350 The Day They Met

"Eh? You didn't know, senpai?"

Sakura blinked in surprise at Utaha's question, then a mischievous grin spread across her face.

Clearly, Utaha wasn't the only one in the dark.

Besides Shouko and Naoka—who were still quietly sipping their cereal—both Mitsuha and Yukari turned to listen.

Seeing that everyone's attention was now on her, Sakura didn't keep them waiting. With a cheeky chuckle, she said, "The second Sunday of April every year is…"

"NO! Stop right there, Sakura!!"

Eriri shot up from her seat, stretching across the table to try and cover Sakura's mouth.

Unfortunately, due to some mysterious force known as plot, she failed.

Watching Eriri overextend herself—so much so that her golden hair dipped into her cereal—Kyousuke, who was sitting beside her, had to fight back the urge to reach out and help her.

But with Utaha's menacing glare focused squarely on him, he wisely chose self-preservation.

He hadn't rested properly the night before—he needed his energy tonight if he was going to keep up with Eriri.

Utaha herself stood up beside Sakura and calmly placed a hand on Eriri's head, easily keeping the frantic girl in place.

Then she turned to Sakura, wine-red eyes gleaming with danger, and gave her a look that clearly said: Continue.

"Hehe~ You see, Eriri and Kyousuke first met on the second Sunday of April. That's why every year on this day, they celebrate their 'Anniversary of Meeting.'

I honestly thought you all knew. I mean, it's even written clearly on that painting in Eriri's room."

"Ahhh! No, stop! Stop talking!!"

Eriri shrieked, her face completely red.

Despite being pinned down, her twin tails spun around wildly like propellers.

Mitsuha and Kyousuke quickly lifted their bowls to avoid flying cereal.

She really did love that anniversary, but being outed like this in front of everyone—so embarrassing!!

The truth was, for all her tsundere bluster, Eriri was actually painfully shy.

"Anniversary of meeting...? That painting...?"

Hearing that, Utaha's expression froze.

Her mind suddenly flashed back to the times she had visited Eriri's room.

She'd seen that painting before.

Eriri wasn't the only one who would go wake Kyousuke up—Utaha herself often tried to beat him to it and barge into Eriri's room before he got the chance.

That's how she had seen it too.

A painting of a bustling city street, people flowing like a river through the crowd.

Everyone moved forward, carried by the current—

Everyone except for one tall, handsome man.

He was walking against the crowd, carrying a small girl in his arms.

Her face was buried in his chest, hidden by a brown beret.

The composition was simple, but it radiated a powerful sense of resolve.

No matter how fierce the crowd, the man would not stop.

Looking at it, you could almost feel the comfort and safety the girl felt in that moment.

'That was… the moment Kyousuke met Eriri…?'

Looking at the blonde now struggling like a cartoon character under her hand, Utaha suddenly felt like the real joke was herself.

No wonder this dumb—this girl—didn't react at all when she tried provoking her the other day. She had already planned this whole thing.

Utaha let go and sat back down, her expression perfectly composed.

Eriri, finally released, sat up with a dazed "spin," then realized everyone was staring at her.

Panicking, she quickly tried to redirect attention—by scolding her dog.

"Stop stuffing your face, you pig! You'll end up on someone's dinner plate!"

"Whimper~"

The fluffy little dog let out a sad whine, eyes fixed on his now-empty plate.

Seeing this, Eriri mercifully poured her bowl of cereal—now tainted by her hair—into the dog's dish.

'You better be grateful. Back in the day, Hojou would always finish my leftovers!'

She thought this silently.

Her appetite was small, and whenever they went out, she'd always want to try everything—but it was Kyousuke who ended up eating the majority.

'An anniversary…'

Utaha looked down, repeating the word in her head.

A twinge of loneliness crept into her heart. Would she and Kyousuke ever have an "anniversary"?

Would it only be the day—someday—when she finally became his "number one"?

She flipped through her memories like a familiar book.

To her, everything she shared with Hojou was as vivid and detailed as the pages of a beloved novel.

Was it the day Love Metronome was about to be pulled from shelves, but then exploded in sales thanks to a single comment from Kyousuke?

The day they first chatted online under the aliases "Naoto" and "Sayuka"?

The day he came to her book signing, and they met face-to-face for the first time?

Or the day she helped him complete The Devotion of Suspect X?

Or when he helped outline the fourth volume of Love Metronome?

Their relationship had been woven together through stories.

The books were enchanted—each one holding not just words, but memories.

Not just images, but expressions, tone of voice, everything.

To those unfamiliar with Kasumigaoka Utaha, it might seem like she was just a "bookworm," always buried in a novel.

That's not entirely wrong—but it barely scratches the surface.

She began to compare herself to Eriri, wondering which of them had the more special connection with Kyousuke.

Eriri had captured a moment of safety and warmth in a single painting.

When Kyousuke rescued Utaha, he didn't even know her name.

He had outright refused her request to meet in person.

Was that… sad?

No.

To Utaha, it was the most romantic kind of meeting there was.

Hojou hadn't fallen for her face, or her body, or her voice.

He fell for her writing.

Unlike other guys who obsessed over her looks or personality she crafted for fans, Kyousuke saw through her fiction—and found the real Utaha hiding inside.

Her mind drifted to that night she added him online as "Sayuka."

Even though Mitsuha had been using Kyousuke's body at the time, the way she described "Sayuka"—the character Utaha had based on herself—was all Kyousuke.

"Beneath her gloomy, stubborn exterior is Sayuka's prideful pursuit of excellence."

"She's so focused and logical that even in love, she stays clear-headed, making choices readers may find cold or incomprehensible."

"I don't doubt for a second—if she realized the guy she loved loved someone else, she'd let him go without hesitation."

"Sayuka may be brutally rational, but her emotional intelligence is terrifyingly high."

"You can only appreciate this character's charm if you truly understand her heart."

These were the words Mitsuha had sent her when she asked, half-testing, what "Naoto" thought of "Sayuka."

And Utaha knew—those weren't Mitsuha's thoughts.

They were his.

Kyousuke had understood Sayuka—and therefore, her—better than anyone ever had.

Even if Mitsuha hadn't mentioned it after regaining her memories, Kasumigaoka could still guess what had happened.

After all, getting to know someone through books isn't something just anyone can do.

The fact that they could connect on that level—it meant their compatibility was off the charts.

Super unbeatable level!

Yes, she and Kyousuke didn't need anniversaries.

Every book they co-wrote was a record of their journey together.

Compared to fleeting memories that could fade, books were eternal—so long as the Earth itself wasn't destroyed.

That kind of permanence? Far more romantic.

The thought sparked a warm flutter in Kasumigaoka's chest.

"That was the day Kyousuke decided to draw One Punch Man with Eriri," Sakura said with a teasing smile. "If the fans found out, maybe they'd start calling it 'Baldy Day' or something."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's recently restored smile froze.

Her head turned mechanically with a stiff creak.

Why would you say something like that? What could you possibly gain from it?

Did Eriri bribe you? Or has she already knelt at your feet in submission?

A storm of curses churned in Utaha's mind—she was seconds away from borrowing Eriri's entire dictionary of foul language.

"…Sakura," she said with forced calm, her soft cheeks twitching slightly. "Now that you mention it, you've never told us if you and Kyousuke have any special anniversaries."

"Eh? Now that you say it, I guess I haven't," Sakura replied, tilting her head thoughtfully.

Eriri, realizing that Utaha had just thrown her a lifeline by changing the subject, felt a pang of guilt.

Still, she quickly chimed in to help steer the conversation.

Her words caught the attention of Yukari, Mitsuha—and even Shouko and Naoka.

When the topic of an "anniversary" had come up, Yukari had paused for a moment herself.

When was her anniversary with Kyousuke?

Was it the day he—using Mitsuha's body—stood up in class to answer her question?

Was it when she discovered his identity as a "god"?

Was it the day she regained her sense of taste, after he fed her that bite of food?

Was it when she rested in his arms, watching the rain fall from the sky like a curtain?

Or was it that final day—the end of the world—when he ate the apple, told her his real name, and made her promise to come find him?

Her thoughts raced like a summer mountain storm—thunderclouds gathering, white raindrops beating down on the trees, splashing into muddy puddles.

Fierce, swift—just like the way she loved Kyousuke.

But once the storm passed and the clouds drifted beyond the peak, sunlight poured through the forest.

The air shimmered with moisture, rays of light so vivid you could see their shape.

Raindrops sparkled on leaves and puddles, turning the mountain village of Itomori into a glistening dream.

Peaceful.

Beautiful.

Just like the feeling Kyousuke gave her.

A love as intense as a summer storm, and as gentle as the calm that follows.

No, she decided—anniversaries weren't necessary.

They only made you hope for something even better in the future.

But then she smiled to herself.

As if anything could be better than meeting Kyousuke-kun.

Mitsuha, on the other hand, didn't dwell on it much.

Her meeting with Kyousuke had been far more complicated than anyone else's—even involving time itself.

If anyone could untangle that mess, it'd have to be someone with a brain like Kyousuke's.

Still, she was sure of one thing.

The day the comet fell—the day Kyousuke came to save her—that was their day.

She turned her gaze to Yamauchi Sakura, this loud and clueless girl, curious about what kind of answer she would give.

Love had never been about how long you knew someone, but even so… what she and Hojou had? That kind of love was truly one-of-a-kind.

"An anniversary, huh~"

Sakura stuck a white porcelain spoon in her mouth, tilting her head as her bright yellow eyes clouded with rare seriousness.

"Kyousuke, what do you think?"

Usually, she'd launch into her infamous "Yamauchi Sakura's 18,932 Ways to Think Differently About Everything" speech, but this time, she passed the mic to Kyousuke.

"How should I know?" he replied with a bit of sarcasm. "Aren't anniversaries the kind of thing you're supposed to remember for yourself?"

It was a contradictory answer.

But unlike Eriri, not everyone was a complete airhead.

Who even remembered anniversaries like that?

Still, thanks to his perfect memory, one particular date was burned into his mind—the second Saturday of September, not long after the second semester of third year had started.

Three small moving trucks had made a ruckus outside all morning.

Then, someone knocked on their front door.

His airhead mom was still asleep, of course.

So he answered it himself. Peeking through the peephole—

He saw a young couple, holding the hand of a little girl barely taller than their knees.

That was the first time he'd met the "trash system" in person.

Before he even opened the door, he already knew this name would be tangled with his for life:

Yamauchi Sakura.

Their first meeting was straight out of a storybook.

Not wanting to wake his mom—who'd spent the whole day doing housework the day before—Kyousuke had chosen to welcome the Yamauchis and the tiny Sakura on his own.

They were shocked.

A boy as young as their daughter handling everything so politely, so maturely—it felt like talking to a grown-up.

The Yamauchi couple were convinced: this town was the right place to be. Their daughter was going to have a great friend.

Later, his mom Hojou Mikiko did finally wake up. When she appeared—still dazed and pretty—Sakura was dazzled.

From that moment on, little Sakura knew she wanted to visit this pretty auntie more often.

Back then, she hadn't developed any interest in Kyousuke.

But Kyousuke had already set his sights on her.

And that was how it all began.

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