In that fleeting moment, the only thing that popped into my head was… just a stupid word: ‘Huh?’
What is this? A ring? Uh, uh, huh?
“Wow——!”
Seriously, it was an exclamation I often blurted out, but I doubt it had ever contained so many emotions at once.
“…You said you would accept it if I brought you the ring. I remember you saying that clearly.”
Indeed, that’s what I said. I distinctly told her that, unlike everything else, I would accept only her ring. I had said it with my own mouth.
“W-Well, I didn’t really think it’d happen this soon…”
“If you said you wouldn’t give it to me yourself, then you have to take responsibility for that.”
…I had indeed said that. When was it? Even if you catch a fish, you set it free in the tank. I think I also said something like I wouldn’t let go… Hmm.
Hmm.
Various words that could be added in my head came and went. Why today of all days? Such unnecessary thoughts.
If I were to ramble on about such things at this moment, it would be rude to Nagisa, who had put in so much effort to prepare this… Yes.
Especially with her tense face, biting her lip as she watched for my reaction…
Ah, Nagisa-chan is ridiculously cool today. I feel like I’m falling for her… I’m already falling for her, but I might just fall for her all over again. Hua.
“N-Nagisa-chan…?”
“…Yes.”
“I’m super embarrassed right now. I truly have never felt this embarrassed in my life… Um, I’m a bit flustered because this is such an unexpected situation…”
With each word I spoke, it felt like my heart might leap out of my mouth, so I cautiously opened up and expressed my honest feelings.
If my life before falling into Kivotos was Act 1, the moment I possessed Mika’s body and met Nagisa was Act 2.
That’s how special Nagisa was to me, and that’s why she was undoubtedly my absolute favorite.
A girl who was gentle like the scent of spring flowers, loved fervently like the summer sun, and colored my world like autumn leaves. If I had to pick just one person to spend my life with, it would be… without hesitation, Nagisa.
So, I slowly extended my trembling hand. But confidently, without hesitation.
…I thought I had extended it confidently. Was it not?
Seeing as I had unconsciously squeezed my eyes shut, perhaps I… no, maybe I extended it just a tad shyly. Ugh.
“A promise is a promise… um.”
“Uh, Mika-san…? It’s the other hand.”
“…Ah, huh?”
Seriously, I’m losing my mind… I didn’t even realize I was extending my right hand until Nagisa pointed it out. Seriously, my brain feels completely frozen…
I was the fool for calling myself an idiot for what Nagisa had said.
“T-That last one doesn’t count…! Ahahaha☆”
I tried to laugh it off as I extended my left hand properly, but the atmosphere from earlier, where we were both lost in our thoughts, had already shifted halfway.
Nagisa, looking at me silently, took my hand and gently placed her lips on my ring finger.
“With this, the ring will hold my breath. It means I’ll always be with you, wherever you are. So… don’t ever take this ring off, okay?”
“W-Well, that might be a bit much…?”
“Stop talking back to me.”
Upon listening, Nagisa was right. How could I dare to talk back to a heavenly husband like her?
That said, doesn’t “always together” sound a bit creepy? Not a lot, but…
It gives off a feeling of being closer to me than anyone else, no matter who she’s with. Hehe. It might even be nice…?
The feeling of being possessively loved is truly the most thrilling. Yes.
“Once you graduate next year, let’s get married first.”
“…Eh, Nagisa-chan. That’s so unromantic.”
No, seriously. Just a moment ago, I was so crazily excited that I felt like I might faint while standing here…
To be honest, I think not incorporating the line “Will you marry me?” into the proposal is a bit much. At the very least, something like “Will you marry me?” would suffice…
“What, unromantic? Because of you who shamelessly hits on every girl, I worried about what to do about the ring, the wedding, and how we can both be happy without stepping on each other’s toes. Asking for anything more would surely be immoral. And since we’re on the topic, let’s make one thing clear. Next week, I’ll be heading to the Abydos Autonomous District for a business trip, so if you bring more people back, be prepared for a showdown.”
“…Wow—!”
Faced with Nagisa’s relentless barrage of perfectly reasonable points, I couldn’t muster the courage to counter her. I didn’t want to expose my already dwindling conscience to even more depths.
“W-Well, that seemed sufficient for mood earlier. Yes. And as for Abydos… ahaha.”
“…Hoo.”
Nagisa, having easily grasped the meaning behind my laughter, let out a deep sigh. Slowly, she took out… a proposal ring from the box?
As I watched, it struck me how strange it was that I should be in a position to receive a ring when I should have been the one giving it to someone. It felt as though the natural flow of events had finally unfolded.
The ring that was placed on my ring finger fit perfectly. Made of two lines of platinum, the ring held two small diamonds and a somewhat unfamiliar gem with a bright blue hue.
The color was certainly beautiful, but what was it…?
“It’s turquoise. You might not know, but it’s also the birthstone for December.”
“…Huh?”
Turquoise… so that’s Turkish stone? I couldn’t help but marvel at Nagisa’s thoughtfulness in selecting a birthstone that matched my original birthday in December.
“Hehe, you might be a little disappointed, but there’s a very important reason for this.”
After sliding the ring box into her pocket, Nagisa, still holding my hand, sported a strangely confident smile. Then she said:
“I’m not sure how many rings I’ll end up giving Mika-san in the future.”
“Ahahaha…”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Okay…”
“…The ring you’ll receive will be the only one from now on. That was our promise. So, after consulting with the others, we decided to standardize the rings for the wedding.”
Ah. So that’s why the birthstone turquoise was included. This meant that when I gave rings to the other kids, I would have to embed their birthstone… in the same design.
In other words, Nagisa was fulfilling her own promises. In a really good way.
“Nagisa-chan is… too good for me.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think I had a personality to agree with such remarks, but since you said so, I can’t just deny it…”
As Nagisa firmly squeezed my hand, I couldn’t even complain about being a sissy. I never dreamed it would come to this when I allowed her to date Hina.
She must regret that decision deeply, yet she continues to take care of the other kids like sisters without any complaints, so it’s pretty obvious who the true angel among angels is.
“Everyone else has agreed too. However, please avoid turquoise when sharing birthstones…”
“…Okay.”
“And since this is something Mika-san wanted… whoosh.”
Nagisa took a small breath and closed her eyes. Would it be rude to say it felt like a baby was playing with her hands?
After finishing her deep breath, Nagisa whispered softly:
“Mika-san, will you promise to be with me for a lifetime… and uphold this breath and light of aura until the very end?”
“Y-Yes… I promise, and I swear…”
…Perhaps I have been living for this moment. Such positive feelings flooded my entire being.
Although numerous problems lay ahead on our path, being able to momentarily forget about those and dive into the sea of happiness was truly a tremendous blessing.
Soon after, my gaze met Nagisa’s. That alone made me realize, at this moment, we both wanted each other.
As we slowly inclined our heads towards one another at that moment.
[…A rescue to!!!]
[T-Tsurugi! Please stop our leader…!]
[Kekekeke… Hehehihihihihihi—!!!]
Crash! Clang! KABOOM!
[E-Everyone calm down!]
…Damn that windless Kivotos. Where is the peaceful academy for young ladies, Trinity?
As the heated atmosphere cooled in an instant, Nagisa burst into laughter.
Peck.
Then, quite unlike Nagisa, she quickly stole a kiss from my lips and took two steps back.
“I would love to monopolize you a bit longer… but since I’ve made a promise with that kid, I’ll take my leave first.”
“…Huh? You mean Saori-chan?”
“Yes. By now, she’s probably finished getting dressed. I’m not pleased about handing you over in this beautiful atmosphere, but we have an abundance of time now… ahead of us.”
Nagisa’s brown eyes, reminiscent of some distant past, softened gently.
“Now, go to the shooting range.”
“…Eh?”
“Don’t forget to come back on time. If you come back hurt, you’d better be prepared.”
“Um, what does that mean…?”
“I need to tidy up the ruckus inside… and give the intruders a light lecture.”
The moment Nagisa spoke, the auditorium doors swung open spontaneously.
No, on closer inspection, it wasn’t so much that it opened on its own, but rather that humans leaning against the door pushed it open.
As the Supplementary Education Department and the Band Department clustered into a human mountain, at the bottom was a man with a familiar face.
“…Teacher?”
“…Mika. As I mentioned before, your views on romance are terribly poor—”
“Ufufu. Teacher, coming from someone who was watching this two-person display with teary eyes, isn’t that a bit rich…?”
“That’s a misunderstanding, Hanako.”
Ah, so the heart-pounding world of two had been observed by so many people.
…I don’t know. Isn’t there nothing to be embarrassed about?
“I’ll be back, my beloved husband…☆”
I don’t know why it had to be the shooting range, but it was time to meet the last guest of the day, aside from the second round with Nagisa.
