After Helping “Ice Princess” From Another School, I Decided to Start as a Friend Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 10

"How about this? Isn't Souta just so cute!"

"He’s so cute...! Really, really cute!"

After lunch, Nagi was looking through my photo album. It seemed like it was something Mom had brought.

"This version of Souta is so adorable too. He’d always say, 'Papa, papa, let’s play together!' and cling to me."

"Don’t fabricate memories, Dad. I never called you anything other than 'Dad.' Also, I only asked to play with you before I started elementary school."

With a sigh at my dad, who always tries to change the story, I looked at the photos too.

"Souta-kun, you’re amazing. In the pictures from the sports day, it always looks like you’re getting gold medals."

"Yeah. I was just fast on my feet. For the class relay races, I was the anchor and always got a medal."

Nagi was looking at pictures from sports days. Every year, I had multiple gold medals made of paper hanging around my neck.

"Ah, those were the days. You know, kids around that age who are fast are really popular, right? Souta was always active during the sports day, so afterward, he’d be really popular."

"…Oh, is that so?"

"Well, I’m not sure if 'popular' is the right word, and it was only for a short period after the event."

Her blue eyes turned toward me, and the air in the room seemed to get a little cooler. I could tell it wasn’t just my imagination.

"The fact that it was only a short period afterward still sticks with me."

"I was more shy back then. Even if the opportunity came, there wasn’t anyone I could become friends with."

"I see..."

Nagi furrowed her brow slightly, looking dissatisfied, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to press further. I was relieved.

This was something I didn’t really want to talk about in front of Dad and Mom.

"Anyway, let’s move on to the next photo—"

Just then, the sound of a smartphone notification rang. Nagi gasped.

"Excuse me for a moment... It’s from my father. It seems the matter is finished, and he can meet anytime. What should we do?"

Nagi’s eyes shifted from her phone to Mom and Dad.

"I’ll go with you, Dad."

"Got it. Then let’s go together. We should meet at a nearby café if possible..."

"Understood. I’ll make a quick call. It’s faster than texting."

Nagi then called Soichiro-san, and from what I could hear, everything seemed fine.

"They’ll head over right away. They should reach the nearest café in about fifteen minutes."

"Alright. Let’s get ready quickly."

"Yes, understood. So, the nearest café would be… this one, right?"

"Yes, that one."

Mom showed Nagi the map on her phone, and Nagi nodded.

Mom and Dad quickly got ready and left the house.

★★★

Dad and the others came back two hours later.

And with them... Soichiro-san and Chie-san.

"Souta-kun, Nagi. Sorry, we got caught up talking and lost track of time."

"We’re grateful for everything, Soichiro-san. Chie-san."

"There's no need to be so formal, Souta-kun. You’ve officially become Nagi’s fiancé now," Chie-san said with a smile. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of pressure. It probably had something to do with... the conversation about the engagement.

"Well, I had a meaningful conversation with Soichiro-san. It was really enjoyable."

"...I don’t know if I should say this, but... did you manage to have a proper conversation with Dad?"

"Haha. Don't make me cry. I’ve had a few conversations with important people in my work, you know."

I knew he was probably managing to switch gears, but when I thought about what he was like at home, it was hard to believe.

"Yeah, I had a great conversation with Daigo-san. Oh, Souta-kun, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?"

I turned my attention to Soichiro-san as he called me.

"I’ll say it again. I am truly grateful to you. I’ll never be able to repay this debt in my lifetime."

"Is that... about what happened?"

"Yes, about the engagement."

I couldn’t help but straighten my back, and Nagi’s hand gently gripped mine.

"Souta-kun."

The warmth of sunlight on the surface of water. My body, which had been tense, began to relax, and I let out a small sigh.

"...Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

After relaxing my heart, I shifted my gaze back to Soichiro-san. His expression had softened more than before, and beside him, Chie-san was smiling just like someone else I knew.

"Canceling the engagement the day of... indeed, that was rude. However, it’s something that can be made right again."

"I’m relieved to hear you say that."

"Although your words are reassuring, you still seem a little worried."

"...I’m sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Soichiro-san said, his voice lowering slightly. "Although I can’t speak loudly about it, let me explain. The situation..."

Soichiro-san’s tone dropped a notch.

"Actually, there was no loss on my side."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. The company was a competitor, not a business partner. The purpose of this engagement was to provide Nagi with someone she could be close to, and the acquisition was secondary. The losses were negligible. And considering Nagi’s happiness, those losses hardly matter at all."

Chie-san, who had been smiling, stopped for a moment and nodded deeply beside him.

"Well, there's no need to compare. Nagi's happiness outweighs everything else... Though, it’s not something I can say considering my own past. But let’s put that aside for now."

"The Soichiro-san now is different from the one back then."

"Yes... That's right. The me back then, who turned away from Nagi, is not the same as the me now."

Soichiro-san smiled slightly, a bit awkwardly. He probably wasn’t used to smiling like that.

"Let's get back on track. The talk about gains and losses is really a non-issue. The other side might have faced a slight loss, but it’s trivial. The trust from their side had already been lost by the time the engagement was mentioned. Anyone could see that it was a mix of business and personal matters... I understand his feelings, but he rushed things. He probably guessed that there were many others who were interested in proposing to Nagi. In fact, there were multiple other proposals apart from his."

"...I hadn’t heard about that."

"At that time, I was thinking about finding someone close in age to Nagi, and he was just the one who fit the conditions." Nagi nodded in understanding, but seeing Soichiro-san’s expression, which looked like he had just bitten into a sour plum, she fell silent.

"From my perspective, whether or not you got involved, he would’ve disappeared eventually... A leader who loses the trust of their executives doesn’t have a long future. There’s no point in speculating too much, but his chance of recovering from this is almost non-existent. If he had ambition, things might have been different, but..."

Soichiro-san cleared his throat with a cough, then gave a small smile.

"Anyway. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Hold your head high."

His voice was firm, as if striking my chest with his words.

"You’re the one who can make Ngai the happiest, more than anyone else."

"...Yes!"

I realized that this was Soichiro-san’s way of cheering me on, and I raised my voice.

"See? I told you to leave it to Dad, right?"

Dad gave me a thumbs up with a smile.

Dad is... really dependable.

"Thank you, Dad."

"You’re welcome."

Dad smiled, then turned away.

"Well then, I’ve shown my dear son how dependable I can be, so I guess it’s time to head home."

"Huh? You’re leaving already? I thought you were staying over."

"That was the plan at first, but... apparently, Dad has a lot of work piling up. With the year-end coming up, and you coming home too, I need to finish it up before then."

"...Dad, I thought it was like that before, but this sounds like a pretty black company."

"The work environment and pay aren’t bad, though. Just a little too much work... Ah, but we’ve got the bullet train schedule to consider."

"I’m really sorry for interrupting your time with just the two of you."

"Well, I did manage to help clear up one of my son’s worries, so it’s all good, Soichiro-san. Plus, I’m planning to spoil my son during the winter break! I’m so excited that I won’t be able to sleep!"

"...Take it easy."

That was a very dad-like thing to say. Still, it might not be such a bad idea to spend some time with Dad during the winter break.

"Alright, we really need to get going, or we’ll be in a rush."

"I’ll take you there. You two should have some time to talk a bit."

"Thank you, Soichiro-san."

"I’m the one who took up the time, so it’s fine... I’d like to say that, but I guess this is the right thing to say between you two."

Soichiro-san smiled mischievously, something rare for him.

"You’re welcome."

Nagi’s eyes widened in surprise, and beside Soichiro-san, Dad had a look on his face as if he’d pulled off a trick. He’d probably heard it from Dad.

...I once again realized just how amazing Dad is.

★★★

One week later, on Saturday. After Mom and the others had left, our daily life returned to normal.

"~~"

Nagi seemed to be in a good mood as she hummed a little tune, chopping vegetables on the cutting board.

I watched her from the side, observing the scene.

Nagi, dressed in an apron, looked very domestic. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and every time the wind made her body sway, her ponytail gently swayed along with it. As I stared at it, the wind briefly glanced over at me.

Our gazes met, and soft sunlight filtered through her eyes. Nagi placed the knife down, washed her hands, and dried them with a towel before walking over to me.

"I felt like doing it. The first time, please."

Nagi gently placed her hand on my chest. Then, she naturally stood on tiptoe and pressed her soft lips against mine.

A sweet scent floated in the air, and her silky hair fluttered for a moment. Her slightly cool hand rested over my heartbeat, and I could feel her body temperature through her lips.

Nagi's blue eyes stared at me intently. Those eyes narrowed happily.

However, the moment lasted only a few seconds. Nagi reluctantly pulled away from my lips and stopped stretching.

"...Your heart is really racing, Souta-kun."

"I-I wasn’t ready for it, so it’s bad for my heart... I need a little more time to prepare—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Nagi took my hand and pressed it against the place where her heartbeat could be felt.

The area shifted slightly, and I could feel it clearly.

"N-Nagi... What are you doing?"

"I’m nervous too, you know?"

From the soft sensation, I could distinctly feel her own heartbeat. However, more than that, I felt another sensation stronger than anything else...

"Nagi. This... well, this isn’t exactly..."

The place where I could feel her heartbeat was, of course, close to her chest... As I looked at Nagi while enduring the soft sensation in her hand, she smiled, her face bright red.

"Well, I... I like feeling Souta-kun’s heartbeat too. It’s fair."

"F-Fair, but..."

"Or maybe—"

Nagi suddenly looked away.

"—Did you... not like it?"

Without thinking, I closed my eyes.

If I didn’t, it felt like my head might explode.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind, but the thoughts didn’t go away.

"I-It’s not that I didn’t like it... It’s just... I might not be able to control myself."

When I finally managed to say that, Nagi let go of my hand. She pouted a little and turned her face away.

"...You don’t have to control yourself."

She whispered that softly.

Her usual polite tone was gone—it was like her heart’s voice was leaking out.

My heart pounded loudly, louder than I had ever heard it before.

"Just now, what—"

I tried to speak, but quickly shut my mouth. Nagi looked at me with a confused expression, seeming unaware of what had just happened.

—She doesn’t realize. If that’s the case, maybe it’s better not to say anything.

No, but just now... it was a bit... no, it was a lot... Calm down. Calm down, me.

I placed my hand on my chest. The hand that had been touching Nagi earlier... The same hand that had felt her heartbeat and mine overlapping just now. My heart raced like a drum.

The contrast of emotions continued to make my heart throb uncontrollably, and it didn’t seem to calm down anytime soon.

★★★

By the time we were having dinner, things had returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. Nagi had no slip-ups with her polite speech, and there was no excessive physical contact.

Before I knew it, things were back to the way they were with Nagi, which I suppose is a good thing... though there are times when I get embarrassed just thinking about it.

"How is it?"

"Ah, it's delicious. Really delicious."

Tonight’s dinner consisted of mackerel with daikon, miso soup, and spinach ohitashi.

Everything was very tasty. I made sure to tell Nagi how good it was, and she smiled happily in response.

"I'm glad!"

While we ate, we talked about various things: conversations with friends, casual things from class. It was just small talk, but the topics never ran out.

We kept talking... even after we finished eating and started clearing the dishes. We continued chatting for probably over an hour.

It was a warm, gentle time that made my heart feel at ease.

Nagi checked the time and gave a slightly wistful look.

"Well... I really want to stay over again tonight, but I also want to talk a lot with Mom and Dad, so I think I’ll head home soon."

"Ah, I understand... Nagi. Can I ask you two things before you go?"

"Yes? What is it?"

I stopped Nagi as she stood up... after a brief pause, I looked into her deep blue eyes.

"What are you doing for Christmas, Nagi? ...What do you want to do?"

"I’ll be with Souta-kun."

Without even a moment of hesitation, Nagi answered. She smiled softly, looking at me with gentle eyes.

"I want to be with Souta-kun."

"…I-I see."

The words came straight at me, and I froze for a moment.

Then, Nagi looked at me seriously, still holding that expression.

"I haven’t decided yet, but I’d like to go somewhere."

"Yeah. It's Christmas, after all... Let’s think about it. If there’s anywhere you want to go, just let me know."

"Got it."

There would probably be events and illuminations happening everywhere. Maybe I should look it up later... or I could ask Eiji for suggestions. There’s still time, so it’ll be fine.

"What's the second thing?"

"Ah... about the key I gave you the other day. What are you doing with it now?"

When I asked, Nagi's ears twitched slightly.

"Well... um, how should I say it..."

She seemed a little hesitant, but Nagi continued.

"I’ve been thinking I shouldn’t lose it, so I’ve placed it in a small box and am keeping it safe."

That was an unexpected response. Understanding the meaning of her words, I couldn’t help but smile.

"I see... That's very like you, Nagi."

"I-I know, okay? I understand that keys are for using, not just for looking at... but... the thought of losing it scares me."

So, she wasn’t just keeping it safe but also admiring it... or was she?

"In that case, haven’t you bought a key case yet?"

"Ah... now that you mention it, I haven’t bought one yet."

Perhaps it was because she had kept it at home all this time. Hearing that, I felt a slight sense of relief and spoke up.

"It’s a little ahead of time, but... I was thinking of giving you a key case for Christmas."

I considered keeping it a surprise, but knowing Nagi might already have one or that it might not make her happy, I thought it would be better to ask.

"Is that okay?"

"Ah, yeah... It’s the only thing I could think of right now. Is there anything else you want?"

Nagi leaned in close. Her enthusiasm was greater than I had expected. I asked, hoping she might have another request, but she shook her head vigorously.

"No, no. I’ll be super happy just to receive it from you, Souta-kun. And actually, I was just thinking that I wanted one, so... I’m really, really happy..."

"I-I see."

Each word she spoke made my heart stir. My heart was beating so loudly, and... Nagi probably knew.

While I was caught up in these thoughts, Nagi tugged at shirt a little.

"Souta-kun... do you have anything you want?"

"Me? If it's from you, Nagi, I’d be happy with anything..."

I wondered if I should say something specific. As I hesitated, Nagi let out a small, relieved sigh.

"I see. Well, I’ve been thinking about it too. I’ll go with that. I hope you’ll be looking forward to it."

Her words surprised me a little, but... staying silent had been the right choice. Honestly, though, I’d be happy with whatever she gave me.

"I’m looking forward to it."

"Yes!"

Just one more month to go, and I was already excited.

After Nagi nodded enthusiastically, she stood up from the couch.

"Well then. I’d like to stay longer, but since I’ve already contacted the driver, I should head home now."

"Yeah. Sorry for taking up your time."

"No, it’s fine. I’ve been wanting to hear about Christmas plans too."

Nagi smiled brightly and began preparing to leave. She hadn’t really unpacked much, so it didn’t take long.

"I think I’m good. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything."

"Yeah, it should be fine. If anything turns up, I’ll bring it over on Monday."

"Thanks."

Nagi took her bag and then squeezed my hand tightly.

"...I feel a little lonely now that we’re about to part ways."

"We’ll see each other again soon. I understand how you feel, though."

When Nagi wasn’t here, this room felt incredibly lonely... I’ve changed since I’ve been with Nagi. I never used to think like this when I was alone.

Slowly, I walked with Nagi toward the entrance.

As she put on her shoes and opened the door, a cold wind blew in. Nagi tightened her grip on my hand, and the warmth of her hand flowed from my hand to my body and into my heart.

"Your body will get cold, so it's fine here."

"Got it."

Her warm hand gently released mine. Nagi looked at me and smiled brightly.

"Souta-kun."

Nagi called my name, then tilted her head slightly and pushed her face forward.

"For the second time, Souta-kun, please."

—The second time. I wasn't so dense that I didn't understand what she meant by that.

"...Got it."

I gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Nagi, perhaps tickled, let her lips curl into a small smile.

Nagi was so beautiful.

Her pure white skin and hair, as white as snow, gave her an almost ethereal quality.

Even though her eyes were closed now, those blue eyes held the depth of the ocean, quiet and captivating, drawing me in with their allure.

Each of these features had a divine beauty, as if crafted by a god's hand... and when combined, they created a mysterious, almost enchanting charm.

...Of course, Nagi’s appeal wasn’t limited to just that.

"Mm."

When I gently placed my palm against her cheek, a soft sound escaped from her lips. I continued to stroke her face gently, and she smiled contentedly.

But I couldn’t keep avoiding this forever. As I swallowed nervously, I took a deep breath in my mind.

Then, I pulled my hand away and brought my face closer to hers. A sweet scent tickled my nose.

She was always by my side, but... it was still unfamiliar. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it. Would there ever be a day when I would? I had these conflicting thoughts—wanting to get used to it, yet being a little afraid of the day when I did... but I quickly forgot all that.

Because I touched her soft, dewy lips.

The sweet scent pierced my mind, and it was like being struck by lightning, leaving me numb. The tension I felt earlier vanished immediately.

Nagi's arms wrapped around my back, pulling me into a tight embrace.

It wasn't a long time. I wasn’t sure if I was even supposed to breathe, and it wasn’t a deep kiss... so before ten seconds had passed, the kiss ended.

"..."

Her eyes, still looking at me, held a sweetness that seemed to melt everything around them. I didn’t want to look away. I wanted to gaze into them forever.

But, deep within those eyes, I noticed something dark.

"I... I really do like kisses. I love how we can feel each other’s feelings so clearly. But I was a little worried, wondering if you felt the same way, Souta-kun."

"I feel the same way, Nagi."

I placed my hand gently on her head and stroked it, hoping to ease her worry.

"I... I like everything about being with you. Holding hands, stroking your head like this... when I’m close to you, my heart races, but I also feel calm. Kisses are the same."

Ah, my face is burning. But I didn’t want Nagi to keep feeling uneasy, so I had to say it.

"My heart races, but I also feel calm. I sometimes wonder if I’ll get used to it, but that feeling never really comes. In fact, the more we do it, the more my feelings grow... and my love for you overflows, Nagi."

As I bared my feelings, Nagi stepped back slightly, her hand pressing against her chest.

"...How much?"

Words slipped from her captivating lips.

"How much do you have to make me like you before you're satisfied, Souta-kun?"

It was a soft murmur. Perhaps it wasn’t something she intended to say—after a few seconds, Nagi’s expression turned startled, and she quickly covered her face with her hands.

"Ah, thank you, Souta-kun. But... I think I’ve reached my limit with all of this, so I really have to go now."

"Ah, okay."

Nagi turned and walked briskly towards the elevator. In the meantime, I took a moment to steady my breathing.

"I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, Nagi."

As I said this, Nagi stopped in front of the elevator and turned to look back at me.

"I’m looking forward to the day after tomorrow, Souta-kun."

At the same moment, the elevator doors opened, and Nagi waved her hand as she stepped inside.

I waved back... and once I saw that she had entered, I let out a long sigh and leaned against the door.

"...I think the last one was a little unfair."

Remembering the words she had murmured, my face grew warm.

"I can’t wait for Christmas to come."

The cold wind that brushed against my cheek now felt a bit comforting.

★★★

T/N: Apologize from the Translator, he wasn't able to complete in this month. Should be completed by in first week of next month.