Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 286(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Because this time, if it was what she wanted, he would hold her until the end.
“I’m begging for another chance. Let me love you and stay by your side for the rest of our lives. I can’t promise neither of us will feel weak again. Hell, I can’t even fucking promise we won’t fight—-” The words won the tiniest choked laugh from her, and he told himself he could draw hope from that. “But what I can promise is that I’ll never make the mistake of leaving you again. The only time we’re weak is when we’re apart, senpai. But together, we’re fucking invincible—-”
“Oh, Yuki.”
And this time, he was damn sure it wasn’t goodbye he was hearing in those words.
So damn sure it was making his own eyes sting—-
“I can’t believe you can say something so cheesy,” she whispered.
“I can’t believe it either.”
Yuki looked like he wanted to throw up now, and it was just too much. It made her chest ache so hard, but it was a good kind of ache. The kind that made her throw herself at him—-
His arms snapped around her, a steely embrace that told her he was making good on his promise.
He was never letting her go again.
“Oh, Yuki.” As always, his name was all she could seem to say when the emotions were too much. “I’m scared.”
“I’m glad,” Yuki said hoarsely. “It means you love me.”
She laughed and cried a little more at his words. “That’s such a s-sadistic thing to say.”
He pulled away, grating out, “Then will it please you to hear I’m just as scared? That I’m fucking terrified I’ll still lose you one day, and even worse I might lose you to that lolicon—-”
“Yuki!”
“Senpai!” He mimicked her tone perfectly.
And oh, it was exactly just like old times, and her heart could barely take the sheer beauty of it.
She was still afraid, didn’t think that would ever change, but what was different now was that she was okay with it. Because sadistic as it may be, she knew Yuki was right.
Being afraid simply meant you love a person that much-—
And you just had to live with it.
Everything became so exquisitely clear after that, and when she looked at Yuki again, it was as if she was seeing him for the first time.
His silky black hair, his bright blue eyes, the perfect lines of his face—-
Or maybe it was just that it had been so long since she had last looked at Yuki without having to hide anything—-
Her love. Her joy. Her fears.
Nothing to hide at all because he was looking at her the exact same way.
“Aishiteiru, Yuki Alexei Himura.”
That one word was her secret weapon, something she had accidentally discovered. It used to make Yuki shudder in lust every time she told him that, but this time—-
She touched his wet eyes.
“Aishiteiru,” she said again.
And she cried with him.
Word of the Day: Omake, n.
A term commonly used in manga and anime in reference to extra material or bonus scenes provided by the author or artist at the end of the work.
It may also function as an epilogue.
Several months later
August in Tokyo is blistering hot, but I’m too giddy to notice. It’s my first ever tanabata or star festival, and oh, it’s so much more than I allowed myself to hope for. At my insistence, Yuki has come dressed in a yukata that matches mine, and we’ve already written our love wishes and hung them together with the rest of the tanzaku. And now, I’m about to cross another high-priority item from my bucket list, with Yuki just three shots away from winning me a giant stuffed teddy bear.
The owner of the shooting stall hands Yuki a freshly loaded gun, and he glares at me as the crowd behind us cheers wildly.
Oops.
There’s still nothing more he hates than having people notice him, but unfortunately for Yuki, his perfect shooting score, combined with his gorgeous looks, makes it impossible for the people at the tanabata not to notice him.
Yuki takes aim.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
All the targets fall, and the crowd behind us breaks into thunderous applause.
“Congratulations,” the stall owner says cheerfully.
Yuki manages to crack a smile. “Thank you.” Then he dumps the giant teddy bear in my arms, and I nearly lose my balance. It’s a lot heavier than it looks.
“Happy now?” he snarls.
“Uh huh.” I think he’s scowling at me, too, but the toy’s extra-large frame prevents me from seeing him.
“Let me carry that.” Yuki’s tone is exasperated as he takes the bear off my hands.
“I can handle it—-”
Yuki glares me into silence.
Or not.
He grabs my hand as we start walking, and his fingers tighten around mine when the other girls we pass by literally squeal and sigh as we walk past them.
It’s Yuki Himura! What a good boyfriend! He’s won that for her! He’s so sweet!