After dropping off Yamato at the station, I headed to the bookstore.
I don’t really read books much, but… Actually, I’ve been searching for something specific that I really want, so for the past few days, I’ve been scouring the bookstore.
You see, I’m really into trendy things… So, when I got that Dakaru pin the other day, I immediately went to the 100-yen shop to buy one, and I happily wore it to school… only to have it snatched away by Yamato! I had to buy another one!
Now, the thing I’m searching for… It’s also a trendy item… and, as expected, it’s really popular.
I read online that bookstores are the best place to buy it! But even so, every bookstore I checked was sold out, and I just couldn’t seem to find it anywhere.
Since I have time today… I decided to go to the bookstore in the neighboring town.
* * *
After arriving at the bookstore, I searched for the “something” I was looking for with a strong sense of hope… Since I had come this far, I really hoped they would have it!
I finally spotted the “something” I had been searching for with that strong desire in mind!
[White bands are the latest trend now!]
[Try wearing one on your arm!]
Th-this is it!!!
Yes, what I was looking for was a “white band,” a bracelet-like white band to wear on the arm.
And this wasn’t just any white band… By purchasing it, a portion of the proceeds would be donated to help those in need.
It was such a lovely white band, allowing you to enjoy fashion while also sharing your feelings with others.
I reached out to the white band I had finally found, feeling a mixture of happiness and satisfaction… Wait, when I looked closely… There were three extra ones!!!
…Come to think of it, if I wore it tomorrow, Yamato might say something like “What’s yours is mine” and take it again…
Ah, I know! I’ll buy some for Yamato and Shun too, and then the three of us can wear them together…!
And if these white bands could serve as a symbol of our friendship, proudly worn on our arms, that would make me so happy…!
I picked up the three extra bands from the store, thinking such thoughts, and headed towards the checkout, but then… I noticed something else.
Oh, isn’t this… another trendy item now… Wow! There are so many colors, and they’re all so cute!
Among the various colors of the other trendy items, I picked out ones for Yamato, Shun, and myself, along with the white bands, and made the purchase.
I wonder how they’ll react tomorrow… I hope they’ll both be pleased…
I rode my bike through the darkening streets with those thoughts in my heart as I was heading back home.
* * *
The next day.
As usual, I went to pick up Yamato at the station, and we rode our bikes to school together.
Yamato still hadn’t noticed the white band on my right hand as he was sitting sideways on the cargo bed.
I’m going to surprise them with a present later…! Actually, I hope they don’t notice it yet…!
We arrived at school with those thoughts in mind and headed to our classroom as usual.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
When we got to the classroom, Shun was already sitting at his desk, having finished morning practice, and we greeted him with a “Good morning!” before taking our seats.
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“Oh, isn’t that it! The stylish white band that lets you donate! Yuto, that’s amazing! They’re not selling it anywhere!”
Shun also peered curiously at my white band…
Yeah, this band is definitely trendy… Everyone knows about it!
I was eagerly awaiting a certain line with those thoughts in mind… Is it coming? Is it coming…?!
Yes, it was Yamato’s…
“Heh… hey, Yuto…? That white band… give it to me… What’s yours is mine, right??!”
I’ve been waiting for this! I’ve been waiting for this~!
What’s yours is mine!
I slowly brought my right hand to Yamato’s mouth, making sure he couldn’t speak!
Mmmph?! Yamato struggled, and Shun laughed at his struggles…
I released my hand from Yamato’s mouth, and he glared at me sullenly.
But I didn’t mind…
I rummaged through my bag and handed the white bands to the two of them.
“Huh… th-this…”
“Yuto… you’re amazing!”
The two of them took the white bands, unable to hide their surprise.
The white bands, which were so popular and hard to buy, were now in the hands of the two of them.
And…
“Hehehe… I wanted to give them to you guys too… and I thought if we all had matching ones, it could be our ‘proof of friendship’? I just thought it might be nice…”
Despite feeling a little embarrassed, I was able to convey my feelings to them properly.
The best friends I’ve ever had, who were always there for me… and I want us to always, always be best friends…
Shun expressed his gratitude with teary eyes, as if he were touched by my words… Yamato was blushing as he played with his hedgehog toy in his hand…
“Y-Yuto…”
“Yeah? What is it, Yamato?”
“T-Thanks…”
After seeing Yamato embarrassed but speaking, something in my heart skipped a beat… I quietly tucked that feeling away in the corner of my heart…
The two of them put on the white bands on their right arms, and the three of us exchanged smiles, showing off our “proof of friendship.”
But the presents I prepared for the two of them weren’t just these… Yes, I took out another trendy item from my bag and showed it to them.
“Yuto… that’s another trendy thing, right…?”
“Oh! Isn’t that a friendship bracelet?!”
Yes, the other trendy item I bought was a “friendship bracelet.”
When you tie it around your wrist or ankle, you make a wish, and it’s said that the wish comes true when the bracelet falls off.
It would be nice if, by wearing the bracelets together as three, each of our wishes could come true…
I had chosen and purchased bracelets in colors that suited each of them with that in mind.
“It would be great if we could all make our wishes come true together! Yamato’s bracelet is light blue, Shun’s is red…! And mine is… orange!”
When I looked it up before buying, I found out that each color of the friendship bracelet carries a specific meaning.
Light blue symbolizes “freshness and beauty,” red symbolizes “activity and passion,” and orange symbolizes “hope and energy.”
Each color was chosen with them in mind… Even though we’re best friends, our tastes are different…
Yes, that overlaps with our second nature as well.
Between the two of them, I’ve learned so much hope and happiness…
They’ve continued to interact with me with genuine smiles, despite knowing I’m hiding my Omega status… They are my hope and my support…
And just as I was about to give them the bracelets, Yamato reached for the orange bracelet instead of the light blue one, grabbed my right arm, and then…
“I’ll tie it to you… Now, close your eyes and make a wish.”
For the first time, I felt the warmth of Yamato’s hand… It was so big and incredibly warm…
As I was wrapped in that warmth and Yamato’s gentle hand, for some reason my cheeks flushed, and I closed my eyes tightly, deciding to imbue the bracelet with my wish.
*Squeeze*
“Yuto, can you open your eyes now?”
After opening my eyes and looking at my right hand, I saw both the “proof of friendship” and the “wish-infused bracelet” firmly present.
And watching the whole process, Shun grinned and said to us…
“You guys~ Seriously hot, hot stuff! Sooo hot!”
…Huh?! Sh-Shun! What are you saying, you idiot?!
I flustered at Shun’s words, my face turning red again… Yamato! Say something to him…!
But at that moment, Yamato, for some reason, was once again playing with his hedgehog toy, without retaliating against Shun.
And then, Shun delivered the final blow to both Yamato and me…
“Yuto~! Tie Yamato’s bracelet for him♪”
M-Me…?! T-Tie Yamato’s bracelet…?!
It’s not like I dislike it… But why am I feeling so nervous…?
Yet, despite Shun’s words, Yamato didn’t seem reluctant. He offered his right arm to me, closed his eyes slowly, and waited for the bracelet to be tied…
…Alright… Whatever happens, happens…!
My hand trembled slightly as I tied the bracelet firmly onto Yamato’s right arm…
I gave Yamato the okay to open his eyes, and when he did, he looked at his right arm with a happy expression.
*Sigh*… What is this feeling of excitement…
I felt a brief moment of calm as I was relieved that I tied it properly… but next up was Shun.
I wondered which hand he wanted me to tie it on… I was already at my limit… While thinking about it, Shun made a fist with his right hand and offered it to Yamato.
“Yesterday, you gave me courage. So, Yamato, could you tie the bracelet for me?”
It was certain that yesterday’s pep talk from Yamato had stirred something in Shun’s heart.
Yamato smiled and accepted the red bracelet from Shun, who was asked, closed his eyes slowly, and imbued it with his wish…
And then, the skillfully tied bracelet was set free on Shun’s arm, carrying his wish.
We showed each other the “wish-infused bracelet” and the “proof of friendship” once again, and smiles naturally spread across our faces.
“Hey, Yuto~? What did you wish for??”
Shun asked with a grin.
“If I tell you, it might not come true, so I’m not telling~!”
I replied playfully, and from then on, the three of us continued to enjoy our fun-filled days together…
And before we knew it, we were approaching the day of Shun’s final Inter-High.
