Back home, night had already fallen.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9hiwLP3hN
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—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XJFOL1EZN
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojhS0lY24X
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cn2c2TATn
You always say it’s your duty…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEMRfnzlNF
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—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCXy02xseF
Was it on the escalator? While walking to the café?
He could vividly picture her fumbling hands, flushed cheeks…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ439lVNx5Iy
But couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened.
Yet that sentence—that final “mm”—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3gtNFrUfE
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSbGAIS8gW
The way her eyes went wide when he offered her the biscuit,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3mwDB0IZF
That flustered cry: “Ｉ might have a heart attack!”,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AtZqYfGto
The moment she hugged her head, utterly embarrassed…
They were home now.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh39beNW09K
He should be organizing the day’s reports, preparing a summary of the outing.
But his thoughts remained—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zkYjpGhr3
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgwUuSdpm4
carefully flattening the small card in his hands,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgFcLDsVst
reading it again and again.
Each simple word stitched itself into his chest—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KTX3MdMe4
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6fnHcuCPJ
he whispered a silent prayer—
“Ran… may your life be filled with peace.”
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0OdRlRMd4
Not asking for anything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUihzdNK0e
Not asking to be loved in return.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw75YSvQK6X
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rCFTZR1Ps
Even if she remained forever out of reach—
Would still be treated kindly by the world.
He opened his hands,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1ZRlttHTW
then lowered his head—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQpILNAys7
and placed the lightest of kisses onto the pink-edged card.
It wasn’t the paper he was kissing.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OfwNrs1nK
It was her—
Her forehead, her fingers,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2Dh1SSFoM
the trembling lips that had whispered “thank you.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJlx6u6Boy
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6kqzWkVVx
He quietly tucked the card into the deepest corner of his drawer.
His fingers lingered at the edge a moment longer,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBFdItyZey
as if sealing away a feeling that could never be spoken aloud.
Night fell deeper.
But in his heart,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzboVctULSD
he was still standing at the very beginning of that love escalator—
The place where she had once held his hand,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2OkouGrVT
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMWxvSjsQi
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDsVeH5FkG
and gingerly picked up the card.
The handwriting—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKKdS3k0OL
was his.
So familiar it made her fingertips tremble.
“My lady, you are a lily in the valley—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Fsayo9trF
Quietly blooming, yet impossible to overlook.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01m69mY9QI
I admire you.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mH8GxXk3t
—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—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNvHuTczS4
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”—46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqoPCmcvaB
a word that framed all his feelings neatly46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv113u6bFfw
within the role he was never allowed to step beyond.
She gently opened the box.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdTFR6I23F
A familiar scent wafted up at once—
It was her favorite perfume.
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9aPW34zCC
Penhaligon’s · Lily of the Valley.
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIoKhlehER
The scent of valley lilies—soft, clean, and tender.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaytqIMCOjV
Like a confession that never quite found its voice in spring.
She held the bottle in her hands.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhipFu4Dv4o
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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWvs5c51gH
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,46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmJstax5xs
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…”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXs5IXYUTI
“So much, I couldn’t even bring myself to go watch the fireworks with you.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdVIJNmPKD
"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 exploded46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcud8QEYuB
on that love escalator46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoubZKBkSc
earlier that day.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlNqHe54cc
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPuH7eu8gWP
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjmAwqtE9Z
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
