Back home, night had already fallen.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU232tDbEPC
The door to Suzuran’s room closed with a soft click, and the house returned to silence once more.
In his own room, Koichi Kimijima slipped off his suit jacket in one smooth, practiced motion—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TWojFlXyc
just like he always did.
But as his fingers reached into the pocket—
He paused, momentarily caught off guard.
His hand touched something unfamiliar: a small, unfamiliar card.
He pulled it out.
It was a dainty card with pink edging—the kind used for the event earlier.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9QE0ELgZx
The handwriting on it was unmistakable—soft and familiar, dancing lightly across the paper:
“Thank you… for staying by my side every Valentine’s Day.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptvkEIhqCr
You always say it’s your duty…50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbrJgEpIQs
But still, I… really, truly appreciate it. Mm.”
He stared at the words, silent for a moment.
Then, almost involuntarily, the corner of his lips lifted.
A soft chuckle escaped him.
“When did she slip this in…?”
He tried to retrace his steps—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfFBVuvU1d
Was it on the escalator? While walking to the café?
He could vividly picture her fumbling hands, flushed cheeks…50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSsJRKFsYD
But couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened.
Yet that sentence—that final “mm”—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa6ePIJ7NZ
felt like a breath left lingering on the card’s edge: gentle, but real.
He ran his thumb slowly over the paper, eyes drifting out toward the night beyond the window.
Scenes flooded his mind, unbidden—
Her hand in his on the escalator,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouN5ed9ua2
The way her eyes went wide when he offered her the biscuit,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZl7IMRG8Ih
That flustered cry: “Ｉ might have a heart attack!”,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Cd3MDpJtb
The moment she hugged her head, utterly embarrassed…
They were home now.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnuf1CMID4
He should be organizing the day’s reports, preparing a summary of the outing.
But his thoughts remained—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuC02YPo4Vr
stuck in that single, flickering moment at the mall.
He whispered, barely above a breath:
“My lady… do you realize how many of your little ‘slips’ sound a bit too honest?”
He stood still in the middle of his room,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgZLmxxf2k
carefully flattening the small card in his hands,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAAVy26q55
reading it again and again.
Each simple word stitched itself into his chest—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeG3IgaA8oS
like threads piercing quietly, one at a time.
He gently closed the card, pressing it between his palms.
Then, with a soft bow of his head and hands clasped,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlSkzNvYya
he whispered a silent prayer—
“Ran… may your life be filled with peace.”
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ebLRmOUaE
Not asking for anything.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXabvKrdf8G
Not asking to be loved in return.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvMqxI8EEV
Not asking to be closer.
All he wished—
Was that the girl who always smiled through her fears,
Even if she someday fell in love with someone else,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAwGBhUiTF
Even if she remained forever out of reach—
Would still be treated kindly by the world.
He opened his hands,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61f0URRdvG
then lowered his head—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROePrpKz1L
and placed the lightest of kisses onto the pink-edged card.
It wasn’t the paper he was kissing.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIgqWaw9JV
It was her—
Her forehead, her fingers,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡku3QiXXueN
the trembling lips that had whispered “thank you.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z9gtIlwji
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HWj5FG0nI
He quietly tucked the card into the deepest corner of his drawer.
His fingers lingered at the edge a moment longer,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMgGQ1hRIy
as if sealing away a feeling that could never be spoken aloud.
Night fell deeper.
But in his heart,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC0naZr77w
he was still standing at the very beginning of that love escalator—
The place where she had once held his hand,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEIK0ycTXC
and where the warmth of that touch still burned in his palm.
Meanwhile…
After her bath, Suzuran stepped into her room wearing a long house dress, towel-drying her damp hair.
She was just about to sit at her vanity when—
She stopped.
On the tabletop sat a beautifully wrapped gift box.
A silver-white ribbon she knew all too well was tied into a perfect bow.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tfxV6TNUl
Beside it rested a small card.
“Wh-what—when did he put this here…?”
Her heart stopped for a beat.
She hurried over, caught somewhere between panic and anticipation,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiG7fSXqi0
and gingerly picked up the card.
The handwriting—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp0EUWPZnd
was his.
So familiar it made her fingertips tremble.
“My lady, you are a lily in the valley—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPQr2J0HBU
Quietly blooming, yet impossible to overlook.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfgxqmXzDI
I admire you.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8SqeMvw3F
—in every way I’m allowed to, as your butler.”
She froze.
Her eyes locked onto that line, unable to move.
And then—
Warm tears slid quietly down her cheeks.
Not sobbing—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67cKOo9V6U
Just a silent, breathless stream, as if even breathing too loud might break the moment.
She didn’t know if she was happy… or heartbroken.
Maybe it was because the word “admire” held such gentle weight—
Or maybe it was the way he chose the word “admire”—50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5olw3Xt4o
a word that framed all his feelings neatly50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjioAh0d5ZW
within the role he was never allowed to step beyond.
She gently opened the box.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAiNo0Vup6
A familiar scent wafted up at once—
It was her favorite perfume.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSzLGfHCr7
Penhaligon’s · Lily of the Valley.
50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEpI7v0oy6
The scent of valley lilies—soft, clean, and tender.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdgO9w2XS5
Like a confession that never quite found its voice in spring.
She held the bottle in her hands.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07Bgw6aJBg
Her nose tingled, her heart ached, as if the scent had grazed it lightly.
And then, softly, she murmured—
“Why did you have to choose ‘admire’… when you could’ve said ‘adore’?”
Just one word. Just one step closer.
But instead, he chose the one that kept them apart.
Her eyes welled again.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0oY334l78
Her grip on the bottle tightened just a little.
She looked down at the label, her vision blurring slightly.
Then she closed her eyes—
And gently rested her forehead against the glass,50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH892HGruyW
as if hoping to hide inside it,
To escape the emotion threatening to overflow.
And in her heart, one quiet thought surfaced:
“What do I do… I like you so much…”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIKHWPFzwp
“So much, I couldn’t even bring myself to go watch the fireworks with you.”50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMKpfDn4rN
"Because if I did… I’d fall harder than I already have."
She never did see the rooftop fireworks that night.
But deep down, she knew—
Her heart had already exploded50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZf5h5T0Q3
on that love escalator50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5Ql80MkWI
earlier that day.50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LwGvNR8bO
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRg35YYZsj
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~50Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQViy4jBbHV
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
