ayaka took a bite of the seafood bowl that Haruto had shared with her, her face lighting up with happiness as the flavors melted in her mouth.

“You can have some tuna too.”

“Really? Then I’ll have a bite!”

Ayaka happily took a piece of tuna and smiled with a satisfied "Yum," clearly enjoying it. Watching her smile, Haruto took a bite of the fried mackerel fillet she had ordered.

The crispy batter gave way to the tender mackerel, releasing flavorful oil that spread across his tongue.

Haruto seemed pleased with the mackerel, and Ayaka, who had been watching him eat, smiled softly.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah, it’s really good.”

“You can have more if you want?”

“But there are only two mackerel fillets.”

“I’d rather watch you eat it happily than eat more myself.”

“Is that so...?”

Ayaka's words, accompanied by her bright smile, made Haruto feel a mix of happiness and bashfulness.

Feeling her gaze, Haruto ate the second mackerel fillet, trying to finish it.

“Thanks. It was delicious. Are you done with the tuna and salmon?”

“Yeah, thank you for sharing.”

After exchanging thanks, Haruto switched the plates—the fried mackerel set and the luxurious tuna-salmon bowl.

“Yeah, this is good too.”

Haruto nodded in satisfaction as he ate the tuna and salmon with rice.

Across from him, Ayaka took another bite of the fried mackerel, her face glowing with happiness.

After finishing his seafood bowl, Haruto drank a glass of water and looked over at Ayaka, noticing she was still taking her time.

She still had a blissful, relaxed expression on her face as she ate.

Watching her, Haruto suddenly thought of something and decided to act on it.

He leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Ayaka, who hadn’t noticed yet. After finishing the pickled vegetables in her small bowl, Ayaka sipped from her miso soup cup.

Then, their eyes met over the rim of her cup.

Finally noticing Haruto’s intense gaze, Ayaka’s face quickly turned red.

“W-What’s wrong, Haruto? Do I have rice on my face?”

Haruto had been staring at her for so long that Ayaka looked flustered.

He continued to stare at her, answering with a smile.

“No, I’m just looking at how cute you are eating so happily. Don’t worry about it, just enjoy your meal.”

“I-It makes me nervous…”

Ayaka muttered shyly, her face flushed. Despite that, she continued eating but would occasionally glance at him, clearly aware of his stare.

A little further into her meal, Ayaka couldn’t hold it in anymore and spoke softly.

“I give up. If you keep staring at me like that, I can’t eat…”

“But didn’t you stare at me the whole time earlier?”

“Ugh, but you were so cute eating like that…”

“I think you’re just as attractive when you’re happily eating, Ayaka.”

“...”

Ayaka shivered slightly at Haruto’s words, feeling both happy and embarrassed.

To distract herself, Ayaka grabbed the last bit of pickled vegetables and offered them to Haruto.

“...Here.”

“Thanks.”

Haruto smiled as he took the piece from her and ate it.

“Do you want more?”

“No, I’m good.”

Haruto shook his head slowly while chewing, finally stopping his gaze.

“I’ll make fried mackerel next time.”

“I’d love to try your fried mackerel, Haruto.”

Ayaka smiled as she finished the last of the fried mackerel, expressing her satisfaction.

After their early lunch, Haruto and Ayaka spent the rest of the day enjoying themselves at the aquarium.

At the dolphin show, they were mesmerized by the dolphins performing tricks. At the otter feeding experience, Ayaka was enchanted by the otters desperately reaching for the food in her hand. At the touch pool, Ayaka smiled in delight as she petted a baby shark, and Haruto felt relaxed watching her.

This was their first date as a couple.

It was so fun, and time passed by in a flash.

“Hey Haruto, let’s go there next?”

“Sure.”

Ayaka, with her innocent smile, grabbed Haruto’s hand.

They headed toward a massive tank with a transparent tunnel that passed through the water.

There was an arched tunnel at the bottom of the tank, where they could watch fish and dolphins swimming gracefully through the water.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful!”

“Yeah. It feels like we’re diving.”

“Right!”

Haruto and Ayaka were almost in a trance as they walked through the tunnel, feeling like they were underwater.

They looked up at a dolphin that swam right near them.

“I’ve never seen a dolphin from below before.”

The dolphin seemed interested in their presence and swam circles around them.

“Yeah, it feels so surreal.”

Above the water tank, the blue sky stretched out, and sunlight poured down, making the surface of the water sparkle like jewels.

“Hey, Haruto.”

“Hmm?”

Haruto turned his gaze away from the dolphins to look at Ayaka.

“It’s so much fun!”

“Yeah, it’s really fun.”

Haruto smiled back, and Ayaka smiled in response, turning her whole body toward him.

“From now on, let’s go to lots of places, do lots of things, and make a lot of memories together!”

Sunlight streamed through the water, casting beams of light that danced between the dolphins. Colorful corals surrounded by a variety of fish created a rich, beautiful scene.

Surrounded by this ethereal atmosphere, Ayaka looked even more charming, beautiful, and alluring to Haruto.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Let’s always be together.”

Haruto gently took Ayaka’s hand and pulled her closer, his eyes locking on the magical scene before them as they slowly walked.

---

The setting sun cast warm light through the train window.

Haruto and Ayaka sat closely together.

“Ah, the date is over so quickly.”

Ayaka said wistfully, gently stroking the plush manta ray she had bought.

“That aquarium was even more fun than I expected.”

Haruto said, adjusting the paper bag containing souvenirs for Shuichi and the others.

“We should bring Ryota next time. I’m sure he’d be thrilled.”

“Yeah, he’d probably just run around all day.”

“Watching Ryota’s happy face always makes me feel at ease, so I’m fine with that.”

Haruto smiled faintly, remembering Ryota’s sunny smile, and glanced down at the bag, which contained a dolphin plushie for him.

“But if that happens, I won’t get to have you all to myself.”

Ayaka said, squeezing the manta ray plushie.

By the way, Ayaka had bought the plushie during their souvenir shopping, completely falling in love with it and purchasing it on the spot.

“Well then, we’ll just have to go on more dates together.”

“Yeah, lots of dates.”

Ayaka held the plushie tightly and looked at Haruto with a playful smile, understanding the joke but responding teasingly.

“Haruto, I’m starting to get jealous of the manta ray.”

“Eh?”

Haruto, knowing she was joking, exaggeratedly pouted and made a face.

Ayaka looked down at the plushie in her lap, then grinned.

“Well, how about this?”

Ayaka set the manta ray plushie back on her lap and instead grabbed Haruto’s arm, pulling it close to her chest.

“...It’s fine, but... it’s a little embarrassing.”

Fortunately, the train car they were in was relatively empty, and the other passengers were either looking at their phones or sleeping, so no one seemed to notice them.

Ayaka, still holding his arm, leaned her head against Haruto’s shoulder.

“Today was the best day ever.”

She whispered softly, her words making Haruto feel a ticklish happiness as the train swayed.

The journey to the aquarium had felt long, but on the way back, it seemed to pass in no time at all.

Once they arrived at the nearest station to the Tojo family home, Haruto and Ayaka walked hand in hand, talking about the aquarium until they reached the front door.

“We’re home!”

“We’re home!”

As they entered the house, Ryota ran excitedly from the living room.

“Big sis! Big bro! Welcome home!!”

Ryota skidded to a stop in front of them.

“Did you have fun on your date? Did you guys make sure to nurture your love?”

“Eh!? Uh, yeah, we nurtured it properly?”

Ayaka responded a little flustered to Ryota’s innocent question.

Ryota’s straightforward, pure words always made Ayaka blush.

“I got you a souvenir, Ryota.”

“Really!?”

Ryota’s eyes widened in excitement, and he bounced on the spot.

“Here, this is your souvenir.”

“Wow! A dolphin plushie!!”

Ryota immediately took the plushie from Haruto and held it in his hands, running off to the living room.

“Mom!! Big bro got me a souvenir!!”

As Ryota dashed off, Haruto and Ayaka exchanged smiles and followed him into the living room.

Inside, Kiyoko was preparing dinner in the kitchen, and the delicious aroma filled the air. Meanwhile, Ryota was showing the dolphin plushie to Ikue.

“Look, look, Mom! It’s a dolphin plushie!”

“You’re lucky! Did you thank Haruto?”

Ikue asked, and

Ryota smiled up at her.

“Yeah! I thanked him!”

“Good boy. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, big sis! Thanks, big bro!”

Ryota turned to Haruto and Ayaka, his innocent, happy smile making the two of them feel even warmer.

The day had come to a beautiful end.