Back home, night had already fallen.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6GTl4JMmZ
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81EPP4aWK4
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPGbwlB6vS
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKLtjUWlhM
You always say it’s your duty…65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ944DELhmDs
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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Z1muCHy5P
Was it on the escalator? While walking to the café?
He could vividly picture her fumbling hands, flushed cheeks…65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbK6UrtMxUh
But couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened.
Yet that sentence—that final “mm”—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIY5sxtMQHI
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCY6Sv3ZCY
The way her eyes went wide when he offered her the biscuit,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5OboTpZGU
That flustered cry: “Ｉ might have a heart attack!”,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYDUiVNQgN
The moment she hugged her head, utterly embarrassed…
They were home now.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tCSSZb96V
He should be organizing the day’s reports, preparing a summary of the outing.
But his thoughts remained—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kA5WyevRP
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3aLdVhBPx
carefully flattening the small card in his hands,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpodrjf2BED
reading it again and again.
Each simple word stitched itself into his chest—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcN3RWDEZ8
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHgboLEHha
he whispered a silent prayer—
“Ran… may your life be filled with peace.”
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPTeBV0xme
Not asking for anything.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVAbiGuzCx
Not asking to be loved in return.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeIakVs5N6
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fUEPfwDk0
Even if she remained forever out of reach—
Would still be treated kindly by the world.
He opened his hands,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqn3OG9Aei
then lowered his head—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgagIvROZ45
and placed the lightest of kisses onto the pink-edged card.
It wasn’t the paper he was kissing.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrh0u588fti
It was her—
Her forehead, her fingers,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4na9Ltd9sD
the trembling lips that had whispered “thank you.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgbcI7ywFw
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16FKe7Uj22
He quietly tucked the card into the deepest corner of his drawer.
His fingers lingered at the edge a moment longer,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePoN1YiuAX
as if sealing away a feeling that could never be spoken aloud.
Night fell deeper.
But in his heart,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pyV9t1Dbn
he was still standing at the very beginning of that love escalator—
The place where she had once held his hand,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5JvFiFZHK
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQQfpEhgli
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoLQwGL65n
and gingerly picked up the card.
The handwriting—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXibuyOh7Z
was his.
So familiar it made her fingertips tremble.
“My lady, you are a lily in the valley—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV00nHq7LWY
Quietly blooming, yet impossible to overlook.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntHzjM55BT
I admire you.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnbn9qorVp
—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—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ty0cnvwdb
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”—65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EiCfIacAw
a word that framed all his feelings neatly65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZOTwlcDbZ
within the role he was never allowed to step beyond.
She gently opened the box.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWsjkMLoXe
A familiar scent wafted up at once—
It was her favorite perfume.
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQaE89V4Rh
Penhaligon’s · Lily of the Valley.
65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ysIXlXmrY
The scent of valley lilies—soft, clean, and tender.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPSzyP1gjO
Like a confession that never quite found its voice in spring.
She held the bottle in her hands.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYNo74nAXT
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.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12Zd8nLwlp
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,65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy17u5JQtuE
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…”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKB4B9dXDz
“So much, I couldn’t even bring myself to go watch the fireworks with you.”65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH86mUiE2n
"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 exploded65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8t27VlM46
on that love escalator65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAK9iQxaC3K
earlier that day.65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMA9ftUyWe
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCnhV4QH3j
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBO1oQbc0zn
Your support keeps me going—and keeps the characters falling deeper in love 💞💭
and then Add to home screen.