Koichi Kimijima slid the card into the deepest drawer. As he closed it, his fingertips lingered on the wood for a moment—as if sealing away some unspoken confession.
He quietly stood, unbuttoned his dress shirt, and changed into a long-sleeve home top and cotton pants. The crisp uniform he wore like armor was finally shed in the stillness of night—along with his identity as a butler, with all its restraint and professionalism.
The gentle expression he’d worn moments ago, reading her card and whispering a prayer—it too vanished, slipping into the shadows. His gaze darkened, a depth untouched even by moonlight.
He moved to the bookshelf, pressed a concealed latch behind a wooden panel—
Click.
The shelf shifted to reveal a hidden compartment. Inside lay a yellowed etiquette manual with its pages hollowed out. Nestled within was a discreet but exquisitely expensive bottle of Yamazaki 18‑Year Whiskey.
He poured a measure by the faint moonlight, the amber liquid rippling in the glass—quiet but potent, like feelings that had never been voiced. Sitting at his desk, he sipped and then retrieved a newer notebook from the drawer.
He began to write:
That moment—her eyes—I’ll never forget.
I had only come to wait while she and her friends shopped, but instead I saw her watching all those couples, hand in hand, ascending the escalator to the third floor.
She didn’t smile, nor did she sigh—she just looked, quietly, almost imperceptibly. But I saw.
It wasn’t envy. Rather, it was a longing, reined in so many times.
Not an “I want that too” she’d speak aloud, but a wish buried in her heart for years:
“If only it were possible…”
In that instant, I felt anger—not at her, but at the world.
She deserved to be cherished, held carefully in someone’s palm—yet she’d forced herself into silence.
As if wanting more, inching closer, would become someone else’s problem.
I… didn’t want her to go home tonight disappointed.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuu0RCfv6Am
I didn’t want her to end a day like this with nothing.So I took her hand. I didn’t say a word. I simply held it—and we walked up that dreamlike escalator.
I thought she’d pull away—85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt04zg3qiIk
but she didn’t. She just froze, head bowed, her ears flushed…85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8U9XhLKwIG
and she let me hold her hand, quietly, as we climbed.In that moment, I almost believed—85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfO4FHeqhm6
maybe, we could be just like ordinary lovers.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdxi4xbNDb
No lady and butler. No forbidden relationship.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HVeuMHx36
Just two people holding hands, walking toward each other.But later, she said she didn’t want to watch the fireworks.
I could tell she was lying.
She, who adored romance, feigned exhaustion and tomorrow’s exam…85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGrQfglh9i
even saying, “I might have a heart attack”—It had almost shaken me. That admission.
Because I realized—I was trying to make her happy.
And yet… maybe she was afraid.
Afraid we’d truly change.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHQWAsnktq
Afraid if she continued forward, she wouldn’t be able to stop.She always saw me as calm, composed.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNClCBBXld
But she didn’t know—I’m just afraid of losing control.Because once I lose control,85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWVKvdk6hf
I lose the right to stay by her side.She doesn’t know how many times I stopped myself from reaching for her hand.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQQUUwkosD
Or how much strength I needed not to kiss her forehead at the top of the escalator.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKcMzsp6WF
Not to say, “I love you.”I’m not a perfect butler.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtaX3FAs3YV
I’m just… good at hiding it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnA4LwMk6pO
She doesn’t know how many times filthy fantasies of her have crossed my mind.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiddQLUDmFv
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWMs7UmjsA
I served her with my hands. Touched her only in my mind.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xipxZSLAj
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tSIfVr6gl
She thinks I’m composed. That I’m dutiful. But in my head—I've undressed her a hundred times.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuKSvjyTbz
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Re84nh82q
I just hid those thoughts well—85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHKM22axEb
so they appear as loyalty.But in truth—she has always been in my heart.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1g934oyttV
Not even for a second—has she ever left.
He paused, lifted the glass, and downed the whiskey in a single swallow. The burn sliced through him like a fierce memory, but his eyes stayed dry. He stood, walking back to the bookshelf. This time, he pulled another latch—a second hidden compartment—and retrieved a slim silver lockbox, etched with a fine groove at the bottom edge.
He opened it with barely audible precision. Inside rested an older, well-worn notebook—the same kind he’d just used—its cover frayed from years of use. Neatly written on the front: “Future Journal.”
By moonlight, he opened to a marked page from years ago, comparing his earlier entries to the one he just wrote.
After a long silence, he smiled quietly—almost imperceptibly—as though relieved that everything stayed on script.
He closed the book and whispered to the shadows:
“All is still as foreseen.”
You made it this far—you're seriously the sweetest! 🥹💗85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwg8z4bZPLZ
If you liked it, don’t forget to like 👍, bookmark ⭐, and drop a little comment 📝~85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhEf5ra08N
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